TRYMBPIETM 73: Mirror, Night, Snow Peak (36)

Chi Qingzhou tilted his head, thought for a moment, and then softened his voice: “Monk Ji’e, please come in.”

“Apologies for disturbing you, Benefactor.”

The monk chanted a Buddhist chant again, lifted the tent flap, and walked in slowly.

Chi Qingzhou calmly gazed at him.

This monk appeared to be about fifty years old, tall and slender, with kind eyes that gave off a gentle, tolerant aura at first glance. However, as he moved, the muscles beneath his robe suddenly tightened, revealing a powerful presence.

This was not a scholar monk, at least not entirely.

Chi Qingzhou narrowed his eyes and gave him a harmless smile.

He placed the broken shell of system 66594 on his lap and pushed it forward: “Is this the special material the master mentioned?”

Monk Ji’e carefully observed the metal shell on Chi Qingzhou’s knees, calculated for a moment with his right hand, and soon nodded.

“It should be this.”

Chi Qingzhou handed over the shell, a bit curious, and asked: “Monk, are you skilled in divination?”

Monk Ji’e humbly replied, “I have some knowledge.”

He took a cloth bag from the sleeve of his robe and placed the broken shell of system 66594 inside.

Chi Qingzhou took a closer look and noticed that the cloth bag was made of cotton, with intricate Sanskrit and Buddhist symbols woven into it using brocade techniques.

Noticing Chi Qingzhou’s gaze, Monk Ji’e smiled slightly: “Benefactor Chi, are you looking at these Sanskrit characters? These are used to suppress evil spirits. Before I came, my senior brother specifically told me to be extra cautious, so I prepared these.”

Chi Qingzhou narrowed his eyes and smiled: “Master, you have quite a wide range of knowledge.”

After complimenting Monk Ji’e, he changed the subject, “Did the senior brother give any other instructions before you came?”

Monk Ji’e replied, “You wish to ask about the agreement between you and my senior brother? Before I came, my senior brother did indeed tell me that if you ask about this matter, I should simply speak plainly.”

He glanced out of the corner of his eye at Xing Shuangzhan, who was standing by Chi Qingzhou’s side, arms crossed, resembling a sculpture, his eyes reflecting an unreadable sentiment.

“My senior brother didn’t explain the details of your agreement, but I have heard some things about the general cooperation from several of my junior brothers.”

“My senior brother promised that before the right time came, he would suppress all surveillance from the Paranormal Control Bureau and would not allow them to disturb your life. He would also provide necessary assistance to you and Shen Wenxu.”

“In exchange, Benefactor Chi is to hand over the special material to the Paranormal Control Bureau for research once it is retrieved.”

Chi Qingzhou blinked, realizing that he had actually made arrangements in the Paranormal Control Bureau three years ago?

No wonder no cultivators had bothered him in these past years.

It seemed that the past him had been quite cautious.

Chi Qingzhou’s gaze flickered across Xing Shuangzhan’s seemingly smiling face before returning to Master Ji’e.

He asked with increasing curiosity, “Was it only me and Su-Ge in my request back then?”

Master Ji’e said, “I don’t know the details of the cooperation, but my senior brother only mentioned not allowing the people from the Bureau to disturb you and Mr. Xing. As for other people… perhaps it also included some of the Chi family members?”

Chi Qingzhou replied, “I see.”

He wasn’t surprised by this answer.

The Chi family had been living peacefully for these past three years. From what he knew about his parents, if no one had been interfering behind the scenes, they could never have had such a carefree life.

He couldn’t help but smile: “It seems I was very filial three years ago.”

Xing Shuangzhan: “…”

Monk Ji’e: “…”

Really? In that case, it must have been filial piety.

Compared to Chi Qingzhou’s explanation that it was due to filial piety that he didn’t want anyone disturbing his family, Monk Ji’e felt that Chi Qingzhou simply didn’t want anyone to ruin his setup by alarming the snake, so he brought the Chi family into it.

But since Monk Ji’e didn’t know Chi Qingzhou very well, he didn’t say much more and left after leaving a string of walnut wood Buddha beads.

Chi Qingzhou got up to escort him out of the tent. After watching him walk away, he turned back inside.

As soon as he entered the tent, Xing Shuangzhan pulled him into his arms.

Xing Shuangzhan’s slightly cold fingers pinched his earlobe, still wearing that half-smiling, half-serious expression.

“You had me go fetch the system shell back for this cooperation, hmm?”

Chi Qingzhou felt a bit ticklish, leaned back slightly, and innocently said, “You can’t blame me; I had forgotten about any arrangements I made in the past.”

Xing Shuangzhan lowered his eyes and stared at him for a while, then leaned down and lightly bit his earlobe, neither confirming nor denying: “Is that so?”

Chi Qingzhou responded decisively, “Of course it is.”

He felt Xing Shuangzhan’s hand on his waist tighten. Immediately, he used his elbow to push Xing Shuangzhan away.

Tilting his head, with a sly glint in his eyes, he teased: “Su-Ge, your body is still made of gathered ghost energy, you know.”

Xing Shuangzhan let out a small laugh, his eyes dark, like the surface of an unfathomable sea.

He spoke meaningfully: “It’s fine. It won’t be for long. My real body has already been brought back by you today.”

Chi Qingzhou gave an innocent expression, as if saying, “What are you talking about? I don’t understand.”

But what he said was entirely different.

“However, Su-Ge, even if you got your body back, you’ll still need a long time to adjust.”

His tone was full of amusement, even with a hint of excitement.

Even if his Su-Ge was a world-destroying ghost, after being separated from his body for so long, it would take a long time for him to regain control over it.

This period is his last time of freedom.

Once Su-Ge reunites with his body, he won’t have the chance to be as free as he is now.

Since that’s the case, of course, he should make the most of this time and enjoy himself!

Xing Shuangzhan slowly raised the corner of his mouth and said meaningfully, “Very thoughtful. I hope that in the future, you won’t sulk over what you said now.”

Chi Qingzhou’s eyes flickered, and suddenly, he grabbed his hand and bit his fingertip.

Before Xing Shuangzhan could react, Chi Qingzhou took a few steps to the bedside, threw himself onto the pillow, and exaggeratedly yawned.

“So sleepy, Su-Ge, let’s rest.”

Xing Shuangzhan flicked his fingers, said nothing, and smiled as he walked over.

…

The chaotic night finally came to an end.

That night, many guests and staff had trouble sleeping.

Even though they were in a completely safe environment, the sudden and strange avalanche still made them feel uneasy. In fact, even in their dreams, everything was a white blur, and they would wake up every half hour from nightmares.

By the next morning, many people from the production team were called up with dark circles under their eyes, looking sluggish.

The director yawned, turned around, and saw that everyone looked disheveled. He froze for two seconds and suddenly woke up in a panic.

“W-where’s the makeup artist? Quickly, go and touch up the makeup for the guests!”

The half-asleep makeup artist jumped in shock, immediately jumping up and looking over at the guests, also revealing a shocked expression.

“Teachers, did you all not sleep well last night? Xiao Meng, Xiao Dai, bring me my makeup kit! And you all, stop dozing off, go boil a few eggs!”

The production team became a flurry of activity, and the guests all felt a bit awkward upon seeing this.

They knew full well that as artists, they should maintain a good appearance in front of the camera, but what happened last night had been too stimulating, and they really couldn’t sleep well.

The consequences of not resting well became apparent in the morning.

The guests had somewhat puffy eyes, severe dark circles, and their skin showed signs of wear.

Xue Jinshi even had a pimple appear on his face, which stood out a bit too much.

With a sigh, the guests chatted with the makeup artist politely, sitting down on stools and waiting for their makeup to be done.

Not far away, the camping tent stirred, and soon the door curtain was lifted. Chi Qingzhou, who had slept soundly all night, walked out.

The eyes of the guests immediately focused on him.

Seeing how energetic he looked, they couldn’t help but cast him resentful glances.

Chi Qingzhou blinked in confusion, then, after a few seconds of wondering, he greeted them first, “Good morning, teachers.”

The guests sighed deeply, one after another replying, “Good morning, Teacher Chi.”

“Teacher Chi looks in great spirits.”

“Time for makeup, Xiao Chi, come over here.”

Chi Qingning stood up, grabbed a small plastic stool, placed it nearby, and gestured for Chi Qingzhou to sit.

“Second brother, I just wiped the stool with a tissue, it’s clean!”

Chi Qingzhou sat down next to him without hesitation, smiling as he praised, “Little brother, you’re so thoughtful.”

Chi Qingning laughed happily, looking pleased and no longer maintaining the distant and cold demeanor he had before.

Xue Jinshi, while applying ointment, glanced at Chi Qingning with an expression of discomfort.

Chi Qingning pretended not to see his gaze and busied himself around Chi Qingzhou during the entire makeup process.

Chi Qingzhou didn’t comment.

However, the director, still uneasy, hesitated for a moment before quietly approaching Chi Qingzhou and asking, “Teacher Chi, this time, the matter is really settled, right?”

Chi Qingzhou replied, “Can this still be fake?”

The director was delighted, rubbing his nearly bald head, and said excitedly, “That’s good, that’s good!” His iced Americano, flat white, mocha… they’ve all been saved!

Chi Qingzhou was stunned for a moment, surprised, and asked, “Iced Americano, flat white, mocha, those are…?”

It didn’t seem like the director was talking about coffee.

The director happily explained, “It’s my hair!”

He had little hair left, and to ensure each hair’s safety, he gave them all names and counted them every morning!

Chi Qingzhou exclaimed, “Director Hu, you’re so thoughtful. Your hair must feel your care.”

The director smiled contentedly, patting his iced Americano, flat white, mocha… his hair, happily nodding.

Sitting aside, Xue Jinshi, still applying ointment, looked utterly distraught.

Listen to that—are these normal conversations?

This variety show team—how is it that from the director to the staff, everyone thinks so weirdly!

Xue Jinshi couldn’t help but regret, regretting even more than when he had faced danger yesterday.

He really shouldn’t have come to this variety show. He shouldn’t have let himself suffer through these conversations!

…

After some commotion, the guests finally regained their usual polished appearances.

The director checked the camera equipment and confirmed there were no issues. At 9:30, the day’s live broadcast began on time.

As soon as the live broadcast started, a large wave of viewers and netizens flooded in.

【I heard there was an avalanche at Jingming Mountain last night?】

【Could there really be avalanches at this latitude? It shocked my whole family!】

【Did you see the trending news this morning? The director of “Wanxiang” seems to have gone crazy! He ran out to the street this morning, shirtless, shouting that the movie premiere should be canceled! Is that true?】

【Yes, I was nearby at the time. He ran out of the studio all crazed, muttering “It’s not him, it’s wrong, it’s wrong,” scaring the people walking by!】

【Yikes, what’s going on?】