Chapter 34: A Rolling Tide of Wealth

Xie Sui and Xiao Wu worked together to help Lin Zixin into their rented, beat-up van.

Lin Zixin’s flashy red sports car was still sitting there with its doors wide open. Xie Sui had originally intended to have Liu Wuyong drive the sports car back to the city behind the van.

However, none of the three of them – poor, inexperienced commoners from the bottom of the social ladder – knew how to operate Lin Zixin’s high-end modified sports car. They couldn’t even figure out how to start the engine.

Then again, in this desolate wilderness, there probably wouldn’t be anyone around to steal it…

Xie Sui took a photo of the car and used an image search engine to look it up. After seeing the price, he fell into a long silence.

If they bundled the three of them together with all their livestreaming equipment and sold the whole lot, they still wouldn’t make enough to pay for this one car.

Xie Sui looked at Lin Zixin, who was still unconscious with a mysterious smile on his face, and let out a soft sigh.

Just to be safe, he decided to leave a few Little Ghosts to watch over the car. If anything happened to this sports car, he wouldn’t be able to pay for it even if he emptied his entire life savings.

Xie Sui hadn’t directly killed the Fox Immortal¹. He didn’t know much about these types of spirits and monsters, and he was afraid that killing it might leave some kind of mark on him.

He had heard that these Wild Immortals² and spirits moved in packs. To prevent a situation where “hitting the small one brings out the old one³” and adding unnecessary trouble, Xie Sui stuffed the Fox Immortal in its fox form into the Yin-Yang Gap.

The Yin-Yang Gap was a universal trash can that could hold anything; it was truly useful.

After the group packed up the equipment and trash in the area, they drove Lin Zixin back to the city.

Xie Sui had Old Liu and Xiao Wu return to the studio first while he took Lin Zixin to the municipal hospital.

After a doctor’s examination, there was nothing seriously wrong with Lin Zixin. He was simply suffering from stress-induced syncope caused by extreme terror. He just needed to rest in a hospital bed for a few days.

Since Lin Zixin had suffered this misfortune because of his livestream, Xie Sui planned to stay with him and wait for him to regain consciousness before leaving.

During this time, Xie Sui sat by the hospital bed, scrolling through his phone with one hand.

Because of his actions before ending the stream, his account’s follower count had surged again. His private messages were flooded with people asking if the host was safe.

Before starting the stream, Xie Sui had only a few hundred followers. After one livestream, his follower count had exploded to fifty thousand. As a new streamer who had only created his account a little over a week ago, this growth rate was unique across the entire platform.

He had originally wanted to post an update to tell his fans he was safe, but Old Liu stopped him. It was as if Old Liu had anticipated what Xie Sui wanted to do and sent him a message before he could post.

According to Old Liu, they had to maximize the profits from this livestream’s popularity. It was like a mystery novel waiting to announce the killer; they had to build the fans’ anticipation to the limit. It wouldn’t be too late to announce it once the follower growth rate started to slow down.

Liu Wuyong would post smoke screens to keep the fans hooked while also preventing those who genuinely believed the livestream from calling the police.

Xie Sui thought his reasoning made a lot of sense. As expected of Old Liu, he played these tactics perfectly. When it came to new media, it was best to listen to the professional.

At its peak, Xie Sui’s livestream had a hundred thousand simultaneous viewers. He had received about fifteen thousand yuan in donations alone, half of which came from the five 1,888 yuan gifts sent by Lin Zixin. The platform’s advertising revenue was still being calculated; although it wasn’t as much as the donations, it was at least five thousand yuan and still rising.

Looking at the unwithdrawn money in his account, Xie Sui felt full of motivation. Although he had once earned hundreds of thousands in commission from the Lin Family in a single night, earning too much money in a short time felt completely surreal. Seeing numbers accumulate bit by bit like this was much more reassuring.

While Xie Sui was scrolling through his phone, Lin Zixin, lying on the bed, began to stir.

Lin Zixin’s consciousness slowly cleared from the darkness. He gradually opened his eyes, and in his somewhat blurry vision, he saw that familiar, nightmarish, handsome face slowly appearing before him.

The culprit who had caused him to faint was leaning over the bed with one hand, looking down at him and whispering like a demon in his ear, “You’re awake.”

Those deep, lightless black eyes looking down at him were like black holes that could absorb all light. Lin Zixin felt his mind go hazy, as if his soul was about to be pulled out of his body.

Lin Zixin stared blankly at Xie Sui, a peaceful and serene smile appearing on his face. He crossed his hands over his chest, tilted his head, and fainted once again.

Xie Sui: ???

The alarm on the vital signs monitor went off, and a nurse from the emergency department rushed in.

“Why did the patient suddenly faint again? Did he see a stress trigger?” The nurse checking Lin Zixin’s body was full of confusion.

Xie Sui felt somewhat helpless… so the one who had scared Lin Zixin into a faint back then was actually him. He hadn’t even done anything outrageous. This rich second generation⁴‘s mental fortitude was far too fragile.

To avoid him fainting again upon waking up, Xie Sui thought it would be better to have someone else watch over him.

He didn’t know where Lin Zixin’s phone had been dropped, so Xie Sui couldn’t contact his friends.

After the commission at the Lin Family Ancestral Hall, Xie Sui could tell that Lin Zixin didn’t have a good relationship with the elders in his family. Calling parents to the hospital for a fainting spell would be a form of social death for an adult.

Forget it, he would just hire a temporary caregiver to help look after him. Although Xie Sui didn’t have much spare cash on hand right now, he could afford the two hundred yuan or so for a day’s care.

The nurse who had just checked Lin Zixin had already left. Xie Sui pulled open the ward door, and at that moment, the lights in the hallway outside flickered.

After all this commotion, it was already 11:30 PM.

Just as Xie Sui was about to leave the ward to ask the nurse’s station where he could find a caregiver at night, his phone suddenly rang.

The name on the caller ID was someone Xie Sui hadn’t expected.

[Second Uncle Lin]

Xie Sui looked at his phone screen, then at Lin Zixin on the hospital bed, wondering if the Lin family had installed some kind of vital signs monitoring device on their younger generation. How was their information so up to date?

Despite his doubts, Xie Sui answered the call.

To his surprise, the first thing Second Uncle Lin asked about wasn’t Lin Zixin, but something related to Xie Sui himself.

Over the phone, Second Uncle Lin’s nervous voice came through. “Mr. Xie, may I ask if you are currently in Zhaoping City?” His tone was off, his voice trembling so much it was almost difficult to understand him.

In Xie Sui’s impression, Second Uncle Lin had always been a steady, stoic, leader-type middle-aged man. What could have happened to make him this anxious and afraid?

“Yes, I’m in Zhaoping right now… Is there a reason you’re calling so late?”

Second Uncle Lin paused for a moment, seemingly trying to stabilize his emotions. “Mr. Xie, are you still taking commissions?”

“I’m free until April 4th.” Although the money from livestreaming felt more real, Xie Sui wouldn’t turn down a commission. After all, no one ever complained about having too much money.

The Lin family’s Feng Shui Formation⁵ should have been fine now, so what would Second Uncle Lin be commissioning him for this time?

A second later, Second Uncle Lin gave the answer: “One million to help me save Lin Zixin’s life.”

“I can’t get in touch with him right now. I’ve called several times and no one answers. I called his university counselor, and they said he skipped class and went out this afternoon. He rents an apartment alone, and I don’t have the contact information for his… friends. Please find Lin Zixin and protect him for a week.”

Xie Sui looked at Lin Zixin, who was lying like a corpse on the hospital bed, and suddenly felt a bit guilty.

Fearing that Xie Sui might not agree, Second Uncle Lin quickly added, “The Lin family can pay this million upfront.”

“Thanks to you last time, the matter at the Lin Family Ancestral Hall was resolved. My eldest brother found the person who tampered with our family’s Feng Shui Formation, but that person hired a Curse Master from Southeast Asia who supposedly placed a curse on the younger generation of our Lin family. Lin Zixin is the only one currently in another city, so I ask you to look after him.”

“Alright, no problem,” Xie Sui agreed readily. “Just send the money to the same bank account as last time.”

With this money, he could pay the salaries for Liu Wuyong and Xiao Wu. This livestream had gone so smoothly thanks to Old Liu and Xiao Wu. He could also buy a car for transportation; renting one all the time wasn’t cost-effective. He could also upgrade the livestreaming equipment and Old Liu’s computer. Old Liu’s editing computer was a portable laptop, and the last time Xie Sui saw him editing video, the machine was lagging terribly.

Back home, because the orphanage suddenly had several sick children, funds were tight. This money would make life a bit easier for his father and the others.

The money hadn’t even arrived yet, but Xie Sui had already planned how to spend it.

Xie Sui looked at Lin Zixin, still lying like a corpse on the bed, with a touch of affection.

Every time he encountered Lin Zixin, he made a large sum of extra cash. This rich second-generation kid was truly a lucky star for his finances.

Just as Second Uncle Lin was about to hang up, Xie Sui remembered what he had seen while leafing through Zhang Dadao’s soul and quickly added an instruction: “If it’s convenient, please help me keep an eye on Taoist Master Xuanxu’s movements. You don’t need to contact him. If you find any trace of him in Rongcheng, just let me know in time.”

Xie Sui had originally found it very strange that Zhang Dadao had Liu Wuyong seek him out. He had never exposed his identity to the righteous sects of the Xuanmen, and the Evil Cultivators⁶ who knew his identity were all dead. He didn’t understand why his information had been leaked or why he was being hunted by those Evil Cultivators.

Later, when he checked Zhang Dadao’s memories in the Yin-Yang Gap, Xie Sui discovered that it was because Taoist Master Xuanxu had put out a bounty. Zhang Dadao wanted to catch him for the five years of lifespan contained within that talisman.

It had to be said, that old fellow Taoist Master Xuanxu was truly disgusting. Initially, Xie Sui saw him as nothing more than a charlatan who knew a few tricks, so he hadn’t taken him to heart or finished him off.

He hadn’t expected the old man to be so petty. Just because he had been insulted a few times, he was so unable to keep his cool that he was willing to lose five years of his life just to cause trouble for Xie Sui.

He had underestimated Taoist Master Xuanxu; he hadn’t expected the man to have Talismans given by an Evil Cultivator in his possession… It seemed he would have to be more careful in the future.

Although he didn’t know why Xie Sui was asking about Taoist Master Xuanxu’s whereabouts, Second Uncle Lin didn’t ask questions and agreed immediately.

Xie Sui hung up the phone and walked back to Lin Zixin’s bedside.

He had been wondering how someone could be so unlucky; it turned out he had been cursed.

Xie Sui was only sensitive to things related to the Xuanmen, powerful ghosts, Yin Energy, and resentment. He really didn’t know much about this kind of Southeast Asian sorcery.

However, seeing that Lin Zixin’s forehead showed no signs of impending death or dark energy, he didn’t look like a man whose time was up, nor did he look plagued by misfortune… Was he really cursed?

Xie Sui had now given up the idea of hiring a caregiver. Since Lin Zixin might be attacked, it was more reassuring for him to stay by his side personally.

Lin Zixin was the only patient in the entire ward. Xie Sui sat by the bed with his back to the window, playing on his phone to pass the time.

Before he knew it, the time had reached midnight.

The pale lights in the corridor outside flickered again. The ward door, which wasn’t fully closed, made a creaking sound as if blown by the wind. After swaying slightly twice, it actually opened slowly on its own.

The lights flickered even more violently. Xie Sui put down his phone and looked at the open ward door. He didn’t stand up, remaining seated by the bed with his legs crossed.

Xie Sui rested his elbow on his knee and propped his chin on one hand, looking out the door with curiosity and eyes full of expectation.

Behind him, a pale hand suddenly reached out and gripped the window frame. Following it, half a head peeked inside.

Lin Zixin’s ward was on the fifth floor.

Translator’s Notes