Chapter 132

With things settled here, Ke Xingzhou was ready to return to the program team to continue suffering.

He walked a few steps forward but suddenly noticed something was off. Turning back, he saw that aside from his usual shadow-like eldest disciple, even Lian Cheng and Chen the blind man had somehow followed along.

Ke Xingzhou: “?”

Chen the blind man wore an expression that said, “Don’t look at me, it wasn’t my idea to follow you,” and silently shifted his gaze to Lian Cheng.

Lian Cheng’s eyes were covered, and his expression didn’t reveal any emotion. Facing Ke Xingzhou’s questioning look, he even pretended not to notice, took a couple of steps forward, and only turned back—seemingly because he didn’t hear any footsteps—just in time to face Ke Xingzhou.

Ke Xingzhou: “……”

To be honest, most of the time Ke Xingzhou didn’t really care about who was around him. He didn’t think much about it, let alone like or dislike anyone in particular.

But for some reason, he always felt a strange resistance toward Lian Cheng.

It wasn’t a conscious dislike of the person, but just that the feeling of him being nearby felt… off.

There was a strange mix of familiarity and unfamiliarity.

Still, the emptiness on his right side felt uncomfortable. At that moment, Ke Xingzhou couldn’t help but think of Nie Chen. He thought that if Nie Chen were here, he absolutely wouldn’t let Lian Cheng stand to his right.

That spot had always been Nie Chen’s favorite place to be.

Ke Xingzhou paused, and when he realized what he was thinking, he felt a bit dazed.

He had to admit, Nie Chen’s methods were very effective on him. Even though the Wanli Group had been incredibly busy lately and Nie Chen hadn’t appeared for several days, Ke Xingzhou still thought of him instinctively.

Sometimes, he even called Zhu Chu by the wrong name.

Just after going through a fierce battle, Ke Xingzhou found himself wanting to see Nie Chen immediately for some reason. So he didn’t pay much attention to Lian Cheng’s actions and simply took a polite step back, saying, “You go ahead. I need to take care of some personal matters.”

“……” Lian Cheng paused.

He pressed his lips together, and under Ke Xingzhou’s insistence, eventually left first.

Before leaving, he gave Ke Xingzhou a deep “look.” The latter didn’t seem to notice his glance, his head lowered as he tapped at his phone screen, seemingly hesitating between sending a message or making a direct call.

Not long after, the faint vibration of a phone rang out nearby.

Assistant Liu’s voice came: “Boss… Mr. Nie? It’s Mr. Ke calling.”

Lian Cheng: “……”Nie Chen suddenly opened his eyes.

In front of him, Assistant Liu looked worried, but thankfully, there was no one else around. Nie Chen rubbed his brow and didn’t answer the call immediately. He picked up the phone and asked first, “How long did I sleep this time?”

For some reason, he felt this nap had been unusually deep.

Unlike before, when he would wake without any sense of what had happened, this time he felt as if his mind was filled with a chaotic mess of new things, and he had no idea where to begin sorting them out.

He had the illusion of having been on a long journey, but his body didn’t feel tired at all.

This dissonance made him frown. When he heard from Assistant Liu that he had been unconscious for most of the day, his brows furrowed even more.

He closed his eyes briefly to collect himself, then answered the call. “Zhouzhou.”

Ke Xingzhou paused.

That name had often been used between them when they were deeply in love, but ever since their reunion, Nie Chen had rarely called him that. Ke Xingzhou had gotten used to being called “Shifu” by him, so suddenly hearing “Zhouzhou” almost caught him off guard.

He instantly sensed something was wrong. “Are you feeling unwell?”

Nie Chen, for some reason, suddenly felt that Ke Xingzhou’s tone toward him now was much gentler than before.

That thought alone made him freeze slightly.

Before today, Ke Xingzhou’s attitude toward him had never been what one would call caring, but at least it had changed from initial resistance to reluctant tolerance. Many times, he didn’t even push Nie Chen away when he initiated physical contact in public.

Today, Ke Xingzhou did seem more easygoing—but where was this strange feeling coming from, as if he had once faced Ke Xingzhou’s cold indifference?

Nie Chen didn’t have time to think further. He instinctively concealed the truth. “No, just a lot of work stuff.”

Sure enough, Ke Xingzhou was acting a little differently today. Instead of brushing it off, he actually offered some concern: “Take it slow.”

Nie Chen felt the throbbing pain in his head ease considerably. He replied, “Mm, I know. Are you done with things on your side? I can ask Assistant Liu to pick you up.”

Ke Xingzhou went quiet for a moment. Strangely, his mood dipped slightly because of Nie Chen’s words.

Just then, Zhu Chu arrived in the car, so Ke Xingzhou didn’t dwell on that odd feeling. He simply told Nie Chen not to bother and quickly hung up the call.

On Nie Chen’s end.

Staring at the call that had been disconnected, he belatedly realized Ke Xingzhou seemed a little unhappy.

When he finally figured out why Ke Xingzhou might be upset, the corners of his lips couldn’t help curling up. Even his headache felt less noticeable.

After thinking for a moment, he told Assistant Liu, “Arrange the schedule. Find a time to visit the show set.”

Assistant Liu took a second to react before realizing Nie Chen meant All-Round Idol.

Since the show had gotten back on track and no more unexpected incidents occurred, Nie Chen no longer had a reason to stay involved. After he returned, the old man and the board had even pressured him into resuming his duties as chairman.

Visiting the show now wasn’t exactly appropriate, but as an all-capable assistant, Liu only hesitated briefly before identifying a suitable time to make a quick visit to the program team.

“Alright, I’ll arrange it,” Liu responded reliably. “One more thing—about tomorrow’s live broadcast of All-Round Idol episode four, the Gu family said they want to sponsor the venue…”All-Round Idol production team.

Ke Xingzhou had just arrived when he learned that the fourth episode had been suddenly changed, and it would no longer be broadcasted live from the filming base.

The staff member from the production team walked up to him and began attaching a microphone, while a dedicated cameraman turned on the camera, aiming it at Ke Xingzhou’s face and signaling that the live broadcast would start right now.

Ke Xingzhou, who had just recovered from motion sickness, remained silent and didn’t seem to care about the camera. “So, where are we filming?”

He had already made up his mind. If the location was too far, he would just quit the show.

On the way back, he had been thinking about it. Was it really worth enduring the motion sickness and nausea just to make up for the breach of contract penalty, which could easily be covered by a simple ritual?

The answer was clearly no.

Without his thoughtful second apprentice by his side, the motion sickness easily defeated Ke Xingzhou’s greed for money.

Just then, a staff member leaned in and whispered to him, “The sponsor has provided a new filming location, a courtyard in the eastern part of the city...”

Ke Xingzhou had already decided to leave when he heard the location. From the western part of the capital to the eastern part, the drive alone would take three to four hours, not counting traffic jams.

He didn’t want to go through that nauseous experience again.

However, the next second, he heard the staff member continue, “The chief director said that the sponsor this time is very wealthy, and they’ve invested in several advertisements all at once. We can think of it as endorsing the sponsor, and each contestant will receive endorsement fees based on the live stream’s viewership share.”

Ke Xingzhou, who was about to leave, immediately stopped in his tracks.

In an instant, he felt his dizziness vanish, his stomach settled, and he was full of energy, his eyes burning with focus as he stared at the staff member. “When do we leave?”

He suddenly remembered how tired his second apprentice’s voice had sounded on the phone. He decided he would take care of the show smoothly for him and make things easier.

The staff member: “…”

Bullet screen: 【……】

【Hahahaha I knew it.】

【Honestly, when I first saw Master Ke on the show, I even thought he was a bit pretentious, indifferent to everyone. But later, I realized it wasn’t that he was ignoring people, it’s just that those people didn’t pay enough!】

【The investors from the past few episodes were from the Wanli Group, and they were already generous. But this time, even the director had to emphasize how wealthy the sponsor was, so it’s clear they’re paying a lot!】

【Laughing to death, give me a few hundred thousand, and I can overcome motion sickness and go from the western to the eastern part of the city.】

【I’d do it for two hundred!】

【For the person in front, that’s price gouging—ten thousand is enough!】

Meanwhile, behind the screen, Gu Xicheng was watching all of this: “…”

It wasn’t that he judged by appearance, but after the old man’s situation, to be honest, he had seen dozens of so-called “masters” by now, each with their own high popularity and temperament.

But this so-called “master” in front of him didn’t have the aura of one at all. Upon hearing about money, his eyes even lit up, and he didn’t make any effort to hide it, even knowing the live broadcast was on.

To be honest, if it weren’t for Xie Baiqiu insisting that this young man had real skills, he would have already gotten up and left.But even so, at this moment, he couldn’t help but lower his expectations to the minimum.

Especially when the butler called to say that after the master visited today, the old man’s condition had improved significantly, and even his complexion had turned much rosier. Gu Xicheng let out a small sigh of relief and simply decided to treat this trip as a chance to accompany Xie Baiqiu out for some leisure.

Thus, under the arrangement of the All-Round Idol production team, all the contestants took a car to the eastern part of the city.

When they arrived, everyone realized just how much weight the program's mention of the "eastern city courtyard" truly carried—looking up at the plaque above with the two large characters "Wang Fu" (Prince's Mansion), some contestants felt their legs go weak.

As soon as Xie An and others got off the car, they rushed to Ke Xingzhou's side and exclaimed in awe, "Is this the one that’s often shown online, the only private royal mansion in the country?"

In front of the crowd, a staff member from the production team took a loudspeaker and introduced the history of the mansion: "In front of us is a national-level 5A tourist attraction, as well as a national key cultural heritage site, a private garden of patriotic entrepreneur Mr. Gu Shouqing. The royal mansion’s front garden is usually open to the public, while the residential part in the back is off-limits. But thanks to Mr. Gu Shouqing’s generous sponsorship, today’s episode will allow our contestants to take everyone into the usually inaccessible areas, for a new exploration."

The contestants couldn’t stop exclaiming in amazement.

The bullet screen was also shocked. People had expected the sponsor for this episode to be wealthy, but no one expected them to be this rich!

The only private royal mansion in the country, bought back from foreign merchants—one could imagine how wealthy the family behind it must be.

The bullet screen was flooded with shocked expressions, and netizens quickly posted: 【This little show has really made it, even managing to get the royal mansion as a sponsor!】

Once they entered, their eyes were even more opened.

This royal mansion still largely retained its original style, with ancient and elegant courtyards. The high walls blocked out the modern buildings outside, and after stepping inside, everyone almost felt like they had traveled back to ancient times.

However, as soon as Ke Xingzhou entered, he paused for a moment.

Ke Yuanbai also stopped, rubbing his arm, "Is it just me, or does it feel chilly inside this royal mansion?"

The male ghost who had been tormenting him at the previous filming base had left a deep psychological scar, so now, any small movement made him think in that direction.

He instinctively moved closer to Ke Xingzhou, and immediately, Xie An and An Heguang gave him a sharp look.

The two of them thought he was overreacting. After all, this royal mansion wasn’t some desolate place. The garden outside was bustling with people, and even if there were ghosts, they wouldn’t dare show themselves under the bright daylight.

But when they turned to look at Ke Xingzhou, they realized his expression was also a bit strange, and both of them froze for a moment.

Xie An: "Bro, is something wrong?"

An Heguang was even more direct: "This place isn’t actually haunted, right? Did the Gu family invest in the show just to have you come and catch ghosts?"

To be fair, when it came to matters involving wealthy people, An Heguang could be quite sharp at times.

But Ke Xingzhou didn’t answer. He just paused for a moment, then suddenly looked up, precisely focusing on an inconspicuous camera hidden in the corner of the beam.

Behind the screen, Gu Xicheng, who had been startled by An Heguang’s words, instinctively looked twice at the nouveau riche second-generation heir who was always by Ke Xingzhou’s side. He suddenly felt as if a tangible gaze was on him, and his scalp tingled.

For a moment, he nearly suspected that Ke Xingzhou had seen him.

But immediately, his rationality dispelled that thought—after all, it was just a camera, and even if Ke Xingzhou was incredibly skilled, it was impossible for him to spot someone behind the screen.

He tugged at the corner of his mouth and turned to Xie Baiqiu, saying, "The master you found really has sharp eyes. Most people wouldn’t notice that camera."

He thought his comment would make Xie Baiqiu happy, but to his surprise, Xie Baiqiu gave him a look that clearly said, "Don’t insult the master": "Don’t talk nonsense. If Master Ke hears you, I can’t guarantee he’ll still be willing to help you."

Gu Xicheng hit a snag and awkwardly touched his nose.However, it was just discovering a camera. Even without understanding metaphysics, anyone with a sharp sense would have noticed it, right? He instinctively doubted Ke Xingzhou's reaction because he didn't trust him.

Fortunately, Ke Xingzhou quickly looked away and followed the others into the private area at the back of the mansion.

Gu Xicheng furrowed his brows slightly.

The moment Ke Xingzhou withdrew his gaze, Gu Xicheng had the feeling that he was looking at him.

...Just an illusion, right?

Upon entering the private area, the surroundings gradually began to show some modernized facilities. Apart from the overall shape and certain large furniture pieces maintaining their ancient charm, it seemed more convenient than some modern Chinese-style villas.

In the courtyard, there was also an ancient-style well, which appeared to serve more as a decorative feature.

The production team began announcing the rules for episode four:

【The investors have hidden the products they want to endorse in various corners of the mansion. The contestants need to find all these products within a set time and then, with the help of the production team, create a creative short skit. The skit approved by the investors will lead to a direct signing opportunity.】

The staff of the production team had previously mentioned that the venue was provided by the investors. Now, standing in the Gu family's private mansion, it was obvious that the investors were from the Gu family.

Instantly, the contestants became excited.

Though the Gu family might not be as wealthy as the Wanli Group, they were still a prominent old family in the capital. Their ancestors had contributed to the founding of the country, and later, after venturing into business, they had been featured on national news several times, donating many treasures lost overseas. They were a company with high national recognition.

Being able to cooperate with such a company, even if they didn't debut, was already a great success!

An He Guang, who was well-versed in these matters, quickly explained it to Ke Xingzhou and the others.

When Ke Xingzhou heard that the family was very wealthy, his expression became somewhat admiring.

But unlike the others, who eagerly scanned the open house, Ke Xingzhou's gaze slowly shifted to a nest of swallows on the eaves of the mansion.

After announcing the rules, the production team exited everyone's line of sight, giving them full freedom to proceed.

The contestants exchanged glances and eagerly set off.

Several contestants rushed toward the nearest room, but just as one was about to step through the door, a gust of wind suddenly blew, and the door slammed shut just a few centimeters away from the contestant’s nose.

The loud noise startled everyone, and the cameras immediately turned to focus on the contestants who were at the front.

The latter was also momentarily stunned. Hadn’t they felt any wind earlier?

At the same time, a cry of pain came from another side. Everyone looked over and saw a contestant struggling to stand up behind the door, holding their forehead and asking, "Who tripped me just now?"

The contestants behind immediately took a few steps back, insisting that they had nothing to do with it.

The contestant looked around but couldn't find any obstacles that could have tripped him. The floor inside the room was completely smooth.

The live-streams of the contestants behind him confirmed that no one had approached him, so the matter was left unresolved.Xie An and the others originally planned to go to the well to have a look, since according to the production team's usual style, they might have hidden some "surprise" there. But upon seeing the situation, they dared not go and instead followed Ke Xingzhou closely.

Xie An: "Brother, why do I feel something's not right?"

An He Guang also realized what had happened. So, what Ke Yuanbai sensed earlier was real?

He couldn't help but look at Ke Yuanbai with newfound respect, but since Ke Xingzhou was right there, he didn't feel particularly afraid.

However, Ke Xingzhou didn’t respond to them and kept his gaze on the swallow nest. After a while, he shifted his focus and looked toward the corner of the wall.

An He Guang thought he must have seen something in the nest, so he volunteered to bring a ladder from the corner, climbed up with ease, waved his hands to shoo away the two swallows, and reached into the nest.

While rummaging, he said, "I just remembered, when I was younger, before I was kidnapped, I came here to play with my parents, and I secretly climbed in here to check the bird's nest. I wonder if it's the ancestors of these swallows."

Xie An asked, "You've been here before?"

An He Guang nodded.

"Yeah, back then, I think the Gu family still lived here. When I was checking the bird's nest, there was an older boy who helped me keep watch. But later, I heard something happened here, and my parents stopped bringing me."

Xie An's curiosity was piqued, "What happened?"

"Haunted, I guess." An He Guang kept waving his arms to chase the swallows, who stubbornly wouldn’t leave. He almost slipped off the ladder but quickly steadied himself.

However, after checking the nest and finding nothing, he was about to come down.

"But I think it's just whatever, nothing too serious happened." As An He Guang came down the ladder, he continued, "I remember it was a bunch of birds chasing after some tourist, pecking at their backside. Hahaha, can you imagine? People back then actually called that a haunting. So clueless."

When he turned around, he saw that three people, including Ke Xingzhou, were looking at him with indescribable expressions.

Ke Yuanbai even had a subtle smile on his face.

An He Guang: "?"

An He Guang froze for a moment, instinctively recalling what he had just said. But he hadn’t said anything wrong, right?

Then he saw Xie An shake his head and quietly say, "Look above your head."

An He Guang: "?"

He looked up in confusion and saw six dark heads emerging from the swallow nest.

An He Guang locked eyes with the swallows' dark, shiny eyes and suddenly felt a chill down his spine.

He forced a dry laugh: "No, no, guys, I was just checking the empty nest, didn’t touch any eggs!"

But the swallows didn't care about that.

One by one, more black heads popped out behind the six, and soon the nest was filled with an increasing number of swallows. As An He Guang's expression grew more terrified, they each took turns hopping down and, spreading their wings, aggressively darted toward him!

The first swallow at the front reached him in the blink of an eye. An He Guang's scalp tingled, and he screamed, running backward as fast as he could.

"Ahhh! Swallow brother, spare me! Master, help!"

Ke Xingzhou: "..."The contestants were startled by his screams and all poked their heads out to see what was happening.

But strangely enough, with so many people around, the swallows didn’t even look at anyone else. They were solely focused on pecking An He Guang’s backside.

After just a few minutes, An He Guang’s backside was swollen, and his pants were starting to tear.

Everyone didn't have time to marvel at his magnetic attraction to swallows and rushed forward to help, but no one knew what was going on. These birds, who usually were timid, seemed to have some deep grudge against An He Guang, refusing to be scared off, relentlessly chasing after him and pecking at his backside.

At this point, the contestant holding his head suddenly shouted, "Look there, what is that?"

Everyone turned around and looked in the direction he was pointing. They were all shocked.

The sky was gradually getting darker, and around the well, small glowing green lights had appeared at some point, hanging motionless in the air.

At first, everyone thought it was fireflies, but then they realized it was still early spring—how could there be so many fireflies, and they were so still?

Just as they were thinking this, the green lights suddenly moved closer, and when they entered the range of the light, the group realized it was a pack of wild cats.

If there were only one or two cats, it would be incredibly cute, but with a whole group of cats staring coldly at them, even the contestants who loved petting cats couldn’t help but break out in cold sweat: "W-what’s going on? Is this part of the show’s plan?"

Though they said this, the contestants also knew it couldn’t be.

Training so many animals would take a long time, and besides, who would train swallows to peck people’s backsides?

The situation was beyond the contestants' comprehension. A few contestants quickly shouted toward the camera, hoping the production team would come to handle it.

However, the cameramen fumbled with their walkie-talkies and helplessly told them, "The production team hasn't responded."

Ke Xingzhou, not sure when, found his personal cameraman and took his phone. Sure enough, there was no signal.

"The signal's been blocked," he said, furrowing his brow as he glanced at the camera, then let it go. "But the live broadcast is still ongoing."

The contestants: "?"

What does this mean?

Ke Xingzhou pulled out a stack of talismans, his gaze slowly turning toward the wild cats behind the well. "Is anyone afraid of ghosts?"

The contestants immediately had a bad feeling, exchanging glances. Before they could say anything, they saw Ke Yuanbai shakily raise his hand.

The contestants: "..."

After thinking for a moment, considering the glorious history of the Immortal Sect, they silently moved over and stood next to Ke Yuanbai.

"Then stay put and don’t run around," Ke Xingzhou said seriously to the gathered cameras, holding a talisman between his fingers. "This is for the show. Please don’t take it seriously. Trust science, reject superstition."

Then he pointed forward, and the talisman spontaneously ignited without fire.

Audience: "……？？？？？"