Chapter 111

The farce finally ended. When the old man was taken away by the ambulance, the entrepreneurs also staggered off, bidding their farewells.

However, their arrival wasn’t without its benefits.

At least, by giving them face and allowing them to enter the community as visitors, the Ke family was quite happy.

The Ke family's villa district wasn’t in a particularly hard-to-purchase area, and the people living there weren’t necessarily wealthy. In everyday interactions, there was no way that so many entrepreneurs would come to socialize with them.

Yet now, thanks to the Ke family's reputation, they were associating with big shots they never even dared to dream about.

After hearing about what happened that day, the other young residents of the community went home to warn their elders not to speak recklessly, or they might end up like those fools, inadvertently offending the god of wealth of their own companies.

Although the entrepreneurs who came to the Ke family that day were all in good spirits and no follow-up news of anyone being targeted circulated, the families who spoke ill of the Shaoyao Sect were visibly having a tough time lately.

On the other hand, those who had connections with the big shots, even if they didn’t close any deals directly, had received other forms of benefits.

Looking at it this way, the Shaoyao Sect placing the incense burner in their villa district wasn’t a bad thing at all—it was a huge blessing!

The families who benefited from it voluntarily came to offer incense in return. Over time, the residents of the entire villa district started to spread the word that the Ke family’s incense burner was particularly effective, and anyone who prayed there had prospered.

Additionally, news of the Shaoyao Sect's earlier assistance to the Southwest Taoist Association in eliminating evil cults and saving many innocent people reached the capital, and the residents began to change their attitudes toward this seemingly strange family. Even Mr. Xiao, after being discharged from the hospital, came to the Ke family every day to check in and offer incense.

Everyone sincerely believed that the Ke family’s incense burner was great, and naturally, no one reported them to the fire department.

A few days later, when Ke Zhengye returned, unable to stand the hotel any longer and looking like a panda from his insomnia, he was greeted by a lively scene in his home, with residents of the entire villa district lined up to offer incense.

Among them, the elderly people who had caused trouble initially, after witnessing Ke Xingzhou’s miraculous recovery, genuinely believed that the youngest son of the Ke family could heal people, and they came more frequently than anyone else.

On this day, as Ke Zhengye passed by the incense burner, he heard an old man mumbling to the incense burner, hoping it would help him remove his hemorrhoids that had been bothering him for many years.

Ke Zhengye: "…………"

He couldn’t help but roll his eyes, inwardly scoffing at such naive old men. How could this be possible?

Not to mention that there are no gods in this world who can grant people’s wishes, even if there were, they certainly couldn’t cure hemorrhoids!

He turned away in disdain and then noticed that his eldest son, Ke Chenyi, had returned at some point.

Ke Chenyi no longer had the previous timid and weak demeanor. He glanced at his father coldly, not even bothering to greet him with a "Dad." Instead, he picked up his phone and dialed a number.

Not long after, the old man’s son and daughter-in-law rushed over, anxiously saying, “Dad! Why didn’t you say anything about your hemorrhoids? Xiao Mei and I have been making you those high-oil, spicy dishes every day… Come on, let’s go to the hospital now and get them removed.”

Ke Zhengye: "…………"Jiang Wanru had just returned from her trip, in a great mood as she walked in with bags of all sizes, only to see her husband and son standing at the door.

She greeted her son with a big smile, then turned to see the huge dark circles under Ke Zhengye’s eyes. She paused for a moment.

Then, in high spirits, she raised her phone. “Look, darling, our son’s Shaoyao Sect has received a certificate! It’s from the underworld, a cooperation certificate, and it’s the only one in the world with this qualification!”

She opened the video posted on the Shaoyao Sect's official page and held it up to Ke Zhengye. The words "Cooperative Unit of the Underworld" flashed across the top of the certificate, deeply stinging Ke Zhengye's eyes.

“…Stop it.” Ke Zhengye’s chest was heaving violently, and he looked like he was about to faint. “I’m angry.”

After staying at home for just a couple of days, Ke Xingzhou suddenly received a call from Assistant Liu, saying it was time to prepare for the Taoist ceremony.

The Taoist ceremony organized by the Beijing Taoist Association had been scheduled for a while. Previously, Ke Xingzhou had mentioned that Daoist Qian from the Changsheng Temple didn’t quite like him and might not invite him, but the next day, Daoist Qian personally contacted Assistant Liu.

— Most of Shaoyao Sect's external affairs were handled by Zhu Chu, but when it came to more formal organizations and events, the contact details left were always for Assistant Liu.

After Ke Xingzhou and the others returned from their trip, Changsheng Temple contacted Assistant Liu again, saying the location of the ceremony had changed.

Assistant Liu: “It seems one of the believers from Changsheng Temple ran into some issues, and the Daoist there couldn’t solve it alone. Since it’s not too far from Beijing, they plan to have everyone attending the ceremony join forces to figure it out.”

Since it was the Changsheng Temple organizing the ceremony, they naturally decided where it would be held.

Ke Xingzhou was just going to meet someone, so after thinking for a moment, he nodded and let Assistant Liu reply to them.

However, he didn’t expect the notice to come so late, with the change of location announced on the same day, and the assembly time set for the evening.

They said it was not far from Beijing, but because it was in the mountains, the journey wasn’t short. After several hours of winding roads, it was completely dark by the time Ke Xingzhou and the others arrived at the meeting point.

Other Taoist temples had obviously received the news earlier, and by the time Ke Xingzhou arrived, the parking lot outside the accommodation was already filled with cars from various places.

Ke Xingzhou was extremely carsick, and when he got out of the car, it felt like the world was spinning. He almost couldn’t steady himself.

Zhu Chu immediately pulled out two pieces of dried tangerine peel candy, offering them like a treasure. “Master, have some candy!”

Ke Xingzhou: “...No need, I’m not carsick.”

This trip had been too rushed. Nie Chen had just returned to the company to handle the backlogged documents—Assistant Liu could help with some of the work, but there was still a large portion of decisions that required his personal presence.

Thus, this time, only Ke Xingzhou and Zhu Chu came…

Along with Xie An, An He Guang, and Ke Yuanbai.

Xie An and An He Guang insisted that since Ke Xingzhou went to the southwest to play without them, this time they couldn’t be left behind on this nearby Beijing trip. As soon as they heard Ke Xingzhou was leaving, they rushed to catch up with him and Zhu Chu on the road.

Like children, they were curious about everything. Once they got out of the car, they started taking pictures of everything around them, all the while subtly squeezing closer to Ke Xingzhou.

Finally, with Mr. Nie not around, they seized the opportunity to claim the spot next to Ke Xingzhou!

The two of them exchanged looks, planning to each take one side, but then Zhu Chu suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

Zhu Chu had been training his body every day according to Ke Xingzhou’s methods. Although he wasn’t as strong as Ke Xingzhou, his physical fitness was above average. When he stood next to Ke Xingzhou, it was like a pillar, and no one could push him aside.

Xie An and An He Guang exchanged a look and, without hesitation, began competing for the other side of Ke Xingzhou. They fought and bickered as they entered the hotel.Ke Yuanbai, who had hitched a ride, followed behind, looking speechless as he carried the luggage of the three people.

He had been inexplicably brought to the hotel by Ke Zhengye, being lectured daily about filial piety, and now, even while traveling with peers, he had to carry luggage?

He looked around; this was a tourist area that hadn't been developed much yet. As they drove in, all they could see were mountains.

The air was quite fresh though; it felt as if his lungs had been cleansed as soon as they arrived. But there weren’t many people around, only a single “inn” that had an ancient look.

Perhaps it was the aftermath of the ghost encounter at the filming base, but now whenever he saw desolate places like this, his heart would race, always feeling like something was about to happen.

However, most of the time, it was just his imagination.

Ke Yuanbai comforted himself not to be too nervous. After taking a few deep breaths of the fresh mountain air, he carried the luggage inside.

The “inn” was quite authentic, with no modern features in sight. Only wooden structures surrounded them, and the windows were glass, used to block out the cold air from outside.

As soon as Ke Xingzhou entered the lobby, he was recognized.

“Daoist Ke!” Daoist Qian, who had almost offended him earlier, came forward. “You’re finally here.”

Daoists from the Beijing Taoist Association who had attended the previous ceremonies came over to greet Ke Xingzhou, while others who had come from different regions to attend the ceremony curiously looked over, whispering among themselves, trying to find out more about him.

When they heard the overly familiar name “Shaoyao Sect,” they all fell silent.

Aside from the Daoists from Beijing and those who had participated in the anti-evil Taoist actions, the others only knew about the “Shaoyao Sect Taoist Cultural Tourism Experience Base” created by the Beijing Taoist Association, or those strange online accounts that often made sensational statements and promoted Taoist temples as internet celebrities.

The main issue was that Ke Xingzhou's appearance was so misleading. A person as handsome as him, why wouldn’t he choose an easier career that made more money than being a Daoist?

Not to mention, he was so young.

Although the Shaoyao Sect had recently achieved some remarkable results, even participating in the eradication of a feared evil organization, neither the official announcements nor the Taoist Association internally had mentioned any of the specifics.

They probably just did a small thing alongside others.

When they saw the group of young people following behind Ke Xingzhou, the Daoists had even less hope for the temple.

Some of them turned away and, getting straight to the point, asked, “Daoist Qian, Changsheng Temple suddenly changed the location of the ceremony, saying it was an urgent matter. But after arriving here and checking around, I haven’t noticed anything unusual. What’s really going on?”

Zhu Chu also looked at Daoist Qian.

During this time, he had learned some basic techniques from Ke Xingzhou. He was now quite interested in various metaphysical knowledge and had eagerly tested his newly upgraded Heavenly Eye on the road.

But, as the Daoist had mentioned, there was nothing unusual. There was no ghostly aura at all, and even the demonic energy that should have been present in the mountains was almost nonexistent. The entire mountain just looked like a normal, unremarkable mountain.

Curiously, he asked, “Could it be that the demons are causing trouble again?”

Zhu Chu’s Heavenly Eye was at a lower level. Even though he had learned some basic uses, there were still many situations he couldn’t distinguish.

It couldn’t compare to Ke Xingzhou’s Heavenly Eye.

The Daoists were clearly displeased by the interruption, especially being cut off by a young Daoist from a newly opened temple. A few of them showed their displeasure on their faces.

Daoist Qian could tell what they were thinking just from their expressions. He couldn’t help but recall the time when he had also underestimated Ke Xingzhou and wanted to warn them, but didn’t know how to start.Hearing someone ask about the main issue, Daoist Qian quickly snapped back to his senses: “Everyone, please be patient. I will go get the person in charge.”

Not long after, he brought over a scruffy-looking man, who seemed somewhat down on his luck.

The man appeared to be in his early thirties, with messy curly hair that had clearly been neglected for a long time, covering his eyes.

The Daoists present, all experienced, couldn’t help but frown when they saw his face. Judging by his appearance, he was supposed to be someone destined for fame from a young age, someone who could excel in any field and rise quickly.

Looking at his face, they could tell his good fortune had started in his early twenties, and by his thirties, he should have been enjoying the fruits of his success. So how did he end up in such a sorry state?

Not only was he dressed sloppily, but his face was also a bit bloated, his eyes narrowed and drooping, giving him the appearance of someone destined for failure.

The Daoists assumed that the person was seeking help with this issue. However, wasn’t this kind of ritual something Changsheng Temple could do on its own?

Why bother making such a big deal of calling them over and even hosting the ceremony here?

Daoist Qian seemed to not notice the questioning looks on their faces and continued with the introduction: “This is Yan Xingwei.”

Ke Xingzhou, having entered the room, was scanning the crowd, feeling somewhat down when he couldn’t spot the person he was looking for. Upon hearing this name, he immediately lifted his head.

He stared at Yan Xingwei for a while but then turned his gaze away in disappointment.

This wasn’t the Yan Xingwei he had encountered in the southwest.

It seemed that the demon back then had only taken someone else’s identity, without revealing their real name.

For some reason, when Ke Xingzhou realized this, he wasn’t at all surprised. In fact, the feeling of discomfort that had been there since he first saw the fake “Yan Xingwei” in the southwest seemed to vanish at that moment.

It was as though he had already known the person’s name from the start.

Ke Xingzhou felt something was off, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. After thinking for a while, he couldn’t help but wonder if the soup from the River of Forgetfulness he drank when reincarnating had been diluted, and its effects hadn’t fully kicked in.

Meanwhile, Yan Xingwei was being observed by everyone, but he didn’t seem to mind Ke Xingzhou’s sudden stare or the way he averted his gaze.

He struggled to find a seat, sinking into the chair like someone without bones, and then slowly began to explain: “My name is Yan Xingwei. I’m a third-rate director.”

It turned out that Yan Xingwei had come here to shoot a movie.

Due to limited funding, he planned to shoot a fantasy film in this undeveloped area of Phoenix Mountain, which would be his last film.

Yan Xingwei had saved money for a long time to fund this film, and most of the pre-production costs had already been spent. However, when it came time to start filming, strange things began happening.

Since he wanted to shoot in real locations, most of the scenes were filmed at this inn-like hotel and the surrounding mountains. In the beginning, things went well. The young actors were willing to endure hardships and understood his filming style, so they got along quickly.

But the problem arose with the environment.

After filming began, nearly every night, people started reporting seeing strangers, or hearing footsteps in rooms that were supposed to be empty, and even voices coming from the same room.

This place was remote and unpopular. Aside from their film crew, there was really no one else around, and since they had rented the entire inn, no one else could check in.

Yan Xingwei initially suspected that the innkeeper was secretly taking in other guests because they weren’t paying enough. However, after checking the surveillance footage, he found everything was normal.

No one had entered or left the inn except for them, and the strange sounds could only be attributed to the creaks and noises from the old building.

Yan Xingwei found some online explanations and comforted the crew, but then he encountered an unprecedented situation himself.— One night, he was feeling down, worrying about the funding needed for his movie. After being rejected for loans from several sources, he was in a bad mood, so he went downstairs to find something to eat.

When he checked into the inn, the owner had mentioned that guests shouldn’t go downstairs in the middle of the night and should just call her if they needed anything; she would deliver it to their door.

However, it was so late that Yan Xingwei didn’t want to bother anyone and decided to go downstairs himself.

But when he reached the stairs, what he saw was not the dark, quiet lobby with only the light from the reception desk, but a brightly lit, lively scene filled with people!

Yan Xingwei shuddered, instinctively closing his eyes, his face turning pale as he recalled the scene: “I hid on the stairs and saw many figures through the gaps. There were both men and women, young and old, silently celebrating under some unknown light…”

It was truly a celebration. Everyone was holding wine jars and drinking freely. He saw some people with their shirts off, boxing, and others playfully guessing riddles, as if all walks of life had come together in a strange but harmonious way.

But the eerie thing was, there was no sound at all.

Even though Yan Xingwei was upstairs, and even though he was already crouching at the top of the stairs, he couldn’t hear a single sound from them.

He wanted to continue watching, but the innkeeper noticed him.

The innkeeper first smiled and asked him what he wanted. Yan Xingwei, still dazed, answered that he wanted something to eat, and then his vision went dark as he fainted.

When he woke up, it was already the next morning.

A bowl of plain noodles was placed by his bedside, steaming hot as if it had just been served a second ago. Yet, there was no one in the room, and outside the door, which usually didn’t have soundproofing, there were no footsteps to be heard.

Yan Xingwei broke out in a cold sweat. His first instinct was to leave.

However, as he stood up, he touched the script and schedule he had been working on late into the night, the script he had tweaked bit by bit. Thinking about all he had sacrificed for this film, the house and car he had mortgaged, he hesitated.

Just then, a young actor from the crew came over and asked him how to act out a scene.

At that moment, almost by fate, Yan Xingwei stayed.

But after that, no matter how late he went downstairs, he never saw the lively scene again.

“—Because I couldn’t go downstairs at all,” Yan Xingwei said, his face white. “No matter how much I tried to walk, I could only walk around the floor of my own room, and everything would only return to normal when the sun came up.”

He was in despair, unable to stop pulling at his hair to relieve the panic.

The Daoists watched him with solemn expressions, quickly thinking through possible solutions.

At that moment, an out-of-place voice sounded: “Ah, this is called ‘ghost walking in circles.’ You’re actually lucky. At least no male ghosts are bothering you. Ask my friend, his situation was way more intense.”

An He Guang nudged Ke Yuanbai: “Right, Yuanbai?”

Ke Yuanbai, whose face was also pale, replied, “…………”