The next two readings were fairly normal, one about a career and the other about marriage. By the time he finished, it was nearly ten.
Once again, it was time for Qu Nanzhu's favorite part: saying goodbye and ending the stream.
His viewers, already familiar with his habits, made a brief attempt to keep him. Then, watching the screen go dark, they switched apps to the fan group they had set up themselves and began chatting excitedly about all the juicy gossip from that day.
Four days passed just like that. On the morning of the fifth, Qu Nanzhu woke naturally at eight.
He rubbed his messy hair and greeted Xiao Zhu with his toothbrush between his teeth. After gargling and washing up, he slung his canvas crossbody bag over his shoulder and headed out.
The previous evening, the clerk at the jade workshop had messaged him to say that all six peace pendants were finished and asked when he would have time to collect them.
Qu Nanzhu had replied that he would come today.
He had spotted the canvas bag while shopping for clothes online and bought it on impulse. Its familiar style reminded him of when he had first become his master's disciple, and his master had taken him down the mountain to vanquish demons and uphold the Dao.
They had happened to meet disciples from other cultivation schools, carrying old canvas bags and following a master in little clusters. He later heard that they had come for practical observation.
He had always known his master was very famous in the cultivation world, but that was the first time he had experienced his master's "fame" firsthand.
He had no canvas bag, so he tugged at his master's sleeve to say he wanted one. Taking the view that he did not understand but would respect his wishes, his master crouched down and asked whether he disliked the storage ring on his hand.
Back then, Qu Nanzhu had not understood what his master meant. He had only thought his master was hinting, You have something this good, so why would you want a shabby bag?
So he shook his head and said the storage ring was all he needed.
Later, he realized he had misunderstood his master, but by then, his status no longer suited carrying a canvas bag.
He reached the workshop at the agreed time, and the clerk handed Qu Nanzhu an exquisitely carved wooden box containing the peace pendants.
Under their agreement, he did not have to pay the processing fee for the peace pendants, which included attaching the red cords and providing the box. In exchange, they would sell the finished bangles on his behalf and charge a fee.
Walking onto a deserted patch of grass, Qu Nanzhu sat cross-legged on the ground and took out the box, forming a hand seal to summon the powerful ghosts.
Before long, eerie laughter rang out around him, and a fierce wind whipped up at his side. He could only raise a hand to shield his eyes and pin down the cloth bag in his lap before it blew away.
"Little Celestial Master~ We're here."
The instant the wind dispersed, six powerful ghosts appeared in a neat line before Qu Nanzhu.
Qu Nanzhu smoothed down his windblown hair and pushed the box in front of him toward them. "Six peace pendants containing spiritual qi. Take a look. Are you satisfied?"
The six ghosts giggled.
"Satisfied, of course we are. Sorry for the trouble, Little Celestial Master."
With that, their souls entered the pieces of jade they had each chosen.
Ghost qi instantly wreathed the peace pendants, which had been lustrous throughout, only to be quickly suppressed by the spiritual qi within.
With ghosts residing inside them, the peace pendants no longer needed the box's protection. They were now more durable than the box itself.
Still, Qu Nanzhu kept them in the box and followed the powerful ghosts' directions to find the people they had each saved.
The first person was still in the hospital, and it took him a long time to register what he was seeing when Qu Nanzhu appeared.
Today, Qu Nanzhu wore a white T-shirt with a denim jacket and oversized wide-leg trousers. He had also deliberately put on a yellow baseball cap to conceal his looks and avoid attracting attention.
When he suddenly appeared in his hospital room, Zhou Zichen looked at him in surprise from his bed, wanting to ask whether the guy had come to the wrong place.
Then he saw the man take off his cap and smile at him with that face, both familiar and unfamiliar. "Hello."
Zhou Zichen froze, and the food in his hand fell onto the bedsheet.
Was he seeing things?!
Qu Nanzhu!
His lifesaver!
The number-one fortune-teller who had gone viral in certain corners of the internet!
His idol!
Had actually appeared in his hospital room just like that!
Was he here to see him?! Oh my god, he was so happy! He absolutely had to brag to the other viewers tonight!!
For all his inner excitement, Zhou Zichen still sounded shy as he asked Qu Nanzhu why he had come to see him.
He could not think of a single reason his idol would seek him out.
And his idol had even given him a peace pendant that looked quite expensive.
It felt too precious to accept. What was he supposed to do?
Qu Nanzhu told him seriously, "I'm here to take care of some unfinished business."
Zhou Zichen looked at him, utterly lost and bewildered. Qu Nanzhu glanced around his hospital room and asked, "Where's the rest of your family?"
Zhou Zichen answered honestly, "They went home. They won't be here until tonight."
Qu Nanzhu gave a soft "Ah." "All right, telling you works just as well."
Hearing that Qu Nanzhu was getting down to business, he immediately sat up straight.
Qu Nanzhu patted his back. "No need to be so nervous. It's nothing major."
He took out a small knife and handed it to Zhou Zichen. "Drip a drop of blood onto this peace pendant to bind it to you."
"There's a powerful ghost living inside, but you don't need to be afraid. She was the one who actually saved you that day. I couldn't save so many of you at once in such a short time, so I asked them for help. The condition was that she would receive incense offerings from your family for the next thirty years."
Qu Nanzhu thought his explanation was simple and easy to understand, but Zhou Zichen's brain had clearly still crashed.
Qu Nanzhu patted his head. "Bind it to yourself first. Once you do, you'll be able to see her. Then you'll understand."
Zhou Zichen withdrew his bewildered gaze and looked down at the knife and peace pendant in his hands.
Like a bot, he dripped a drop of blood onto the peace pendant.
The next second, he watched with his own eyes as the peace pendant instantly absorbed every trace of the blood he had dripped onto it. A wisp of black qi emerged from inside and wound around his fingertip.
The black qi instantly healed his still-bleeding fingertip. Following its flow with his eyes, Zhou Zichen saw a young girl dressed in an antique style.
She gave him a mischievous look, then floated outside.
Zhou Zichen was utterly dumbfounded.
"M-Master Qu, sh-sh-she..."
"Yes, she's gone off to play. Don't worry, she'll be back tonight."
Zhou Zichen stared at Qu Nanzhu in shock. That wasn't the point, was it?!
Qu Nanzhu merely put his cap back on calmly and finished what he had to say. "Binding her to you doesn't just let you see her. It also ensures that her ghost qi won't affect anyone related to you by blood.
"Also, make absolutely sure you remember to offer her three sticks of incense every day. If special circumstances come up, remember to ask for leave. If there's anything else she wants, she'll tell you herself.
"Although she won't help you gain promotions and wealth like a household guardian immortal, she can keep your whole family safe. Once the thirty years are up, the contract will automatically end, and you can each go your separate ways.
"Finally, I suggest you avoid making her angry, or you'll become very unlucky for a while."
Zhou Zichen nodded repeatedly as he listened.
Once Qu Nanzhu finished explaining, he had Zhou Zichen repeat it all back to him. After making sure there were no problems, he waved goodbye and went to find the next household.
One of the families did not really believe in such things. Although they were grateful to Qu Nanzhu for saving their relative's life, that did not mean they would believe everything he said.
Left with no other choice, Qu Nanzhu told them coldly to drip blood onto the pendant and bind it.
He was their lifesaver, after all, so the family naturally did as he said. They had thought they were merely going through the motions, never expecting that once the blood fell, a woman in ancient-style dress would appear out of thin air before them.
As though angry that the family did not want to honor the agreement, the powerful ghost made a tremendous scene, turning their home upside down right before their eyes.
At first, they had not believed a reasonable explanation. Then they were taught a lesson, and they believed.
Now the entire family treated the powerful ghost with the utmost respect, terrified that this venerable ancestor would get angry and give them no peace again.
Ghosts like them had existed in the world for over a thousand years, never taking a human life throughout that time, cultivating solely by absorbing the spiritual qi of heaven and earth.
Although they had no proper cultivation methods, they could just about count as ghost cultivators. Their souls held no yin qi, and they had long since ceased to fear sunlight, not to mention that they now had merit from saving people.
After Qu Nanzhu repeatedly assured them that the powerful ghost would not harm anyone, would not normally appear to frighten them, and would protect them when necessary, the family apologized with both gratitude and shame, promising to make proper offerings to her.
After delivering the first five, the last one was Huo Sili.