Tongshan City.
Jingming Grand Hotel.
When Du Ge arrived, the hotel was already besieged by reporters.
After Li Yao was taken away by officials for tax evasion, Cheng Yu’s disdain for fans escalated into the biggest scandal in the entertainment industry.
The scent of a story had naturally drawn the journalists, who wouldn’t miss out on first-hand news.
Dahua Entertainment, backing Cheng Yu, could bribe some reporters, but not all.
Stepping out of the car.
A swarm of reporters and cameramen surrounded him, microphones almost hitting Du Ge’s face. He had never experienced such a scene before, but as someone who had emerged from a sea of blood on the battlefield, he was unfazed by this minor commotion.
Du Ge extended his spiritual sense, monitoring all movements around him.
The commotion he caused was not insignificant, with “media,” “concealment,” and “assassination” as keywords, someone might take this opportunity to attack him.
He could never let his guard down.
…
“Cheng Yu, was what you said yesterday true?”
“Cheng Yu, why did you disable the comment section? Is it because you feel guilty?”
“Cheng Yu, there’s a rumor that you made those comments because you’re preparing for a new role in a movie about cyberbullying, is that true?”
“Cheng Yu, you haven’t responded all night, is it because you’re devising a strategy?”
…
“No comment.”
“Please make way, my fellow journalists. If you have any questions, you can ask them at the press conference.”
“Please step aside, I can assure you that Cheng Yu has always been a responsible idol to society, and that has never changed.”
Zhao Hongmei stood in front of Du Ge, blocking the encroaching reporters for him.
…
A press conference?
Why should we follow your arrangements?
Du Ge suddenly stopped, surveyed the journalists around him, and then pulled out another talisman from his pocket.
Click!
Seeing Du Ge’s action, Zhao Hongmei’s heart skipped a beat: “Cheng Yu, don’t.”
But how could Du Ge listen to her?
Under the watchful eyes of the public, he flung the talisman into the air, where the yellow paper spontaneously burst, turning into fine droplets that rained down on all the reporters around him.
All the noise instantly quieted down.
Zhao Hongmei felt her heart turn cold.
Du Ge smiled: “That’s right, I made that statement, and indeed, I look down on you. Do you know the true nature of the world?
How many people are carrying heavy burdens for your stable lives, for your reckless words online? Everything I have, I earned with my abilities, and I’m also secretly protecting the world for you. Why shouldn’t I look down on you?”
Boom!
The reporters exploded once again.
At that moment, no one cared about Du Ge’s discrimination issue anymore; their minds were consumed by the shocking news he had just revealed.
“Cheng Yu, was that rain-making trick magic?”
“What’s the real truth about the world you mentioned?”
“What do you mean by secretly protecting the world?”
“Do you have supernatural powers?”
…
“It’s not supernatural, it’s Daoist magic,” Du Ge said with a slight smile, speaking loudly, “Today, I reveal my identity in public to tell those Heavenly Demons lurking in the shadows, come at me if you have issues, don’t disturb the lives of the public. Although I look down on them, I won’t allow you to harm them. My people can only be bullied by me. I’ll say it one last time, come at me if you dare, don’t make me look down on you…”
…
On the live stream comments.
A sea of question marks floated by.
“What’s going on?”
“Is Cheng Yu a hidden master?”
“If I’m not mistaken, did he just use a talisman?”
“What the hell is a Heavenly Demon? How much do we not know about this world?”
“Husband, I love you, you’re so amazing.”
“It’s fake, right? Compared to what he said yesterday, I’d rather believe that what he said today is a pre-written script.”
“What does it mean ‘my people can only be bullied by me’? Is he having adolescent delusions?”
“Only fools would want to be protected by someone like Cheng Yu!”
“But why do I feel like what he said was very domineering…”
“Do you remember the video from yesterday where someone was killed in the street and then suddenly disappeared? Could that be the Heavenly Demon Cheng Yu mentioned?”
“No matter what, I still can’t forgive Cheng Yu for looking down on us.”
…
Snap!
The live stream was abruptly terminated.
At the Tongshan City Special Affairs Office, a man in his thirties slammed his hand on the desk: “Who is he, has he gone mad? Why is he causing trouble at this time?”
A man dressed as a Daoist priest looked troubled: “He’s a new disciple taken in by Daoist Priest Suwen from Qingxin Temple. They say he could draw the Five Thunder Talisman after just one night of cultivation, and he was once targeted for body possession by the Heavenly Demon King but was unsuccessful. Suwen reported this to the organization this morning, asking us to take good care of him, to prevent the Heavenly Demon King from possessing him.”
“Take care of him? How?” The middle-aged man pointed at the frozen image on the screen, pacing back and forth, roaring in anger, “Using a talisman in public, and then righteously saying ‘Heavenly Demons, come at me.’ He’s been studying Daoism for just one day; what burdens has he carried for anyone?
He’s just using Daoism to boost his own popularity. Tell me, how much trouble is this going to cause us? I don’t care if the Heavenly Demon will go after him, I damn well want to go there and cripple him now!”
“…” The Daoist swallowed hard, “I’ll call him and warn him.”
“Do it, quickly,” the middle-aged man said, “Tell him to clean up his own mess, and also call Daoist Priest Suwen from Qingxin Temple, ask him what kind of disciple he has taken in?”
…
Qingxin Temple.
Daoist Priest Yunfeng was on the verge of madness. Just after Yu Ming had reported Du Ge, the officials called.
Looking at the chat records sent by Yu Ming and the video of Cheng Yu using the Cloud Rain Talisman in public, Yunfeng was on the brink of tears. Little junior brother, is this how you make a name for Qingxin Temple?
You’re bringing disaster to Qingxin Temple!
“Eldest senior brother, what do we do?” Daoist Priest Yunfeng turned to their eldest senior brother, Qingsong, and asked, “Before master went into seclusion, he said not to disturb him unless it’s a major issue. Does this count as a major issue? This little junior brother is causing too much trouble!”
“Master just went into seclusion; it’s not good to disturb him.” Qingsong was silent for a moment, then sighed, “I’ll go down the mountain myself. Master values him highly; we can’t let the junior brother really get killed. If it comes to it, I’ll take him to apologize to the other sects…”
“Should we really not inform master?” Yunfeng asked.
“Let’s wait and see!” Qingsong turned back, glancing in the direction where their master was in seclusion, and said, “Master is getting old; it wouldn’t be good if he gets upset again. I’ll try to handle it first. The officials will help with the aftermath; they won’t just watch the junior brother make a mess…”
…
Pushan City.
A man and a woman holding a “Protect the Environment, Guard the Future” donation box stood on the street, staring at the video of Du Ge’s bold claims on their phones, dumbfounded.
The man said, “Damn, this one’s really fierce! Why didn’t I think of possessing a celebrity? I felt something was off about him yesterday, and it turns out he’s a candidate. But where did he get that talisman?”
“There really is a hidden world,” the woman said. “We need to find a master too. Otherwise, if others have Daoist magic and we don’t, we’ll be at a disadvantage if we’re exposed.”
“Where do we find a master?” the man asked.
“I’ll look it up online!” the woman said. “If all else fails, we’ll make some noise ourselves, and maybe that will attract the attention of those sects.”
“With the Heavenly Demon’s information exposed, some might have already sided with the officials. We need to be careful not to capsize in the gutter,” the man said.
“Is it that serious?” the woman said. “You got ‘Guardian,’ and I got ‘Business,’ these keywords are similar to the first two simulation fields for Du Ge. It doesn’t make sense that Du Ge could use them to come first, and yet when we join forces, we get eliminated.”
“That makes sense,” the man nodded. “But I feel like ‘Guardian’ is indeed hard to implement in modern society.”
“Take it slow, turn ‘Guardian’ into a business, and we both can grow,” the woman nodded. “Let’s not worry about that now, let’s start the live stream! We need to build our reputation first. Du Ge wasn’t noticeable at the beginning, but once his career is on track, it will snowball, growing bigger and unstoppable. We need to learn from Du Ge.”
“Right,” the man nodded. “What do you think Cheng Yu is trying to do by exposing himself? Is it possible that he’s using this to attract companions? After all, Du Ge is very good to his own people and excels at cooperation. This time, there’s too much of Du Ge’s tactics in the simulation field.”
“Who cares? Everyone’s in the same boat. As long as it’s not Du Ge himself, we have nothing to fear,” the woman smiled. “The spotlight has shifted. As long as we stand out in this simulation field, we’re very likely to join Du Ge on the Alien Star Battlefield.”
“What do you think Cheng Yu’s keywords are?” the man asked.
“Arrogance or discrimination,” the woman smiled. “Du Ge never hides his keywords. Most likely, the candidates in this simulation field are his fans, and they’ll probably follow his lead.”