A debt-ridden tycoon inherits a luxury mansion, but the tenants are not human.

At 2:30 a.m., Building No. 3 in Pinganli was shrouded in darkness.

Chen Mo pushed open the unit door.

The iron gate's hinges scraped against each other, creating a long, echoing sound in the quiet corridor.

The voice-activated light turned on.

The dim light illuminated the dusty staircase.

The cement along the edges of the steps has peeled off.

Room 502 was on the fifth floor. Chen Mo climbed the stairs, his footsteps echoing in the corridor.

The earth spirit followed behind him, its clay feet treading on the cement ground, with only the soft rustling of mud as its torso moved.

When they reached the fourth and a half floor, the motion-activated lights went out. Chen Mo stomped his foot heavily, and the light bulb above his head flickered twice before turning back on, making the light much dimmer.

There are two apartments on the fifth floor. Apartment 502 is at the end of the corridor. Outside the security door, there is an old-fashioned wooden door. Large areas of the dark brown varnish have peeled off, revealing the blackened wood grain underneath. The door handle is covered with thick dust, and the lower edge of the door is stuffed with yellowed lock picking and small loan slips.

Chen Mo took out the brass key. The character "Zhang" on the key handle was almost worn away by time. He inserted the key into the lock and turned it, making a crisp metallic clanging sound. After turning it twice, the door opened.

A musty smell wafted out, a mixture of Chinese medicine and camphor, along with the fermenting scent of old clothes and a faint hint of sandalwood. Chen Mo pushed open the door and stepped inside, with Di Ling following behind.

The room is a one-bedroom apartment with a living room area of ​​less than 40 square meters. The living room has a set of solid wood sofas with the varnish on the armrests polished to a shine. The coffee table is covered with a faded handmade crocheted tablecloth. On the wall hang several black and white photos framed in wood, with people in the photos wearing Lenin suits from the 1950s and 60s.

Chen Mo turned on his phone's flashlight, and the cold white beam swept across the bedroom. The bedroom door was open, and against the wall stood a four-poster bed with blue floral sheets, the blankets folded into squares, and the bed itself neatly made.

The voice of the earth spirit echoed in Chen Mo's mind.

"Grandma Zhang is no longer here, but her unwavering belief remains."

Chen Mo activated his spiritual vision, and the scene in the room instantly changed. White halos floated in the air, slowly flowing in the small space. The most intense light gathered on the bedside table in the bedroom, where a small wooden box was placed. A faded red paper was pasted on the surface of the box lid, and the red paper was cut into the shape of the Chinese character for "double happiness".

Chen Mo walked over and picked up the wooden box. It was very light and the surface of the wood was polished smooth. He opened the lid and found a red cloth inside, along with a folded letter and a military medal.

The medal is made of brass and has turned black from oxidation. The five-pointed star and wheat ear pattern on it are still clear. The back is engraved with the Third Class Merit, the year 1953, and the name Zhang Jianjun.

Chen Mo picked up the letter. The paper was yellowed and brittle. He slowed his movements and unfolded the creases little by little. The letter was written with blue fountain pen ink, and the handwriting was neat and strong.

Xiulan.

See the word as the face.

The troops are leaving tomorrow, and I don't know when they'll be back. You said you'd get married when I came back, and I remember that. Here's the key; it's the key to our old house. My mother said this house has been passed down for three generations, and it will be our home from now on.

I'll come back to marry you after I finish fighting the war. You can use this key to open the door, and I'll be waiting for you inside.

Take care of yourself, and don't miss me too much.

Founding the Army.

1952 7 Month 12 Day.

At the end of the letter, a line of delicate handwriting was squeezed in.

Jianjun, I'll wait for you, I'll wait for you my whole life... Xiulan.

Chen Mo gripped the edge of the letter, his knuckles turning white. It was a letter from 1952, more than seventy years ago. He folded the letter back to its original shape and put it back in the wooden box along with his military medals. After closing the box tightly, he looked around the cramped room. Grandma Zhang had waited her whole life for the man named Zhang Jianjun to come back and use this key to open the door to their shared home. But the man never returned.

Chen Mo walked to the window and pushed open the dusty glass. The night wind blew into the room, and the sound of car tires rubbing against the asphalt road could be heard occasionally from the main road in the distance.

Chen Mo spoke.

"Di Ling, has Zhang Jianjun returned?"

The earth spirit remained silent for a few seconds.

"He's back. He sacrificed his life on the Korean battlefield in 1953. His ashes were transported back and buried in the martyrs' cemetery. But Grandma Zhang didn't know that the army hadn't confirmed his death when they notified him of his disappearance. So she waited her whole life thinking he would come back."

Chen Mo sighed, "These damned invaders have caused so many families to be torn apart and people to die."

He closed his eyes, and his ability to whisper obsessions automatically activated. The lingering memories in the room echoed in his mind, including the expectant voice of a young woman.

"Jianjun said he'd use this key to open the door when he gets back..."

Decades later, the same voice has grown old.

"I still have the key... Will the door still open...?"

Finally, a weak voice came through.

"Jianjun... I've got the key... but where are you...?"

The sound stopped abruptly, and Chen Mo opened his eyes. He picked up the wooden box, turned around, and walked to the coffee table in the living room. He placed the wooden box neatly in the center of the crocheted tablecloth and took out the brass key, placing it next to the wooden box.

Chen Mo spoke to the empty living room.

"Grandma Zhang, the key has been returned."

As soon as the words were spoken, the room changed. Floating white halos began to converge on the wooden box and keys on the coffee table. The halos continued to accumulate and intensify, eventually coalescing into a human figure behind the coffee table: an elderly woman wearing a blue floral shirt, her white hair meticulously combed. She looked at the keys and wooden box on the coffee table with a smile. She turned around and bowed deeply to Chen Mo. There was no sound, but Chen Mo received her gratitude. The old woman's figure began to fade, and the halos gradually dissipated. Before disappearing completely, she turned her head towards the bedroom, raised her hand, and gently waved it. The room returned to deathly silence.

Chen Mo felt changes happening inside his body. The mark below his collarbone began to heat up, and a surge of heat spread from the mark and flowed through his blood vessels to his limbs and bones. He experienced unfamiliar sensations in his mind. He closed his eyes and focused his attention. He saw the old house. Across spatial distance, he sensed the real-time status of each room in the old house in Qing Shi Lane. The kerosene lamp in the main room on the first floor was flickering. The ashes in the earthen stove in the kitchen still carried residual warmth. There was a dent in the center of the bed in the bedroom on the second floor. The earth spirit in the pit in the basement was emitting an earthy smell. This was an advanced version of the old house's perception ability.

The earth spirit spoke.

"The fourth obsession is complete; it's time to upgrade the old house."

Chen Mo felt the concrete ground beneath his feet vibrate, the rhythm of which was perfectly synchronized with his heartbeat. The vibration spread upwards along his leg bones, eventually resonating with the mark on his collarbone. The mark's temperature suddenly rose, and Chen Mo reached out to cover his collarbone. The moment his fingers touched his skin, a golden halo appeared on his palm, the light emanating from within his body.

The earth spirit urged them on.

"Go back! The upgrade process needs to be completed inside the old house."

Chen Mo grabbed the wooden box and keys from the coffee table, turned around, and rushed towards the front door. As he went downstairs, he heard a click from the security door of room 502, and the lock cylinder automatically closed. Without looking back, Chen Mo ran straight out of Pinganli Community. The streets were deserted at three in the morning. The streetlights stretched and shortened his shadow. Chen Mo ran all the way back to Qingshi Lane. The darkness in the lane was very thick. The old house stood quietly in the night. Chen Mo pushed open the front door, stepped over the threshold, and entered the main room.

The change erupted instantly. A continuous creaking sound came from inside the old house. The wood stretched and the bricks moved. The sounds came from all directions at the same time and intertwined densely. The kerosene lamp on the table in the main room went out automatically. The room did not fall into darkness. At the same time, all the wooden surfaces, such as the walls, floors and ceilings, were covered with a golden halo. The halo flowed quickly along the wood grain.

Chen Mo stood in the center of the main room. The wood grain on the surface of the octagonal table and the armchair became clearer and the patina became thicker. The shadow of the child playing marbles in the corner stopped and looked up at the ceiling. A creaking sound came from the direction of the stairs. Chen Mo turned his head and found that the wooden planks of the stairs were getting wider and thicker. The worn edges were filled with new wood, and the handrails became smooth and warm.

The earth spirit spoke.

"Go upstairs and check on the bedroom."

Chen Mo stepped onto the new wooden planks and hurried upstairs. At the end of the second-floor corridor, a door had appeared out of nowhere on the white wall. He walked over, reached out and pushed it open. Behind the door was a brand new room, about ten square meters in size. The room was empty except for a small wooden-framed window. Outside the window was the deep night. The walls were painted with smooth white ash, and the floor was paved with neatly made blue bricks.

The spirit followed him into the house.

"These are rooms that have grown out of the old house. Each upgrade will create more space. Once you complete more of your obsessions, the old house will be restored to its former glory, when it had seven courtyards and forty-nine rooms."

Chen Mo left the new room and returned to his own bedroom, which had also changed. The old-fashioned wooden bed had become thicker, and the sheets had been replaced with clean, plain-colored cotton. A drawer had appeared on the side of the desk. Chen Mo opened the drawer and found it empty, with the wooden interior polished without a single burr.

The spirit of the earth explained from the side.

"This is one of the containers in the Yin-Yang Bag. You can put spiritual items here and access them anytime outside. However, it can only hold three items now. The capacity will increase in the next upgrade."

Chen Mo pushed the drawer shut, turned around, and went downstairs straight to the basement. The basement had undergone the most dramatic changes, its space doubling in size from fifty or sixty square meters to over a hundred square meters. The blue bricks on all four walls had been replaced, and the pit was still in the center. The soil around the pit had turned dark black and had a damp sheen. Chen Mo looked past the pit to the deepest wall, where a bronze door had appeared. The door was two meters high and one and a half meters wide, and its surface was covered with intricate reliefs. Cloud and dragon patterns were intertwined, and the background was a star map. In the center of the star map were seven dots arranged in the shape of the Big Dipper. There was no handle on the door panel, only a recessed palm print pattern.

Chen Mo walked to the door and placed his hand on the bronze door, feeling its cold and heavy touch.

Di Ling stood behind Chen Mo.

"This is the gate that connects to the dragon vein, but it cannot be opened yet. It requires specific conditions or specific people."

"What are the conditions?"

The spirit of the earth answered.

"I don't know. This door was never opened when Chen Banshan was alive. He said the time wasn't right."

Chen Mo withdrew his hand and took two steps back to carefully examine the bronze door. The relief on the door exuded a sense of oppression in the dim light, and the center of the seven dots was emitting light.

Chen Mo pointed to the door panel.

"Seven anchor points and seven dots, the glowing one represents the old house?"

The spirit nodded.

"Yes, the other six are dark, which means that those anchor points are either destroyed or dormant. Only the old house, the central anchor point, has been reactivated because of your arrival."

The words Shen Mo had spoken flashed through Chen Mo's mind: sacrifice the entire city. If all seven anchor points were activated and the formation was fully operational, he stopped thinking. Chen Mo turned around, walked up the stairs, and returned to the main room. The sky outside the window was already turning a pale white. It was 4:30 a.m., less than 20 hours before the deadline given by Zhao Shouyi.

Chen Mo sat down in the armchair, his body exhausted but his mind clear. The mark on his collarbone was no longer hot, but it rose and fell with his heartbeat. He took out the Book of Obsessions from his pocket and opened the pages. The landlord's diary had been updated.

[Old House Rating: Bed and Breakfast Level (First Upgrade Completed)]

[Unlocked Abilities:]

[1. Insight (Beginner) ~ Ongoing]

【2. Touch the memory ~ You can touch the relics to see three memories】

【3. Old House Sensing ~ Can sense the state of the house inside】

4. Whispering Obsessions - You can hear the true thoughts in a ghost's heart.

[5. Tenant Resonance ~ You can temporarily borrow the tenant's skills from their previous life (trust must be established)]

【6. Yin-Yang Bag - Allows you to store 3 spiritual items in a designated container in the old house, which can be accessed from the outside】

7. Landlord's Mark - Leaves a mark on the boundary to detect intruders (up to 3)

Current energy reserves: Medium (enough to sustain operation after upgrade)

[Unresolved Obsession: Array Master (Shen Mo) ~ In Progress]

[Warning: External threats are imminent. Landlords are advised to prepare accordingly.]

Chen Mo closed the Book of Obsessions and looked up at the direction of the courtyard gate.