Qu Nanzhu had not expected such a windfall from this visit. As long as he could nurture Xiao Zhu in the lake, the spiritual qi and dragon qi within it could also improve his trait of being a delicacy for evil ghosts.
To thank Huo Sili for his generosity, he solemnly promised that whenever Huo Sili needed him in the future, he would spare no effort to help.
Huo Sili smiled and changed direction again. "There's nothing I need your help with right now, Master Qu, but I would like to treat you to a meal. Would you do me the honor?"
Qu Nanzhu cheerfully followed him to the little garden.
Next, he only needed to find Xiao Zhu a new magical treasure to inhabit.
Over the past few days, he had gained a rough understanding of this world's level of mystical arts. He had already given up hope of finding soul-nurturing jade, so he could only set his sights on top-quality jade.
Xiao Zhu's soul body was not suited to frequently switching pieces of jade. Qu Nanzhu thought it would be best to find a suitable one in a single go.
For now, though, the priority was enjoying his meal.
Not knowing his tastes, Butler Si had arranged some fairly common dishes for entertaining guests. The table laden with food left Qu Nanzhu a little dazzled.
Both diners liked to chew slowly and savor their food. Occasionally, they commented on a dish's flavor, while the butler silently noted Qu Nanzhu's preferences from the side, immediately blacklisting any dish he only sampled once.
He knew perfectly well that this would certainly not be the only time they entertained him.
There were little desserts after the meal, too, but Qu Nanzhu was so full that he could not eat another bite of dessert.
Yet looking at those springy, jiggly puddings and plump, rounded fruits, he felt it would truly be a shame not to eat them.
Just as he was staring at the desserts in indecision, Huo Sili came over in his wheelchair after washing his hands. Seeing his unwilling expression, he laughed again.
"You can have Uncle Si pack them up for you to take home later. They'll keep in the fridge for an afternoon without any trouble."
That was an option? Then he was satisfied.
After all, these were desserts made in someone else's home. Asking to take them away would make him seem a little like he was trying to take advantage.
But since his host had offered, that had nothing to do with him.
At three, Huo Sili personally took Qu Nanzhu home again.
The moment he arrived home, several little paper figures fluttered over and took the things from their master's hands.
Qu Nanzhu went to see Xiao Zhu and told him in passing that he had found him a wonderful place to recuperate.
Qu Nanzhu took another short nap that afternoon. In the blink of an eye, it was eight in the evening, and time to stream again.
With the little paper figures this time, Qu Nanzhu no longer needed to hurriedly clear the desk himself. He did not even have to turn on the computer when he sat down in front of it.
The little paper figures had prepared everything for him. All he needed to do was sit and wait for the stream to begin.
As soon as eight o'clock arrived, a little paper figure clicked the button to start the stream, right on the dot.
Viewers poured into the livestream.
[Here we are!]
[Waaah, one day apart and I've missed you so much!]
[Wow, baby's so punctual today! So happy.]
[Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit, you're finally live! I've been dying to talk about this. Do you guys know that guy died?!]
[Do you mean Pang Du? I know. Apparently, the authorities have already issued a notice, and they ruled out homicide.]
[So that means he killed himself? Is that possible?]
[Don't believe or spread rumors. The official notice said he died of a heart attack.]
[So this streamer really did predict that Pang Du didn't have long to live?]
[I knew he didn't have long, but that was way too short! He died just a few hours after ending his stream that night.]
[This livestream is so creepy, making jokes about someone's death.]
[Could the person above move the Leshan Giant Buddha aside and take its seat? Didn't you see the official notice saying they found the remains of numerous animals in his basement? Doesn't that prove what Qu Bao said? This guy abused animals.]
[So those animals' wronged souls really did claim his life? God, this world has overturned everything I thought I knew.]
He saw a comment saying the official notice listed Pang Du's cause of death as a heart attack, completely different from what those two celestial masters had said that morning.
Qu Nanzhu knew that the higher-ups had stepped in.
After his usual evening greeting, Qu Nanzhu enabled call-ins, ready for today's three fortunes.
Because the various platforms were suppressing his popularity in all sorts of ways, although Qu Nanzhu's livestream still had over three hundred thousand viewers, more than ninety percent were existing fans, with hardly any newcomers.
But his existing fans wished there were no newcomers competing with them for call-in slots. After watching and waiting over the previous two days, twenty thousand people competed to call in today.
Qu Nanzhu randomly clicked an avatar, and the screen immediately split in two.
But the other side was pitch-black. All they could hear was a girl sobbing.
Everyone was baffled, Qu Nanzhu included.
[Wait, what's going on? Did we connect to a ghost?]
[Aaaaah, miss, please stop crying! You're scaring me to fucking death.]
[Blanket barrier! Activate!]
Qu Nanzhu could see nothing. The other party was completely immersed in her emotions and showed no intention of speaking.
He sighed, making his voice as gentle as possible. "Little sister, did something happen?"
She was still crying on the other end. After sniffling several times, she finally spoke indistinctly. "Master, s-save me, waaah... I... Aaaaaah!!!"
Before she could finish, a piercing scream traveled through the internet into everyone's ears. Qu Nanzhu took the worst of it, since he was wearing over-ear headphones.
[Holy fucking shit... Someone save me!]
[That hit too hard. I can't quite process it.]
[The girl's too upset. She can't communicate normally at all.]
[Then what do we do? She doesn't seem to be doing well. Should we call the police?]
So went the comments.
Qu Nanzhu took off his headphones and patted his ears, thinking that had been terrifying.
But just now, he had also heard something tapping on glass off camera. The girl had lost control of her emotions after hearing that sound.
The immediate priority was to stabilize her emotions.
Qu Nanzhu closed his eyes and raised a hand, tapping rhythmically on the desk as his lips gently parted-
"Supreme celestial star, responding to change without cease..."
The Divine Mantra for Purifying the Mind. After chanting it once, he began a second time, chanting it three times in total.
Unlike his usual even voice, when Qu Nanzhu began chanting the mantra, his voice seemed steeped in clear mountain springs and the breeze through moonlit pines, becoming extraordinarily ethereal and gentle.
His voice seemed both distant and near, carrying a wondrous penetrating power, like a feather brushing across the tip of everyone's heart. The syllables were like jade beads lightly tapping ice, spreading ripple after ripple.
The mantra flowed from his lips, becoming a tangible soothing force that calmed every restless heart before the screen.
[...How do I put it? It feels like even my soul has been elevated.]
[Wahahaha, this feels completely different from what I usually hear.]
[That's the Divine Mantra for Purifying the Mind, right? The effect when Master Qu chants it is incredible.]
[I have an exam tomorrow and I was nervous as hell, but now I'm not nervous at all. Did anyone record it? I'll pay for a copy. I want to listen again before entering the exam room tomorrow!]
[DM me! I'm free!]
[You really shouldn't phrase it like that.]
[Wow, the girl looks like she's calmed down already. Qu Bao is so gentle.]
After soothing the girl's emotions, Qu Nanzhu slowly guided her into speaking, asking questions that she answered.
"Little sister, are you at home right now?"
"Mm..."
"What's your name? How old are you?"
"My name is Bai Ting. I'm sixteen."
"Is anyone else home?"
"No... waaah, there is, there's a ghost, waaah..."
As though she was slowly opening up, the young girl finally began explaining what had happened.
"Master, my house has been haunted for the past few days. He deliberately locked me in the bathroom, or made me fall down the stairs. I told my mom and dad, but they didn't believe me. They checked the security footage and said there was nothing there. Waaah, I'm so scared. Today he suddenly locked me in my room and broke all the lights in the house. I can't make any calls or send any WeChat messages. I can only see your livestream. I'm really scared, waaah. Big brother, please save me..."
[That sounds so hopeless. Before watching Qu Nanzhu's streams, I didn't believe in ghosts either. I probably would've thought she was playing a prank. But now, all I can say is, kid, thank goodness you met Master Qu.]
[Not being believed really hurts. You're scared to death, but everyone else just thinks you're playing a prank, especially when those people are your own parents.]
[What now? Is Master Qu going to rescue someone in person again? If I remember right, he doesn't have a car, does he?]
After learning the general situation, Qu Nanzhu asked where she lived.
The answer sent the comments into a panic.
[Holy crap, that's over five hundred kilometers away, isn't it? Even flying would take at least half an hour.]
[The question is, is there a flight available now? Besides, you're only counting the straight-line distance. What about the time it takes to reach the airport?]
[So why not call the police? How long would it take the local police to get there?]
[I've already called the police, friend, but if it really is a ghost causing trouble, can the police actually deal with it?]
[I really feel for you, girl.]
It was a good question, but the viewers did not know that the police also had specialists who handled incidents of this kind. For Qu Nanzhu, the current problem was that he could not determine the ghost's level.
So he asked Bai Ting whether she had invited any strangers over or brought anything strange home.
Bai Ting bit her thumb and anxiously tried to remember, but she could not recall anything. She had seen all the comments, and now she was terrified that Qu Nanzhu would stop helping her if she did not say anything.
Noticing that Bai Ting was beginning to lose control of her emotions again, Qu Nanzhu immediately spoke. "Wait, stop thinking about it. It's all right. If you can't remember, let it go. That's perfectly normal. Tell me something you do remember."
In the dim room, the light from her phone screen fell across Bai Ting's sweat-damp face. She reined in her emotions, having nearly broken down sobbing again, and nodded at the camera.
Qu Nanzhu glanced at the comments and asked, "The police have already gone over. Can you hear any sirens?"
Bai Ting shook her head. Qu Nanzhu had a rough idea now and told her to wait a moment.
He picked up his phone and messaged the old Daoist who had come to see him that morning. They had added each other as friends at noon.
Qu Nanzhu: [You're in my livestream, right? Do you know roughly how capable the people you sent are?]
Fuchenzi: [I'm here, Master Qu. We've already requested reinforcements from headquarters. The celestial master who went over said it's at least a mid-level evil ghost. He can't handle it.]
Qu Nanzhu: [Then how long will it take for your headquarters' people to get there?]
After dragging things out, the other side sent him a time.
[Three hours at the earliest.]
Then what the hell was the point? The girl probably had something on her that warded off evil, preventing the evil ghost from getting close. It could only try every means to make Bai Ting mentally collapse, ideally frightening her soul out of her body.