Chapter 043

Every netizen who saw the trending news almost thought the platform had a bug.

What? A murder case?

What? A tomb-robbing gang?

Shao Jingqiu has a long-lost biological daughter?

How could these three completely unrelated things be linked together?

Never mind the first two, but many who followed entertainment gossip remembered the last one regarding Shao Jingqiu. Soon, helpful netizens stepped in to explain the whole story.

It turned out the Film Queen had a long-lost daughter. To find her, she had been active in charity for years, helping to fight crime, but no good news had ever come. Finally, her persistence paid off. Just when everyone thought it was impossible, she actually found her.

While netizens were congratulating her in the comments, they took a closer look and realized the child in the photo looked familiar.

Wasn’t this Master Xiao Man, who had recently become an internet sensation on Wilderness Challenge?

Looking at Shao Jingqiu’s Weibo post, it seemed Master Xiao Man was the one who helped her find her daughter.

A small group of netizens looked at the attached photo in confusion. Who? A Master? That kid?

Soon, other helpful netizens stepped in to introduce Qiao Man. Don’t let Master Xiao Man’s small size fool you, he was incredibly capable. He had previously exposed the mystery of Zhan Yue’s parentage on the show. Since he could tell Zhan Yue wasn’t her parents’ biological daughter, helping Shao Jingqiu find her daughter was right up his alley.

According to netizen leaks, Shao Jingqiu’s daughter was a student she had sponsored for years. Before the reunion, she had been working as Shao Jingqiu’s assistant. There was a bit of coincidence involved, so perhaps any other master could have seen it too.

Putting Shao Jingqiu’s matter aside, the other two news items were somewhat bizarre.

Even netizens who had followed Wilderness Challenge before were doubting their eyes as they looked at the trending topics.

A serial murder case from over twenty years ago and a roaming tomb-robbing gang… could these things really be calculated through fortune-telling?

If so, why hadn’t any other master figured it out sooner? Why did this child have to be the one to discover them? Moreover, one was an old case from a small northern city, and the other happened all over the country. Could he perform rituals from a distance?

The police report, written in white text on a blue background, was clear. Clicking into the related content revealed a detailed account of how the cases unfolded. Thus, the netizens quickly found out the truth.

It turned out the murderer had been a fugitive for years, hiding in the Film and Television Base as an extra under an assumed name. It was simply his bad luck that the crew he worked for happened to have a fortune-telling master present. That day, more than just the murderer was arrested, but the others’ crimes weren’t as significant, so they didn’t stand out. If one searched the local police reports, the records could be found.

By the way, the minor celebrity whose tax evasion was exposed on the trending topics a few days ago was also one of the people arrested at the time.

Netizens: ???

These two things could be linked? That sounds even more ridiculous!

Did he stumble into a criminal hideout?

There was more.

How was the tomb-robbing gang discovered? Supposedly, the child went to visit a neighboring set and saw at a glance that the props they were using were actual burial artifacts. He then enthusiastically reported it to the police, leading to the arrest of the illegal tomb-robbing gang.

Of course, visiting a neighboring set was just the public explanation. Everyone present at the time knew there was a ghost story involved. It was just that supernatural matters were hard to discuss openly, so it became a visit.

No matter how ridiculous it seemed, it was all true!

The official police announcements and the photo of the child holding an honorary certificate while surrounded by people in uniform proved the authenticity of the events. Led by Shao Jingqiu, Director Yang, Director Liu, and others also reposted the first two news items, praising Qiao Man on their own pages. Wilderness Challenge, which had just finished airing its edited version, also jumped on the hype.

With Director Yang and Director Liu claiming the stories, everyone soon realized they were the directors of those two unlucky film crews.

[I thought it was April Fool’s Day… but this kind of thing is actually real!]

[Huh? Huh?? Huh???]

[Who can understand my feelings? I clicked on the trending topic and saw my idol’s face under an official police report. I almost thought his career was over… Fortunately, it turns out Xingxing was just riding on Xiao Man’s coattails.]

[As an old viewer of Wilderness Challenge, that group photo looks familiar… Back then, the one who won the championship was baby Xiao Man, not Lu Jianxing.]

[Look at the title, then look at the informant. My brain is short-circuiting. Are five-year-olds these days this powerful? Is that fortune-telling stuff actually real? I always thought it was a scam!]

[Say no more, I’m going to go rewatch Wilderness Challenge.]

The news was reposted by countless people. While receiving congratulations online, Qiao Man also received several phone calls.

There was one from Zhan Yue, and others from the neighborhood residents led by Grandpa Zhang. Since he didn’t have a cell phone, all the calls went to his assistant Xingxing’s phone. To make communication easier, Lu Jianxing helped him register social media accounts on various platforms.

Before leaving for City X, Lu Jianxing had given him a child’s smartwatch for the two of them to stay in touch, but since Lu Jianxing had followed him there, it hadn’t been used. Qiao Man rode his bicycle around the set, and whenever he met someone he knew, he would hold out his chubby wrist and exchange contact information with them.

He even had his own account now!

On the day the account was registered, people from the same film crew reposted his posts one after another. Countless new fans flooded his homepage. Under Maomao’s guidance, Qiao Man greeted everyone.

[@XiaoManXiaoMan: Repost this Good Luck Talisman to receive good luck! (Good Luck Talisman *1)]

The viewers from Wilderness Challenge laughed and reposted it.

As a result…

[Right after reposting Xiao Man’s Weibo, I pulled an SSR on my first ten-pull in my game!]

[Holy crap, I won a lucky draw somewhere else!]

[After reposting the Good Luck Talisman, I went to grab concert tickets that are always impossible to get, and I actually managed to snag one!]

[Help, did my luck really just improve?!]

“Can this talisman really work through the internet?” Maomao said incredulously as he looked at the netizens’ feedback. “Can you actually perform electronic rituals now?”

“It works, the effect just isn’t as strong.” Qiao Man looked puzzled. “Wasn’t it your idea to do this?”

Maomao: “…I was just talking.” Who knew cyber-talismans could actually be effective?

However, cyber-talismans were ultimately not as good as the real thing, and the effects soon wore off. When the rest of the crowd followed the trend and reposted, nothing good happened to them. It was hard to tell if the lucky incidents reported earlier were due to the individuals’ own luck or if they truly had a boost.

But soon, people came looking to buy a Good Luck Talisman from Qiao Man. These were regular customers who had bought talismans before and came because they believed in Master Xiao Man’s abilities.

Unlike before, Qiao Man firmly refused this time.

“A person’s luck isn’t infinite. While it can be boosted temporarily, relying on a Good Luck Talisman will only exhaust your luck prematurely. Once your luck is used up, all that’s left is misfortune.” Qiao Man was working on math problems while explaining to Maomao and Xiao Xia. “If you want to improve your luck, it’s better to do good deeds and accumulate merit. It will bring good rewards.”

Xiao Xia and Maomao nodded, only half-understanding, but they didn’t forget to correct his homework. “Baby, this answer is wrong.”

Qiao Man: “…”

Qiao Man grabbed his eraser and wiped away the answer he had just written with a heavy sigh.

He counted on his fingers to recalculate the answer and wrote it down before continuing. He had only finished a few more problems when the Long-braided Ghost floated over from the neighboring set. “Little Master, a celebrity’s fans brought an ice cream truck to the set next door. Do you want to go have a bite?”

Ice cream?

Qiao Man was a little tempted, but he looked at the rest of the day’s unfinished homework and wilted again. “No, Xingxing will buy me some.”

Seeing him surrounded by schoolwork, the Long-braided Ghost sighed for a moment before floating away excitedly. “Fine, then I’ll go eat it.”

That was right; he could eat ice cream now.

After the initial shock and terror of knowing a ghost was a permanent resident on his set, Director Liu had become numb to it. Under Qiao Man’s guidance, he would occasionally offer food to the ghost. As a ghost who had been dead for hundreds of years, the Long-braided Ghost got to taste many new foods that only existed in modern society.

Although Director Liu couldn’t see the ghost or communicate with him, the Long-braided Ghost had his own methods. While Director Liu was eating ice cream, the ghost would move things nearby or make a little noise, and Director Liu would understand what he meant.

Not long after the Long-braided Ghost left, Director Liu arrived with the ice cream and the ghost, looking deeply resentful.

He sat down next to Qiao Man and began to pour out his grievances. “Master Xiao Man, wasn’t that tomb-robbing gang caught? Why…” His gaze swept around the room aimlessly. Although he couldn’t see and didn’t know if the Long-braided Ghost was currently beside him, he lacked the caution of someone speaking ill of a ghost behind his back and asked directly, “Why hasn’t he gone to reincarnate yet?!”

The set wasn’t haunted anymore, but he was! Things around him moved constantly, and strange noises kept popping up. He was only human; he was bound to be scared!

Before, the excuse was that the burial goods were still missing and the tomb robbers hadn’t been caught, so the Long-braided Ghost refused to move on. That reason was understandable, so Director Liu had endured it.

But now, wasn’t the tomb-robbing case solved?

The people were caught, so why was he still being haunted?

Being haunted during the day was one thing, but when he wanted a late-night snack in the dead of night and his bowl of instant noodles suddenly started flying the moment he picked up his fork, it was enough to scare the life out of anyone. After a few more times, Director Liu felt like he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. If it weren’t for the Sleep-Aid Talismans Master Xiao Man sold him, he wouldn’t even dare close his eyes at night.

Director Liu was full of bitterness. “Isn’t it just because he’s afraid to bother you? But I’m not that brave either. I’m afraid of ghosts!”

Qiao Man chewed on the end of his pencil, looking just as miserable as he stared at the page full of math problems.

“He says he doesn’t want to reincarnate,” Qiao Man said innocently. “And I don’t know how to perform rites for the dead¹ anyway.”

Director Liu: “…”

Should he find someone else? He had called Master Ding, but as soon as the man heard it was the same malevolent ghost from last time, he hung up before Liu could even finish speaking.

“Why doesn’t he want to reincarnate?” Director Liu asked, unwilling to give up. “He agreed before that as long as his burial goods were found, he’d be willing to move on. Being human is so much better. If he wants to eat, he won’t have to wait for me to burn offerings for him. He can eat whatever he wants. What’s so good about being a ghost?”

The Long-braided Ghost also had something to say. “My burial goods were found, but they aren’t with me. They were all sent to your museums!”

Qiao Man turned and relayed this to Director Liu.

Director Liu: “…”

“I loved those treasures of mine dearly when I was alive, and I wanted them in my coffin after I died so I could look at them every day. They’ve stayed with me for hundreds of years, but they can’t follow me into my next life. Wouldn’t all my treasures just end up benefiting you people for nothing?” the Long-braided Ghost said, nitpicking every detail. “Besides, reincarnation isn’t all that great. I didn’t do much in the way of great merit when I was alive, so there’s no guarantee I’ll even be human in my next life. Thinking about it that way, I’d rather stay a ghost and guard my treasures every day, just in case some little thief starts eyeing them again.”

Qiao Man looked up from his math problems and translated, “That’s what he said.”

Director Liu: “…”

Director Liu’s chubby face crumpled, and he nearly burst into tears. “Then… then what about me?”

The Long-braided Ghost let out a “Heh” and gave a raspy laugh. “I just want to eat some food from the living world. I’m not hurting you, so what are you afraid of?”

Fortunately, Director Liu couldn’t hear him, or he would surely have been filled with indignation.

Qiao Man finally finished the page of math problems. He put down his pencil, let out a long sigh of relief, closed his workbook, and prepared to mediate.

He pulled a Thunder-Inducing Talisman from his backpack – the kind that had almost struck the Long-braided Ghost before. The moment he took it out, the Long-braided Ghost’s expression changed instantly, and he floated back a dozen meters.

“I’ll never look for him again!” the Long-braided Ghost said immediately. “I was just being greedy, I’d never tasted these new things before. Little Master, I promise I’ll behave from now on. I won’t dare scare anyone ever again!”

Qiao Man put away the Thunder-Inducing Talisman and continued relaying the message. “…That’s what he said.”

Director Liu felt as if he’d been granted a grand pardon, weeping with gratitude.

After he left, the Long-braided Ghost floated back, sounding a bit pathetic. “Little Master, my grave is gone. I truly have nowhere to go. Now I’ve become a homeless wandering ghost. Not only does no one worship me during the Qingming Festival², but even those last few belongings of mine were confiscated…”

He wiped his tears with his long sleeves. “…It’s truly pitiful!”

“But you still can’t scare people,” Qiao Man said, handing his completed arithmetic problems to Maomao for checking.

Maomao looked around cautiously, his eyes finding no focus. Knowing a ghost was nearby and hearing Qiao Man talking to himself, he didn’t dare breathe loudly, let alone join the conversation.

After quickly checking the answers, Maomao marked several large Xs on the paper. Qiao Man started counting on his fingers again.

The Long-braided Ghost wiped the corners of his eyes. “Isn’t it just because being a ghost is boring? I’ve been a ghost for hundreds of years. I didn’t live long enough when I was alive, but I’ve certainly had enough of being a ghost. If I hadn’t been so attached to my treasures, I would have gone to reincarnate long ago… Ghost life is long and tedious; it’s only a bit interesting when I’m scaring people.”

While counting his fingers, Qiao Man said, “When people get scared by you, they’ll come find me to catch you.”

The Long-braided Ghost was stumped.

He floated obediently by the side until Qiao Man got stuck on the last problem. He didn’t have enough fingers to count and couldn’t calculate the correct answer no matter what. Only then did the ghost whisper a reminder, “17. The answer is 17.”

When Qiao Man handed it back to Maomao for grading, it was indeed correct this time.

Qiao Man looked at him in surprise, his dark, round eyes sparkling. “You… you’re really useful!”

The Long-braided Ghost: “…”

Was his future purpose to help a child cheat?

The Long-braided Ghost began to question his afterlife.

When the afternoon study session ended, Qiao Man happily took out his tablet to continue watching cartoons.

Before long, his phone watch started beeping.

Qiao Man raised his small hand and pressed it to his ear. President Zhang’s voice came through. “Master Xiao Man, I saw you on the news! Solving such a big case, and more than one! Only a person as capable as you, Master Xiao Man, could achieve such great things!”

Qiao Man swung his little feet joyfully, saying modestly, “I’m not that amazing.”

President Zhang offered a few more words of flattery. As someone who navigated the business world with ease, his praise felt like a warm spring breeze, making the child feel like he was walking on air. The corners of Qiao Man’s mouth turned up, and he couldn’t stop smiling.

After the flattery, President Zhang got straight to the point. “Master Xiao Man, I saw on the news that you’re still in City X?”

“Yes,” Qiao Man said happily. “I’m accompanying Xingxing at work.”

“Being in City X is good, that’s great!” President Zhang said. “I have a friend, the one I mentioned to you before. Not long ago, something happened around him, and he’s been looking for a master everywhere. But how could those masters out there be as capable as you? He wanted to ask for your help last time, but you turned him down.”

Qiao Man didn’t remember and said blankly, “Did I?”

“You did. It was just bad timing; you were heading home, so it wasn’t convenient,” President Zhang said. “Well, he just saw the news about you on his phone and realized you were the one who solved our company’s trouble last time, so he asked me to come find you for help again. Since you’re still in City X, it’s right on the way! I wonder if you’d be willing to make a trip?”

Another business trip?

Qiao Man looked up toward the center of the set. Lu Jianxing, dressed in long ancient robes, was standing there filming.

Recalling the many zeros President Zhang had given him last time, and then looking at the preschool textbooks beside him, he scratched his little foot, feeling a bit tempted.

Mistaking his silence for hesitation, President Zhang added, “Master Xiao Man, to be honest, he’s already consulted several masters, but none of them could find anything. I believe in your skills; you can definitely solve this!”

Qiao Man hesitated slightly. “But I don’t know how to catch ghosts…”

President Zhang laughed. “You’re far too modest. If you don’t know how to catch ghosts, then there isn’t a single master in this world who does.”

As he spoke, he lowered his voice as if wary of people nearby. “However, I should say this upfront, I’m not sure if there’s actually a ghost involved. It’s just that my old friend insists there’s a problem…”

He stopped halfway as a stranger’s voice interrupted him. Over the phone, the two of them began to argue. Qiao Man pressed his ear hard against the children’s phone watch, but he could only hear the stranger’s voice vaguely saying words like “definitely” and “not right.”

A moment later, President Zhang picked up the phone again. “…That’s the situation, Master Xiao Man. Think about it, and if you’re willing to come, contact me again!”

With a beep, the call ended.

That evening, after Lu Jianxing had finished removing his costume and returned, Qiao Man told him about the matter.

“Is it Grandpa Zhang’s son?”

To his surprise, before Qiao Man could even voice his own thoughts, Lu Jianxing said, “Perfect. I’ve also requested a few days off from Director Yang to handle some work.”

Qiao Man was stunned. “Where are you going?”

“To film a few commercials.” Lu Jianxing patted his head with a slight smile. “Actually, I have you to thank for this.”

“Me?”

“That’s right.” Lu Jianxing nodded.

Master Xiao Man had caused quite a stir on the trending searches, and his newly opened social media account had attracted a massive wave of fans, bringing in new business. But were those the only benefits?

Of course not.

One had to remember that when Qiao Man was on the trending searches, Lu Jianxing was also in the photos.

The netizens who followed the trending searches learned of his great achievements and then went back to rewatch his brilliant performance in Wilderness Challenge. While getting to know him, they inevitably learned that he had once calculated a son for himself. Similarly, when Qiao Man displayed his extraordinary abilities in Wilderness Challenge, there was always someone by his side being carried³ to victory.

As Qiao Man trended on social media, Lu Jianxing rode the wave of popularity, gaining a significant number of followers.

He even managed to snag a spot at the bottom of the trending list.

#Master Xiao Man and His Accessory Son#

To that, Lu Jianxing had exactly six dots⁴ to offer: “…”

Once the topic gained traction, many people contacted Sister Yun, hoping to recruit Qiao Man to endorse their children’s products. The boy had no interest in such things, and Lu Jianxing had no intention of profiting off the child, so they turned everyone down.

Lu Jianxing himself, however, saw his own profile rise. With the increased exposure, he actually received several new endorsement offers.

Sister Yun helped him vet the potential partners and sign the contracts. After rearranging his filming schedule and clearing a few days for the trip, Lu Jianxing was ready to head out for his new commercial shoot.

“Oh, by the way, President Zhang’s company reached out to me too,” Lu Jianxing said with a smile. “They didn’t ask me to endorse their last product, but they want me for the next one.”

“All this good luck… it’s all thanks to Xiao Man.”

Ever since he met the boy, his streak of bad luck had vanished. Fortune had gradually returned to him, bringing nothing but kind people and positive events into his life. But the luckiest thing that had ever happened to him was the moment a certain child first reached out a hand to him.

Qiao Man’s eyes sparkled as he listened. Hearing that he was the reason for Xingxing’s new job, he straightened his back and lifted his chin, bursting with pride. Yet, when the praise actually came, he ducked his head, his little face flushing a bright pink as he shyly burrowed into Lu Jianxing’s arms.

Lu Jianxing pulled the boy close. He was a heavy, warm bundle of energy. Chubby little hands clung to his arm, and a soft, fuzzy head rubbed vigorously against his neck, the tickling sensation reaching all the way to his heart.

After playing around for a bit, he asked, “Do you want to come with me?”

Qiao Man shot his hand up immediately, chirping with excitement, “I want to go! I want to go!”

Xiao Man was going on a business trip with Xingxing!

He wouldn’t have to do any more math problems!

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Translator’s Notes

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1. rites for the dead: Refers to ‘chaodu,’ a religious ritual performed by priests or monks to appease suffering souls and guide them toward a peaceful reincarnation. Qiao Man’s admission that he cannot perform these rites explains why the ghost remains stuck in the living world. ↩
2. Qingming Festival: Also known as Tomb-Sweeping Day, this is a traditional festival where families visit the graves of their ancestors to clean the sites, pray, and make offerings. A ‘homeless’ ghost with no one to worship him during this time is considered particularly pitiable and neglected in the spirit world. ↩
3. being carried: Translates the slang ‘带飞’ (dàifēi), literally ‘carrying someone to flight.’ It describes a situation where a highly skilled person (the ‘carry’) leads a less capable teammate to an easy victory or success. ↩
4. six dots: A reference to the Chinese ellipsis (……), which consists of six dots rather than three. In Chinese internet slang, ‘six dots’ is often used to express speechlessness, resignation, or being at a loss for words in response to an absurd situation. ↩