FI CH20: An Explicit Livestream

When Lin Su woke up, it was already half past eight.

The room was quiet, with only a small desk lamp lit. There was no sign of the Xuenima.

He sat up, rubbed his temple, and pushed the door open.

“Ni—”

His words stopped abruptly.

Beside the pearwood table in the living room, a middle-aged man with a serious face was hunched over, vigorously working on homework. Standing nearby in a tailcoat, the butler looked as if he were trying to make sense of the world.

Hearing movement, both turned their heads at the same time.

Xuenima’s eyes lit up, ready to proudly show off its results—but when it caught sight of the butler next to it, its expression instantly stiffened. It cleared its throat authoritatively:

“Lin Su, I’ve already finished nearly half the homework. Come check it.”

Lin Su: “…”

Butler: “…”

Lin Su sighed softly, bypassed Xuenima that was still trying to keep a stern face, and walked up to the butler. “Why are you still standing there?” He gestured at the pile of homework.

“You help out too.”

“?”

Xuenima’s eyes sparkled with joy!

The butler’s eyes widened slightly. “Me?”

“I’ve seen all your tricks—petty theft and forgery included. I doubt imitating handwriting is beyond you.”

Leaning lazily against the table, Lin Su said casually, “Come on, get to work.”

The butler gave him a disbelieving look.

But when his gaze fell on the man at the table, he seemed to understand a little more.

Xuenima even scooted over, leaving him half the table. “Go grab a chair yourself.”

The butler stood silently for a few seconds, then dragged a chair over and joined in.

…

After setting them to work, Lin Su went to the sofa in the living room and sat down. A message popped up on his phone.

【Ling】: Are they here?

【Su Wakes Naturally】: Working hard.

Perhaps the phrase “working hard” sounded suspicious—after a few seconds of pause, the other side replied: What exactly are you making them do?

【Su Wakes Naturally】: Sophomore homework.

【Ling】: ……

【Su Wakes Naturally】: What? You want to do some too?

【Ling】: Don’t flatter yourself.

With a tinge of regret, Lin Su put his phone away.

Glancing at the two hunched figures writing furiously at the table, he turned on the TV and found a comedy sketch.

Soon, laughter filled the room.

A few minutes later, a stern voice called out: “Lin Su, you’re disturbing my homework.”

Lin Su turned down the volume a little. “Oh, sorry.”

The butler looked up. “…”

Two working together—the efficiency was frightening.

By midnight, Lin Su yawned softly and stood up.

“That’s enough for today.”

The butler and Xuenima both let out sighs of relief.

The butler looked like his soul had been tortured. He never imagined that all his masterful skills would end up being used for high school homework! But then he thought about his days under He Zhenling—

He’d rather be doing homework.

At least he wasn’t suffering creative punishment anymore.

Just as he was about to get up, Lin Su suddenly spoke: “I’m hungry. I heard you can make Wensi tofu?”

“……”

“I want a bowl.”

Lin Su glanced sideways. Xuenima swallowed, looking eager.

“Ni… my A’ma wants a bowl too. Just make two. If you want some yourself, feel free to make an extra.”

The butler twitched. “…I’m not hungry. Two bowls will do.”

—

After eating and drinking their fill, they slept especially well that night.

The next day was the weekend.

Leaving the butler at home to continue working on homework, Lin Su took Xuenima, now in its A’ma form, and headed out.

As soon as they stepped outside, A’ma turned into a ball of light and entered his consciousness.

【Where are we going today?】

“To buy supplies. Refill the pantry.”

A kilometer away was a small commercial street. Below the mall was a market. It was the weekend, so the place bustled with people.

As Lin Su strolled along picking snacks—

Xuenima perched on his shoulder: 【You don’t think the butler’s going to mess around while we’re gone, do you?】

Lin Su paused. “Who taught you to talk like that?”

【Don’t you always talk this way to He Zhenling?】

“…”

“You remember wrong.” Lin Su smoothly changed the subject. “He wouldn’t dare. Not unless he wants to end up sharing a cell with his former boss.”

Xuenima grunted twice in satisfaction and let the matter go, starting to enthusiastically direct the shopping from his shoulder.

The open-air market bustled with people.

Lin Su was examining some hanging paintings when his gaze suddenly fixed. He saw a tall young man with his backpack unzipped—and behind him, a middle-aged man’s hand was sneaking toward it…

Snap! Lin Su grabbed the man’s wrist.

Startled, the man turned his head.

The young man also turned at the sound. For a moment, the three of them stood frozen in an odd posture, tension thick in the air.

After a second of silence, Lin Su smoothly flipped the man’s wrist. “Just checking the time.”

The middle-aged man: “…”

The young man: “…”

Face flushing with embarrassment, the man yanked his hand free and hurriedly scurried off, cursing under his breath.

Lin Su calmly withdrew his hand.

【Aren’t you going after him? That’s not like you.】

“Lack of evidence—no conviction. Besides, his next pickpocket target is an undercover cop. Let him go.”

【…】

Up close, the young man quickly turned to thank him.

Lin Su noticed that the other was wearing sunglasses, with fine features barely hidden beneath—a good-looking face and a nice voice.

“Thanks, thanks… I was careless.”

As he checked his bag for missing items, something fell out with a plop—a mask.

Lin Su noticed the swift, deft movements—just like Xue Zhibai’s handiwork.

With some admiration, he picked up the mask for him.

It was exquisitely made—a half-mask patterned like a spirit fox, with two cloud-like, wave-shaped ears curling from the sides.

The lower edge of the mask was adorned with a few strands of dangling silver bead curtains.

“So pretty,” Lin Su praised casually and asked, “Where did you buy this?”

The young man smiled shyly. “Ah… I made it myself.”

Regret flashed in Lin Su’s eyes. “I see.”

The young man glanced at him and hesitated before saying, “If you like it, you can have it—as a thank-you gift.” He gave a slightly forlorn smile. “I probably won’t have any use for it anyway.”

“Oh, that’s really too kind of you.”

As Lin Su spoke, he slipped the mask smoothly into his pocket and added solemnly, “It would be rude to refuse such generosity.”

The young man: “…”

Xuenima coldly commented: [Hehe, he practically forced him to accept it with sheer presence.]

Lin Su smiled calmly, ignoring it.

Just as they were about to part, Lin Su gave the young man another glance and suddenly said, “If you release any new creations soon, be careful of the people around you.”

The young man was stunned but still nodded. “Ah… okay.”

Lin Su just smiled and walked away.

A fruitful trip indeed.

As they walked home, Xuenima—now transformed into a muscular “A’ma” form—carried the shopping bags. While walking, Xuenima asked:

[Was that warning you gave him considered a payment?]

Lin Su nodded. “I saw misfortune shadowing him, so I took a look. His chart shows strong Officer and Killing Stars, while his Day Master is weak—he attracts petty people. He’ll face a major calamity within half a year—”

“But there’ll be a noble benefactor to help him, no need to worry.”

Xuenima nodded, then shifted focus: [So tell me, what will we have for lunch?]

Lin Su counted on his fingers, closing his eyes. “For lunch… with the butler’s help, we’ll have dragon beard noodles and braised ribs.”

Xuenima: [0w0]

—

Back home.

After checking the homework, Lin Su sent the butler off to make lunch.

After all, it wasn’t easy for him to come such a long way. Lin Su only let him leave once his usefulness had been thoroughly exhausted.

When the butler left, he looked like he’d been granted a great pardon. His steps were shakier than those of a man who’d seen a ghost in some supernatural video.

Speaking of supernatural videos…

Lin Su glanced at his phone.

As expected, ten minutes ago the class monitor had messaged him:

“The livestream’s started, I’m going to watch it first. [Hehe]
Not trying to tempt you or anything—get back to your homework. I’ll record it for you. [Cool exit]”

Lin Su: “…”

Every word was bait, every sentence a hook.

He replied calmly: “No need, I’ll watch it myself.”

But perhaps they were already recording and had silenced notifications—there was no reply.

Lin Su gave up and opened the livestream.

The computer was set on the desk; Xuenima dropped down beside him. As they clicked in, the stream was already rolling, with real-time comments flooding by:

—Xuncheng locals watching here!

—I heard this guy’s an amazing feng shui master, banishing evil and catching ghosts like it’s nothing.

—Just in time! What’s today’s job?

On screen was a man in his 30s or 40s, with a mole above his brow, dressed in a Taoist robe with a backpack that had a wooden sword sticking out of it.

Lin Su spotted his name from the scrolling comments: Du Fan.

“We’re in a village right now, heading to the client’s house.”

Du Fan spoke while walking, the background showing a few houses, some construction vehicles, and farmland in the distance.

Lin Su felt a strange sense of familiarity.

And then he heard, “This is Sanqingyan Village, right on the border between Xuncheng and Huicheng.”

Xuenima blurted: [Crap!?]

Lin Su gave it a light slap and narrowed his eyes at the screen.

So it was the Huicheng Heavenly Master Association people.

No wonder someone was snatching jobs—turns out they were doing a livestream.

On screen, Du Fan passed a location and gestured, “This used to be the village gate, but they’ve now redirected it to face east. Hmm, not bad.”

The master himself, Lin Su: “…”

Xuenima: [Hehe, ‘not bad,’ he says. Who does he think he is? Should’ve said ‘excellent’ instead.]

At that moment, a comment slid past:

—Master, is there an even better direction to change it to?

Du Fan glanced at the comment and waved it off. “Oh… well, this is enough. You can’t keep changing it once you’ve redirected it.”

Lin Su: “…”

Of course not, idiot. He’d already picked the best arrangement last time—there was no need for another change.

Xuenima coldly: [Look at his fat backpack—bet it’s stuffed full of bullsh*t.]

The comment section was filled with admiration: “Awesome,” “Sounds amazing”—but Lin Su was quickly growing bored and about to exit when the screen suddenly flickered and showed a familiar figure.

A few steps away, Ge Lili was talking with some workers.

He seemed to be inspecting the project, carrying some items. Hearing the commotion, he turned—and locked eyes with the livestreaming Du Fan.

Both men paused.

Ge Lili frowned slightly. “Always putting on airs and tricks.”

Du Fan gave a mocking laugh. “Still better than being ‘down-to-earth’ and useless.”

Their words were sharp-edged and unfriendly—the comments exploded:

—What’s going on? Drama!?

—Who’s that other guy? Someone the master knows?

—Hey, they’ve got the same badge on their collars—are they from the same organization or something?

Maybe the cameraman made a gesture, because Du Fan noticed the comments and spoke up:

“Oh, no no—it’s not like that. To be honest, I’m from the Huicheng Heavenly Masters Association. He’s from the Xuncheng branch.”

“This case came to us because the Xuncheng branch couldn’t handle it, so we stepped in.”

The comments blew up:

—What? Xuncheng’s that useless?

—So the master’s here to clean up their mess? [Laugh-cry]

…

At the computer, Lin Su raised an eyebrow slightly.

Xuenima commented sharply: [“…When he pretends to be impressive, he really doesn’t care about risking his life.”]

Lin Su had clearly said not to interfere, yet he insisted on stepping in.

Compared to the two of them being calm, on screen Ge Lili was already fuming with anger. His expression turned harsh as he snapped:

“If you want to handle this, fine—but leave our Xuncheng branch out of it. We’ve already warned them not to touch things they shouldn’t!”

“So you’re saying they deserve to die, huh?”

Du Fan shook his head and sighed. “At the end of the day, that’s still a life. If you can’t save him, we’ll do it.”

A comment scrolled past: This is what a real master looks like!

Though the two argued, they were still walking in the same direction. Judging by the things Ge Lili was carrying and the fact that they’d come today for an inspection—

They were most likely bringing consolation gifts to the foreman’s family.

Lin Su leaned back in his chair. “There’s going to be a good mess later.”

…

The main event hadn’t even begun yet.

Lin Su wasn’t watching carefully, sipping a cup of tea that Xuenima, transformed into a burly “macho A’ma”, thoughtfully handed him.

He took a sip and glanced at his phone.

Just then, He Zhenling had sent a message on Weixin:

[Ling]: What did you do to the butler?

Lin Su: “?”

The message was sent over ten minutes ago, and when Lin Su didn’t reply, He Zhenling sent another:

“Not answering? Feeling guilty?”

Heh. Lin Su picked up the phone.

Xuenima: [Why are you smiling like that while replying? So gentle and sweet.]

“…Just replying to little He,” Lin Su smiled softly. “Ignore him for a few minutes and he gets lonely.”

Xuenima trembled, clutching the tea cup in horror: [I shouldn’t have said anything. Please stop.]

Lin Su mercifully let it go and texted He Zhenling: “I’m watching a live stream.”

[Ling]: What live stream?

Lin Su turned the screen to Xuenima. “See? He replied fast.”

Xuenima covered its ears, refusing to listen.

[Su Dao Naturally Awakened]: A rather explicit one.

[Ling]: ?

Xuenima: [?]

It glanced at the computer screen—comments flowing wildly—while Ge Lili and Du Fan arrived at the foreman’s house.

The foreman lay weakly in bed, barely breathing. His wife sobbed in grief and anger beside him. Ge Lili comforted her while giving gifts; Du Fan stood off to the side, looking superior and fanning the flames.

The scene was utter chaos. Chickens and dogs flying everywhere.

[…Where’s the explicit part?]

Lin Su glanced at the screen. “There’s a corpse standing at the head of the bed. You tell me—isn’t that ‘explicit’ enough?”

Xuenima: …So it’s the dead man’s bare bones that are showing!

—

On screen, the scene finally settled a little.

The foreman’s wife wiped her tears while Ge Lili, clearly still uneasy, stayed put to keep watch.

Du Fan then took out a bunch of tools.

Wooden sword, talismans, chicken blood, and some ashes of unknown origin. He slapped talismans onto the doorway and beams, saying,

“Relax, I’ve trapped the evil spirit.”

The comment feed exploded:

—Holy crap, what a master!

—A real trap to catch a turtle in a jar!

Xuenima: [Not sure who the turtle is here…]

Lin Su nodded. “…The ghost at the bedhead is watching now.”

Du Fan kept fiddling while Ge Lili frowned. “You’re going to forcefully exorcise it? Breaking the contract one-sidedly—aren’t you afraid the spirit will bear a grudge and become a vengeful ghost?”

“If it becomes a vengeful ghost, I’ll just cut it down.”

“Du Fan, don’t be reckless. Our chairman said there’s still a way to negotiate peacefully…”

“Negotiate with a ghost? You guys are dreaming.”

Du Fan sneered and scattered the ashes, tossing out a talisman. Amazingly, as soon as the talisman touched the ashes, it ignited on its own—

He shouted, pointing at the bedhead. “There it is!”

Xuenima: [Okay… he does know a thing or two.]

Lin Su: “Otherwise, he wouldn’t dare come exorcising like this.”

The comment feed boiled:

—Whoa! It really ignited by itself!

—I used to think those videos were fake. Guess I was wrong.

—Such skill. Impressive.

A few scattered comments with ellipses slid past: Isn’t this just standard Feng Shui master stuff…

Immediately drowned out by “Then let’s see YOU do it!”

Clearly, the rising hype made Du Fan swell with pride. Just as he pulled out a ceremonial banner, the room lights flickered—zzzt…zzztzzzt…!

Suddenly the weak, dying foreman jerked violently.

His feet slammed against the bed frame—BANG! BANG! BANG!

His terrified wife leapt up, about to restrain him. Ge Lili quickly pulled her back—just in time to see the foreman’s limp arm shoot up, swiping forcefully through the air.

Du Fan flinched but sped up his chanting.

Ge Lili turned to lead the wife out but found the door jammed shut. Completely locked.

He tugged on Du Fan’s sleeve. “Stop! If this ghost turns into a vengeful spirit, we’ll all die here!”

But the stream was live—Du Fan couldn’t stop.

“Stopping now would be the real death sentence! The door’s shut—what else can we do?”

Ge Lili froze, momentarily speechless.

The comments poured in, one-sided:

—Yeah! What can you do if you stop?

—Don’t interrupt the master! Xuncheng branch really is useless.

—No wonder they had to clean up this mess…

At the computer, Lin Su sighed. “Ge Lili’s right. Stop first, no matter what.”

Xuenima: [Then what now?]

Lin Su stared at the screen. “…Did he bring any protective talismans?”

[…No clue.]

Meanwhile, Du Fan—seeing Ge Lili falter and the comments back him up—smirked in triumph. “Your Xuncheng branch’s uselessness isn’t my problem. Unless you’ve got something better—show us!”

Ge Lili stood frozen, then gritted his teeth.

He didn’t have any real tools today—only…

After two seconds, he made up his mind. “Fine. I’ll show you.”

Lin Su, watching, felt relieved. “Looks like he has a last resort. He’ll be fine.”

The next second, Ge Lili pulled out—a smartphone.

Lin Su: “?”

A sense of déjà vu surged in him. Before he could think more, his own phone buzzed.

[Incoming call: Ge Lili]

“……”

Below the caller ID, the chat with He Zhenling still read: “?”

Lin Su glanced down and solemnly typed:

“…Looks like I’m about to join an explicit live stream too.”

__

Author’s Note:

Lin Su: You’ll soon see me in an explicit live stream.

He Zhenling: ???

__

Ge Lili: Watch this! I’ve learned a new trick!

__

Feng Shui modification of Sanqingyan Village: see Chapter 9.