Chapter 60

Chapter 60

Everyone present was confused, but the Wild Boar Spirit didn't seem to be joking. Qiu Guokai took Unity Yi's phone and glanced at the photo. Indeed, the capybara on the grassland looked more refined and handsome than an ordinary wild boar, but it still resembled one. "…Did… Did it also become a spirit?"

The Wild Boar Spirit replied, "How would I know?"

Qiu Guokai said in disbelief, "If it didn't become a spirit, then it's just an ordinary pig. You already have a human form…."

The Wild Boar Spirit found it even more unbelievable. "I may have a human form, but my aesthetics are still normal, right? How could I possibly be interested in a human? They have such long limbs and look so strange."

Upon reflection, Qiu Guokai found this reasonable, and he couldn't help worrying as he rubbed his forehead. The contract had already been signed, what if the Wild Boar Spirit ended up in a romantic scandal…

Ordinary actors might be caught by paparazzi secretly meeting female celebrities late at night, but his artiste was photographed harassing and molesting a wild boar at the Beijing Forest Zoo…

At this thought, he was so worried that he felt like his hair was falling out. Unity Yi had a unique perspective and tried to comfort him, "It's impossible. My junior apprentice brother said that the capybara is from America, a world-class endangered species, and the star of the zoo. Our Pig Brother is just a local pig, only in second year of high school. It's not a match made in heaven. Anyway, I don't have high hopes for this relationship."

Qiu Guokai: "………………"

Listening to the Wild Boar Spirit muttering about the taste of first love, Wei Xi turned to his second disciple and asked, "What is love?"

Beside him, his second disciple gave him a deep, almost piercing look, as if their gaze had frozen in place.

Wei Xi felt an inexplicable tightness in his chest under that stare, as if he was being held tightly by an invisible giant hand.

*****

The issues with the film crew were finally resolved. After spending so many days there, it was time for everyone to depart.

The group of Taoist priests at the hotel found themselves in an awkward situation after discovering the monster – they had nothing to do but scratch their feet. This was likely the most absurd exorcism ceremony they had ever been assigned to in their lives.

The film crew members were still in a state of blissful ignorance—

"Wow, seriously, no paranormal incidents have occurred since the exorcism. Maybe there really was a ghost haunting us, and now it's gone."

"Just now, when we were filming a crowd scene, I took a peek. The shooting process went smoothly. Where did Mr. Qiu get those extras? They're all so good-looking!"

"What's more, Teacher Yan didn't cause any trouble this time. I heard from my friend that she even told her assistant that she had hallucinations during the scene, thinking the extra she was acting with was actually a ghost. It's true that getting into character makes a difference; her portrayal of fear was fantastic!"

The many Taoist priests, who remained silent as they watched Fang Xiaojie wander around the crew, exchanged glances: "..."

Fang Xiaojie didn't want to be transcended. The Taoist priests had intended to take it away after dealing with the matter, at least to prevent it from disturbing the filming any further. However, Director Wang didn't mind and said it could stay.

"It does have some talent, but more importantly, it's incredibly passionate about acting and performance. Nowadays, it's rare to come across such an earnest... ghost in pursuit of art. It would do well to stay here and learn more."

As the serious director spoke with a pensive face while smoking, Fang Xiaojie crouched at his leg, looking like an adoring fan, obedient beyond measure.

The Taoist priests who were traveling together had already heard that the mountain spirits had signed long-term performance contracts with Taicang Sect and Boss Qiu. They could only... let things be as they may.

Taicang Sect was... indescribable in every aspect.

*****

Perhaps news of the filming crew's troubles being resolved after the ritual had spread. Before they left, a hotel staff member rushed to intercept them, saying that the owner had specially come to meet everyone.

The owner was a partially bald man with a shiny scalp. After arriving, he rubbed his forehead in worry for a long time before indirectly revealing the purpose of his visit:

"Given that all of you Taoist priests have been staying here for so many days, did you notice any issues with the feng shui or other aspects of my establishment?"

Everyone pondered. The hotel nestled against a hill by the water, with a serene location, lush surroundings, and decent decor. Thus, they all shook their heads. "No problems."

The owner's worries intensified, his face etched with distress. "That... That shouldn't be the case."

He continued gloomily, "I've heard from the supervisor that you all have noticed that the seventh floor of our hotel is not open for accommodation. To be honest, we designed that floor specifically as luxurious suites. However, since half a year ago, there have been constant issues in the rooms. At first, guests reported that their TVs and stereos would turn on by themselves in the middle of the night. Later, the staff started to hear strange noises coming from empty rooms. Not only that, sometimes when the housekeeping department went in for inspections, they found that various devices in the room seemed to have been used, with the beds and rooms in disarray. Yet, the surveillance cameras never captured anyone entering. During that time, everyone in the hotel was on edge, and eventually, the seventh floor was completely locked down. But even so, we could still hear sounds coming from upstairs occasionally. If it weren't for this issue... our luxurious suite floor wouldn't have been left unused, not even during peak holiday seasons. It's a loss every single day."

The group had already heard rumors about the seventh floor when they checked in. Now, upon hearing more specific details, their expressions turned serious.

The owner sighed. "I've been keeping this matter in my heart, but I dare not talk about it outside. Who would dare stay in our hotel if I did? That's why I rushed over as soon as I heard that the masters had resolved the problems downstairs. Before you leave, can the masters help us deal with this difficulty?"

As cultivators, it was within their duty to assist, and naturally, they had no intention of refusing. However, they were also somewhat conflicted.

After all, they had been staying here for several days, and they had not detected any other spirits aside from Fang Xiaojie. Logically, if there were any, they should have sensed some signs.

The busy owner soon picked up another call and stepped out of the meeting room to answer it. The people inside exchanged glances, unable to find a lead. Unexpectedly, Lu Wenqing noticed that the expression of the wild boar demon sitting beside Wei Xi seemed peculiar.

The wild boar demon met his gaze, looking somewhat annoyed. "What are you looking at!"

All eyes then turned to Taicang Sect. Unity Yi was initially confused before recalling the owner's words. Suddenly, he thought of something and also stared at the wild boar demon. "Half a year ago? I remember you guys were also..."

Before he could finish, the wild boar demon loudly protested with a righteous tone, "What's wrong with that! This place was originally my den, but they blew it up to build a hotel. The land is mine; what's wrong with me staying here!"

Everyone: "..............."

Unity and Righteousness had a unique perspective: "But you still can't disturb the guests' rest. How could you turn on the TV in the middle of the night?"

Wild Boar Spirit: "Can you blame me? The rooms without guests don't even have electricity!"

"Oh, right." Unity and Righteousness was convinced. "The rooms here indeed require a card to activate the power."

Everyone: "......."

The Wild Boar Spirit harrumphed coldly. "As if I want to come here. They never change the bed sheets or blankets for three days straight. The cleaning auntie uses the mop to clean the bathtub and a rag to wipe the cups. It's disgustingly dirty. I only stay here occasionally when we have a gathering."

Everyone: "......."

Wei Xi looked at his second disciple. "Wipe cups with a rag?"

The second disciple seemed to have brushed his teeth with a cup before.

The second disciple's face turned ashen.

Not only had he used the toothbrush cup, Wei Xi had also taken a bath in the bathtub.

After that, they had engaged in intimate actions.

The others, equally incredulous, quickly recalled if they had used the hotel's teacups or bathtub. A few of the Taoist priests, presumably affected, turned pale and retched dryly.

*****

Upon returning to the meeting room after his phone call, the boss immediately sensed a different atmosphere. He asked cautiously, "M-Masters, is this situation quite severe?"

All the Taoist priests looked at him coldly, causing the boss to feel even more alarmed. It seemed like the problem was not going to be easy to resolve!

In the end, Lu Wenqing softened his heart and pointed him in the right direction. "Go invite Master Wei from Taicang Sect to intervene."

Since the wild boar demon had already signed with Taicang Sect's talent agency, it would be inappropriate for outsiders like them to directly chase it away. Besides, after hearing about the hotel's unsanitary practices, the other Taoist priests probably wished they could perform an exorcism on the spot. Even he felt itchy all over.

Seeing the boss's attitude, he couldn't help but speculate. With everyone else staying silent, he was being asked to approach Taicang Sect alone. Could this Taicang Sect be the most powerful?

He then turned to Wei Xi, noticing that the handsome disciple standing behind Master Wei was giving him a particularly dark and menacing glare.

The boss, feeling uneasy under the scrutiny, shivered and asked hesitantly, "M-Master Wei, are you sure about this?"

Wei Xi turned to the boar demon, who snorted. "We're leaving soon anyway."

With Hua Maoshan's development imminent, they would be grouped together by Qiu Guokai to become stars. Who cared about this dilapidated place anymore? Besides, it now had concerns elsewhere—it should be running off to the Beijing Forest Zoo.

*****

The ritual this time was merely a formality. Seeing Wei Xi's confident assurance that the hotel would no longer be haunted as before, the owner joyfully stuffed a red envelope into his hand.

Still, he was secretly astonished. Was Taicang Sect really that powerful, resolving an issue that had plagued him for over half a year in just a few minutes?

He sent them off with great respect, already planning to visit Master Wei's temple to burn incense when he had time. But as he lifted his head, he found numerous Taoist masters staring at him with grim expressions.

Shivering in the cold, he asked, "What's going on?"

Lu Wenqing said, "Boss Wu, there are significant issues with your hotel."

The owner's heart tightened at Lu Wenqing's cryptic words. Could there be more feng shui problems in his hotel than he'd realized?

Seeing Lu Wenqing gaze at him intently for a long while, the man finally patted his shoulder with a complicated expression. "Forget it, be more cautious about hotel hygiene in the future."

The owner was utterly baffled, uncertainty and surprise etched on his face. What did that mean? Could it be that they had discovered that his hotel didn't change bed sheets regularly? That couldn't be!

Shuo Zong maintained a stern expression throughout. Before leaving, he gave the owner another cold glance. Once in the car, he immediately said, "Tuan Ji Yi, make a call."

Wei Xi asked, "Who are you calling?"

Shuo Zong replied, "The sanitation bureau."

Wei Xi responded, "Huh?"

Shuo Zong looked at him, wishing he could immediately plunge him into hot water for a thorough bath. "I'm going to report him."

**

After this incident, Taicang Sect gained a bit of notoriety locally within the Taoist community, at least among the major temples in the area. They were now aware of a rival from the capital.

Additionally, thanks to the Scream production team uploading footage of the exorcism ritual on Weibo, online attention toward Taicang Sect never ceased. Of course, the focus was somewhat off-target. People weren't talking so much about how efficacious their rituals were.

United Righteousness gazed at the trending topic on his phone, "#Handsome Daoist Online Performing Rites," and clicked in to find screenshots filled with Wei Xi and Shuo Zong's photos. He couldn't help but be speechless.

"I was there too," he pointed at his half-body picture in the photo. "In a sect of three, I'm always nameless."

Shuo Zong: "…"

United Righteousness sighed mournfully, "Junior Brother, why is that?"

Wei Chengshu wiped the stone tablet clean and returned with a large bucket, responding with a gloomy sneer, "Of course, it's because you're ugly."

United Righteousness: "…"

Wei Chengshu then looked at Wei Xi with mixed feelings. He had also seen the Weibo topic and naturally knew that his elder brother had gone to the film set to perform a ritual, causing quite a stir. As a result, when Wei Tianyi found out, he was so angry that he overate several times.

There was nothing to be done. Wei Xi was rarely away from home, and Wei Tianyi had said that no matter how angry he was, he couldn't miss this chance to eat well.

Wei Chengshu, carrying the large iron bucket and a rag, felt that his family was truly something else. He didn't know when it started, but everyone except him seemed to have become eccentric.

****

The followers of the Taicang Sect had increased, and at least the incense burners at the entrance of the temple were now filled with more offerings than before. When Wei Xi received a call from Daoist Kuang of Liandu Temple, he happened to encounter a few new believers as he stepped out, all young ladies who secretly took photos of him and his two disciples.

The believers nowadays were indeed peculiar, but Wei Xi didn't hinder them. After all, it was a good thing that people still came to burn incense.

When the regular believer, Old Lady Wang, saw him, she approached with a smile for a chat. "Little Wei, your Deity of Enlightenment is truly efficacious. I'm here to fulfill my wish again. Today, I lit two extra incense sticks!"

Wei Xi maintained a friendly attitude toward believers and listened patiently to their feedback. "What wish did you make previously?"

He had no concept of deities or buddhas, but Shuo Zong, upon hearing this, furrowed his brow in suspicion. This Old Lady Wang had come to fulfill her wishes several times, always with an earnest expression. It didn't seem like she was pretending. Could it be that this so-called Deity of Enlightenment actually...

Old Lady Wang replied, "The light bulb in my doorway was broken, and no one could fix it. But after I paid respects to the Deity, it started working again!"

Shuo Zong: "......."

This person actually prayed to the deity to fix their light bulb... The image slowly formed in his mind of a deity descending to Earth in the middle of the night to repair a follower's lamp.

Old Lady Wang continued, "And last time, my granddaughter brought home a cat infested with fleas. No amount of washing could get rid of them. After we brought the cat to pay respects to the Deity of Enlightenment, the fleas gradually disappeared!"

Again, the deity descended and, in the dead of night, entered the believer's home to help pick off fleas from the stray cat one by one...

Shuo Zong ceased his imaginings, turning away wordlessly. He refused to entertain the possibility in Elder Wang's words. The gods and celestial beings he knew were all arrogant, and would never bother with such trivial requests.

Wei Xi felt the Sect Leader's Token growing warm again. Reaching into his chest, he scratched at it. "Is that so?"

"Indeed, that's why I've come again, this time with a friend. She's heard your Immortal Venerated is very efficacious, just like me. She wishes to invite a divine statue directly from your sect for worship," Elder Wang said.

Devotees requesting statues from the sect? This was a significant leap in business!

However, as soon as she finished speaking, the Sect Leader's Token unexpectedly began to burn without warning. Before Wei Xi could savor the excitement, he was burnt by the heat. Not knowing the cause, he simply held it against his clothes. "Invite a divine statue? What do you wish to pray for?"

Elder Wang said apologetically, "It's like this, my athlete's foot has flared up again and won't heal. My friend has been constipated for over half a month and can't seem to relieve herself. Ah, Little Xi, do you think the Immortal Venerated would attend to these matters?"

Shuo Zong: ".................................."

The token was now so hot that Wei Xi could barely hold it through his clothes. Feeling the scorching temperature on his fingertips, he also found himself bewildered by the peculiar wishes of his own devotees. After a long while, he slowly replied, "I suppose... he should."