Chapter 64: Catching a Turtle in a Jar

After showcasing the gathered human-faced, snake-bodied monsters, Xie Sui didn’t say much else and simply ended the stream.

The demographics of Xie Sui’s stream were incredibly complex. There were gaming fans redirected from Zhao Haotian, forum users who had brought their entire families over from supernatural message boards, fans of Liu Wuyong’s account, beauty-obsessed fans attracted solely by Xie Sui’s face, and entertainment industry gossip-mongers who had jumped over from the trending topics regarding Shi Shen and Wen Yue.

If they had one thing in common, it was that they were all thrill-seekers who loved a good spectacle.

Because of the visually striking conclusion to the broadcast, this group of netizens successfully pushed Xie Sui’s stream onto the trending charts.

Previously, Xie Sui had streamed himself appraising popular supernatural entities; now, any supernatural entity Xie Sui appraised would become popular.

The middle-aged Daoist stared expressionlessly at the tablet on the table.

Xie Sui’s stream had already gone dark, but he didn’t exit. He continued to stare fixedly at the Blue Sea Platform icon in the center of the screen, as if trying to force the broadcast to light up again with the sheer intensity of his gaze.

Standing behind him, the young Daoist didn’t dare make a sound seeing him in this state.

Since they had started following Xie Sui’s channel, they hadn’t missed a single one of his broadcasts.

If Xie Sui’s easy disposal of the zombie controlled by the Old Cat Spirit in the last stream could be explained by the theory that “Xie Sui is a living corpse refined by Liu Wuyong and thus naturally counters rotting corpses,” then Xie Sui’s act of summoning every “Xuanyuan Clan” member in Wuqi Village was completely beyond the capabilities of a living corpse.

They hadn’t seen a single sign of Liu Wuyong in this stream, and they had never heard of a living corpse being able to act so vibrantly once outside the range of its master’s control.

What was most incomprehensible was how this “living corpse” could control those “Xuanyuan Clan” members.

If a living corpse truly possessed such terrifying power, then no matter how troublesome the refining process was, every member of the Wuqi Sect would have one.

There was only one answer… the problem wasn’t Liu Wuyong, but Xie Sui, the person they had never taken seriously.

They had known of Xie Sui’s existence for a long time because there was a lifespan bounty on him within the Wuqi Sect. All bounties within the sect were first offered to high-ranking members like them.

But they hadn’t cared about Xie Sui before for two reasons. First, Xie Sui was just an “ordinary person.” His entire life path from school to work could be traced online; not only did he have many fans, but he also had connections with the Law Enforcement Team. Making someone like that a missing person was a hassle. Second, the amount of lifespan offered by that old man, Taoist Master Xuanxu, was small and of poor quality. The middle-aged Daoist looked down on it; the pathetic bounty wasn’t worth his effort.

Thus, when the middle-aged Daoist received the bounty, he treated it as if he hadn’t seen it, only vaguely remembering the name Xie Sui.

The next time he encountered Xie Sui was during the incident where Liu Wuyong killed Zhang Dadao.

Although Zhang Dadao’s cultivation was mediocre and his status in the sect was low, he was the low-level middleman with the widest network in the sect. He could source many fresh children and internal organs. Many high-ranking members of the sect found the journey to the “farms” too long, so when their needs were small, they bought materials directly from Zhang Dadao.

Zhang Dadao’s ledgers recorded a large number of internal sect transactions. If those people from the Xuanmen were observant enough, they could likely glimpse the sect’s future plans through those bills.

This was why everyone else was so anxious after learning Zhang Dadao had been killed by Liu Wuyong. It wasn’t to avenge Zhang Dadao; they had no sense of camaraderie. They simply wanted to know the list of Xuanmen members who had raided Zhang Dadao, hoping to steal the ledgers back before the righteous sects discovered the Wuqi Sect’s plans.

Yes, steal.

With the Wutong God’s technique of Wutong Transportation, it shouldn’t be difficult to steal things without those righteous sects noticing. They didn’t dare think about killing those Xuanmen members… this was the most critical moment of their layout, and no one would risk alerting the enemy and ruining the Sect Leader’s plans by clashing directly with the righteous sects.

But they hadn’t expected their target to be so different from what they imagined.

They had thought Xie Sui was a decoy pushed forward by Liu Wuyong to draw their attention, but thinking back now, something seemed wrong.

Looking at Xie Sui’s arrogant behavior in the stream just now…

Was it possible that Liu Wuyong had betrayed Zhang Dadao because of Xie Sui’s instigation?

From beginning to end, whether it was killing Zhang Dadao or breaking the Cat Gu to kill Chef Shao, had Xie Sui been the one doing it all while Liu Wuyong was just an unremarkable fence-sitter?

The middle-aged Daoist’s face was extremely grim. The more he thought, the less he could maintain his enigmatic expression.

There was the frustration of being played, the fury of being provoked, and a hint of humiliation turning into rage…

The middle-aged Daoist stood up abruptly and swept his sleeve with force, sending the expensive, brand-new tablet crashing to the floor.

Dammit! He would definitely make that cunning villain Xie Sui pay the price!

Currently, it was unclear what exactly had happened at his senior brother Daoist Xiutian’s base, nor did he know if his senior brother had activated that ultimate move. However, that was their Wuqi Sect’s territory after all; he didn’t believe an outsider like Xie Sui could cause much of a stir.

So what if he controlled the “Xuanyuan Clan”? The Wuqi Sect had more than just that one village of “Xuanyuan Clan” members. If the control couldn’t be broken, then they would simply kill those “Xuanyuan Clan” members along with Xie Sui.

Seeing the middle-aged Daoist’s outburst, the young Daoist standing behind him asked cautiously, “Master, should we go to Martial Uncle’s base to take a look? Something seems to have gone wrong at Wuqi Village…”

The middle-aged Daoist snorted coldly and said crossly, “I’m not blind, I don’t need you to remind me.”

He calmed his anger and turned to look at his disciple. “Go and get your Martial Uncle Xiutian’s life talisman. I want to see his current condition. We must prepare for the worst.”

The young Daoist complied repeatedly and ran quickly to the inner basement. He brought out a long, black brocade box and handed it to the middle-aged Daoist.

The middle-aged Daoist pricked his finger with a needle and then pressed a bead of blood onto the talisman sealing the box.

The talisman ignited without fire. Once the restraint of the spell was gone, the lid of the brocade box popped open automatically.

The Young Daoist instinctively looked down into the box. Upon seeing the talisman inside shredded into paper scraps, his expression changed drastically.

“Master! Senior Uncle… he’s actually dead?! He was torn to pieces, and not even his Three Souls and Seven Po were left behind…” By the end, the Young Daoist’s voice was trembling.

He couldn’t imagine that Daoist Xiutian, who had signed a contract with the Wutong God and controlled the ghosts of an entire stronghold, could actually die.

The Young Daoist suddenly felt a reluctance to go to Wuqi Village. If even Daoist Xiutian could be killed, what use was it for him and his Master to go to that stronghold? Were they just traveling a thousand miles to deliver their own heads on a silver platter?

The Middle-aged Daoist snorted coldly again. “What are you panicking for?”

He reached into the brocade box and brushed aside the paper scraps. Beneath the fragments of Talisman Paper lay a black jade command token. The jade was translucent, roughly the thickness of an adult man’s index finger, with a pointed top and a square base. Carved upon it were four large characters: ‘Golden Mother of the Jade Pool’.

A flash of joy crossed the Middle-aged Daoist’s eyes, but he quickly suppressed it. Gripping the token in his hand, he struck a mournful pose and said coldly, “The device wasn’t activated. Senior Brother was killed by a sneak attack.”

The Young Daoist saw through his Master’s intention to still head for Daoist Xiutian’s stronghold. He gritted his teeth, and despite the risk of angering his Master, he whispered a persuasion. “Master, Senior Uncle has already been harmed. Your cultivation… is on par with Senior Uncle’s, but I’m afraid you might be ambushed just like him.” The Young Daoist, who had almost blurted out ‘your cultivation is inferior to Senior Uncle’s’, corrected himself just in time, nearly biting his tongue.

“How about we report this to the sect first? It just so happens that the sacrifice for the Golden Mother of the Jade Pool is on April 4th. We can go to other strongholds for help and then come back together…”

“Absurd!” The Middle-aged Daoist interrupted him, barking coldly, “How can we report such an embarrassing matter to the sect?”

“Besides, isn’t this perfect timing? The sacrifice is almost here. Once that Xie Sui is dealt with, I will naturally inherit my Senior Brother’s Wuqi Village.” A look of determined ambition flashed across the Middle-aged Daoist’s face. “He and I were fellow disciples of the same sect, practicing the same techniques. It is only right that I take over his power and inherit his status. I’m sure my Senior Brother’s spirit in heaven will be comforted by this.”

The Young Daoist opened his mouth but ultimately didn’t dare to speak up. He only grumbled silently in his heart: Senior Uncle’s Three Souls and Seven Po were torn to shreds; what ‘spirit in heaven’ could possibly be left?

There was no helping it. As a disciple, he could never defy his Master’s orders, especially since they were cold-blooded Evil Cultivators. If he didn’t follow his Master’s wishes, it wouldn’t be as simple as being expelled from the sect, he would likely lose his life.

Despite his extreme reluctance, the Young Daoist followed his Master’s instructions. He went back inside to pack his bags, preparing to rush to Wuqi Village with the Middle-aged Daoist.

**

Inside Wuqi Village.

Shi Shen woke up not long after Xie Sui ended his livestream.

When he saw the monsters with human faces and snake bodies surrounding him, he froze in terror. He felt a sudden urge to slam the back of his head against the wall and knock himself unconscious again.

However, once he spotted Xie Sui among the monsters and realized they were under Xie Sui’s control, Shi Shen’s heart immediately settled.

Seeing Shi Shen awake, Xie Sui led him and the cluster of human-headed, snake-bodied monsters back toward the village.

Along the way, the villagers saw the group of monsters walking with Xie Sui, but their expressions didn’t change at all. They had long since grown accustomed to the Xuanyuan Clan’s human-faced, snake-bodied forms.

Back at the courtyard, to spare the mental state of the ordinary people in the production crew, Xie Sui didn’t have the Xuanyuan Clan enter through the front gate in broad daylight. They could climb over the walls or slide down from the roofs to enter the rooms where the staff were resting anyway.

It was hard on those muscular bodyguards, though. They would likely be scared unconscious once more when they saw those snake-bodied monsters.

Xie Sui swore he didn’t intend to intentionally frighten the poor staff members. It was just that when returning life span, the Xuanyuan Clan had to be face-to-face with the victims… it was unavoidable.

While the snake-bodied monsters were returning the life span, Xie Sui went to the door of the room where the Producer and the directing team were staying.

The Producer and the directors had watched Xie Sui’s entire livestream. Regarding the ‘surprises’ Xie Sui had given them, the Producer could only accept them with a bitter smile. He silently hired internet trolls to suppress any comments unfavorable to Xie Sui, then watched as topics related to Xie Sui’s stream soared, firmly occupying the top spot on the entertainment trending charts.

Before Xie Sui’s stream, he never would have imagined that so many monsters were hidden in this village.

He had originally thought the ghost nest on Xie Sui’s person was exaggerated enough, never expecting Xie Sui to pull out something even more thrilling and dangerous.

The thought of leaving the courtyard tomorrow to film the variety show segments made the Producer’s scalp tingle and his legs go weak.

Fear was winning out over his professional dedication. The Producer even felt an impulse to cancel the variety show altogether.

Seriously, why did he choose this godforsaken place as a filming location in the first place…

A sudden knock at the door made the Producer jump out of his chair.

Realizing his reaction was a bit excessive, he quickly cleared his throat and pretended to be calm as he invited the person outside to enter.

However, upon seeing the figure of the visitor, the Producer fell back into a state of powerless despair.

It was Xie Sui, the source of his nightmares.

The Producer forced a bitter smile and asked cautiously, “Is there something I can help you with?”

“Yes.” Xie Sui nodded. “I have some business this afternoon and would like to take some time off. There are no filming plans for today, right?”

“No, no, none at all. We don’t officially start filming until tomorrow. Please, go ahead and do what you need to do.” The Producer shook his head repeatedly. Even if there had been a filming plan, it could easily be canceled.

“That’s good… By the way, try not to let the staff go out filming alone this afternoon.” Xie Sui added a word of caution. He needed to prepare some ‘gifts’ to welcome the guests who would be arriving at the village soon.

The Producer beat his chest in a confident guarantee. “No problem, you can rest easy! I promise I won’t let them wander off.”

The author has something to say:

Tomorrow’s update will definitely be thick and long, I swear. I’ve been working overtime these past two days and getting home very late, so three thousand words was my limit (soul escaping from mouth).