Chapter 22

The online audience, all ordinary people, couldn’t tell that this wasn’t a real ghost domain. Many suspected it was a foolish script arranged by the director, making Xue Tinghe’s ghost chase seem utterly lame. Jiang Mingshuang once again became the venomous villain, and everyone was cursing the director.

The twist occurred just as Xue Tinghe broke the formation and the fierce ghost vanished, with the others gasping for breath after barely escaping.

Suddenly, Sun Zhanyuan, who had already returned to his room and put on his pants, burst out and punched Jiang Mingshuang right in the eye, shouting angrily, “Jiang Mingshuang, why did you push me? When you shoved me toward that kitchen knife, were you trying to kill me? That’s attempted murder!”

The livestream exploded instantly.

What the hell! Did everyone just hear that? Murder? Could it be that what happened earlier wasn’t scripted? Was Xue Tinghe truly chased by ghosts in a humiliating manner, and did Jiang Mingshuang really try to kill Sun Zhanyuan?

Jiang Mingshuang, seeing Sun Zhanyuan—whom he thought was dead—suddenly appear and punch him so hard that he forgot to dodge, was stunned. The blow landed solidly.

Realizing that Sun Zhanyuan was alive, Jiang Mingshuang panicked for a moment. Then remembering the ghost domain had been broken and the cameras might have regained signal, with many viewers watching, he quickly composed himself.

Covering his swollen eye and hiding behind Xue Tinghe, he said innocently and aggrievedly, “Sun Zhanyuan, I don’t know what you’re talking about. When did I ever push you? I know you’re blaming us for not helping you back then because we were busy escaping ourselves, but we didn’t mean to. Everyone was so nervous and the situation so dangerous that our minds went blank. We didn’t even notice you fell. We only realized you were missing after we ran far away. I was worried something happened to you and even suggested going back to find you!”

He played it well, fully convinced that since they had been trapped in the ghost domain and the cameras had lost signal, the livestream audience couldn’t see what happened. Besides, everyone else had been focused on themselves and hadn’t noticed the altercation between the two. Even if Sun Zhanyuan accused him, there was no evidence.

Moreover, he could claim he was possessed by the ghost and had no idea what he was doing.

Sun Zhanyuan sneered coldly. “Pretending to be innocent won’t work. I’ve already called the police. Whether you tried to kill me on purpose, let the police find out the truth.”

The viewers were stunned. Could he really call the police over this?

Jiang Mingshuang lost his composure and blurted out, “Are you crazy? You’re really calling the police over this?”

Sun Zhanyuan’s face turned even colder. “I was almost murdered. Why can’t I call the police?”

The audience nodded in agreement. Indeed, if this wasn’t scripted, even if it was a supernatural event, it could be handled scientifically—like by calling the police.

Unexpectedly, the first to change expression was Xue Tinghe.

He scolded coldly, “This is nonsense! It’s just a variety show. How can you call the police and cause a commotion?”

Sun Zhanyuan had tried to deceive himself, thinking that maybe Xue Tinghe hadn’t seen him being pushed because of the crisis. But now, being reprimanded like this, he couldn’t continue fooling himself. He stared at him in disbelief. “I was almost murdered, and you think I’m just making trouble?”

Xue Tinghe forced down his irritation. This matter absolutely could not involve the police. If the Special Management Bureau—waiting to find fault with their Taoist Association to take over management—got involved, they would never let this chance slip.

If the Special Management Bureau came, they would discover there was no ghost domain at all—just the remnants of a broken formation—and they certainly wouldn’t keep it secret. They would report everything, using this to disgrace Xue’s master and the Taoist Association.

He deliberately slowed his tone and advised, “Don’t forget, this is just a ghost-hunting reality show. Everyone was just a little scared; no one got hurt. There’s no need to involve the police. Zhanyuan, listen to me and call to withdraw the case now. We don’t need to waste police resources.”

Unfortunately for Xue, Sun Zhanyuan’s mind was full of Xue’s scolding about making trouble, and the cold, indifferent look Xue gave him when he was pushed, as well as Xue dragging Jiang Mingshuang away without looking back.

Previously, Sun Zhanyuan thought that despite the coldness, Xue had saved his life. Even if Xue had given up on him coldly, he was heartbroken but resigned. At worst, they would just keep their distance and remain strangers, but he would never forget the life-saving favor. But now he realized he absolutely couldn’t bear it.

He pointed at Jiang Mingshuang, furious, “Don’t talk about wasting police resources—you’re just trying to protect him! Why? You told me before that even if fate arranged your destined partner, it couldn’t control your heart, and that I was the most important to you! Why did you abandon me when I was in danger and protect the person who hurt me?”

Jiang Mingshuang’s face went pale as he looked at Xue Tinghe in disbelief. “Xue, did you say something like that to him? You said I was your destined partner, your lucky star who would be with you for life!”

Xie Yuhua’s face twisted as she shouted, “Impossible! How could Brother Tinghe say such a thing to you? You’re just imagining things!”

Qiao Yuanzhong was stunned, dumbly staring at his fiancée, apparently not understanding why she was reacting so strongly.

Jiang Mingshuang glanced between Sun Zhanyuan and Xie Yuhua, growing even paler.

The audience was shocked. Did they hear correctly? Could Xie Yuhua and Xue Tinghe really be involved? Was Qiao Yuanzhong truly a fool? How many people was Xue Tinghe dating?

What a dramatic love triangle!

At that moment, the director and crew finally escaped from the small black room.

The director’s face was pale as he forced a stiff smile, “Stop arguing. It’s all part of my script. The little ghosts were actors I hired, using black-tech projections. Thanks to Master Xue’s cooperation, it was so realistic that you all were fooled. Jiang was assigned the villain role and pushed you. We didn’t expect Sun to take it so seriously and call it attempted murder. Sun, you should call to withdraw the case before the police waste their time.”

The others were unsure. Didn’t they just get trapped in a ghost domain? They all looked at Xue Tinghe.

Xue Tinghe fell silent for a moment, then nodded, slowing his tone toward Sun Zhanyuan, “Zhanyuan, I didn’t abandon you. This was the director’s script. I thought you knew. I didn’t expect you to misunderstand so deeply.”

Jiang Mingshuang quickly realized there was information Sun didn’t know and cooperated with an apology, “Sorry, the director instructed us to keep it secret until the broadcast ends. I couldn’t tell you the truth. I didn’t expect you to misunderstand so deeply.”

Fans of Xue suddenly understood. Of course, Master Xue wouldn’t be so bad as to be chased by ghosts. They cursed the director even more fiercely. But many viewers still felt something was off.

Xie Yuhua and Qiao Yuanzhong were not happy. Since it was scripted, they hadn’t really been trapped in a ghost domain. The livestream hadn’t lost signal. So the audience saw their reactions.

Why was only Jiang Mingshuang told? Why did they suffer such a fright and embarrassment in front of everyone?

Qiao Yuanzhong suddenly felt his legs go cold. Looking down, he remembered his pants had been torn off by the old ghost couple. He had been running around with bare, hairy legs, and his face darkened.

Sun Zhanyuan was even more aggrieved and angry. The fear of life and death, the malice behind him, and Xue Tinghe’s indifference and favoritism were hard to let go of. Now they told him it was all fake, just a script. How could he accept that?

He wasn’t stupid. Didn’t he see whether they were acting? They were treating him like a fool!

Suddenly, the sound of a helicopter landing outside the villa was heard.

Everyone went out to check and saw a private helicopter land on the villa’s front lawn. A group of uniformed police officers disembarked, including two officers wearing different uniforms from the others.

Among them, a tall, capable woman with a high ponytail stood out.

Sun Zhanyuan exclaimed, “Sis!”

Sun Jiayuan glanced at her foolish younger brother, saw he was okay, then shifted her gaze with a cold sneer. “Script or murder, the police have to investigate first. No one can bully my brother easily!”

Her eyes landed on Jiang Mingshuang. “Not even Jiang Honghui!”

Jiang Mingshuang’s face instantly turned deathly pale.

The audience gasped: What does that mean? What relationship does Jiang Mingshuang have with Jiang Honghui? Is Jiang Mingshuang really Jiang Honghui’s son?

Even more unexpectedly, the two officers in different uniforms stepped forward and showed their IDs. They were from the National Special Management Bureau.

One middle-aged man smiled warmly at Xue Tinghe, “Master Taoist Xue, I’m Fan Xiuping, captain of Team One of the Special Incident Investigation Unit of the National Special Incident Management Bureau. As part of our great nation, the Taoist Association must obey national directives. We request Master Taoist Xue and the Taoist Association to cooperate with our investigation.”

“…”

Xue Tinghe’s face was deeply troubled.

Fan Xiuping had invoked the authority of the nation openly. If Xue didn’t want to be called a traitor online, he had no choice but to comply.

The police ignored the viewers’ growing curiosity and quickly ended the livestream.

As the staff successfully shut down the broadcast, the director’s face twitched. The livestream was actually shut down successfully! Before the police arrived, he and the crew had tried countless times without success.

The police gathered everyone in the first-floor hall.

Qi Yue watched this development with satisfaction. He hadn’t expected that just by countering a few little ghosts and setting a simple formation, he’d gain such a big result. They were all exposing themselves without his further involvement.

Qi Yue felt a deep sense of pleasure, pondering how to subtly guide the police, especially the two Special Management Bureau officers, to uncover even more earth-shattering truths.

Warmth continuously radiated from Shuangshuang beside him, gentle and soothing, making his once cold, lifeless heart beat slowly and rhythmically again. He felt an urge to close his eyes and sleep peacefully, unwilling to be disturbed.

Wait! For even this cold dead soul to feel warmth, how intense must that heat be?!

Qi Yue instantly snapped awake and hurried to check on Gu Yunshuang. She was flushed all over, eyes tightly shut, unresponsive, with a frighteningly high fever on her forehead.

He examined her carefully and discovered that a strand of ghost energy he had thought well controlled was now tightly entwined with Gu Yunshuang’s soul, as if dragging her into hell.

Qi Yue’s spirit shattered, ghost energy violently trembled, and he nearly lost human form.

In the hall, everyone with varying thoughts saw someone stumble down from the second floor, disheveled and with bloodshot eyes. Clutching the Special Management Bureau captain’s hand, the person panicked and shouted, “Officer, please help! My Shuangshuang has been struck by a ghost!”