5: Explore the haunted house

Han Li clutched the light, flimsy talisman, his entire being plunged into immense confusion.

What in the world was going on?

One second he thought he had exposed a charlatan, the next he had his own secrets laid bare.

Now, this Master who had scared him half to death, had given him a talisman for free?

Just as his mind was in a chaotic mess, several figures in uniform approached, their target clearly Li Heng's small stall.

"Hey, what are you doing?" The middle-aged city management officer, with a beer belly, pointed at Li Heng's small stool and signboard. "Illegal street vending, don't you know the rules? Pack it up, quickly pack it up!"

Li Heng looked up, also with a bewildered expression.

He had specifically chosen this corner to avoid bothering others.

"Big brother, I'm not blocking the path here," Li Heng pointed around him, "Look, aren't they all setting up stalls? I'm already tucked against the wall."

The city management officer heard this, sized him up and down, his expression like he was looking at an alien.

"They've paid the stall management fee, they have permits!" He patted his own chest, "Have you paid? If you haven't, then this is illegal street vending!"

"..."

Li Heng was completely speechless.

Turns out setting up a stall required money? How would he know that!

"Hurry up, pack it up yourself, don't wait for us to do it." The city management officer's tone was unchallengeable.

Under the "supervision" of several city management personnel, Li Heng could only dejectedly pack up his small stool and roll up the cardboard sign that read "Immortal Guidance."

The air of ethereal grace and profound mystery he had just cultivated vanished in that moment.

He was simply an unlicensed hawker caught by city management.

"Pfft hahahaha!"

Han Li could no longer hold it in and burst out laughing.

His live stream behind him completely transformed into a sea of joy.

"I can't stop laughing! A Master descends, only to be crushed by city management!"

"I declare this the best plot twist of the year!"

"Immortals also have to obey basic laws! Hahahahaha!"

"Streamer, do you still believe him? That Master's halo shattered into pieces."

Han Li laughed, quietly folding the safety talisman and tucking it into his chest pocket.

Although his rational mind told him it might be a meticulously planned scam, for some reason, he inexplicably kept the talisman.

He watched Li Heng, carrying his small stool and signboard, blend desolately into the night market crowd under the watchful eyes of the city management, his back as pathetic as could be.

On the other side, the departing Li Heng quietly comforted himself.

It's fine, don't panic.

Although the start was rough, and he got lectured by city management, at least he crowdfunded five thousand yuan!

This was a solid step towards the goal of one hundred billion!

Hmm, thinking this way, he felt much better... Han Li picked up his phone again and continued his live stream.

As he walked towards his intended destination, he interacted with the viewers in his live stream.

"Alright, alright, family members (audience), the interlude is over, let's continue tonight's theme: exploring Jiangcheng's most haunted house!"

However, at this point, the direction of the live stream's bullet comments had completely veered off course.

Compared to exploring a haunted house, everyone was clearly more interested in the mysterious Little Daoist Priest from earlier.

"Streamer, Streamer, don't go to the haunted house, quickly go chase after that Little Daoist Priest!"

"Exactly! Although he looked pathetic being chased away by city management, what he said about your affairs was really spot on!"

"I always feel like this isn't simple. Could it be that the Master was intentionally disguised, testing you? Doesn't it always happen like that in novels?"

"Yes, yes, yes! Streamer, did you get his contact information? WeChat, QQ, phone number, anything!"

Looking at the screen full of bullet comments, Han Li was also stunned.

Contact information?

He subconsciously touched his pocket, then realized.

He had been so caught up in shock and pique just now that he hadn't even thought about getting contact information!

He hurriedly opened his Alipay and found the transfer record.

Recipient nickname: [Principal of Kunlun Cultivation Academy].

The avatar was a landscape picture.

Other than that, there was no other valid information.

"Damn it, I forgot to ask for contact info."

Han Li slapped his thigh in annoyance, "The only clue is this payment record."

"Never mind, never mind, we'll talk about it later, let's focus on the main business first."

He said this, but he still felt a bit uneasy inside.

And so, Han Li and the viewers in his live stream chatted and joked as they walked through the bustling night market, turning into a quiet alley.

The surrounding light instantly dimmed, the streetlights were dim yellow, and the tree shadows stretched out like claws.

After about ten minutes of walking, a solitary villa appeared at the end of the road.

It was a three-story Western-style villa, with large patches of plaster peeling off, revealing the dark bricks underneath. Most of the windowpanes were shattered, the black holes like eyes peering out at the world.

The weeds in the yard were taller than a person, and the dilapidated iron gate was covered in rust and vines.

Even from dozens of meters away, a sinister and oppressive aura assailed him.

Han Li stood at the intersection, unconsciously swallowing hard.

He felt that his decision today was a bit rash.

He should have called a friend to come along for courage.

At this moment, the audience in the live stream was also awed by the atmosphere of the haunted house, and the bullet comments significantly decreased.

But in contrast, the number of online viewers was rapidly increasing.

Looking at the constantly jumping number in the upper right corner of the screen, Han Li gritted his teeth.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained!

He took a deep breath, emboldened himself, and began to circle the outside of the villa, simultaneously lowering his voice and explaining into his phone.

"Folks, this is the place. Legend has it that thirty years ago, the five members of this villa's owner's family were all brutally murdered overnight, and the killer has never been found to this day."

"Since then, strange things have been happening here. It's said that at night you can hear a woman crying, and some people have seen a white shadow float past the second-floor window..."

His words had not yet finished.

The live stream's phone camera inadvertently swept past a broken window on the second floor of the villa.

In that instant, a blurry white shadow flashed past behind the window!

It was so fast that Han Li himself didn't even notice.

But the tens of thousands of eyes in the live stream saw it clearly!

The next second.

The bullet comments exploded.

"Holy crap!!"

"White shadow! I saw it! Second-floor window!!!"

"Ah ah ah ah ah! There really is something!"

"Streamer! Run! There's a ghost in the window behind you!!!"