Chapter 33: A Very Round Scapegoat¹

Upon seeing Xie Sui appear, the expression of the fox-headed woman twisted for a moment, the smile at the corners of her mouth becoming increasingly sinister.

Swaying her hips, she circled around from the other side of the car, approaching the spot where Xie Sui and Lin Zixin were standing step by step.

As she entered the range of the fill lights, the appearance of this non-human monster was fully revealed to the live stream’s camera.

Old Liu was someone who had seen his fair share of big scenes. Even after seeing this unplanned monster suddenly appear, the hand carrying the camera did not shake. He even adjusted the focal length to give this fox face a massive close-up.

– I thought Fox Immortals² were all beauties with animal ears, but on this streamer’s channel, it’s a stitched-up freak with an animal head and a human body. I really can’t handle this. –

– This special effects makeup is incredible. I can’t even find the seam between the fox mask and her neck. –

– Is there a possibility that this fox-headed person is actually a real monster… By the way, aren’t you guys scared at all? –

– I’ve been single so long that even a fox-headed monster is starting to look pretty to me. –

– Ugh, you devious furries. –

Seeing the fox woman walking over, Lin Zixin shook even harder. Like a man clutching his last life-saving straw, he gripped Xie Sui’s thigh tightly and refused to let go.

This was too intense. Wasn’t this more thrilling than street racing?

Lin Zixin swore in his heart that if he survived this time, he would never go out at night again. He would go home as soon as it got dark and live the most stable life with the healthiest routine possible.

Old Liu didn’t know Lin Zixin; he assumed this was just an ordinary person who had accidentally wandered into the filming site. Adhering to the principle of not infringing on an innocent person’s portrait rights, he avoided filming Lin Zixin’s face throughout the process, saving this snot-and-tear-covered rich second generation from a total social death.

As the fox woman approached, although Yawu-po’s dog face still bore an expression of terror, a cunning glint flickered in its eyes. It looked at the fox woman, then at Xie Sui, and finally fixed its gaze on the weak-kneed Lin Zixin. Its long crimson tongue lolled out, licking the corners of its mouth.

It seemed to be evaluating the power gap between Xie Sui and the fox woman, wondering if it could seize the opportunity to eat someone once the two of them started fighting.

Xie Sui regained his composure. Looking at this chaotic live stream scene, he felt a bit of a headache coming on.

Lin Zixin was clinging to his left leg like a lead weight, completely restricting his movements.

When faced with fear that exceeds their capacity to cope, humans lose all reason and can burst forth with strength beyond their normal limits. With Xie Sui’s thin build, it was simply impossible to pull up a grown man in a state of extreme panic using pure physical strength alone.

Not far away, the three-hundred-pound Yawu-po, with its two-hundred pounds of weight and one-hundred pounds of pure rebellion, watched like a tiger eyeing its prey. It stared covetously at Lin Zixin on his leg, waiting for an opening like a hunting jackal.

The Fox Immortal, her eyes full of malice, drew closer. The murderous aura radiating from her body made it clear she intended to fight him to the death.

And then there was the female ghost hiding somewhere. Xie Sui didn’t know Lin Zixin had come to this wilderness for street racing; he genuinely believed his top donor had been lured here by a female ghost.

Although he hadn’t sensed the aura of any other spirits yet, he believed in Lin Zixin’s talent for bad luck. He had to spare some energy to stay on guard against that unknown female ghost hiding in the shadows.

Furthermore, he didn’t know if Old Liu and Xiao Wu simply had too much faith in his abilities, but they were still diligently maintaining the live stream, having no intention of hiding… So, during the fight, he also had to protect these two.

Three dead weights by his side, facing two monsters and one unknown female ghost.

He couldn’t release too much of his aura during the fight, lest the Xuanmen sense his existence. He also couldn’t do anything too conspicuous in front of the camera. After all, Old Liu wasn’t a Little Ghost he had raised; the man didn’t know what could be broadcast and what couldn’t. He had to use the simplest, fastest method to take down these two monsters in one go.

Xie Sui visually measured the height of this red fox’s human form, roughly estimated the size of her beast body, and then glanced at the adult-sized Yawu-po before letting out a heavy sigh.

Fine, let’s start the live animal training.

This time, it was really going to cost him.

After a brief silence, Lin Zixin, who was playing ostrich while clutching Xie Sui’s leg, suddenly felt a warm liquid drip onto his face. He instinctively wiped it with his hand and looked at it – his fingers were stained with a large patch of bright red.

Lin Zixin’s eyes widened, and he snapped his head up to look.

Above him, an incredibly terrifying wound had appeared out of nowhere on Xie Sui’s left wrist. The flesh was torn open, and crimson blood flowed down his pale skin like a bubbling stream.

That wasn’t even the most frightening part. What was truly terrifying was that, without anyone touching it, the wound on Xie Sui’s wrist was slowly expanding on its own.

The torn flesh was like a fish’s mouth constantly opening and closing. After searching for a long time and finding the perfect angle, the skin of the hand centered on that wound and slid off as smoothly as a glove. The fallen flesh dissolved into a blood mist and vanished into the darkness. It was a perfect skinning and dissection performed by an invisible hand. The bright red muscle tissue of Xie Sui’s left hand was now fully exposed before Lin Zixin’s eyes.

Lin Zixin’s mouth fell open, and an unintelligible “he-he” sound came from his throat.

Warm drops of blood continued to drip onto his face. In a daze, Lin Zixin felt as if he saw Xie Sui’s entire form turn into a skinless, bloody monster.

It turned out that when a person encountered fear beyond their capacity to endure, they really couldn’t help but laugh… because their facial muscles had already lost control.

With a smile of sweet release, Lin Zixin used his last ounce of strength to strike a handsome pose and slowly fainted onto the ground.

This must be a dream.

He never expected that the final blow to his fragile heart wouldn’t come from a vengeful spirit, a monster, or a Fox Immortal, but from this Mr. Xie whom he had regarded as his savior.

Xie Sui ignored Lin Zixin, who had fainted on the ground, and silently tucked his bloody left hand into his trouser pocket.

Old Liu’s camera was framed on everyone’s upper bodies. Aside from Lin Zixin, who was positioned below Xie Sui, neither Old Liu nor the viewers in the livestream noticed anything unusual about Xie Sui’s hand.

Only half a minute had passed from the moment the Fox Immortal appeared on camera to the moment Xie Sui acted.

The fox-woman, who had been murderous just a moment ago, suddenly froze. Her fox nose twitched as she sniffed the air, seemingly catching a scent. The predatory gleam in her bestial eyes suddenly turned into a daze.

Yawu-po, crouching to the side, made the same movement. It seemed to have caught a scent as well. It opened its mouth wide in a stupor, saliva dripping from the corner of its lips as it fell into a state of idiocy.

In this pitch-black, open countryside, a faint blood-colored mist seemed to envelop the area. A bloody radiance hid within the shadows, and hideous ghostly faces faintly manifested within the crimson haze.

Xie Sui looked into the distant darkness.

He didn’t sense the presence of the female ghost… that was good news, at least.

His hand moved within his pocket. The fox-woman moved forward a few steps like a marionette, and then, right before the camera and under the gaze of tens of thousands of viewers, she transformed into a red fox the size of a wild dog.

“Holy crap! How did that fox-woman suddenly turn into a fox? How did they do that?!”

“Impressive. Regardless of whether Yawu-po and the Fox Immortal are real or not, this ‘living person to animal’ magic trick alone is great entertainment.”

“My worldview as a materialist warrior is being challenged. So the things the elders said were true? There really are Wild Immortals and spirits in this world…”

“You guys don’t understand the streamer’s routine. He doesn’t just like to debunk internet rumors; he likes to debunk himself.”

“Exactly. I watched the last two livestreams. How could there be so many ghosts in the world? This is definitely fake too. I’m just waiting for the streamer to reveal the trick behind the broadcast.”

“I feel like it’s real… The last two times, the streamer was clearly talking nonsense with a straight face.”

Xie Sui walked around Lin Zixin, who was sprawled on the ground, and grabbed the red fox by the scruff of its neck, hoisting it up.

The main subject of today’s appraisal was Yawu-po; it had nothing to do with this Fox Immortal that had wandered in.

Xie Sui looked at Liu Wuyong. Old Liu was quick-witted and carried the camera over, giving the still-dazed Yawu-po a close-up.

“This is the legendary creature from the rumors, Yawu-po.”

Xie Sui acted as if nothing had happened, explaining to the camera with a serious expression, “Judging from its form just now, Yawu-po isn’t picky about its prey. It doesn’t just eat children; it will also cling to the backs of adults.”

He pointed to the sports car with its door still open. “From the situation at the scene, this innocent passerby likely encountered it while in the car. My guess is that this innocent citizen didn’t look back, but instead saw the Yawu-po behind him through the rearview mirror, which is why he wasn’t injured.”

“When you encounter this kind of monster, please remember one thing: never look back. Many spirits with beast-like forms have similar habits. If you feel something is wrong while walking at night, never look back.” Xie Sui repeated the phrase “never look back” twice with a very serious tone.

Xie Sui was giving genuine advice. He hoped to use this livestream to let the audience absorb some supernatural common sense.

Humans have Three Fires³, located on the top of the head and on both shoulders. These Three Fires are the manifestation of a person’s Yang energy and soul. The stronger the Yang energy, the more stable the soul, and the brighter the Three Fires burn. Ordinary spirits and vengeful ghosts wouldn’t dare approach lightly.

Therefore, if walking alone at night, no matter what you encounter or hear, do not look back. When a person is startled, their soul becomes unstable, and the fires on their body weaken, making it easy for ghosts to blow them out with a ghostly wind. Once the Three Fires are extinguished, a ghost can harm a person without any effort, and death is not far off.

The world had been restless in recent years, with more and more ghosts appearing, and the number of ordinary people harmed by them was increasing. Knowing a bit of supernatural common sense brought only benefits and no harm to ordinary people. Even if they just listened to it as a joke, it was good to leave an impression in their minds. At the very least, when they truly encountered danger, they would know what to do to save their lives.

“I’m confused. Why is the streamer suddenly so serious? I don’t even know what to say.”

“I thought the streamer would say this Yawu-po was a suit actor he hired and the fox-woman was special effects makeup.”

“Tch, stop acting. I don’t believe there’s no script. I saw it clearly; that ‘victim’ who ran out first is right there helping the streamer carry the lighting equipment.”

“Yeah, yeah. How could one employee crash and then ‘coincidentally’ another victim appear? It’s obviously scripted.”

“But what kind of special effects can achieve this level? Believe it or not, I’m sold… I can’t imagine there are so many terrifying monsters in our world.”

“Plus one. If there really were such amazing special effects and makeup, why wouldn’t those cash-grab fantasy movies use them?”

The viewers in the livestream began arguing in the comments again, giving the broadcast another surge in popularity.

Xie Sui looked at the skyrocketing follower count in his backend and the considerable amount of ad revenue and tips. After a moment of thought, he decided to end the stream.

He had originally intended to stream for a while longer, but he had unexpectedly run into Lin Zixin during the broadcast.

Xie Sui didn’t know why Lin Zixin had suddenly fainted, but his current state was dangerous. Xie Sui was afraid Lin Zixin might have a heart condition or some other illness that could be life-threatening if not treated in time.

He had a very good impression of this top donor of his. Not only was Lin Zixin generous with tips, but because of his commission, Xie Sui had managed to gather several hundred thousand in medical fees in just two days.

Xie Sui had started this broadcast to make money and build up some popularity. Now that the goal of the livestream had been mostly met and even exceeded, there was no need to trade his top donor’s life for more traffic.

Xie Sui tossed the fox in his hand to the side, then turned his back to the livestream camera and took out the Talisman used to open the Yin-Yang Gap.

The moment the Yin Energy from the Yin-Yang Gap began to seep out, he stopped acting entirely. He kicked the Yawu-po directly into the Yin-Yang Gap and swiftly sealed it shut.

In the eyes of the livestream viewers, that man-sized pitch-black monster was simply kicked into nonexistence by Xie Sui. The visual impact was on par with the earlier scene of the fox-woman suddenly turning into a fox.

The bullet chat began arguing again over the “technique Xie Sui used to make those two monsters disappear.”

Xie Sui gave Liu Wuyong a hand signal, indicating that he should prepare to end the broadcast.

Whether the viewers believed there were ghosts in this world was up to their own discretion. Those who believed would naturally take his words to heart; as for those who didn’t, there was no point in forcing them.

Seeing Xie Sui’s signal, Liu Wuyong adjusted the camera lens to avoid the fox on the ground. Then, he pouted toward the fox and winked frantically at Xie Sui.

“If we just end the broadcast abruptly like this, it’ll feel like an anticlimax. Let’s have a thrilling ending.”

Xie Sui actually understood Old Liu’s meaning. After a moment of thought, he slowly gathered the blood mist drifting in the darkness toward himself.

What the viewers saw on screen was Xie Sui, with his back to the camera, helping Xiao Wu lift the unconscious red-haired man from the ground.

Behind the two of them, a red shadow flashed by, and a familiar figure slowly emerged in the camera’s view.

It was the fox-headed woman in the red skirt. However, unlike before, while the upper half of its face was still a beast’s head, the lower half had turned into a human face.

With red lips curling upward, the half-human, half-fox monster flashed a sly smile at the camera and raised its hand.

Bestial claws glinting with a cold light grew from a human arm, looking exceptionally eerie.

Then, the beastly claws were raised high, lunging toward the defenseless Xie Sui’s back.

At that exact moment, the screen went black. The livestream ended instantly, and the system notification for the host ending the broadcast popped up.

– Holy crap, Host! That fox-woman was right behind you! AHHH! It’s going to eat you! Don’t stop the stream! Look at the chat! –

– That plot twist was insane. Host, are you okay? –

– As expected of a livestream with Horror Old Liu involved. This ending is brilliant. He really knows how to leave people hanging; he’s definitely learned Old Liu’s ways. –

– If I don’t see a message from the host saying he’s safe today, I’m not sleeping. –

– What is real and what is fake? Are there really Yawu-po and Fox Immortals in this world? Or is this just a scripted livestream and those two monsters were just actors in suits? But what was that half-human, half-fox monster at the end? Is the world the host is showing us real? Is the host in the same world as me? Is the world I’m in real or fake? Hahahaha, I finally understand. Maybe my world is just a void, and I might not even exist. –

– Another one’s gone crazy. –

A middle-aged man wearing black Daoist robes silently exited the darkened livestream room. He switched his phone interface to Xie Sui’s account and hit the follow button.

Beside him, a young man wearing the same style of Daoist robes asked, “Senior Brother, are you sure this is the person who killed Zhang Dadao?”

The middle-aged man pondered for a moment before shaking his head slightly. “I’m not sure. This streamer named Xie Sui is likely just a target put out by someone else, bait used to fish for us, Zhang Dadao’s associates. If we bite now, we lose. We need to observe further.”

“Does Senior Brother have any suspects then?”

“The one I suspect most is that Horror Old Liu.” The middle-aged man gave a cold laugh. “That Horror Old Liu was Zhang Dadao’s lackey for eight years, then he joined those righteous sects to ambush him when Zhang Dadao was at his most relaxed. What a calculating mind. This man cannot be underestimated.”

“How did Senior Brother see through it?”

“Didn’t you watch Horror Old Liu’s videos? At the beginning of his videos, there are fierce ghosts that Zhang Dadao used to cultivate. If I’m not mistaken, he must have taken over all of Zhang Dadao’s ghostly resources.”

The middle-aged Daoist’s voice grew increasingly grim. “Such a blatant provocation. This is his challenge to us… He wants to enrage us. Heh, killing one Zhang Dadao wasn’t enough; he wants to wipe us all out in one go.”

“A heart as greedy as a snake trying to swallow an elephant… I’ll teach him how to spell the word ‘regret’.”

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Translator’s Notes

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1. Scapegoat: The Chinese title (好圆的锅) uses the slang ‘carrying a pot’ (背锅), which means taking the blame for someone else. ‘A very round pot’ implies a perfect or significant scapegoat. In the context of the chapter, it likely refers to Lin Zixin being the one to take the ‘hit’ or blame for the chaotic situation. ↩
2. Fox Immortals: Known as ‘Huxian’ (狐仙), these are fox spirits in Chinese mythology that have achieved immortality or high spiritual power. While often depicted as beautiful women (huli jing), they are also worshipped as powerful, sometimes temperamental deities in folk religion. ↩
3. Three Fires: In Chinese folk belief, the ‘Sanyuan’ or Three Fires (located on the forehead and both shoulders) represent a person’s vital life force (Yang energy). Looking back over one’s shoulder at night is believed to extinguish these fires, making the person vulnerable to possession or harm by ghosts. ↩