2: You are worshipping foreigners, right?

Just as Li Heng was about to lose his composure, his phone rang abruptly.

Buzz—buzz—

The jarring vibration echoed in the silent rental apartment.

Li Heng jolted, sprang from the sofa, and grabbed his phone.

It was an unknown number.

“Hello? Who is this?” he asked irritably, assuming it was another call to pay a bill.

“Hello, is this Mr. Li Heng? You have a delivery; I’ve left it at the Cai Niao station downstairs. Please pick it up when you have a moment,” the delivery person’s formulaic voice said from the other end of the line.

Delivery?

Li Heng paused, then realized.

Right, the “equipment” he ordered online a few days ago had arrived.

“Okay, thanks.”

After hanging up, a flicker of hope rekindled in Li Heng’s eyes.

The online crowdfunding path being blocked didn’t mean he was at his wit’s end.

He had already prepared for both eventualities: if online didn’t work, he’d go offline!

He was going to set up a stall!

He would go to the place with the most foot traffic, offer free fortune-telling, accumulate some popularity first, and then subtly bring up the Immortal Cultivation Academy crowdfunding.

Although it still sounded very unreliable, it was better than being a cyber beggar online, constantly being reported and having his account blocked.

Li Heng immediately got up and rushed downstairs, taking the steps two at a time.

Upon receiving the package, he eagerly tore it open.

Inside was a custom-made green Daoist robe, a matching Daoist coronet, and a horsetail whisk that looked quite ethereal.

This was a Daoist COS costume he had spent several hundred dollars customizing online.

When he placed the order, his heart bled a little; this was almost all of his remaining living expenses.

Now, it seemed the money was well spent.

He quickly took off his T-shirt and shorts and put on the outfit.

After becoming a Golden Core Stage Cultivator, Li Heng’s body had been tempered by Spiritual Qi, and his appearance and demeanor had undergone earth-shattering changes.

His originally slightly puffy face became well-defined, his skin was so delicate it would make girls jealous, his eyes were deep and clear, and his entire person stood tall like a pine tree.

Now, with the green Daoist robe on, he just stood casually in front of the mirror, and that transcendent, otherworldly aura immediately emanated from him.

“Damn, I look a bit handsome.”

Li Heng scrutinized himself in the mirror for a long time, nodding in satisfaction.

With this demeanor and this get-up, if he claimed to be a Master, surely no one would doubt him, right?

He picked up the horsetail whisk, flicking it like an Immortal on TV, feeling as if he had already gotten into character.

“Very good, very spirited!”

He cheered himself on, then dragged a small folding stool from under the bed and found a piece of cardboard, on which he wrote several large characters in a flowing Dragon and Phoenix script with a marker.

【Immortal Guidance, No Charge】

【Enlightenment by Fate, Answering Doubts】

Horizontal inscription: 【Seeking Those with Predestined Connections】

Fully equipped, Li Heng carried his small stool and his signboard, striding out the door with high spirits.

Destination: Chengnan Night Market!

...At seven in the evening, the night market’s lights began to glow.

This was one of Jiangcheng’s liveliest places, bustling with people and full of vibrant energy.

The cumin scent of barbecue stalls, the spicy aroma of crayfish, mixed with the fragrances of various snacks, permeated the air, tantalizing appetites.

Li Heng found an unobtrusive corner at the night market entrance and set up his stall.

He placed his small stool, erected his signboard, then sat cross-legged, draped the horsetail whisk over his arm, and closed his eyes slightly, adopting the posture of an otherworldly Master.

His unique stall quickly attracted the attention of many passersby.

After all, amidst stalls selling grilled squid, sizzling tofu, and lemon tea, the sudden appearance of a fortune-teller—and a rather handsome Little Daoist Priest at that—was truly a peculiar sight.

“Look, look, there’s a Little Daoist Priest telling fortunes over there.”

“He’s quite handsome. Is he from some Daoist temple, experiencing life?”

“Who knows? Young people these days will do anything to grab attention.”

Discussions rose and fell, but most were just watching the spectacle; no one actually stepped forward.

Li Heng wasn’t in a hurry; he sat calmly, like a fisherman waiting for a bite.

He believed there would always be a first person to try the crab.

Sure enough, not long after, two fashionably dressed young girls were drawn to his stall and stopped.

One of the girls, wearing a Lolita dress, looked at Li Heng with sparkling eyes, her face full of curiosity.

“Wow, this older brother is so handsome! How about we get a reading?”

Li Heng’s heart rejoiced.

Here they come! Today’s first success was about to arrive!

He slowly opened his eyes, ready to showcase his Golden Core Stage cultivation to them.

However, the girl’s companion, a cool girl in hotpants and smoky eye makeup, pulled her back.

“Fortune-telling? Are you out of your mind?” The cool girl’s tone carried a hint of disdain.

“What era is this? You still believe in this? This is feudal superstition, a trick to fool people!”

“We need to believe in science, understand?”

The Lolita girl grumbled reluctantly, “But… it looks fun.”

“Fun my foot, it’s all fake,” the cool girl stated emphatically.

Li Heng, sitting on the stool, almost couldn’t maintain his expression.

Good heavens, right off the bat, she’s slapping me with the label of feudal superstition?

He wanted to retort, but the words caught in his throat.

Arguing with such a person was pointless.

Never mind, if the business is lost, it’s lost; the next one will be more agreeable.

He was about to close his eyes again and resume his act as a Master, but then he heard the cool girl say something that almost made him lose his composure on the spot.

“Don’t waste time here; let’s go check out that place ahead. My friend said their Tarot card readings are super accurate!”

“Let’s go, let’s go!”

With that, she pulled her companion and excitedly walked towards a small stall with pink neon lights not far away.

Li Heng: “…”

He froze completely.

Tarot cards?

Super accurate?

What the… A surge of nameless Qi shot straight to his head; Li Heng almost couldn’t resist snapping the horsetail whisk in his hand.

“What the hell is this if not fawning over foreign things?”

“Why is the I Ching and Eight Trigrams passed down by my Old Ancestor feudal superstition, but your few flimsy paper cards are trendy and fashionable?”

“Double standards!”

Li Heng ranted furiously in his mind, while still maintaining a serene expression on his face.

It was too hard.

Being an Immortal was truly too hard.

Just as he was feeling disheartened, thinking he would gain nothing today, a figure suddenly squatted in front of him, blocking the light.

“Hey, buddy.”

A clear, youthful voice sounded.

Li Heng looked up to see a teenager, about seventeen or eighteen years old, holding up a phone with the camera pointed at his face.

On the phone screen, a dense stream of bullet comments was scrolling rapidly.

“Is the Streamer not visiting shops today, but telling fortunes instead?”

“This Little Daoist Priest looks pretty good; it’s not a script, is it?”

“【Seeking Those with Predestined Connections】, lol, this phrase is being used here.”

The teenager grinned, revealing two small canine teeth, and brought the phone closer, saying to the screen: “Folks, today we’re doing something different: a live challenge of street fortune-telling! Let’s see how much real skill this Little Daoist Priest has.”

Then, he looked at Li Heng, shaking the hand holding the phone.

“Do you… tell fortunes here?”

Li Heng was taken aback by the spectacle.

Live stream?

This kid is a Streamer?