Taoist Master, wishing for a sacrifice-based system

And then for the next three days.

The number of viewers in Qingyun Temple's live stream room increased from 43 to over 200.

The increase wasn't rapid, but it was steady.

The reason is simple—Liu Pangzi's story is just too sensational.

Someone copied the live stream recording, edited it into a short video, and posted it online.

The title is: [He wished for a big order, but ended up losing both money and his reputation. A Taoist priest's words left him speechless.]

The number of views is not high, only a few thousand.

But the comments section was very lively.

The most liked comment is:

"So, did you manage to land a big order or not? — Best after-sales response of the year."

The second highest:

"I suggest renaming this Taoist temple 'Experience Hall of Mutual Benefit and Misfortune'."

Qin Du would occasionally glance at these comments, but he didn't take them too seriously.

He knew that one story about Fatty Liu wasn't enough.

This kind of thing, once is a coincidence, twice is a coincidence, three times—

That's what you call weird.

So he's not in a hurry.

He was waiting for the second person to arrive.

The evening of the fourth day.

The sun was setting, and the faint sound of the evening drum could be heard from the direction of the Great Ci'en Temple.

Qin Du was chatting with more than two hundred people in the live broadcast room.

The topics of conversation were varied—some asked him where he bought his Taoist robe, some asked him if he could tell fortunes, and some asked him if the Taoist temple was haunted.

Qin Du welcomes all comers, and his speaking style remains as irritating as ever.

"Fortune telling? No. I studied marketing."

"This Taoist robe was left to me by my grandfather. It has three patches. Do you want it?"

"It's not haunted. Even ghosts would find this place too shabby."

The live chat was filled with "hahahaha".

Just then—

Footsteps could be heard at the entrance of the Taoist temple.

His pace was completely different from Fatty Liu's hurried and energetic manner.

The footsteps were heavy and slow.

Every step I took on the bluestone slabs felt like I was using all my strength.

Qin Du looked up at the doorway.

A middle-aged man walked in.

He was around forty years old and wearing a dark gray suit.

The suit was wrinkled, as if it had been crumpled up and stuffed in some corner for days.

The tie hung loosely at the collar, and the top two buttons of the shirt were undone.

What's most striking is his face.

It was an expression of someone utterly crushed by something.

He had deep eye bags, red eyes, a pale complexion, and his beard hadn't been shaved for at least two or three days.

He exuded an aura of utter exhaustion—

It's not the kind of tiredness you feel when you're sleepy or exhausted.

It's the kind of feeling that makes even living feel exhausting.

The man stood at the entrance of the Taoist temple, his gaze slowly sweeping over the dilapidated courtyard, the rusty incense burner, and the peeling paint on the statues of deities.

Normally, I wouldn't even glance at a place like this for a second longer.

But today—

His gaze lingered on the stone tablet.

"Three sticks of incense, one wish. Making a wish is free, fulfilling a wish is up to fate."

He stared at that line of text for a long time.

Then, as if he had made a decision, he stepped into the main hall.

Someone in the live stream noticed:

Someone has arrived.

This person doesn't seem to be in a good state.

It feels like I've reached a dead end...

Qin Du got up and went to greet him.

"Sir—"

"Master," the man's voice was hoarse, as if he hadn't had water in a long time, "you... can you really grant wishes?"

Qin Du glanced at him.

It was just that one glance—

A line of text silently popped up in the corner of the system panel.

[Potential wisher detected - Emotional state: Extremely depressed.]

[Note: Making a wish in this state is more likely to trigger a high-level compensation.]

Qin Du's heart tightened slightly.

But he didn't show it on his face.

"Yes," he said. "Three incense sticks for one wish. No money required."

The man remained silent for a few seconds.

Then he slowly nodded.

"...My name is Zhao Wei."

He didn't look into Qin Du's eyes; his gaze was fixed on the incense burner.

"A businessman."

"I did it for twelve years."

Qin Du did not interrupt him.

Zhao Wei's voice was low and calm, as if he were telling someone else's story.

But the knuckles of his clenched fist were white.

"I invested in a project the year before last, putting all my money into it."

"Six months ago, the project fell through. My partner ran away."

"Bank loans, money borrowed from friends, money scraped together by relatives—"

He gave a wry smile.

"It's all gone."

The live stream went silent.

The speed of the comments slowed down.

"How much do you owe?" Qin Du asked.

"More than three million."

When Zhao Wei said this number, his tone was unusually flat.

It's like they've become numb.

My wife took the kids and went back to her parents' house a month ago. She said she didn't want a divorce... but it's pretty much over.

"My friend isn't answering the phone. My relatives treat me like a plague."

"Debt collectors call every day, and the most ruthless one even blocked my door."

He raised his head and looked at Qin Du.

There was an unsettling light in those bloodshot eyes.

"I came today because I saw a video of your Taoist temple online."

"About that taxi driver—I don't know if it's true."

"But I want to give it a try."

He took a deep breath.

"Because I have no other way out."

Qin Du looked at him without saying a word.

The live stream chat messages slowly scrolled by:

This person is so pitiful...

Hopefully, the Taoist priest can help him.

But what was the cost of that big order last time...? Will this one be even more outrageous?

Qin Du handed three incense sticks to Zhao Wei.

Zhao Wei took it, his hands trembling slightly.

He walked up to the incense burner.

ignition.

The flames of the three incense sticks flickered twice on his fingertips before settling down.

The moment the smoke rises—

Qin Du sensed that change again.

It's more obvious than last time.

The air seemed to have become heavier.

It's not a physical heaviness, but rather an indescribable "sense of weight".

It was as if something was watching everything that was happening in the main hall.

Zhao Wei knelt down.

He knelt before the incense table, holding the incense in his hands, his forehead touching the cold ground.

Then he spoke.

His voice was hoarse and trembling—

"Please, Heavenly Master—"

"Make me rich overnight."

His shoulders were shaking.

"I'm willing to give anything."

The instant those words were spoken—

Qin Du's expression changed.

It wasn't an exaggerated change, just something more in his eyes.

A large paragraph of text popped up on the system panel, almost filling the entire corner of his field of vision:

[Ding—Your wish has been granted.]

[Wisher: Zhao Wei]

[Wish details: To become extremely wealthy (no limit on amount, method, or time)]

[Emotional Correction Coefficient: Extreme (High-Intensity Wish Making in a State of Despair)]

[Estimated compensation: Extremely high.]

Qin Du paused for a moment after reading the prompt.

"Willing to give anything" —

These seven words.

In normal circumstances, it might just be an emotional expression.

But within this Taoist temple, beneath the smoke of three incense sticks, under the watchful gaze of Heaven—

These seven words constitute a signed blank check.

You gave me an unlimited credit limit.

How much space the Heavenly Dao will fill in is not something you can decide.

Qin Du opened his mouth, as if to say something.

For example—"Sir, would you like to think about it some more?"

For example—"You could change your wording; don't just say you're willing to do anything."

But then another line popped up on the system panel—

[Note: Wishes cannot be revoked.]

Five words.

Icy.

Qin Du stared at the words and fell silent.

Zhao Wei was still kneeling on the ground, his eyes closed, his forehead pressed against the cold stone floor.

The smoke from three incense sticks swirled around his head.

He didn't know what his words meant.

He was just a middle-aged man with nowhere else to turn, pinning his last hope on three sticks of incense at a dilapidated Taoist temple.

........................

Qin Du couldn't sleep the night Zhao Wei made his wish.

It's not because of anything else.

It's because of the "Heavenly Judgment in Progress" progress bar on the system panel—

We didn't finish walking all night.

The verdict for Fatty Liu was delivered in less than an hour.

This time, Zhao Wei's progress bar was less than a third complete, from 6 pm to 2 am.

It's as if something is repeatedly calculating, weighing, and deducing.

Qin Du lay on the hard bed in the side room, staring at the cracks in the ceiling.

"Estimated compensation: Extremely high."

These four words had been hanging over him in the corner of his vision, like a thorn.

He didn't know what "extremely high" specifically meant.

But a gut feeling told him—

This time, it won't just be a fine and points deduction like what happened to Fatty Liu.

the next day.

Qin Du started his live stream as usual.

The number of viewers in the live stream remained stable at just over two hundred, and the content of the chat was similar to usual—some people asked who the middle-aged man from yesterday was, and others guessed what his wish was this time.

Qin Du did not reveal what wish Zhao Wei made.

He only said one sentence: "The judgment of Heaven is still pending; please wait patiently."

Bullet comments:

It's like a trial.

Even God has to go through procedures, right?

[Last time, that fat guy's wish came true in a day, why is it taking so long this time?]

Qin Du didn't know how to answer.

He could only wait.

Fortunately, things didn't keep him waiting too long.

Zhao Wei's accident occurred the afternoon after he made the wish.

Qin Du was known through the system.

It was 3:41 p.m. that afternoon.

A message suddenly popped up on the system panel.

There are no sound effects or special effects.

A line of text appeared very quietly:

[The judgment of Heaven is complete. The wish is being fulfilled.]

Immediately afterwards—

The compensation has been triggered.

Qin Du's heart skipped a beat.

Then there is nothing.

There was no further information; he wasn't told what happened, where it happened, or how Zhao Wei was doing.

The system is like a cold bulletin board, only concerned with posting notices and not caring how you feel after reading them.

Qin Du tightened his grip on his phone slightly.

He had an impulse—

I want to call Zhao Wei.

But he didn't have Zhao Wei's phone number.

Moreover, he had a vague feeling that even if he fought, it might be too late.

three days later.

Yunzhou First People's Hospital, ICU ward.

Zhao Wei woke up.

To be precise, I was woken up by the pain.

It felt like my whole body had been taken apart and put back together.

He suffered a broken left leg, three broken ribs, a comminuted fracture of his right wrist, and seventeen stitches to his face.

But he survived.

He lay in the hospital bed, still in a daze.

Everything in front of him was white, and the ceiling light was so bright that he couldn't open his eyes.

"woke up?"

A strange voice.

Zhao Wei turned his head and saw a middle-aged man in a suit with a nameplate pinned to his chest—"A Certain Insurance Company, Claims Department."

There was another person standing next to him; judging from his uniform, he looked like a lawyer.

"Hello Mr. Zhao. We are the authorized representatives appointed by the party responsible for the accident."

Zhao Wei's mind was still foggy.

"...What?"

"The accident liability determination has been released," the lawyer said, flipping through a document. "The other party is fully responsible. Running a red light, speeding, failing to slow down at the intersection, plus briefly leaving the scene after the accident—"

"In short, Mr. Zhao."

The insurance company representative took over the conversation, speaking with the utmost professionalism.

"This is the one-time compensation plan proposed by the other party."

He placed a document on Zhao Wei's bedside table.

Zhao Wei turned his head and his gaze fell on the document.

The top line is the title.

Traffic Accident Damage Compensation Agreement.

His gaze moved downwards.

Moved to the most crucial line—

Total compensation: RMB 380 million.

Zhao Wei's eyes froze.

three hundred……

Eight hundred thousand?

He thought he was seeing things.

I watched it again.

3, 800, 000.00 yuan.

Black and white on white paper.

Not a single point off.

He lay in the hospital bed, his body in a cast, his face stitched up, and his mouth tasting of rusty blood.

But his tears—

One drop at a time, it rolled down from the corner of my eye.

It doesn't hurt.

Zhao Wei owed more than three million yuan before the incident.

Three million eight hundred thousand —

It's not just enough to pay off all the debts.

There are still several hundred thousand left.

His lips were trembling.

"I……"

His voice was so hoarse that it was almost inaudible.

"I really... became rich overnight?"

The insurance company representatives and lawyers looked at each other in bewilderment.

They didn't know why the man lying in the ICU with fractures all over his body was crying.

I don't know why he said that.

But Zhao Wei knew that his memory had returned to the time when he went to the Taoist temple.

"I beg the Taoist master to make me rich—I'm willing to give anything."

Heaven heard it.

They also responded.

Three million eight hundred thousand.

The price is—

He was hit by a Porsche that ran a red light, suffering multiple fractures and spending three days in the ICU.

They became incredibly wealthy.

I gave everything.

Not a single one is missing.

Zhao Wei closed his eyes, and tears streamed down the seams on his face.

He didn't know whether to laugh or cry.