TRYMBPIETM 34: A Series of Retributions (2)

Chi Qingzhou followed Cheng Yufei as they walked to a water fir tree.

Cheng Yufei raised her hand and cast two talismans, setting up a simple ward.

Chi Qingzhou glanced curiously at them. The talismans were very orthodox in Daoist style, each stroke brimming with spiritual energy, showing the practitioner’s solid foundation.

It must be the work of that old gentleman in the Daoist robe.

Cheng Yufei was quite surprised. Her desire to win Chi Qingzhou over became even stronger.

Daoist Du Ming had a balanced, harmonious, and adaptable style in his magic. He was powerful but lacked any particularly distinctive traits.

Even those who were on good terms with him might not easily recognize his talismans.

But Chi Qingzhou immediately identified it—such an ability couldn’t help but make Cheng Yufei intrigued.

She quickly abandoned her original approach and took out a document from the Paranormal Control Bureau, handing it to Chi Qingzhou with both hands.

“Mr. Chi, my name is Cheng Yufei, and I am the leader of the second task force of the Paranormal Control Bureau. I apologize for the intrusion, but I’d like to invite you to join us for a special advisory role.”

She knew it wasn’t realistic to get Chi Qingzhou to directly join the Paranormal Control Bureau, so she swiftly thought of offering the advisory position—a role typically reserved for respected individuals.

She believed that with Chi Qingzhou’s strength, he could easily silence any doubters and impress everyone.

Chi Qingzhou looked at the header on the document: “Paranormal Affairs Bureau,” and then searched for details about the advisory role.

Upon understanding the position, he tilted his head slightly, confused, not fully understanding Cheng Yufei.

“I’m not good at face reading, nor am I skilled in formations or talismans. I can’t really guide others.”

His tone was sincere.

“If you want me to teach kids about morals, that’s fine, but teaching professional knowledge seems like I’d be leading them astray, don’t you think?”

He shook his head, looking at Cheng Yufei with a hint of “are you sure about this?”

Cheng Yufei: “… Teach kids? What kids??”

Looking at Chi Qingzhou’s earnest expression, she suddenly had a subtle feeling.

Perhaps, just maybe, this Mr. Chi was quite different from what they had imagined.

But she wasn’t willing to give up and continued persuading him, “Mr. Chi, the Paranormal Control Bureau doesn’t work with minors. The people who need guidance are all adults with some foundation. You’re strong, insightful, and experienced. They could learn a lot from you…”

Chi Qingzhou nodded absently, still showing no interest.

Seeing his firm stance, Cheng Yufei helplessly asked, “Then what is it that you’re good at?”

Chi Qingzhou thought for a moment, then answered with certainty: “I’m good at exorcising ghosts.”

He was very strong!

Cheng Yufei: “…”

For some reason, she felt that Chi Qingzhou’s “ghost-exorcising” was probably not the kind of thing she had in mind.

She had no choice but to ask, “Would you be interested in a consulting position?”

Chi Qingzhou replied, “Mm-hmm, next time, definitely next time.”

As soon as he said that, Cheng Yufei knew there was no chance this time.

Not wanting to annoy someone like Chi Qingzhou, she didn’t press further but asked one last question.

“Although it’s a bit rude, may I ask why you rejected our offer?”

“I have a lot to do, not much time.”

Chi Qingzhou smiled slightly.

“I still have many places to go, so I won’t be taking on a second job.”

…

Not long after, Cheng Yufei and Chi Qingzhou returned to the group, and everyone made their way down the mountain.

The villagers of Yinping Village had long since woken up. They didn’t even realize they had been unconscious, and the village looked lively and normal.

When the show crew passed by, the villagers cheerfully greeted them.

The crew members awkwardly returned the greeting, then hurried away as if something was chasing them.

Meanwhile, the shamans of the Puluo tribe knew the danger had passed and gathered at the village entrance, awaiting Chi Qingzhou, led by the Grand Shaman Geng.

As Chi Qingzhou walked out of the village with the group, he saw the dozen or so shamans and turned away from the crowd, walking toward them.

The crew stopped, craning their necks, curiously watching the shamans.

Geng, holding his shaman staff, took a few steps forward to greet Chi Qingzhou.

“Long time no see, Mr. Chi. How have you been?”

Chi Qingzhou stopped, smiling as he replied, “I’m good. Geng, long time no see. You still look as strong as ever.”

The two exchanged a few pleasantries, and then Geng solemnly thanked Chi Qingzhou.

He didn’t ask Chi Qingzhou to stay longer but instead said, “I know you have important matters to attend to, so I won’t keep you. When you have time, old man will bring the tribe to visit.”

Geng took a step back, joining the other shamans, and with a withered hand, he drew a complex symbol on his chest.

The unseen spirit energy gathered before him, and Chi Qingzhou’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Geng raised his shaman staff and chanted in the ancient Puluo language, the other shamans crossing their arms in front of their chests, bowing in unison.

Birds flew up in the Yuhua Mountains, crossing in front of the bright sun, while the clear bird calls mixed with the sounds of insects.

The wind brought warmth, carrying with it the gratitude and respect of the Puluo tribe’s shamans, forming an ancient prayer incantation.

The spiritual energy of the mountains lingered for a moment, then followed the shamans’ guidance, entering Chi Qingzhou’s shadow.

One half of Chi Qingzhou’s soul grabbed the other half and happily drifted into slumber.

Xing Shuangzhan also benefited a bit, and the injuries from blocking the heavenly thunder twelve years ago became less noticeable.

There were too many people, so he didn’t dare come out of the shadow but whispered to himself, “This should be the highest form of respect the Puluo tribe has. They’ve adhered to the ancient rituals. As far as I remember, they haven’t used these rites since 600 years ago. It’s impressive they were able to find them in the old records.”

Chi Qingzhou froze, suddenly feeling flustered.

He had helped a bit, but it wasn’t to this extent.

He suddenly didn’t know what to do.

Xing Shuangzhan chuckled, “This is what you deserve. No need to feel apologetic. Go ahead, the shamans are still waiting.”

His little contractor always calmly faced malice, but when it came to gratitude, he was always this helpless.

But this was what Chi Qingzhou had earned.

“Their goodwill is pure, just like the emotions you collected before,” Xing Shuangzhan gently reminded. “Chi Qingzhou, you’re so kind, you wouldn’t keep the old man waiting, would you?”

Chi Qingzhou paused and softly murmured in agreement.

He nodded and gave a slight bow to the shamans, accepting their gratitude.

The show crew was stunned by the scene. A photographer quickly opened the camera and captured the entire process.

Although they didn’t understand what had happened, such a scene, blending tradition and modernity, old and young, was worth recording.

With a limp, Chi Qingning looked at this scene, feeling somewhat uneasy.

The people from the Paranormal Control Bureau silently watched the prayer ceremony, their hearts filled with excitement.

…

After leaving Yinping Village, the entire production crew boarded a bus and headed directly back to Shangling County’s city center.

The people from the Paranormal Control Bureau had already made arrangements with the relevant departments, and some members of the production crew went to the local police station for a visit. After returning to the hotel, they were asked to release a statement confirming their safety.

The Shangling County Public Security Bureau also issued a police notice, stating that around 9 a.m. today, they had received a report from a concerned citizen.

[…After investigation, it was found that the crew of the “Scenery Along the Way” program had mistakenly entered an undeveloped scenic area due to malicious interference from Zhu Yantong (Male, 31 years old). Zhu Yantong, a guide hired by the program, was unhappy about the tourism development in Yinping Village and the decision to allow “Scenery Along the Way” to film there. He maliciously hid the warning signs at the boundary of the undeveloped area in the mountains, leading to the temporary disappearance of all crew members.]

[After the incident, Zhu Yantong was promptly controlled by the program’s guest, Mr. Chi, and no injuries occurred.]

[Currently, all personnel have been rescued, and the relevant case is still under investigation…]

The worried viewers and netizens couldn’t help but type out a series of question marks after seeing the crew’s repost of the notice.

[Is this Zhu Yantong the guy who drove the tricycle at the beginning of the livestream?]

[Yes, that’s him.]

[Holy crap, thinking about it carefully, this is terrifying. If he had that kind of mindset, then the tricycle breaking down at the beginning… was it just a random malfunction? He must have been scheming something back then, right?]

[I’m from the area, and I just helped with the investigation. I can’t reveal the details, but I can confirm that the guesses above were right.]

[!!! Is it really that scary?!]

[People can be so evil! He seemed so honest at first, but his mentality is so twisted.]

[I’m also from the area, and my family lives right next to Yinping Village. I just asked my grandmother, and there is only one car repair shop in the village, and it’s at the eastern edge of the village. The direction Zhu Moutong indicated is completely opposite!]

[My God, doesn’t that mean if Mr. Chi hadn’t stepped up, the guests might have been in danger?!]

[Chi Qingning saved the crew twice!]

[Thank you, Mr. Chi, for saving my brother. I’m bowing to you.]

[Thank you, Mr. Chi, for saving my sister. Anyone who says Mr. Chi is bad, I won’t accept it!]

Several fans of the guests expressed their gratitude and quickly followed Chi Qingzhou on his social media.

Some passersby were also attracted by the situation, saw the clip of Chi Qingzhou in action, and became fans on the spot, also following him.

In no time, Chi Qingzhou’s follower count grew rapidly, with many praising his carefulness and courage, hoping he would have a bright future ahead.

Netizens were abuzz with discussion, and some passersby accidentally clicked on a trending topic, unable to understand Zhu Yantong’s actions.

Isn’t the development of tourism a good thing?

This person comes from a poor family—what was he trying to gain by doing this?

The Paranormal Control Bureau had already prepared for this and quickly arranged for someone to release some “insider news,” claiming that Zhu Yantong didn’t want his fellow villagers to prosper, and didn’t want to create a wealth gap between them.

This reasoning sounded absurd, like a low-budget version of “Closer to Science,” and more people raised small questions, bringing the topic #Suspect DoesNotWantaWealthGap# to the trending list.

With two high-discussion trending topics pushing down the search rankings, along with the previous rumors about the fake young master, the trending topics were almost filled up.

The head of a paid comment studio looked at the situation and picked up his phone to send a message.

[In this situation, it will take more effort to get on the trending list. Are you sure you want to buy this trending topic?]

A reply came quickly:

[I’ll add more money.]

Since they were adding more money, the paid comment head had no objections. He replied with an “ok” and told the studio team to get to work.

Posting on social media, refreshing keywords, pretending to discuss, buying trending topics…

After a series of operations, by noon, a new topic had risen to the top three trending topics—

#Chi Qingning and His Biological Mother’s Meeting Video Exposed#

Many netizens clicked on the title, thinking it was a topic revealing Chi Qingning’s malicious nature, full of anger. But when they clicked in, it was completely not what they expected.

The video was clearly taken with a mobile phone, with the angle showing that the person filming was hiding behind a wall.

The video wasn’t of particularly high quality, and the filmer’s hand was slightly shaky, with the sound of gasping in the background, so there was a lot of noise.

In the video, there were two people—one was Chi Qingning, and the other was a middle-aged woman who bore some resemblance to him. It was clear that she had been a beauty in her youth, but now, the wrinkles around her mouth made her appear very harsh.

This woman looked at Chi Qingning with no warmth in her eyes, and her body language was impatient.

Chi Qingning cautiously stepped forward and asked, “Are you my mother?”

The woman spat on the ground and sharply yelled, “Don’t call me mother! I don’t have a son like you!”

In the video, Chi Qingning was clearly stunned. He opened his mouth but didn’t speak.

The woman disdainfully stepped back two steps, as though encountering something filthy. She vigorously wiped her left hand, which Chi Qingning had almost grabbed, on her clothes, her face showing clear disgust.

Chi Qingning stood frozen, his eyes reddening little by little.

His lips trembled as if he wanted to cry, but he held it in.

The woman only became more disgusted.

Her gaze even turned slightly chilling, and she pursed her lips before stepping back another half-step.

“What’s wrong with you? Why do you keep shedding tears? I knew it—those who like men are all mentally troubled.”

Chi Qingning’s body swayed slightly.

The woman seemed not to notice and continued to scold, “How did you turn out like this? I sent you to a wealthy family, but you didn’t learn well and got engaged to a man?”

“I can’t understand it at all. Your father and I were both normal, so how come you turned out so disgusting?”

“Look at your brother, such a good kid, he’s had two girlfriends. Though they weren’t the best—those two women had no money, no education, they just relied on being young and fresh to seduce your brother—but at least he knows how to date normal girls. Why couldn’t you learn from him?”

Chi Qingning’s shoulders trembled, and he gritted his teeth, forcing out a question, “Just because I’m engaged to Wen Ge, you hate me this much, mom?”

The woman screamed in a high-pitched voice, cutting him off, “I told you, don’t call me mom! I don’t have a son like you—someone who can’t even continue the family line! Do you deserve to be my son?”

Chi Qingning’s face turned pale, and he nearly collapsed to the ground.

He grabbed the railing at the edge of the garden, ignoring his manners, and shouted, “But I’m your son—!”

Before he could finish, a boy of about 15 or 16 suddenly rushed out from the side.

He raised his hand, and a hot liquid from a cup splashed all over Chi Qingning’s face and head, making his fair skin instantly turn red.

Chi Qingning cried out in panic, desperately trying to wipe his face with his sleeve, only to realize it was just hot water. His legs gave out, and he finally collapsed to the ground.

He looked like someone who had survived a catastrophe, sobbing in a way that seemed half-laughing and half-crying.

The boy rolled his eyes, clearly looking down on Chi Qingning for caring so much about his appearance.

He raised his chin arrogantly and commented, “No wonder you’re such a delicate boy who likes men. What a pathetic pretty boy. Hey, I heard you’ve been at the Chi family for years and still haven’t gotten any of the family assets. What kind of useless person are you?”

The woman nodded, looking proudly at the boy and agreeing, “Yes, your brother is right.”

Chi Qingning laughed bitterly, “That’s the property of my adoptive parents. They can give it to anyone they want, and no one has the right to interfere.”

The boy spat on the ground. “See, you’re stupid! If they won’t give it to you, why not figure out a way to get it?”

He seemed to have thought of something and looked at Chi Qingning with malicious intent, saying, “Aren’t you into men? I heard there’s a big brother here. Why are you marrying some man outside? Why don’t you seduce him and make him share his business with you?”

Chi Qingning’s gaze blanked for a moment, and then an overwhelming disgust surged up, causing him to turn around and uncontrollably vomit.

The person recording the video seemed shocked by the disgusting behavior of this mother and son, gasping and cursing loudly.

“I’ve seen shameless people, but I’ve never seen anyone this shameless.”

“What kind of bizarre creatures are these, my god!”

As his exclamations echoed, the video ended.

The netizens who watched the video were also stunned.

When the fake young master was trending, they had indeed suspected that Chi Qingzhou’s adoptive parents, his biological parents, might have questionable morals, but they never expected this family to be this bizarre.

Not to mention that same-sex marriage has been legal for a long time, but just their final suggestion was enough to make people feel uncomfortable.

Even though Chi Qingning had no blood relation with the Chi family, before knowing the truth, he had definitely considered that older brother as his real brother.

Apart from those with more diverse interests, it’s hard for most people to imagine having any ethically questionable relationship with family members, right?

Let’s not even mention how Chi Qingning vomited—there were netizens with siblings who imagined the scenario and felt like vomiting too.

Confirming that this video was unedited and not some technology-based prank, some netizens even began to sympathize with Chi Qingning.

They spoke fairly: [He didn’t volunteer to be switched at birth. In that respect, he was also a victim. And with a mother and brother like that, if it were me, I wouldn’t return to that family.]

The little sweet plums were crying uncontrollably.

Their brother was so pitiful—rejected by his biological parents and brother, and also being scolded by that group of online mobs, why should he bear it?

In the words of some bystanders, although he owed Chi Qingzhou an apology, he had done nothing wrong to others.

When facing Chi Qingzhou, he was indeed at a disadvantage, but why should he bear the mistreatment from that bizarre family?

The little sweet plums organized themselves and began to defend Chi Qingning.

The paid commenters mingled among them, trying to muddle the truth.

They railed against Chi Qingning’s biological parents’ weirdness while crazily controlling the comments, saying that Chi Qingning was also a victim and that people shouldn’t target him so harshly.

Chi Qingning’s choice was also a helpless act, so people shouldn’t buy into the “victim-blaming” mentality and be so harsh toward a poor person.

Some bystanders felt something was off and raised doubts in the topic thread.

However, their comments were soon buried by the little sweet plums.

A strange dark energy spread from all corners, and many of the ordinary users who were scrolling through the topic started to grow increasingly fervent, picking up their phones or keyboards, and echoing the words of the paid commenters and fans with the firmest phrases.

Before long, the public opinion about Chi Qingning gradually softened.

However, at the same time, an endless feeling of frustration arose in their hearts, but they couldn’t find an outlet for it.

As their anger went unexpressed, a strange thought gradually formed in their minds.

Since Chi Qingning was innocent, then those targeting him must be evil.

They wanted to curse the culprit, but strangely, every time they thought about this problem, their minds became sluggish.

Eventually, they found themselves giving up the keyboard, focusing instead on a silent struggle with their own confused thoughts.

….

The phone notification rang, and Chi Shuhong put down the mouse, looking at the message sent by the online army studio, nodding in satisfaction.

He had checked the online reviews, and indeed, they had become much more calm.

The key point was that his cultivation had become smooth again, and the speed at which he accumulated spiritual power had recovered to the level it had been at when Chi Qingning had a good reputation, which meant everything was developing according to his plan.

He straightened his Daoist robe modestly, glanced at the cinnabar on the talisman, which was gradually fading in color, and carefully considered whether he should add a little more fire.

He and Chi Qingzhou’s biological father, that is, Chi Jianming, were brothers, so by family relations, Chi Qingzhou should call him uncle.

He had never been involved in the management of the Chi family company, focusing solely on cultivating his own magical abilities as a practitioner of Daoism.

He had never thought much of his nephew, Chi Qingning, who had no blood relation to him.

The reason he had cared for Chi Qingning since he was five years old was purely because Chi Qingning could accelerate his cultivation speed.

Chi Shuhong had been sent to Maoshan to study the Dao in his youth, but he had ordinary talent and poor comprehension. Not only had he failed to officially enter the sect, but Maoshan wouldn’t even accept him as an outer disciple.

The day he left the mountain and returned home, the Daoist priests who were responsible for teaching the external disciples were so happy they snuck out to celebrate with wine, and they were caught by the Elder, who punished them by making them copy scriptures for a long time.

Yet, Chi Shuhong had always dreamed of achieving Dao and becoming immortal.

After returning home, he insisted on not getting married and determined to continue his cultivation. His family had no choice but to let him go.

His talent was poor, and after leaving Maoshan, a place full of spiritual energy, his cultivation speed plummeted.

Watching the little bit of spiritual power he had accumulated on the mountain nearly dissipate, he was frantic and tried countless methods, even resorting to extreme measures, but nothing succeeded.

At this moment, his older brother visited him, and he immediately noticed the two children his brother brought. He realized that his opportunity had come.

Of course, this opportunity had nothing to do with Chi Xiaoyuan. It was purely because when Chi Qingning stood in his room, the spiritual power he had accumulated immediately became active again.

He told his older brother to let Chi Qingning stay at his house for a few days, and gradually he discovered a pattern.

Chi Qingning himself had very strong luck, and anyone who came into contact with him would have their luck improve, even bringing moments of insight to practitioners like him.

He didn’t need to be in contact with Chi Qingning for too long. Once a month or even once every two months was enough to maintain high cultivation efficiency.

The more Chi Qingning was praised and liked, the faster he could accumulate spiritual power.

Realizing this, Chi Qingning became his honored guest.

From the time Chi Qingning was five years old until now, for a total of seventeen years, he had been helping to handle any threats to Chi Qingning.

Chi Qingning’s smooth path in the entertainment industry could not have been achieved without his help.

At least three or four of the influencers who had been against Chi Qingning had been eliminated by him using magic.

But Chi Shuhong would never abuse his Daoist power.

With his small amount of spiritual power, he couldn’t afford to waste it recklessly.

Three months ago, when Chi Qingzhou returned to the Chi family, although Chi Qingning had not sought his help, he noticed that his cultivation speed had slowed down, so he naturally started paying attention to Chi Qingzhou.

He had secretly helped spread rumors, even contributing to the scandal about an illegitimate child.

Otherwise, such a strange rumor wouldn’t have spread so quickly.

Chi Shuhong didn’t care who his real nephew was; he only wanted to achieve Dao and become an immortal.

Considering that after Chi Qingzhou joined the live broadcast of Scenery Along the Way, his cultivation speed had notably slowed, Chi Shuhong hesitated but still decided to use another talisman.

As he saw the sympathy for Chi Qingning becoming more dominant on social media, he finally felt at ease.

With some free time on his hands, Chi Shuhong casually glanced at the time on his phone. It was almost time for his daily worship of the gods, so he stood up, ready to take a bath and prepare offerings.

At that moment, a wisp of mildew entered through a window crack and quietly landed on his head.

He was unaware and took a step forward, when suddenly his right leg went numb, and he immediately toppled toward the offering table.

He let out a startled cry, waving his hand in the air, trying to grab something to stabilize himself.

However, his actions had the opposite effect.

The heavy sandalwood seat was knocked over, and his left foot was struck by the chair leg, sending him crashing into the offering table.

A series of chaotic clattering sounds followed.

The chair first knocked down Chi Shuhong, then rebounded from the offering table, falling straight onto his right leg.

With a dull sound, his thigh bone fractured and shifted, and the excruciating pain caused his mind to go blank.

He let out a terrible scream, clutching his leg and rolling on the ground, cold sweat quickly soaking the back of his Daoist robe.

The offering table was rocked by the impact, moving a few centimeters to the side but managing to stay upright.

However, the items on the table were not so lucky.

A prayer plaque made of agarwood was the first to fall to the ground, followed by the shrine and incense, which crashed down right onto the plaque!

With another dull crack, the prayer plaque, which had been given to him by Chi Jianming and his wife and had been worshiped for twelve years, was completely destroyed at that moment.

Chi Shuhong barely turned his head and saw the broken prayer plaque, his eyes bloodshot with rage.

What he didn’t realize was that, on the phone screen nearby, the trending topic page was automatically refreshing.

A large number of unknown netizens suddenly started vehemently posting against the online army.

“Your words are better than your actions! Look at the time in the bottom right of the video, this spy footage was taken more than three years ago! Chi Qingzhou only returned to the Chi family three months ago. Let me ask you, where were Chi Qingning and the Chi family for those three years? If they weren’t guilty, why didn’t they acknowledge their biological child sooner!”

“Exactly! Chi Qingning is pitiful? What about Chi Qingzhou, who had to bear the malice from his adoptive parents for all these years?”

….

Meanwhile, at the Song Group’s Hengxing City branch building.

Chi Jianming had just finished meeting with the secretary of the head of the Song Group, and he walked out of the meeting room with a sour expression.

The head of the Song Group, who was visiting the branch, hadn’t met with him at all, and the secretary was polite, but there wasn’t a single useful piece of information. The cooperation he wanted to discuss was still a long way off.

He irritably adjusted his tie and pressed the elevator button to go down.

He didn’t know whether it was because of the crowd today, but he had been waiting for more than ten minutes and the elevator still hadn’t arrived.

The Song Group employees passing by looked at him curiously, and his old face was a little embarrassed, so he simply turned and headed for the stairs.

A few local business leaders passed nearby and nodded friendly greetings upon seeing Chi Jianming.

Chi Jianming had been wanting to make connections with them and quickly nodded back.

While greeting them, he didn’t notice a patch of still-wet water on the floor, and as he stepped on it, his shoe slipped, sending him tumbling to the ground with a tremendous crash.