Chapter 2

No need.

“I’m back.” Nan Shi imperceptibly rubbed his arms. To be honest, although he had been living here for two months already, he was still incredibly anxious—after all, which normal person could feel utterly at ease and comfortable living in the ghost… ahem, ancient residence that every city must have?

Standing by the second gate was this young man clad in an indigo jacket, his spine slightly bent forward, presenting an appearance of great reverence. “Young Master has returned? The mountain lord requests your presence.”

Nan Shi touched his nose, striving not to focus on the other’s overly pallid complexion. “Then I’ll go over now.”

A-Liang replied, “The mountain lord said you should freshen up first before going over.”

“Oh,” Nan Shi acknowledged with a sound, then turned to head towards his own room.

It was already past midnight twelve o’clock—yes, he knew; the moon was still high overhead.

But as for his shixiong, at this hour, he should just be getting out of bed—he was the type who adhered strictly to the principle of ‘when the moon doesn’t sleep, neither do I; when the moon sleeps, it’s time for me to hit the dance floor.’

At this thought, Nan Shi couldn’t help but feel somewhat relieved. Thankfully, after figuring out his shixiong’s schedule within the first two weeks of moving in, he had insisted on relocating to the courtyard in the southwest corner. This area was connected to his shixiong’s quarters by a corridor; following its path would take him less than three minutes to reach them. Otherwise, given the size of this accursed mansion, if he were assigned to the eastern courtyard originally intended for him, simply traveling to his shixiong’s residence alone would’ve taken ten whole minutes or more.

Moreover, along the way, one would invariably encounter various servants moving soundlessly at unexpected moments.

Nan Shi returned to his room, but he wasn’t in any rush. He took a thorough bath instead, scrubbing clean all the chill left on his body from his frantic sprint earlier.

His quarters had been renovated with modern amenities due to his strong insistence—floor heating, air conditioning, television, Wi-Fi—all were fully equipped. Aside from the doors and windows which inevitably still retained their ancient style, there was little difference visually between this place and an ordinary residential dwelling.

As Nan Shi was washing up, someone knocked four times on his door. From within the bathroom, Nan Shi responded with “Come in,” and the door opened accordingly. A woman dressed in light blue traditional attire entered quietly, her gaze downcast as she gathered all the dirty clothes draped over the chair outside the bathroom. She then hung freshly laundered garments in the wardrobe before retreating just as noiselessly as she had come.

With the sound of the closing door, Nan Shi let out a soft sigh of relief. Fully concentrating now, he finished his bath thoroughly, donned cotton-lined nightclothes, and rushed off towards his shixiong’s residence without delay.

“Shixiong, it’s me, Nan Shi.” After knocking three times on the door and receiving permission, Nan Shi respectfully entered. Upon crossing the threshold, he bowed deeply in greeting. “Did Shixiong summon me?”

Chi You seemed half-asleep, leaning against cushions while reading by lamplight. When he saw Nan Shi enter, he lifted his eyes, a hint of a smile barely discernible at the corners of his lips. “Back already?”

He rose and walked to the table before taking his seat, his wide sleeve sweeping gracefully across the floor. Facing Nan Shi, he beckoned with a wave of his hand, “Come over and sit down.”

Nan Shi nodded and also took a seat at the table. As he settled in, two blue-clad maids entered carrying several stacks of dishes. Chi You casually picked up his chopsticks, saying, “There’s nothing important; just stay here for some refreshments with me.”

“Oh.” Relieved, Nan Shi smiled and said, “Perfect timing—I was feeling slightly hungry myself.”

“I thought so too,” Chi You replied with a smile, adding meaningfully, “It must have been tiring today.”

Nan Shi chose a bowl of fish soup noodles, relishing them as he mumbled, “Not bad, I suppose.”

“The day went well enough,” he continued. “On my way home, though, I encountered one… young lady who sought me out to divine the fate of her pet.”

His shixiong listened with keen interest. “So what did you divine?”

Just then, Nan Shi found plain noodles unappetizing. Unfortunately, there were no toppings on the table that he particularly liked. However, when he flipped through his chopsticks, he discovered hidden beneath the noodle bowl two large pork ribs—one braised in soy sauce, the other fried. The crispy coating of the fried rib had absorbed the soup broth thoroughly; each bite revealed a fragrant tenderness, its juices perfectly melding with the soup liquid.

He swallowed a mouthful of meat before answering, “…It was decent? That cat is quite affectionate; judging by the divination signs, she should be guarding her grave. I didn’t dare to explain too clearly—having a girl sobbing like a dog on the main street… crying until she resembled a tabby isn’t very suitable. So I had her search in a particular direction instead.”

“That’s good,” his shixiong responded mildly, setting down his chopsticks. “Alright, there’s nothing else now. Finish eating and go back to sleep.”

“Okay, thank you Shixiong.” Nan Shi hastened to finish off his noodles, wiped his mouth clean, and took his leave.

Just as he reached the door, he heard his shixiong say leisurely, “In the future, when you have free time, get some exercise more often. Don’t just sit around in the shop all day without moving—it’s not good for your health.”

Nan Shi’s footsteps paused momentarily. Without turning back, he said, “Understood, Shixiong. I’m going back to sleep now.”

With that, he stepped out. Perhaps unable to fully control himself, he closed the door with a slight bang.

Immediately after, Nan Shi heard laughter coming from inside.

He rolled his eyes towards the sky—figuratively speaking—he knew it! From the start, that girl’s silence was intentional, meant to scare him!

So what if I sat in the shop playing games all afternoon without moving an inch! he thought indignantly. Was it really necessary to deliberately send a vengeful ghost after me, forcing me to run at least eight hundred meters just to make me exercise?! Was it worth it?!

Although he had said so, Nan Shi was still very honest in setting an alarm on his phone to go off every hour. It served as a reminder for him to get up after sitting down for an hour and take a walk around, looking at the sky lest ghosts chase him again while returning home from work late at night.

Along the way, servants would all retreat upon seeing Nan Shi approach. Those who couldn’t avoid him stopped along both sides of the corridor, bowed their heads with bent knees, waiting until he passed before resuming movement.

Nan Shi always cooperated by pretending not to see them. But today, for some unknown reason, a sudden surge of malice arose within him. He casually called out to one servant, instructing, “Oh right, go tell the Mountain Lord—don’t read books using candles anymore; those things flicker too much, it’s bad for your eyes—in the middle of the night no less! What kind of book are you reading anyway?! You’re not preparing for the imperial examination, so there’s no need to be so diligent.”

At Chi You’s age, forget about becoming top scorer in the high school entrance exam—even passing the adult college entrance exam wouldn’t accept him.

After hearing this, the servant lifted his face, clearly somewhat bewildered, and asked, “Young Master, should I convey these exact words to the Mountain Lord?”

Nan Shi paused, then gritted his teeth and said, “No, just relay the first half.”

“Understood,” the servant responded. Just as he was about to head towards his shixiong’s courtyard, Nan Shi called him back once more: “…Never mind, it doesn’t matter if his eyesight gets damaged. Forget it, you can attend to your duties now.”

“Yes.” The servant, somewhat bewildered but still very obedient, continued busying himself with his tasks.

A faint sound of laughter drifted from behind Nan Shi. He called out sternly, “Do not laugh.”

The female voice instantly ceased. “Yes, Young Master.”

A blue-robed maid slowly emerged from the shadows near the tree line, holding a tray covered with white cloth in her hands. “Young Master,” she said, “the Mountain Lord instructed me to deliver this item to you—it is a guest’s token of appreciation.”

Nan Shi’s eyelid twitched—the large attendant by his shixiong’s side had arrived. Her name was Qing He. Raising one finger, he spoke with utmost seriousness, “You heard nothing just now, correct?”

Qing He smiled enigmatically. “This humble servant only arrived moments ago and does not know what the Young Master refers to.”

“Excellent.” Nan Shi reached out to lift the white cloth covering the tray. Beneath it lay a packet of cat food—leaky at that—with a slip of paper affixed to its surface bearing the words: For stray cats.

At first glance, he knew it must be the handiwork of that red-clad girl. Waving his hand dismissively, he instructed, “Take it outside and feed the strays.”

“Yes sir.”

Watching Qing He depart, Nan Shi couldn’t help but inwardly grumble—Why can’t I keep my mouth shut?! Couldn’t I have waited until we were back in my room before berating him?! Now look at this mess—if my shixiong finds out later, who knows how he’ll torment me!

Oh boy.

The next day, as dawn was just breaking—around six o’clock—Nan Shi had already been called awake.

In his room, Qinglan, the blue-clad maid, stared at him with a face covered in blood from all seven facial apertures. She leaned so close their faces were practically touching. Nan Shi, terrified out of his wits, remained silent for a long moment, simply gazing back at her without daring to make a sound.

After observing him for some time, Qinglan suddenly smiled. The edges of her eyes began to well up with blood once more, threatening to drip onto Nan Shi’s quilt.

Instinctively, Nan Shi jerked away his blanket. “Don’t! This is my favorite quilt cover!”

Instantly, the blood vanished from Qinglan’s face, revealing beneath it a handsome and beautiful visage. “Young Master, please forgive me,” she said softly. “The Mountain Lord merely wanted you to get accustomed to such things.”

Nan Shi covered his eyes with one hand, his voice barely audible like a thread of smoke. “…I truly thank…him deeply!”

Heaven be praised—he managed to swallow those two words—”motherfucker”—just in time.

Having completed her task, Qinglan sprang into action. Who in the entire mansion didn’t know that Nan Shi feared ghosts? She hung today’s clothes within easy reach of where he lay, then quietly withdrew.

Only after watching her depart did Nan Shi let out a held breath. Rubbing his chest, still pounding wildly from fright, he lay down again and slept for another three hours. It wasn’t until the sun blazed fiercely overhead that he finally rose, changed his clothes, ate breakfast, and set off for work.

It wasn’t that he was lazy; it was mainly because who would come out on a tourist trip with nothing to do, strolling down the pedestrian street at such an early hour?!

In their area, all shops opened at ten o’clock. Some even lazier ones simply opened at noon or in the evening.

The newly made jacket was silver-gray, embroidered with two stalks of bamboo in the same color. At first glance, one word came to mind—luxurious.

But Nan Shi had already grown accustomed to this. He silently put on the jacket, grabbed his keys, and rolled out for work.

Generally speaking, after being closed up overnight, any room would develop some odors. Especially in Nan Shi’s shop, which housed various antique items scavenged from street stalls. Regardless of whether these antiques were genuine or not, they always carried peculiar smells—subtle yet undeniably present. Therefore, every day upon arriving at his store, the first thing Nan Shi did was open the doors to ventilate.

Today, however, was different. Upon entering, the interior of the shop appeared perfectly clean. In the reception room where Nan Shi spent most of his time, a stick of clean fragrance had been lit, emitting a faintly fragrant aroma of aged sandalwood—an utterly delightful scent.

Nan Shi froze in surprise. Could it be that he forgot to close the windows yesterday when he returned home? Impossible! Or could someone have broken in?

Just as he was about to check if anything had been lost or stolen, a red figure suddenly appeared from a dark corner nearby. Given what happened earlier in the morning, and considering it was still broad daylight now, Nan Shi wasn’t particularly panicked. Upon closer inspection, he recognized it was the same girl from yesterday.

The girl smiled. “Don’t be afraid, sir. I’m here to clean up—there isn’t much for me to thank you for; I’ve already given all the money from my card to my mom. The only thing I could do is help tidy things for you along the way. As for those cat foods, I just felt it would be wasted leaving them unused. Could you please feed them to the cats?”

“I have.” Nan Shi composed himself. “Did you find your cat yet?”

“Yes, I did.” The hem of the girl’s skirt fluttered slightly as a rail-thin orange cat emerged from beneath it. In no time at all, the feline leaped into her arms and affectionately rubbed against her with extraordinary tenderness. She looked utterly contented and stroked the kitten’s head gently. “This little rascal was so hungry its appearance nearly changed completely,” she said. “I’ll need to take good care of it again soon enough. Thankfully, this time we won’t part ways anymore.”

“That’s good.” Nan Shi also noticed that this cat was no longer alive but didn’t inquire further. Unconsciously drawn by her warmth, a hint of a smile graced his face. “Take proper care of it indeed. They say cats lack gratitude, but this one seems exceptionally grateful to you.”

The girl stuck out her tongue, but accidentally let it slip onto her chest instead. She hastily stuffed it back into her mouth, saying, “Sorry, sorry—I didn’t control myself… Mm-hmm, I hadn’t noticed before either.”

“Sir, tonight I’ll bring my enemy down for reporting,” she said with a slight smile, as if recalling something. “Don’t worry, my foe is already locked up at the bureau now; our officials handle things quite efficiently!”

“I came today not just to clean your place, but mainly to introduce you to a client.”

The girl blinked—this time successfully without ejecting her eyes from their sockets—and explained, “That’s a friend of my grandfather’s who will arrive tonight. You just need to keep your shop open a bit later.”

“… Huh? No, I don’t…”

“Sir, please don’t refuse. We understand the rules well enough. With the Mountain Lord here, no one would dare cause any trouble.” After speaking these words, the girl once again expressed her gratitude towards Nan Shi while holding the cat, then vanished without a trace.

Nan Shi plopped heavily into his chair, rubbing his temples in exasperation.

People shouldn’t—no, they at least ought not… Summing up thousands of thoughts into one phrase: There’s really no need!