Lin Hanzhi had spent less than an hour on Floating Mist Mountain before a phone call summoned him back down.
He looked at Qi Gu, his expression aggrieved. "The company wants me to work overtime. I have to go back."
Qi Gu instinctively glanced at the calendar. "Overtime even on Saturday?"
"Never mind Saturday. Even if I'm asleep, I have to drag myself out of bed to work overtime." Lin Hanzhi glanced at Qi Gu as he spoke, his tone sincere. "I really envy you, getting to do whatever you want every day."
Qi Gu had been forced out of his job and taken on various part-time gigs to support himself, but hearing Lin Hanzhi describe his work, he couldn't help feeling somewhat fortunate.
Having a job really was terrifying...
Lin Hanzhi keenly picked up on his mood. "Are you thinking how lucky you are not to have a job?"
Qi Gu remained expressionless. "...Don't make things up. I'm not that heartless."
Lin Hanzhi gave him a long look, then trudged down the mountain, half-dead.
Watching him stop to gasp for breath every few steps, Qi Gu genuinely feared the man might die on the mountain. He watched until Lin Hanzhi was out of sight before looking away.
Turning back, he was greeted by the completely transformed Floating Mist Temple.
A lush evergreen with overlapping branches and leaves had been planted before the gilded "Floating Mist Temple" plaque. Inside the surrounding wall lay a carefully designed and tended courtyard, where plants and trees of various kinds had been arranged to ensure different flowers bloomed every month, allowing worshippers to enjoy them here.
It was July now, and the transplanted blue-purple hydrangeas were blooming brilliantly, prompting even Qi Gu himself to take several pictures and save them on his phone.
A small stream had even been dug through the middle of the courtyard, channeling mountain spring water through it. The water was clear and sweet, perfect for soaking and chilling watermelons.
The original main hall and two rooms of Floating Mist Temple had all been refitted with premium golden-thread nanmu, and every piece of furniture had been carefully selected, rustic yet refined.
The water, electricity, and internet issues had all been resolved as well, showing how thoroughly the renovation crew had considered every detail.
Now, the renovation crew was busy erecting new wooden buildings on the open ground in front of the temple to expand Floating Mist Temple's commercial operations-this had been Huang Hongyuan's idea.
According to Huang Hongyuan's plan, before Floating Mist Temple officially opened, he would keep some storefronts to operate himself and rent out the rest to earn rental income.
Once they had sufficient funds, he even wanted to launch related tourism services around Floating Mist Mountain to increase Floating Mist Temple's core competitiveness.
Qi Gu thought Huang Hongyuan's plan was very sound. After listening to a rough outline once, he left everything to Huang Hongyuan to handle.
Huang Hongyuan, however, saw this as a sign of Master Qi's trust in him. After returning home, he told his wife, Wang Li, that Master Qi trusted him so much that he absolutely couldn't let him down, and so on.
He was brimming with enthusiasm.
In reality, though, Qi Gu simply wanted to slack off.
That evening, brilliant clouds of gold, purple, and red spread across the horizon, staining the clouds with boundless color. Qi Gu emerged from his air-conditioned room and, like a hamster, picked up the watermelon that had been soaking in mountain spring water all afternoon. With a swift chop of his hand, he split it in two, stuck a metal spoon into the grainy, bright-red flesh, and ate amid the courtyard full of flowers, utterly at ease.
He hadn't done nothing while holed up in his air-conditioned room these past two days. After learning that he had studied programming, Huang Hongyuan had asked him to build a general-purpose ordering mini app for the merchants who would rent the storefronts later.
Huang Hongyuan had a feeling that Floating Mist Temple would be packed with people in the future. When that happened, shop assistants might not be able to remember so many orders from memory alone. Since Master Qi was a programmer and could cut costs, why wouldn't Huang Hongyuan take advantage of that?
Qi Gu remembered doing a similar freelance job before, so he modified it according to Huang Hongyuan's requirements and sent it over.
When Huang Hongyuan saw the app: "..."
Master Qi Gu was good at everything-catching ghosts, programming-but his aesthetic sense...
Hiss-
What normal person used red and green for a mini app's color scheme?! It would have been fine if the combination looked sophisticated, but Qi Gu's looked exactly like one of those big floral padded jackets from northeastern China!
Huang Hongyuan had no choice but to spend a little more money hiring a graphic designer to spruce it up.
Qi Gu had some objections to this expenditure and earnestly argued with Huang Hongyuan about what, exactly, was wrong with his colors.
Huang Hongyuan said, "...Even if the king of heaven himself showed up today, this color scheme would still be absolutely lethal."
Having gotten a little closer to Qi Gu, he naturally spoke much more casually.
Just then, Lin Hanzhi messaged Qi Gu with information about the next episode.
Qi Gu seized the chance to ask him: [What do you think of this color scheme? I made it, but Huang Hongyuan insists it's ugly.]
[It clearly looks great, right?]
Lin Hanzhi frowned at the mini app on his screen, with its big floral jacket color scheme. Taking a deep breath, he went against his entire understanding of aesthetics: [It looks great. He has no taste.]
[Lin Hanzhi: But if he insists, you should let him have his way.]
[Lin Hanzhi: A mature leader should learn to listen to his subordinates' opinions.]
Qi Gu thought Lin Hanzhi made a lot of sense, so he took his advice and continued slacking off.
Meanwhile, over on Lin Hanzhi's side, Pubu Gesang was floating in midair, dealing with a vengeful ghost. Turning his head, he spotted the remarkably humane words on the demon king's phone. Deeply moved, he even eased up a little on the force of the magical seal he unleashed.
The little boy's eyes brimmed with tears. "So, boss, have you finally decided to raise my allowance? Boohoo."
Lin Hanzhi sneered and shoved him forward, his words cold and merciless. "Have I been treating you too well lately? Is that why you're having such unrealistic delusions?"
Pubu Gesang: "..."
Great. Still the same old slave driver, unchanged.
Filming for the second episode was delayed again and again, until it was finally scheduled for July 15.
According to Song An himself, it had taken so long because he had been searching for a filming location that was both safe and atmospheric.
And so Qi Gu brought his suitcase and a plastic bag containing his changes of clothes down the mountain, heading to the meeting point agreed upon with the Explore the Supernatural Production Team.
The location the production team provided was a second-tier city in Province Y, renowned for its advanced waterworks. Its summers were scorching, every bit as hot as Province Z, if not hotter.
The airport here was also extremely remote, a full several dozen kilometers from the city center.
Fortunately, Qi Gu didn't need to go downtown. Instead, he was heading to a mountain range near the airport that was somewhat well known among hiking enthusiasts.
The production team's driver, camera operator, and assistant were waiting outside the airport.
The moment Qi Gu got into the vehicle, the livestream officially began.
[Aaaaaah, Gu-Gu, long time no see!]
[I wonder where they're going to investigate the supernatural this time. I hope it won't be too dangerous.]
[Wait... why are all your clothes in a plastic bag? They'll get creased like that, aaaaaah!]
[So what precious things are in the suitcase? Could they be magical implements for subduing demons and exorcising evil?]
This question undoubtedly piqued the viewers' curiosity, and they flooded the screen with comments asking about it.
Some even asked whether the magical implements were for sale.
The production assistant had been tasked with livening things up. Seeing how curious everyone was, she also stared curiously at the old-fashioned fabric suitcase. "Master Qi, everyone's very curious about what's inside your suitcase. Could you share it with us?"
Qi Gu, who had been silently resting with his eyes closed ever since getting into the vehicle, suddenly opened them, a peculiar light shining in his eyes.
Before you continue