Daoming cleared his throat and picked up where Director Li had left off.
"The police did indeed classify these deaths as accidents, but our Celestial Master Bureau also sent people to investigate. There is indeed a supernatural presence in the house."
As he spoke, he stepped aside to give everyone a fuller view of the villa. "Even now, we can still see sinister black energy coiling around the inside and outside of the villa."
The guests whose Yin-Yang Eyes had not been opened naturally could not see this supposed black energy, but they could clearly sense that the area around the villa was noticeably darker than elsewhere.
This realization only increased their fear. Zhou Mingzhong voiced his disapproval. "If this villa is so dangerous, why have a bunch of ordinary people like us come resolve this? Aren't you asking us to walk to our deaths?"
Daoqing, standing beside him, took over. "You can all rest assured about that. Before you enter, we'll give each of you a protective jade talisman to ensure that ghost energy cannot invade your bodies."
He took ten protective jade talismans from the box behind him, handing them to the guests and the camera operators who would be following them inside. "Please take good care of these jade talismans. They're all genuine protective talismans produced by the Celestial Master Bureau, worth ten million each. We'll need to collect them after filming."
[Uh, reasonable, but not what I expected.]
[Celestial masters suddenly feel so down-to-earth.]
[Shiyu and Wenxi, and Qianyu hahahahahaha, their faces! They look like they wish they could swallow the jade talismans.]
[What else would they do? They're earning two or three million filming a variety show, but if they break a jade talisman, they'll owe ten million.]
[Looks like God Qu didn't get one.]
He really had not. Daoqing had wanted to give him one, but he was afraid God Qu would consider it an insult, so he had decided against it.
Lin Qianyu stood right beside Qu Nanzhu. Thinking Daoqing had overlooked him, she spoke up. "Young Celestial Master, you missed someone over here. Master Qu hasn't got one."
Daoqing turned to Qu Nanzhu in bewilderment. Qu Nanzhu raised a hand and waved it. "It's fine. I don't need one."
The people around him had just cast admiring looks his way when he added, "I couldn't afford to pay for it if I broke it."
Everyone who had accepted a jade talisman: "..."
After distributing the jade talismans, Daoqing went back to organize the equipment, and Daoming continued, "Let's make sure everyone has one. If you do, we can head inside."
Everyone present tightened their grip on their jade talismans and nodded solemnly.
The live comments grew nervous too.
[Holy crap, this still feels unreal. It's like watching a fantasy movie, except this is actually happening.]
[Same as above. My whole worldview has been rewritten in one morning, and I still haven't processed it.]
[Our country actually has an organization like the Celestial Master Bureau? Why have I never heard of it before?]
[They probably didn't allow this stuff to spread before and handled everything in secret. Maybe something's forcing them to go public now. I came across an officially promoted livestream before, but hardly anyone was watching.]
That comment had indeed hit upon the truth.
As early as the beginning of this year, the authorities had been trying to gradually make these matters public. To avoid causing unnecessary panic, the best choice was to first educate people on the relevant knowledge.
But the results had been terrible, as was evident from the two genuine celestial masters Pang Du had exposed as frauds.
Even genuine celestial masters differed in ability. Those two, who were responsible for explaining metaphysical knowledge on livestreams, had only entered the field two years earlier. Their foundational knowledge was solid, but they lacked experience in face reading and ended up thoroughly humiliated.
It was not that the Celestial Master Bureau was unwilling to send capable people to do publicity. The Investigation Bureau above them was short on talent and would snatch up any promising prospects, sending them all over the country year-round to resolve and suppress large-scale supernatural incidents.
Even the slightly more capable people left behind had to go out every day to deal with trouble caused by lesser ghosts. Add evil cultivators stirring up trouble, and no one had any time to do publicity.
Even this time, Daoqing and Daoming were working while filming the show. If the guests could not resolve the villa's problem today, the two of them would have to resolve it afterward before they could return.
As for Qu Nanzhu, the Celestial Master Bureau had failed to recruit him, and his abilities were beyond their limits. The Investigation Bureau could only restrict his online activities at first. Only after confirming that he had no intention of taking revenge on society had they fully restored his internet access.
Director Li returned to the recording booth and began communicating remotely with the camera operators over the radio.
Daoqing led the way, while Daoming followed at the rear.
Daoqing said, "Don't be too nervous, everyone. Daoming and I will protect you. Even if we can't, we still have Master Qu."
After that joking remark, he began explaining the upcoming itinerary to the guests and viewers. "Your task this morning is to find out exactly what's wrong with this feng shui villa. It doesn't matter if you know nothing about this. If anything seems off, just ask Daoming or me. Next, we'll split into two teams, with Daoming and me each accompanying one. Five people on each side."
He looked at Qu Nanzhu, blinking as he asked, "Senior, why don't you pick a team to follow?"
Qu Nanzhu said, "Can I act alone?"
Daoming said, "No. Let's decide with rock-paper-scissors. Whoever loses comes with me."
And so, a group of people began playing rock-paper-scissors at the entrance to a villa wreathed in yin energy.
[I can't even. My emotions keep going up and down.]
[Every time I get completely absorbed and my heart starts pounding, they always do something that makes me feel like they're playing house.]
In the end, Daoming, Qu Nanzhu, Lin Qianyu, Bai Shiyu, and Su Liyun formed one team, with the remaining people in the other.
Daoming smugly shot Daoqing a victorious look.
Taking an out-of-sight, out-of-mind approach, Daoqing pushed the door open and led his team inside first.
Daoming's team followed behind.
Before entering, Qu Nanzhu glanced once more at the mountains outside.
Inside the villa, dust covered everything after nearly twenty years without occupants, but strangely, there were no cobwebs at all.
Lu Luqing turned to ask Daoming, "Young Celestial Master, did you clear away the cobwebs in here?"
Daoming shook his head. "The yin energy here is too heavy, and ghosts often roam through. Living creatures generally won't choose to live here."
Those words instantly silenced the guests completely.
In fact, from the moment they entered, they could feel that the temperature around them had dropped considerably. No one suspected the production crew had secretly turned on the air conditioning to chill the place. They knew this uncomfortable atmosphere was not something air conditioning could produce.
Their only thought now was to leave this villa in one piece.
[Holy thunder, this is an actual haunted-house exploration.]
Once inside, the two teams tacitly took one side each to inspect. Daoqing led his people to the right, while Daoming's group took the initiative to head left.
Both sides found some items related to metaphysics. Although none had any effect, the owner had bought them all in hopes of obtaining protection.
Unconsecrated peachwood swords, cheap stall-bought protective talismans, modern commercially cast copper coins, and various sachets and portraits of deities.
Daoqing shook his head in some disappointment. "None of these are it."
Perhaps because they had spent some time inside without anything happening, the guests grew a little bolder and began spreading out to search for clues.
Whenever Qu Nanzhu entered a room, he would stand at its window and look outside for a while.
Lu Luqing was the first to notice this. Taking the initiative to make peace, he asked, "Master Qu, you keep looking out the windows. Have you discovered something?"
The others in the room also turned their gazes toward him. Daoming went straight to Qu Nanzhu's side, ready to listen and learn up close.
Qu Nanzhu, who had not intended to say anything, glanced at him.
Although these guests would not understand, Daoming would.
He stepped aside so Daoming could look outside from there. "Looking at it like this, what can you tell?"
Daoming dutifully leaned out and looked before replying, "Actually, Daoqing and I already examined this when we arrived this morning. The feng shui here is a classic Twin Dragons Holding a Pearl Wealth-Gathering Formation. Twin dragons coil behind the residence, and a jade belt wraps around its waist in front. There's also a small hill in front of the residence, which is regarded as the pearl."
Qu Nanzhu nodded in satisfaction and offered his assessment. "You're not too stupid."
Daoming chuckled, only to hear Qu Nanzhu ask, "Since the feng shui is so good, why did this residence become a yin dwelling and cause so many deaths?"
That, Daoming did not know. He honestly shook his head.
The celebrities did not understand any of this, so they stood to one side and listened quietly.
The viewers no longer had any interest in who was handsome or beautiful. All they cared about was solving the case.
[So does that mean there's some harmful formation set up inside the villa?! That's how it always goes on TV, and it's usually in the basement. You haven't checked the basement yet!]
[Agreed! Especially those formations made from dozens of human skulls. Ugh, just thinking about it is scary.]
[Surely not. If there were a formation like that, the police would've found it when they investigated.]
[Maybe it's set up inside the walls, or hidden through some supernatural means!]