This celestial master cultivates both physical and magical arts; why did you provoke him?

The incident started with a post on WeChat Moments.

It was posted by Fang Zijian.

That night, having nothing to do, he compiled a list of the cases Xia En had handled over the past two months.

Thirty-seven supernatural events, ranging from the most basic possession by wandering spirits to the sealing of ancient evil creatures, from the water monster of Qingshan Lake to the zombie king in the western suburbs cemetery, are all kinds of strange and varied.

He included several photos:

Xia En's back as he stood amidst the pile of corpses, the moment the thunder in his palm exploded, the close-up of the golden light emanating from his domineering body, and the banner at the entrance of the main hall of the Celestial Master's Mansion that read "Annual Sales Champion".

He pondered the copy for a long time, and finally wrote one sentence:

"Xia En of the Celestial Master's Mansion on Longhu Mountain, a practitioner of both physical and magical arts, handled thirty-seven supernatural incidents in two months, generating millions in revenue. Economic downturn?! Who says Taoist priests can't boost the economy?!"

After sending it out, he himself felt it was a bit exaggerated.

But it doesn't matter, since hardly anyone looks at his account anyway.

Then his phone exploded.

It received over 10,000 likes, over 1,000 comments, and over 500 shares.

His number of followers skyrocketed from 3,000 to 50,000, and it's still growing rapidly.

The comments section was as lively as during Chinese New Year.

"Holy crap! Thirty-seven cases in two months? That's an average of 0.6 cases per day? Is this even humanly possible?"

"Awesome! This Celestial Master from Longhu Mountain is amazing!"

"Making millions in revenue? Is ghost hunting really that lucrative? I want to learn!"

"Wait... look at that picture of someone protected by golden light, what is that? A super armor? Is this a Taoist priest or a game character?"

"I understand dual cultivation of physical and magical attacks, right? But what the heck is 'super armor'? Immune to both physical and magical attacks?"

"The Celestial Master's Mansion on Longhu Mountain costs eighty yuan. So, for eighty yuan, you might get to see this amazing person practicing martial arts on the back mountain? Worth it!"

"Wait a minute, didn't anyone notice that banner saying 'Annual Sales Champion'? The Celestial Master's Mansion even has KPIs? Do Taoist priests have to compete for sales figures too?"

Fang Zijian couldn't stop smiling as he looked at the comments.

He ran to find Xia En and handed her the phone.

"Xia En, look, you've become a sensation online."

Xia En lay on the wicker chair, a lollipop in his mouth, and glanced at the phone.

"this one?"

"What do you mean by 'that's all'? Fifty thousand followers! More than two thousand comments! Do you know what that means?"

"What does that mean?"

"That means you're the biggest internet celebrity in the world of Taoist priests!"

Xia En glanced at him.

"Internet celebrity?"

"Yeah! Look at these comments—'The strongest spokesperson for Longhu Mountain,' 'Master Xia, who cultivates both physical and magical arts,' 'Are Taoists this arrogant these days?'—You've gone viral!!!"

Xia En handed the phone back to him, closed her eyes, and said, "Boring."

Fang Zijian became anxious.

"How can you be bored? This is a good thing! If you become famous, more people will come to you to handle paranormal cases, you can earn more money, and the Celestial Master's Mansion can build more houses..."

"I said it was boring."

Xia En interrupted him, her tone calm, "I am the Dragon Tiger Celestial Master, not an internet celebrity. I handle paranormal events not to become famous."

Fang Zijian opened his mouth, but swallowed the rest of his words.

Liu Ruyan smiled beside her.

Just leave him alone. If he wanted to be famous, he would have been already.

Fang Zijian thought about it and agreed.

With Xia En's abilities, if she wanted to become famous, she could easily become a national idol by recording an episode on any TV station.

But he didn't; he preferred to lie in a wicker chair and eat a lollipop.

"So, should I delete this post on WeChat Moments?"

Fang Zijian asked tentatively.

"This one doesn't need to be deleted."

Shane said, "Keep it."

Fang Zijian was taken aback. "Didn't you say you didn't want to be famous?"

Xia En opened one eye and looked at him. "Not wanting to be famous doesn't mean not wanting to do business. Your WeChat Moments post can bring in customers."

Fang Zijian was both amused and exasperated.

This person says he's "bored," but all he's thinking about is business.

Sure enough, the next day, Xia En's phone was ringing off the hook.

Thirty-seven missed calls, forty-two WeChat messages, and more than a dozen text messages.

Some are individuals seeking help.

Houses haunted, haunted by evil spirits, or dreaming of deceased relatives returning to seek you out.

Some were invited by organizations.

He received interviews from television stations and magazines, and several MCN agencies even wanted to sign him as an internet celebrity.

Xia En read through all the messages one by one, then picked out three and sent them back.

Ignore the rest.

Fang Zijian, watching from the side, couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you going to the TV station?"

"I'm not going."

"What about MCNs? They said they offer a five million annual salary and a team."

"I'm not going."

Why?

Xia En looked up at him intently. Fall in love with reading, starting with Cola Novels.

"I am a Taoist priest, not an entertainer. My job is to deal with paranormal events, not to appear on TV as an electronic pet."

Fang Zijian fell silent.

He suddenly realized that he might have offended Xia En by calling him an "internet celebrity."

"What did you reply to those three?" he asked.

All three are paranormal events.

Xia En said, "One case involved Qingshan Lake, where the lake monster reappeared, this time larger than before. Another case involved a black shadow seen in the ruins of a chemical plant in the eastern suburbs."

"There's another case in the western suburbs, where an old residential building is haunted. Residents say they can hear people walking back and forth in the corridor at night."

He stood up and stretched his wrists.

"Let's go, let's get to work."

Fang Zijian looked out the window.

It was already dark; the moon was obscured by clouds, and it was pitch black outside.

"Now?"

"Now. Nighttime is when evil spirits are most active, and also the easiest time to deal with them."

Xia En put on his coat and pushed open the courtyard gate.

Fang Zijian and Liu Ruyan quickly followed.

The female ghost Cuihua floated in the shade of the tree, silently following.

Shen Ye came out of the house, carrying the porcelain jar.

Shen Yue's soul was still inside. It followed her up.

The group disappeared into the night.

. . .

Three days later, all three matters were resolved.

The water monster in Qingshan Lake was blasted out of the lake by Xia En's punch. It struggled on the shore for a few moments before turning into a pool of black water.

The dark figures at the East Suburb Chemical Plant were several remaining fragments of evil artifacts, which were blasted into dust by Xia En's palm strike.

The haunted old residential building in the western suburbs is a lost spirit that was exorcised by Xia En.

Three things, three days, and Xia En received 250,000.

When Fang Zijian was helping him with the accounts, he couldn't help but say:

"Did you get a bargain? You charged 300,000 for the Qingshan Lake monster incident last time, and only 100,000 this time?"

"The last monster was big, this one is small."

Xia En said, "Besides, this time it's a repeat customer introduced by the scenic area management office, so we got a discount."

Fang Zijian's mouth twitched.

Repeat customers? This ghost-catching business has repeat customers?

"Are you in business?"

"What's wrong?"

Shane looked at him. "I solve their problems, and they pay me. Isn't that just common sense?"

Fang Zijian was speechless.

Shane continued:

"Do you know how much it costs me to draw a talisman? The talisman paper, cinnabar, brush, and the magic power consumed all add up to at least five hundred yuan for one talisman."

"For big events, dozens of talismans are needed at once. The material cost alone is tens of thousands."

He paused, then said, "What's wrong with being greedy? Don't you think my talismans are free?"

Fang Zijian fell silent.

He had never thought about this question.

In his eyes, Xia En's drawing of talismans was like magic; he could produce one with a casual wave of his hand.

But upon closer inspection, those talismans didn't appear out of thin air, the cinnabar didn't fall from the sky, and even the magical power consumed in drawing the talismans was accumulated by Xia En through his daily practice.

"and,"

Xia En added, "These days, everything is expensive. The price of talisman paper has gone up, the price of cinnabar has gone up, and even the rent at Qingheju has increased."

"If I help people for free, I can't even support myself, so how can I help others?"

"With the economy downturn, making money is tough and life is unbearable!!!"

Fang Zijian nodded. That makes sense.

"So you just accept the money without any qualms?"

"certainly."

Shane said, "I solve their problems, and they give me money. I use that money to do more good deeds; doesn't that boost the economy and stimulate consumption?"

"If I don't have money to spend, how can I stimulate the economy?! Please tell me!"

Fang Zijian was stunned.

Boost the economy? Boost consumption?

A Taoist priest talking about economics?

"Look,"

Xia En counted on his fingers, "I'll spend the money I receive. I'll buy talismans, buy cinnabar, pay rent, eat, and give it to the Celestial Master's Mansion."

"Once this money gets into other people's hands, they'll spend it. The owner of the talisman shop will make money and then buy other things."

"With money, the Celestial Master's Mansion can renovate its Taoist temples, buy incense and candles, and support its elderly Taoist priests. As this money circulates throughout society, doesn't it stimulate the consumer economy?"

Fang Zijian opened his mouth, unable to speak for a long time.

Having worked as a journalist for so many years and interviewed countless economists, he had never heard of such a simple and down-to-earth economic theory.

A Taoist priest, sitting in a rattan chair, sucking on a lollipop, was talking to him about stimulating domestic demand and promoting consumption.

"Where...where did you learn all this?"

"I haven't studied that."

Xia En said, "I just feel that's how it should be."

Fang Zijian looked at him and suddenly realized that this person was not only good at fighting, but also had a mind that was different from ordinary people.