Chapter 59: Preparing for the Broadcast

Shi Shen felt a bit helpless.

This long-haired monster was far too durable. It was incredibly stubborn; every time he knocked it down, it would scramble back up immediately and continue its assault.

It was like a rabid dog that had been provoked, refusing to back down until it had torn a piece of flesh from Shi Shen’s body.

This creature was a Shanxiao, a mountain demon native to the peaks near the village. It hadn’t been a spirit for very long and knew a few spells, but not many.

Ever since the Wutong God arrived, this Shanxiao had become its lackey. It spent its time guarding the vicinity of the Wutong God’s ancestral hall, usually helping the deity transport blood sacrifices from the village. Occasionally, it was rewarded with scraps of flesh that the Wutong God didn’t care for.

Last night, it sensed that the Wutong God was dead. Its simple, unintelligent brain decided that it could take advantage of the situation to rise through the ranks and rule the village in the deity’s stead.

It didn’t stop to consider a crucial point: if it jumped out to replace the Wutong God, would the person who killed the god kill it as well?

After all, the concept of risk assessment was far too advanced for its smooth brain.

This morning, the Shanxiao had intended to head into the village to find some live prey, only to encounter an unruly piece of food halfway down the mountain.

The Shanxiao couldn’t distinguish between human faces and didn’t realize that Shi Shen wasn’t a local villager. It only felt immense rage.

This food, which should have been bowing in reverence, now dared to provoke it and even beat it. This was an act of blatant insubordination! If it didn’t kill this hairless monkey, where would its majesty as a “god” remain?

Having been knocked flying once again, the Shanxiao rolled several times on the ground. It stubbornly climbed to its feet, glaring at Shi Shen with eyes full of hatred.

But this time, perhaps because Shi Shen’s punch to its head had knocked some sense into it, the creature narrowed its eyes. Its gaze slowly shifted toward the other piece of food.

Han Shansi, who was holding the tripod for the livestream, trembled. He subconsciously let go of the tripod and took a step back.

When the Shanxiao first encountered Shi Shen and Han Shansi on the mountain path, it had originally intended to eat Han Shansi as an appetizer. After all, Shi Shen was covered in muscle and looked like he would be hard on the teeth.

However, it hadn’t expected Shi Shen to be immune to its illusions, let alone double back to save the other human.

The Shanxiao stood up.

Since Shi Shen could save Han Shansi once, he would surely try to save him a second time.

A sudden burst of Yin Energy erupted from its body. Rustling sounds echoed from the surrounding thickets as tattered paper dolls crawled out from the bushes one after another.

The paper dolls wore festive red clothes, but their ink-drawn features were blurred into a mess. The red pigment from their cheeks ran down to the corners of their upturned mouths, looking like bloodstains left over from a recent meal.

The appearance of these paper dolls caused the constantly scrolling comments in the livestream to freeze for a moment.

[I knew that thing was a Shanxiao! The person who tried to push Brother Shen at the mountain top was a paper doll in disguise!]

[This looks bad. There are too many paper dolls. Even if Brother Shen is a great fighter, two fists can’t fight four hands.]

[This is so intense. I thought I was watching a standard action movie, like a Kung Fu star versus King Kong, I didn’t expect the supernatural elements.]

[Is it possible that this isn’t a movie, but a livestream for a regular variety show preview?]

Under the Shanxiao’s control, these dozen or so paper dolls simultaneously ripped off their own right hands, revealing sharp bamboo splints beneath. However, they didn’t attack Shi Shen. Instead, they went hopping and skipping toward Han Shansi’s position.

Shi Shen, who had been bracing for an attack from the Shanxiao and the paper dolls, was momentarily stunned. He reacted quickly, intercepting one of the dolls. He grabbed the wooden stick that formed the doll’s leg and used it as a weapon, swinging it at the others.

Five or six tattered paper dolls were swept aside by his strike, but there were simply too many of them. The remaining dolls bypassed him, thrusting their sharp bamboo hands toward Han Shansi.

From the appearance of the dolls to the attack on Han Shansi, everything happened with lightning speed. Han Shansi, who never expected the dolls to target him, didn’t even have time to dodge before the eerie figures were right in front of him.

Seeing Han Shansi in mortal danger, Shi Shen didn’t hesitate. Even though the Shanxiao was watching him like a hawk nearby, he turned around to help his companion.

Seeing Shi Shen’s back completely exposed, the Shanxiao let out a sinister grin. It lunged forward, raising its sharp claws and aiming a vicious strike at his vulnerable neck.

At this sight, the livestream chat was flooded with “AAAAAAAH” and exclamation marks.

In this moment of crisis, Shi Shen and Han Shansi simultaneously felt an incredibly oppressive aura suddenly blanket the area.

Han Shansi saw clearly that both the Shanxiao attacking Shi Shen and the paper dolls lunging at him stopped dead in their tracks, trembling uncontrollably.

As ordinary humans, Shi Shen and Han Shansi didn’t understand what that aura was, but they knew that the Shanxiao was feeling exactly what they were.

Their minds hadn’t registered the specific danger yet, but their bodies were instinctively screaming a warning.

Shi Shen and Han Shansi felt as if they were frozen in place. They didn’t dare move a muscle; even their breathing slowed to a crawl.

Many animals, when faced with danger, will stay perfectly still to lower their presence and increase their chances of survival. This is hardcoded into DNA – an instinctive reaction to extreme peril.

The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.

Now, that unknown terror was not far away, and it was slowly approaching.

The terrifying, bone-chilling aura grew stronger, like an iceberg that had broken off without warning. It bore down on their small boat with an unstoppable momentum, casting a shadow that blotted out the sun.

The danger radar in Han Shansi’s mind shrieked frantically. He instinctively grabbed the nearest paper doll and held his breath.

Just as he was about to suffocate, Han Shansi saw a soaking wet man appear on the mountain path not far away, walking toward them.

The man was wearing their production team’s staff uniform, and his pale, exquisite face looked somewhat familiar…

He radiated an incredibly terrifying low-pressure aura. The fierce, malevolent energy emanating from him was bone-chilling, giving off the impression of a furious beast whose territory had been encroached upon.

Not only were Shi Shen and Han Shansi frozen with fear, but even the screaming comments scrolling across the livestream abruptly came to a halt.

The man raised a hand to brush away the water droplets dripping from his hair onto his face. A flash of blood-red light seemed to flicker within his eyes, which were filled with cold murderous intent.

He scanned the chaotic scene before him and spat out a few words with utter impatience: “Get out, or die.”

As soon as Xie Sui’s voice fell, all the paper effigies began to tremble. Their bodies, made of bamboo splints and paper, suddenly exploded, turning into a floor covered in bamboo fragments and paper scraps.

The Shanxiao looked bewildered. Its small brain capacity could not comprehend the current situation, nor could it understand why such a terrifying aura was coming from a piece of food.

Therefore, feeling a fatal threat from Xie Sui, it subconsciously took an aggressive stance toward him.

Xie Sui looked at the Shanxiao expressionlessly.

A beast is a beast; it doesn’t understand human speech.

Because that underwater statue had triggered some unpleasant memories just now, Xie Sui was currently in a terrible mood. Dealing with the mess in this village was already annoying enough, and his patience had long since been exhausted. Now, even a lowly Shanxiao dared to jump out and cause trouble… it truly had a death wish.

The Yin Energy leaking from Xie Sui’s body almost condensed into a solid form. The shadow beneath him seemed to come alive, spreading unnaturally across the ground like a black mist rising from the earth. Faintly, within that black shadow, countless terrifying silhouettes of infants seemed to be trying to claw their way out.

Practitioners of martial arts are particularly sensitive to incoming danger. Shi Shen seemed to realize something; grabbing Han Shansi with one hand and the tripod with the other, he began to retreat slowly.

The moment before blood splattered toward the lens, Shi Shen acted quickly and shut down the livestream.

That was close. He almost lost his account.

Shi Shen looked at the Shanxiao, which he had been pummeling like a punching bag for a long time without leaving a single mark. After being wrapped in the shadows at Xie Sui’s feet, it had instantly turned into a heap of flesh and blood. He couldn’t help but take another step back.

He recognized him. This man was the guest performer invited for this episode of the variety show, Xie Sui.

Xie Sui looked at the tripod and camera in Shi Shen’s hands and asked expressionlessly, “The livestream isn’t on, is it?”

“I turned it off in time,” Shi Shen replied decisively.

Xie Sui didn’t even bother to keep up appearances anymore and said casually, “Whatever you saw just now was a hallucination caused by the mountain miasma.”

Shi Shen nodded and subconsciously replied, “Yeah, all hallucinations.”

The feeling of fear lasted only a short time before Shi Shen quickly recovered.

No matter how terrifying Xie Sui felt, and regardless of whether Xie Sui was human or ghost, the indisputable fact was that he had saved them from the monster and the paper effigies. If Xie Sui hadn’t appeared, they would have been dead long ago.

So, why should he be afraid of his savior?

Shi Shen walked up to Xie Sui, pulled a towel out of his hiking backpack, and handed it to him. “Dry your hair, don’t catch a cold. Thank you for saving us. If you ever need anything from me, Shi Shen, just say the word.”

His tone was sincere, and his gaze as he looked at Xie Sui was clear and earnest, devoid of any negative emotions. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, shining on his sweaty, wheat-colored skin after the intense physical exertion. His whole being seemed to glow.

Xie Sui was stunned for a moment, taking the soft, dry towel with a hint of bewilderment.

The uncontrollable murderous intent and the messy emotions in his heart were smoothed over by this single towel.

He completely hadn’t expected Shi Shen to react this way.

Xie Sui knew the saying “those who are not of our kind must have different hearts,” so he had long since grown accustomed to the negative emotions of disgust, fear, and revulsion that ordinary humans displayed when they saw the abnormalities in him.

To blend into the collective, to live as peacefully in this world as an ordinary person, one had to hide their own strangeness. This was a truth Xie Sui had understood since he was a child.

Xie Sui had never seen an ordinary person as… as… open-minded as Shi Shen. Was Shi Shen not afraid of him?

It was normal for Liu Wuyong not to fear him because he was his boss. Moreover, Old Liu had worked under Zhang Dadao for eight years and had some understanding of metaphysics and ghosts.

But Shi Shen was just an ordinary person who had never encountered supernatural things.

Xie Sui looked at Shi Shen. Noticing Xie Sui’s gaze, Shi Shen grinned at him, revealing eight bright white teeth.

Too dazzling.

Xie Sui silently wiped his face with the towel, hiding his expression.

Only then did Han Shansi snap out of it, trembling as he dropped the paper scraps and bamboo splints in his hands.

Han Shansi had been scared witless just now. In his state of extreme terror, he hadn’t even recognized Xie Sui as a guest on their show, nor had he heard what Shi Shen and Xie Sui had just said. He only remembered the firework of flesh and blood that erupted when the monster was enveloped by the shadow.

The color of blood still lingered before his eyes; everything he looked at seemed to be covered by a red filter.

Han Shansi looked worriedly at Shi Shen, who was standing very close to Xie Sui. He wanted to pull Shi Shen back, but he didn’t dare.

He was just an ordinary person, an only child with a mortgage to pay and elderly parents to support. He didn’t have Shi Shen’s courage to risk his life without hesitation for someone he had just met.

Thinking of how Shi Shen had turned back to save him despite the monster’s threat… looking at the heap of flesh on the ground that no longer resembled its original shape, Han Shansi gripped a bamboo splint tightly.

Then, he threw the bamboo splint hard at Xie Sui and roared with a sob in his voice, “Monster! Look over here!!”

After shouting, Han Shansi turned and ran at top speed—only to not look where he was going and slam his head into a tree behind him, knocking himself out cold.

Xie Sui set down the towel. He looked at Shi Shen, who was covered in bamboo shards from standing in front of him, and then at the staff member who had knocked himself out against a tree. His face was a mask of utter confusion.

What kind of act was this? “Waiting for a rabbit to hit a tree¹“? Was that staff member okay, or had he actually been scared witless by a tiny little Shanxiao?

Despite being pelted with bamboo shards, Shi Shen wasn’t angry. He shook out his clothes and stepped quickly to Han Shansi’s side to check his condition.

Fortunately, aside from a large bump on his forehead, there were no other injuries to his head. It would have been dangerous if the back of his head had struck a sharp rock when he collapsed.

Shi Shen packed the tripod and phone into his bag and pulled out a climbing rope. He skillfully hoisted Han Shansi onto his back and used the rope to secure their waists together, preventing Han Shansi from sliding off.

Seeing Shi Shen preparing to head down the mountain, Xie Sui followed, and the three of them returned to the village together.

Their disheveled appearance naturally drew the attention of the other production staff.

First, three people had returned looking like drowned rats, and now another staff member was being carried back unconscious by a celebrity guest, while the other guest was also soaking wet… All six people who had gone out returned in a state of absolute misery. It was hard not to notice.

However, the other staff members only spared them a glance without rushing over to offer sympathies, because everyone was currently swamped with work.

Xiao Wang from the editing team hadn’t even changed out of his wetsuit before he ran back to the editing room clutching his camera. With a face full of excitement, he urged the entire team to cut the teaser trailer. His demands for the teaser were more aggressive than a high-pressure client, nearly driving the entire editing team to gang up and beat him.

The logistics team was busy helping the villagers cook, the props team was rushing to finish their work, and the camera crew was busy reorganizing their groups to call back those filming alone… The two camera operators who had encountered the monster in the water were still shaken. This village was too eerie; they absolutely could not act alone.

Meanwhile, the Producer was leading the entire directing team in a frantic public relations battle.

The Producer, who had been monitoring Shi Shen’s livestream the entire time, was on the verge of tears.

He and the directing team were using every trick in the book, wishing they each had eight hands to reply to the netizens swarming their official social media accounts.

The Producer never imagined that Shi Shen, the guest he considered the most reliable, would have his livestream go so spectacularly off the rails.

First, there was a “murder case” where someone was nearly pushed off a cliff, then a supernatural phenomenon involving a paper man and a living person swapping places, followed by thirty minutes of beating up “wildlife”… Finally, and most fatally, Shi Shen had captured the murderous aura of Xie Sui.

Recalling that final frame of the livestream—Xie Sui’s cold gaze, which looked like someone who had spent ten years gutting fish at a supermarket—the Producer couldn’t help but shudder.

But credit where credit was due, Shi Shen was still reliable; he had cut the livestream just before Xie Sui made his move. Thank god he cut it in time, otherwise, if the cluster of ghosts on Xie Sui’s body had appeared on camera, the Producer really wouldn’t have known how to explain it.

The Law Enforcement Team responding to reports, the Animal Protection Association, onlookers looking for drama, Shi Shen’s fans, Xie Sui’s fans… these people had pushed their variety show’s hashtag straight to the top of the trending searches.

They had the popularity, but they also had the attention of the Inspectorate Bureau.

He didn’t know where the Inspectorate Bureau had gotten the production team’s satellite phone number, but after failing to reach them via mobile, they had called the satellite phone directly to ask what exactly was going on with the livestream.

The Producer used the same eloquence he’d used for his graduation thesis defense to frantically explain that it was all “program effects.” Only after he promised to have Shi Shen call them back did the Law Enforcement Team finally hang up.

When Xie Sui and the others returned to the courtyard, they saw the bloodshot-eyed Producer frantically pounding on his keyboard, leading his hired internet trolls into battle across the web.

Catching a glimpse of Shi Shen and Xie Sui returning, the Producer quickly set aside his keyboard and rushed over to the three of them. “Regarding the guest livestreams from now on…” Let’s just forget it, we won’t broadcast anymore.

Before the Producer could finish, Xie Sui interrupted him: “From now on, can I handle all the production team’s livestreams?”

He would rather be accused of being a “resource player” acting like a big shot and hogging the spotlight than see the staff and celebrity guests get into any more accidents.

The Producer went silent. He stared at Xie Sui for a long time with his dull, exhausted eyes.

Finally, he said decisively, “Yes! Of course! You can do whatever you want! Livestreams are absolutely fine!” As the words left his mouth, the Producer couldn’t hold back, and two lines of hot tears welled up and spilled over.

In the past, they had tried desperately to create a terrifying atmosphere, fearing people would realize the supernatural variety show was fake. Now, they were hiring trolls to talk nonsense on the internet, fearing people would realize their supernatural variety show was real.

Translator’s Notes