Chapter 42: The Rat’s Wedding¹

No one could have predicted that the start of this variety show recording would be so chaotic.

Before filming had even begun, the guests and staff were nearly wiped out by the producer’s blunder.

Everyone had been hungry all day on the bus and only wanted a good meal, but they never expected the restaurant owner to be a human trafficker who served them Donkey Meat Burgers² made from human flesh.

After learning the full story from the producer and seeing the human remains recovered from the kitchen by the Law Enforcement Team, everyone vomited again. They no longer had the energy to criticize the producer.

The producer felt quite aggrieved himself.

He thought he had discovered a hidden gem of a shop and wanted to treat the staff and guests to a good meal before the recording started.

After all, good food was the easiest way to boost morale, and people worked better on a full stomach… but he never expected the entire production crew to nearly meet their end in this small, rundown restaurant.

The owner of this shop was truly devoid of conscience, committing every evil imaginable. Not only was he trafficking children, but he was actually feeding human meat to his customers. He was like a modern-day Sun Erniang³.

Xie Sui did not tell the production crew that four staff members had been turned into donkeys by Chef Shao and were nearly eaten by their own colleagues. These ordinary people had already experienced enough psychological trauma from this incident; there was no need to add more horror to their minds.

After the One-Eyed Five Gentlemen sucked the last breath out of the corpse controlled by the Old Cat Spirit, the body dissolved into dust and vanished. The Old Cat Spirit’s soul failed to escape the pursuit of the five brothers. With Xie Sui backing them up, the five ghostly shadows, who usually knew when to quit and were incredibly cowardly, acted tough for once and tore the Old Cat Spirit’s soul apart, devouring it completely.

While Xie Sui was having his “friendly exchange” with Chef Shao, he had the One-Eyed Five Gentlemen cast Ghost Blinding on Nie Pengpeng to prevent her from being traumatized. During Xie Sui’s interrogation of Chef Shao, Nie Pengpeng remained trapped in the illusion of the Ghost Blinding, seeing and hearing only what the illusion provided.

As for Chef Shao… after Xie Sui extracted the information he wanted, he personally flipped through the man’s soul one more time before shredding it and feeding it to the Ghost Infant.

To Xie Sui’s surprise, some parts of Chef Shao’s memory were also in a blurred state.

This blurred sensation, forcibly masked by a technique, was exactly the same as what he had encountered with Zhang Dadao. The blurred memory segment showed two Daoists suddenly breaking into the restaurant and turning the Old Cat Spirit’s child into a Cat Gu⁴.

In Chef Shao’s memory, although Xie Sui could not hear what the two Daoists were saying or see their faces clearly, he could tell from Chef Shao’s fawning expressions and gestures that these two were definitely stronger than the chef.

Therefore, even though the Old Cat Spirit’s child had been killed without cause, Chef Shao did not turn against them. Instead, he respectfully saw the two of them out.

The Cat Gu was the cat corpse placed under the tree.

Xie Sui was glad that he was the one who touched the cat corpse and not someone else.

Because he was the reincarnation of an evil entity, there was no curse or malevolent energy in this world more ferocious than him. To him, curses and Gu techniques were like Yin Energy to a ghost; they had no negative effect whatsoever and instead nourished his body.

Xie Sui looked down at his wrist, which had completely healed.

He had wondered why his body suddenly felt a wave of relief during the interrogation of Chef Shao, and why even the wounds sliced by the silk threads had vanished… He had those two to thank for the Cat Gu; it was quite nourishing.

It was now confirmed that the third-party force hiding behind the scenes was Zhang Dadao’s accomplices. The Blood Calamity on Liu Wuyong was likely their doing as well.

It was just as well that these evil cultivators were taking the initiative to come to him; it saved Xie Sui the trouble of finding them himself. Xie Sui wasn’t afraid of people coming to his door for a fight; what he feared was these evil cultivators hiding in dark corners like cockroaches, scurrying away as soon as the light turned on, making them impossible to track.

There was one more thing about Chef Shao that concerned Xie Sui: the aura of the technique used to blur his memories.

This aura was not only similar to the fluctuations in Zhang Dadao’s soul, but also very similar to the aura in Zenabu’s soul.

Zenabu was the Siamese Curse Master who had cursed Lin Zixin.

Back at the hospital, Xie Sui had been in a hurry to get to the urban village to deal with Zenabu’s corpse and hadn’t thought much of it. It wasn’t until now that he linked the identical memory-blurring techniques found in the souls of Zhang Dadao, Zenabu, and Chef Shao.

In other words, the ones targeting the Lin Family and the ones targeting Old Liu were very likely the same group—Zhang Dadao’s accomplices, those evil cultivators who used Life-Swapping Talismans.

It seemed he would have to be careful during the upcoming variety show recording.

Since those evil cultivators had failed this time, they would certainly try again. Such narrow-minded evil cultivators tended to have a very strong desire for revenge.

After obtaining the information he needed, Xie Sui cleaned up the scene.

Once he confirmed that the remains of Chef Shao and the Old Cat Spirit had been thoroughly dealt with, Xie Sui finally called the police.

He called the Zhaoping City Inspectorate Bureau.

Upon hearing about such a heinous trafficking case, the operator immediately transferred the call to Captain Yan.

Captain Yan was the leader of the Law Enforcement Team that had searched Daoist Kunyang’s villa, and he was the one who had personally handed the thirty-five thousand yuan reward to Xie Sui.

Recalling Captain Yan’s performance at Daoist Kunyang’s villa and the metaphysical consultant by his side, Li Duanyuan, Xie Sui hesitated for a moment before telling Captain Yan about Chef Shao’s Zaochu methods.

However, Xie Sui did not reveal his own role in the matter, describing himself as an ordinary victim instead. After all, he didn’t want to be exposed to the authorities just yet.

He simply said that he and his assistant were lucky enough not to drink the tea Chef Shao poured, which allowed them to escape the chef’s persecution. He claimed that after the chef realized he had called the police, the man fled in the chaos. Then, after the chef ran away, the donkeys in the kitchen suddenly turned into two children.

The talisman array Chef Shao had buried in the restaurant walls not only masked auras but also purified Yin Energy. Therefore, even if the Inspectorate Bureau sent a metaphysical consultant to inspect the scene, Xie Sui wasn’t afraid of them discovering anything.

After having his hidden little ghost discovered by both Taoist Master Ganchen and Li Duanyuan, Xie Sui became much more diligent about concealing the Ghost Infant. This time, he carried the Ghost Infant’s sealing object with him, striving to minimize its aura to the lowest possible level. At this point, Xie Sui was, at most, an ordinary person with a slightly heavy amount of Yin Energy.

There were many ordinary people in the world with weak constitutions and heavy Yin Energy, so Xie Sui wasn’t worried about attracting the attention of the Xuanmen again.

Besides, Chef Shao and the Old Cat Spirit were killed by the Ghost Infant and the One-Eyed Five Gentlemen. What did that have to do with him, Xie Sui?

Upon receiving Xie Sui’s report, the Zhaoping City Inspectorate Bureau took the matter very seriously and immediately dispatched a Law Enforcement Team to drive over through the night.

Because the city center was a long drive from the small restaurant’s location, the Zhaoping Law Enforcement Team wouldn’t arrive until the next day. Consequently, the City Inspectorate Bureau notified the police station in the nearby county, asking them to send personnel to cordoned off the scene first.

The Law Enforcement Team currently searching the restaurant was from the nearby Fuqing County police station. Fuqing County was about a two-hour drive away.

After the Law Enforcement Team arrived, Xie Sui disguised himself as an ordinary victim, blending perfectly into the crowd of program crew members.

The two little girls who had nearly been killed by Chef Shao were still by Nie Pengpeng’s side.

Perhaps due to the imprinting effect, Nie Pengpeng was the first person they saw after regaining their human forms. Or perhaps Nie Pengpeng’s presence as a woman made the girls feel safer. Regardless, they huddled close to her from start to finish, clutching her hands and refusing to let go.

While comforting the two girls, Nie Pengpeng couldn’t help but steal glances at Xie Sui, who was leaning against a car.

At this moment, Xie Sui showed no abnormalities other than a face as white as paper. His sickly, pale complexion from excessive blood loss didn’t look out of place among the group of weak people who were equally pale from vomiting.

Although she seemed to have fallen asleep inexplicably at the end, Nie Pengpeng still remembered Xie Sui’s terrifying appearance before she drifted off, a look more frightening than a ghost.

That transformation had happened in an instant, an effect that seemed impossible to achieve with special effects makeup.

As her fear subsided, Nie Pengpeng’s curiosity grew bit by bit. She really wanted to know what kind of creature Xie Sui had transformed into.

Initially, Nie Pengpeng only thought Xie Sui was a master of Xuanmen arts.

Her family’s company employed many people from the Xuanmen as consultants. Compared to ordinary people who only had a vague understanding of metaphysics and supernatural events, Nie Pengpeng had gained some basic metaphysical knowledge under her family’s influence.

Nie Pengpeng was now beginning to suspect if Xie Sui was some kind of highly cultivated ghost, monster, or Wild Immortal⁵… Based on his appearance, she felt it was very likely that Xie Sui was a Fox Immortal.

Xie Sui had no idea he had become a Fox Immortal in someone’s eyes. He remained fully focused on observing the progress of the Law Enforcement Team’s search of the restaurant.

The Law Enforcement Team was very efficient. It was clear they had been briefed before coming, as they were all fully armed.

A total of nine law enforcement officers had come from the Fuqing County police station. Each wore a light gray hooded cloak over their uniform that looked like a transparent raincoat. Under the moonlight, one could faintly see runic luminescence flowing across the transparent cloaks.

The bags they used for the remains also looked very different from ordinary body bags. The black waterproof fabric was covered in symbols written in red cinnabar, so densely packed that they almost completely obscured the original color of the bags. At first glance, one might think the body bags were naturally red.

Some law enforcement officers wore gloves affixed with runes as they placed the victims’ bodies into the bags one by one. Others, led by their captain, held compasses and used cinnabar to draw lines around the restaurant instead of using police tape.

Xie Sui didn’t feel much, simply thinking that the Law Enforcement Team was well-prepared. However, the program crew members, who had never seen such a display, were all staring in a daze.

The seamless integration of a formal state agency like the Law Enforcement Team with metaphysical elements that ordinary people usually associated with charlatans provided a powerful visual impact for those who had never truly encountered supernatural events.

The feeling was like having parents who strictly prevented you from ever touching anime culture, only to accidentally discover that one parent was a legendary fanfiction writer and the other was a famous cosplayer.

Although the Spiritual Recovery had begun and ghosts and spirits were appearing in the real world, as long as one didn’t actively seek out the supernatural, the chance of an ordinary person being attacked by a ghost was very low, lower even than the chance of being killed by a flowerpot falling from the sky while walking down the street.

Humans have their path, and ghosts have theirs. Yin and Yang are incompatible; not only do humans fear ghosts, but ghosts also fear humans.

If a vengeful ghost appeared and began killing ordinary people without cause, the state would detect it immediately and send people to deal with it.

State agencies protected ordinary people very well. To prevent the existence of ghosts from causing unnecessary panic, the state had not revealed the truth of the Spiritual Recovery to the general public. Instead, they strictly prohibited ordinary people from actively engaging with supernatural matters.

Unexpectedly, this measure only piqued the public’s curiosity. Both those who believed in gods and ghosts and those who didn’t began to grow curious about the supernatural. This was why all videos, variety shows, livestreams, and movies with supernatural tags had become so popular online in recent years.

Perhaps it was a rebellious streak; the more the authorities suppressed something, the more curious the public became.

If they had simply implemented a total ban on everything related to the supernatural, it might have created even greater hidden dangers. Such a move would not only confirm the existence of ghosts but also further incite the public’s rebellious psychology, which was completely contrary to the state’s original intention of not causing panic.

Nowadays, those who risked their lives to engage with supernatural events were usually streamers or video bloggers, while most ordinary people just watched for entertainment. No one would give up a stable life to actively seek out those ghosts and monsters.

Keeping these streamers and video bloggers under their watch was better than having them spread information secretly out of intense curiosity, stirring up trouble in the shadows, and then dying silently in some corner. This way, the authorities could provide timely rescue when they encountered danger and promptly ban their accounts as a warning.

Guidance was better than suppression; policies had to be formulated slowly to lead the public.

After all, the country currently lacks sufficient manpower in the metaphysical field, making it impossible to station metaphysical consultants in every Inspectorate Bureau and Law Enforcement Team across the nation.

Decades ago, when the Spiritual Recovery was first discovered, radicals suggested that various Xuanmen sects increase their disciple intake to rapidly cultivate talent for the state to counter the phenomenon.

Unexpectedly, after following these orders, the Xuanmen sects prioritized quantity over character. This led to the emergence of a massive number of evil cultivators who either defected or committed atrocities.

Those evil cultivators harmed more innocent lives than the ghosts and monsters did, causing severe trouble that has yet to be fully cleared even today.

Having made that mistake and learned that lesson, the state was no longer willing to be aggressive under any circumstances, preferring to take things slow.

While the supernatural threats were not yet fatal to the general public, the state chose to protect the people quietly while gradually accumulating strength. Once they possessed complete armed capabilities to combat supernatural entities, they would officially go public. This would reassure the masses and prevent widespread social panic.

As long as the authorities did not step forward to confirm it, atheists would maintain their worldview. A firm belief is the simplest way to prevent oneself from being harmed by ghosts and evil spirits.

When encountering something unclean, as long as one maintains a firm conviction, stabilizes their soul and Yang energy, and keeps a righteous spirit, they will not be harmed by any evil.

For a detailed reference, see Zhao Haotian and his iron will.

Following instructions from the Zhaoping City Inspectorate Bureau, the Fuqing County police Law Enforcement Team left one vehicle to guard the restaurant scene. Two other vehicles escorted the victims’ tour bus, leading them all to a village near the county seat.

Since the thirty-four members of the production crew were essentially victims of the Zaochu Art, it was unclear whether any residual spells remained on them. The City Inspectorate Bureau’s directive was to minimize their contact with other ordinary people. Therefore, the law enforcement officers chose to settle the crew in this sparsely populated, remote village.

It was already five in the morning by the time the vehicles arrived at the village. As soon as the tour bus and police cars stopped at the village entrance, they were blocked by two clerical staff members from the Inspectorate Bureau carrying four insulated thermoses filled with talisman water.

The crew members and guests stepped off the bus looking exhausted. Before they could even see the village entrance properly, they were intercepted by the staff members holding thermoses and large sea-bowls. Each person was forced to gulp down a large bowl of talisman water before being allowed entry.

Having just finished vomiting earlier, being forced to drink a large bowl of strange-tasting talisman water nearly made those with weaker constitutions throw up again.

After all the commotion, these unlucky souls from the production crew had no energy left. Their only thought was to get to sleep as soon as possible.

There were no hotels or inns in this remote mountain village, so the crew was arranged to stay in empty rooms in the villagers’ homes.

The villagers woke up early. At five in the morning, as the sky was just beginning to brighten, the village roosters were already crowing.

The residents of this remote village were likely seeing so many strangers for the first time, so they were very hospitable.

Seeing that most of the newcomers were pale and looked like they were recovering from a serious illness, the villagers lit their stoves and brewed a large pot of hot multigrain porridge for the guests and staff.

After warming their stomachs with a bowl of porridge, the people who had been feeling miserable from the talisman water felt much better.

Afterward, the group split into several teams and headed to their respective rooms.

This village was much like others suffering from the exodus of young labor; only the elderly and children remained. Many houses had thick layers of dust from long periods of vacancy. Even with the help of the villagers, only a few rooms had been cleaned out.

As long as there was a place to sleep, the crew, who had been put through the wringer for a day and a night, were not picky at all.

Because there weren’t many habitable empty rooms, everyone was packed in. Aside from the three female guests and the two little girls sharing one room, the other rooms held six or seven people each.

The two little girls who had been kidnapped by Chef Shao clung to Nie Pengpeng and refused to leave. They would cry if anyone else touched them, and even the Law Enforcement Team couldn’t get near. Helpless, the police clerical staff took photos of them to check against missing person reports and left them with Nie Pengpeng for the time being.

The rooms had been set up with communal platform beds. Xie Sui lifted the bedding and glanced underneath, discovering some wooden crates; the platform had likely been hastily assembled.

One couldn’t be too fastidious while traveling. The other men in Xie Sui’s room didn’t even wash up; they simply shed their jackets and collapsed onto the bed. It wasn’t long before snoring filled the room.

Liu Wuyong also fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillow. Although he had been a warrior who could pull all-nighters in internet cafes in his youth, he had to admit his age now that he was middle-aged.

The producer was also in the same room as Xie Sui. It was unclear what kept him so dedicated, but before falling asleep, he used an extremely weak voice to send a message to the director’s group on social media: “Old Wei, don’t forget to set an alarm for one in the afternoon. If the Law Enforcement Team doesn’t need us for statements tomorrow, prepare to have the guests do a livestream in the evening. We’ll test the waters before the official filming starts.”

After a moment’s thought, the producer added: “No need to use the show’s official title. Let the guests stream from their own accounts. Since some of them have never done livestreaming before, they need to get familiar with the process first.”

“It doesn’t need to be too formal, just casual filming. This location is already very close to the one we prepared for the guests. Besides, I think this village is quite nice. Let the guests film the local customs or just sit and chat with their fans. The main thing is to get them used to the livestreaming operations so they don’t mess up when the official shoot begins.”

Only after receiving the director’s reply did the producer relax. He set his phone aside and fell into a deep sleep the instant his head touched the pillow.

Xie Sui was also tired. One could say he had been the most exhausted person throughout the night, having had to suppress so many resentful Ghost Infants. Now that the crisis was temporarily over, he could finally get some proper rest.

Although the old brick house they were staying in had lost most of its white plaster, it was sturdy and structurally sound. Unlike the other abandoned houses, it didn’t look like it would collapse at any moment.

Xie Sui was lying on the innermost bunk of the room, right next to a brick wall where the internal structure was exposed.

In the early hours of the morning, during the transition between night and day, the temperature was at its lowest. Every stone in the wall carried a damp chill, though this cold had no effect on Xie Sui.

He patted the buckwheat husk pillow the villagers had provided for them and lay down, slowly closing his eyes in the darkness.

Just as his body began to relax, his heartbeat slowed, and his consciousness started to drift into the void, a piercing blast from a suona horn suddenly exploded in his ear.

Xie Sui snapped his eyes open and sat up, expressionless.

“You people…” Xie Sui rubbed his aching temples, barely suppressing the urge to start cursing.

Others were still sleeping. He had to stay calm and avoid getting angry.

Xie Sui took a deep breath, trying to stifle his rising temper.

He looked toward the source of the suona music.

Even though the room was dim, Xie Sui could clearly see a procession of rats emerging from a triangular gap in the brickwork in the corner of the room. They were dressed in red with red flowers pinned to their chests.

These rats were massive, nearly the length of an adult’s forearm. They had gray fur and long tails, but they were wearing miniature red clothes and walking upright like humans.

The lead rat beat a gong, followed by two rats blowing suona horns, two carrying flags, and two holding lanterns. In the middle, four rats carried a small, ornate bridal sedan chair, followed by four more rats carrying two small wooden chests.

The procession looked exactly like a traditional wedding party from ancient times.

Xie Sui was in no mood to play house with a bunch of rodents. He spoke in a low, impatient voice, “It’s past five in the morning and the sun is coming up. Are you creatures looking for death by coming out now?”

Besides, the legend of The Rat’s Wedding usually took place during the first lunar month. It was only a few days until the Qingming Festival. What was wrong with these rats?

Mental exhaustion made Xie Sui’s thoughts feel muddled, and his patience was at its breaking point.

Could foxes eat rats? Were foxes felines or canines? Forget it, he should just throw these rats directly into the Yin-Yang Gap. Out of sight, out of mind.

Just as Xie Sui was about to take action, the wedding procession stopped in front of him. The lead rat with the gong lifted the curtain of the sedan chair and helped out a small rat with pure white fur, dressed in a red bridal gown.

Compared to the big gray rats in red, this little white rat looked quite delicate, with a rounded body and smooth, glossy fur. In the world of rodents, she was likely considered a great beauty.

The suona continued to blare, and amidst the festive, noisy music, the white rat began to sob with a mournful, grieving sound that made Xie Sui’s headache even worse.

The rat with the gong spoke in a trembling voice, “Great one, I am marrying my most precious daughter to you. Please, show mercy and spare our clan.”

Xie Sui’s mind was filled with question marks.

He had just arrived in this village, hadn’t he? He hadn’t done anything except try to rest… What did they mean by “show mercy”? Did these rats have a persecution complex?

“Marry me?” Xie Sui grabbed the little white rat by the tail and lifted her up.

He suddenly felt that arguing with a group of rats was quite pathetic.

Xie Sui casually tossed the white rat back into the sedan chair and glared at the rat with the gong. “Sorry, I’m a proponent of free love. I don’t accept arranged marriages. Take your daughter back where you came from. If you dare come out and bother me again, suffer the consequences.”

The undisguised murderous aura made the gray rat tremble. He quickly signaled the suona players to stop and led the wedding procession back into the rat hole at top speed.

Seeing that the room was finally quiet, Xie Sui let out a sigh of relief, flopped back onto his pillow, and quickly fell into a deep sleep.

When Xie Sui woke up, it was already past one in the afternoon.

He sat up and saw that the long communal bunk was empty, leaving behind nothing but a mess of unfolded quilts.

Everyone else in the room was already up.

Xie Sui walked out of the house and immediately spotted Old Liu squatting by the courtyard sink, brushing his teeth.

Old Liu had a toothbrush in his mouth and was covered in toothpaste foam, making it difficult to speak, so he simply pointed behind Xie Sui.

Xie Sui looked in the direction he was pointing.

On a stool next to the door sat a set of disposable toiletries, printed with the logo of the variety show. The production crew was well-prepared, likely anticipating that the guests wouldn’t be able to stay in hotels during this “wilderness survival” segment.

Xie Sui unpacked the kit and, following Old Liu’s example, squatted by the faucet in the courtyard to begin his morning routine.

The lunch prepared by the crew was a fragrant wild mushroom porridge. After the ordeal last night, the crew members probably wouldn’t be able to stomach meat for at least a month.

The wild mushrooms and rice had been purchased from the villagers. The village was populated entirely by elderly people and left-behind children, so the crew helped out where they could. After all, they were staying in these people’s houses for free, so it felt wrong to continue eating and drinking without contributing.

It had rained in the mountains behind the village two days ago, so the mushrooms the villagers had gathered were very fresh.

Hearing that the wild mushrooms were picked from the back mountain, Xie Sui paused mid-sip.

He had heard many stories from Yunnan Province about people being hospitalized every year after eating undercooked mushrooms. He wasn’t afraid of the mushrooms being undercooked himself, as that level of toxicity meant nothing to him.

What Xie Sui feared was the rest of the crew getting hit.

He didn’t dare underestimate the sheer bad luck of the people in this production team.

After vomiting like they did last night, if they got food poisoning today, they could forget about filming the show this month and just spend the rest of their time in the hospital.

Xie Sui poked at a mushroom in his bowl with a spoon… He didn’t recognize it.

“Old Liu, do you know what kind of mushroom this is?”

“Morel Mushroom. I used to go into the mountains to pick them with my family when I was a kid.” As if sensing Xie Sui’s concern, Old Liu added, “They’re non-toxic.”

Xie Sui finally felt at ease.

When the two of them finished eating and went out to return their bowls and chopsticks, Xie Sui noticed a police car with Zhaoping City license plates parked at the village entrance.

A tall, familiar figure stood in front of the police car, listening to the producer with a serious expression.

It was Captain Yan.

He had actually come in person.

Remembering the metaphysical consultant named Li Duanyuan who usually followed him, Xie Sui instantly became alert and glanced around.

People from Shijiao were generally very sensitive to the aura of ghosts. Xie Sui couldn’t guarantee how Li Duanyuan would react after seeing that the Little Ghosts on him had all turned into Ghost Infants with extremely heavy resentment.

Although Xie Sui felt he had successfully masked the Ghost Infants’ aura, it was hard to say if Li Duanyuan had some kind of tool to detect them.

After looking around and seeing no sign of Li Duanyuan, Xie Sui and Liu Wuyong, who were standing prominently in the open space, caught Captain Yan’s attention instead.

Captain Yan waved at Xie Sui, gesturing for him to come over.

Xie Sui handed the bowls and chopsticks to Liu Wuyong, asking him to return them to the villager’s house, and then walked toward Captain Yan.

In addition to the producer, Captain Yan was flanked by Nie Pengpeng, who was with the two little girls, and a staff member who looked unfamiliar.

Through Captain Yan’s explanation, Xie Sui learned that Li Duanyuan had been left at the restaurant to handle the aftermath and hadn’t followed them. He also learned what Captain Yan and the producer had been arguing about.

It turned out Captain Yan wanted the production team to stop filming and for everyone to return to Zhaoping City for hospital observation.

This wasn’t a mandatory requirement, but Captain Yan’s own suggestion.

Because of Xie Sui’s involvement, Captain Yan believed that Chef Shao, who practiced the Zaochu Art, was still at large. He feared the Evil Cultivator might return to seek revenge on the production team.

If the team stayed at the hospital, it would be easier for the Inspectorate Bureau to provide protection.

However, the producer disagreed.

Given that he had been so weak the previous night yet still remembered to instruct the directing team on today’s filming schedule, he would never allow a variety show with a fixed release date to be ruined in his hands.

Furthermore, in the producer’s view, aside from using drugs to confuse people, trafficking children, and feeding customers human flesh, Chef Shao was essentially a coward. The moment he saw Xie Sui call the police, he fled in a panic. It was clear the guy was just a pervert who bullied the weak and feared the strong.

As long as the production team was careful about their food and water from now on, they could avoid Chef Shao’s drugs. If Chef Shao dared to show up again, the thirty-plus members of the team, who hated him to their core, could beat him into a pulp with their bare fists.

Beyond the dispute over whether to terminate the recording, Captain Yan and the producer also had differing opinions regarding the two rescued little girls.

The issue arose because a cameraman traveling with the team had recognized where the two girls were from.

It had been too dark the previous night, and combined with the nausea of vomiting, the cameraman hadn’t paid much attention to the girls’ appearances.

It wasn’t until this afternoon, when Nie Pengpeng was squatting by the courtyard well helping the girls wash their faces, that the cameraman realized these two girls were the twin daughters of a villager from the very location the show had selected for recording.

Since the production team had already sent many staff members to the recording site to set up the scene and design the show’s segments, this cameraman had stayed there for four or five days and thus recognized the girls.

The producer and the cameraman felt that since the girls were unwilling to leave Nie Pengpeng’s side, and they knew where their home was and happened to be headed that way, the production team should just take the girls home directly to avoid further trouble.

But Captain Yan disagreed. He insisted on taking the girls back to the Inspectorate Bureau and calling their parents to pick them up in person. This was the proper procedure and would also serve as a warning to the parents to look after their children better.

At this point, the producer grew angry again: “Listen, Mr. Officer, why are you so stubborn? Didn’t I tell you? Access to their village is very difficult, and their family’s financial situation is terrible. They can’t afford the bus fare to Zhaoping City. If you make the parents come out to get them, the round trip will waste another month. These two girls have already been through a breakdown after being kidnapped, and you want to keep them from their home for a month at the Inspectorate Bureau?”

Captain Yan frowned: “What kind of place is so difficult to access? Does our country still have such remote areas? I strongly suspect these are excuses you’ve made up just to continue filming your show. After all, you people in the entertainment industry are used to acting. How do I know you aren’t just using these girls for profit?”

Captain Yan seemed to have a very poor impression of people in show business.

Seeing that the two hot-tempered men were about to start a full-blown argument, Xie Sui quickly stepped between them to act as a peacemaker.

“How about this, let’s find a middle ground. Captain Yan, if you’re really worried, you can escort the girls back together with this cameraman. If you don’t have time, you can send other members of the Law Enforcement Team to help.”

Captain Yan pondered for a moment and didn’t immediately refute Xie Sui’s words.

The producer, on the other hand, readily agreed to Xie Sui’s solution: “That works. We have enough cameramen in Group A and Group B anyway. Besides, we don’t need many people for the initial phase where guests look for the recording site. Captain Yan, if you’re truly worried, you’re more than welcome to escort the girls home with my cameraman.”

Captain Yan thought a bit longer and then nodded silently: “True, if the facts are as you say, making the parents travel to the city center would be too much trouble. In that case, I’ll drive them myself. I’ll need this cameraman to lead the way.”

Seeing Captain Yan finally agree, the producer’s expression softened considerably.

The producer thought for a moment and added: “The signal at the recording site we chose is poor, and calls often don’t go through. Captain Yan, if you really plan to escort these girls, remember to arrange things at the Inspectorate Bureau beforehand. Otherwise, if they can’t reach you, they might get worried.”

Even before officially heading to the recording location, Xie Sui already had a bad feeling.

Two conclusions could be easily drawn from the producer’s words just now. First, the recording site was difficult to enter and exit, seemingly requiring a specific time or a specific method.

Second, that wretched recording site was a remote place without even a cell phone signal. If something really happened to the people inside, there would be no way to contact the outside world in time.

This producer was truly something else, choosing such a location.

Xie Sui suddenly felt a hint of regret. Had he known, he would have followed Captain Yan’s lead earlier and pushed to terminate the program recording so everyone could head home immediately. That would have been the safest choice.

However, it was too late for regrets. The matter was settled. Captain Yan, the cameraman, and Nie Pengpeng took a police car to escort the two young girls home first.

Afterward, Xie Sui, Liu Wuyong, and the producer were taken to the county police station by other members of the Law Enforcement Team to give their statements.

By the time the three of them were escorted back to the village by the Law Enforcement Team, it was already after 6:00 PM.

Looking at the guests as they touched up their makeup and silently rehearsed their lines, it was clear that the director’s team had already relayed the producer’s requirements from last night.

Not only was the producer professional, but the other staff members and guests were also extremely dedicated. Not a single person objected to the live broadcast tonight, even though they had just experienced something terrifying yesterday.

The four permanent guests were all famous singers or actors, yet they remained humble, showing no signs of acting like divas.

It was no wonder this variety show had become a massive hit. One could tell from the professional attitude of these guests and staff that they were truly putting their hearts into the production.

Seeing the guests preparing for the upcoming live stream, Xie Sui felt he should also do some preparation.

Broadcasting local customs and folk culture was too boring. If he was going to do this, he might as well go big. After all, this was a Supernatural Variety Show. Xie Sui planned to walk around the vicinity of the village to see if he could find any interesting paranormal elements.

Actually, the pair of rats escorting the bridal sedan last night had been quite interesting, but they seemed to have been frightened away by the irritable, sleep-deprived Xie Sui. While walking through the village today, Xie Sui could no longer sense the aura of those rats. They seemed to have vanished into thin air.

Xie Sui led Liu Wuyong on a winding path around the village until they reached the mountain behind it.

Looking at the dark, eerie dense forest ahead that exuded a damp atmosphere, Xie Sui figured since they were already here, he might as well go in and take a look. Perhaps he would find something interesting.

After entering the woods, Xie Sui subconsciously followed the trail of Yin Energy. Sure enough, he discovered something intriguing. He was led by the Yin Energy deep into the forest to a burial mound.

Looking at the mushrooms growing beside the tombstone, with their familiar pointed, lattice-patterned caps, Xie Sui fell silent for a moment before turning to look at Old Liu.

Judging by Old Liu’s deathly pale face, Xie Sui had a good idea of what these mushrooms were.

These mushrooms were likely the Morel Mushrooms they had eaten for lunch.

Looking at the swaying, unstable figure of Liu Wuyong, Xie Sui offered a soft word of comfort. “Old Liu, look on the bright side. At least these things grew next to the tombstone and not directly out of a corpse. The village is full of elderly people, they probably aren’t too superstitious when they go mushroom picking.”

Liu Wuyong’s face turned even paler. He covered his mouth and nodded silently.

Xie Sui paused for a moment and added another sentence: “When we go back, it’s better not to tell the production crew where the Morel Mushrooms grew. I’m afraid they won’t be able to handle it.”

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Translator’s Notes

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1. The Rat’s Wedding: A Chinese folk legend (老鼠嫁女) often depicted in traditional art. It usually involves a rat father seeking the strongest groom for his daughter, only to realize the natural order of things. In horror contexts, it often alludes to eerie, ritualistic, or deceptive celebrations. ↩
2. Donkey Meat Burgers: A translation of ‘Lürou Huoshao’ (驴肉火烧), a popular street food from Hebei province consisting of chopped donkey meat in a flaky, toasted bun. ↩
3. Sun Erniang: A character from the classic novel ‘Water Margin’ (Shuihu Zhuan). She is famous for running a tavern that drugged travelers, murdered them, and used their flesh as filling for steamed buns (baozi). ↩
4. Cat Gu: A type of ‘Gu’ (venom-based sorcery) involving the spirit of a cat. In Chinese folklore, Cat Gu (Mao Gui) was feared for its ability to steal wealth or kill enemies, often associated with dark magic and curses. ↩
5. Wild Immortal: Refers to ‘Ye Xian,’ spirits or animals (like foxes, weasels, or snakes) that have gained spiritual power through cultivation but are not part of the official celestial or orthodox hierarchies. ↩