Psych Hunter (Haunted House Notebook) : Book 1

Chapter 15 - Liu Zhi (Six Fingers)

Not long after I got better, Yuan Zhen introduced another house to us. This time the case is rather unique, the owner of the house came to find us by himself, hoping for us to buy it. I suppose it is possible that he is at his wit's end and can only sell his house to people like us, and had no choice but to sell it to us. The owner who came us is rather old, and seemed to be in his forties, and was dressed like a businessman, however his body is large and tall, with a rather dark complexion. At first glance, he looked like a boss from the underworld, and he likes to make gestures when he spoke and appeared to be rather sleek. Without first asking us to inspect the house he already quoted a price, and as he showed his hands in front of me to draw his desired figure, I then notice that he actually has six fingers ("liu zhi").

The price quoted by Liu Zhi to us is very low, it is very low that I can't help but be interested. I asked Qin Yi Heng. Although he found it profitable, if the house was sold so cheaply, then the spirits inside it must not be easily to be dealt with. However, concerns aside, at least I still have to take a look. So, we followed Liu Zhi to the house's location. Liu Zhi bought the flight tickets and was very courteous along the way, but didn't mention anything about the house. I felt somewhat uncomfortable and uneasy. Qin Yi Heng looked relaxed. Apart from discussing spiritual arts with Liu Zhi, he read the newspaper. Seeing them talk so familiarly, I was also happy so I put on my headphones and dozed.

After getting off the plain, Liu Zhi picked up the car from the airport parking lot and drove us directly to the house. I was thinking along the way, the price of this house is already that low, so I didn't think it was a luxurious house. However, I can't help but marvel when I am standing before it. The house is surprisingly large, and I could estimate from the outside that the area of this floor alone will be nearly 600 sqm. I have only seen a mansion of this size in Hollywood movies before. The entire courtyard is located on the mountaintop, so if you looked around, you can have a panoramic view of the city. The exterior of the villa is a bit barren. It could be assumed that it has been left unattended for quite a while, but even this can't hide the house's sense of dignity. I can predict that his house was designed by a well-known designer. I can't exactly pinpoint the architectural style, but out of all the houses I have seen, no houses but this one was able to attract my interest as much.

My heart cannot help but be excited, to buy this kind of house at such a low price; it is almost no different from paying for nothing. Now, it all depended on Qin Yi Heng's attitude. If he was only to say that he is able to handle the house, then I am ready to sign the contract immediately, so as to avoid long nights and dreams. However, Qin Yi Heng's face was calm and he didn't enter the house directly. Instead, he took Liu Zhi and me around the house for a while, but didn't say anything.

Liu Zhi at our side kept on talking about how good this house is and he even exaggerated this house to the stars.

I can't help but be a little annoyed, if the house is that good then why would you sell it to us? So, I simply asked what spirits resided in the house.

When Liu Zhi heard my question, it seemed as if he was jolted to reality, and he slapped his own thigh, and explained to us this house's history.

According to him, this house is originally inhabited by a large family, but he himself is not very familiar about the family's background, he only knew that one day, one young person from this family suddenly searched for him and had wanted to sell this house for him at a low price. At that moment, he was in the property speculation business, even though there are many competitors, he was quite a household name at that time. As such a delicious offer was given to him, he had his own misgivings, however after asking around about the house for a long time, he found out that there is nothing strange about this house, and that is why he is happy enough to buy this house from that young person. After signing the contract, that young person said that he wanted to stay in that villa for a week, as he had wanted to prepare for his studies overseas. After buying that house at a low price, Liu Zhi was quickly agreed to the proposal. However, after that one week had passed, the young person had died inside the house and the family had disappeared for no clear reason.