FI CH21: Face-to-Face Ultimate Move

After replying to the message, Lin Su tapped to answer the call.

Immediately, Ge Lili’s anxious voice came through the receiver: “Master…! Help! I’m right now—”

At the same time, the screen showed Ge Lili holding his phone reverently in both hands.

Lin Su paused for a second. “No need to say it, I know.”

His voice came out through the speaker and echoed on the livestream, slightly distorted, but still youthful and clear.

The barrage of comments scrolled by, full of question marks:

—Master?
—Who’s this? His voice sounds so young?
—Can he handle this? Hope he doesn’t mess things up…

But Ge Lili’s spirit instantly lifted. “As expected of you, Master, you see right through it!” He asked eagerly, “So… what should we do now?”

“Stop everything. Don’t continue what you’re doing.”

Lin Su glanced at the objects visible on the screen inside the room. “Get some grains—rice, wheat, whatever—wash them, and each of you drink a bowl of the water. Feed some to the foreman, too. The yin energy in the room is too heavy; you need to raise the yang energy.”

“Then cut out two little paper dolls from red paper and burn them by the bedside.”

As he spoke, Ge Lili was already moving.

Du Fan’s actions were interrupted, his face turning ugly. He reached out to stop him, but Ge Lili smacked his hand away with a sharp smack! Brimming with confidence now, Ge Lili turned his head and sneered:

“Didn’t you say if I could do it, I should? So step aside.”

“…” Du Fan stiffly stepped back.

The rice water was quickly prepared.

Ge Lili held the foreman and fed him carefully. After the first bowl went down, the man who’d been convulsing nonstop actually calmed down, his breathing gradually growing even.

The foreman’s wife was overjoyed and quickly went to cut the red paper dolls.

The chat exploded with astonishment:

—I’m shocked???
—Is this actually working??

Seeing the situation stabilize, Lin Su turned off the livestream and stood up. “The ghost is here for his life. As long as it hasn’t turned into a vengeful spirit, it’s not your turn to die yet.”

“Don’t touch anything else before I arrive. You’ll be safe.”

He hung up and got ready to leave.

Xuenima was already holding his Taoist ID and coat for him. Lin Su put on his tassel earrings to suppress his power, lifted the black robe over his shoulders, and paused at the door.

…Right, the livestream was still running.

He turned back and glanced at the delicate mask he’d just retrieved.

His long fingers picked up the translucent, finely crafted mask.

“Nima, would wearing this be too flashy?”

Xuenima floated closer: [No way, you were born to make a grand entrance like this!]

“…”

Lin Su put on the mask and left.

He hailed a cab.

On the way, he checked his phone. He’d quickly received a reply from He Zhenling:

[Ling]: …Where are you?

[Su Wakes Naturally]: On the road to your heart.

[Ling]: Hah. I’ll be waiting.

Lin Su stared blankly for two seconds, then quietly turned off the screen.

Xuenima: […I feel like if you don’t “reach his heart,” this line will turn into “you just wait.”]

Lin Su gazed lightly out the window. “His heart’s road is so winding. How can you blame me for not arriving yet?”

[…Hoh hoh.]

—

It took half an hour to get there.

Lin Su got out of the car and headed straight for the foreman’s house.

At the door, a few curious villagers were gathering. When he appeared, all eyes turned to him.

“Who’s this now?”

“Another feng shui master, maybe…”

A villager glanced at his outfit and muttered, “This door won’t open—real bad luck, this one.”

Lin Su stood before the door and swept his gaze over it.

The door was shrouded in dark energy, and the talismans pasted inside had turned half black.

He shook his head. “Can’t open it? Then I’ll just kick it down.”

And with that—BANG!—the door burst open.

Everyone around him stood stunned, unable to react.

Inside the house, people jumped in fright.

Even the ghost inside gave a startled shriek.

Lin Su stepped inside and shut the door behind him, scanning the room. It was small; the foreman lay pale as paper in bed, his wife stood beside Ge Lili.

Du Fan stood on the other side with another feng shui master filming behind him.

The camera had a little screen, and the barrage of comments scrolled across it, reflecting the chatroom in real time.

Lin Su turned slightly, his sharp eyes glancing at the screen—the chat fell strangely silent for two seconds.

Then it erupted again:

—Wait… is this a paranormal stream or an idol audition?
—He’s controlling my screen presence right now, I swear.
—Even with a mask, he looks young…
—Uh… is this for show? Why bring in a pretty boy?
—Guess the Xuncheng branch really ran out of people lol.

Ge Lili ignored the stream and nearly ran to him, eyes glistening. “You’re finally here!!”

“What? This is the person you called?”

Du Fan snapped back to himself, eyeing Lin Su. “This isn’t some debut show, kid.”

Lin Su shook his head. “Just because I was born this handsome doesn’t mean you can ignore my professional skills.”

Du Fan choked immediately.

Ge Lili was now bursting with confidence. He sneered at Du Fan. “Tell me—did anyone get hurt on our side? And that door—you could open it?”

Du Fan froze, stiffening again.

The comments flowed:

—That’s true. He did solve things over the phone just now.
—Let’s wait and see…

…

Lin Su paid no attention to the livestream or its comments.

His eyes turned to the ghost.

The ghost hadn’t moved since Lin Su had kicked the door open. Sensing the divine power on him, the ghost cowered in the corner, looking awkward.

Xuenima: […Am I imagining it, or does that ghost wanna greet you?]

Lin Su: No idea. Probably an iGhost.

As they stared at each other, Du Fan suddenly spoke:

“You brought backup. Fine—I won’t interfere.”

Facing the camera with fake magnanimity, Du Fan said, “But we’ll each handle this our way. May the best man win.”

Lin Su pulled his gaze back, looked at him for two seconds, then casually stepped aside, giving him the floor.

“Please—begin your performance.”

Du Fan: “…”

He failed to look magnanimous, only like an actor. But since they were still live, he had to swallow his anger, turning to tear down the talismans he’d put up earlier.

Lin Su didn’t stop him this time.

The talisman had already been half-corroded by ghostly energy and was on the verge of backfiring. It was indeed time to tear it down.

With Ge Lili at his side, arms crossed, Lin Su stood watching like a detached shopkeeper. As Du Fan huffed and puffed to rip the talisman off, about to burn it, Lin Su suddenly spoke, his tone mild.

“Soak it in water.”

Du Fan paused, holding onto his pride. “You… what do you know? Different sects, different ways. You’ve just seen less than me.”

“……”

Xuenima: […Does he even know how long you’ve been alive? You’ve crossed more bridges than he’s walked roads. You’ve seen more ghosts than he’s met people. You’ve told more bad jokes than he’s—]

“I haven’t told that many.”

Leaning lazily against the counter, Lin Su said calmly, “Suit yourself.”

So Du Fan went ahead and set the talisman on fire.

Flames licked up—and in the next second, the room cracked with a sharp, splitting bang! Twisted ghostly energy surged and shot straight for Du Fan’s fingertips. With a cry of surprise, he flung the talisman away—

“Ah!” His fingers were already burned, chilled to the bone.

Ge Lili couldn’t help but let out a crisp “Pfft~”.

Du Fan’s face turned purple with suppressed fury.

In the thick silence that followed, the stream of bullet comments flowed slowly onscreen.

Seeing the awkwardness building, Lin Su timely broke the tension. “I may have ‘fixed’ the village gate well enough, but your ritual skills are… mediocre at best.”

Du Fan snapped his head up, eyes wide.

“…It was you who altered the gate!?”

The sluggish bullet comments stalled—then exploded:

—Holy crap, he changed the village gate?!

—Right in his face!!

—Help, I’m dying from secondhand embarrassment for Master Du [looks up and weeps]

Behind his mask, Lin Su gave the slightest smile.

—

The room sank into an even longer, heavier silence.

Bullet comments kept flooding by.

Across the room, the cameraman gestured urgently towards the screen, his expression grim.

Du Fan started to look rattled, anxiety creeping in.

Xuenima clung to the screen, giving live updates: [Lin Su, they’re all saying Master Du isn’t great at this.]

[They’re wondering if he just pretended to be impressive and failed miserably.]

[Ah! And loads of comments are calling you ‘hubby’—so blunt, these days.]

Lin Su: “……”

He sighed. This era had evolved in ways that felt strange to him.

But he didn’t dwell on it for long. Up front, Du Fan had moved to his next trick.

Out came a bagua mirror, which he hung by the window.

Du Fan straightened up and faced the camera smoothly. “Actually, I’d anticipated something like this before coming, so I prepared two plans. If I can’t trap it, I’ll drive it out…”

As he spoke, Lin Su gave him a quiet, meaningful look. “I’d advise against that.”

Du Fan frowned. “I told you, we work separately.” He flicked a glance at the bullet comments, then turned back. “Stay out of it.”

Xuenima: […But the ghost is watching you, though.]

Ge Lili leaned towards Lin Su and whispered, “Will this cause trouble? Should we stop him?”

“Let him be.”

No one else stopped him. Only the foreman’s wife stared nervously.

Outside, the sky dimmed without anyone noticing. The light faded.

Du Fan finished setting up the bagua mirror and fiddled some more.

Just as he drew his peachwood sword and smeared it with chicken blood, a cold wind swept in—

Thud—a dull sound.

Everyone saw Du Fan suddenly slammed to the ground as if by an invisible force, clutching at his throat, choking, gasping—“Hkkk…ghk!”

The peachwood sword clattered to the floor. His hands clawed desperately at his neck, raking deep red marks into his skin as his face turned an alarming shade of red. The foreman’s wife let out a scream. The cameraman rushed over.

“Master Du! Master Du!”

The mirror crashed to the floor. Chaos erupted.

The camera, still rolling, caught everything. Bullet comments swept like a tidal wave across the screen. And then—a slender figure stepped into the frame.

Lin Su, holding a bamboo brush, tapped gently in the air.

A soft thud echoed—as if striking bone. The sound was perfectly caught by the camera mic.

In that instant, the grip choking Du Fan loosened.

Color flooded back into Du Fan’s face. He rolled over, gasping hoarsely. The cameraman crouched by him, asking something. Du Fan waved him off weakly.

Having just danced at death’s door, he was too shaken to care about the livestream anymore.

Lin Su tucked the brush away, standing calmly aside.

I did warn him not to.

Xuenima, disdainful: [See? Had to learn the hard way.]

…

After that, the foreman’s wife was visibly terrified.

No more stubborn insistence on harsh measures—she turned pleadingly to Lin Su. “Master… can it still be saved?”

“Don’t ask me.” Lin Su pointed. “Ask him.”

Everyone turned to follow his gesture—towards Du Fan, who had just struggled to his feet. Du Fan looked startled, then pointed to himself. “Me?”

The foreman’s wife also looked at him hopefully.

Lin Su: “The one behind you.”

Du Fan shuddered and instinctively leapt two meters away.

The foreman’s wife: “……”

Lin Su had no more patience for this farce.

He asked directly, “Where’s the payment for its life?”

The foreman’s wife nervously tugged at her sleeve and pointed at a cupboard. “We sold some things… the rest is there.”

Silence filled the room.

Ge Lili’s face darkened. “You dared sell the dead’s belongings?”

The foreman’s wife hung her head, ashamed. “He… he was confused by greed.”

“Forget it. We’re live anyway. Post a notice—call for the buyers to return everything.” Lin Su turned slightly towards the camera and flatly recited, “To those who bought the dead’s belongings—please return them immediately.”

Everyone: “……”

Ge Lili glanced over but wisely held her tongue.

The foreman’s wife anxiously asked, “Master, will returning them solve it?”

Lin Su paused and looked into the air. Under everyone’s astonished gaze, he spoke.

“If I give your life-payment back… will you accept it?”

Silence.

Then the ghost shifted, rubbing the spot Lin Su had tapped, casting him a resentful, aggrieved look from its hollow sockets.

Lin Su sighed softly. “Let’s get the things back first.”

The foreman’s wife nodded hurriedly. “And after that, who do we contact?”

“I won’t meddle further. I came only to save lives.” Lin Su gestured between Ge Lili and Du Fan. “Him. Or him. Your choice.”

He turned to leave.

“Wait!” Du Fan suddenly called out. His gaze was complicated. “You… what exactly are you?”

“Don’t ask.” Lin Su turned slightly, shaking his head. “I’m tired of explaining the same line twice.”

“?”

Xuenima: [Maybe because you also have…]

Before it could finish, golden light flashed before them.

Lin Su casually pulled out a Taoist Master’s certificate—the brilliant gold edge gleamed, stunning both Du Fan and the others into silence.

“…Gold!?”

At the same time, bullet comments exploded:

—Gold!!!

—FYI, a gold-bordered Taoist certificate means high-level association privilege!

—WTF???

—Shock! Turns out he’s the real boss here!

…

Lin Su calmly put the certificate away and turned to go.

—

“Sir…!”

Ge Lili ignored the others and trotted after him. “Thank you again, sir! You knew I was in trouble—you’re practically a prophet!”

Lin Su paused. “…No. I was watching the livestream.”

Ge Lili: “……”

He gaped. “You watch livestreams too?! Aren’t you supposed to be busy with… secret files or something?”

“That’s He’s job.”

“You left it to President He?!”

His voice cracked in amazement as they reached the door.

Just as Lin Su opened it, he instinctively looked up—and met someone standing two meters outside.

He Zhenling leaned against the wall, arms folded, high collar tight at his neck, crane-feather coat draped over his shoulders.

Their eyes met.

Lin Su: “?”

The two stood on opposite sides of the door, silently facing each other.

Inside the room, Du Fan heard movement and poked his head out: “President He? Who’s that? Isn’t the branch president of Xuncheng Meng Yuanping?”

He leaned out to take a better look at He Zhenling, and was stunned for a moment. His gaze swept over the badge on the man’s collar, and he froze—

“…Supervision Association!”

At the sound of his voice, He Zhenling glanced at him coldly.

Du Fan immediately shrank back, silent as a quail.

Lin Su paused for a moment, then walked over. “What brings the inspector here?”

He Zhenling’s tone carried meaning. “You seemed lost. I came out to guide you back.”

“……”

Lin Su grew serious. “Life isn’t only about the destination—there’s scenery to admire along the way.”

“Heh…” He Zhenling’s voice lightly drifted. “Like picking up a stray ghost in the middle of a blatantly suggestive livestream?”

Lin Su pressed his lips together. “Don’t say such improper things.”

A soft chuckle fell beside him.

After a brief pause, He Zhenling’s voice sounded again. “Even if you hadn’t come, I’d have come myself.”

Lin Su nodded. “After all, they’ve been dancing on the edge of violation—as if the seas were boundless and the skies limitless.”

“…” He Zhenling said flatly, “Our bottom line isn’t quite that generous.” Seeing Lin Su seemed ready to discuss this further, he promptly shifted the topic.

“Where did you get the mask?”

“Oh, a thank-you gift.”

Lin Su placed a hand on the mask and turned slightly. His slender fingers rested on the translucent half-mask, its silver tassels brushing his cheek. “How is it? Looks good, doesn’t it?”

He Zhenling’s gaze lingered for a few seconds before he silently looked away.

Suddenly, Lin Su’s phone vibrated.

Without waiting for an answer, Lin Su took out his phone. A message popped up:

[Chen You]: Holy crap! Lin Su!

“……”

Lin Su: Holy crap! Class rep!

He’d almost forgotten that pesky guy! His heart skipped a beat—just as he was about to make up an excuse, another message arrived.

[Chen You]: You HAVE to watch the stream recording! Some insanely awesome guy looks a LOT like you! [shocked emoji]

[Chen You]:

Lin Su, “……”

After a moment, he sighed and replied with a simple “Okay,” putting the phone away.

He Zhenling asked, “What’s wrong?”

Lin Su lightly shook his head. “The people around me always get blinded by my dazzling appearance… unable to see the nobility of my soul beneath it.”

A long, wordless look was his reply.

—

It was about mealtime.

Lin Su looked at the dimming sky. “I’m hungry. Want to grab dinner together?”

A quiet voice beside him answered, “Sure.”

They exited the village gate. A familiar black sedan was parked outside. The window rolled down, and Lin Su called out, “Hi, Old Zhang.”

Kong Fu gave his usual gentle smile. “Hello.”

The two got into the car. He Zhenling gave an address.

The sedan glided smoothly down the road toward its destination.

Lin Su leaned on the window. “Where are we going?”

“My heart’s door.”

“…” He turned. “That was suggestive.”

Kong Fu, in front, continued driving with his serene smile.

Before long, the car stopped.

Lin Su stepped out to see a quiet, elegant restaurant. Even outside, the aroma was inviting.

He praised, “Your heart’s door smells amazing.”

He Zhenling led him inside, reminding, “Watch your step, so you don’t trip over my heart’s door.”

Lin Su, “……”

He calmly followed. “Wouldn’t that mean I’ve stumbled right into your heart?”

“Heh.”

The waiter leading them tried hard to keep a straight face.

They entered a private room.

He Zhenling sat down and handed over the menu. “You order.”

Lin Su accepted without hesitation, ordering two dishes before returning it. “You pick the rest.”

While the other man browsed the menu, Lin Su pulled out his phone. The video Chen You sent had finished downloading—with live chat comments included.

He played it; sound filled the quiet room.

Across the table, He Zhenling glanced up. “What are you watching?”

By then, the waiter had already taken the menu and left.

Lin Su dragged the progress bar. “My scandalous little video.” He raised the phone to show him. “Want to watch together?”

“……”

The video kept playing.

He Zhenling’s eyes flicked to the screen, brows lifting slightly.

Lin Su, with his back to the screen, didn’t see what caught his attention. Curious, he scooted over to watch together.

Just as he sat down—”BANG!”

There he was, kicking the door open.

Lin Su, “……”

The camera angle perfectly caught him from the side: half his face visible, mask tassels dangling, gleaming faint blue against his lips.

The moment he glanced at the camera—his gaze faintly lifted at the corner—chat comments should’ve exploded.

Lin Su scrolled, muttering, “Huh? Where’s my close-up spam? Did Class Rep’s internet lag?”

He Zhenling glanced at him.

Even Xuenima leaned in: [Maybe they all got stunned by your beauty.]

Just then, the comments appeared:

—So pretty…
—Casting idol vibes…
—Is this a face reveal teaser?…

Lin Su put his phone down in relief. “See? Told you—they can only see my surface beauty.”

He Zhenling watched the few comments that popped up later:

—Actually showed some skill.
—Wait, this guy’s legit…?

He commented softly, “Some glimpsed a fragment of your soul, too.”

“……”

Lin Su wasn’t focused; he’d lived this scene already. While the video played on, the waiter brought two dishes. Lin Su casually started eating.

He noticed He Zhenling hadn’t touched his food. “Not eating?”

He Zhenling crossed his arms. “It’s at the good part.”

Lin Su, “?”

He leaned in—and saw the clip where he’d told Du Fan to soak the talisman in water.

The comments flew wildly:

—Of course you burn it! Fire purifies!
—Standing aside doing nothing but giving orders…
—Du’s right, this guy’s too young, knows nothing…

—WTF!?

With Du Fan’s scream of pain, the entire chat turned to question marks: ???????

Before anyone online could react, they heard Lin Su’s mild, irritatingly calm voice.

“Though the village gate turned out ‘acceptable,’ your ritual skills are… pretty average.”

Bullet Chat: …………!!??

And then the whole chat exploded.

—He changed the village gate!?
—Wait, he’s OP???
—Du Fan failed big time… guess this was showing off gone wrong…

Lin Su, used to this, watched a few lines, then turned back to his food.

A quiet, cool voice suddenly broke the moment, the tail rising slightly: “Wife?”

__

Author’s Note:
Lin Su: …Huh??

Turns out the real boss move came from Xiao He. (serious)