A dozen senior monks sat cross-legged from the entrance hall, through the corridor, and all the way into the living room, spaced a few meters apart. The solemn chanting of scriptures, accompanied by the faint scent of sandalwood, echoed throughout the entire villa.
At the forefront sat a dignified figure draped in monastic robes—this was Master Zhao Yan, the only monk in Guangming Temple who practiced with his hair unshaven. His profound strength and esteemed status granted him connections with various Taoist sects, and even Best Actor Xie had to pull some strings just to meet him in person.
The moment Xie Wei saw the master, he burst into tears, tearfully accusing his neighbor of the torment he had suffered. His words were so sincere and his tale so tragic that even Zhao Yan couldn’t help but be moved. For a moment, he almost suspected that a thousand-year-old vengeful ghost had crawled out from the depths of the underworld and taken residence right across from Xie Wei. It was only due to this that he accepted the hefty commission and personally set out to capture the heretical cultivator and rid the people of this menace.
Now, holding a wooden fish as a ritual tool, he solemnly scanned the surrounding energy, while Xie Wei, still uneasy, kept reminding him anxiously:
“Master, when you meet that sorcerer, you must be extremely careful. Don’t be deceived by his face! Believe me, he’s not only highly skilled and malicious but also adept at using his beauty to seduce people. He’s practically impossible to guard against! If that weren’t the case, my partner wouldn’t have strayed!” Xie Wei spoke with bitter anguish.
Seeing him so serious, Master Zhao Yan found it rather amusing. “Mr. Xie, I have not detected any significant presence of dark sorcery. If the sorcerer living in the same villa as you does practice the dark arts, either his cultivation is mediocre, or he has no real skills at all and is merely a con artist. There’s no need for such alarm.”
It seemed that Xie Wei was encountering supernatural forces for the first time and had been scared out of his wits, exaggerating things in his panic. And to think that before coming here, even he, Zhao Yan, had believed it.
Xie Wei was shocked. “He’s already that powerful, yet in the Grandmaster’s eyes, he’s only of average cultivation?” Then just how high must this Grandmaster’s level be?!
“Forget it,” Zhao Yan shook his head and said, “Since I’m already here, no matter the strength of this heretical cultivator, I will resolve this trouble for you. Take me to him.”
A cold, mocking voice suddenly rang out from above. “Who exactly are you planning to ‘resolve’? As expected of the monk invited by Mr. Xie—your confidence matches his perfectly.”
Everyone looked up to see Su Ran standing on the second floor, arms crossed, gazing down at them from above. His sharp black eyes were filled with undisguised disdain and ridicule.
Xie Wei didn’t even bother arguing with Su Ran. Instead, he leaned in and quietly explained to Zhao Yan, “Grandmaster, this is that sorcerer’s grandson, Su Ran.”
The moment Zhao Yan laid eyes on Su Ran, his expression darkened. He swiftly strode up the stairs, heading straight toward him with an imposing momentum that instantly put Su Ran on guard.
Bai Songyin, fearing that the senior monk might do something to their top idol, mustered his courage and stepped in front of Su Ran. “What do you think you’re doing? If you try anything reckless, I’ll call the police!”
Zhao Yan stopped a meter away from Su Ran, reciting a Buddhist chant before speaking slowly, “Benefactor, your body carries a heavy aura of the underworld. You’ve been in close contact with ghosts recently, and your connection with one of them seems to be… quite intimate.”
Huh? Intimate?!
The moment that word was uttered, the atmosphere instantly changed. Everyone turned their heads in unison to look at Su Ran, their gazes suddenly laced with ambiguity.
Even Bai Songyin was stunned. He instinctively scrutinized Su Ran’s face, searching for any signs of exhaustion that might indicate he had been entangled with a female ghost who had drained his energy. Wait a minute, wasn’t Brother Ran always an iron-willed straight man who only cared about acting? How did he end up attracting a ghostly romance?!
—Damn, I didn’t expect to hear such a juicy scandal today!
“What the hell are you all looking at?! Stop jumping to ridiculous conclusions! It’s not what you think!”
Su Ran’s expression darkened the moment he heard the word “intimate.” Intimate, huh? His father, his grandfather, his great-grandfather—all three generations of ancestors taking turns to beat him up. How could that not be intimate?! If there wasn’t a ghostly aura on him, now that would be strange! Did he need this annoying monk to point it out? What bad luck!
Catching the meaning in Su Ran’s words, Zhao Yan nodded knowingly. “So, you’re knowingly entangling yourself with ghosts.”
Having survived the brutal training of Su Weisheng, Su Ran naturally wasn’t going to be intimidated by a few words. He sneered, “You don’t even know what kind of ‘evil’ you’re trying to exorcise, yet you still dare to threaten me here? What’s this, Mr. Xie? You spent a fortune to hire this kind of street charlatan? I almost feel bad for you.”
Xie Wei looked at Zhao Yan. “Grandmaster, what do you think…?”
Zhao Yan, clearly offended, furrowed his brows. Looking at Su Ran, who remained stubborn and unrepentant, he spoke in a deep voice, “So young, yet already so arrogant. No wonder you’re haunted by spirits. Since you refuse to see the truth, I’ll exorcise the evil first—then teach you some manners.”
As he spoke, he struck the wooden fish heavily.
The villa had already been cleared out—even the production crew hadn’t been allowed inside. Now, only Su Ran, Bai Songyin, Xie Wei, and the monks remained. The moment the wooden fish rang out, sound waves rippled through the space. Within seconds, the ordinary people in the room were hit with a wave of dizziness.
What’s happening?! The group was horrified.
Xie Wei was both shocked and exhilarated—shocked that supernatural forces truly existed and excited that this Grandmaster was indeed extraordinary. This time, he had hired the right person!
Bai Songyin clutched his head, instinctively wanting to call the police, but his body gave out, and he collapsed weakly to the floor. Su Ran’s expression turned even uglier. He gritted his teeth against the splitting headache and tried to retaliate against Zhao Yan, but before he could act, a light tap landed on his shoulder. In an instant, his entire body lost all ability to move.
“Let me see how that ghost is connected to you.” Zhao Yan’s gaze swept over Su Ran, finally locking onto the jade ear cuff on his earlobe. His eyes narrowed slightly. He reached out to remove it—but the moment his fingers touched it, the jade flared with a brilliant light. A split second later, flames erupted from the ear cuff, engulfing his hand and surging rapidly toward his entire body.
That terrifying aura made Zhao Yan retreat in fear, stumbling backward repeatedly. He moved quickly, but he could only watch helplessly as that surge of spiritual energy swiftly devoured the wooden fish artifact in his hands before cleanly and decisively returning to the ear cuff.
The situation on the battlefield changed in an instant, leaving everyone dumbfounded.
Xie Wei’s smug expression vanished without a trace. He pointed at Zhao Yan’s now-empty hands, stammering, “Grandmaster, y-your wooden fish is gone…”
Zhao Yan was completely stunned. He even clutched his head in bewilderment. Where was his artifact? His big, precious artifact?!
He had seen it all, clear as day—the spiritual energy in the ear cuff had never intended to engage in battle or cause harm. Its sole purpose from the very beginning was to seize treasures…
Such an overwhelming and terrifying force, yet employing such a shameless and underhanded method—leaving everyone momentarily speechless, unsure of how to react.
“You…” Zhao Yan pointed at Su Ran, at a loss for words.
Afraid that he would demand compensation, Su Ran immediately retorted, “This was self-defense! Besides, this ear cuff was given to me by my great-grandfather. I didn’t swallow your treasure—if you have a problem, take it up with my great-grandfather!”
Zhao Yan: “…”
The atmosphere froze for a moment.
Xie Wei hesitated before asking, “Grandmaster, are you still planning to see his great-grandfather?”
“…Wait here for me.”
Zhao Yan glanced at his employer, then at Su Ran and his ear cuff. Taking a deep breath, he turned around, flicked his kasaya aside, and stormed out with an imposing air—vanishing in the blink of an eye.
Xie Wei: ?
Grandmaster, you’re not running away, are you?!
Zhao Yan didn’t immediately flee—doing so would be far too humiliating. Unless he planned to quit this industry entirely, he had to maintain some dignity. However, he cautiously returned to his car, opened his professional network group chat, and sent a message:
Zhao Yan: Does anyone know anything about a celebrity named Su Ran and his great-grandfather?
Northern Daoist: Surname Su? Is he from the Su family?
Seeing this reply, Zhao Yan’s heart skipped a beat. He immediately realized his mistake—had he been too careless? Could Su Ran be a descendant of that High Priest? That would indeed be someone best left alone. As he mulled over the situation, a thought crossed his mind—perhaps he should just drop this job, leave, and pretend none of this ever happened. But before that, he needed to get his artifact back.
After all, if it was the Su family, then they definitely weren’t demonic cultivators. His order rejection was perfectly reasonable.
Just as he was about to give up entirely, another group message popped up.
Jiang Qiao: @Zhao Yan, did you offend someone big or small?
Zhao Yan: Is there a difference?
Jiang Qiao: If you offended someone small, just take the initiative and apologize.
Seeing this message, Zhao Yan frowned. He had thought that at worst, he would just reject the order and walk away—how had it escalated to him needing to apologize to some junior? How was he supposed to go out and maintain his dignity after this?
Besides, back when the Su clan was in the hands of the High Priest, all the great sects of the myriad worlds bowed before them. But now, the Su clan had long since declined—was there really a need to be so cautious?
Jiang Qiao: If you offended someone big, even an apology with gifts might not solve it. If that’s the case, just wait for death.
Zhao Yan: ???
Zhao Yan: Are you joking?
Jiang Qiao privately messaged him and replied coolly with a single sentence: Su Ran’s great-grandfather is the divine messenger personally appointed by Star Lord Ji Sui.
Zhao Yan was so startled that he shuddered and instinctively threw his phone away.
Holy sh—!
No wonder the aura from that ear clip had been so terrifying! That was Ji Sui Star Lord! Even if he wasn’t a follower, the reverence and fear of the Star Lords had been ingrained in his soul since childhood through the teachings of his elders.
He hurriedly picked up his phone again and frantically asked: Are you sure? Your Star Lord actually issued a divine decree?
Jiang Qiao: Mm. The Star Lord responded. Take care.
Zhao Yan: “……” His entire world fell apart.
Where were the demonic cultivators he was expecting?! How did taking on a simple side gig to exorcise a spirit end up with him offending the divine messenger of a Star Lord?!
The grandmaster sat in his car in a daze, questioning his entire existence.
For five whole minutes, he stared blankly into space—long enough to mentally draft his will.
But in the end, he had no choice but to steel himself, get out of the car, and walk back into the villa. He ignored the burning gazes of the people inside and forced out a single question with great difficulty: “Where… is that great-grandfather?”
Outside, chaos raged. Inside the tool shed, peace reigned.
Su Weisheng sat calmly on the stone steps, carving his small accessory. Beside him was a newly acquired wooden fish. Song Qing picked up the small wooden mallet and gave it a tap.
Dong—
The deep sound reverberated, making his head spin and forcing him to stop immediately.
“Great-Grandfather, what is this? Why does it even have a mental attack effect?”
Without looking up, Su Weisheng replied indifferently, “A magical artifact seized from a captive. Just right for sending off a certain brainless fool.”
Though he hadn’t been present at the scene, that didn’t stop him from knowing everything that had happened on the second floor. While saving his great-great-grandson through the earpiece, he had also taken the opportunity to collect spoils of war. The High Priest never left empty-handed.
Meanwhile, the Underworld livestream had been running continuously. By now, the viewers were already laughing hysterically at the unfolding drama.
[I’m dying of laughter. The biggest entertainment in this stream is watching Yan Wan’s son constantly messing with the High Priest.]
[@Yan Wan Virtuous and Gentle Little Wife Sister, are you getting used to this persona yet?]
[Yan Wan: Having a son like this makes me want to cry. Can someone pass a message to my son? Tell him I need to relocate my grave immediately! I want to move! I want a divorce! I want to remarry a little puppy boy! I want to stay far away from that Xie family… If I had known dying wouldn’t spare me from my son embarrassing me, I would’ve taken him down with me back then! (tears)]
Su Weisheng happened to see this comment. He tried tapping on it, and a strange force of will flowed from the bullet comment to his fingertips.
Ding! Friendly reminder: You have received a commission from a wandering soul. Completing the task will grant you generous rewards and unlock new livestream features.
The system notification suddenly popped up.
Su Weisheng pondered for a moment. So this was actually a trial mission for the Heavenly Tribulation.
Meanwhile, the Underworld livestream was still filled with laughter.
[Help, seeing him seize spoils of war just reminded me of the time he personally raided my house when I was in the rebel army. Thinking about it still hurts—who else can relate?!]
[Hahahaha, Yan Wan, your son is hilarious! He even brought a monk to perform an exorcism on the High Priest. Meanwhile, Su Tiao is so broke right now that he wants everything he sees—he basically delivered himself as a freebie!]
[Su Tiao once looted the entire imperial palace of the previous dynasty. How did he go completely broke in just two hundred years? I don’t get it.]
[LMAO, guess wealth really doesn’t last beyond three generations. @Su Laijin @Su Yinian @Su Cheng]
[Su Laijin: …Don’t push it too far.]
Su Laijin was terrified—terrified that his father would see the bullet comments, remember the heartbreaking loss of his burial treasures, and personally descend to give him a brutal beating.
Fortunately, his father was too busy to notice—because a visitor had arrived.
Su Weisheng was casually chatting with the little drama queen when the door to the tool room was knocked on. Song Qing opened it and found a grandmaster in monk robes standing outside, looking tense and uneasy, like a grandchild waiting to be disciplined.
“…Zhao Yan from Guangming Temple seeks an audience with the Divine Messenger.”
Song Qing was about to say that there was no Divine Messenger here and ask if the man had the wrong place when he heard Su Weisheng’s calm voice from behind him.
“Let him in.”
…Huh?
The little drama queen turned to look at Su Weisheng, blinking repeatedly before finally realizing what was happening. He quickly led the guest inside but made no move to leave. Since his idol-dad hadn’t kicked him out, he shamelessly stayed to watch the drama unfold.
Zhao Yan stepped inside anxiously, stopping precisely a meter away from the young man. He stole a quick glance at the elder who was carving jade and momentarily froze. Though he had mentally prepared himself, seeing the Divine Messenger in person still left him stunned by his presence.
After a brief pause, Zhao Yan bowed respectfully and began his lengthy apology. First, he admitted his mistake in blindly believing Xie Wei’s one-sided story and wrongly accusing the Divine Messenger. Then, he acknowledged his fault in acting recklessly against the messenger’s grandson without proper investigation. He even offered the wooden fish as a token of respect. Finally, he pleaded for forgiveness, promising that as long as the Divine Messenger let the matter go, he would immediately roll away, reject Xie Wei’s shady job, leave the capital, and never return—vanishing as far as possible.
After listening to the long-winded apology, Su Weisheng felt like his ears were about to grow calluses.
Su Weisheng impatiently rubbed his ears and waved his hand, signaling the other party to stop talking. Zhao Yan immediately shut his mouth tightly, watching him nervously.
Then, Su Weisheng asked a very crucial question: “How much did Xie Wei pay you for the exorcism?”
Zhao Yan: “1.5 million!”
Song Qing was stunned. “My husband actually has money to pay an intelligence tax?”
Intelligence Tax—Zhao Yan: “…”
Su Weisheng thought about it. He felt that he couldn’t be too domineering and unilaterally ruin this grandmaster’s little side hustle. That would be too unethical.
So he asked another question: “What exactly did Xie Wei request?”
Zhao Yan hesitated before carefully phrasing it. “He hopes that for the next half month, until the housing change, you and his partner will not have any direct contact.”
Xie Wei’s actual words? “Ruin that evil sorcerer’s scheme, expose his true face, and make sure he stays far away from my wife in the future.”
Hearing such a simple request, Su Weisheng was actually surprised. “Then why did he even hire you? Wouldn’t it be easier for him to just bring me 1.5 million directly and make a deal? Why bother with a middleman taking a cut?”
Zhao Yan: “???”
However, since Xie Wei had already approached Zhao Yan, Su Weisheng thought about it and decided that simply kicking him out of the deal wouldn’t be very appropriate.
So, he made a proposal: “How about this? You go back and tell Xie Wei that you’ve successfully exorcised the evil and completed his request. I’ll cooperate with you—over the next half-month, Song Qing and I won’t have any direct contact. Then we split the money three ways. I take 70%, you get 20%, and Song Qing gets 10%. How’s that?”
Zhao Yan’s worldview shattered into pieces. He even began to question life itself. “…That’s an option?”
But thinking it over carefully, his job was just to fulfill Xie Wei’s wish. Whether the exorcism actually worked or not didn’t matter. As long as the wish was granted and his wife and the grandpa next door had no contact for half a month, the goal was technically achieved.
The more he thought about it, the more it made sense… in a completely ridiculous way.
Still dazed, Zhao Yan took another careful look at the stunning young man in front of him. No matter how he tried to process it, he just couldn’t believe that such an outrageous scheme had come from the mouth of someone so elegant.
This generation’s Divine Messenger was truly something else.
But the most ridiculous part was yet to come.
Because he hesitated for a moment, lost in thought, the two people in front of him simultaneously sighed—in perfect sync.
Su Weisheng sighed in frustration. “This could’ve been a direct deal without a middleman taking a cut. Song Qing, try to talk some sense into your husband in the future. If he needs something, he can just bring the money and negotiate with me face-to-face. I’m very easy to talk to.”
Little Drama Queen Song nodded earnestly, fully agreeing. “His brain doesn’t work that fast, so don’t worry, Great-Grandfather. I’ll make sure to talk to him more. But honestly, this turned out pretty great—let’s just contact each other through our phones for the next half month to play along. You get a clean profit of 1.05 million, I get 150k, and our future is looking bright!”
Hehehe.
The grandmaster, who had originally thought he was doomed, somehow ended up in cahoots with both the Divine Messenger and the employer’s partner. And on top of that, he was now walking away with a 300k profit. The sheer absurdity of the situation made his worldview shift. Slowly but surely, he found himself convinced by the Divine Messenger’s logic.
He nodded. “…That actually… makes sense.”
So, half an hour later, the grandmaster emerged from the room, wearing a solemn expression.
Xie Wei, who had been waiting anxiously, was already feeling hopeless. He had even begun to accept the reality that the evil sorcerer grandpa next door was destined to rule the world.
Then, the grandmaster patted his shoulder and said, “It’s done. Your wish is about to come true. Don’t forget to send the remaining payment to my account.”
After saying this, the grandmaster was about to leave when he suddenly remembered the Divine Messenger’s instructions. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a small white jade figurine, and handed it to Xie Wei. “A complimentary gift. Keep it safe.”
The sudden turn of events left Xie Wei completely stunned.
