"Thank you, Auntie." Jiang Chan thanked her, then casually pointed to a small, vacant but relatively well-maintained courtyard in the village. "By the way, Auntie, that courtyard looks quite quiet. Does anyone live there? Can we stay there for a few days?"

The old woman looked in the direction she was pointing, her expression immediately changed, and she waved her hands repeatedly, "Oh dear! Girl! You mustn't go to that place! It's bad luck!"

"Oh?" Jiang Chan asked, puzzled. "What kind of bad luck is it?"

“That’s Zhang Dashan’s family!” the old woman said in a low voice. “Zhang Dashan used to be a courier. Ten years ago, he got into big trouble! They said some important military intelligence hadn’t been delivered and was delayed!”

The result… the result was that the whole family was beheaded! Not a single one was left! The house has been empty ever since! Only the village chief occasionally sends someone over to take a look and do some repairs… It's okay for grown men to rest when they pass by, but a young woman like you can't handle that evil spirit!”

dead?

unlucky?

Evil?

Jiang Chan remained completely unmoved.

Having survived five years of the apocalypse, wading through mountains of corpses and seas of blood, what's a mere haunted house?!

Quiet and independent, just what she wanted.

"It's alright, Auntie, we're tough, we're not afraid of this," Jiang Chan said calmly.

Seeing her resolute attitude, the old woman simply said, "Alright, as long as you don't mind."

Jiang Chan led Xiao Tao straight to the abandoned courtyard.

Pushing open the creaking courtyard gate, one finds the interior overgrown with weeds, and the three main rooms with their doors and windows tightly shut, exuding a desolate atmosphere.

The weeds in the middle had been trampled on and lay flat on the ground, probably belonging to someone who had stayed there before.

"Sister Jiang, this place is so desolate..." Xiao Tao grabbed Jiang Chan's hand tightly, a little scared.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine after a quick clean-up," Jiang Chan patted her.

Just as Xiaotao and I were cleaning the bed and floor in the room, we heard footsteps and voices coming from the courtyard gate.

"This is it, young man. The place is a bit run-down, but at least the roof and walls are still pretty sturdy... It's just... sigh, as I just told you, about this family's situation..." It was the old woman's voice.

"It's alright, as long as there's a place to shelter from the wind and rain, we don't mind." A steady male voice sounded, tinged with weariness.

Jiang Chan and Xiao Tao turned to look.

An old woman was standing at the door with a man and a woman in her arms!

The man was the same young man I had parted ways with at the mountain god temple a couple of days ago!

He helped up his teacher's wife, Zhou, whose face still looked haggard.

Chen Yan also saw Jiang Chan and Xiao Tao in the courtyard, and was clearly taken aback, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, "Huh? It's you two?"

The old woman asked in surprise, "You know each other?"

“We met on the road,” Jiang Chan explained briefly, nodding to Chen Yan and Zhou Shi.

Chen Yan nodded in response, his gaze lingering on Jiang Chan for a moment with a complex expression.

When Zhou saw Jiang Chan and Xiao Tao, she smiled with relief. "Miss Jiang, Xiao Tao, it's fate that we meet again."

The old woman continued, "The village chief said that this yard is just sitting empty anyway, so we'll make it convenient for passersby. But you'll have to figure out your own water and food; the village is strapped for cash. Since your two families know each other, if you don't mind, you can stay for a few days. The Zhang family's affairs are all in the past..."

She went on and on about Zhang Dashan's tragedy, emphasizing how "inauspicious" the house was.

The moment the old woman finished speaking!

In Jiang Chan's mind, the cold electronic voice that had been silent for several days suddenly exploded without warning!

[Ding!]