Chapter 13: Second Livestream

The hype from Xie Sui’s livestream at the haunted house last night had not yet faded. Those following him received a notification the moment he started broadcasting, so it didn’t take long for a significant crowd to gather in the livestream room.

“The streamer is so diligent, starting another stream the day after the last one.”

“Every broadcast is around midnight. What a ghoulish time to stream.”

Seeing that the audience count was sufficient, Xie Sui gave a professional smile toward the phone camera. “Welcome to the Identifying Popular Online Supernatural Phenomena livestream. I am your host, Xie Sui. Today, we are going to identify the ‘Water Monkey’.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a conspicuous colorful bullet comment shot straight to the top of the chat.

“Ganfan Huahua Shijie tipped Space Battleship x1”

Lin Zixin was following Xie Sui in real-time. In a sense, he was even more nervous about this livestream than Xie Sui himself. After all, he was the one who had invited Xie Sui to solve the problem at the Lin Family Ancestral Hall. Xie Sui’s success or failure would determine whether Lin Zixin could hold his head high in front of his family elders.

Lin Zixin sat in his home theater, specifically using a screen projector to watch the stream. The screen, which occupied an entire wall, was neatly divided into three sections: one side showed a video call with Lin Ziyan, another showed Xie Sui’s livestream, and there was even a feed from the courtyard’s security cameras… This multi-angle, comprehensive observation showed just how much importance he placed on this matter.

Hearing Xie Sui’s opening remarks, Second Uncle Lin subconsciously frowned and said with some displeasure, “Water Monkey? According to you, could it be that a water ghost is haunting our Lin Family Ancestral Hall?” How could their family have such a filthy thing? Moreover, the river water outside the ancestral hall was only knee-high, hardly deep enough for someone to drown.

“Yes and no. It’s not a Water Monkey in the traditional sense; I was just using a meme earlier,” Xie Sui replied without looking up.

It wasn’t until after the broadcast started that Xie Sui realized a serious problem – he had forgotten to bring his tripod to Rongcheng. Not just the tripod… he had forgotten all his other livestreaming equipment: the camera, the ring light, the lapel microphone. He only had a single phone on hand.

Having only recently started livestreaming, Xie Sui still hadn’t developed the habit. He had packed his luggage before leaving, but had left his most important tools of the trade at home.

“Who’s that middle-aged guy? He’s blocking the view! Where’s the Water Monkey?! Where’s the water ghost?! I want to see a bloodbath! I don’t want to watch boring small talk!”

“Streamer, don’t just take selfies. Quickly change the perspective and show us the surroundings.”

The bullet comments were becoming impatient. These spectators had no patience and were clamoring for something eye-catching.

Xie Sui looked up and scanned his surroundings.

Currently, everyone inside the inner courtyard of the Lin Family Ancestral Hall was someone with some understanding of metaphysics: Elder Lin, Second Uncle Lin, Lin Ziyan, Taoist Master Xuanxu, and two young Taoist priests. The security guards were stationed in the outer courtyard and had not followed them in.

After two months of ordeal, the Lin family must have become somewhat immune to the techniques of the Xuanmen. Furthermore, Taoist Master Ganchen had already pointed out that he was “raising ghosts,” so even if he performed some unconventional actions, they probably wouldn’t be surprised, right?

Thinking of this, Xie Sui adjusted the livestream camera to a third-person perspective and simply let go.

The phone did not fall to the ground. Instead, it hovered in mid-air. It suspended itself in front of Xie Sui and, as if it had come to life, intelligently adjusted itself to find the clearest filming angle.

The one Xie Sui had called out was the same Little Ghost who had held the camera for him last night. That Little Ghost was very professional and had a natural talent for filming.

As for lighting… he wasn’t short on Ghost Fire. The lighting effect might be a bit pale and greenish, but that color provided a better atmosphere for an ancestral hall in the middle of the night.

First the phone floated, then several clusters of eerie green Ghost Fire appeared out of thin air outside the camera lens, surrounding Xie Sui in a ring. Standing in the midst of the flickering Ghost Fire, Xie Sui’s skin, which was already fairer than average, appeared even more deathly pale under the glow of the green phosphorus flames. His dark, deep eyes reflected the ghostly green light, making him look at first glance like a fierce ghost that had crawled from purgatory into the human world.

Everyone present was stunned. Taoist Master Xuanxu, in particular, turned whiter than a sheet of paper, his body trembling uncontrollably as if he had Parkinson’s.

Xie Sui’s display was far more shocking than Taoist Master Xuanxu’s dancing performance earlier; it was incredibly impactful.

Second Uncle Lin had indeed met many Xuanmen masters over the past two months, but most were charlatans. The few who actually had some ability only spoke with him normally, pointing out the Feng Shui issues of the Lin Family Ancestral Hall… No one was like Xie Sui, showing everyone so blatantly that ghosts and monsters truly existed in this world. No one.

Although he had already heard Taoist Master Ganchen say that Xie Sui was raising ghosts, there was a difference between hearing it and seeing it with his own eyes. The complex emotions of the Lin family could be summarized in one sentence…

He really is raising ghosts!!!

Xie Sui directed the Little Ghost to take a panoramic shot of the ancestral hall’s scenery. When he turned back, he saw the shocked expressions of the crowd, their jaws practically hitting the floor.

Xie Sui: …

What’s wrong with you people? Is this really necessary?

“Mr. Xie, I was blind before and failed to recognize your greatness. Please continue, please continue,” Second Uncle Lin said with an unusually respectful tone, completely changing his previous attitude. As the helmsman of the Lin family’s company, he was adaptable in all matters. As long as Xie Sui could solve the Lin family’s problem, he would even be willing to hold a press conference to apologize publicly.

Xie Sui sighed helplessly. Ignoring the agitated members of the Lin family, he directed the Little Ghost to film the architectural structure of the ancestral hall while providing narration for the livestream:

“Ancestral tablets that mysteriously fall in the dead of night, meat offerings devoured by invisible mouths, ships that are instantly destroyed upon touching the water… Is this a family curse, or a collective hallucination? Is it the work of psychological factors, or do ghosts and monsters truly exist? Tonight, I will lead you to unravel the mystery of the unknown curse of a shipping company family.”

“That broadcasting voice is professional.”

“It would feel even better with some creepy background music. It’s like a childhood memory.”

“Streamer, tell the truth, was your last job hosting ‘Approaching Science¹‘?”

“As everyone knows, there are no ghosts in this world. The only ghosts are in the hearts of men,” Xie Sui said solemnly to the phone hovering in the air.

Lin Ziyan, who was holding his phone to broadcast to his elder brother, felt his hand tremble. He looked at the phone suspended in the air, hesitant to speak.

Mr. Xie’s ability to lie through his teeth was truly impressive.

Seeing that Xie Sui was focused on the livestream and not immediately resolving the Lin family’s issues, Second Uncle Lin wasn’t in a hurry. If anything, Xie Sui’s composed demeanor actually bolstered Second Uncle Lin’s confidence. True masters were always this nonchalant when dealing with evil spirits. He believed Xie Sui would certainly resolve the Lin family’s troubles with ease.

– Is there any back story? What is the streamer doing here? –

– Apparently something happened at this family’s ancestral hall. It’s a Water Monkey causing trouble, and the streamer is here to catch it. –

– Man, the streamer is awesome, actually getting into an ancestral hall to do a livestream. –

– What does a Water Monkey look like? I’ve never seen one, today’s going to be an eye-opener. –

Xie Sui interacted with the netizens in the livestream with a relaxed expression while standing in the middle of the courtyard. Although he had yet to get to the main point of catching the ‘Water Monkey’, no one from the Lin family urged him on.

Currently, the group was positioned with the Lin family members and Taoist Master Xuanxu standing in front of the east wing, while Xie Sui stood alone in the center of the courtyard near the entrance, right in front of the Pan Pond.

“I was invited here today to investigate the strange occurrences at the Lin Family Ancestral Hall. Let’s first analyze the matter of the ancestral tablets falling over in the middle of the night… This is easily explained. Everyone, please look. This ancestral hall is a pseudo-antique building with wooden doors and windows, which have many gaps. Furthermore, it’s early spring, and there is heating inside the building. With the large temperature difference between day and night, the speed of the draft passing through the hall increases. It’s not strange at all for it to blow over the tablets.”

– It’s starting, it’s starting. The streamer is starting his serious nonsense again. –

– Streamer, streamer, can you perform that thing? You know, that one – when in doubt, Holographic Projection, hehe. –

Xie Sui explained the causes of drafts to the audience, looking completely off-guard.

Aside from the Ghost Fire floating beside Xie Sui, the only light sources in the courtyard were the pseudo-antique streetlights standing in pairs at both ends of the yard. Perhaps to pursue a vintage feel, the lampshades were made of very thick paper. The dim yellow light barely penetrated the paper shades, making the illumination exceptionally hazy.

The streetlights provided a great retro atmosphere, but they weren’t bright enough. Their range was limited, failing to provide the strong light of a camping lantern, and they couldn’t illuminate the water surface behind Xie Sui, which had begun to churn.

At some point, the originally calm surface of the Pan Pond began to bubble profusely, like a pot of boiling water. Strangely, there was no sound as the bubbles surged and burst. The abnormality in the pond was like a silent pantomime. Everyone in the courtyard was captivated by Xie Sui, and not a single person noticed the change in the water.

Danger lurked in the darkness, slowly creeping toward Xie Sui.

– Ganfan Huahua Shijie: Holy crap! Streamer, watch your back! There seems to be something in that pond! –

The first to notice the anomaly was Lin Zixin, who was observing the courtyard through three different camera angles.

Because the projection occupied an entire wall, even when split into three parts, each video feed was still large enough for Lin Zixin, who was curled up on the sofa watching the stream, to spot the problem.

On the black-and-white surveillance screen, that silently boiling water was incredibly conspicuous.

Seeing this warning bullet comment, Xie Sui not only failed to react but actually took a step back, moving closer to the pond.

He continued to calmly educate the livestream audience on the structure of ancient buildings and analyze the historical value of the Lin Family Ancestral Hall, appearing completely oblivious to the danger just inches away.

After the water reached its boiling peak, a translucent shadow suddenly appeared above the surface. The thing was exceptionally thin and small, about as high as an adult’s knee. Its ribs protruded outward, its waist was only as thick as a fist, and its body was abnormally frail. On its ape-like skull, the lower half of its face was entirely occupied by a terrifying array of fangs.

This was a ‘Water Fiend’, a Feng Shui malevolence born from the changes in the Feng Shui Formation of the Lin Family Ancestral Hall.

Unlike a Water Monkey, which would lure humans and drown them in the water, a Water Fiend only persecuted things related to the Feng Shui Formation and would not actively harm people. Its existence could only affect the Lin family’s altered Feng Shui, which meant their financial fortune.

Although it was an incorporeal entity of malice, it was extremely fond of meat. To catch a Water Fiend, one could offer meat sacrifices at the location where the Feng Shui had shifted.

The Lin family had already done half of it right. Unfortunately, after they offered the three sacrificial animals back then, they didn’t leave anyone to guard the courtyard… Though, having people guard it probably wouldn’t have helped much, as it was difficult for ordinary people to catch the lightning-fast Water Fiend. Even if they caught it, they wouldn’t be able to kill it.

There was only one way to solve the problem without damaging the Lin family’s Feng Shui Formation, and that was to kill the Water Fiend directly. Because the Water Fiend was born from and relied upon the Lin Family Ancestral Hall’s Feng Shui Formation, killing it would inevitably result in some loss of the formation’s spiritual essence. In the future, the effectiveness of this wealth-attracting Feng Shui Formation might not be as good as before.

It had to be said that the person secretly sabotaging the Lin family’s Feng Shui had planned this very well. If the Water Fiend was killed directly, the Lin family’s Feng Shui Formation would be damaged, which would be detrimental to their future development. If it wasn’t killed and they waited for the formation to heal itself, the Lin family wouldn’t be able to withstand the losses from several months of economic stagnation.

However, none of this concerned Xie Sui.

After catching the Water Fiend, Xie Sui would explain the pros and cons to Second Uncle Lin and let him decide how to handle it.

The Water Fiend crawled out of the pond water, approaching Xie Sui step by step.

In the center of Xie Sui’s left palm was a shallow wound, with a few beads of blood slowly seeping out.

That scent of blood, so faint it was almost non-existent, was like the most addictive aroma of wine to the Water Fiend. The deformed, translucent monster wobbled toward the still-streaming Xie Sui as if it were intoxicated.

Taoist Master Xuanxu did have some foundation in the occult after all, and he was the first to sense the Water Fiend’s presence.

After seeing that transparent shadow behind Xie Sui, the expression on Taoist Master Xuanxu’s face became quite a sight.

If Xie Sui really caught it just like that, not only would he be slapped in the face on the spot, but he would also have to apologize to Xie Sui using the etiquette of a junior disciple… This man named Xie was truly a villain! To have real ability yet play the fool, he clearly wanted to make him lose face! To make him lose all dignity in front of his client!

Taoist Master Xuanxu completely forgot that Xie Sui hadn’t forced him; the apology and everything else were his own suggestions. For a person like Taoist Master Xuanxu, he would never believe he was in the wrong. It was always everyone else’s fault.

Distorted emotions of jealousy and resentment grew wildly in Taoist Master Xuanxu’s heart, eventually even overwhelming his fear of Xie Sui.

There was only one way to turn the situation around now.

He had to catch this Water Monkey before Xie Sui did!

With that thought, Taoist Master Xuanxu’s gaze sharpened. He pulled a piece of Talisman Paper from his robes, slapped it onto his peach wood sword, and lunged directly at the Water Monkey.

This was one of his trump cards, a genuine Ghost-Catching Talisman capable of actually capturing spirits and exorcising evil. They were rare, and he had a limited supply.

But he couldn’t afford to be stingy now. His reputation was more important. Seeing the career he had built over decades of traveling the land about to be ruined here, he had no time to worry about a single talisman.

Taoist Master Xuanxu raised his sword and charged at the translucent shadow.

However, he had miscalculated one thing. This Water Monkey was not a water ghost in the traditional sense. Or rather, it wasn’t a ghost at all. It was neither a soul nor a spirit, and it possessed not a shred of resentment. It was merely a man-made Water Fiend, formed using the Lin Family’s Feng Shui Formation as its foundation.

Talismans meant to suppress ghosts and exorcise evil had no effect on this kind of Feng Shui fiend… strictly speaking, it had a small effect. The Ghost-Catching Talisman acted like a large firework, instantly startling the Water Fiend out of its blood-induced daze and causing it to bolt back into the water.

Sensing the Water Fiend’s sudden movement, Xie Sui paused. He turned an expressionless gaze toward Taoist Master Xuanxu, who had suddenly appeared behind him.

Being stared at by those pitch-black, lightless eyes felt like having a bucket of ice water poured over his head. Taoist Master Xuanxu couldn’t help but shudder, timidly stroking his beard.

But this guilt after making a mistake lasted only a moment before he puffed out his chest again. Taoist Master Xuanxu was in no mood to consider why his Ghost-Catching Talisman hadn’t worked; the joy of having ruined Xie Sui’s plan took precedence in his heart.

So what if he accidentally let the monster escape? If it got away, they could just catch it again. It wasn’t like this kid named Xie could kill him…

“Aieee!!!”

A miserable scream and a loud splash echoed simultaneously as Xie Sui kicked Taoist Master Xuanxu directly into the pond.

He didn’t possess any virtuous character traits regarding respecting the elderly or loving the young. If someone made things difficult for him, he would drag them down with him.

It really was a case of whatever one fears most coming to pass. He had finally managed to lure that thing onto the shore, only for a moronic teammate to let it go back.

It looked like he would have no choice but to go for a swim in that filthy Pan Pond after all.

Translator’s Notes