“Chapter Eighty-Seven”

"Chapter Eighty-Seven"

"After altering Liang Ruyue's constitution, Shen Wang didn't rush to leave the Liang household but instead offered diligent after-sales service."

"Only after ensuring that Liang Ruyue was in good health and on the right path of cultivation did Shen Wang plan to pack up and return to his base in City C."

"Upon his mention of departure, the members of the Liang family were startled, all trying to persuade Shen Wang to stay."

"Liang's father asked, 'Master, have we somehow failed in our hospitality? Why are you leaving so soon?'"

"Master, won't you stay a bit longer?" asked Liang Ruyue.

Liang Ruri implored, "Shen Ge, why not take me with you..."

Seeing their conversation become more absurd, Shen Wang waved his hand dismissively, "I've settled your matters, and Liang Ruyue has begun her path in cultivation. She doesn't need my supervision anymore."

Liang Ruyue bit her lip, "I've just started learning the techniques and there's much I don't understand..."

Shen Wang replied, "You know where the special department is, go ask their people."

Shen Wang, having no interest in mentoring a novice disciple, conveniently shifted the responsibility to the special department.

Realizing they couldn't persuade him, the Liang family conceded, "Then Master Shen, before you leave, let us arrange a farewell banquet as a token of our gratitude."

Previously, Shen Wang had saved the reckless Liang Ruri and had now healed Liang Ruyue... For the Liang family, these were unquestionably life-saving favors, akin to being reborn.

The entire Liang family was immensely grateful to Shen Wang. Even the usually unruly Liang Ruri spoke to Shen Wang with utmost respect, careful not to offend.

Liang's father prepared a black card, respectfully handing it to Shen Wang with both hands, "Master, you've worked hard during this time. This is a token of our appreciation, we hope you won't disdain it."

"Not at all," Shen Wang accepted it without hesitation, beaming, "Not at all."

"As long as there's a reward, the work done is worthwhile," Shen Wang thought. To him, these tasks weren't particularly arduous, just somewhat bothersome.

After happily attending the farewell banquet prepared by the Liang family, Liang Ruri booked him a flight back to City C. Shen Wang was about to retreat to his room for some rest when Liang Ruri stopped him.

Shen Wang, puzzled, looked at Liang Ruri, "I've told you, it's impossible for me to take you as a disciple."

"Do you really see me as someone who's constantly pestering you to take me as a disciple?" Liang Ruri asked, feeling wronged.

Reflecting on Liang Ruri's recent actions, Shen Wang couldn't help but retort, "Isn't that the case?"

Liang Ruri replied, "…Although I really do want to be your disciple, that's not why I came to you today."

He sighed deeply, informing Shen Wang that, while they were busy treating Liang Ruyue, someone online had been slandering Shen Wang.

Liang Ruri had only discovered this after logging into his account once they were done for the day.

Raising an eyebrow, Shen Wang clicked on the link Liang Ruri had forwarded to him.

In the live stream, a strangely dressed woman ranted at the camera, "In our metaphysical community, some people are muddying the waters, using their looks and fan base to make money. I advise such people to stick to being pretty-face streamers and stay away from metaphysics…"

Shen Wang was baffled: "???"

It didn't end there. Liang Ruri forwarded several more links. Each one Shen Wang clicked on had similar snide remarks.

Shen Wang counted: tarot bloggers, astrology bloggers, fortune-telling bloggers, I Ching bloggers… The variety was vast, encompassing both ancient and modern practices, and they all seemed to be targeting him.

Several well-known bloggers in the community had collaborated, attracting countless viewers.

Initially, the crowd was just spectating, but things escalated quickly after one of the bloggers confidently claimed that a metaphysical streamer, who gained popularity for his looks, had a private rendezvous with a fan.

The streaming world, known for its chaos, had seen numerous streamers getting involved with fans before, so this was nothing new.

As a result, when the blogger made this claim, the onlookers didn't express any doubt.

Because of this incident, that previously obscure streamer gained a hundred thousand new followers and his video views skyrocketed to over ten million. Perhaps enticed by the sudden surge in traffic, the streamer quickly released a second video.

This time, the streamer went a step further, naming Shen Wang specifically, alleging that he had private contact with an underage female fan.

While private affairs between online celebrities and their fans might be their own business, as long as both parties are unattached, involving minors is an entirely different matter.

Suddenly, the spectating crowd shifted from mere onlookers to vehement keyboard warriors, furiously condemning Shen Wang.

At the height of their vitriol, Shen Wang was busy modifying Liang Ruyue's constitution and had no time to pay attention to the online uproar.

His 'silence' further fueled the broadcaster's and netizens' anger, escalating the situation to the point where someone even reported it to the police.

Watching the bizarre turn of events, Shen Wang had a complex expression.

Liang Ruri, furious, was fighting back in the comments while talking to Shen Wang, multitasking efficiently: "Shen Ge, they're slandering you so blatantly. Should we get our family's lawyer to sue them?"

"Using legal means to defend oneself is not a bad idea," Shen Wang pondered thoughtfully, "but that would be letting them off too easily."

These people were used to profiteering unscrupulously for traffic. Shen Wang preferred dealing with such situations in his own way, rather than the mild approach of legal action.

Liang Ruri, who had been furiously typing, paused and looked at Shen Wang with shining eyes, "Shen Ge, how do you plan to handle it?"

"The usual way," Shen Wang smiled slightly, "Live fortune telling."

Shen Wang opened the videos of these individuals and, after studying them through layers of beauty filters, tagged each of them in a post on his social media.

He wrote, "[Those who manipulate traffic will inevitably be consumed by it.]"

After posting, he casually asked Liang Ruri, "Why did you initially think of exposing my fraud?"

Recalling his once defiant attitude, Liang Ruri blushed with embarrassment and awkwardly admitted, "I used to take fan submissions, choosing topics based on what fans sent in..."

As he spoke, he suddenly stopped.

"Fan submissions, huh?" Shen Wang chuckled lightly.

Liang Ruri's face darkened as he realized something odd, "I wonder if someone used me as a pawn..."

The ploy not only failed but backfired, leading those behind the scenes to step forward and take direct action.

"Who knows," shrugged Shen Wang nonchalantly.

He posted, "[@QingqingTarot, @XiaoWuIChing, you seem to be at odds with each other publicly, but do your fans know you're not only colleagues at the same company but also a couple?]"

"[@DivinerZi, you previously gained traffic by posting Buddha statues, and now you're happy with the traffic surge from slandering me. Why not share some of your earnings with your abandoned wife and children back in the village? They can barely afford meals.]"

"[@AstroTalk, as a major influencer with a million followers, do your fans know that the person who contacted multiple fans and met with a minor isn't me, but you?]"

Shortly after Shen Wang's message, the ones he tagged frantically responded in the comments.

"[Don't make baseless accusations!]"

"[Nonsense, there's no such thing!]"

"[We're just against people who deceive and scam]"

While maintaining a righteous front publicly, they were panicking in their private group chat.

Qingqing Tarot: "[What's going on? Wasn't he just some guy abandoned by a wealthy family? How does he know…]"

Xiao Wu I Ching: "[Wife, don't panic. Maybe he's just bluffing. We can't lose our cool!]"

Diviner Zi: "[What do we do now… You guys have more followers, you should step up. I can't be the only one taking the heat.]"

Qingqing Tarot: "[You were happy gaining a hundred thousand followers when you took the lead. Now you back out… Wanting only the benefits without facing the risks, how convenient for you.]"

After arguing for a while, they reached no conclusion. Suddenly, they realized that one person had been silent the whole time.

Qingqing Tarot: "[AstroTalk, you're the major influencer here. What do we do now?]"

After a long wait, AstroTalk replied slowly: "[Who knew he'd be so tough? We slandered him, and he also gained traffic. What was supposed to be a win-win situation has become so strained…]"

While AstroTalk continued to complain, no one in the group responded to his remarks.

Offline, Qingqing Tarot put down her phone and said to her boyfriend, "Do you think he really had an affair with an underage fan?"

Xiao Wu I Ching shook his head: "I don't know, but it was his idea to use this tactic to smear Shen Wang."

How could he come up with such a malicious plan without prior knowledge of these matters?

After all, even if relationships between adults are complicated, they are consensual. It might trample moral boundaries and invite scorn, but involving minors crosses legal boundaries and is a criminal offense.

The traffic gained from slandering Shen Wang hadn't even dissipated before the situation took a drastic turn.

Even though their fanbase was growing, views were increasing, and comments were accumulating, none of them felt happy about it.

"[@Qingqing Tarot, @Xiao Wu I Ching, someone has dug up that you're indeed employees of the same company. So, are you really a couple?]"

"[Pretending to be at odds in front of fans, disrespecting each other, inciting fan wars… then it turns out you're a couple behind the scenes, exploiting fans' emotions. Disgusting.]"

"[@Diviner Zi, are you there? Your fellow villagers have exposed you, abandoning your wife and children back in the village while having a girlfriend in the city. Care to comment?]"

"[@AstroTalk, with your millions of followers, why so silent now? Weren't you so enthusiastic in slandering others earlier…]"