Taoist Master, wishing for a sacrifice-based system

"What about the 100,000 yuan?" Xiao Li seized on the key point and asked sternly, "Someone filed a formal complaint against a worshipper named Zhao Wei, alleging that he paid 100,000 yuan to you! How do you explain this? Isn't this a massive extortion scheme?"

Qin Du turned to Su Nian and said, "Sister Nian, bring out the donation agreement that Brother Zhao signed that day and the donation video for the two leaders to see."

Su Nian immediately took out her phone and pulled up a video from a few days ago.

In the video, Zhao Wei, with a cast on his arm, slams an envelope full of 100,000 yuan in cash onto the altar with a look of gratitude, even a hint of coercion.

"If you don't accept it, then you're looking down on me, Zhao Wei!"

"This 100,000 yuan is my way of fulfilling a vow! I'm donating it to the Taoist temple for renovations!"

The video has finished playing.

Old Wang and Little Li looked at each other in bewilderment.

What is this?

Pilgrims chased after the Taoist priests, pressuring them to accept money! The priests even signed a voluntary donation agreement for the temple's renovation! Not only that, the temple's exterior walls were indeed repainted, and the plaques were replaced. The whereabouts of the money are clear and fully comply with the regulations for religious sites to accept voluntary donations.

Old Wang was not giving up, so he went into the main hall again and looked around.

There were no QR codes, no encouraging slogans on the donation boxes, and even the three statues of gods exuded a simple sense of "being so poor that all they have left is faith".

Old Wang sighed inwardly.

This isn't fraud; it's charity! The Da Ci'en Temple next door sells a single incense stick for a whopping 88,000 yuan, but here they even cover the cost of three sticks themselves.

After half an hour of careful verification.

Old Wang closed his notebook, his expression much more relaxed than when he first arrived.

"Mr. Qin, your accounts and operating methods here do not appear to be illegal or irregular at present." Old Wang's tone became more polite.

"You've worked hard, boss. How about having a cup of tea before you go? But I only have high-quality tea leaves that cost twenty yuan a pound." Qin Du smiled.

"No need for tea." Old Wang waved his hand, glanced at Qin Du, hesitated for a moment, then lowered his voice and said in a personal tone, "Young man, I know you may feel wronged. But there's an old saying, 'The tallest tree in the forest catches the most wind.' You're too popular online right now, too much attention, there's pressure from above, and many people are watching you."

"In the future, try to control the impact during live broadcasts and don't deliberately exaggerate those coincidences, understand? Keep a low profile and pay close attention. This is what the higher-ups want to say."

Qin Du nodded: "Understood. Thank you for the reminder, Brother Wang. I will definitely abide by the law and believe in science."

Old Wang's lips twitched. He glanced at the banner on the wall that read "Always responsive to requests, Heaven bears witness," said nothing more, and turned to leave with Xiao Li.

Watching the law enforcement vehicle disappear at the end of the dirt road, Su Nian let out a long sigh of relief and patted her chest.

"That scared me to death! I thought Qingyun Temple was going to be shut down today." Su Nian turned to Qin Du. "You weren't worried at all just now?"

Qin Du did not answer immediately.

He stood with his hands behind his back, quietly looking at the brand-new gold plaque above the door.

The sunlight shining on it was dazzling.

He wasn't flustered because he knew where his bottom line was. Although the system was outrageous, it never asked him to actively amass wealth.

However, Old Wang's last words were like a needle piercing his mind.

There's pressure from above. Many people are watching you.

Qin Du's eyes gradually deepened.

He suddenly realized a very real problem.

This is a society that values ​​social circles and interpersonal relationships. When you are weak, no one will pay attention to you; when you suddenly become popular and unknowingly encroach on someone else's (Da Ci'en Temple's) interests, trouble will automatically come knocking.

Today, the Culture and Tourism Bureau came; they enforced the law impartially and presented evidence.

What about tomorrow? Will someone use even more despicable and direct methods to get him?

Relying solely on passive defenses like "free of charge and without any weaknesses" is insufficient. Similarly, simply doing good deeds and adhering to the principles of cause and effect in live streams is also inadequate.

They wanted to earn incense money peacefully in this place and promote the Qingyun Temple.

He not only needs to "defend" but also "stand firm"!

There must be a force powerful enough to make those who are envious wary, or a strong moat that can provide shelter from the wind and rain.

"What's wrong?" Su Nian asked, waving her hand in front of his eyes when he didn't speak.

Qin Du snapped out of his daze, chuckled softly, and a sharpness in his eyes like never before appeared.

"fine."

"I just feel that since God has assigned me this job, the incense offerings of my Qingyun Temple must not be cut off by those trespassing letters from those villains."

……

The next morning, Qingyun Temple started broadcasting on time.

Having experienced yesterday's "surprise inspection" by the Culture and Tourism Bureau, Qin Du appeared even more composed. He remained seated in the old, worn-out armchair in the main hall, sipping cheap, high-foam tea while watching the rapidly scrolling comments on his phone screen.

[Master, you got up early today! Did you eat braised eggs?]

[I heard officials checked the water meter yesterday? Master, are you alright?]

[Hahaha, I knew those bald monks would get restless! The Great Ci'en Temple next door is definitely getting angry!]

[Healer, Master! We are with you! I'll buy a train ticket to Yunzhou tomorrow to offer incense for you!]

The number of viewers in the live stream has stabilized at around 20,000, which is definitely the size of a mid-sized internet celebrity.

Just as Qin Du was about to exchange a few words with the comments section, a series of extremely arrogant footsteps came from outside the Taoist temple.

"Is this the place? Set up the camera, widen the aperture, and capture the eerie atmosphere of this crappy place."

A slightly shrill male voice came in, carrying a kind of arrogant professional air.

Qin Du raised his head.

A man and a woman strode into the courtyard. The man, around thirty years old, wore a photographer's vest with many pockets, a name tag around his neck, and carried an action camera with a microphone, snapping photos indiscriminately. The woman followed behind, carrying a slightly larger video camera.

Su Nian was sweeping the yard when she saw this and immediately stopped them.

"Hey, what are you doing? Who gave you permission to take pictures like this?"

"Reporter. Normal interview." The man walked past Su Nian without any politeness, flashed his press pass, but quickly put it away, not giving her a chance to see it clearly.

His name is Li Hao, and he is the chief writer for a local self-media news account in Yunzhou that started by skirting the edge of legality and creating confrontational sentiments.

In the news industry, Li Hao has a terrible reputation and is nicknamed "the professional blood-sucking manipulator." His specialty is taking things out of context, driving good people crazy, and whitewashing bad people. As long as there is traffic, he will even sell his own bottom line.

The news that the Culture and Tourism Bureau had gone to Qingyun Temple yesterday but found nothing wrong had spread within the circle. Li Hao keenly sensed something fishy.

The authorities can't prosecute you based on evidence, but as a self-media creator, I can easily label you as "faking it all to make money" and embarrass you on camera. That would definitely be a super hit with millions of views!

Moreover, before Li Hao arrived, he received an anonymous transfer of 50,000 yuan via WeChat. The sender only said one sentence: "Make that Taoist temple utterly disgraced."

He would naturally want to do something that brings both fame and fortune.

Li Hao strode to the entrance of the main hall and shoved the camera directly into Qin Du's face, so close that it almost touched Qin Du's nose.

"Are you Qin Du, the one who calls himself a Taoist master online?"