TRYMBPIETM 59: Mirror, Night, Snow Peak (22)

The system was frightened by Xing Shuangzhan’s smile, causing its code to go haywire.

It had a bad premonition and instinctively shrank further into the corners of the shadow.

Xing Shuangzhan took a glance and easily found it, pulling it out from the regular swaying shadow, and directly hung the curse on its round body.

The system froze, and all the code came to a brief halt. The faint glow on its spherical body suddenly dimmed.

Xing Shuangzhan chuckled lightly. “No need to be so scared. You’re not a living being, so the curse won’t affect you.”

The system’s unique form of existence ensured it wouldn’t be affected by curses, making it the best vessel for controlling them.

Without the system, even if they could remove the curse, they would first need to plan how to deal with it afterward.

After all, this kind of curse was one of the most insidious—it’s easy to hide various traps within it.

Xing Shuangzhan lowered his gaze, his eyes deep.

Thanks to his little contractor bringing such a small thing, he could safely deal with the curse that had been removed.

The system dared not speak.

Was it afraid of the curse?

No, it was clearly afraid of the method used to remove the curse!

And this vicious ghost was really frightening. It felt like Xing Shuangzhan was planning to study something on it.

It wasn’t sure whether the host would protect it.

It could guide the host, and it would be useful!

The system nudged the curse hanging on its body, but it didn’t move. It looked pitifully at Chi Qingzhou, hoping he would save it.

However, Chi Qingzhou was busy participating in the live broadcast and didn’t notice it at all.

The system immediately wilted. Meanwhile, Chi Qingzhou, with great interest, followed everyone to the tea garden, trying to pick tea using the method taught by the tea garden owner, the Miao girl.

Xue Jinshi was busy near a tea tree, and when he noticed no one was around him, he slowly walked over to apologize.

“I’m sorry. I had heard many rumors before and didn’t understand the facts. I developed hostility toward you unilaterally.”

Xue Jinshi didn’t avoid the camera and bowed sincerely to Chi Qingzhou, reflecting on his actions.

“I was ignorant and prejudiced against you without knowing anything. Later, I realized something was wrong, but I still didn’t delve deeper and stubbornly held onto my views.”

“I feel ashamed of my actions and would like to apologize for the mistakes I’ve made.”

“My fans were also influenced by me, and many of them did wrong things. I also want to apologize to you for that.”

“If I can make it up to you, I would like—”

Before Xue Jinshi could finish his sentence, Chi Qingzhou caught a glimpse of the Miao girl walking over and calmly interrupted.

“Teacher Xue, you’re a good person.” Chi Qingzhou smiled. “Good people will be rewarded.”

Xue Jinshi was stunned: “…?”

He stared at Chi Qingzhou for two seconds, suddenly feeling a bit scared.

What was going on? Both he and the Little Golden Crows had targeted Chi Qingzhou, so why was Chi Qingzhou calling him a good person?

Was this some sort of irony?

He looked at Chi Qingzhou in panic and quickly pleaded for himself, “I’ve realized my mistake, Teacher Chi—”

Chi Qingzhou curved his eyes into a smile. “Teacher Xue, doing good deeds will be rewarded.”

Xue Jinshi was utterly confused, not knowing how to respond.

Chi Qingzhou turned around, waved his hand, and walked toward the Miao girl with big strides, showing no intention of clearing up his confusion.

Xue Jinshi stared at his back for a long time before slowly coming to his senses.

Was Chi Qingzhou implying that he wasn’t a bad person, so he had no intention of holding a grudge against him?

Then… was he forgiven?

…

Leaving Xue Jinshi’s apology behind, Chi Qingzhou walked toward the tea garden owner, smiling and greeting her.

The cheerful and generous Miao girl scanned Chi Qingzhou up and down a few times, shook her head, and smiled brightly.

She responded to Chi Qingzhou in Miao language saying, “Mr. Chi, it’s really you. You look so different from three years ago. I didn’t recognize you at first.”

Chi Qingzhou had no memory of this tea garden owner, but he didn’t show it. He calmly replied in Miao, “Really? I don’t feel like I’ve changed much.”

The Miao girl with caramel-colored eyes looked him over once more and confirmed, “You’ve changed a lot. You look much better than three years ago.”

She tilted her head slightly, and the silver headpiece on her hair made a crisp sound.

“When you came here three years ago, your face looked like you were about to die.”

Chi Qingzhou replied, “I didn’t feel like I was going to die.”

The Miao girl, hearing this, showed no surprise, only nodding.

“I didn’t think you were going to die either. When I brought you into the mountains with the guide, your curse was flaring up constantly. Several times, we thought you wouldn’t make it, and we were terrified. But in the end, you pulled through. After that, I knew you would be fine.”

Chi Qingzhou chuckled, “Is that so? I didn’t notice back then. You seemed very calm.”

The Miao girl laughed joyfully, shaking her head, “Actually, I was terrified of dying, but I didn’t show it. I was just afraid you would think I was unreliable and not a good partner. The village was in such a state, I couldn’t afford to miss any chance to solve the problem.”

Chi Qingzhou paused for a moment, still having no related memories, and lightly nodded.

“How has your village been these past few years?” he asked, following her lead. “Did the old methods work? Is the situation worsening?”

The Miao girl’s smile faded, but her gaze toward Chi Qingzhou grew more serious.

She said, “The village is still the same, no improvement. But what makes us happy is that the measures you left behind have been effective. The condition of the old poison masters hasn’t worsened; they’ve just fallen into a deep sleep. We don’t know when they’ll wake up.”

After a slight pause, she raised her head, her gaze falling on the snow-covered peak of Jingming Mountain. She spoke in a softer tone.

“Mr. Chi, now that you’ve returned after three years, does it mean… does it mean you’ve found a way to solve the problem?”

Chi Qingzhou remained silent for a moment, not lying. “I’m not sure.”

The Miao girl looked slightly disappointed but quickly cheered up. “That’s alright. Things are already much better than before. A few years ago, that so-called Xuanxu Sect and the Paranormal Control Bureau sent people to investigate, but they found nothing. The old poison masters still get injured strangely from time to time, and the poison pool often goes out of control, injuring ordinary villagers every now and then.”

The village where the Miao girl lived was the most powerful one in the entire Jingming Mountain Miao tribe.

For historical reasons, the five most powerful poison masters usually resided in their village, and the largest poison pool was also located there.

The Gu insects raised in this poison pool were powerful enough, and similarly, it was hard for ordinary poison masters to control them.

After several of the old poison masters were injured in strange ways, these bugs became extremely agitated. Many of the older poison masters and priests in the village suffered backlashes, and ordinary villagers were repeatedly attacked, causing panic throughout the entire village.

Chi Qingzhou understood the meaning of the Miao girl’s words.

Although the old poison masters had fallen into a deep sleep, they rarely got injured anymore, and the Gu insects had become much quieter.

This was a good sign, but it was only a temporary solution, and it couldn’t continue like this.

The Miao girl said, somewhat distressed, “Strange things have been happening more and more these years. If the old poison masters weren’t here to hold the fort, we might not be able to handle it.”

Chi Qingzhou pondered for a moment.

He glanced at his shadow and spoke in a calm tone, “Did you finish what I asked you to do three years ago?”

The Miao girl replied, “Mr. Chi, don’t worry. It’s all set up. If the Great Tomb of Jingming Mountain really causes any tremors, we’ll sense it immediately.”

Chi Qingzhou nodded. “Thank you.”

The Miao girl waved her hand with a smile. “You’re too polite, Mr. Chi. By the way, the altar you asked us to set up to remove the curse has been built as well. I wonder when you plan to use it?”

Chi Qingzhou’s eyes flickered, and he faintly began to understand what he had intended to do three years ago.

When he went to the Great Tomb of Jingming Mountain three years ago, he was already cursed.

He had asked the Miao girl to help set up the altar but hadn’t removed the curse back then. It was likely because he lacked the ability to remove it, but perhaps more likely…

It was because only by bearing the curse could he accomplish certain things.

Three years ago, he had been certain that he would return here after three years, and aside from not letting the curse affect him, there must have been another reason.

For example, perhaps he had only completed half of his plan three years ago, and the other half had to be completed by his future self…?

If that was the case, then the curse he suffered was really not a result of him intentionally letting it happen, was it?

Chi Qingzhou’s gaze wandered for a moment, pushing these thoughts deep into his mind, swearing not to let Xing Shuangzhan find out.

No wonder he had previously allowed Xing Shuangzhan to purify the yin energy—he had instinctively felt guilty.

Chi Qingzhou suppressed the chaotic thoughts and replied, “If everything is in order, I’ll remove the curse tonight.”

“Tonight?” The Miao girl was slightly surprised but quickly nodded. “No problem. We’ve been maintaining the altar, and you can use it anytime.”

As she spoke, she glanced at the cameraman, avoiding the camera, and took off a silver chain from her wrist, handing it to Chi Qingzhou.

“Since you’re going to remove the curse tonight, as agreed, this silver chain should be returned to you. I’ve been carefully keeping it, you can check it—it should be in perfect condition.”

Chi Qingzhou took the silver chain and glanced at it. It looked very similar to the one Luo Ting had given him yesterday, except for the red jade embedded in it. Otherwise, the details were identical.

He thanked the Miao girl, who smiled and turned to instruct others in tea picking.

Chi Qingzhou put the silver chain into his pocket and casually continued with the tasks assigned by the production team.

In his personal live stream, viewers and fans, though eager in different ways, were all close to dying of anxiety.

【What exactly was Teacher Chi talking to that girl about just now? Can anyone who understood tell us?】

【I didn’t really understand, I just know it’s probably some local dialect in Miao language. This girl’s word choices are quite obscure, I could only catch part of it.】

【Is this the point?? Isn’t the main point that Teacher Chi got blackmailed?】

【Is there no one from Yuntian Province here? The best would be someone from Shaoqiu City to come and translate for us.】

【I’m from Shaoqiu City, and I can only understand a few words. This seems like a very rare local dialect. Friendly reminder, Miao language dialects differ greatly, and it’s almost impossible to communicate properly.】

【Oh my, so Teacher Chi even knows the local dialect in Miao language? I’m impressed, what kind of genius is he?】

【Wait, is no one going to pay attention to the fact that CQZ was blackmailed?】

【Wasn’t there someone in the live chat earlier who was worried?】

【Sigh, what’s there to be worried about? Hasn’t Pearl Watches already made an official announcement? Why don’t we discuss the conversation from earlier instead?】

【Worrying won’t help. We can’t even get in touch with Brother Chi’s manager, so it’s better to focus on the conversation from earlier than on blackmail.】

【Why rush? My Brother Chi made Tang Qichen bow down to him, so maybe he can charm his way out of this too. So, is there something in that conversation we VIP viewers aren’t supposed to hear? Director, hurry up and get someone to translate!】

Ordinary viewers and bystanders were watching in disbelief as Chi Qingzhou’s fans acted so nonchalant.

What kind of fans are these, so carefree?

The “water army” (fake online accounts) had sharper instincts, sensing something was off with the fans’ reactions. The scolding quickly quieted down, and they fell into a watchful state.

The leader of the “water army” was noncommittal about this.

When the Little Golden Crows started reporting on Chi Qingzhou, they were already informed.

Although they often posted absurd statements without conscience, they weren’t truly mindless.

How could they possibly get involved in such a situation?

When Little Golden Crows gave them new orders, they didn’t accept them and were ready to discard this one too.

After waiting for a while, seeing the “water army” fall silent, Xue Jinshi suddenly apologized to Chi Qingzhou, and dissatisfaction brewed.

Let’s get this straight—they were fighting hard for whom?

They were putting in so much effort for someone only for the main person to back down? Wasn’t this a betrayal?

A group of Little Golden Crows were so upset that they almost shouted, “Your Majesty, why are you plotting rebellion?” But before they could figure out why things turned out this way, a group of people suddenly appeared in the chat to argue with Xue Jinshi, all venting their sadness and grievances.

【So sudden, I really didn’t expect this.】

【I was just criticizing myself earlier, thinking I hadn’t protected him well, and now… I’m really heartbroken.】

【Earlier, I thought of myself as a warrior, now I feel like an idiot.】

The Little Golden Crows were confused by all these mixed-up comments and finally understood the earlier feelings of the PR team.

Wait, who are these people?

Why are they skipping all the procedures and directly shouting about being heartbroken and quitting as fans?

Are there really members in their group who turn on a dime like this?

The Little Golden Crows were utterly baffled. They couldn’t even remember to analyze Xue Jinshi’s apology, rushing to argue with these strange people.

What’s this nonsense about being heartbroken? Didn’t Xue Jinshi use this method to protect us?

These people can’t possibly be Little Golden Crows—absolutely not!

Furious, the Little Golden Crows argued furiously with these people, many of whom had no time to worry about anything else.

Meanwhile, the anti-fans who had been stirring things up earlier started to feel something was wrong.

Why were fewer and fewer people speaking?

They glanced around in confusion and realized that those who had been supporting them in the conversation were now silent. The only voices left were fans from various groups who were relentless in asking for explanations.

A subtle unease flashed through their minds, and before they had time to decide whether to stop, several of the anti-fans who had casually called the police received a return call.

The police were very polite, but what they said shocked them to the core: “…The case involving Qi has been further investigated, and you can follow the public notice on the case…”

These two lines stunned many of them. The police said more, but they didn’t even catch all of it.

Perhaps because there had been too many reports, after several anti-fans hung up the phone, the Hexing City Police Department issued a blue-background, white-text notice.

【On (date) at around 9:00 PM, the suspect Qi (male, 33 years old) hit someone in an isolated area with his car, intentionally dragged the victim to their death. Afterward, Qi conspired with others to destroy evidence and fled the scene.】

【After the incident, our department attached great importance to it, quickly setting up a special task force to investigate the case, recovering some of the destroyed evidence, and identifying suspects Qi and Zhu.】

【On (date) at 8:00 AM, we received a report from a concerned citizen, Mr. Chi, who helped apprehend suspects Qi and Zhu. The case is currently under further investigation.】

The case involved Zhu Yantong and his master, but naturally, the police couldn’t reveal that detail.

However, even without further details, the information in the notice was shocking enough.

The anti-fans who had been aggressively reporting, the Little Golden Crows who were caught up in arguments, and the fans from other groups who had no idea this was an attack on Little Golden Crows, all went silent as they saw the notice.

What… what’s going on?

They had just been fighting for resources, so how did it suddenly escalate to a criminal case?

Everyone who had been making noise immediately quieted down, unsure of what to do next.

After a long pause, one of Xue Jinshi’s fans timidly typed: 【So… since Qi Ming is a suspect, could CQZ be the “concerned citizen”? If that’s the case, what about our previous reports…?】

The moment this was said, it was like a wake-up call.

A group of Little Golden Crows who had reported Chi Qingzhou felt something was off and immediately logged into the reporting website to try to retract their reports.

However, such reports couldn’t be retracted.

Many Little Golden Crows who didn’t understand legal procedures stared at the page, not knowing why they suddenly felt uneasy.

Since Chi Qingzhou wasn’t in the wrong, the supposed suppression, manipulation, and causing the host’s disappearance were all false. After the investigation, would the higher-ups not only announce his innocence but also reveal more details?

Would they… be affected?

The Little Golden Crows, unable to make sense of the situation, felt nervous.

At this moment, they suddenly realized that Xue Jinshi’s apology to Chi Qingzhou might really have been to protect them.

An indescribable emotion filled their hearts, many of them feeling both scared and embarrassed, unable to hold back their tears.

…

The Little Golden Crows were in a state of strong emotion. Even though they weren’t targeting anyone specific, Chi Qingzhou still sensed something was wrong.

He glanced at the camera, put down the basket full of tea leaves, and looked toward the peak of Jingming Mountain.

All his emotions were directed toward that place.

However, the snow on the mountaintop glistened under the sunlight, as white and pure as ever, seemingly unchanged.

Chi Qingzhou smiled, his pupils deep and mysterious.

But, was it really like this?