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

Seven abilities sound like a lot, but he only actually possesses four of them.

The remaining aspects—tenant resonance, the yin-yang baggage, and the landlord's imprint—all require practice.

The sky was already beginning to lighten, and the morning light streamed through the windows, casting square patches of light on the blue brick floor.

He sat down at the octagonal table, took out his phone, and

There was an unread WeChat message from Zhou Ming: "Mr. Chen, the diary has been sent out. Here is the tracking number. Also, I found some interesting things in the diary. It seems that your third great-uncle, Chen Banshan, has some hidden secrets."

Chen Mo replied, "What do you mean?"

Zhou Ming quickly replied, "The diary mentions that Chen Banshan participated in a secret organization around 1949. The name of the organization was crossed out, but words like Seven Stars, Night Watch, and Longevity were mentioned. My mother wrote in the margin that Brother Banshan said that knowing some things is not good."

Immortality

That word again.

Chen Mo typed, "When will the diary arrive?"

"Tomorrow afternoon," Zhou Ming said, "you'll understand when you see it then. I feel... your inheritance of this old house might not be a coincidence."

Chen Mo put down his phone and tapped his fingertips lightly on the cold table.

It's no coincidence; I've heard this phrase twice already, once from Shen Mo and once from Zhou Ming.

He recalled what Granny Wang had said: Chen Banshan's death had another reason.

If that's the case, then his death is related to the secrets of the old house, the Seven Star Dragon Locking Formation, and the Longevity Society.

And all of these have now become his responsibilities.

The clock in the main room struck six.

Six o'clock in the morning.

Chen Mo stood up and rubbed his temples.

"Earth Spirit," he asked, "How do you use the Tenant Resonance technique?"

Di Ling explained, "The tenant needs to be willing. You have to establish a relationship of trust with him before you can ask to borrow his skills. For example, if you want to borrow Shen Mo's knowledge of formations, you need to help him fulfill his obsession and gain his trust first."

What will happen during the loan period?

"Your consciousness will partially overlap with his," the Earth Spirit said. "You can use his knowledge, and he can sense your thoughts. The side effect is that after the borrowing ends, you will exchange some memories."

Chen Mo nodded.

This ability is useful, but it carries risks.

"Where is the Yin-Yang bag?"

Di Ling pointed upstairs.

"For example, in that drawer, you can now put three spiritual items in, such as relics, talismans, or tokens from spirits. After you put them in, you can see those three items anywhere in the city as long as you concentrate, and you can take them out whenever you need them."

"Can I put live animals in it?"

"No, you can only put inanimate objects."

Chen Mo thought for a moment, then took out a few things from his pocket: the incense ash bag given by Granny Wang, the button for the actor's spirit, and Grandma Zhang's wooden box and key.

He chose the incense ash bag and wooden box, took them upstairs and put them in the drawer. He kept the key; it was proof that he had fulfilled his obsession, and he wanted to keep it.

After putting his things away, he tried to focus his attention and imagine the drawer.

The next moment, even though he was standing in the bedroom, he could see inside the drawer—a bag of incense ash and a wooden box were placed side by side, surrounded by endless darkness, forming a small warehouse independent of reality.

He tried to reach for the incense ash bag.

He reached out into the air and his fingertips touched the rough cloth. He pulled hard and the bag appeared in his hand.

"It's a success."

Chen Mo breathed a sigh of relief.

"You'll get the hang of it after a few more practices," said Diling. "Now try the landlord's mark."

Chen Mo went downstairs to the courtyard gate. He concentrated and imagined leaving an invisible eye on the door frame so that he could sense any spirit touching it. As he imagined this, the mark on his neck suddenly became hot, and a surge of heat flowed along his meridians to his fingertips. He stretched out his finger and gently touched the inside of the door frame. The moment his fingertip touched the wood, a faint golden light appeared on the door frame, flickered three times, and then disappeared.

"That's what the spirit of the earth said."

"The mark is set. Now, any spirit, whether it's a ghost, a demon, or a controlled paper doll, will be immediately detected when it touches this door frame, and you will be able to see the blurry outline of the person touching it."

Chen Mo took a few steps back and looked at the courtyard gate. On the surface, there was nothing there, but he could sense that there was something there, an invisible net covering the entrance.

"How many can be set?"

"Three, you can set two more, in the window or the back door."

Chen Mo nodded and returned to the main room.

Chen Mo went to the kitchen. He needed to eat something before going to sleep. Zhao Shouyi was coming today, and he needed to be well-rested.

He cooked a packet of instant noodles and added an egg.

While eating noodles, he heard a noise in the yard—birds chirping.

The birdsong was crisp and clear, and sounded very pleasant in the morning air.

Chen Mo carried the bowl into the yard.

A bird he had never seen before was perched on the locust tree. It was entirely black except for its golden eyes, and it was tilting its head to look at him.

When the bird saw him come out, it fluttered down and landed on the stone table in front of him.

Then it opened its mouth and spat out something.

A withered yellow leaf,

A leaf fell onto the stone table. Chen Mo leaned closer to look and saw a line of words written on it in extremely fine cinnabar ink.

"At noon, at the Earth God Temple south of the city, a man came alone. He was the one who guarded the temple."

The handwriting stood out starkly against the withered leaves.

Having completed its mission, the bird fluttered away and disappeared into the morning mist.

Chen Mo picked up the leaf.

Noon, 11:45 AM

Zhao Shouyi arranged to meet him at the land temple, and specifically emphasized that he should "come alone".

He returned to the main room and placed the leaves on the octagonal table.

The spirit walked over and took a look.

"You can't go. The local temple is his territory. It's very dangerous to go there."

"But if I don't go, he will force his way into the old house," Chen Mo said. "Although the upgraded old house has defenses, the fact that Zhao Shouyi dared to invite me means that he is confident in dealing with it."

"So what do you want to do?"

Chen Mo remained silent for a while.

"Go, but not alone."

He looked towards the basement.

"Shen Mo's obsession is not yet fully resolved; he still needs to find the truth behind his grandfather's death. Zhao Shouyi is both a tomb keeper and an antique shop owner; he might know something. I can use this as an excuse to test him."

"Too dangerous."

"I know," Chen Mo said, "but we have no other choice. If we defend passively, we will be breached sooner or later. If we take the initiative, we might find an opportunity."

The earth spirit didn't try to persuade him anymore; the clay sculpture just stood there for a long time.

After finishing his noodles, Chen Mo went upstairs to sleep.

He needs rest, even if it's just for a few hours.

Lying in bed, he was still thinking about what he should bring when he went to see Zhao Shouyi at noon. The incense ash bag was already in his Yin-Yang travel bag, ready to be used at any time. He also brought the cinnabar, mugwort, and salt that Granny Wang had given him.

There is also resonance among tenants.

If we could borrow Shen Mo's knowledge of formations, perhaps we could set up a backup plan at the Earth God Temple.

But Shen Mo's trust had not yet been established, and his obsession had not yet been resolved.

Perhaps we can use Shen Mo's grandfather's matter as leverage?

Chen Mo fell asleep while thinking about it.

In his dream, he stood in a mist, surrounded by seven bronze doors, each engraved with a different pattern.

He wanted to walk over, but his feet wouldn't move.

One of the seven doors slowly opened.

Behind the door was a bottomless darkness.

In the darkness, a voice whispered.

"Come...come in..."

"Here you find the answer..."

"And there's... a price you'll have to pay..."

Chen Mo wanted to back away, but his body wouldn't obey him, and he walked step by step toward the door.

Just as he was about to step into the darkness, a hand reached out from the side and grabbed his arm.

My hands are very cold.

Chen Mo turned his head and saw that the person who had grabbed him was an old man, wearing a long gown from the Republican era, round-framed glasses, and with an indistinct face.

The old man looked at him and shook his head.

Then I woke up.

Chen Mo opened his eyes. It was nine o'clock in the morning.

Sunlight streamed in through the window, casting bright patches of light on the wall.

He sat up and touched the mark on his neck.

The mark is heating up.

Who is that old man? Shen Mo's grandfather? Or... Chen Banshan?

He didn't know,

But he knew he had to go to the local temple at noon today.

Go and face Zhao Shouyi.

Go and confront the other side of this city.

He got out of bed to change his clothes.

As he got dressed, he saw himself in the mirror. His face was pale, and his eyes were sunken, but his gaze was much more determined than before.

The mark below the collarbone has expanded to the size of half a palm, with clearer lines, and its shape resembles a half-open eye.

Chen Mo looked at himself in the mirror, slowly exhaled, and his gaze sharpened.

Then he turned around and went downstairs.

Inside the main room, the earth spirit asked again, "Have you decided?"

"It's decided," Chen Mo said. "We'll go to the local temple at noon."

"Then I'll go with you."

"No," Chen Mo shook his head, "You stay at the old house and guard this place. If I don't come back... you'll have to find another landlord."

The spirit lowered its head and said nothing more.

Chen Mo walked to the gate of the courtyard and placed the second landlord's mark on the outside of the door frame. For the third mark, he placed it on the small door leading from the main room to the basement.

After using up the three marks, he felt quite mentally exhausted, but time was of the essence, and he had to set off immediately.

At 10:30 a.m., he went out and first ate a bowl of wontons at a small shop at the alley entrance, and then took a bus to the south of the city.

The Land God Temple is located in the old street area in the south of the city. It is a very small temple with only one main hall, which enshrines the Land God and Land Goddess. The temple looks old and the incense is not very strong, so it is obvious that not many people come here usually.

When Chen Mo arrived, it was already 11:30.

The temple gate was open, but it was pitch black inside.

He went inside and saw Zhao Shouyi sitting on a prayer mat in the main hall, with his back to the door, burning incense.

Three incense sticks were inserted into the incense burner, and wisps of smoke rose up.

"You're here?" Zhao Shouyi didn't turn around.

"We're here." Chen Mo stopped at the door.

"Come in, and close the door."

Chen Mo hesitated for a moment, then went inside and closed the door behind him.

The moment the door closed, the temple was plunged into darkness, with only the light of incense burning.

Zhao Shouyi stood up, turned around and looked at him.

Today he wasn't wearing a Tang suit, but a gray training uniform, and he was holding a string of black prayer beads in his hand.

"Chen Mo, do you know why I asked you to come here?"

"Let's talk about cooperation."

"Yes," Zhao Shouyi nodded, "but not entirely. I invited you here because I wanted to show you something."

He walked to the offering table and lifted a red cloth.

Underneath the red cloth was a wooden box, slightly larger than the one that held the ring.

Zhao Shouyi opened the box,

There was a photograph inside the box.

The black and white photo is quite old, with yellowed edges.

The photo shows seven people dressed in clothes from the Republican era, standing in a row. The background is No. 17 Qing Shi Lane, the old house where Chen Mo now lives.

Of the seven people, Chen identified two: the one on the far left looked very much like Zhao Shouyi, and the one on the far right was his third maternal uncle, Chen Banshan.

He didn't recognize any of the five people in the middle.

But one of them was an old man, wearing a long gown and round-framed glasses.

He looked exactly like the old man who grabbed his arm in his dream.

"Do you know him?" Zhao Shouyi asked.

Chen Mo shook his head.

"This was taken in 1948," Zhao Shouyi said. "The first generation of the seven tomb keepers, the one on the far left is my grandfather Zhao Shouzheng, the one on the far right is your third maternal uncle Chen Banshan, and the one in the middle wearing glasses is Shen Mo's grandfather, Shen Qingyang."

Chen Mo's breath caught in his throat for a moment.

“The seven tomb guardians were not chosen by the Longevity Society,” Zhao Shouyi continued. “We chose them ourselves. In 1948, when the city was about to be liberated, the seven of us discovered the underground formation and the secret of the Longevity Society. We decided to use our lives to seal the formation and stop the sacrifice.”

He picked up the photo and pointed to the seven people in it.

"But later, things changed. Some people wanted to monopolize the power of will, some wanted to join the Longevity Society, and some... wanted to completely destroy the formation and liberate the earth veins. Seven people, seven different minds."

"And then?" Chen Mo asked.

"Then, Shen Qingyang died," Zhao Shouyi said. "The cause of death is unknown, and his body has not been found. Some say he was killed by the Longevity Society, while others say he was silenced by his own people. After his death, cracks appeared in the formation, and the seal began to loosen."

"Then there was your third great-uncle, Chen Banshan," Zhao Shouyi said, looking at Chen Mo. "He succeeded Shen Qingyang as the guardian of the central anchor point, but he died not long ago. His death was also very suspicious. They said it was a sudden heart attack, but I know that's not the case."

Chen Mo clenched his fist.

"Do you know who killed him?"

Zhao Shouyi shook his head.

"I don't know, but I do know that some people don't want the tomb guardians to continue to exist, and some people want the formation to be fully activated to complete the sacrifice."

"So you want the power of will, not for cultivation, but to... strengthen the seal?"

Zhao Shouyi smiled, but it was a bitter smile.

"You overestimate me. I do want the power of will for cultivation and to live a few more years, but I also don't want to see the sacrifice happen—that would destroy the entire city, including me."

"So what exactly do you want?"

"Cooperate," Zhao Shouyi said. "You give me half of your vow power, and I'll help you deal with the Longevity Society. Together, we'll find the murderer who killed Chen Banshan, find the person who wants to activate the formation, and stop the sacrifice."

Chen Mo stared at him, trying to determine whether what he said was true or false.

His ability to whisper obsessions activated automatically, and he heard the voice in Zhao Shouyi's heart.

"We can't let him know everything..."

"That secret must be kept..."

"At least for now..."

"There's still time..."

"There's still a chance..."

The voice was intermittent, but Chen Mo discerned the key point: Zhao Shouyi was concealing some important information.

"What if I refuse?" Chen Mo asked.

Zhao Shouyi's face darkened.

"Then you won't be leaving this temple today."

As soon as he finished speaking, the temple door slammed shut with a "bang," and the incense in the incense burner suddenly burned very quickly, the smoke becoming thick and spreading throughout the temple.

Several figures appeared in the smoke; they were paper figures.

The paper-cut figure is dressed in red clothes and has a strange smile painted on its face.

Seven paper figures floated in the air, surrounding Chen Mo in the middle.

Chen Mo took a step back, his hand already reaching into the void, ready to take out the incense ash bag from his Yin-Yang bag at any moment.

Zhao Shouyi's voice came from the smoke.

"I'll ask you one last time: cooperate, or die?"

Chen Mo's eyes turned cold.

"Bring it on."

Just as a major battle was about to erupt, there were still people waiting outside the temple, waiting for the outcome of the battle, waiting for the fate of the city to be pushed in an unknown direction.