Taoist Master, wishing for a sacrifice-based system

Qin Du learned about Zhang Lei's accident from the news the following morning.

Local news, just a short one—

At 11:52 PM last night, a single-vehicle traffic accident occurred on Chaoyang Road in Yunzhou City. The driver, Zhang (male, 22 years old), was driving an unlicensed motorcycle while intoxicated and crashed into a lamppost. A blood alcohol test revealed a blood alcohol content of 189 mg/100ml, constituting severe drunk driving.

Further investigation revealed that Zhang had multiple criminal records, including two fights, one theft, and—

[A 2023 attempted burglary case, which was previously not prosecuted due to insufficient evidence, has now been reopened.]

Qin Du put down his phone.

Rubbed his eyebrows.

He knew what would happen next.

Drunk driving is punishable by one to six months of detention.

In addition, an old case was brought to light, involving an attempted burglary, even if it was an attempt—

Three years minimum.

Adding to that the accumulated criminal record and the aggravating circumstances of drunk driving—

Ten years to build a foundation.

If the court sentences him severely—

fifteen years.

fifteen years.

Meals and accommodation included.

iron rice bowl.

State control.

Not a single one is missing.

-

This news item itself didn't generate much traffic.

There are too many drunk driving accidents in Yunzhou every day. A petty thug crashed into a lamppost, and even the local news only gave it less than two hundred words.

But when someone matched Zhang Lei's name with the video clip from the Qingyun Temple livestream three days prior—

Everything is different now.

The first person to discover this was a long-time viewer in the live stream.

He saw Zhang Lei's name in the screen recording—"Zhang Lei".

I saw it in the news again—"Zhang, male, 22 years old".

The age matches.

The timeline matches.

He tentatively sent a comment in Qin Du's live stream:

[Did something happen to the person who wished for a secure job?]

Then another person followed:

I just checked the local news. Last night, there was a drunk driver named Zhang on Chaoyang Road. He's 22 years old, the same age as that blond guy who came to the Taoist temple the other day.

Then the third person:

[Holy crap, I found a screenshot from the live stream recording! Zhang Lei was wearing the same floral shirt that day, and there was a blurry image of a floral shirt at the accident scene in the news—it's the same one!!!]

The live stream chat exploded instantly.

It's not the kind of "small explosion" with a few hundred bullet comments like before.

Instead, the number of online users skyrocketed from 1,200 to 5,000, 8,000, and 12,000.

It's still rising.

The barrage of comments was so fast that it was impossible to read the individual messages; all you could see was a blur of white text scrolling by rapidly.

Amidst the chaos, several comments were repeatedly flooded the screen and rose to the top—

[A secure job is now a reality.]

[Includes meals and accommodation, 15-year package, government reimbursement.]

[Heaven's Will: I've reviewed your resume. The most suitable position for you is here. Please report to the prison immediately.]

[Job Offer: Cell No. 3, Yunzhou City Second Detention Center. Position: Inmate. Benefits: Three meals a day provided, free accommodation, stable employment, no overtime required. Contract Term: Fifteen years.]

[This is hilarious, yet not quite. Did nobody tell this person before they made their wish??]

[Was it even worth saying? The viewers in the chat already guessed that he doesn't even watch the livestream!!!]

This Taoist temple is too eerie... It's happened three times already, and all three wishes I made have come true, and the methods they've all used are "technically sound but actually deadly"...

I'm starting to believe it now. Not in a superstitious, feudal way, but... I don't know how to describe it, it's just that this can't be explained as a coincidence.

Three coincidences. The same Taoist temple. The same Taoist master. 100% literal fulfillment of wishes. You're telling me this is just a coincidence???

Qin Du sat in the main hall, looking at the comments, but didn't reply to a single one.

He just sat quietly.

On the phone screen in front of me, comments scrolled by like a blizzard.

A while later.

He spoke his first words of the day.

The sound was very soft.

It was so quiet that only a few people in the very front row of the live stream could hear it clearly.

"I've really got a secure job."

"only--"

"The food in the bowl wasn't what he wanted."

The barrage of comments exploded once again.

But Qin Du no longer watches it.

He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

On the system panel, the information was quietly updating:

[Ding—Your wish has been granted.]

[Wisher: Zhang Lei]

[Desired outcome: To obtain a stable, lifelong job with "free meals and lodging" - serving 15 years in prison, including three meals and lodging]

[Heaven's retribution: Drunk driving accident (minor injury), old case reopened (attempted burglary), combined sentence of 15 years]

[Evaluation: Wish fulfillment rate 100%. Compensation level - High.]

[Gained Incense Points: +35]

Current incense offering value: 100

One hundred.

A new notification popped up on the panel:

[Incense offering value reaches 100 - New feature unlocked: Qi Observation.]

[Aura Observation Technique: One can observe the color of the aura above the head of the person making the wish to determine their good or bad fortune.]

Qin Du opened his eyes.

I stared at those words and remained silent for a few seconds.

The art of observing qi.

You can see a person's fortune.

That is to say-

From now on, he will be able to roughly judge a person's "true nature" before they even make a wish.

Good person or bad person.

Good luck or bad luck.

Should we stop them or let them go?

He glanced outside the door.

The afternoon sun shone in the yard, casting long shadows from the crooked tree.

"One hundred points."

He was talking to himself.

"I've unlocked the first truly useful thing."

Then he stood up, walked to the incense burner, and cleaned up the incense ash left over from yesterday.

When you touch the edge of the incense burner with your finger, the bronze wall feels slightly hot.

I don't know if it's from the sun or something else.

Zhang Lei's incident has brought "Qingyun Temple" into the public eye.

It's not the kind of "small-scale discussion" that goes viral.

It's the kind of thing that goes viral—if you search for the word "make a wish" on any social media platform, the first suggested result is "Qingyun Temple."

I made three wishes.

It came true three times.

The cost of each wish falls precisely on the wisher himself.

Each implementation is impeccable in its "literal meaning".

One such coincidence is just that.

Both times were coincidences.

three times--

People started using another word.

"Strange."

It's not meant to be derogatory.

It was a feeling of awe and bewilderment, one that defies description.

Strange.

-

When Su Nian arrived at Qingyun Temple, it was three o'clock in the afternoon.

There was no prior announcement or live stream.

She came alone, wearing a simple white T-shirt and jeans, carrying a backpack, and her hair was casually tied in a ponytail.

It was completely different from the "battle mode" when I last came to interview them.

Qin Du was watering the crooked tree in the yard.

The water used is algae-infused water from a stone tank.

He heard footsteps, turned around, and saw Su Nian.

"Yo."

"here we go again."

Su Nian didn't hold up her phone and take pictures of him like she did last time.

She stood at the doorway, watching him water the plants.

There was a few seconds of silence.

Then he said something completely different from the style he used last time—

"I have verified Zhang Lei's matter."