Chapter 229

Chapter 229

◎Waiting to Join the Game◎

"Are you saying Qin Lang died?"

The man on the phone was shocked, while the caller leisurely sipped his wine: "Yes, he died. Do you know that recently popular streamer, San Cunguang?"

Guo Yuchen frowned. "Never heard of him. What streamer? Is he connected to Qin Lang's death?"

Jiang Cheng, swirling his wine glass, had a hint of mockery in his eyes: "That guy, for some reason, went to his live stream to get his fortune told. San Cunguang looked at his birth chart and said he wouldn't live through the night. Surprisingly, the streamer was right."

Guo Yuchen: "Cause of death? What was the cause of death?"

Speaking of the cause of death, Jiang Cheng couldn't help but laugh: "He died of a heart attack after showering following intense exercise. He collapsed in the bathroom overnight, with signs of sexual activity all over his body. It's so humiliating. His father was furious, not at all grieving his son's death, and even said it was good the family had more than one son, and losing one useless one was a relief."

Guo Yuchen remained silent. After all, they had been friends for many years, and there was no need to mock him after his death.

Noticing his silence, Jiang Cheng changed the subject: "When are you coming back?"

Guo Yuchen: "Next month."

Jiang Cheng sighed: "We were planning to meet up when you came back, but now, we'll never have the whole group together again."

They chatted a bit more about other things, and after hanging up, Guo Yuchen was only thinking about his friend's death, not paying much attention to the streamer.

Jiang Cheng, however, grew curious about the streamer. After hearing about the incident, he found the streamer's live stream and started following her. But since Qin Lang's incident, the streamer hadn't done any more fortune-telling sessions. When asked, she would evade the question, and netizens speculated that she was too accurate and feared revealing heavenly secrets, so she didn't dare to do it anymore.

Seeing such comments, Jiang Cheng naturally didn't buy it. If she was really afraid of revealing heavenly secrets, why did she do it in the first place?

After finishing his wine, the system notified him that the streamer was online. He had been lurking before, but today, perhaps because Qin Lang was mentioned, he felt emotionally affected. He picked up his phone and posted a comment.

"Are you not doing fortune-telling because you're scared? Afraid of karma after someone died?"

Chen Xi, staring at the comments on the screen, saw the name flashing among the many netizens and smiled at the camera: "It's not that I'm scared, but some things aren't worth telling. Netizen Cheng Chengcheng, do you want your fortune told? I can do it for you."

As soon as Chen Xi finished speaking, the comments exploded, with everyone asking why. Many people had begged her to tell their fortunes before, but she refused. Was she doing it now because she was provoked and wanted to prove herself?

Reading the comments, Chen Xi said: "My eyes can see things that ordinary people can't. I told that person's fortune because when he left a comment, his account name appeared blurry to me, which was abnormal. So I wanted to see what was going on. I told him and warned him, but he didn't listen. As for today, the netizen named Cheng Chengcheng, his name also appears blurry to me, similar to that day's situation."

"Can you tell from a username?" Chen Xi read the comments and smiled: "Names have always had different meanings, whether online or in real life. They are connected to the person themselves, so even through the internet, I can see something."

She looked at the camera again: "Netizen Cheng Chengcheng, do you want your fortune told?"

Jiang Cheng felt a chill from the streamer's gaze through the camera, but he wasn't easily scared. He directly sent his birth date and time via private message: "Sent it to you. Let's see what you can tell!"

During class, Xiao Ye put an earbud in Ji Nanxing's ear: "The streamer is doing fortune-telling again."

He also placed the phone under a stack of books, close to the books, so the teacher on the podium couldn't see. Today's class was chemistry, taught by Yu Sixing. Although Yu Sixing often tried to provoke him, as someone who knew Ji Nanxing's identity, he would definitely cooperate better than other teachers if something happened.

As soon as the earbud was in his ear, Ji Nanxing heard Chen Xi's voice: "As expected, another person about to die."

"Wow! Streamer, don't scare us! I came here for fortune-telling, not ghost stories."

"No way, what's going on with this sister?"

"Netizen, please don't take the streamer's words lightly. The last guy who didn't believe it ended up in the news!"

"Wow, front row for the drama."

Chen Xi spoke towards the camera: "I see that you have a connection with the previous victim. You must know each other personally, right? I also see that both his and your deaths are unnatural. According to your Bazi, you shouldn't have short-lived fates, but your Bazi is interrupted in the middle, meaning your lives are cut off prematurely. I also sense a lot of Grudge. If the Grudge isn't dispelled, you will surely die. Netizen named Cheng Chengcheng, I suggest you find the person you've wronged and make a proper apology, otherwise, your days are numbered."

Jiang Cheng: "Nonsense! Just wait, I'm going to report you right now! You fraud, deceiving people online, just wait to get caught!"

Chen Xi laughed: "Go ahead. Those who've done wrong aren't scared, why should I, who tells the truth, be afraid? By the way, a reminder, according to your Bazi, you probably only have seven days left. Time is running out for regrets."

After saying this, Chen Xi logged off immediately, not bothering to wait for Jiang Cheng to report her and get her live stream room banned. Even if the live stream room gets banned, it doesn't matter; she still has Weibo. The fish waiting have already bitten the bait, the matter has exploded, and those who haven't gotten involved yet can't help but be drawn in.

Ji Nanxing took off his headphones, and Xiao Ye put away his phone, whispering: "I always feel like this anchor has some ulterior motive. You said she definitely can't determine life and death by Bazi, so besides ghosts, what else could kill someone without leaving a trace?"

Ji Nanxing remembered the smell he noticed in the hotel that day, and he had a sudden flash of inspiration: "Gu worm."

Xiao Ye couldn't help but shudder: "No way, Gu worm? Bugs again?"

Apart from Gu worms, without any residual Yin energy, Ji Nanxing couldn't think of any other method that could kill someone remotely without leaving a trace.

Ji Nanxing immediately reported this speculation to the management bureau. It would take some time to find out who the netizen who had their Bazi read was. Even though Chen Xi said that person was related to Qin Lang, Qin Lang's social connections were complex, and finding the person wouldn't be immediate.

But knowing Chen Xi's address, it would be easy to find her.

Unfortunately, by the time Ji Nanxing finished class, the management bureau informed him that Chen Xi had fled.

As soon as Ji Nanxing saw the message, he quickly sensed the small paper figure he had placed near Chen Xi.

Xiao Ye, seeing him frown after finishing his hand gesture, quickly asked: "What's wrong? Has the situation changed?"

Ji Nanxing: "Chen Xi has fled, the small paper figure has lost contact."

Fortunately, he had prepared in advance. That day, after seeing Chen Xi, he captured a wisp of her aura. As long as this aura remains, he can roughly locate Chen Xi's general direction.

But Chen Xi was clearly prepared, slippery and elusive, making it hard to find her traces.

The live stream room was temporarily banned due to the report, but she started a countdown on Weibo.

Many onlookers were attracted, and netizens jokingly called it a death countdown.

Some were curious about who the netizen named Cheng Chengcheng was. As the matter blew up and more people paid attention, someone actually knew who Cheng Chengcheng was.

"He's someone I know in real life, not close, the kind who plays a lot and has money at home. I'll keep an eye on his updates and relay any news."

"My internet connections are counting on you. I'm really curious if this will be accurate again. The anchor has already counted down to five, meaning there are five days left."

"I suggest that netizen Cheng Chengcheng not wander around during this time, just lie in the hospital. If anything happens, immediate medical attention might save his life."

"First time witnessing something like this, is this considered live-streaming death? Exciting!"

"Waiting for the result. I watched the replay of that live stream, the anchor sister said there's Grudge on their names? Can someone explain what that means?"

"She said netizen Cheng Chengcheng has done something wrong. Let's wait and see, countdown five days, see if he dies."

The topic of determining fate by Bazi is no longer just hot on small platforms but has directly hit the trending searches, followed by a fiery "explosive" character. Now, more and more people know about this.

Even their class is discussing it.

During the break, the liberal arts class students came over to gossip: "Another Bazi reading, it always feels strange. Academic god, do you think this person is really accurate, or did she kill them?"

Lin Yi looked puzzled: "Killing remotely? Probably not. That day we were all in the hotel. If the anchor could kill remotely, the academic god should have noticed ghosts or something, right?"

Ji Nanxing: "She doesn't have the ability to determine fate by Bazi. She killed them, but how exactly is still under investigation. Just watch this matter and don't spread it around."

Everyone is curious. Knowing they can keep a secret, it's fine to share less critical information with them. Otherwise, being overly curious will just make them obsess over it.

The group couldn't help but cover their mouths in shock: "No way, this was premeditated murder? Should we call the police?"

Ji Nanxing: "We've already informed the police, and they're currently searching for the streamer."

Zhang Yuan: "Still no luck finding her?"

Ji Nanxing shook his head, Xiao Ye said: "She's gone, and her Weibo posts are pre-scheduled, making it hard to track her. Using incense for tracking only provides a general direction, but every time we get close, she's already fled."

Zhang Yuan: "She clearly had this planned out."

Jiang Tangtang was puzzled: "Given how advanced surveillance cameras are these days, and I've heard there's even AI-based tracking technology, as long as we know what the streamer looks like, can't we locate her using that?"

Zhang Yuan: "While technology is advanced, if the streamer had set up a hideout in advance, rented a place under someone else's identity, stocked up on enough supplies to stay indoors, how do you find her then?"

Lin Yi: "Has the netizen whose fate was read been located?"

Ji Nanxing nodded: "Yes, he's been found."

The netizen wasn't hard to locate; the management bureau has already found him and took him to the hospital for a check-up. It's pretty much confirmed that he has a Gu worm inside him, but removing the Gu isn't straightforward.

When Jiang Cheng was brought to the hospital, he was utterly confused. That day when he entered the live stream, he had a few drinks, although not to the point of being incoherent, but in his slightly drunk state, he didn't take the streamer's words seriously, thinking she was just causing a stir for fame.

When his parents came looking for him, he had already finished two bottles, his thoughts were a bit foggy, and after sobering up completely, someone told him he was afflicted with a Gu worm, something inside his body. If the police and his parents hadn't been present, he would have suspected it was a prank.

Jiang Cheng's parents only have this one son, they treat him like their lifeline, seeing the shadow on his heart from the hospital scan, they were panicked: "What is going on? If the scan can show this, can't surgery remove it? What Gu worm, isn't that something from legends? Do Gu worms really exist?"

The person in charge of this matter at the management bureau is from the second team, He Long, next to him is a Taoist doctor from the management bureau hospital who knows a lot about Gu worms, he said: "What he has is the Heart-Eating Gu, the most basic of Gu worms."

Gu worms are also graded; the parasitic ones are the most basic, there are also those that use poison, and those that control the secretion of poison threads to control human behavior. The Heart-Eating Gu is the simplest kind; it just resides in the human heart, and with a single bite from the Gu worm, the person can die instantly.

Hearing him say it's the most basic, Jiang Cheng's mother quickly asked: "Then is it easy to treat?" If it's the most basic, it must be the simplest.

But the doctor shook his head: "The most basic is also the hardest. It's basic because removing the worm isn't complicated—just use the Mother Gu to lure out the child Gu—but it's the hardest because we don't have the Mother Gu."

Because it's basic and the target is clear, this Heart-Eating Gu worm is not affected by any external factors. No incense to confuse the worm, no knocking the person out—nothing works. Only the Mother Gu can remove the worm. The worm is on the person's heart, not controlled by any external factors, it can bite at any moment, and with that bite, the person is beyond saving.

There is another method. Gu worms are bred from Gu, to become a Gu worm, they have a natural fighting instinct. To solve this Gu worm, you can put a stronger Gu worm in, let it eat the Heart-Eating Gu, and then lure out the stronger Gu worm.

But as soon as the Gu worm moves, the Mother Gu will sense it, with a single thought from the holder, the person can be killed instantly, unless someone can restrain the holder of the Mother Gu, preventing them from controlling it.

But now the person hasn't been found, we don't even know where she is.

Jiang Cheng's parents were frantic: "This doesn't work, that doesn't work, the person who cast the Gu can't be found, what should we do? What should we do about our son? We pay so much in taxes every year, is it just for you to say this doesn't work and that doesn't work!"

He Long isn't known for his patience, hearing this he wouldn't indulge them: "Then we'd like to ask you, why is Chen Xi targeting you? She said your son did something wrong. I'm curious, what kind of wrongdoing made her go as far as casting a Gu to kill for revenge? Didn't the other party say, to save a life, you need to apologize to the victim? Who is the victim? What exactly did your family do?"

Jiang Cheng's face was ugly, his mother couldn't stand anyone talking about her son like that, she retorted sharply: "Who knows if that person is crazy, targeting my son for no reason! My son has always been law-abiding and well-behaved since he was a child! You're incompetent and now you're blaming us!"

He Long crossed his arms: "Alright, in our mystical arts, we believe in retribution and settling karmic debts. It seems your son has been targeted by an enemy. Since it won't involve the innocent, we won't interfere in this matter."

After saying this, He Long left the hospital room with his two team members.

Jiang Cheng's mother reached out to grab him, but was blocked by a team member behind He Long: "Madam, the police are over there. We're not the police, we're Taoists. Taoists believe in cause and effect. If you don't tell us the cause, how can we help you deal with the effect? Think about it. When you remember the cause, come find us."

Catching murderers is the police's job. If it weren't for the Gu worm involved, the management bureau wouldn't have gotten involved, and they're putting on airs about being taxpayers—who knows how much tax evasion there really is.

The management bureau people left. Since the other party is on a death countdown, as long as they don't catch the person, this Jiang Cheng won't die for now. They need some time to investigate the cause and effect.

We need to get to the bottom of this before we can mediate.

Jiang Cheng, who had been silent until now, panicked when he heard the female streamer's real name. But the Chen Xi he remembered was nothing like this—she was small, short, and plain, just an unnoticed sidekick next to Tan Ling.

If that person is Chen Xi, then this matter is aimed at their lives.

While Jiang Cheng's parents hurriedly followed the doctor out to seek a solution, he pulled out his phone and called Guo Yuchen and another friend, Zhang Haoyu: "Chen Xi's back. San Cunguang is Chen Xi. She killed Qin Lang, and I'm next."

Guo Yuchen frowned: "What do you mean? Why am I next?"

Zhang Haoyu was also confused: "Where are you now?"

"I'm in the hospital. There's a Gu Worm in my body. The doctor said it's a Heart-Eating Gu. Qin Lang died of a heart attack—it was caused by this Gu Worm. You should check yourselves; you might already have it inside you."

Jiang Cheng hung up but clutched the phone, his hand trembling slightly. He didn't want to die. It wasn't just him who was involved in what happened back then. Since Chen Xi had killed Qin Lang and was now targeting him, she definitely wouldn't let Zhang Haoyu and Guo Yuchen off either.

So he wanted to call them back. He might not be able to handle Chen Xi lurking in the shadows on his own, but if the Guo and Zhang families were also involved, then it wasn't just his problem anymore.

Looking at the locked screen of his phone, Jiang Cheng thought to himself that this couldn't be blamed on him. Since everyone was involved in what happened back then, why should he alone bear Chen Xi's revenge?

As he closed his eyes, Jiang Cheng's ears echoed with the relentless thud of stones hitting his head, the roar of waves, the icy bite of seawater, and Tan Ling's desperate pleas. And finally, the image of him prying Tan Ling's fingers one by one, watching her fall into the sea.