Long Xiwén, unaware of Su Xuan's ulterior motives, obediently followed him into his Koenigsegg.

This wasn't just about earning some incense energy. If he could get the Ruyi Stick to shed some more rust, that would be even better. He was still immensely interested in the patterns on it.

About forty to fifty minutes later, following Long Xiwén's directions, Su Xuan drove up to a secluded, solitary villa.

A young security guard stopped him at the gate. "Sir, I'm sorry, you can't drive into the courtyard."

Su Xuan didn't want to make things difficult for him and was about to get out when the guard's eyes suddenly lit up. "Sir, is this a Koenigsegg? I think I've seen your car on my social media feed, and the license plate matches! This is the car from the airport expressway... Please, come right in! My apologies for before!"

"If I drive in, your boss won't blame you, right?" Su Xuan asked.

"He doesn't live here anymore," the guard said in a hushed tone. "He moved out with his family after that incident."

"Alright."

After the guard opened the electric gate, Su Xuan drove the car inside.

Once Su Xuan had entered the villa, the guard quietly crept over to the car, took out his phone, and snapped several selfies. He sent them to his girlfriend, boasting, "My buddy's car. We can use it for our wedding when we get married!"

His girlfriend replied, "You big doofus!"

Guard: "What do you mean, doofus? This is a Koenigsegg! It's worth over a hundred million! You just don't get it."

Girlfriend: "I'm saying YOU'RE the doofus, you silly fool!"

Guard: "You little brat!"

Girlfriend: "Big dummy!"

Guard: "You're impossible!"

While the guard and his girlfriend were exchanging sweet nothings, Su Xuan and Long Xiwén had already taken their seats in the ground-floor living room.

A tidy-looking old woman was pouring them water. "You know this place is haunted at night, don't you?" she said.

The villa's living room was so large that the crystal chandelier on the ceiling seemed dim. The faint light cast upon the old woman's face, carving her wrinkles into deep relief. As she spoke, the light flickered across her face, creating a somewhat eerie effect.

"Su Xuan, she's the housekeeper of this villa. Her surname is Li," Long Xiwén whispered.

"You can just call me Auntie Li," the old woman said, her hearing surprisingly sharp. "I'm not a housekeeper, just the nanny here."

"Auntie Li, this is my colleague, Su Xuan. You can call him Little Su. He's very good at handling... certain matters," Long Xiwén said, introducing him.

"Do I need to repeat the details of the situation for you?" Auntie Li glanced at Su Xuan.

"I have a rough understanding of recent events," Su Xuan replied, looking back at her. "Can you tell us about the villa's history?"

To figure out the cause of these strange events, he needed to understand the history first. That would provide a focus for a detailed investigation.

"There's not much to say about its past," Auntie Li said impatiently. "A wealthy businessman used to live here. He and his family moved abroad a few months ago. Then the current owner moved in, and the haunting started just a few days later."

"Aren't you afraid?" Su Xuan asked, staring at her face.

"What's there to be afraid of?" she retorted, staring right back. "I'm just an old nanny. I don't have many years left. A ghost wouldn't even bother with me."

"Were you also the nanny for the previous owner?" Su Xuan asked.

"Er..." Auntie Li hesitated for a moment. "Yes. Is there a problem?"

"When did you first see a ghost?" Su Xuan inquired.

"It was right after the new owner moved in. That night..." Auntie Li paused abruptly, her eyes fixed on the doorway.

"What happened that night?" Su Xuan pressed.

"I really don't want to talk about it!" Auntie Li averted her gaze and rubbed her temples, as if wrestling with the memory. A few moments passed before she continued. "That night, the new owner hosted a dinner party in the city, and he had me come along. By the time we got back, it was already past ten o'clock..."

At this, Auntie Li looked up at the grandfather clock in the corner. The hour hand was pointing directly at ten.

"And then?" Su Xuan asked, also glancing at the clock.

"And then I saw the ghost!" Auntie Li pointed at the door. "When we got back, I took out my key to open the door for the new owner—this very door. I'd clearly unlocked it, but no matter how hard I pushed, it wouldn't budge. It felt like someone was deliberately holding it shut from the other side.

"I was afraid the new owner would think I was useless, so I pushed with all my might!

"The door finally flew open!

"But I never should have pushed it open!

"Never..."

Reaching this point in her story, Auntie Li lowered her head and stared at the floor, her hands trembling as she seemed to relive the memory. Su Xuan waited quietly, not rushing her.

"The moment I pushed that door open, I saw a deathly pale face!

"Its eyes were bulging like copper bells, and blood was constantly oozing from the sockets!

"Its mouth was gaping open, and its tongue was hanging out, so very, very long..." Auntie Li held out her hands to indicate the length.

It was over half a meter long.

Long Xiwén shifted closer to Su Xuan, her hands clasped together as if she felt a sudden chill.

"I was so scared I froze!" she continued. "I just stood there, unable to move! It was only when the new owner noticed something was wrong and came over to nudge me that I finally snapped out of it! But he didn't see a thing! That was my first encounter with the ghost!"

Finished with her story, Auntie Li covered her face with her hands, clearly distressed.

Su Xuan stood up, walked to the door, and closed it. He checked the outside, found nothing unusual, then opened the door and walked back in.

"When was the second time you saw a ghost?" Su Xuan asked again.

"Su Xuan... maybe we should wait a little before asking?" Long Xiwén suggested, glancing at Auntie Li and tugging on his wrist.

"Alright." Su Xuan sat back down and started playing with his phone.

After a long while, Auntie Li finally looked up. "The second time..." she began, "the second time was even more terrifying!

"It was around midnight one night. Yes, exactly at midnight." Auntie Li's gaze shifted back to the bulky grandfather clock. "I had to get up to use the restroom—my room doesn't have one. I heard the clock chime twelve times, but that was strange because this clock only chimes during the day. I was very puzzled, so I came over to have a look. And that's when I saw something I shouldn't have!"

Auntie Li stared at the floor in the middle of the living room, raising a hand to gesture as she spoke:

"A spirit altar!

"I saw a spirit altar!

"In front of the altar was a person, lying down and covered with a white sheet!

"Then that person suddenly sat up..."

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