Taoist Master, wishing for a sacrifice-based system

Li Hao's voice was loud and his tone aggressive, clearly intended to create conflict in the video.

"I see you've packaged yourself up quite like a mystic online. 'Your wishes always come true' and 'Heaven's retribution'. I'm live-streaming right now, in front of 100,000 viewers, and I'm going to ask you a few questions."

Li Hao's assistant was holding up his phone, and the screen did indeed show a live stream called "[In-Depth Investigation: Exposing the Fake Qingyun Temple]", with a considerable number of viewers.

Qin Du leaned back slightly to avoid the uncomfortable camera view, picked up his teacup and took a sip.

"I don't accept interviews without an appointment. Move the camera further away; you're blocking my sun."

"What? Feeling guilty?" Li Hao immediately raised his voice, excitedly as if he'd been injected with adrenaline. "Are you afraid to face the camera, or afraid I'll expose your scam?"

"You keep saying that wishes are free, but actually you're just using those extremely coincidental social news stories to whitewash yourself, create anxiety, and ultimately induce desperate people to donate huge sums of money to you, right?!"

In Qin Du's live stream, the chat exploded instantly.

[Holy crap, who is this idiot? Why is he jumping on the bandwagon and labeling me?]

Is this guy a reporter or a thug? Doesn't he know any manners?

[The Taoist priest confronted him! He chased him out with a broom!]

Su Nian turned pale with anger and rushed forward to block Li Hao's camera: "This is slander! We have never misappropriated a single penny!"

"Slander?" Li Hao sneered, pointing arrogantly at the stone tablet by the door. "Doesn't it say 'Your wish will be granted' on it? Fine! Since you're so effective, I'll personally test whether you're a true deity or a fake charlatan!"

Li Hao didn't care whether Qin Du agreed or not. He strode to the offering table and grabbed three incense sticks from the drawer.

He took out a lighter and roughly lit the incense.

Then, he turned around, pointed the camera at himself, and included Qin Du and the three statues as a background.

A malicious, triumphant grin spread across Li Hao's face. He deliberately raised his voice to ensure everyone in the live stream could hear him clearly.

This is a perfect logical trap.

"Gentlemen in the live stream! Today I'm going to personally expose this feudal superstition scam!"

"Didn't he say his wishes would come true? Okay!"

Holding the three incense sticks, Li Hao didn't even bow; he stared intently at the one-eyed statue and shouted:

"I make a wish—"

"If this Taoist temple is a fraudulent charlatan, if it's a pile of feudal superstition garbage, then let it collapse on its own tomorrow! Let it turn into ruins!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire main hall fell into a deathly silence.

Li Hao turned to look at Qin Du, his eyes full of provocation.

This wish is extremely malicious.

If the Taoist temple doesn't collapse tomorrow, it means the "wish fulfillment" is a lie, and the myth of Qingyun Temple will be completely shattered.

If the Taoist temple collapses tomorrow, it will prove that the temple is indeed a fraudulent fake, and even God can't stand it anymore.

This is an unsolvable deadlock! No matter the outcome, Qingyun Temple's reputation is doomed!

In Li Hao's live stream, the unsuspecting viewers started spamming the chat with praise, calling his "entrapment" a stroke of genius.

However, just as Li Hao triumphantly inserted the three incense sticks into the incense burner...

"Buzz—"

The air inside the main hall suddenly seemed to sink!

That familiar, heavy, suffocating pressure descended as if it were real. Li Hao was the first to be hit, and his knees buckled, almost causing him to kneel directly in front of the incense burner. But he gritted his teeth and held on, thinking it was just a hallucination caused by being too tired from staying up late the night before.

Qin Du sat in the chair, his gaze slightly narrowed.

He didn't look at the arrogant Li Hao, but instead activated the [Aura Observation Technique].

Under the vision of the Qi Observation Technique, above Li Hao's head, there was not a trace of the gray-white color of an ordinary person, but rather a thick, nauseating blackish-gray aura! That was the bad luck and evil karma formed from long-term fabrication of facts, profiting from human suffering, and a heart filled with extreme malice and scheming!

[Ding—Your wish has been granted.]

[Wisher: Li Hao (in a state of extreme malice)]

[Wish: Determine the authenticity of the Taoist temple; if it is fake, then the temple shall be destroyed.]

[System determination: Qingyun Temple is the legitimate successor to the Heavenly Dao, not a fake. The logical premise of the wish is invalid; wish reversal triggered!]

Qin Du watched as Li Hao was still jumping around in front of the camera, shouting wildly, "Look, he doesn't dare to speak anymore!" and "I've exposed the liar!" His lips twitched slightly involuntarily.

He was not angry.

The way he looked at Li Hao at that moment was as if he were looking at a corpse already lined up in the crematorium furnace.

It was filled with deep pity.

"What are you laughing at?!" Li Hao felt a chill run down his spine from Qin Du's gaze, which was like looking at a dead man, and roared angrily.

Qin Du picked up his teacup and drank the remaining frothy tea in one gulp.

"It's nothing."

Qin Du put down his teacup, his tone gentle and even somewhat kind.

"I just suddenly realized, Mr. Li, this might be the most glorious day of your life."

"Go back and eat something good."

.........

The next day, early in the morning.

The first ray of sunlight pierced through the thin mist in the mountains and landed steadily on the brand-new plaque with gold lettering on a black background at Qingyun Temple.

"call--"

Su Nian stood in the courtyard with a broom in her hand, looking at the intact main hall, the undamaged walls, and even the crooked tree in the courtyard that hadn't lost a single leaf. She let out a long sigh of relief.

Although she knew in her heart that Qin Du had some ability, the vicious wish that the unscrupulous reporter Li Hao made in front of the camera yesterday still made her anxious all night.

"You got up so early just to see if this Taoist temple has collapsed?"

Qin Du yawned as he walked out of the side room, still wearing the faded Taoist robe and carrying an enamel teacup.

"Nonsense!" Su Nian rolled her eyes at him. "There were over 100,000 people watching Li Hao's live stream yesterday! What he said was like putting you on the hot seat. If even a single brick of this Taoist temple were to collapse today, the online criticism would drown you!"

"Don't worry, it won't collapse."

Qin Du leisurely walked up the steps, sat down, took a sip of water, and narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Qingyun Temple is the orthodox temple of Heaven. He, a person full of evil deeds, made a poisonous oath based on the completely invalid premise of 'what if the temple is fake'."

"God is very strict."

Qin Du's lips curled into a meaningful smile.

"Since the premise is not met, the 'collapse' and 'ruins' he requested will naturally not fall on Qingyun Temple."

"But now that the process of Heaven's compensation has been initiated, this terrifying power of causality must find a place to be released."

Su Nian felt a chill run down her spine, her grip on the broom tightening: "You mean... pour it on him?"

Qin Du did not answer, but simply watched the rising sun on the horizon.

Deep within his retina, the progress bar on the system panel was undergoing its final, frantic pounding.

……