Speaking of Science in a Supernatural Livestream 7

Chapter 7: The Calamity of Bloodshed

“…”

Xie Yu saw the mockery in this person’s eyes, as if to say, ‘What’s there to cherish about a bloody ghost?’

“Sister Shu,” Xie Yu turned to Sister Shu and said, “Can I really not go to that Xuanmen? Do I have to stay here?”

Sister Shu squinted and smiled. After watching Sang Jing go upstairs, she walked over, placed a hand on Xie Yu’s shoulder, and persuaded, “How can the food at the Xuanmen be as good as it is here? Xiao Jing is very good; she’ll definitely see your matter through to the end. Just be careful not to touch her things, and oh, right, don’t touch her casually either. She’s a bit of a neat freak.”

Xie Yu: “Oh.”

No wonder she always looks at me like that. She must think my bloody appearance is dirtying her eyes.

The incense shop fell silent once more. Xie Yu surveyed the layout of the shop. Everything was arranged in an orderly fashion. The wooden cabinets, tables, and chairs were polished to a shine, and not a speck of dust could be seen even in the hard-to-notice corners.

The stacked ingots, the direction the paper effigies faced, the knife-like clean cuts of the incense sticks—it was as if someone had deliberately adjusted their angles one by one, all perfectly uniform and neat.

Xie Yu couldn’t think of anyone else but Sang Jing. This person probably had a bit of a perfectionist streak.

“Sister Shu, is this shop Sang Jing’s?” Xie Yu asked.

Sister Shu, watching her drama, replied, “No, it’s her teacher’s. But it wouldn’t be wrong to say it’s hers. Her teacher hardly manages this place anymore.”

He’s too busy raising ghosts, Sister Shu only dared to grumble in her heart. If a certain protective ghost heard her, she’d probably get her vacation days docked too.

Having been chased for three months, it had been a long time since she had spoken with… a ghost like this. Coupled with the fact that Sister Shu answered every question, Xie Yu couldn’t hold back and chattered nonstop, asking about everything from the shop to Sang Jing to matters of the underworld.

The two ghosts chattered away until dawn, until Sister Shu’s shift ended and she had to take the female ghost Sang Jing had brought back last night down below.

Before leaving, Sister Shu smiled at Xie Yu and said, “Xiao Xie, see you in a couple of days.”

It had been a long time since she had met a ghost who could chat so much. Sister Shu was very satisfied; it had been a happy night shift.

Xie Yu watched with wide eyes as a huge, dark Ghost Gate appeared in the incense shop. Sister Shu led the equally shocked female ghost through the gate. The Ghost Gate slowly sank, leaving her as the only ghost in the shop.

Xie Yu turned around, her gaze falling on a few yellow paper talismans on the floor. It seemed she had accidentally dropped them last night.

She bent down, about to pick them up, when the sound of a door opening came from upstairs. A moment later, Sang Jing’s figure appeared at the top of the stairs.

Sang Jing had already washed up. Her bangs were slightly damp, and her hair was tied in a low ponytail at the back. Her eyes were clear and bright, her fair cheeks almost reflective. The naturally upturned corners of her lips held a hint of a smile. A simple shirt and trousers gave her a clean and approachable air, like the girl next door.

If Xie Yu hadn’t seen her beat up a ghost with a smile last night, she might have been fooled by Sang Jing’s appearance.

After neatly putting the yellow paper back in its place, Xie Yu noticed that the way Sang Jing looked at her had softened a little.

Daily routine: offering incense, folding ingots, and burning them.

After finishing the process, Sang Jing picked up her phone, ready to go out.

Xie Yu called out to her, “Sang Jing.”

Sang Jing turned to look at her, her tone calm and normal. “What is it?”

Xie Yu knew she had a naturally cold face, and when she didn’t smile, she sounded very fierce. She tried to soften her voice to discuss with this person, “About what we talked about last night…”

“Oh,” Sang Jing pointed outside. “Let’s talk on the way.”

Xie Yu was taken aback. She wants me to go out with her?

It was a rare overcast day, without the scorching sun. Xie Yu didn’t feel too uncomfortable going out.

The human and the ghost walked slowly through the alley.

Xie Yu was the first to break the silence between them. “Can I not go into the gourd? I get gourd-sick. You wouldn’t want me to throw up in there, would you?”

Having learned about this person’s neat-freak tendencies last night, Xie Yu had immediately thought of this excuse, to gross her out first.

Sang Jing: “…”

After a long silence, she nodded. “You can.”

Xie Yu turned to look at her in surprise. She agreed so easily?

“On one condition.”

“Name it.”

Sang Jing was clearly prepared as well. “Be my livestreaming assistant. No salary, but I’ll provide enough incense. If you do a good job, I can even help you regain your human sense of taste.”

Incense was certainly delicious, but compared to hot pot, spicy stir-fry, and barbecue, it lacked that stimulation for the taste buds. Many old ghosts missed this and would even trade merit points for it.

Xie Yu considered it. It wasn’t a bad deal. No money was fine; she didn’t need it now anyway.

“Then do I have a room?”

Sang Jing glanced at her, not understanding why this ghost was so fixated on a room when she wouldn’t be staying for long.

The master bedroom on the second floor of the incense shop belonged to her teacher and his wife, and the guest room was hers. It was impossible to let Xie Yu in either of them. That only left the livestreaming room. She could just burn a paper bed for her and put it in there.

“Yes.”

Xie Yu was satisfied. “Alright, I agree.”

The sky was just beginning to lighten, and people were gradually emerging in the alley. An old woman with silver hair opened her door, saw Sang Jing, and greeted her with a smile. “Little Boss, going to buy groceries?”

Sang Jing’s eyes curved as she nodded. “Good morning, Granny Lin. Do you want me to bring some groceries back for you?”

Granny Lin waved her hand. “No need, I haven’t finished what you brought me the other day. Thank you, Little Boss.”

Sang Jing’s eyelashes drooped. She smiled at Granny Lin and continued on her way.

There was a refrigerator in the kitchen in the backyard of the incense shop, so she didn’t actually need to go out to buy groceries that often. She just used it as an excuse to bring some back for Granny Lin. Each time, she would bring enough for two or three days. For her to not have finished it this time meant that Granny Lin’s appetite and food intake were decreasing. In other words, Granny Lin’s time was coming.

Xie Yu noticed that Sang Jing’s mood had dropped since she spoke with that old woman. She asked hesitantly, “What’s wrong with you? Unhappy?”

Sang Jing adjusted her emotions and took a deep breath. “No.”

Her teacher had said that life and death were a common occurrence. Moreover, Granny Lin would be dying of old age, so there was nothing to be sad about.

A reserved person who is a neat freak, a clean freak, and hides a knife behind her smile.

This was Xie Yu’s assessment of Sang Jing in her heart.

After turning two corners, there was a wet market. It was already bustling with people in the early morning, as nearby residents would wake up early to buy fresh produce.

Sang Jing expertly made her way to a few stalls and bought several kinds of vegetables she often ate.

Xie Yu followed beside her, saw the bright red tomatoes, and pointed. “I want to eat this.”

Sang Jing glanced over, her lips tightening and her brows furrowing.

The stall owner saw Sang Jing looking at the tomatoes and enthusiastically picked one up, holding it out to her. “These were just delivered this morning, they’re fresh. Have a taste, Little Boss.”

There was only one incense shop in the vicinity. During the Qingming and Zhongyuan festivals, everyone would go there to buy paper money for offerings. If they encountered any trouble, they would also ask Sang Jing for help. Over time, everyone affectionately called Sang Jing ‘Little Boss’.

The bright red tomato was right in front of her, and a sweet and sour smell wafted into her nostrils, bringing with it a nauseating memory for Sang Jing. Her face instantly turned pale, and she staggered a large step back. Ignoring the stall owner’s concerned inquiries, she shook her head, quickly took her things, and walked out of the wet market.

Xie Yu called after her from behind.

“Sang Jing! Sang Jing! Sang Jing!”

Xie Yu caught up to Sang Jing and saw her trip over her own feet, about to fall. She quickly reached out to grab her.

The cold, clear aura of a ghost enveloped her, and Sang Jing sobered up a little. She distantly pushed Xie Yu’s hand away. “I’m fine.”

Xie Yu looked at her suspiciously. Covered in a cold sweat, her face pale—this didn’t look like she was fine.

They returned to the incense shop in silence.

Sang Jing made breakfast for herself and also prepared incense and ingots for Xie Yu, with a few more varieties than last night.

Xie Yu looked at the bland stir-fried bok choy on the table and the white porridge in Sang Jing’s bowl.

The reserved person has a light palate and doesn’t eat spicy food.

“Just now…” Xie Yu wanted to ask.

Sang Jing looked up at her, and Xie Yu’s words got stuck. She saw a coldness in Sang Jing’s eyes.

Xie Yu didn’t ask anymore and buried her head in her incense.

After the human and the ghost finished their meal, Sang Jing practiced drawing talismans in the backyard, while Xie Yu squatted in the shadows, watching her.

The reserved person is a diligent and hardworking student.

Today, Sang Jing didn’t need to go to Peach Blossom Noodles. She spent the whole day studying the metaphysical books in the incense shop until after dinner, when she fed Xie Yu and prepared for her third livestream.

This time, the livestream was in the second-floor livestreaming room. She couldn’t catch ghosts, but she could tell fortunes.

After setting up the equipment, Sang Jing started the livestream.

This time, it was no longer ignored. The moment the stream went live, a large crowd of people flooded in.

The bullet comments scrolled by quickly—

【Streamer, streamer! I want to see you catch a ghost!】

【What ghost? The streamer is just staging it all. Seen this a million times, it’s boring, I’m out.】

【Oh ho, the scammer is here.】

【What scammer? I saw it with my own eyes last night! Seeing is believing!】

【How’d you do the special effects, streamer? Teach me (smirking dog emoji).】

【The ghost-catching video has been taken down from the entire internet. Who knows if the streamer hired a water army? If she really has skills, let her catch another one for us to see.】

【Yeah, yeah, catch another one, catch another one, catch another one.】

【This is just manufactured hype to farm views. Can’t believe there are still suckers who fall for it.】

【I believe!】

【Hahahaha, how can someone admit they’re a sucker?】

…

Sang Jing saw that the number of viewers had already surpassed a thousand. She ignored the mockery in the bullet comments and, with a smile, pulled Xie Yu, who was beside her, into the frame. “Hello everyone, I’m your streamer, Sang Jing. First, let me introduce you. This is my newly hired little assistant, Xiao Xie.”

The bullet comments paused strangely for a moment, then exploded.

【Still say you’re not a scammer? Isn’t this the female ghost from the video? Last night she was a ghost, today she’s a little assistant.】

【Streamer, are you playing us for fools? You could have at least changed the person.】

【My god, streamer, you, you, you hired a vicious ghost as an assistant!??】

【This assistant is a ghost!!!!】

【Are some people’s brains filled with water, or do you get paid for saying this? How much per comment?】

【Sang Sang really can catch ghosts! I saw it with my own eyes!】

…

Sang Jing saw the user who called her ‘Sang Sang’ and spoke up for her. It was indeed A Tree by the River.

She tapped the table.

Xie Yu knew it was her turn. She stared at the screen resentfully. “I am the assistant.”

【Why is the assistant more arrogant than the streamer?】

Sang Jing saw this bullet comment and let out a dissatisfied ‘tsk’ at Xie Yu’s work attitude.

Xie Yu smiled kindly and added, “Hello, everyone.”

She really couldn’t be blamed for her sullen face. It was only before the livestream that she found out the room Sang Jing had given her was this tiny livestreaming room. It could barely fit the small bed that was burned for her, and she couldn’t even stretch her legs out when she lay on it.

After the introductions, the livestream began.

Sang Jing cleared her throat. “Today’s livestream is for divination and face reading. The fee…”

She paused for a moment, glanced at the platform’s gift prices. “One torpedo.”

One torpedo was three thousand yuan.

Anything involving fate has karma. She wouldn’t use the money from divination for herself; she would donate it all.

【66666, after one wave of hype, she’s starting to cash in. She doesn’t even have a certificate, and she’s acting like she’s a big deal.】

【She’s crazy for money.】

【I’ll be watching here today. I bet she won’t get a single cent.】

The number of viewers dropped precipitously, but Sang Jing’s expression showed little fluctuation.

It was about what she had expected.

About ten minutes later, a request to link up popped up on the screen. The user’s nickname was ‘Ghost’.

Sang Jing raised an eyebrow at the name and tapped to accept.

The screen was pitch black, and a low whimpering sound could be faintly heard.

A smile flashed in Sang Jing’s eyes.

The next moment, a distorted, pale, and eerie ghost face was thrust at the camera. Its overly large eyes were all white, filled with red blood vessels.

“Ah—!!!”

A terrified scream suddenly erupted in the quiet livestreaming room, harmonizing perfectly with the chorus of “Ahhh, a ghost!” in the bullet comments.

Sang Jing gave Xie Yu a look that was hard to describe. “You were scared by a person?”

“Hahahahaha, I didn’t even scare the streamer. You’re pretty brave,” the ‘ghost’ on the screen said, brushing her hair aside. Her eyes became black and white, and upon closer inspection, one could see the makeup on her face.

It was a person.

Xie Yu looked at the ‘ghost’ with a cold face.

【My god, you scared me to death. I thought I really linked up with a ghost.】

【Miss, don’t joke around at night.】

【What’s so scary? A bunch of cowards (going to wash my pants).】

【How is the streamer so calm? She wasn’t scared at all.】

【It’s obviously staged. They’re just putting on a show.】

The person on the other end could also see these bullet comments. She quickly clarified, “No, no, I’m not staged. I just wanted to see if the streamer would be scared.”

Sang Jing asked, “Then do you want a reading?”

“Big sister streamer, three thousand is a lot. What if your reading is inaccurate? Wouldn’t my money be wasted?” the ‘ghost’ said with a laugh. Two small canine teeth appeared on her ferocious ghost face, looking both eerie and cute. “How about this: you do the reading first, and if it’s accurate, I’ll pay the fee.”

Hearing this, Xie Yu sneered, “Trying to get something for nothing?”

The ‘ghost’ giggled. “Well, I can’t help it. After all, the streamer is still a ‘three-nos’ streamer.”

Sang Jing didn’t mind. The money wouldn’t be used by her anyway. If this person ended up skipping out on the payment, without settling the karma, she would have to pay it back sooner or later.

“Alright,” Sang Jing asked her, “What do you want to know?”

The ‘ghost’ thought for a moment, her canine teeth showing again. “Tell me when I’ll get rich.”

Getting rich was, in fact, a matter of one’s fortune.

Sang Jing’s gaze shifted to look behind the ‘ghost’ and kindly reminded her, “Fortune is ever-changing. You might as well ask about the calamity of bloodshed you’ll face today.”