Speaking of Science in a Supernatural Livestream 6

Chapter 6: Cherishing the Fairer Sex

The private message was from ten minutes ago. The second Sang Jing saw it, she got up and went upstairs. When she came back down, she had already changed into her regular clothes.

Sister Shu saw her grab her helmet and asked, puzzled, “Going out this late?”

Sang Jing put on her helmet as she opened the door. “A fan ran into some trouble. I’m going to check it out.”

This is an opportunity. She might become a loyal fan in the future. Not many people believe in me to begin with, so I have to try and win over every single person.

Once more people slowly started to believe, she could then use the livestream to help her teacher’s wife with her work.

Initially, Sang Jing had no interest in livestreaming; she was completely clueless about it. But her teacher’s wife had approached her, saying that the underworld needed to keep up with the times, to follow the new era, and they needed someone on the surface to cooperate.

Sang Jing had already planned to become a ghost emissary after she died, so she wouldn’t refuse something that connected the realms of yin and yang. Moreover, it was her teacher’s wife who had personally approached her, so she had to do an even better job.

Although the Xuanmen organization and the Special Investigation Team were currently handling unnatural incidents, in this scientific age, many people still held a skeptical and disbelieving attitude toward ghosts and gods. This led to many people becoming ghosts after death with extreme emotional fluctuations, unable to accept their new reality, which affected the work efficiency of the underworld.

Her teacher’s wife’s intention was for Sang Jing to use livestreaming to make more people aware of the unnatural situations in this world. On one hand, it was to instill a sense of reverence in them; on the other, it was to ensure that subsequent work could proceed smoothly. But to avoid causing widespread panic, Sang Jing had to conduct a supernatural livestream while also telling them to believe in science.

The roar of the engine faded from near to far, leaving only two ghosts in the incense shop.

Seeing Xie Yu looking bored all by herself, Sister Shu waved her over. “Come, come watch with me.”

Xie Yu leaned in and saw that she was binge-watching a new drama, The Rise of an Emperor. The protagonist in it was valiant and heroic, her eyes firm and resolute, making no secret of her ambition for the throne.

“This world will belong to me, and me alone!”

This was a line spoken by the protagonist when she was still the unfavored Seventh Prince. Sister Shu happened to be watching this part.

Xie Yu found the line strangely familiar and unconsciously mimicked it.

Sister Shu looked at her in surprise. “I have to say, your imitation is pretty good.”

Xie Yu smiled sheepishly.

————

Sang Jing arrived at Fenglin Road. The Heavenly Net had been taken down, but it was now late at night, and the road was still deserted.

Parking her motorcycle on the side of the road, Sang Jing walked along the curb. There were many old-style buildings here, many of which had been vacant for years, their front yards overgrown with weeds.

After sending her the private message, A Tree by the River had gone offline and hadn’t come back on since.

However, they had just met during the day. Sang Jing had paid attention to Jiang Shu’s situation and had found a fallen strand of hair on the sofa where she had sat.

Wrapping the hair around her knuckle, Sang Jing formed a hand seal and silently chanted a string of incantations. Feeling the hair tighten around her finger, Sang Jing stretched out her hand and began to search for a direction.

Having found the direction of the pull, Sang Jing quickened her pace and hurried over.

She stopped in front of a dilapidated building. Using the flashlight she had brought, Sang Jing saw the door number, which was so rusted it was almost illegible.

Fenglin Road, No. 156.

The rusty gate was ajar, and there were traces of trampled weeds behind it.

Sang Jing pushed the gate open with her flashlight in hand. The old gate let out a piercing creak in the silent night.

As soon as she entered the courtyard, Sang Jing felt a gloomy, ghostly energy, tinged with obvious malice.

“Zzt—”

The flashlight in her hand flickered twice and then went out completely.

The surroundings plunged into darkness. A gust of yin wind blew in her face—damp, sticky, and carrying an indescribable stench of decay.

The wind came suddenly and strangely. If an ordinary person had encountered this situation, they would have probably turned and run long ago.

Sang Jing didn’t move. She held a talisman between her fingers, and with a flick of her wrist, the talisman ignited without a flame.

Raising her hand, she swiped the half-burnt talisman across her eyes. The firelight was particularly dazzling in the darkness. As the light completely passed the corner of her eye, the talisman in Sang Jing’s hand burned to ashes.

Opening the Yin Eye.

Instantly, the scene in Sang Jing’s eyes changed. The entire building was enveloped in ghostly energy, so gloomy it felt like water could drip from it. A healthy person staying here would start to weaken, fall ill, and have their lifespan greatly reduced within three days.

In the darkness, Sang Jing could feel a pair of eyes staring intently at her, wary and unwilling.

It should be the yin peach blossom that was pestering Jiang Shu. The evil wind just now was also her doing, trying to scare Sang Jing away. But she hadn’t expected Sang Jing to be an expert who wouldn’t be intimidated by her threats.

The main door of the building was tightly shut, covered in ghostly energy.

“Supreme Clarity Three Sceneries, gather the primordial qi… For the ghosts who bring disaster, expel them from the afflicted body. Swiftly, as per the statutes and decrees! Break!”

With a “Bang—!”

The door flew open in response, and the ghostly energy scattered, not daring to approach the person stepping through the doorway.

After the door opened, a damp, musty smell wafted out from inside. Sang Jing looked down at her feet and saw the lucky bag she had given to Jiang Shu.

Inside the lucky bag was a protective talisman, which had already shielded Jiang Shu once.

“This has nothing to do with you! Leave at once!”

A ghostly shriek suddenly rang out. Sang Jing looked up, toward the source of the sound.

Although it was pitch black inside, she had opened her Yin Eye and could see in the dark.

The first and second floors of the room were connected. On the second-floor corridor, a female ghost with a dark, bruised face was staring coldly at Sang Jing, her unusually long nails scraping against the railing, the piercing sound echoing in the empty room.

Sang Jing went up the stairs. Seeing that she was advancing instead of retreating, the female ghost lunged at her with a ferocious expression.

Sang Jing sidestepped to dodge, grabbing the railing with one hand. She swung herself around the handrail at the corner of the stairs and kicked the female ghost in the waist. The ghost’s body passed through the wall and fell into a room on the second floor.

Immediately after, Sang Jing kicked the door open. Before the female ghost could even react to how this person could touch her, a talisman was slapped onto her. Instantly, her soul felt as if it were being roasted over a blazing fire. The female ghost shrieked in pain, white smoke rising from her body.

Sang Jing was breathing slightly heavily, a layer of sweat on her forehead. The room was stuffy and hot; even the slightest movement made her break out in a sweat.

Taking out her small gourd, Sang Jing captured the now-defenseless female ghost inside. She then glanced to the side and saw Jiang Shu, who was both dumbfounded and teary-eyed.

Jiang Shu had just been woken up by the ghostly shriek. The moment she opened her eyes, she saw the female ghost fall to the ground in a sorry state, and then Sang Jing kicked the door in and decisively captured the ghost right before her eyes.

This was more cinematic than a movie!

Sang Jing walked over, bent down, and waved her hand in front of Jiang Shu’s eyes. “Are you alright?”

Jiang Shu opened her mouth. “I’m… I’m fine.”

In a daze, she followed Sang Jing out of the building. Looking at the person in front of her, Jiang Shu still hadn’t recovered from the shock.

It wasn’t until she reached the main road and was awakened by a gust of cold wind, feeling the chill from her sweat-soaked clothes, that Jiang Shu cried out as if waking from a dream.

“Ah!”

Sang Jing, who was ahead, turned back and gave her a puzzled look. “What’s wrong?”

Is she scared silly?

Jiang Shu bounced over to her, her eyes shining. “You! You’re really a master!”

Sang Jing smiled modestly. “Not quite a master, just know a little bit.”

Jiang Shu thought about how she had doubted Sang Jing’s abilities before, and her cheeks flushed red. She took a step back and bowed to Sang Jing. “I’m sorry! I, I didn’t listen to you before, and I didn’t believe you. But you still came to save me. Thank you!”

If Sang Jing hadn’t come over tonight, she might have really ended up with “Senior Bai Tao.”

Thinking of this, Jiang Shu couldn’t help but shiver. It was just a dream. In the dream, the senior had asked her to come to Fenglin Road to find her. And she, like a fool, had actually come.

It wasn’t late when she arrived at Fenglin Road, but there was no one on the street at that time. Jiang Shu started to have second thoughts and wanted to go back, but for some reason, she kept going in circles on Fenglin Road. Even if she walked straight, she would still end up back where she started.

In the end, she uncontrollably arrived at No. 156. The moment she entered the gate, she felt a scorching heat, and her consciousness cleared a little. In that instant, she remembered Sang Jing’s words and sent her a private message.

Unexpectedly, Sang Jing really came, and she really was a master.

Jiang Shu’s eyes began to sparkle as she looked at Sang Jing, full of admiration.

Sang Jing knew she had gained her first true fan. Her goal achieved, she smiled and gave Jiang Shu a talisman. “You still have some yin energy on you, which might attract some unclean things. Carry this talisman with you and you’ll be fine. Remember to go out more in the next few days, go to crowded places, and get more sun.”

Jiang Shu nodded gratefully again and again, then looked at the small gourd hanging from Sang Jing’s waist and asked hesitantly, “She… won’t come looking for me again, right?”

Sang Jing: “She won’t. You can sleep peacefully at night.”

Jiang Shu let out a huge sigh of relief. She followed Sang Jing to her motorcycle and watched as she put on her helmet and swung a long leg over.

“Do you need a ride?” Sang Jing asked.

Jiang Shu waved her hands repeatedly, holding up her phone. “I, I can call a cab.”

It was so late, and to trouble her to give her a ride back, Jiang Shu felt really embarrassed.

Seeing that she was still looking at her, Sang Jing lifted the visor of her helmet, revealing a pair of round, bright eyes. “Something to say?”

Just looking at those eyes, Jiang Shu felt in a daze that the person in front of her was even younger than herself. She was stunned for a moment, then raised her hand and scratched her head. “It’s just that, I’d like to treat you to a meal. I don’t know if you have time or if it’s convenient. I’m really grateful for what happened tonight.”

Sang Jing’s eyes curved. “No need. If you really want to thank me, just support my livestream more.”

Jiang Shu nodded without hesitation, her tone urgent. “Of course! I, I will always support you! I’m going to be your die-hard fan!”

Sang Jing smiled. “Then thank you very much.”

They chatted for a while longer. It wasn’t until the cab Jiang Shu had called arrived that the two parted ways. Sang Jing also started her engine.

In the taxi, Jiang Shu kept looking back at Sang Jing’s figure. She knew that Sang Jing had been waiting for her cab to arrive before leaving.

That night, Sang Jing’s powerful, kind, gentle, and patient image was deeply engraved in Jiang Shu’s heart.

How could there be such a good person?

In the taxi, Jiang Shu started to search for the topic of Sang Jing’s livestream tonight. Seeing the sarcastic comments from those netizens, she instantly got angry. Her fingers flew across the screen as she began to defend her new streamer.

One person versus an entire building of comments.

Because all of Jiang Shu’s social media accounts were “A Tree by the River,” her comments soon caught the attention of another person.

【Little Monster: ? Sister, you look very familiar.】

【A Tree by the River: That night, I asked the streamer for a love reading. She said I was being pestered by an yin peach blossom. You told me not to believe her.】

【Little Monster: I remember now. Seeing how convinced you are, did she solve it for you?】

Jiang Shu posted what had happened tonight, truthfully and emotionally, without leaving out a single detail.

After a while, there was a new reply, but it wasn’t from Little Monster.

【I Want to Be Alone: You make it sound so real. You and the scammer streamer have the same IP. Are you her alt account?】

“…”

Jiang Shu looked at that reply, almost crushing her phone.

Soon, other people started replying to her comment, all of them questioning and mocking.

Jiang Shu tilted her head back and took a deep breath. Tonight was destined to be a sleepless one.

Meanwhile, Sang Jing, who had already returned to the incense shop, was unaware of all this. As soon as she entered the door, she saw two ghosts with their heads together, looking at a phone. Sang Jing wasn’t surprised. Whether it was humans or ghosts, Sister Shu was very good at getting along with everyone.

Hearing the noise, Sister Shu looked up and her gaze shifted to Sang Jing’s small gourd. “Brought another one back?”

Although she was covered in sweat and really wanted to take a shower immediately, there was still a ghost to deal with, so she had to endure it.

With the steam rising from her sweat, Sang Jing’s face was taut and expressionless.

The moment she opened the gourd, the female ghost’s angry screams filled the entire incense shop.

Xie Yu covered her ears, unable to stand it. “So noisy.”

Her soul was still very weak and couldn’t bear the ghostly shriek. Sister Shu glanced at Xie Yu, raised her hand, and tapped her on the back. Xie Yu instantly felt much better.

Sang Jing was already in a bad mood and didn’t want to listen to a ghost screaming. Seeing the calligraphy brush nearby, she dipped her fingertip in some ink and dabbed it on the eyes of a paper man she had folded a couple of days ago.

Dotting the eyes of a paper man, its soul returns at midnight.

The paper man with its eyes dotted suddenly moved. It slowly turned its body in the direction Sang Jing’s finger was pointing, its paper body making a rustling sound.

The female ghost was also wary of Sang Jing and started to back away.

“Xiao Jing is angry,” Sister Shu said, still looking like she was enjoying the show.

Xie Yu looked at Sang Jing upon hearing this. She just felt that her eyes weren’t as bright as before, but she couldn’t really tell that she was angry. After all, who gets angry with the corners of their mouth turned up?

“I don’t think so—”

Just as she finished speaking, the paper man controlled by Sang Jing suddenly pounced on the female ghost. In just a few moves, it beat the previously shrieking female ghost into submission, making her beg for mercy.

Xie Yu: “…”

I misjudged her.

This is a smiling tiger! With such a sweet face, but her actions are so fierce and ruthless.

“Hiss—”

Thinking about how she would have to stay with Sang Jing in the future, Xie Yu couldn’t help but suck in a breath of cold air.

After the female ghost was subdued, Sang Jing felt a sense of relief. She raised her hand and wiped the eyes of the paper man, then put it back in its original place.

“Why were you pestering Jiang Shu?” Sang Jing began to interrogate.

The female ghost was thoroughly beaten and honestly replied, “I was too lonely. That day, Ah Shu went to pay respects to her grandmother. When she passed by my grave, she also burned paper money and incense for me. She even praised my beauty and lamented for me. I thought she must like me, so I wanted to be with her.”

“So you wanted to trap her in that room until she died. Humans and ghosts follow different paths, but as long as she died and became a ghost, you could be together, right?” Sang Jing quickly wrote down the evidence of the female ghost’s crime and convicted her. “This is attempted murder, and the consequences are very serious.”

Xie Yu was listening from the side and asked Sister Shu curiously, “Are the laws in the underworld so comprehensive?”

Even ghosts have the crime of attempted murder.

Sister Shu raised an eyebrow. “Of course. Our Big Boss places great importance on this. When a ghost commits a crime, the punishment is much more severe than on the surface. There’s one set of laws for ghosts hurting ghosts, and another set for ghosts hurting humans.”

“What about humans killing ghosts?” Xie Yu couldn’t help but seek justice for herself. “Are those two people who wanted to kill me guilty of attempted murder of a ghost?”

“Once we’ve investigated thoroughly, we will discuss with the Xuanmen to convict those two people. Don’t worry, Xiao Xie.” Sister Shu lovingly raised her hand and patted Xie Yu’s head. “To die like that, how can we not seek justice?”

Xie Yu clutched her chest, feeling as if she had been stabbed.

Sang Jing finished recording the cause and effect of the female ghost’s harm and handed it to Sister Shu. “Trouble Sister Shu to take her down tomorrow.”

“I’m going upstairs.”

“Wait a minute.” Xie Yu reached out and grabbed Sang Jing.

Sang Jing’s steps paused. She looked down at the slightly transparent ghostly hand on her wrist.

There was no blood; it was even fair and slender, but she still couldn’t help but frown.

“Where is my room?”

Although she was a ghost, she still needed her private ghost space.

Sang Jing raised her other hand, flicked off the ghostly hand on her wrist, and pointed casually. “There.”

After saying that, she let out a small yawn and prepared to go upstairs.

Xie Yu looked over and saw that she was pointing at rows of gourds of various sizes but similar shapes.

Xie Yu: “…”

A bit of trauma.

“No!” Xie Yu grabbed Sang Jing again, this time very tightly. “I’m not going into a gourd.”

Sang Jing looked at her with a faint gaze, the corners of her lips threatening to curve upwards.

Having just seen her beat up a ghost like this, Xie Yu’s throat moved. “We, we can discuss this properly.”

As long as I don’t go into a gourd, even if there’s no bedroom, sleeping in the study is fine.

Xie Yu’s eyes curved, and she gave Sang Jing what she thought was a friendly smile.

Even a ghost under someone else’s roof has to bow its head.

But she didn’t know that Sang Jing had previously opened her Yin Eye and was now seeing her as she was at the time of her death.

Imagine a female ghost with a tragic death appearance holding your hand, smiling and winking at you.

Sang Jing took a breath, her fists clenching so tightly they cracked.

“Alright.” Xie Yu let go of her hand and moved a little further away from Sang Jing. “We’ll discuss it later. We’ll discuss it.”

Sister Shu laughed out loud from the side, teasing, “Xiao Jing, why don’t you know how to cherish the fairer sex?”

Sang Jing’s lips twitched. She glanced at Xie Yu, her meaning clear. “Cherish the fair? Cherish the jade?”