Zhang Chengyan certainly did not want to die.
Rather than counting down the hours, feeling his organs fail, and waiting for death to claim him, he decided to seek out a master and try his luck. He had always believed in such things, so after hearing his father’s suggestion, he immediately resolved to leave the hospital and head to the master’s residence.
Mother Zhang was already distraught, quietly sobbing as she followed them into the car. Once inside, she asked, "Why the sudden decision to seek out a master? Is this master even reliable?"
"It was Director Qi who recommended him. He lives in a lakeside villa in the southern suburbs. We’ll know once we get there," Father Zhang replied, wiping his face. With their son’s life hanging by a thread—less than an hour left—the master was their only hope.
Zhang Chengyan lay in the car, tears streaming down his face. On the brink of death, he suddenly remembered the question Qin Ruo had asked him in Century Square—
"Are you willing to share everything with me?"
"Including your life, including your fortune."
A chill ran through his blood, and just as doubt began to creep in, an eerie force suppressed his rationality, leaving only the image of Qin Ruo’s beautiful, innocent face in his mind.
Lakeside Villa.
The system reacted belatedly: [Boss, when you sent those three to Lingxu Temple earlier, did you already foresee this? Do you know who’s behind their suffering? If you know, why not just eliminate the culprit directly?]
Qi Quan chuckled softly: [I’m not some purely selfless savior.]
[Huh?]
[In the novel, why did the original host go bungee jumping?]
[She was egged on by a group of rich kids.]
[Why did they encourage her?]
[...?]
[Who exactly was involved?]
[Du Jiaming and his friends seemed to be the main instigators.]
[Don’t you find it strange? Without any grudge, why would they want to kill the original host?]
The system was baffled: [Kill her? Didn’t the original host die of fright?]
[You must’ve skimmed through it, but there’s a detail in the text: "As Qi Quan plummeted, she seemed to see something utterly terrifying, so horrifying that her heart stopped. By the time the bungee jump ended, everyone realized she was already dead."]
[Right.]
[What was that terrifying thing?]
The system: [...]
It had signed up for a melodramatic, wish-fulfillment novel—accidentally stumbling into the supernatural genre was bad enough, but now it had veered into a mystery thriller?
This was giving it a headache.
Qi Quan said: [Even if they were just puppets, they’re not innocent.]
The system understood now—the boss wanted them to suffer the consequences of their actions, to endure more torment.
The Zhang family arrived at the lakeside villa in half an hour.
Zhang Chengyan was already on the verge of death. His skin had lost all moisture, sagging loosely like an empty sack. He couldn’t even sit up.
His parents carried him together through the villa gates.
They were greeted by Su Rong, dressed in a crisp white shirt and dress pants, his face wearing a polite smile as he led them to a room in the west wing.
"Master! Please, save my son!" Mother Zhang cried, disregarding all dignity as she nearly dropped to her knees before Su Rong.
Su Rong steadied her with a subtle force, surprising her, and said, "The master will arrive shortly. Please, both of you, wait in the side hall."
Mother Zhang hesitated, but Father Zhang pulled her out of the room.
Inside, the dim yellow light cast eerie shadows over Zhang Chengyan’s clouded eyes, making him tear up again. He could feel death creeping closer with every second.
Terror gripped him, yet he couldn’t even tremble.
Through his blurred vision, a slender figure entered the room and approached him.
She wore a loose dress, her hair pinned up with a wooden hairpin, revealing delicate, serene features.
She looked familiar.
His eyes widened in shock—it was her?!
Qi Quan asked, "Do you want to live?"
Zhang Chengyan strained to force out a single word: "Yes."
"Good."
She extended a slender hand... and pressed a fingertip to his forehead.
Downtown, in an apartment.
Qin Ruo admired herself in the mirror, gently stroking her restored, smooth cheeks, reassured.
Though she had lost a pawn, the results were acceptable. Once things settled, she would investigate Lingxu Temple personally.
Knock, knock, knock.
She frowned. Who would visit so late? Could it be Du Jiaming and the others? If so, that saved her the trouble of hunting them down for nourishment.
She opened the door to find a middle-aged man standing there, his eyes brimming with anxiety.
"What are you doing here?" Qin Ruo sneered. "Didn’t I tell you to stay away? Huang Qifeng, are you ignoring my orders?"
Huang Qifeng grimaced. "You turned off your phone."
Qin Ruo: "..."
After leaving Zhang Chengyan, she had shut off her phone to avoid harassment from those two men.
She stepped aside. "Come in."
Huang Qifeng entered cautiously, not daring to sit, and stood before her. "Qi Changrong still hasn’t responded. He might be backing out of the land bid. What should we do now?"
Qin Ruo asked, "Who else is in the running?"
"The Song, Du, Yang, and Zhang families."
"I can get the Du and Yang families to withdraw. The Zhangs are too preoccupied now. As for the Songs... who’s handling the deal?"
Huang Qifeng said, "Song Lin."
A flash of resentment crossed Qin Ruo’s eyes. "That devoted fiancé, the Song family’s only son."
She spat out the word "devoted" with venom.
Back when she had been scouting targets, Song Lin had been high on her list. But his heart belonged solely to that white lotus, Qi Yingxue. When Qin Ruo had tried to approach him, he had coldly sneered and uttered just one word—
"Scram."
After that, she’d never gotten close to him again.
"Right," Huang Qifeng nodded obsequiously.
Qin Ruo smirked. "If Song Lin wants it, let him have it."
She’d see how long his arrogance lasted.
"What about the Qi family—"
"Don’t worry. The Qis will soon—"
Suddenly, blood gushed from Qin Ruo’s throat, splattering Huang Qifeng’s clothes.
His mind blanked for a second before he screamed.
"Someone... broke... my... Peach Blossom Seal," Qin Ruo gasped, clutching her mouth. "Quick—turn on my phone!"
Huang Qifeng watched in horror as she spat another mouthful of blood, her once-youthful face instantly withering into wrinkles. His voice shook uncontrollably.
"Hurry!" Qin Ruo shrieked, swallowing pills frantically, but no amount of medicine could stop the reversal of her stolen vitality.
The Zhangs! Zhang Chengyan!
How had they found a master so powerful?!
Trembling, Huang Qifeng turned on her phone. Qin Ruo snatched it and dialed Du Jiaming and Yang Su, demanding they come immediately.
Back at the lakeside villa, the moment the Peach Blossom Seal shattered, Zhang Chengyan’s muddled mind cleared.
Recalling his foolish behavior over the past days, he wanted to slap himself silly. Connecting Qin Ruo’s last words to his unexplained aging, he’d have to be an idiot not to realize her scheme now.
That witch! This grudge was irreconcilable!
As vitality slowly returned to his body, his appearance reverted to that of a healthy young man in his twenties.
Zhang Chengyan looked at Qi Quan, who stood by his bedside performing the ritual, and thought of how he had once offended her. A wave of guilt and dread washed over him.
If Qi Quan held a grudge and refused to save him, he would truly be dead.
He might not even know how he died.
"I'm sorry," he said hoarsely.
Qi Quan's gaze remained calm, ignoring his apology entirely, and simply stated, "Though vitality has returned to your body, the portion that was consumed cannot be restored. Your lifespan will be shorter than before."
Zhang Chengyan: "..."
Clutching his chest, heart aching!
Father Zhang and Mother Zhang waited anxiously in the side room, glancing at their watches repeatedly, never having felt time pass so slowly.
Su Rong stood nearby the entire time. As if receiving a message, she lifted her head and said, "The treatment is complete. Please follow me."
The couple pushed open the door with trepidation.
Their son sat on the edge of the bed, bending over to put on his shoes. Hearing the noise, he raised his head and gave them a smile—both aggrieved and relieved—before calling out hoarsely, "Dad, Mom."
Mother Zhang rushed over and hugged him tightly, weeping uncontrollably.
Father Zhang, though equally emotional, remembered to thank the master. However, the master was nowhere to be seen in the room. With reddened eyes, he asked Su Rong, "Where is the master? I’d like to thank our benefactor in person."
"The master needs rest," Su Rong replied with a smile. "Your son has been cured. The three of you may leave now."
"But the payment..."
Su Rong: "That depends on Mr. Zhang’s discretion."
Father Zhang: "..."
Wasn’t the concern here giving too little and displeasing the master?
He wanted to ask further, but Zhang Chengyan interjected, "Dad, why don’t we consult Director Su first and come back tomorrow to formally visit and express our gratitude?"
Father Zhang was persuaded. "Very well."
As the three stepped out of the villa’s front door, they couldn’t help but glance back. Mother Zhang sighed, "What a remarkable person. It’s a shame we didn’t get to see them in person—they must have an immortal’s grace."
Zhang Chengyan: "..."
If you had actually seen them, you probably wouldn’t have believed it and might’ve even stopped them from treating me.
The master truly was a master. Maintaining an air of mystery avoided so much doubt and conflict.
The Zhang family’s driver had been waiting outside the villa the entire time.
He had witnessed the state Zhang Chengyan was in when he was brought here. In his opinion, there was no way he could be saved.
He had been prepared to see his employers emerge in tears. Never in his wildest dreams did he expect all three of them to walk out—alive and well!
The driver rubbed his eyes hard.
It was real! The young master had truly recovered!
This was nothing short of miraculous!
As soon as the Zhang family got into the car, Father Zhang called Su Linhai. After a string of effusive thanks, he finally asked, "Director Su, how should we determine the master’s payment?"
He was asking for the market rate.
Su Linhai couldn’t help but laugh. "How much do you think your son’s life is worth?"
Father Zhang: "..."
Even after being teased, he wasn’t angry. He simply said, "His life is priceless to me. Director Su, please enlighten me."
Su Linhai stopped joking. "The master’s ways differ from others. The payment is up to your discretion—just ensure it comes from the heart. But there’s one thing you must not overlook."
"Please go on."
"The master is serializing a novel online. If you have time, Director Zhang, you might consider supporting it."
Father Zhang: ???
After hanging up, faced with his wife’s anxious questioning, he said blankly, "Director Su said the key is to support the master’s novel."
Mother Zhang was equally baffled. "A novel?"
"A novel?" Zhang Chengyan suddenly spoke up. "I know about this!"
He quickly opened the app and navigated to the novel’s page. A sudden realization struck him, and he pointed out the top name on the tipping leaderboard to his parents.
"Director Su’s name is Linhai, right? This must be him!" He scrolled down the leaderboard. "'Forever Prosperous' must be Director Qi, right? And 'Aunt Gu’s Grace,' 'Qi Lin'..."
The Zhang couple: A whole new world had opened before them.
Father Zhang immediately declared, "Set one up for me too. I want to tip as well!"
And so, the readers waiting late at night for an update were met not with a new chapter, but with three people tipping like mad.
The Zhang family poured all their effort into securing the top three spots on the leaderboard.
The system reported the data in real time, utterly numb by now.
[Big shot, it’s almost ten. What about today’s update?]
Qi Quan was utterly unbothered. [Taking a break today. No update.]
[Then at least post a notice.]
[A notice?]
The system said, [If you’re not updating, you should at least let your eagerly waiting readers know in advance.]
Qi Quan was puzzled. [I have readers?]
She had assumed those reading her work were just insiders privy to certain matters.
Even if there were readers, surely none were genuine fans.
The system: [You do. Someone even follows you on Weibo and defends you in debates with other readers.]
After some thought, Qi Quan posted a notice. Out of curiosity, she checked the comments section.
The latest comment—
[Today’s Auspicious: Thank you, Master, for saving my worthless life! I was blind before! If I’ve offended you in any way, please forgive me! Kowtowing in gratitude!]
Clearly, this was Zhang Chengyan, a former hater turned fan.
The novel had been sitting atop the tipping leaderboard, and the staggering amounts attracted droves of people coming to worship the wealthy patrons. The collection count had already surpassed three thousand.
As soon as the notice went up, someone spotted it.
[Call Me to Prepare Lessons: The person above really got saved by the master? So lucky! The master must be exhausted today. No update is fine—rest well!]
[Does the Rich Lady Need a Bed Warmer: Even though there’s no update today, I’m weirdly hyped?]
[Filial Piety is Dead: How are you not tired of playing along every day? The first time was funny, but now it’s just awkward. Though the author really is rich enough to do whatever.]
[Pythagorean Theorem ABC: The author’s legit loaded! I’m settling in here!]
[Pear Blossoms in Misty Rain: OMG, 'Linhai Forest' isn’t happy about losing the top spot and just reclaimed it! 'Aunt Gu’s Grace' and 'Forever Prosperous' aren’t backing down either—this battle is intense!]
The spectators were stunned.
This was a true clash of titans.
[XX’s Dad: The real winner here is Scream Literature City.]
The fight for the top spot was neither the beginning nor the end.
Even the system was getting fired up.
After browsing the comments, Qi Quan remained unperturbed. She shut her laptop and went to bed.
Meanwhile, Zhang Chengyan’s miraculous recovery was like a stone thrown into still waters, sending ripples far and wide.
