I, the number one master of metaphysics, have achieved legendary status in the entertainment industr

While Lu Fan was watching, Ding Xingyou was also watching.

Seeing these,

Ding Xingyou's hands trembled with anger: "Nonsense! It was clearly Xu Haotian himself..."

Ding Xingyou turned his phone screen towards Lu Fan, his brows furrowed tightly: "Look, here we go again. Xu Haotian's fans are acting like madmen, and there are these so-called industry insiders making these 'leaks'..."

Lu Fan was looking at tomorrow's shooting schedule when he heard this. He looked up and glanced at the glaring headlines and vulgar language on the screen.

"Don't worry about it."

"Don't we care?" Ding Xingyou raised his voice slightly. "They say you have bad acting skills, rely on connections, and even brought bad luck to the production crew! How can we ignore that?"

Lu Fan's gaze fell on the script next to Ding Xingyou, and he said, "Director Ding, besides their public image, what do artists ultimately rely on to establish themselves?"

Ding Xingyou was taken aback by his calm tone: "...What?"

"Works." Lu Fan looked at Ding Xingyou. "As long as I'm still in your production team, as long as I don't do anything illegal or criminal, and as long as I'm not blacklisted by the country, I'll have roles to play."

If I have acting opportunities, I'll have the chance to produce work. If I have work, people will watch it. And if they watch it, they'll naturally like it. As long as I do what I'm supposed to do diligently, and you still appreciate me, I won't be afraid of those rumors and gossip.

Ding Xingyou looked at him, and his anger inexplicably subsided by more than half.

She pulled up a chair and sat down, sighing, "You're right. It's just frustrating, even though you didn't do anything wrong."

"In this circle, sometimes right and wrong aren't that important," Lu Fan said confidently. "What's important is whether you have something that no one can take away from you."

He didn't say it explicitly, but Ding Xingyou understood. She was silent for a moment, then nodded: "Okay, I understand. Don't worry about the crew, I'll keep an eye on things, nobody will cause any trouble. Let's film the movie properly."

……

The next day, fans of Lu Fan and Xu Haotian were arguing fiercely online.

Unlike the last time when Lu Fan was attacked online, this time Lu Fan's fans had a backbone and organized themselves in an orderly manner. They fought back against the attacks and controlled the comments while forwarding a large number of clips of Lu Fan's previous stage performances and acting skills, letting the facts speak for themselves.

After getting up, Lu Fan logged into his account and posted a simple status update: "On set, filming. Thank you for your concern, please look forward to my work. [Sun]"

The accompanying photo is a city rooftop in the morning light, taken from a hotel window, with a corner of the script visible in the background.

The moment the post was published, the fans understood immediately.

"Brother, focus on your filming! We're waiting for your new work!"

"I've seen the script! Looking forward to Lu Fan's new role!"

"Stop arguing, let's cheer for newcomer actor Lu Fan! Keep an eye on his work, 'Under the Shadows'!"

The comments section was quickly filled with expressions of anticipation for the new drama, and the tension dissipated considerably.

……

On set, Ding Xingyou called Lao Chen, Xiao Li, and Da Liu aside.

"What happened yesterday," Ding Xingyou said in a low voice, "was not an accident, it was done on purpose."

The three of them changed their expressions.

"Intentionally? Who?" Old Chen's face, which had just recovered a little, turned pale again.

"We're still investigating." Ding Xingyou didn't go into details, "but their goal is very clear: they want to ruin our filming and make it impossible for us to continue."

Xiao Li clenched his fist: "No wonder... I was wondering why it was so eerie!"

Da Liu spat out, "Damn it, you heartless bastard!"

"So," Ding Xingyou looked at them, "I need your cooperation. To the outside world, say that someone played a prank last night, pulled some scary tricks, and that the police have been called. Keep everything else to yourselves, and secretly keep an eye out for any suspicious people or things on set. We have to find out who it is."

Old Chen was the first to nod: "Director Ding, don't worry! I've been in this business for over ten years and I've never suffered such a loss before! I'll definitely be careful!"

Xiao Li and Da Liu solemnly agreed.

……

Lu Fan filmed a few scattered scenes in the morning and was in stable condition.

During the break, a staff member ran over and said, "Teacher Lu, there are two people outside looking for you. They say their surname is Li."

Lu Fan went outside and saw Li Gang supporting an old man standing under the shade of a tree. The old man was about sixty years old, with gray hair, a slightly hunched body, a pale face, and unfocused eyes. He kept muttering to himself, but it was impossible to hear what he was saying.

When Li Gang saw Lu Fan, his eyes immediately reddened, and he helped the old man to kneel down.

Lu Fan reached out to stop him: "Get up and talk."

"Teacher Lu, please save my father!" Li Gang's voice choked with sobs. "He's been like this since yesterday, talking nonsense, not recognizing people, and refusing to eat. I took him to the hospital, but they couldn't find anything wrong. It was that bastard Yun Xuzi who did it! He tampered with my father's body too!"

Lu Fan looked at the old man, his gaze sweeping over him. A very faint black aura shrouded the old man's brow, his soul was unstable, and the three yang flames flickered on the verge of being extinguished. He was indeed under the influence of an evil spell, and it was the kind that slowly eroded and then suddenly exploded.

"Come with me." Lu Fan turned around and led them to a temporarily empty dressing room on the film set.

After closing the door, Li Gang could no longer hold back. He knelt on the ground with a thud and kowtowed twice, saying, "Teacher Lu! I'm so sorry! During the last live broadcast, I was blinded by greed and lied against my conscience. I'm not human! But I had no choice. They threatened me with my father. My father is old and can't take any more trouble!"

He looked up, tears streaming down his face: "I know I have no right to beg you! But my father is innocent! Please save him! From now on, my life, Li Gang's life, is yours! Although I don't have any great skills, I've worked in the propaganda field for a few years and know a lot of people who work in the media and self-media. I can do everything—gathering information, keeping watch! I'll do anything you ask!"

As he spoke, he hurriedly pulled out an old, faded wallet from his pocket, and from the innermost compartment, he shakily took out something wrapped in red cloth.

He carefully unwrapped the red cloth, revealing a dark-colored copper coin with slightly worn edges.

"I found this at an antique market a while ago. It's not worth much. I had someone look at it, and they said that although the coin isn't particularly old, it seems to have been passed down through several skilled masters and received incense offerings..." Li Gang held the copper coin out to Lu Fan. "I really don't have anything valuable on me. If you don't mind, this..."

Lu Fan took the copper coin; it felt slightly heavy in his hand and had a warm, smooth texture.

Indeed, as Li Gang said, this copper coin has been worn or used by at least three orthodox practitioners for a long time. It is a rare "pure object" that can help calm the mind and even nurture ritual implements.

For him, it was more precious than gold.

Lu Fan glanced at Li Gang; the regret and fear in the man's eyes were genuine.

"Get up." Lu Fan put away the copper coins. "Your father was afflicted with 'Soul-Startling Curse,' which isn't too difficult to cure, but if it drags on, his soul will dissipate."