FI CH23: Ding! You have a ▇Scratch-off Ticket▇

“There’s such a good thing!?”

White Impermanence’s excited voice came through. “There are quite a few of those. We have several in our department… Can we all go together?”

Lin Su said gently, “Let’s all go together. The more people… ghosts, the merrier.”

White Impermanence let out a cheer and hung up the WeChat call.

“…”

Xuenima praised: [You even planned such an entertainment program.]

“When everyone is happy, that’s true happiness.”

Lin Su smiled selflessly, placed his phone back in front of him, and started watching the live stream.

…

In the video, the candles were taken out again.

Cui Zhen held a piece of candle, looking like a master. The flame was burning brightly. Du Fan said at the side:
“Everyone, look. This is Master Cui’s Samadhi fire.”

“When one’s spiritual power is strong, the true fire is vigorous. It cannot be extinguished by water, nor moved by wind. Demons and ghosts cannot…”

The next second, the candle flame flickered violently.

Before anyone could react, the piece of candle in Cui Zhen’s hand was extinguished with a “swoosh.”

Barrage: ?

Cui Zhen froze for a moment. Immediately after, the row of candles in front of him went out one after another with a series of “swoosh,” “swoosh,” “swoosh” sounds!

The flames flickered as if they were scrambling to be the first to go out.

At the same time, a wave of yin energy swept in.

Cui Zhen was so startled he jumped to his feet! It happened so suddenly that he couldn’t even control his expression and even collided with Du Fan, who had also leaped up.

A muffled “thump.” The latter was knocked against the edge of the table. “Hiss… Ouch!”

The props on the table crashed to the ground with a “clatter.”

The entire scene was chaotic and disheveled.

In front of the screen, Xuenima excitedly extended its paw: [Watch me go down there and mock them!]

Lin Su, “Why go to so much trouble? Look.”

He tilted his chin, and the barrage was filled with: “………”

In the long silence, one comment floated by:
—Uh. Master, are you okay? Your Samadhi fire… went out.

…

Unlike the silent barrage section, the scene was in chaos. In the dim night, yin winds blew in gusts, as if something was dancing around them.

Lin Su glanced over and saw more than a dozen ghosts singing and dancing around, their ghostly figures shadowy and numerous. A white figure was even vaguely mixed in among them.

His eyelid twitched.

…This is not good. How did White Impermanence get mixed in too?

In the scene of revelry, White Impermanence was so happy his tongue fell out, hopping around. “Ah! I love parties the most!”

A few sharp-eyed ghosts even started picking out the scattered props and candles:
“Hey? Is this my birthday present!”
“I like this white candle~”
“No male ghost can refuse a straight bamboo stick! Here comes the little flying stick! Hehehehe…”

Lin Su, “…”

The joys and sorrows of humans and ghosts are not interconnected.

Cui Zhen had never been surrounded by so many ghosts in his life. The yin energy entered his body, and his face turned pale.

He glanced around, his teeth chattering.

Most of the props on the scene were for show; he hadn’t prepared many real ghost-exorcising tools.

He could only grab a peach wood sword and wave it around.

The barrage had been silent since his “true fire” went out while he was still there.

Now, it was slowly coming back to life:
—What’s going on? Did they run into a ghost?
—Didn’t he just tap the bamboo stick a few times and already drive the ghosts away? [question]
—Don’t tell me he was pretending to summon a ghost and ended up summoning a real one…

Du Fan had also been hiding to the side since just now.

Now, only Cui Zhen was left fighting alone on camera.

Cui Zhen waved the peach wood sword for a while to no avail. The yin energy, on the contrary, was getting heavier. He paused, then suddenly took out a few emergency talismans from his pocket and threw them out:
“Blazing fire, burn the demonic aura, the righteous path is bright, come quickly as the law commands—”

A few steps away, White Impermanence turned his head: ?

Then his brow furrowed, and the long chain in his hand flew out with a smack!

“Ugh!”

It slapped Cui Zhen across the face, making him turn so hard he almost hit the camera.

The Tianshi certificate on his chest flashed gold in front of the camera, highlighting the long, dark purple mark on his face.

The barrage flowed like water:
—WTF, did he just get slapped in the face by a ghost?
—This is Huicheng’s “privileged-level” Tianshi… His authority really needs to be reconsidered.
—I feel like this isn’t as real as the Sanqingyan one at all. Both the “true fire” and the “exorcism” failed.
—He was just dissing the other guy a moment ago.
—In comparison, my wife has much more substance, right! [heart eyes]

…

In front of the screen, Xuenima made a happy sound: [Hehehe… it really is a skit, hehehehe…]

Lin Su poked the screen, liking the barrage comments.

“I told you. When everyone is happy, that’s true happiness.”

Perhaps the scene was too out of control. Before he could poke a few more times, the screen suddenly went black. The other side had ended the stream.

Lin Su regretfully withdrew his hand.

Xuenima pawed at him: [Will anything happen to Zhen-jian… Fan-noying?]

“No, with White Impermanence there, they know their limits.”

Less than ten minutes after he said that, a message from White Impermanence indeed came.

[White]: Tonight was a blast! Everyone says thank you. If there’s another event like this, remember to call me again~ [playful tongue-out emoji]

“…”

Lin Su replied generously: Definitely.

A good night’s sleep.

The next day, Lin Su went to school for classes.

The third period in the morning was physical education.

A group of people were preparing to assemble on the sports field. Lin Su stood in the back row, right next to the class monitor.

Chen You whispered conspiratorially, “Did you watch the live stream last night? It was a total disaster.”

Lin Su said, “I watched a little.”

Chen You, “Then did you see Master Cui get hit by a ghost later? That scene was really like running into evil. I feel like it’s because he was pretending to be mysterious and playing with ghosts that he attracted a real one.”

Lin Su was silent for two seconds. “Probably, something like that.”

Xuenima perfected it: [He was pretending to be mysterious and playing with ghosts, annoyed you, and that’s why he attracted a ghost.]

Chen You, “But, they have another live stream later.”

“?”

“You still remember Sanqingyan, right?”

He leaned closer and whispered, “They found the buyer who bought the ‘life-buying money’ from the dead ghost. They’re going to exorcise the evil for them. I’m planning to watch again.”

Lin Su glanced sideways. “Monitor, didn’t you say they were pretending to be mysterious and playing with ghosts?”

Chen You grinned. “Aiya, I’m curious, what if it was just a mistake? And I mainly want to see if I can catch another glimpse of that masked master—”

“The one who looks a lot like you.”

The real Lin Su: …

He nodded after a long moment. “Good luck with that.”

…

The two didn’t chat for long before gym class started.

Lin Su finished the warm-up exercises with the group.

Ever since he took sick leave last time, the head teacher had exempted him from strenuous exercise.

Now that the warm-up was done, he planned to return to the classroom.

Xuenima: [Aren’t you going to experience the youth of running freely under the sun?]

Lin Su said calmly, “I’ll only experience a body full of sweat.”

It was class time now.

The hallways were empty. He was just turning into a corridor when he saw a figure coming down from the staircase ahead.

He paused his steps.

The figure in front also stopped.

He Zhenling, in a formal suit, turned his head and saw him. He raised a hand to lightly tug at his collar, then turned and walked over.

The tall figure crossed the corridor and arrived in front of him in a few steps.

The space at the top of the stairs suddenly felt a bit cramped.

Lin Su leaned against the staircase railing and said with surprise, “Why is the Inspector here at school today?”

He Zhenling, “There’s a board meeting on Thursday.”

Lin Su nodded. “You’re so busy.”

A meaningful glance was cast his way. “Not as busy as your friend.”

Lin Su blinked slowly. Hmm?

“White Impermanence.”

“…”

Lin Su gently brushed over the matter of White Impermanence crashing a party during work hours and changed the subject. “You watch live streams too?”

He Zhenling, “Supervisory work.”

Lin Su, “Is that so? I thought you were looking for something in the barrage comments.”

A cold laugh came from in front of him. “Looking for what?”

Lin Su’s lips had just parted when they closed again.

He looked over sensitively. “Don’t try to trick me into saying those two indecent words.”

“…”

He Zhenling’s temple twitched. He looked at him and slowly curled his lip. “You’re overthinking.”

Lin Su shook his head. “Maybe.”

“Hehe.”

They were still at school, so the indecent topic was not discussed in depth.

Lin Su put on a serious face. “They have another live stream later.”

He Zhenling glanced at him. “Mm.”

“They’re doing so many live streams. Are they preparing to get into the e-commerce game?”

“…It’s convenient for taking clients.”

Xuenima floated out at the right time: [A ritual is very expensive nowadays. There are also various types of talismans, scrolls, and consecrated objects. The more famous they are, the higher the fee.]

Lin Su raised an eyebrow. “And this isn’t against the rules?”

He Zhenling, “There is no clear indication that the clients they receive are a result of the live streams. As long as there is no fraudulent behavior in the commission, it is not considered a violation.”

That was true.

Lin Su wasn’t interested in the Huicheng Association’s affairs, as long as they didn’t provoke him again—

“Next time they live stream, help me keep an eye on it.”

He Zhenling, “Keep an eye on whether they’re dissing you?”

Lin Su said shyly, “Keep an eye on the barrage comments that praise me, and like them.”

There were two seconds of silence.

Then, as if letting out a soft laugh, He Zhenling leaned against the wall, a half-smile on his face. “Including the ones calling you ‘wi—'”

“Director He—”

A round head suddenly popped out from the bottom of the staircase. The dean of students looked at the two people above, his words stopping short. ?

In the silence as the three looked at each other, He Zhenling moved his lips, his expression calm. “Call me teacher.”

Lin Su, “…”

The Huicheng Association’s live stream was two days later.

Lin Su wasn’t interested and didn’t watch.

He was watching a skit after dinner when he received a message from the class monitor.

[Chen You]: The live stream is over. The exorcism was quite successful. [shocked hand-eating emoji]
[Chen You]: Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see the master. [tears]

Lin Su: “…”

He replied with another “Good luck,” then turned off his phone. “I guess they managed to salvage some of their reputation.”

Xuenima looked down its nose: [A mere exorcism. So full of themselves.]

“They are people from the Tianshi Association, after all. They can still handle ordinary exorcisms.”

An unwilling sound came from his side: [Heh~]

Lin Su rubbed it again and sighed softly, “I wonder if Xiao He found the comments praising me and liked them.”

As soon as he mentioned He Zhenling, a jolt went through his palm.
[Last time, you actually called him “teacher” in broad daylight!]

Lin Su, “…”

Lin Su commented, “Just listening to that sentence, there is no problem with it at all.”

Xuenima choked, then said numbly: [But combined with the persona, scene, and atmosphere, it feels like a big deal.]

Especially since He Zhenling also…

A hand covered its eyes. “…You’re feeling things wrong.”

…

No one caused any extra trouble.

A few peaceful days passed like this when Ge Lili’s call suddenly came. “Sir!”

The agitated volume came through the receiver.

Lin Su glanced at the butler scribbling furiously on the other side. “Keep it down. Someone’s doing homework at home.”

“?” A question mark gently floated up.

But Ge Lili quickly ignored it and got straight to the point. “The Sanqingyan matter is resolved.”

Lin Su paused. “…How was it resolved?”

“I don’t know. It was resolved by the Huicheng side.”

Ge Lili said, “Last time, you said you wouldn’t intervene in this matter and told the foreman’s family to find me or Du Fan. Probably because their last exorcism was successful and salvaged some of their reputation, plus Cui Zhen is a privileged-level Feng Shui master… In the end, they were the ones who took the case.”

Lin Su was silent for a moment. “Did any accidents happen?”

“It seems… there really weren’t any. The life-buying money was returned, the foreman returned to normal, and the family is full of gratitude, wanting to send a silk banner to the Huicheng branch.”

“And I heard that the Huicheng branch plans to use this incident as a model for publicity and will hold a special commendation meeting next week.”

After he finished, there was no response. “…Sir?”

Lin Su shook his head. “It’s nothing. I know.”

Ge Lili, “I’m worried they’ll use it to diss us again.”

Lin Su comforted him, “Don’t worry. That’s a certainty.”

Ge Lili, “…”

A whimper came from the other side, and the call was hung up.

Just as he hung up, the butler stood up with a swoosh. “Homework is done. Do you want Wensi Tofu or Dragon’s Beard Noodles today?”

Come on, he had practiced them all!

Lin Su turned his head. “Pagoda Meat.”

“…”

The butler’s voice couldn’t help but crack a little. “It’s late at night, and you… you want to eat Pagoda Meat!?”

Lin Su and the Alpaca both nodded. “Go quickly.”

…

Dinner was finished after midnight.

Lin Su let out a small yawn, washed up, and went to bed.

The lights in the room were turned off, and the clear moonlight fell into the room through the window. On the wooden-framed bed, a serene profile sank into the pillow. His shoulders rose and fell slowly with his gradually steadying breath.

In the dead silence, a sudden ding! was heard.

The phone screen on the bedside table lit up.

Lin Su’s eyelashes moved, and he opened his eyes from a light sleep. He picked up his phone and saw:

You have a new order.

[Client: ▇ Qiu]
[Identity: Unknown, resides in ▇▇ Sanqingyan, ▇▇▇]
[Status: Unaccepted]

Lin Su, “…” Who?

__

Author’s note:
Lin Su: Who is playing a scratch-off ticket with me (picking at it…