The next day, the Qinglan Soul Hunting Team returned to River Bend Town.
As soon as they entered town, they heard people discussing the cargo-transport video. Others were holding up their phones to show their companions Han Chi's shoes that just wouldn't stop. Farther on, someone was speaking into a phone, saying the north bridge was broken and telling a caravan on the other end to take a detour.
As Zheng Weishan watched their expressions and listened to their conversations, his own expression shifted again and again. His understanding of Douyin had deepened a little more.
Just then, a thin-faced man came toward them, all smiles.
"Are you folks here to buy phones?"
At those words, Cheng Yue and the others froze.
"How did you know?" Cheng Yue asked, puzzled.
The man chuckled.
"I just heard you asking about a sales outlet. The one in your hand is still dusty, while the others beside you don't have one, so I figured you'd brought your friends to buy some."
"Are phones really that popular now?" Cheng Yue pressed.
"Of course! I don't know about other places, but several shops on this street have bought them. Never mind anything else-just scroll through the short videos and you can find out what's happening far away."
As he spoke, he swiped up, and a woman in a qipao appeared on the screen, turning gracefully to the music.
"Sorry, wrong swipe. This isn't the one."
After an embarrassed smile, he opened his liked videos.
They were all dance videos of one kind or another, except for the one at the very top.
Cheng Yue glanced at him, barely able to keep the corners of his mouth down.
The thin-faced man had already opened the video about the broken bridge and beckoned them to watch.
"In the past, with news like this, you wouldn't find out until you'd hauled a cartload of goods all the way there. That whole trip would have been for nothing. Now that there's Douyin, you can find out in advance."
"Of course, besides learning about major events in different places, the main thing is that you can use Douyin to stay in touch with other Soul Masters over long distances. Send photos, send videos-no matter how far apart you are, your relationship won't fade."
After introducing all this, the man abruptly changed tack, leading them into the shop next door and opening a wooden chest behind the counter.
Dozens of neatly arranged phones appeared before them.
"Folks, why not buy one? All the phones here came from the Seven Treasure Chamber of Commerce. I have their supply documents right here, too. Every single one is genuine."
"And if you buy a phone, I can fit it with a leather case. They're sturdy and durable, with different designs, and they can be engraved too. The cases cost extra on their own, but if you all buy together, I'll lower the price and throw in straps."
Only then did the young people finally understand why he had been so eager with his introduction. After all that, he had been trying to sell them something.
After only a brief moment's thought, Zheng Weishan nodded.
"In that case, give me seven phones."
He indicated the four young people beside him who didn't have phones: one for each of them, one for himself, and the remaining two to take back to the team. Cheng Yue already had one and didn't need another.
When the shopkeeper heard that he wanted seven, his face immediately blossomed into a smile.
"Certainly!"
"Just a moment. I'll pack them up for you."
As he spoke, he took out seven wooden boxes and packed the phones.
"That's fourteen Gold Soul Coins for the phones. I'll add the cost of the cases separately."
Zheng Weishan paid, then had him stamp the characters for Qinglan on the inside of the cases before taking the others to sit down at a tea stall.
With Cheng Yue's introduction and his own understanding, Zheng Weishan quickly came to a decision.
"Cheng Yue, what do you think about us making a video account like Han Chi's?"
"Of course we can. What do you want to film?"
"Talk about Soul Beasts."
Zheng Weishan pushed his tea bowl aside.
"People can't all wait until a snake chases them into a crack in the rocks before learning not to touch eggs at random."
Cheng Yue's ears grew hot, and he hurriedly steadied the phone.
"Hello, everyone. I'm Zheng Weishan of the Qinglan Soul Hunting Team. I just came across an interesting video, and a lot of people in the comments are asking what kind of Soul Beast it is. So now I'll introduce it to you."
Lu Ye came across the video while scrolling at the inn, and his finger paused.
The name looked somewhat familiar.
He thought for a moment before remembering that someone like that seemed to have been mentioned in the earlier video about buying a shield and escaping danger.
Zheng Weishan didn't spend long on pleasantries in front of the camera. He quickly pointed to another phone set beside him.
It was playing the short clip Cheng Yue had filmed.
The edge of the shield, the rocks, and the fleeting shadow of a snake.
"Since that escape video was posted, quite a few people have asked in the comments what the snake was and whether it was venomous."
"This is a Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent. The easiest features to recognize are the bright red fleshy crest on its head and its tail, which spreads out like a fan."
As he spoke, he paused the footage, leaving the snake's head and part of its tail on the screen.
After watching for a moment, Lu Ye couldn't help paying closer attention.
Zheng Weishan didn't merely give a name. Following the footage, he pointed out the easily overlooked details one by one.
"It isn't venomous, but don't take that to mean you can approach it as you please."
"This kind of Soul Beast is very fast. If it rams you with its head, an ordinary person's bones might not withstand the blow. The fleshy crest isn't just for show, either. It stores nutrients that can help keep the serpent going when necessary."
"This time, a few young people on the team touched the eggs it was guarding, so it chased them. If they hadn't retreated into a narrow space and had a shield to hold it off for a while, things wouldn't have been so easy."
At that point, Zheng Weishan paused briefly and turned the camera back toward himself.
"As for those asking how old this snake is, I saw it up close at the time and can judge that it's less than a thousand years old. But from just these few shaky moments of footage, I can't give you an exact number."
"To identify a Soul Beast, you need a clear look at its features. You can't just see a shadow and rush to put a name to it."
The video ended there.
But Lu Ye didn't immediately scroll away.
Interesting.
Everything he talked about was something people on this continent could actually use, and the footage wasn't complicated. Yet after listening, people were left wanting to ask more.
Wasn't this exactly the kind of creator he had been looking for?
Lu Ye opened the comments. Sure enough, people were already talking.
"Douyin taught me something new again today."
"Don't touch it even if it isn't venomous. It dented a shield-what are you going to block it with?"
"Senior Zheng, take a look at my picture. Is this the same kind?"
A blurry picture was attached below.
Zheng Weishan gave a careful reply.
"Neither the head nor the tail is fully visible, so I can't identify it with certainty for now. If you've already left, don't go chasing after it just to take another picture."
Right after that, someone posted a very clear picture.
"What about this one? It's green too, and it hasn't moved at all."
Zheng Weishan was silent for a while before replying.
"That's a vine. It even has leaves growing on it."
Lu Ye burst out laughing when he saw it.
The people below didn't hold back either, and a string of laughing faces appeared.
The person who had posted the picture wasn't annoyed, though. Instead, he was perfectly frank.
"I was far away and didn't dare get close. Mistaking it is better than getting bitten."
Someone else took the subject further.
"Senior, would its Soul Ring be suitable for a flying-type Martial Soul to absorb?"
Zheng Weishan didn't give a direct answer. He only asked about the person's Martial Soul, existing Soul Rings, and Soul Power, then said that a few words weren't enough and that a teacher who truly understood his situation should help make the judgment.
Lu Ye watched for a while, growing more satisfied.
Some people, desperate to get others to watch them, claimed to understand everything.
Zheng Weishan was different. He explained what he could clearly, and when he couldn't be certain, he didn't force a guess.
For people seeking answers, that was actually more convincing.
"He's the one."
Lu Ye opened the backend and gave the video some extra recommendations.
There were more users now than there had been a few days ago, and far more than Cheng Yue's few companions were willing to watch Soul Beast knowledge videos.
Before long, the effect of the recommendations began to show. The video's likes gradually climbed from a few dozen to over two hundred, and it made the trending page.
When Zheng Weishan, who had posted the video, noticed its rising popularity, delight immediately appeared on his face. He promptly went to find Cheng Yue.
"Cheng Yue, come take a look. How did my video suddenly get so many likes and comments?"
Cheng Yue, who was scrolling on his phone, didn't think much of it when he heard that. He didn't even raise his head.
"That's normal. People usually come across a video as soon as it's posted. The one I posted earlier got a few dozen likes too."
"But that's nothing. These days, whenever Master Han casually posts a video, there are lots of people waiting to watch it."
"I think mine has over two hundred likes already," Zheng Weishan said uncertainly.
"Uncle Zheng, you must be joking. You only just learned how to use a phone. How could you possibly..."
Before Cheng Yue could finish, his expression froze. He had inadvertently caught sight of Zheng Weishan's phone screen.
More than two hundred red hearts, clear as day.
He looked at the number, then at the video's content, and hurriedly took out his own phone to search for it.
When the search results appeared, he was dumbfounded.
"Wait, Uncle Zheng, how did your video make it onto the trending page?"
"What's trending?"
"Trending videos are the really popular ones. Uncle Zheng, you're a hit!"
As he spoke, a strange expression appeared on Cheng Yue's face, a mixture of envy and bewilderment.
After all, he had only taken Zheng Weishan to buy a phone a few hours ago, and had taught him how to film short videos along the way.
He had thought Uncle Zheng was just going to play around with it. Who could have imagined that his very first video would be a smash hit?
"What should I do next, then?" Zheng Weishan asked, somewhat lost.
"Hmm, given how things are going, I think you should strike while the iron is hot and keep filming videos, just like Master Han."
"And the videos you make should continue the style and content of the one that went viral. That teacher said before that a video creator's videos should all maintain a consistent style, and their core appeal and selling points have to be the same too. That's how you attract the right followers."
"What do you mean by video style? And what are core selling points?"
"Let me put it this way. Suppose you're a pretty dancer. You shouldn't suddenly start blacksmithing in your later videos. People watched this one because you taught them about Soul Beasts, so of course you should keep focusing on introducing Soul Beasts."
As he spoke, Cheng Yue told Zheng Weishan what he had learned in Lu Ye's livestream, and Zheng Weishan quickly grasped it.
"I understand. In that case, I'll keep making videos about Soul Beasts."
"Good. For the next one, talk about the Mandala Snake."
Zheng Weishan went to fetch his notes. Cheng Yue looked at his own pitiful few dozen red hearts, still feeling a little put out.
He was the one who had taught him how to turn the phone on.
But on second thought, Uncle Zheng had spent half his life identifying Soul Beasts. No matter how thoroughly Cheng Yue taught him the buttons, that couldn't conjure up half a lifetime of knowledge out of thin air.
Once he had thought it through, Cheng Yue became even more enthusiastic.
"Uncle Zheng, I'll hold it for you this time. Toward the end of your last video, your face was almost out of the frame."
The days on the trade route passed as they traveled from stop to stop.
After leaving the main group, Lu Ye changed horses at familiar sales outlets along the way, asked for directions, and confirmed that Ning Rongrong's carriage was still heading toward Soto. The little girl had even bought a packet of snacks on the way. She looked well and paid promptly; at least for the time being, she hadn't gone hungry.
He reported these details back to Ning Fengzhi without catching up to stop her carriage.
Several days later, just as he was nearing Soto, Xiao Wu, who had been away from Nuoding for more than ten days, passed through the last familiar stretch of woods.
"Sister Xiao Wu!"
The treetops shook with a rumble.
A huge black figure stood up, its golden eyes full of delight. It had just taken a step when Xiao Wu looked up and called out to stop it.
"Er Ming! Watch where you're stepping! I'm still standing here!"
The Titan Giant Ape hurriedly stopped and lowered his palm.
But Xiao Wu first hugged the bundle in her arms tighter.
"I brought something good this time. One for each of you, so no grabbing."
The lake stirred slightly, and Da Ming's enormous bull's head emerged as well.
He first asked Xiao Wu whether her journey had gone smoothly, then lowered his head to look at the stone platform. Two small black objects lay quietly on it, looking like neither food nor toys.
Er Ming stretched out a finger.
"This?"
"Gently!"
Xiao Wu hurriedly lit up the screen and first showed them a carpet-washing video.
The carpet was spread across a light-colored floor, its surface covered in thick brown mud. A push of the scraper sent a roll of mud forward.
Er Ming watched it once, his head slowly lowering.
Then he watched it again.
The person spread out a carpet so filthy its pattern couldn't be seen, brushing it stroke by stroke and scraping it strip by strip. Just when it seemed clean, another push revealed more gray in the foam.
Er Ming suddenly stretched out a finger.
"There's still a little left on the side."
Xiao Wu hurriedly pulled the phone back.
"Pointing won't help. He's already finished washing it. This was recorded."
Er Ming looked at her, then back at the screen.
Fine. He would wait and see whether this person actually washed that bit away.
Da Ming moved his head a little closer as well.
And so the two Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts stayed in front of the two phones, watching an ordinary person slowly scrub an old carpet.
Only when the clear black-and-gray pattern finally emerged did Er Ming grin.
Xiao Wu looked at him and suddenly felt like laughing.
When she had seen that dirty carpet just now, she had worn exactly the same expression.