Chapter 58: Rainstorm Wild Temple 20 Part 2
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The man looked at Yan Shixun strangely and raised an eyebrow, “What’s the matter, was it not effective?”
Yan Shixun’s eyes remained complex as he stared at the man for a while, making an effort to hide his thoughts and returning to his usual emotionless composure.
“No, it’s very effective,” Yan Shixun turned his gaze away and said to Zhao Zhen, who was still in shock while repeatedly checking the wound, “Since the bleeding has stopped, there shouldn’t be a big problem. You can bandage it yourself, right? If you need any missing medical supplies or anything else, just let me know. I’ll go to the car outside later and get them for you.”
The man, who had originally expected to receive a smile from Yan Shixun, felt perplexed, “…?”
Why did Yan Shixun look at him for a moment, and then immediately shift his attention to someone else? This had also happened when he made a wish earlier. He wanted to lend Yan Shixun his phone to call and check on the others’ safety, and now Yan Shixun was using his help to treat someone else. Why wasn’t Yan Shixun showing any concern for him?
The man’s heart was filled with a mix of emotions, making him very uncomfortable. He furrowed his brows tightly and watched Yan Shixun’s back as if he wanted to ask him directly.
However, these emotions, which he had never experienced in a thousand years, left the man somewhat perplexed. He didn’t know what they were or how to react.
Should he be stern, treating Yan Shixun like any other acquaintance, or should he be gentle, worrying that he might scare the exorcist from the mortal realm? He seemed to be at a loss about how to express his doubts gently, as he had no similar experiences in the past. If he used the tone he had used to talk to Yan Shixun earlier, he wouldn’t be able to convey his complex emotions.
For a moment, the man found himself unusually confused about how to approach Yan Shixun.
For centuries, he had lived in the remote underworld of Fengdu Ghost City, far away from the mortal realm. He had never lent his powers to humans or cultivators, and even the contents of the requested spells were always blocked by Fengdu, preventing them from reaching him. Now, for the first time, he had lent his power to someone else. Due to his inexperience, he had lent too much and had given away the power even without a request, causing the spells to be too effective and raising suspicions in the exorcist from the mortal realm, whom he cared about.
The man looked at Yan Shixun, who had turned to leave, with some confusion. “Yan Shixun, don’t you have something to say?”
“No.”
“Didn’t the supernatural being lend you their power? Didn’t your spells work?”
“No, they worked very well.”
“Then why…” why don’t you smile?
The man had barely finished his sentence before he changed his question again, “So, you don’t need to borrow anymore?”
“No, I don’t.”
Yan Shixun restrained himself and refrained from directly voicing his inner doubts in front of everyone.
He snorted and walked over to ask An Nanyuan, “I counted the number of people, why are there two missing? Where are Anthony and Rourou?”
An Nanyuan and the others exchanged glances and, with some dissatisfaction towards Anthony, told Yan Shixun, “Anthony went crazy. After you helped us drive away those rats, Anthony followed the rats and ran off. We don’t know where they’ve gone now. As for Rourou, Bai Shuang said she saw her gnawing her own palm until it was a bloody mess with exposed bones. Her condition didn’t seem right, and it looked like she was with those rats that were chasing us. But we don’t know where she is now.”
“But Anthony split his screen, and it seems Rourou took the main screen device with her. Brother Yan, if you want to know their situation, you can check their cameras.”
“……”
Yan Shixun smiled, but it was a smile more pressure-inducing than not smiling at all, which made An Nanyuan hesitate.
Yan Shixun: “My phone was lost a while ago, so I can’t watch their live broadcast.”
“Right, lend me your phone, I’ll make a call to Zhang Wubing.”
An Nanyuan quickly handed over his phone and then hesitated, asking, “So, Brother Yan, if you haven’t been looking at your phone, does that mean you haven’t been moderating the comments and bullet screen of the show…”
Thinking about what he had just seen in the split-screen bullet comments, An Nanyuan seemed to realize something. “Brother Yan, do you remember if your split-screen live broadcast was still on?”
Yan Shixun’s hand, as he received the phone, paused.
Seeing Yan Shixun’s reaction, An Nanyuan hesitated and said, “Brother Yan, when you just smashed the statue in the main hall, hundreds of thousands of people saw it, and many of them took screenshots and posted them on social media. It seems like quite a few viewers also contacted the official hotline. Right now, Brother Yan, your popularity on social media is extremely high, the number of people who have received your fan badge has increased by hundreds of thousands within a few hours. But didn’t the director say that the live content should be as healthy and positive as possible? Is this considered healthy and positive?”
Yan Shixun: “…………”
That’s a good question, and he was wondering the same thing.
As he thought about the scene where Zhang Wubing cried and howled about the content of the live broadcast not passing censorship and the show being canceled, Yan Shixun felt the veins on his forehead twitching.
But after a moment of contemplation, Yan Shixun regained his composure. “I believe it’s very healthy.”
An Nanyuan: “?”
Really, Brother Yan? Are those moving murals and the several-meter-high statue considered healthy? Won’t it be seen as promoting superstition?
While An Nanyuan was pondering this, he saw Yan Shixun solemnly addressing his own split screen. “Don’t overthink it. The moving murals you saw are actually an optical illusion caused by the play of light and shadow. Haven’t you seen those stand-up cards that create different images from different angles? It’s the same principle. Those murals are painted with polarized powder, so depending on the lighting and angle, you’ll see different images, creating the illusion of moving murals.”
An Nanyuan: “?”
Audience members in the split screen who were previously laughing at Yan Shixun, wondering how he would explain: [?]
“The statue is actually motorized. It’s just that it was too dark for you to see the wires inside just now. But it’s not a deity, and it doesn’t move. If you believe something so easily discernible as the truth, then that’s superstition.”
Yan Shixun stated confidently, “Haven’t you seen action figures for sale before? This is actually just a large-scale action figure, a bit larger and smarter than the ones you have, but otherwise, there’s no difference.”
An Nanyuan: “??”
Audience: […Giant action figure??]
“As for the statue…the head of an action figure can come off.”
Yan Shixun, relying on his excellent memory, gradually recalled what had just happened in the main hall and explained with a serious and somewhat cold tone, “Good children should not imitate me. The one who bought the remote-controlled action figure is a troublemaker, so I gave it a lesson. Don’t casually damage public property, and especially not private property.”
Audience: [Mixed feelings. The last time I heard the word ‘troublemaker’ was from my four-year-old nephew in kindergarten. Why does Brother Yan sound like he’s coaxing kindergarten kids?]
[Confidence! Brother Yan is definitely coaxing kids (Confident.jpg)]
“Those red shadows you saw are not ghosts.”
Yan Shixun chuckled, “Haven’t you studied physics? How did you go through nine years of compulsory education? Didn’t you notice that there are no red shadows inside the house, only outside? It’s because it’s raining today, and there’s fog outside, so it became a medium for light transmission. The light from other places is projected here. Have you heard of a mirage? It’s the same principle.”
After casually explaining in response to the doubts flooding the barrage on An Nanyuan’s phone, Yan Shixun continued, “It might be someone’s hanging chili peppers outside, and when they’re lit up, they appear elongated and all red. That’s why you thought they were ghostly shadows. In reality, they’re just chili peppers. Are you afraid of chili peppers? Haha, people who usually say ‘rabbits are cute and delicious, add more spice’ are afraid of chili peppers? Chili peppers won’t eat you.”
Audience: […Did Brother Yan just mock us?]
[Be confident, yes! Brother Yan said you’re afraid of eating spicy. Pass it on, Brother Yan can’t be afraid of spice!]
[??? Way off! Those things, you’re telling me they’re electric action figures, chili peppers??? I swear, looking at the ultra-high-definition screenshots I took, these are definitely ghosts! It’s not just ‘superstition’ anymore, this is seeing is believing!]
[Crazy, cover your mouth the person above! Yes, yes, what Brother Yan said is right! We were wrong, we all believed it, that’s the giant figurine and chili, especially scientific! (Shut up the person above! Do you want the show to be banned? The Video Review Bureau has a rule that you can’t promote feudal superstition, did you forget? And you’re saying this now, do you want us to lose Brother Yan? Get out of here!)]
[Indeed, quite a few people just called the official hotline, maybe there are official people watching in split-screen right now, so it’s better not to bring up those topics, in case the officials see it, they might actually ban the show.]
[Wow, so scientific, makes so much sense! (Applause) Brother Yan is right, we are all good kids who believe in science. (That’s right! Protect the show, make sure we can all continue to watch Brother Yan!)]
[Oh, well… never mind. Wow, it’s so scientific, I believe it now, it’s just the Tyndall effect optical imaging, it must be that, haha, hahaha (forced explanation).]
The official in charge watching the split-screen in real-time: “…………”
The official hotline operator standing by the split-screen: “…………”
Taoist Ma, who was also watching the split-screen: “Huh? What did Junior Brother Yan say, something about figurines and electric stuff, what’s that? Chili? No, that’s ghosts.”
Taoist Ma looks puzzled.
The audience actually guessed it right. The audit manager crouched in front of the split-screen angrily took out their phone and sent a barrage message: [We won’t ban the show casually! If the show doesn’t promote superstition, doesn’t have superstitious content, we won’t interfere! We’re not devils!]
When this message was sent, the screen suddenly went quiet for a moment.
Everyone unanimously refrained from sending new barrage comments.
The audit manager was filled with doubts. Only when they re-read their own barrage comments did they realize, belatedly, that when they had posted the comments earlier, they were too excited to realize they were using the official account on the video platform. When the official account posts a comment, it is highlighted with a golden frame to alert others that it is an official message.
In other words, they had just used the official account for personal use and directly expressed their opinion.
This could be considered an official statement!
At the same time, the backend staff of the video platform who were hesitating whether to block the program, upon seeing the sudden barrage comments from the official account, breathed a sigh of relief and joyfully said, ‘No need to worry anymore. Judging from the official’s comment, it seems there’s no need to block the program.’
“Ah? But in this situation, it doesn’t seem quite right… compared to other programs and those terms and conditions, it’s already gone too far.”
“Let’s add a rating to the show, 18+. There’s definitely no need to ban it. The official statement had already been issued. Oh, right, hurry and take a screenshot, so they can’t deny it later. No, this is called taking responsibility.”
The barrage comments, just realizing what happened, quickly cheered and celebrated: “[Great! The official statement says it’s okay, looks like it won’t be banned.]”
The audit manager, Er Kangshou: “No, I didn’t say that…”
“Exactly, this show is very educational. Brother Yan even encouraged us to learn and read more. It’s so motivational and positive. There’s really no reason to ban it.”
Tears welled up in the eyes of the audit manager, “Why isn’t there a delete button for barrage comments…”
But this way, to avoid being held accountable for work mistakes, he could only try to review the show according to the views he had expressed earlier.
If the show was banned later, there might be people from the video platform and viewers holding onto the screenshots of his barrage comment, reporting that the official statement was inaccurate. By then, he might face punishment, after all, he expressed his views without careful discussion and wording… It seems that he can only do his best to get the show approved through the review.”
The audit manager looked at the scoring sheet on his desk with tears in his eyes as he wrote in the review comments section: [“Heart-pounding Journey of Ninety-Nine Days” is a travel program with positive and healthy content. It not only leads the audience to experience folklore and traditional culture but also conveys the message of pursuing knowledge. It has been loved by a wide audience… In conclusion, this program should be approved and allowed to continue broadcasting.]
He was originally on the phone with the official in charge of handling various abnormal events. He felt that the official was overstepping their jurisdiction by making unreasonable requests not to ban the show, and he was very dissatisfied with how far-reaching the official’s influence was. However, as the chief video auditor, he couldn’t refuse due to the official’s seniority. Just then, he saw a report handed to him by one of his subordinates on his computer.
“Well, since our Video Review Bureau also believes this program is acceptable, we won’t suspend it for now,” the chief video auditor finally found an excuse to breathe a sigh of relief. However, he still maintained a stern tone on the phone and added, “That’s how it’s going to be for now, but you should know we would have done the same even if you hadn’t made this call.”
“Alright, thank you for your understanding.”
After hanging up the phone, the official was puzzled and respectfully asked the old Taoist beside him, “Taoist Li, why did you decide to let this program continue airing? For so many years, haven’t we been suppressing news related to this kind of content? Isn’t it a bit risky to let the public see such scenes now?”
“Suppressing the news, has that really solved the problems?” the old Taoist glanced at the official and snorted, “Gui Mountain, Wild Wolf Peak, Nanming Mountain… which one has been resolved? They’ve all been festering problems left untouched. If it weren’t for Yan Shixun, Gui Mountain would still be a mystery. What about the next time a college student goes missing on a mountain?”
“Moreover, Yan Shixun is right.”
Standing at the boundary of the rain curtain, the old Taoist turned to look into the rain with a serious expression, his eyes sharp and profound. “Ghost Mountain, it depends on the human’s words! Even if we show these images to the public, what difference does it make? All this news we’ve been suppressing, haven’t they only become more exaggerated as rumors spread? The Falling Dragon Incident, the opening of Fengdu Central Gate, and so on… they’ve all turned into wild tales in the folk culture. They’re no longer under your control. In the end, they’ve given rise to new supernatural beings.”
“Instead of constantly covering up, why not show them openly? Let them see the origin of these folk legends, which aren’t as terrifying as they’ve been portrayed, and they are not invincible either. With Yan Shixun around, let them see that even supernatural beings are like big action figures—worthy of respect but not to be feared.”
The official was left sweating and admitting his failures when the old Taoist bluntly pointed out the shortcomings in their work over the years. He promised to discuss this matter and change their approach with the higher-ups.
Indeed, maintaining public opinion and stability was important, but resolving the issues at hand was equally crucial.
If they could solve the problems without causing public panic, it was a viable option.
The old Taoist’s blue Taoist robe, which he wore on his body, billowed as the moist wind blew in from the rain curtain, causing it to ripple behind him like rolling waves.
His neatly arranged black hair, tied up in a Taichi bun on top of his head, had a few strands fluttering at his temples in the breeze.
Beside him, Taoist Song Yi and Taoist Ma watched the back of the old Taoist, who had long achieved Dao and held the highest seniority in the Haiyun Temple. They couldn’t help but feel that he exuded an aura of Dao and immortality as if he could ascend to immortality at any moment.
When the old Taoist truly became solemn, his aura of calmness and return to the original source became evident.
There was another reason he didn’t mention to the official.
His junior disciple’s disciple, whom his junior disciple had picked up and raised as his own and personally taught over a decade ago, had once cast a divination for his disciple.
‘Shixun, he is destined to be the one who can control spirits. He will become a crucial bridge to communicate with the Fengdu Ghost City after the decline of the Heavenly Dao. Only he can suppress the malevolent spirits of Fengdu.’ — His junior disciple had spoken these words to him at that time.
Yan Shixun’s Ghostly Facial Features, coupled with the continuous appearance and resolution of supernatural incidents in the program, all made the old Taoist unable to ignore the connection.
— Perhaps, in recent years, the various anomalies arising from the conflicts of the Great Dao would find stability once again through Yan Shixun.
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