Records of the Halls of Ten Thousand Affairs: Chapter 20: The Ghost Hotel (Part 3)

Records of the Halls of Ten Thousand Affairs: Chapter 20: The Ghost Hotel (Part 3)

This hadn’t been part of Chen Jiu’s original plan at all. But Miao Yin had turned out to be extraordinarily generous not only comping their rooms, but voluntarily upgrading them two tiers, arranging for someone to carry their luggage, and throwing in free meals three times a day, unlimited snacks, and unlimited drinks. Every detail accounted for, nothing overlooked.

This kind of life… a few more days of it wouldn’t hurt at all.

Chen Jiu crossed out her original efficient-resolution plan without a second thought. The hotel manager herself wasn’t in any hurry, so there was even less reason for Chen Jiu to be. Only a fool turns down money when it’s sitting right there.

Su Xiaoyu, upon learning there were unlimited snacks, was beside herself with joy.

Chen Jiu sprawled lazily on her side across the sofa and held out the upgraded room card. “Here. This is your hotel pass. Help yourself to whatever you want. If you get lost, ask any of the staff and be polite.”

“Thank you, Boss!” Su Xiaoyu cheered and scampered off.

Chen Xiaoxuan’s tail twitched, clearly wanting to follow. Chen Jiu picked him up by the scruff and deposited him back on the sofa.

Xu Xin came out fully dressed, laptop bag in hand, heading off to work. She glanced at Chen Jiu doing nothing and checked the time. “It’s getting late. Want me to drop you both off before I go?”

“No rush. You go ahead.” Chen Jiu smiled with a mysterious air. “I’ve picked up a job.”

Xu Xin’s expression changed. She rubbed her arms. “It’s not… this hotel, is it?”

“Bingo!” Chen Jiu sat up.

“Heaven protect us,” Xu Xin muttered, offering a quick prayer to the window, then turned back. “Then you’d better protect me too.”

“Don’t worry. You haven’t done anything to feel guilty about.” Chen Jiu grinned.

Xu Xin thought about it and supposed that was true. She gave Chen Jiu a wave and headed out with her bag.

After the ordeal of the previous night, the three unfortunate souls who had accidentally stumbled into a ghost loop dutifully sat in the sun for two full hours, and genuinely felt better for it.

After lunch, Miao Yin came to collect Chen Jiu with some urgency only to find Chen Jiu already at the door with her bag on her shoulder, opening it as Miao Yin raised her hand to knock.

“Perfect timing,” Chen Jiu said. “Let’s go.”

Miao Yin nodded and gestured ahead, leading the way.

In the full light of day, Miao Yin had brought two security guards broad-shouldered and full of yang energy equipped with walkie-talkies. The elevator ran normally up to the seventh floor without incident.

The doors opened with a chime. Chen Jiu noticed immediately that the magnetic field on the seventh floor was considerably cleaner during the day, far less murky and oppressive than it had been the night before. That also made it harder to locate the exact origin point of the fire.

“Do you know which room the fire started in?” Chen Jiu stepped out first and walked slowly down the corridor.

“It should have been on the east side. I don’t know the specific room.” Miao Yin lowered her voice further. “Most of the news coverage was paid down by our owner at the time, so the details are quite unclear to me.”

“Understood.” Chen Jiu pointed toward the first room on the east side and gestured for Miao Yin to open it.

If the seventh floor at night was oppressive and sinister, by day it was crisp and cold several degrees cooler than even the underground car park. As the group worked through a few rooms, Miao Yin was already rubbing her arms, and one of the security guards let out a sneeze.

“Why is it so cold in here?” one of them muttered.

“Right,” the other agreed. “It’s never usually like this.”

“Why did Manager Miao specifically want us to come along?”

“Shh.” The first cut him off. “Don’t ask.”

Clearly the newer one, who hadn’t been briefed.

When they reached Room 718, Chen Jiu finally paused rather than making a circuit and leaving. She pressed her back against the wall and extended her senses for a long moment.

The other three exchanged glances. They had no idea what she was doing and didn’t dare ask.

Then Chen Jiu lay down on the carpet, curled on her side, and stared at the window.

“Master Chen?” Miao Yin said, puzzled.

“There was a woman lying here.” Chen Jiu stood, walked to the window, and looked at the exterior wall. Bare, nothing but an air conditioning unit mounted outside. No way to escape.

Miao Yin looked at the empty patch of carpet where a charred body had once lain.

A chill ran up her spine. The morning’s sunbathing was wearing off. She could feel herself starting to struggle again.

The younger security guard frowned and whispered to the other: “Something happened here, didn’t it?”

“Nothing happened. Stop thinking about it. Stop asking.” The older one shut him down.

Having found a thread to follow, Chen Jiu didn’t linger. She turned and walked out, gesturing for Miao Yin to come with her to the next room.

But after a few steps, Miao Yin suddenly felt the urge to retch. No amount of effort could suppress it. She covered her mouth, face going pale. “I’m so sorry, Master. I think I’m feeling a bit unwell…”

Chen Jiu saw how badly she was reacting and was just about to tell her to go rest. There really was no hurry.

But before she could speak, Miao Yin’s eyes rolled back and she went down like a plank. Chen Jiu caught her just in time.

The two guards were startled badly. The younger one kept calling out to Manager Miao while the older, slightly calmer one grabbed his walkie-talkie and alerted the rest of the staff.

After a flurry of activity, Miao Yin slowly opened her eyes in one of the rest rooms. Chen Jiu withdrew her needles. A heavyset man was sitting nearby, watching Miao Yin with obvious anxiety. “Xiao Miao? How are you? Are you all right?”

“I’m fine…” Miao Yin said weakly, then turned to Chen Jiu. “Thank you, Master Chen. You’ve saved me again.”

“Don’t mention it. I underestimated how weak your constitution is. You’re too conscientious for your own good you could have just sent a colleague with similar access to show me around, you know,” Chen Jiu said.

Miao Yin gave a noncommittal look, seemingly unsure how to answer.

The man cut in quickly. “Master Chen, is it? I’m the owner of this hotel. My name is Zhao Fusheng. I can take you up myself this evening, if that works.”

He extended a hand politely toward Chen Jiu.

Chen Jiu met it with the tips of her fingers in a perfunctory shake. “Very kind of you, Mr. Zhao. Quite a hotel you have here. Must be exhausting to run.”

Zhao Fusheng paused, uncertain whether this was small talk or something with a sharper edge. But Chen Jiu looked genuinely young, and a mild condescension crept into him despite himself. He smiled. “Just making an honest living, nothing more. Master Chen, you’re so young I hadn’t expected you to know acupuncture on top of feng shui and the occult.”

“They all come from the same root. Hard to separate them.” Chen Jiu stood. “Mr. Zhao, let me know when you’re free this evening and I’ll come find you. I’ll head back for now.”

“Very good.” Zhao Fusheng said pleasantly. “I won’t see you out. I’ll message you after dinner.”

Chen Jiu left. The room held only Miao Yin and Zhao Fusheng.

“Why didn’t you call on Master Qingxu? Where did this young woman come from?” Zhao Fusheng frowned.

Miao Yin was quick to answer. “Sir, Master Chen is the real thing. Both times I felt unwell, she brought me back. Last night we even ran into a ghost loop… if you don’t believe me, ask the two security guards. And honestly, the situation on the seventh floor has been impossible to contain. That guest was screaming in the lobby, and we can’t be that efficient at suppressing every incident. As for Master Qingxu I’d love to call him, but he’s far too busy. We can’t afford to wait. Master Chen happened to be right here, so why not engage her directly? Her rates are considerably more reasonable than his.”

Had Chen Jiu been there to hear that last part, it would have stung. In the art of charging what she was worth, she was still a novice she had no idea what the slightly more established practitioners in her field actually charged.

Zhao Fusheng listened to Miao Yin’s explanation, nodded with measured reluctance, and sighed. “Fine. You were thinking of the hotel. Get some rest.”

Miao Yin nodded.

Zhao Fusheng patted her on the shoulder and left.

Miao Yin lay back down tiredly, curling under the thin blanket.

There was another reason she worked so hard to protect this hotel and its owner.

Many years ago, her adoptive parents had also died in a fire. She had become an orphan a second time. Fortune was kind enough to intervene: a generous stranger, hearing of her circumstances, had supported her from middle school all the way through university, and upon her graduation had given her a position. That person was Zhao Fusheng.

To Miao Yin, Zhao Fusheng was as close to a parent as she had. Every piece of negative attention directed at the hotel, she dealt with herself, actively and without complaint.

Zhao Fusheng had heard about the strange occurrences on the seventh floor over the past few days, but he owned more than one hotel, and the occasional bout of inexplicable strangeness was hardly unusual. The wealthier a person, the more superstitious they tend to be, and he had made sure to have consecrated objects placed throughout his home. He was confident he could hold onto what he had built.

Zhao Fusheng had dealt with plenty of experienced older practitioners over the years, but Chen Jiu was the youngest he had ever encountered, and he hadn’t made up his mind about her yet. Still, there was no reason not to get to know her. What if she turned out to be worth the bet?

He cheerfully invited her to join him for dinner. Chen Jiu mentioned she had a junior disciple with her and asked if that was all right.

Zhao Fusheng had no objection whatsoever.

What he hadn’t anticipated was that the moment this small girl walked into the private dining room and laid eyes on him, her very first words were: “Wow, there are so many people in here.”

The dishes had long been served. There were only the three of them in the grand private room. Zhao Fusheng, half risen from his seat in greeting, froze in place unable to sit back down, unable to finish standing.

Su Xiaoyu gripped Chen Jiu’s hand tightly, her expression complicated.

This uncle’s back was very lumpy and full. Didn’t it feel heavy to him?

Chen Jiu stifled a laugh, cleared her throat, recomposed her expression, and said: “Xiaoyu, don’t say strange things. Sit down and eat.” Then, turning to Zhao Fusheng with a perfectly pleasant expression: “Mr. Zhao, please don’t mind her. She’s young and says whatever comes to her. Please, sit. In our line of work we don’t stand on ceremony. Sharing a table makes everyone friends.”

A bead of cold sweat made its way slowly down Zhao Fusheng’s forehead. He worked to keep his expression neutral and looked at Su Xiaoyu.

The little girl was small and slight, looked about seven or eight, and had already picked up her chopsticks and begun eating with complete ease and no sign of discomfort whatsoever.