Considering how many people were willing to wait in line in the middle of the night, this Thai restaurant exceeded Nan Zhi’s expectations; the food was quite good.
The green papaya salad was tart and refreshing, with crisp shreds of green papaya paired with ripe tomatoes and a hint of fish sauce aroma—it was stunning.
In this sweltering weather, a single bite of its sour and cool flavor, with the unique fermented fragrance of chili sauce lingering on the tongue, was incredibly appetizing.
As for the basil pork rice, Thai curry chicken rice, seafood platter, mango sticky rice, and basil and lemongrass roasted chicken, followed by a cup of coconut sago soup, the meal was brimming with Southeast Asian flair.
Business was booming. Even at eleven o'clock, there were still customers dining in the shop.
While it was scorching outside, the air conditioning inside was cool and pleasant. Accompanied by the upbeat tunes of Southeast Asian songs in the background, Nan Zhi managed to find a moment of peace amidst her busy schedule.
Lately, she spent her days working, weaving through high-rise buildings and modern light rail and subway stations.
At night, she would travel by carriage under the endless, vast starry sky, advancing through desolate mountains and wild ridges.
She practically wished she could split herself in two to keep up.
Fortunately, meditative trance during cultivation could replace sleep, allowing her to rest.
Otherwise, given the intensity of Nan Zhi’s late nights, she wouldn't even need to cultivate immortality; in another half month, she could just go straight to the afterlife to reunite with Qu Wan.
The two of them ate and drank their fill, each holding a coconut and sipping from it.
Somehow, the conversation drifted back to the little incident in the elevator earlier.
“There was a fire seven years ago, but looking at it now, the building has been restored quite well. You can’t really see any traces of it.”
Nan Zhi took a sip of coconut water and surveyed her surroundings.
“It feels like no one really minds. Besides, with the information explosion nowadays, everyone is bombarded with new news every day.
“Unless someone specifically searches for it, very few people would probably pay attention to a fire from seven years ago.”
“Seven years isn't actually that long, though.
“The main thing is that the post-disaster restoration of this mansion took two years, and it only reopened for business four years ago.”
Zhang Qiuyu held her phone and pointed it at Nan Zhi.
“Look, look at the exterior. It was originally forty stories high. These top three floors are new additions. If you look at the aerial photos, it really does look like a cross.
“Also, there are plenty of ghost stories about this mansion on the local forums. A lot of people call this building—”
She lowered her voice as if afraid of being overheard.
“The ‘Qianli Ghost Building.’”
It was that famous?
Nan Zhi couldn't help but look over.
She opened a local forum and typed the term "Qianli Ghost Building" into the search bar. Immediately, tens of thousands of related entries popped up.
【The Secrets of the "Qianli Ghost Building" Revealed! Dalong Exploration takes you on a night tour of the Ghost Building! (Hot)】
【The Ghost Building is haunted by shadows! A selection of 50 ultra-clear supernatural photos (Hot)】
【A Feng Shui Master of ten years analyzes: Why were three floors added during the renovation of the "Ghost Building"? Listen to my decoding...】
【Mysterious fire, prosperous area, the mystery of the mansion fire analyzed from a metaphysical perspective...】
【Accidents happen every year in the Ghost Building. Fellow forum members, is there really such a thing as a "substitute ghost" in this world?】
【Detailed internal structure of the Ghost Building, analysis of the fire's origin. Brothers, come in and take a look!】
There were many talented individuals on the forum.
There were experts analyzing the cause of the fire from a professional perspective, as well as insiders analyzing the mansion's location and feng shui from a metaphysical standpoint.
Of course, there were also many people mixed in who were fishing in troubled waters, selling Five Emperor coins and lightning struck wood or claiming that buying their charms would ensure safety.
As for the so-called supernatural photos, Nan Zhi clicked on one to take a look.
In reality, they were just photos taken from outside the mansion after the fire had ended.
The resolution was very blurry. One could only see the exterior of the floors blackened by smoke and a dozen shattered glass windows.
The original poster had specifically enlarged and circled a section of the photo that resembled a human face.
To Nan Zhi, the photo didn't seem supernatural at all. That so-called "human face" pattern looked more like a mark left by the reflection of the glass.
It was merely human imagination and a passion for the mysterious that added a "supernatural" element to an ordinary photograph.
“The posts also say that the reason accidents happen in this mansion every year is that the souls of those who burned to death haven't moved on...
“Hey, do you think what they were saying earlier could be true?
“Otherwise, why would a perfectly good mansion need to have those three extra floors added? And they even specifically made it look like a cross.”
Seeing that Nan Zhi hadn't spoken for a while, Zhang Qiuyu nudged her with her elbow, her expression looking a bit fearful.
“It’s almost midnight. How about we leave first?
“I don’t know if it’s just psychological, but I keep feeling chills down my back.”
“Even if there really are ghosts, wouldn't you use talismans or a dragon head to suppress Great Xia ghosts? Why use a cross?”
Nan Zhi sucked up the last bit of coconut juice and said casually:
“You feel cold probably because the air conditioning in the shop is on full blast.
“If you're scared, let's go. It’s getting late anyway.
“By the way, remember to bring me the materials I asked for when you come to work the day after tomorrow.”
“Woof! Woof woof!”
“Woof!”
“Meow! Meow-ow-ow!”
“Woof!”
“Meow meow!!”
Just as they finished speaking, a sudden burst of frantic barking and meowing erupted outside the shop without any warning.
These weren't the happy sounds of pets being played with; instead, they sounded like hysterical barks and cries triggered by encountering a stranger or being severely frightened.
The hallway was narrow, and the frantic cries of the cats and dogs echoed through the long corridor. The sound-activated lights flickered on and off, creating a strangely terrifying atmosphere.
Whether it was psychological or an actual sensation, Nan Zhi thought she smelled a faint, indistinct scent of burning.
It was like something charring, or like the smell of ash after burning stalks in a rural field.
She sniffed the air.
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry!”
The shop owner hurried out and apologized loudly to the customers.
“Don’t be afraid, everyone. It’s just the dogs and cats from the pet cafe next door. Her pets are usually very well-behaved.
“I don’t know what’s been going on these past few nights, but as soon as it hits this time, her dogs and cats start acting up. It’ll be over in a moment.”
Just as the owner finished speaking, as if in response to his words, the clock on the wall ticked past 11:40, and the barking and meowing stopped abruptly.
Whether it was the cats or the dogs, they all fell silent at the exact same time.
The synchronization was eerily precise.
The burnt smell Nan Zhi had noticed also vanished without a trace.
Just now, the atmosphere in the building had felt off.
She had vaguely sensed something wandering through the building.
But just as she was about to capture that sliver of intuition, the thing disappeared.
Could it be that the legends of the "Ghost Building" weren't entirely fabricated?
Nan Zhi lowered her eyes, her expression unreadable.
...
Even though the animals had stopped their noise, the mood of many diners had been ruined, and they began to complain as they got up to leave.
The restaurant owner had no choice but to apologize repeatedly with a forced smile.
“Boss, have the pets next door been like this for the past couple of days? Starting to scream at this exact time?”
Nan Zhi intentionally stayed until the end, asking as if casually:
“And they stop after exactly ten minutes. That’s so strange. Are the cats and dogs in heat?”
“Tell me about it. Doing business these days is really not easy.”
The owner was a young man. Hearing this, he couldn't help but vent his frustrations to Nan Zhi.
“Actually, it’s not just the shop next door. For the past half month, in this building, as long as someone has cats or dogs, they’re guaranteed to start making a racket as soon as it hits eleven-thirty.
“The first and second times, I was actually scared it might be some kind of earthquake warning.
“But every time, the animals make a fuss for about ten minutes and then stop, so I stopped paying much attention.”
Nan Zhi smiled and joined in, “Is it really that precise? No way, you make it sound like you're telling a story.”
“Why would I lie to you about this? In February and June of this year, the building had two fire alarms, and something happened both times.
“Both times it was just after eleven, almost midnight, when the incidents occurred.
“For us tenants, we have to organize fire drills three or four times every month. We’re just terrified of something happening!”
Seeing that Nan Zhi looked skeptical, the owner couldn't help but say a few more words.
“Everyone says there’s something wrong with this building... After a while, even we tenants get scared.
“But what can we do? The rent here is cheaper than anywhere else.”
This mansion really was a bit strange.
Nan Zhi raised an eyebrow.
Beside her, Zhang Qiuyu was already shivering with fear.
The owner seemed to realize he might have said too much, so he immediately laughed it off with the two of them and turned back into the kitchen.
Rate on N.U.
