Old House

The old house is located in Wutong City on the edge of Shangjing.

When the master and servant arrived, night had fallen and everything was silent.

There was only one house with lights on around the house, which was particularly eye-catching in the dark.

Mu An Ning quietly observed the house in the faint light.

The plaque hanging above has become faded and only a small part of the word "Mu" can be vaguely seen.

The outer walls were covered with moss and spider webs, and the stone steps in front of the door were uneven.

Her distinct black and white almond-shaped eyes were slightly dazed, and for some reason she felt a sense of familiarity in her heart, as if she had been to this place before.

But it is clear that the Chongde Marquis Mansion had moved away from this place before she was born.

Suddenly, a cool breeze blew, and the master and servant standing in front of the door couldn't help but shiver.

Baoqin looked around, a trace of fear quietly spreading in her heart. She suggested hesitantly: "Miss, why don't we go in first?"

Apart from the two of them, there was no one else on the street, which made it seem eerie in the dead of night.

Mu An Ning stretched out his hand to push the door, but before his fingertips touched the paint-stained wooden door, he heard a creaking sound.

It actually opened by itself from the inside out!

Another wave of cold air came, and her slender hands trembled. She looked at Baoqin, and there was a hint of fear in each other's eyes.

"It's okay." She spoke slowly, not knowing whether she was trying to comfort Baoqin or calm her own anxiety, "I guess... it's just that the wind is a little strong tonight."

She tried her best to keep calm and walked into the house. Right now, they had nowhere else to go except this house.

Although Baoqin was frightened at heart, she still followed him reluctantly when she saw her young lady's face looking even whiter in the moonlight.

The lady's injury has not yet healed, she needs to rest as soon as possible.

"Cough cough——" Dust accumulated under their feet, and every step they took would cause fine dust to fly up and sting their mouths and noses.

The surrounding darkness was like an airtight veil, covering everything.

Baoqin suddenly remembered that there was a tinder in her bag, so she hurriedly took it out, trembling and blowing hard for a long time before she finally lit it.

Although the faint firelight was small, it was enough to outline the surrounding scenery.

The two of them felt a little relieved.

In front of me was a ruined garden with weeds growing to half a person's height.

Several old trees stand tall into the sky, their branches swaying in the wind.

There were a few crows sitting on the tree, and from time to time they made hoarse cries, like the calls of ghosts.

“Hehehe——”

A burst of eerie laughter suddenly came, echoing in the silent night, and was particularly creepy.

The master and servant, who were walking towards the inner courtyard with bated breath, suddenly stopped.

Baoqin trembled and said, "Miss...Miss, did you hear me?" She had been holding Mu Anning's arm tightly, and when she saw the young lady nodded quietly, she couldn't help but hold it tighter, with a hint of tears in her tone, "Miss, is this...is this house haunted?"

Mu An Ning knew that Xiao Baoqin had been timid since childhood, so he patted her trembling hands soothingly.

She never believed in ghosts, so her first reaction was that someone was playing tricks.

However, the scene of being manipulated by the unknown force and being able to sense other people's thoughts suddenly emerged in his mind.

Her eyelashes trembled slightly, her palms felt slightly cold, she opened her red lips and took a breath, then continued walking forward, holding the zither in her arms.

At this moment, an indistinct black shadow emerged.

Before the two could react, another gust of cold wind blew past, making them shudder.

"Ghost!!!" Baoqin shouted in panic, then closed her eyes tightly, a chill extending from her spine to her whole body.

“Ghost!!!”

Although Mu An Ning did not shout loudly, his heart tightened and he closed his eyes involuntarily, with beads of sweat appearing on his forehead.

Her brows suddenly knitted together, as if... there was more than one sound from the harp just now?

Thinking of this, she tentatively opened her eyes. There was no one in front of her, but when she lowered her head slightly, a child about six or seven years old came into her sight.

It was not the ghost that Baoqin had imagined before.

The child's face was very round, but her body was a little thin, barely reaching her waist.

Although his shabby clothes had some patches on them, it was obvious that the person who mended them was very careful.

After a while, seeing that the two people beside her were still trembling and dared not open their eyes, her red lips could not help but curl up slightly.

There are no such things as ghosts or gods. You are just scaring yourself.

She gently patted Baoqin's shoulder, and when she saw him tremble, she soothed him softly, "Baoqin, it's okay."

Hearing her young lady's voice, Baoqin half-closed her eyes tentatively.

The boy heard the conversation between the two and realized something was wrong, so he opened his eyes suddenly.

After realizing that the two people in front of him were not female ghosts, he said in a soft voice with a hint of annoyance: "Who are you and why are you pretending to be ghosts?"

"Ah, you little brat!" Baoqin thought about how she had been frightened by a child just now, and felt a little angry and embarrassed: "It was you who suddenly appeared to scare people, but it was the bad guy who complained first?"

Seeing that the two were about to quarrel, Mu An Ning smiled helplessly and shook his head.

Although Baoqin is careful and steady in her actions, she is sometimes too childish.

She slowly squatted down and gently soothed the child in front of her who seemed to be on fire: "Whose child are you from and why are you in this house so late at night?"

The child looked straight into the girl's bright eyes, but suddenly blushed and said vaguely, "I'm here to find the Black and White Impermanence!"

His round eyes fell on the white cloth wrapped around Mu An Ning's forehead, and he suddenly felt ashamed.

Just now, he was frightened by this thing and thought it was a female ghost in white coming to claim his life!

The master and servant were slightly surprised and said in unison: "Black and White Impermanence?"

I'm afraid this child is just talking nonsense.

A trace of vigilance flashed across the boy's big, round eyes. He did not answer but stammered, "You...you haven't told me who you are!"

He had moved to Willow Street for more than a year, but had never seen these two people.

Walking around outside in the dead of night, could he be a human trafficker?

The boy was thinking to himself, his expression changing again and again, his little face wrinkled tightly.

The master and servant smiled at each other. After the shock just now, they seemed to be having fun.

Mu An Ning explained in a gentle tone: "We are the temporary owners of this house."

The boy rolled his round eyes and folded his arms across his chest: "I don't believe it!"

Baoqin joked, "Since you've discovered us, I'll tell you the truth." She stretched out her hand as if to pounce on them, "Actually... we're here to catch you!"

Seeing that the boy was really a little scared, Mu An Ning smiled gently: "Okay, hold Qin. Don't tease him anymore."

It's really interesting that this kid dares to play alone in this abandoned house late at night and is so timid.

"We are indeed the owners of this house. We just moved here today." Mu An Ning gently touched his head, "Can you tell me, what is your name?"

From above he heard the action that only his mother would do to him, and the child's tense body relaxed a little.

Although the woman looked sick, he had never seen anyone as beautiful as her. Moreover, she spoke in a soft voice, and she certainly didn't look like a bad person.

He curled his lips and said, "I'll trust you for once. My name is Fang Ziweng."

Mu An Ning nodded slightly, and after saying their names, he gently asked, "Then can you tell me why you are here tonight?"

What he had said before about the Black and White Impermanence was too bizarre.

The boy blushed and said, "You will know if you come with me."

Having said that, he led the two of them to the corner of the garden.

When he blew a whistle, two little wild cats suddenly appeared from the dry grass. They were very cute.

One is black as ink, the other is white as snow.

Aren’t they the Black and White Impermanence?

Fang Ziweng scratched his head and explained, "My cousin is preparing for the palace examination these days, and my mother thinks I'm too noisy, so I came here to play with the Black and White Impermanence..."

Just now the kitten escaped and he hurriedly chased after it, but unexpectedly he ran into the two of them.

Palace examination?

A hint of surprise flashed across Mu An Ning's eyes. It seemed that his cousin was not an ordinary person.

Fang Ziweng and Baoqin couldn't help but go over to play with the cat, but Mu Anning stopped.

But even though he was some distance away, he couldn't help but cough.

She has been like this since she was a child. Whenever she breathes in cat hair, she feels like she has caught a cold.

In severe cases, the patient may even develop a rash all over the body, which is extremely itchy.

Her eyes were slightly dazed, and she recalled the time when she and Xu went to visit the Anqing Palace when she was eight years old.

That day, for some reason, there were many kittens in the house. She was happy, but she was afraid of getting a rash, so she didn't dare to get close to them.

The nine-year-old Gu Huaizhi thought she was timid, so he deliberately threw a cat into her arms and made a face, saying, "Coward!"

She didn't dare to refuse, so she caught the kitten. Not long after, her face began to itch.

She reached out and scratched it, but it became more and more itchy, and tears welled up in her eyes.

Gu Huaizhi, who was concentrating on playing with the cat, did not notice her abnormality. It was only after a while that he looked up and saw the blood on her face.

Gu Huaizhi was a little surprised and asked incredulously: "Were you bitten by a cat?"

The little girl was very scared because she had been taught since childhood that appearance was the foundation of a woman's character.

She couldn't help but burst into tears and sobbed, "Gu Huaizhi, if you destroy my appearance, you must marry me!"

And Gu Huaizhi...

Mu An Ning withdrew her thoughts and frowned slightly, surprised that she had forgotten his answer at that time.

It seemed that the longer time passed, the less she could remember what happened in her childhood, as if there was a layer of fog in her mind.

Fang Ziweng saw that she didn't hate the kitten, and asked in confusion, "Sister An Ning, aren't you coming over?"

Mu An Ning shook his head lightly: "I can't touch cat hair, I'll just watch you two."

What is different now from that year is that she has learned to say no.

After a while, he took the zither into the house to pack up, while Mu An Ning sent Fang Ziweng to the door.

Fang Ziweng's initial hostility was completely gone, and a smile appeared on his round face: "Sister An Ning, that's my home." He pointed to the only low house with candles lit at the end of the street, and said as he ran: "We agreed that you will come to play with me tomorrow!"