One divination a day, a trainee celestial master

"Master Wang" was planning tonight's events, which were quite simple. He would go in with his assistant, light some cigarettes, perform a modified version of his Tai Chi swordplay, create some special effects, trick his fans into sending him gifts in the live stream, and finally take the remaining 70,000 yuan from Boss Lin, thus completing his mission perfectly.

"Xiao Liu, grab your gear and come with me!"

Wang Chuanfu called out to those behind him.

Assistant Xiao Liu, a recent college graduate, carried two heavy black backpacks and several carrying poles. He followed Wang Chuanfu with a huff and puff as he swaggered into the villa's courtyard.

Push open the heavy front door of the villa.

"Hiss~~"

As soon as I entered, a chilling aura hit me.

Xiao Liu shivered and tightened his coat. "Brother Fu, why is it so cold in here? Is the air conditioning still on?"

"What's with the cold? It's already autumn, and this villa is on the shady side. Don't make a fuss."

Wang Chuanfu scoffed dismissively and walked to the center of the living room. "Huh, why is the TV on? I'll turn it off."

Wang Chuanfu wanders around, but it's impossible for him to look at feng shui; he will never look at feng shui in his life.

Right now, all he can think about is camera angles and lighting.

"Xiao Liu, stop standing there and get to the formation!" Wang Chuanfu commanded skillfully. "Turn off that big crystal chandelier in the living room. It's too bright and doesn't create any atmosphere."

"Place that RGB fill light from your bag next to the sofa, and set it to a cool tone, preferably a ghostly blue or a pale green, to make it look eerie!"

"Also, hide the remote-controlled smoke machine in the corner of the stairs on the second floor. After I finish reciting the first part of the incantation and swing my sword, immediately press the remote to release the smoke. Don't release too much smoke, just a little bit of that swirling, ethereal mist!"

"Understood, Brother Fu." Xiao Liu quickly set up various live streaming equipment. Multi-camera DSLR, microphone, fill light, everything was ready.

Wang Chuanfu then pulled out a handful of cheap, chemically synthesized incense from his bag. This incense was made by pressing together fragrance and wood chips; although it was pungent, the smoke appeared extremely dense on camera.

He lit it with a lighter and stuck it into an incense burner on the coffee table in the living room. Soon, the originally luxurious living room was filled with acrid smoke, and with the dim blue fill light that Xiao Liu had adjusted, it really did have a sense of the underworld from Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio.

It's exactly 11 o'clock.

"All departments in position, live stream begins!" Xiao Liu gave Wang Chuanfu an "OK" sign from behind the DSLR camera.

Wang Chuanfu instantly got into character, his shrewdness and worldliness vanishing from his face, replaced by a solemn expression of compassion and empathy.

As soon as the live stream started, the number of viewers surged, quickly surpassing 10,000.

Of course, at least half of these were bot accounts created by Wang Chuanfu's studio.

The live chat was instantly flooded with comments from these bots: 【Master Wang is here, all evil will flee!】 【Master's aura is amazing, I can feel it even through the screen!】 【Front row seats, is there going to be a big event tonight?】

"Good evening, everyone.

Wang Chuanfu addressed the camera with a deep and magnetic voice: "I am Wang Chuanfu. Tonight, I have been commissioned by Mr. Lin of Qiyun County for a large sum of money to come to the Jinshuiwan Villa District in the south of the city."

Wang Chuanfu deliberately zoomed out, showing the eerie blue light and swirling smoke in the living room: "This villa is an extremely ominous place. It's said that every night, strange noises occur frequently, and blood flows backward. It has already scared away several groups of fellow practitioners. But since I've taken on this karmic case, tonight, even if it costs me ten years of cultivation, I will act on behalf of Heaven to restore peace to this place!"

This righteous and inspiring opening immediately brought the atmosphere in the live stream to its peak. Various small gifts such as "sports cars" and "beer" began to flood the screen.

Wang Chuanfu was overjoyed as he watched the gift earnings constantly displayed on the secondary screen next to him.

"The atmosphere's warmed up enough, it's time for the talent show."

Wang Chuanfu drew the hidden peach wood sword with a backhand motion, his face darkening as he shouted, "Demon, reveal yourself at once!"

After saying that, he stood in the center of the living room and began to walk around in a pretentious manner, using a set of "Lingbo Weibu" steps that he had secretly learned when he was an extra in Hengdian.

He was chanting, "Laozi, may your command be swiftly granted! The net of heaven and earth has no place to hide!"

He brandished the peach wood sword with exaggerated and forceful movements, the wide sleeves of his Taoist robe fluttering in the air.

However, just as Wang Chuanfu was halfway through a sword routine, preparing to press the switch on the hilt of his sword to unleash a burst of fire and create a climax...

The temperature inside the villa suddenly plummeted without warning!

If the air was just slightly cool in autumn when I entered, now the air in the entire living room feels as if all the heat has been sucked away in an instant, turning it into an ice cellar.

Wang Chuanfu felt a sudden, bone-chilling coldness rise up his spine, and even his breath turned into white mist.

The hand holding the peach wood sword stiffened involuntarily for a moment.

Just then, under the dim blue light, a blurry, almost transparent white shadow, like a tattered rag, drifted past Wang Chuanfu's head.

Immediately afterwards, from the silent, dark corner of the second-floor staircase, a woman's laughter, ethereal yet tinged with resentment and chilling coldness, suddenly echoed:

"Heh...hehe..."

The laughter wasn't loud, but it was extremely penetrating, as if it were echoing against one's eardrums, reverberating back and forth in the empty villa.

The chat in the live stream paused for three seconds, and then exploded like a volcanic eruption!

[Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap!!! Did I just hear a woman laughing?!] [Mom, help! I can't look! That sound is so damn creepy!]

[Is the person in front a plant? That's definitely sound effects added by the master's team themselves, right?] [Bullshit! Didn't you see that white shadow float above the master's head just now? That's not a physical trajectory that special effects could create!] [Streamer, quickly turn on the living room lights! Pan the camera upstairs!]

The screen was instantly flooded with comments expressing doubt, fear, and amusement.

Wang Chuanfu, standing in the center of the living room, was startled by the sudden laughter and the white shadow overhead, which made his heart skip a beat.

But his extremely strong "actor's self-cultivation" and "money-making instinct" allowed him to firmly maintain his footing.

"Don't panic, everyone!" Far from being afraid, Wang Chuanfu shouted excitedly at the camera, determined to show off, "Look, everyone, the demon has finally appeared! This humble Taoist priest will take it down!"

After delivering this line, Wang Chuanfu turned around and swung his sword, his back to the camera.

He lowered his head, discreetly pressed the miniature walkie-talkie hidden in the collar of his Taoist robe, and lowered his voice, his tone full of admiration:

"Hey Liu, you're pretty good, kid. That's some new technology. Is it AI-assisted?"

"The holographic projection of the white shadows today, and the surround sound effects on the second floor, were so incredibly realistic! I was almost fooled!"

Wang Chuanfu proudly promised into the headset, "This live stream was a huge hit! I'll give you a bonus after I finish work tonight!"

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the headset.

Then, a chattering sound was heard.

Xiao Liu's voice was choked with sobs, as if she couldn't even speak properly, and it trembled as it came out of the miniature earpiece:

"Fu...Brother Fu..."

"I...I haven't plugged in the power cord yet..."

"Those devices... they're all still turned off..."

Wang Chuanfu: "???"