I became an immortal in the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 260 The Poor Are More Terrifying Than the Evil.

Not far away, Li Bai and Yuan Danqiu covered their mouths and noses.

Sanshui, carrying the food box, whispered to his junior brother:
"Now I finally understand why I packed up my food so early. Who could eat something that smelled so bad?"

Zhang Guolao, who had disappeared in Zhang Shibalang's eyes, stood on the street, watching Zhang Shibalang run around in the distance, where everyone avoided him wherever he went.

Sanshui watched for a while.

She tilted her head back and asked, "If someone becomes so smelly, does that mean they won't be able to speak for the next few years?"

Zhang Guolao laughed heartily.

"Yes."

"Let's see if he can tolerate it."

Sanshui, Chuyi, and the others didn't hear Zhang Guolao's telepathic message, but they sensed a foul odor and assumed he was just holding back from speaking.

"How long do we have to endure this?"

Zhang Guolao stroked his beard and said, "It might take ten years, or it might take a month."

Jiang She looked over and asked, "Didn't Master Guo say three months?"

"Just to scare him."

Children played around the group, a yellow dog rubbed against their feet wagging its tail, and a melon vendor fanned his nose to shoo away the mosquitoes flying around, craning his neck to watch the spectacle.

The storyteller was speaking.

The passage reads, "The Crown Prince is so wise and virtuous that even white cranes linger around him."

They were speaking auspicious words to the current Crown Prince Li Ying, saying only pleasant things, half true and half false. This satisfied the curiosity and longing of ordinary people for the imperial family, and if powerful officials heard it, it wouldn't cause any trouble, making it easier to claim rewards, and they might even receive a lot of money.

Halfway through the story, the crowd started to clamor, wanting to hear more about Xing Hepu's previous extraordinary tales of judging life and death.

The storyteller, pocketing his reward money, laughed heartily.

"Since you are all willing to listen, then I will also tell you about this strange event that is currently taking place in the city—"

"Please don't be offended if I say anything wrong; I was just trying to amuse you."

"Now, let's talk about Xing Hepu. He was born into a prominent family. It is said that in his youth, he was surrounded by servants and enjoyed all the riches and honors of the world. Moreover, he was extremely intelligent. His family loved him dearly and nurtured him with great care."

"But that was many years ago."

"We know nothing about how long this person lived or where he lived. Since entering Chang'an during the Kaiyuan era, he has been known for his divination skills..."

……

……

Jiang She's heart stirred, and he made a mental note: there were many extraordinary people in Chang'an. He planned to get to know Xing Hepu better after he recovered from his illness.

The storyteller talked for a while, and the group of people stood and listened, finding it quite interesting.

Jiang She looked at Li Bai.

"Taibai, has the house been decided yet?"

Li Bai and Yuan Danqiu have been looking at houses in Chang'an City for the past two days, led by brokers.

"I looked at a few, and three of them were quite good."

Li Bai explained in detail that he had chosen large, complete houses, which were much more expensive and not much cheaper than the place they lived in Luoyang.

Leaving Jiang She aside, the two junior disciples, Sanshui and Chuyi, grew increasingly worried as they listened, and couldn't help but repeatedly count their jingling money pouches in their minds.

Why do they charge money for the houses down the mountain?

They still want so much...

As the cat listened, its whiskers twitched, and it secretly glanced at the melon vendor not far away. The vendor was busy hawking his wares and hadn't noticed them.

The cat couldn't help but speak in its childish voice.

Is there a ghost inside?

She lived in a haunted house in Yanzhou.

The cat already knows that ghosts are good things; once they move in, the house will be much cheaper, and it can buy a lot more mutton.

Li Bai seemed to have forgotten that he originally intended to pay for it himself.

They went to ask the dentist.

The man with the tooth-like teeth stared at the group for a long time, his voice filled with trepidation and hesitation.

"Are you all really going to live in a haunted house?"

The broker didn't want someone to suddenly die shortly after moving in. Even if he wanted to collect money, he wouldn't drive someone to their death.

He offered a reminder:
Even if we're strapped for cash, life is more important, so we should think this over carefully...

Jiang She, curious, asked.

How much does this house cost?

The broker hesitated. He looked at the man before him; he was standing perfectly fine now, but who knew how long he would live? Letting him live there would be taking a life.

He scratched his head.

"Logically speaking, this house is in a good location and occupies a large area, so it should cost at least three strings of cash a month, but this..."

The more the broker spoke, the more he stammered and hesitated.

"The landlord said that we can calculate it based on one in ten, and give him three strings of cash a year."

"But even at a lower price, life is more important. I have two other houses here, much cheaper than the previous three. I'll take you to see them..."

When Jiang She heard "three strings of cash a year," he immediately knew the answer. He asked gently:

"Would it be convenient for you to take us to see it?"

The broker breathed a sigh of relief.

He turned around and readily agreed.

"Alright, I'll take you to see the other two rooms. They're in worse locations and smaller, but they're peaceful and quiet, so you can live a peaceful life there."

Jiang She shook his head.

"Could you take us to see the haunted house?"

The broker was taken aback.

"Young master, the previous two residents of this house were a man who went insane and a young man who died of illness. Do you really want to move in?"

Jiang She persisted.

He said, "Let's be bolder."

Sanshui and Chuyi stood behind with expectant expressions. They had never seen a haunted house before and didn't know what ghosts looked like.

The broker was a little uneasy as he escorted the person to Shengpingfang to look at houses.

Within Shengpingfang were the Imperial Music Bureau and the Music Bureau, a place of elegance and constant music. It was said that many literati, artists, and renowned painters had settled here. Moreover, it was not far from the East Market and the Imperial City. If it weren't for the ominous nature of the house, it would truly be a good place to live.

As he approached the door, the broker felt uneasy and dared not go in.

He gave one last reminder.

“This house used to belong to an official’s family. I’m just telling you, sir, it’s really not a good place to live.”

In front of Jiang She was an inconspicuous door.

There used to be something pasted on the door, which looked like peach charms upon closer inspection, but it had faded and was no longer recognizable due to the passage of time.

He pushed open the door and entered.

The room was full of dust.

Sunlight streamed through the floating dust and cobwebs, shimmering with a tranquil, pale golden light.

The group couldn't help but sneeze several times.

A narrow front yard paved with blue bricks, with a clump of slender bamboo growing wildly and unrestrained in the corner of the wall. The vegetation is far more vigorous than the human presence, making it appear particularly desolate.

Passing through the gatehouse, you enter the courtyard.

The courtyard was covered in dust, and in the southeast corner stood a "banner," a pole for hanging lanterns at night.

There are three halls on the north side, with corridors on both sides leading to the rear. The east corridor is the study, and the west corridor is the servants' quarters and kitchen, both of which are covered in dust.

Further on, there were several dormitories.

A small garden was set aside on the west side of the house, with a thatched pavilion in the middle. The pavilion was inscribed with the two characters "Listening to the Rain". The stone table and benches were already broken.

Overgrown bamboo and desolate weeds.

But it is indeed a nice house.

How fierce must it be to get a discount like this?

Jiang She's curiosity was piqued. He examined the item twice, becoming increasingly satisfied with his observation. He summoned the broker and asked:
"Really three strings of cash a year?"

The man nodded.

Jiang She thought for a moment, then reached into his sleeve and took out the entire ingot of silver he had used to exorcise the ghost from the Pei family. It was exactly ten taels and of excellent quality.

Since it's so cheap, we can stay longer.

"It should be enough to last for three years."

The broker was surprised for a moment. Even after he said that, these people still wanted to stay here.

He sized up the man in blue, then the old man, the two young men, and then the two teenagers.

None of these people showed any fear on their faces.

Weird.

"Please wait a moment, I'll go get a small scale."

The broker weighed the money on a small scale, carefully chiseled off a piece of silver, gestured for a long time, squinted and weighed it repeatedly, and finally handed all the money to Jiang She.

All of this was done standing at the door.

From beginning to end, the broker did not step into the house even once.

He forced a smile:

“Young master is so generous. Please take this money first. I will bring the lease and keys tomorrow. When is a convenient time for you to come tomorrow? Let’s set up a place.”

Jiang She reported the residence where they were currently staying.

The broker breathed a sigh of relief, quickly made a note of it, and prepared to say goodbye.

Wait for people to go away.

Jiang She also heard the broker mutter:
"My God, they're really brave. A poor ghost is much scarier than a demon. They even dare to live in this haunted house."

"Fine, fine. I've given you so many reminders. Even if something goes wrong, it's none of my business..."

【Ask for monthly ticket】

(End of this chapter)