Chapter 1, Entering the Industry

I put down the phone and crawled under the sheets, having rather foresightedly prepared an empty mineral water bottle in case I needed to relieve myself. According to Qin Yiheng, if I hid under the sheets, the ghost would not be able to see me; all it would see is the bed. I do not know what evidence there is for such nonsensical reasoning, but in any case, I do not dare to challenge the 'authority'.

Rumors spread rapidly, and several migrant workers heard from their neighbors that three people had suddenly died in this house, causing them to hesitate about continuing their work here. The father of the male protagonist pleaded and offered additional money, arranged for these three individuals to stay in a guesthouse outside, and promised that they only needed to work during the day, which persuaded them to continue. However, since that night, strange occurrences began to happen during the day as well. The workers' tools would inexplicably move around, yet no one had touched them. Moreover, according to the neighbors, the lights in the house would mysteriously turn on at night, as if someone were living there. Initially, the neighbors thought it was the workers inside, but later realized that the workers had already moved out. These events were indeed frightening, but they did not pose a threat to personal safety. Therefore, the workers, eager to earn money, continued to work diligently, albeit with increased caution. Initially, the neighbors thought it was the workers inside, but later realized that the workers had already moved out. These events were indeed frightening, but they did not pose a threat to personal safety. Therefore, the workers, eager to earn money, continued to work diligently, albeit with increased caution.

His voice was urgent as he said that he had made a mistake during the day, and that there was still a little ghost and an old ghost that had not been eliminated. He feared that by the time the two of us entered, they would have already attached themselves to me. He urged me to be extremely cautious and to avoid any adults leading children—regardless of their appearance—at all costs.

As soon as he finished speaking, I felt a shiver run through my body, and I quickly looked around. Fortunately, there were no adults leading children nearby. By this time, it was almost midnight, and apart from the brightly lit supermarket and mahjong parlor, there was hardly anyone in the neighborhood. However, I still felt scared, and every step I took on the way home was filled with trepidation. When I finally managed to get through the door, I hurriedly shut it and immediately collapsed onto the floor. Yet, I still felt afraid, and every step I took on the way home was filled with trepidation. When I finally managed to get through the door, I hurriedly shut it and immediately collapsed onto the floor

Afterwards, the so-called exorcism ritual was not at all like what is portrayed on television or what those charlatans claim. Qin Yiheng found a rope, hung me upside down, and then continuously struck my entire body with a small wooden board. My phone and keys fell out of my pockets.

Seeing a profitable opportunity, I planned to acquire a few more haunted houses using this method. I thought about using these haunted houses as collateral for loans, which would allow me to engage in larger business ventures. I discussed this with Qin Yiheng, who was also very supportive. Thus, we began to specifically search for such information across the country, and I indeed encountered many similar haunted houses.

Due to frequent encounters with haunted houses, it is inevitable to be frightened by the stories and backgrounds related to them. Although there have been no life-threatening disasters, I have often encountered some strange occurrences. Therefore, today I will share my experiences over the past few years dealing with haunted houses.

The first haunted house I purchased has quite a history; the term 'quite a history' does not refer to the monetary value of the house, but rather to the truly extraordinary rumors surrounding it.

This house is located in a bustling area, and its price should have been quite good. Unfortunately, around 2003, the owner and his family of three were all murdered during a home invasion. Rumor has it: "At that time, the family of three died a tragic death; the male owner was found dead next to the safe, the female owner was found dead on the bed, and she had been raped. The most brutal part was that their child, who was in elementary school at the time, was drowned by having his head held under the toilet while water was continuously poured in. The case remained unsolved for a long time, and no one dared to inquire about the house. At that time, the heir to the property, who was the father of the male owner, hired workers to prepare for a major renovation of the house, hoping to alleviate the pain of losing his son and also hoping that after the renovation, he could rent it out or sell it.

The owners of the houses are generally quite unfortunate, as many of them rent out their properties. Therefore, if a tenant dies unexpectedly inside, it not only completely affects the willingness of others to rent the place again, but even if they wish to sell it, very few dare to take it on. Fortunately, if they encounter someone who is unaware of the situation and sells it to them, current legal regulations state that in cases of buying and selling a haunted house without prior knowledge, if any related disputes go to court, the buyer is basically guaranteed to win the case.

The male protagonist's father was very distressed, but he longed to see his son. He heard from the workers that his son and his family had not been reincarnated, and he was eager to see them again. That night, he moved in by himself. However, something even more chilling happened—he actually died in that house, lying flat on the floor. It took many days for the neighbors to discover him, and by then, the corpse had already begun to smell. Later, some people said that he was used as a bed by his son's family. This vengeful spirit was unrecognizable to its kin. I do not know if this claim is credible, but I have a friend named Qin Yiheng, who is somewhat knowledgeable in this area. At that time, I was thinking of starting a business but lacked the capital. This friend suggested that I buy this house.

Hearing him speak so lightly about it, I still felt uncertain. Had I known it would be so frightening, I would never have bought that haunted house. I asked him to come over to keep me company, but he said there was no need to make a big deal out of such a trivial matter, and that if I followed his advice, nothing would happen.

I waited anxiously for several days until he told me it was almost time to go back, and only then did I follow Qin Yiheng back to that house. As soon as I pushed the door open, the scene inside nearly made me cry out in fear. Although I am not an atheist, I had never come into such close contact with such things before. I saw blood handprints on all the windows and doors, and there were many on the walls as well, as if someone had touched the chicken blood I had spilled earlier and kept smearing it everywhere. Qin Yiheng said, "The vengeful spirits from before have now been completely scattered. He used a suffocating method, which means trapping the vengeful spirits in the house, leaving them nowhere to hide, as if they were suffocating, ultimately leading to their complete scattering, unable to even become ghosts. He explained that this is a very malicious method, but there is really no other way, because if other methods were used, it would be too difficult to eliminate these vengeful spirits. I did not comment on what he said, but the handprints before my eyes told me that everything seemed to be true.

It is likely that everyone is aware that the so-called "haunted houses" are those in which someone has met an unnatural death, while natural deaths are generally not considered. The term "unnatural death" is a colloquial expression that typically refers to non-natural causes of death, such as accidents, suicides, or homicides. According to legend, individuals who die in such a manner, due to their life span not being fully realized, are said to die with great resentment, and their spirits often linger. Consequently, most haunted houses tend to have some strange occurrences associated with them. Even in the absence of unusual events, they can become shrouded in mystery due to word-of-mouth tales. Individuals who die in this manner, as legend has it, are said to die with great resentment, and their spirits often linger. Therefore, most haunted houses generally have some strange occurrences associated with them. Even in the absence of unusual events, they can become shrouded in mystery due to word-of-mouth tales.

After approximately ten minutes, my head was throbbing with blood, and only then did he let me down. He also gave me a coin and instructed me to spend it, leaving not a single one behind.

Initially, I was unwilling, but Qin Yiheng spoke convincingly, and I genuinely wanted to engage in business and make a fortune. So, with a mindset of taking a gamble, I had a conversation with an old man's daughter. The house, over 110 square meters, was valued at around 400,000 yuan at the time, but I purchased it for just a little over 70,000 yuan. In fact, after buying it, I felt uncertain. Qin Yiheng instructed me to buy 150 kilograms of rice and spread it all over the floor of the house. After waiting for three days, he then told me to buy many roosters, specifically those that had not yet mated. I was to let them bleed and splash the blood on all the doors and windows of the house, and then he told me to wait patiently. In fact, after buying it, I felt uncertain. Qin Yiheng instructed me to buy 150 kilograms of rice and spread it all over the floor of the house. After waiting for three days, he then told me to buy many roosters, specifically those that had not yet mated. I was to let them bleed and splash the blood on all the doors and windows of the house, and then he told me to wait patiently

I hardly slept at all that night, anxiously waiting for dawn. Only when I could hear the birds chirping outside did I dare to stick my head out. After glancing around, I quickly threw on some clothes and ran outside. It was not until noon that I felt brave enough to return home. Looking back, there was actually nothing strange happening last night; I was just scaring myself. However, upon returning home, I realized that Qin Yiheng was not exaggerating at all—thanks to the sunlight, I saw many footprints by the bed, circling around as if they were revolving around my bed.

These footprints cannot possibly be mine! I clearly did not hear any noise last night, yet these footprints have appeared so mysteriously. At this point, I completely believe what Qin Yiheng said, and I hurriedly ran out to catch a taxi to find him

After a while, I finally finished sneezing. Qin Yiheng handed me a cigarette and then told me: "The wooden board that hit me was a shoehorn. According to him, using an old shoehorn to strike a person who is upside down can very likely cause that person's soul to be shaken out from the crown of their head. This is done to shake off those two ghosts, reducing the strength they have attached to my body. The coins I spent are offerings at the temple, which possess a certain magical power. When spent, they can help expel some of the evil energy from my body. Lastly, the water that was poured over me is even simpler; it is a mixture of boy's urine and rice washing water. By the time I finished sneezing, those two ghosts had been completely expelled from my seven orifices."

I found Qin Yiheng and told him about the footprints. He comforted me for a long time, and I gradually calmed down a bit. Then, he said he would help me drive away the two ghosts on me, and I was naturally moved to tears.

I called Qin Yiheng to let him know I was safe and such. In fact, I was just feeling uneasy and wanted to hear someone talk to calm myself down. He told me it was fine as long as I got home, and advised me not to cover myself with a quilt when I went to sleep, only to use a sheet. He said that if I heard any noises at night, I should not go to check, but just cover my head and sleep soundly until dawn, and everything would be just fine.

He found several migrant workers who had just arrived in the city from the countryside and did not mention that someone had died in the house. After negotiating the price, he let the workers move in, working day and night. During the day, they engaged in noisy tasks, while at night they did quieter work. Everything was peaceful during the day, and the renovation progressed quickly, likely due to the generous compensation, and the workers were quite happy. However, strange events occurred at night. That night, the three migrant workers staying in the house woke up to find themselves sleeping outside in the hallway. They were completely unaware of how they ended up outside and found it very strange. Many would likely think it could be explained by sleepwalking, but even in the case of sleepwalking, it is unlikely for three people to sleepwalk together and end up choosing to sleep in the same place.

Finally, Qin Yiheng said that the house is clean, and I can sell the one I currently live in and then move in here. Although he said this, a person had just died here, so how could I dare to live here? I thought to myself that I would wait for a while before making a decision. To reward him, I treated him to a lavish dinner that night, and we didn't leave until very late. Just as I returned to the entrance of the community and was walking home, Qin Yiheng's call came in.

Moreover, even if sold to someone who does not believe in the supernatural, the price would likely be significantly discounted. For instance, the house of my childhood neighbor, which was once valued at 300,000 yuan, could only be sold for 60,000 yuan simply because a girl had previously committed suicide there due to emotional distress. The price difference is quite substantial. In recent years, I have engaged in this kind of business, specifically seeking out such haunted houses and purchasing them at extremely low prices. The older houses are basically left waiting for demolition and subsequent new construction, which allows for considerable profit. As for the newer houses, I usually mortgage them at the bank to engage in other businesses. This cycle has proven to be a decent livelihood.

After speaking, he looked at me with a malicious smile. I did not have the courage to ask him where the boy's urine came from, but I could guess from his expression. It was truly disgusting to think about, but for the sake of my own life, I had no choice but to accept it

The renovation was about one-third complete, and everything was going relatively smoothly. However, one day, the workers suddenly approached the employer together and declared that they would not work anymore, no matter what. When the employer inquired about the reason, the workers explained that they had been having recurring dreams while staying at the guesthouse at night. In these dreams, they saw several faceless figures surrounding them, saying: "There is no bed to sleep on, are you asking me to sleep on the floor?" These workers were already somewhat superstitious, and recalling the tragic incident that had occurred in the house previously, they became too frightened to continue working. They settled for a significantly reduced payment and left.

Spending money is indeed easy; I went to the supermarket and casually bought a few items, and my money was all gone. However, I felt quite perplexed inside; what kind of exorcism ritual is this? It is not serious at all. When I returned after spending all the money, Qin Yiheng had already prepared a basin of water waiting for me. As soon as I entered the room, he dragged me to the bathroom and drenched me from head to toe. The water was too cold, and I started sneezing continuously, one after another, unable to stop. Qin Yiheng stood by smoking and watching me. I initially wanted to complain, but when I saw his serious expression, I felt embarrassed to say anything.

I do not know who taught him this method of exorcism. Although it seems somewhat unreliable, he is the only knowledgeable person I know. Even if I do not believe him, I truly cannot find any other expert. After this incident, I no longer saw the footprints by the bed, and when I returned to that house, the eerie feeling upon entering had also vanished. Two months later, I noticed that the house was quite peaceful, so I mustered the courage to move in. After this incident, I no longer saw the footprints by the bed, and when I returned to that house, the eerie feeling upon entering had also vanished. Two months later, I noticed that the house was quite peaceful, so I mustered the courage to move in. During the first week, I stayed with Qin Yiheng. This was partly to bolster my courage and partly to benefit from his aura. Meanwhile, I had rented out my previous house, and the rent was decent, at least providing me with a stable living.