Ch 118: Is There Really Such a Good Thing? [QT]

The shock among netizens stemmed from the revelation that Dominating Tycoon was actually the youngest son of real estate tycoon Fang Dehai!

Fang Dehai, known for his highly successful marketing of real estate projects, had always maintained strict privacy about his personal life. No one knew anything about his family—until now. It turned out he had six children. While his first wife had passed away years ago, these three sons and three daughters were presumed to be illegitimate children. Now, however, they had publicly revealed through Shen Yunxuan’s divination that they weren’t biologically related to him, and they had even posted videos seeking their real parents.

Did this confirm that Shen Yunxuan’s reading was accurate? Could Fang Dehai truly be so scheming—calculating enough to manipulate his late wife, inherit his father-in-law’s business, and then abduct six children with auspicious fates to bring himself prosperity?

Is this how the rich play their games?

“Suddenly, I’m feeling grateful I’m just an ordinary person.”

“What you should be grateful for is not having a good enough destiny to catch a tycoon’s eye.”

“Ouch, that hit hard…”

“But weren’t those six actually pretty lucky? Sure, they were abducted, but they ended up as the children of a billionaire! When Fang Dehai dies, they’ll inherit his fortune. If they’d stayed with their birth families, their lives might not have been so comfortable.”

“Are you stupid? What kind of person wishes to be abducted for a better life? The fact that they’re coming forward to find their real parents shows they value family over luxury.”

“Doesn’t this mean they’re ungrateful? Like it or not, Fang Dehai did raise them. They enjoyed the best resources and had everything they wanted. Isn’t it a bit ungrateful to turn around and look for their birth parents now?”

“That logic is ridiculous. Fang Dehai only raised them because of their fates. They could have lived well anywhere. If anything, Fang Dehai’s exploitation of their fortunes probably harmed them. Have they achieved anything significant? Dominating Tycoon is a carefree slacker with no career to speak of.”

The internet erupted into heated debates between those criticizing them for being ungrateful and those supporting their decision to fight back, propelling the topic to the top of trending lists.

In response, Dominating Tycoon started a livestream. “I’ve seen comments from people envying our lifestyle, so let me set the record straight. Growing up, we lived under constant pressure. While we received ample allowances, we owned no property and weren’t allowed to start businesses. Even within his company, we were restricted to low-level managerial positions without any real authority or prospects.

“Our father also forbade us from studying or settling abroad. The most we could travel was for ten days before having to return. All of us had to live in the Fang family estate. None of us—despite some being over thirty—have gotten married or had children because living in the Fang household is stifling. To cope, we each found our own outlets; mine happened to be surfing the web and watching livestreams.

“For years, we thought he looked down on us as illegitimate children, unworthy of greater freedom or opportunities. Only now do we understand that he was keeping us caged to use us as lifelong ‘luck batteries.’

We are determined to find our real parents. Even if we don’t, we won’t return to him. For those considering purchasing his properties, beware: we’re no longer boosting his fortunes. I can’t say how this will affect his luck or whether his real estate empire might encounter problems, but avoiding it would be wise.”

This was Dominating Tycoon’s first livestream, during which he spent an hour answering questions. Regardless of the comments—whether supportive or critical—he remained composed. When praised for his demeanor, he explained, “Growing up, I saw my siblings try all sorts of ways to get our father’s attention. They’d end up failing and going through all kinds of hardships. I learned early on that acting out or losing control of my emotions wouldn’t change anything. Over time, it became second nature to stay calm.”

“This is terrifying. It’s like they were living in a gilded cage. Fang Dehai even had a master helping him; could those six still be in danger? What if their birth parents have already been harmed?”

“No, they’ve already mentioned the general circumstances of their parents, including their ages, locations, and whether they have siblings. While the information isn’t complete, it’s enough to show their parents are still alive.”

“Can Shen Yunxuan really divine such accurate details? Is this credible?”

“I’ve watched several of her livestreams, and she’s never been wrong. It’s so accurate I thought it was scripted, but the police have confirmed her cases. She’s the real deal!”

“Then there’s real hope they’ll find their families. Let’s all share the video and spread the word. Ordinary people shouldn’t have to suffer at the hands of the wealthy.”

“Yes! Helping them is helping ourselves. We can’t let billionaires harm regular people like us!”

The public’s outrage ignited like wildfire.

The video was rapidly shared and garnered widespread attention across various sectors. People couldn’t stop talking about the sheer audacity of abducting six children with favorable fates to exploit their luck—a heinous act even worse than that of an ordinary trafficker. It stirred a visceral fear of wealthy elites exploiting the vulnerable, a sentiment that resonated deeply with everyday citizens, leading to a nationwide outcry.

The police immediately summoned Fang Dehai for questioning. Naturally, Fang Dehai’s adoption paperwork was impeccable, and he feigned outrage and innocence during the inquiry.

“What nonsense about auspicious fates and masters? I simply enjoy a lively home and chose to adopt a few children to keep me company. Who could fabricate such ridiculous lies? It’s outrageous!”

The police officer questioning Fang Dehai happened to be the same one who handled the Qi Yue case. Having witnessed Shen Yunxuan’s abilities firsthand in the countryside, the officer naturally leaned toward believing her account. Moreover, based on the accounts of the six children, it was clear Fang Dehai treated them poorly. If he had genuinely adopted them for companionship, why would he neglect, suppress, and emotionally abuse them?

The officer took notes seriously and said, “We’ll investigate this matter thoroughly. Rest assured, we won’t wrongfully accuse you, nor will we let any criminals go. For now, your six children claim they were abducted, so we need to carefully examine the details of their adoption. Until this is resolved, you’ll need to remain here and cooperate.”

Fang Dehai glanced at his lawyer, who immediately stepped in. “Mr. Fang has pressing business engagements today, which are of significant importance. Detaining him here could result in substantial losses. Additionally, the online discourse is already highly unfavorable to him, and he needs to address it…”

The lawyer was skilled, emphasizing the lack of evidence and the legitimacy of Fang Dehai’s adoption paperwork while implying potential complaints about being detained unnecessarily.

However, the police officer remained unfazed, patiently listening before replying, “Rest assured, we will handle this in accordance with the law. When the time comes, Mr. Fang will be free to go.”

Fang Dehai’s expression darkened, but he had no choice but to instruct his lawyer to handle the online backlash and locate the six children.

Despite offering substantial sums, Fang Dehai couldn’t suppress the trending topic. The situation had escalated to a point where even the board of directors realized this wasn’t just an ordinary scandal. The refusal to take down the trending topic signaled one thing: the government intended to investigate Fang Dehai thoroughly. If the allegations were substantiated, they planned to make an example of him while addressing public outrage.

The widespread uproar wasn’t just about Fang Dehai. It had sparked fears among the general public—concerns about whether their personal information, such as school physical exam records, could be exploited by wealthy elites. This was stoking class tensions, which the state couldn’t allow. Initially, there was consideration to suppress the story to prevent panic, but because it involved the metaphysical realm and had been reported to a special department, the case required careful handling to set a precedent. The government instructed all relevant departments to resolve the matter swiftly and transparently.

Police nationwide began reviewing missing persons cases, while online groups initiated campaigns encouraging parents who had lost children to check if any matched the descriptions of the six Fang siblings.

Meanwhile, the metaphysical community was in an uproar. Conducting such despicable acts—abducting children to exploit their fates—was the hallmark of a demonic practitioner. The fact that it had been concealed for so many years suggested countless other potential misdeeds. This person’s cultivation was no doubt advanced, making it imperative to identify and stop them.

The incident sparked a wave of accusations within the metaphysical world, with every master above the Foundation Establishment level coming under suspicion. Disciples of these masters flooded sect forums, vehemently defending their own teachers while accusing others, leading to heated arguments. Some even escalated to issuing challenges for duels.

This development did not escape the notice of Xuan Qing and Xuan Yang. Xuan Qing, sensing trouble, frowned and said, “You need to handle this properly. Master tasked us with ensuring the prosperity of Xuantian Sect. We can’t let him down. If this disturbs his secluded cultivation, it could spell disaster for both him and the sect.”

Xuan Yang, however, was dismissive. “Senior Brother, you’re overthinking. All these ridiculous developments stem from that Shen girl’s tricks. She’ll confess before her death, and that so-called Idle Cloud Temple will vanish from existence. Once the truth is revealed, this entire matter will blow over, leaving no lasting issues.”

Satisfied that Xuan Yang had a plan, Xuan Qing nodded and dropped the subject. Maintaining Xuantian Sect’s status as the top sect in the era of spiritual scarcity was no easy task, requiring significant effort to secure resources. Xuan Yang had always handled external affairs without incident, and Xuan Qing trusted him to resolve this matter as well.

After Xuan Qing left, Xuan Yang called two of his disciples. “Ling Xiao, Ling Yun, what’s taking so long? It’s been three days, and that woman is still stirring up trouble online. If you keep this up, how can I justify allocating resources to you before the Sect Master?”

Ling Xiao, the senior disciple, hurriedly explained, “Master, it’s Ling Zhi—he’s upset that you only sent Ling Yun and me to handle this and has been secretly sabotaging us. We nearly got injured, thinking another sect had ambushed us, but it turned out to be Ling Zhi.”

“What? Ling Zhi? Tell him to return immediately! If he dares disrupt this again, I’ll expel him from the sect!” Xuan Yang roared.

A voice shouted back from the phone, “Master, you’re biased!” It was unmistakably Ling Zhi. Ling Xiao hastily ended the call. Xuan Yang’s anger didn’t abate, muttering that Ling Zhi was becoming more trouble than he was worth.

Ling Xiao and Ling Yun, realizing their master’s urgency, wasted no time dealing with Ling Zhi further. After fending him off, they rushed to Idle Cloud Temple, arriving late at night.

Their cultivation level was on par with Mao Ximing’s and Shen Yunxuan’s, making them formidable. At that time, Mao Ximing, under Shen Yunxuan’s instructions, was helping Idle Wanderer check his health. Though not adept at medicine, Mao planned to relay the elder’s condition to a colleague in the special department—a skilled healer who had once been a porcupine spirit.

Meanwhile, Xianglan was attempting to absorb yin energy in a formation set up by Shen Yunxuan, and Shen herself was busy burning the midnight oil, making focus-incense orders for eager buyers.

Ling Xiao and Ling Yun managed to infiltrate Shen Yunxuan’s room undetected. They didn’t expect her to still be awake and froze upon seeing her. But in the next moment, they launched an attack.

Shen Yunxuan had never fought anyone before. She instinctively dodged several attacks before recalling the combat techniques she had practiced, then began counterattacking. She immediately shouted, “Senior Brother! Ximing!”

Ling Xiao coldly replied, “There’s a barrier here. No one outside can hear anything happening in this room.”

Only then did Shen Yunxuan notice a magical artifact placed on the ground that had enveloped the room in a barrier. She cursed her carelessness, attacking with full force while questioning them, “Who are you? Why are you trying to kill me?”

Ling Yun sneered maliciously. “Kill you? Everyone’s calling you a genius. Killing you would be a waste. I’m going to refine you into a ghost servant. Let’s see if you can advance just as quickly as a ghost. Who knows? You might even become a ghost king.”

As he spoke, he released a fierce ghost that lunged toward Shen Yunxuan. Alarmed, Shen Yunxuan fought back while attempting to break through the barrier and escape. Fighting two opponents with similar cultivation levels was already taxing. Adding a fierce ghost into the mix made it nearly impossible. She had to get out before they used any other tricks.

Trying to distract them, Shen Yunxuan said, “You’re from Xuantian Sect, right? Did Xuan Yang and Xuan Qing send you?”

Ling Yun blurted, “How do you know?”

“Junior Brother, shut up!” Ling Xiao snapped, frowning.

Ling Yun laughed. “What’s there to be afraid of? She’s going to die today. Do you think she’ll escape? Not just her, the entire Idle Wanderer Temple will be razed to the ground.”

Shen Yunxuan’s eyes grew icy. “So Xuan Yang is the one who helped Fang Dehai perform rituals. He’s the one who tore those six people apart from their parents, isn’t he? Because I revealed their fate, Xuan Yang fears being exposed and sent you two to kill me, right?”

Ling Xiao pulled out a magical artifact and attacked. “Seems like you know a lot about Xuantian Sect. Why not surrender now? Stop resisting, and I’ll let you die quickly.”

“Die so you can refine me into a ghost servant? Do you take me for a fool? Xuantian Sect is nothing more than a demonic cult! Do the so-called righteous sects know your true nature?” Shen Yunxuan evaded the ghost, only to be struck by the artifact. She suddenly realized that without recent merits to suppress her bad luck, her misfortune had returned, leaving her in a dire situation.

Confident, Ling Xiao smirked. “In this era of spiritual decline, there’s no such thing as a righteous sect. All sects are vying for resources by any means necessary. Do you think being honest gets you to the top? You’re too naive!”

He watched her fend off the ghost and spoke with jealousy. “Have you really only been cultivating for a few months? How is this possible? Is your talent truly unmatched, or do you have some unique cultivation method? Hand it over, and I promise you won’t be tortured in the underworld.”

Ling Yun protested but was equally eager to obtain Shen Yunxuan’s cultivation technique.

Shen Yunxuan sneered. “My path is simple: good deeds bring rewards. People like you, who commit endless atrocities, are no different from evil spirits. Heaven will not favor you, and your cultivation will likely remain stagnant forever.”

“You’re courting death!” Ling Xiao’s stagnant cultivation was a sore point. Enraged, he struck her with a powerful artifact, sending her flying.

Injured, Shen Yunxuan retaliated by throwing several explosive lightning talismans while shouting, “Run! Don’t fight them head-on! Stay alive!”

The explosion shattered her room, breaking the barrier. Ling Xiao and Ling Yun were caught off guard as the talismans’ power amplified tenfold, injuring them.

Ling Xiao wiped the blood off his face and snarled, “Chase her! I’ve never seen anyone this skilled at drawing talismans. She must have a rare inheritance. We must obtain it!”

Ling Yun’s expression turned venomous. “I’ll make her wish for death!”

Idle Wanderer and Mao Ximing heard the commotion and rushed out. They saw Shen Yunxuan fleeing toward the back mountain, with two figures and a ghost chasing after her. As they passed through the temple grounds, the intruders threw explosive talismans, destroying the newly rebuilt buildings.

Xianglan rushed to Shen Yunxuan’s house and took a quick look. “There’s the presence of a fierce ghost. The Master is seriously injured.”

Idle Wanderer exclaimed, “Chase them! It must be the master backing Fang Dehai. Junior Sister is in danger.”

The three of them—two humans and one ghost—hurriedly chased toward the back mountain. Mao Ximing examined the battle traces in the destroyed house and saw signs of a high-level opponent. His expression turned grim. Without his phone, which had been crushed by the debris, he couldn’t contact his master. He decided to leave markers along the way, hoping someone from the temple would notice and escalate the situation.

Meanwhile, several visitors staying in the guest quarters of Idle Cloud Temple had narrowly escaped. The collapsing structures had forced them to flee.

“What’s going on? An earthquake? But the suburbs of the capital don’t have earthquakes like this!”

“Yeah, there wasn’t any warning. And I don’t feel dizzy. This doesn’t seem like an earthquake.”

As they looked around in panic, their expressions shifted to horror. The entire temple had turned into ruins. Every building was flattened. Where was Shen Yunxuan? Where were Idle Wanderer and the others?

Calling out yielded no response. Some ventured to Shen Yunxuan’s quarters and found bloodstains. A man with a phone began a live stream, his face pale. “Master Shen and the temple residents are all missing. We don’t know what happened, but there’s a lot of blood here. It looks like a fight broke out…”

“Is this Idle Cloud Temple? Don’t joke about something like this just for views!”

“No, look closely. This really is Idle Cloud Temple. Some of these items belong to Shen Yunxuan! Where is she? Is she hurt?”

“There’s a lot of blood here near Master Shen’s quarters. I don’t know if it’s hers, but we’ve already called the police. Hopefully, they can test it to confirm. We’re too scared to stay here any longer. We’re heading down the mountain. Pray for us.”

Fearing for their safety, they abandoned their belongings. One person found their car keys and took a few others away, while others called rideshares or asked family members to pick them up. All of them trembled with fear.

Online viewers were equally distraught. Though the live stream came from an ordinary account, within half an hour, it had amassed over 100,000 viewers. Shen Yunxuan’s fans were the most frantic, with some already driving to the temple to search for her.

“Could this be retaliation because she offended someone during a reading?”

“I know who it is—it must be Fang Dehai! He’s the one she offended most. With his money, power, and that skilled master backing him, Master Shen is in real trouble now!”

“Can the police find her? She’s such a good person. Without her, my entire family would’ve been ruined. We must find her!”

“Does anyone know a master? Is there a master watching this stream? Please help Master Shen. She’s so talented and a rising star in the mystical world. Don’t let her be harmed!”

The internet was in chaos. Taoist Bai He, who had been asleep, was startled awake by a special alarm. He immediately checked his messages and saw that Idle Cloud Temple had been attacked.

Watching the live stream, he was both shocked and furious. Who would dare act so boldly, knowing their department was involved? Someone was not only targeting Shen Yunxuan but also razing the entire temple. This level of recklessness was beyond comprehension.

Minister Zhou convened an emergency meeting overnight. He ordered Taoist Bai He to lead a team to Idle Cloud Temple and brought along a hedgehog spirit skilled in healing, suspecting Shen Yunxuan might be injured. He also secretly dispatched agents to monitor the movements of various sects.

When Taoist Bai He and his team arrived, the temple was empty. Not a single intact building remained. They went to Shen Yunxuan’s quarters, where Taoist Bai He frowned. “There’s a fierce ghost’s presence.”

Someone speculated, “Could it be an attack by ghosts? Maybe the mastermind sent a fierce ghost to kill Shen Yunxuan?”

Taoist Bai He found more bloodstains nearby. “No, there are traces of three different people’s blood. And here’s a broken magical artifact. Unfortunately, it’s unregistered, so we can’t trace it back to any sect.”

Another shouted from a distance, “There’s blood over here, too. They went this way.”

Taoist Bai He noticed Mao Ximing’s markers. “This way. Follow me!”

Meanwhile, Shen Yunxuan had taken refuge in a mountain cave. Her mind raced as she tried to devise a plan to turn the tide.

🌸˚˖𓍢ִ໋🌷͙֒✧🩷˚⋆