Chapter 40: The Sound of the Keyboard

Having just escaped from the brink of death, Master Cao was still shaken, gripping the chair and gasping for breath. He finally understood that following Yan Yu in this line of work was no joke—a single misstep could cost him his life in the most inexplicable way. Yan Yu had allowed him to “show off” just to warn him not to seek the limelight recklessly.

“What exactly happened just now?” Master Cao asked in a low voice.

“The Yin Wind Curse is a kind of geomantic formation. When you took the Yin-Yang Mirror, you destroyed the Feng Shui, which naturally disturbed the ambient energy field. The gust of wind just now was the result of breaking that formation,” Yan Yu explained.

“I’ll never act so rashly again…” Master Cao said regretfully.

Yan Yu smiled. “There will be opportunities for you to show your skills in the future, but don’t be reckless.”

With the Yin-Yang Mirror removed, the wind in the house noticeably diminished, and the draughts now felt simply cool rather than chilling and unnatural.

Old Goathead visibly relaxed and began to believe in Yan Yu’s abilities.

“That’s one problem solved,” Old Goathead said.

There were more problems?

Master Cao was puzzled but kept silent.

“The strange wind was only one of the bizarre happenings. The other occurs every night around midnight—strange knocking sounds come from the bedroom, intermittent and chaotic, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, and continuing until dawn,” Old Goathead said, and at these words, everyone felt the room grow chilly again.

“That room, isn’t it?” Su Han and Yan Yu simultaneously pointed to the innermost door.

“How did you know?” Old Goathead asked.

Su Han replied, “The Yin energy is thickest there. That must be the source of the problem. May we take a look inside?”

“Of course.”

With Old Goathead’s permission, Yan Yu and Su Han proceeded to the bedroom. Master Cao, adopting an air of profundity, said, “Disciple, I’ll leave the rest of today’s matters to you. Let me see if you’re worthy of inheriting my mantle!”

Yan Yu rolled his eyes. It seemed Master Cao hadn’t learned his lesson.

They opened the bedroom door and surveyed the room: apart from a built-in wardrobe and television, there was a large bed and a desktop computer by its side.

“Old Goathead, at your age, you still use a computer?” Yan Yu asked in surprise.

Old Goathead’s voice drifted in from the living room. “That was left by the first tenant. I thought it might still be worth something, so I kept it.”

Yan Yu nodded and called out casually, “Hei, come here.”

Hei was remarkably intelligent, even understanding Yan Yu’s commands. At the call, Hei wagged his tail and trotted into the bedroom.

The moment he entered, Hei’s eyes fixed unblinkingly on the corner where the computer stood, and he began barking frantically in that direction.

“It seems the problem lies with this computer…”

Yan Yu walked over and pressed the power button, but nothing happened.

“It’s broken?” Su Han frowned, instinctively pulled out the keyboard, and gave it a few random taps.

Suddenly, Old Goathead called out from the living room, “That—that’s the sound! That’s exactly what I hear at night!”

“The keyboard?”

Yan Yu and Su Han both conjured the same image in their minds: In the dead of night, in this very room, a faint glow would appear where all should be dark; the computer, which could not be turned on during the day, would suddenly whir to life, and above the empty keyboard, a pair of invisible hands would begin to type…

Tap, tap, tap. Tap, tap, tap…

“There’s still an hour until midnight,” Su Han reminded softly.

At this point in the investigation, Yan Yu already had a rough idea of what was going on. He led Su Han and Hei out of the bedroom and said to Old Goathead, “Your bedroom is definitely haunted.”

“How do you intend to deal with it?” Old Goathead was prepared for this answer.

“Give us one night. After that, there’ll be no more trouble in this house.”

“Alright!” Old Goathead grinned. “But let’s be clear: if anything happens to you, I won’t be held responsible.”

Yan Yu nodded. “You needn’t worry about that. But I have a condition.”

“Let’s hear it.”

“Once the problem is solved, would you rent this apartment to me?”

Old Goathead was taken aback, then burst out laughing. “I’ve been struggling to find tenants! If you’re willing to live here, that’s wonderful. I’ll even give you a discount. A place like this would go for at least five thousand on the market, but I’ll only ask for two thousand five, and you don’t even need to pay a deposit. How about it?”

After all, Banyan City was a provincial capital, and Xinglin Street was in a bustling area—rents were never low. Old Goathead’s offer was already a bargain.

“I agree.”

“I object!” No sooner had Yan Yu spoken than Su Han interjected, “I… also want to rent this place.”

“What?!” Yan Yu was stunned. “Don’t you have a teacher’s dormitory?”

Su Han shot him a glare. “Can’t I just not like living there?”

Only then did Yan Yu realize Su Han’s real motive. Relying on her ability to see spirits, she had come to this haunted house to negotiate with the ghost and secure a low rent.

But wasn’t Su Han supposed to be the queen who could handle both the underworld and the authorities, according to Zhang Dagen? How could she be so concerned about a few thousand in rent?

Seeing the two at an impasse, Old Goathead suggested, “It’s simple, really. This is a three-bedroom apartment—either of you living here alone would be a waste. Why not share the rent and save some money for both?”

Yan Yu considered it. That was actually a good idea. Besides, Su Han was not only his teacher but an undisputed beauty.

Who in their right mind would refuse the chance to live with a gorgeous woman?

Su Han, however, frowned in thought for a moment, then unexpectedly nodded in agreement. “Fine, but I want the master bedroom, and we split the rent evenly!” she declared.

Yan Yu shrugged. “Deal.”

Master Cao’s eyes darted around as he said, “Ahem, there are three rooms here. Why don’t I move in too and help you two with the rent?”

“Out!” Yan Yu and Su Han said in unison.

“…I’m deeply wounded,” Master Cao muttered.

With the rental arrangements settled, Old Goathead saw no reason to stay. He handed over the keys and departed.

Yan Yu was a little excited—he hadn’t expected life as a co-tenant with his beautiful teacher to come about so quickly.

And not just that… there was also his beautiful ghostly wife, Zhao Qingqing.

Thinking about the days to come filled Yan Yu with anticipation.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” Su Han said as she looked at the bedroom. “There’s still one last thing to deal with. If we’re right, the haunting will start after midnight. Do you have a plan for handling it?”