7: Chapter 7 Why would I, a cultivator, be afraid of ghosts?

Just as Lin Ye was at his wit's end, a recruitment message on his phone screen suddenly caught his eye:

[Haunted House Sleep Tester]

Salary: 100–1,000/day

Payment Cycle: Daily

Requirements: Bold but cautious, no history of acute diseases such as heart disease or cerebrovascular disease.

Contact Number: 135****9531

Lin Ye's eyes immediately lit up.

Haunted House Sleep Tester?

He had seen this job while scrolling through short videos; supposedly, it paid several hundred a night. The main task was to sleep in haunted houses where no one dared to live to prove the house was "clean," making it easier for landlords to sell or rent it out.

Of course, the salary was secondary; the key was that he could stay there for free!

What he lacked most right now was a place where he could come and go freely without affecting others, and where he could "disappear" into the game world at any time.

A haunted house? It fit the criteria perfectly.

As for whether there were ghosts in the haunted house...

A smile curled at the corner of Lin Ye's mouth.

Setting aside whether those things even existed in this world, even if they did, as a Cultivator, could he really be afraid of that?

He was currently at Essence 4, Qi 4, and Spirit 5. Although he was still a weakling, he was at least trained.

Besides, compared to being hunted by a pack of wolves in the game, a mere haunted house was just a small scene.

Without any hesitation, Lin Ye decisively dialed the contact number.

"Hello, hi, is this regarding the Haunted House Sleep Tester recruitment?"

"Yes, are you here to apply?" A middle-aged man's voice came from the other end of the phone.

"Yes, I'm very interested in this job," Lin Ye said calmly.

"Alright, then come over. I'll send you the address, and we can talk in person."

After hanging up, Lin Ye greeted his roommate and headed out.

...

The haunted house was located in a villa area in the suburbs.

Lin Ye took the subway for forty minutes and then transferred to a bus, twisting and turning before finally finding the place.

The environment of the villa area was quite good with plenty of greenery, but perhaps due to its remote location, the occupancy rate wasn't very high.

When Lin Ye found the villa according to the address, his first impression was—desolate.

It was a small two-story Western-style building with a small courtyard.

The yard was overgrown with weeds, clearly unmaintained for a long time.

The windows on the second floor were tightly closed, and the curtains were drawn shut as if something shameful was hidden inside.

Just as Lin Ye reached the entrance, a well-dressed middle-aged man came to meet him.

The man looked to be in his forties, slightly plump, with a professional smile on his face and a look of shrewdness and smoothness in his eyes.

"Hello." The man warmly extended his hand.

"I'm the property manager of this community, surnamed Zhou. You can call me Manager Zhou."

"Hello, Manager Zhou." Lin Ye reached out and shook his hand.

"Come, come, let's talk over here." Manager Zhou didn't enter the villa; instead, he pulled Lin Ye to an open space nearby and pulled a cigarette from his pack, offering it.

Lin Ye waved his hand. "Thanks, I don't smoke."

"Good habit." Manager Zhou skillfully lit the cigarette, took a deep drag, paused for a moment, and then spoke.

"Mr. Lin, let me first tell you the general situation of this villa." Manager Zhou pointed to the villa behind them.

"Someone died in this house three years ago—an old lady who lived alone. She had a sudden heart attack, and by the time she was discovered, the body had already started to smell."

Lin Ye didn't interrupt, just listened quietly.

"Since then, this villa has been rented out three times. Each time, the tenants moved out in less than a month, saying they could always hear strange noises at night."

"Oh? What kind of noises?" Lin Ye became interested.

If one person said it, it might be an auditory hallucination, but if three consecutive tenants said it, then there was likely some problem.

"They said all sorts of things." Manager Zhou stubbed out his cigarette and ground it with his foot.

"Some said they heard someone walking upstairs, some said they heard an old lady coughing in the middle of the night, and others said they saw shadows on the windows.

Anyway, the rumors got more and more eerie, and eventually, no one dared to rent it."

Lin Ye thought for a moment. "So your purpose is..."

"Sigh, to tell you the truth." Manager Zhou sighed.

"This house has been vacant for over half a year, and with those eerie rumors, it has seriously affected the property prices of the entire community.

Several owners have complained, saying that because of this haunted house, their houses won't sell for a good price."

At this point, he looked at Lin Ye. "So I wanted to find someone brave to move in, so the other owners can see that someone is living here and slowly suppress those rumors.

You don't have to do much, just sleep here at night. During the day, you can stroll around the community so the neighbors can see you and know the house is occupied."

"That simple?" Lin Ye raised an eyebrow.

"Of course, if you have the ability to completely solve the problems of this villa, that would be even better." Manager Zhou made a joke, then turned serious.

"As for the salary, it starts at one hundred a day. If you can stay for a full month, it increases by 10% daily, capped at 1,000."

"Oh, and besides the property management fee, you'll have to pay for water, electricity, and gas yourself."

After listening, Lin Ye understood.

This wasn't a Haunted House Sleep Tester; it was clearly a "haunted house atmosphere creator."

Pretending someone lived there to put the neighbors at ease.

But for him, this job was practically perfect.

Free stay, daily pay, flexible time, and most importantly, no one to disturb him.

He could walk around the community a bit during the day for show, watch TV and cook in the villa at night, and then enter the game world to Cultivate late at night—it wouldn't interfere at all.

"Alright, I'll take the job." Lin Ye nodded decisively.

Manager Zhou was delighted. "Straightforward! But let's get the unpleasantness out of the way first: we have to sign a performance-based contract."

He pulled a contract from his briefcase.

"First, you must stay for at least a month, and the number of nights spent in the villa must not be less than 25."

"There are surveillance cameras at the villa entrance, which I will check every day."

"If you run away halfway through, you won't get a penny."

"After a month, your salary will gradually increase, capped at 1,000."

Lin Ye took the contract and scanned it quickly. The terms were clear, with no traps.

"No problem."

"Good! Then it's settled. You can move in today."

"By the way, do you want me to go in with you to take a look?"

When Manager Zhou said this, his tone was clearly a bit shaky.

Lin Ye looked at the gloomy villa and smiled, shaking his head. "No need, I'll go in by myself."

Manager Zhou was stunned and looked at Lin Ye with a bit more admiration. "Alright, then you go in. Call me anytime if something happens."

Then he handed the villa keys to Lin Ye, reminded him of a few precautions, and left in a hurry, as if staying there for one more second would be unbearable.

Lin Ye took the keys, pushed open the villa gate, and walked into the yard.

The weeds in the yard, unmanaged for a long time, were already ankle-deep, making a rustling sound as he stepped on them.

Walking straight through the yard, Lin Ye arrived at the villa door, inserted the key into the lock, and gave it a gentle turn...

"Click."

The door opened.

A long-sealed musty smell wafted toward him.

Frowning unconsciously, Lin Ye pushed the door open and walked inside.

The living room was spacious, with an old-fashioned decor: mahogany furniture, an old-style TV, and a landscape painting hanging on the wall.

All the furniture was covered with white sheets, which looked somewhat eerie in the dim light.

Looking around, Lin Ye didn't rush upstairs but first took a walk around the living room.

To be honest, besides the old decor, there was nothing special about this house.

He casually lifted a white sheet; underneath was a sofa, the leather still in good condition.

Then he opened the windows for ventilation to let the sunlight in.

After a bit of work, that chilly feeling dissipated quite a bit.

Going up to the second floor, there were three rooms: a master bedroom, a second bedroom, and a small study.

There was a large bed in the master bedroom, also covered with a white sheet.

Lin Ye lifted the sheet and looked; it was fine, quite clean.

Using his phone to buy a bunch of daily necessities, Lin Ye began a thorough cleaning of the villa.

A few elderly people taking a walk heard the noise coming from the villa and were startled at first. Then, seeing Lin Ye coming out to take out the trash, they breathed a sigh of relief.

Lin Ye also noticed the elderly people and smiled, nodding to them.

"Young man, just moved in?" an old man couldn't help but ask.

"Yes, just moved in today. I'm doing some cleaning," Lin Ye said, lifting the trash bag in his hand.

The old man acknowledged with an "oh" and didn't ask more, but his eyes were clearly filled with scrutiny.

Lin Ye knew that the news of someone living in the haunted house would soon spread.

This way, he had fulfilled the property manager's requirements.

By the time Lin Ye finished his work, it was already 10:00 AM.

Calculating the time, it was about dawn in the game, so Lin Ye clicked to go online.

His vision went dark and then brightened as the scene instantly switched to the game world.

"Brother Lin, are you up? Come over for breakfast. I'll take you to my second uncle's house later."

Wang Gang's voice came from outside.

"Coming, Big Brother Wang."

Responding, Lin Ye got up and opened the door.