The Law-Abiding Evil God
The Law-Abiding Evil God Chapter 17.3

Chapter 17.3

His sister was named Baozhu (“precious pearl”), and he was called Xiaodi (“little gold”). Pearls were priceless, far more valuable than gold. While gold had its worth, it couldn’t compare to a precious pearl.

And their eldest sister had it even worse—being named Yin (“silver”), which was worth even less than gold.

Thinking about it, Shen Xiaodi paused.

Thank goodness his eldest sister wasn’t named Yue Tong (“moon bronze”), he mused. That would’ve been even worse. It sounded like someone who steals power cables.

Yue Yin, meanwhile, patted her stomach and said thoughtfully, “Eh, it’s time for dinner.”

Shen Xiaodi sighed. “Do you think mom will come back to see us?”

Yue Yin smacked her fist into her palm as if something suddenly came to mind. “Oh, I just remembered! The new season starts tomorrow! I haven’t reached the top rank yet. I need Jiang Suliu to carry me in the game!”

With that, she turned and headed inside, calling for her little brother to log on and play with her.

Shen Xiaodi immediately perked up, jumping to follow her. “Take me too! Take me too!”

As they scrolled through their online game, they debated who would play which role in the next match.

Suddenly, Shen Xiaodi blurted, “Zhou the Skinscrapper is so useless. If he wasn’t so weak, mom and sis wouldn’t have been scared off.”

Yue Yin, munching on sunflower seeds, muttered, “I already told you I’m better than him. Oh, by the way, you owe me fifty bucks.”

Shen Xiaodi jumped in protest. “Why?!”

“Didn’t you say Zhou the Skinscrapper bullied you, and you hated him? I helped you get revenge today, didn’t I?”

The two of them chattered as they went back into the house, their lively conversation filling the once-quiet home with noise again.

Yue Yin’s good mood lasted until the next day.

She had been thoroughly shocked.

She discovered that Zhou Huai’an, that useless nobody, was actually a certified B-level practitioner in the Metaphysical Society—and even had ten thousand followers on Weibo!

What’s worse, many of these followers were real, active fans. They competed to join his Daoist faith and even bought the talismans he personally made!

Yue Yin, looking at her own account, which was filled with people constantly mocking her as a fraud, and barely had any comments at all, felt her heart sink.

What on earth?! What were these people even thinking?!

People were lining up to follow Zhou Huai’an, someone she considered completely incompetent, calling themselves his fans.

Meanwhile, she—the great “Mother of Monsters” and the “Thousand-Faced Moon”—only got cursed at as a scam artist every time she posted!

Just then, Zhou Huai’an’s assistant went live on stream, promoting new items in their shop.

Yes, Zhou Huai’an even had an assistant!

Yue Yin’s eyes burned with jealousy. She immediately decided—she needed an assistant, too!

She clicked into the live stream and overheard the assistant boasting, “As everyone knows, Master Zhou Huai’an hails from a prestigious family of metaphysical scholars, with profound knowledge. He’s the direct disciple of the fifth generation…”

“Ordinary spirits and demons are no match for him. The talismans Master Zhou makes are limited edition, they only go on sale a few times a year. Master Zhou doesn’t need the money, it’s all just fan perks.”

Yue Yin frowned and immediately left a comment to expose the truth: “Ordinary spirits can’t beat him? He got his butt kicked yesterday!”

Zhou Huai’an had a lot of fans, and the chat was moving fast. Her comment was quickly drowned out.

Just as she was about to type again, the screen flashed a message: “You have been blocked by the host and cannot enter the live stream.”

Yue Yin: “…”

On the screen, the assistant continued, “Today, we’re offering a special. I’ve just added new items to the shop—go grab them quickly!”

Yue Yin curiously opened the shop window to see what they were selling. She saw that ten talismans for peace had just been listed, priced at 99,999 each. They sold out in under three seconds.

Those who managed to snag one were flooding the chat with excitement.

—【Ahhh, I got one!!】

—【Nooo, I missed it! When will Master Zhou restock the talismans?】

—【Quick question, can Master Zhou do Feng Shui consultations? My grandparent has been feeling unwell lately…】

—【Wow, the person above must be loaded. Feng Shui consultations with Master Zhou cost at least six figures, and you have to wait a long time for a slot.】

Yue Yin narrowed her eyes as she read the comments.

…Why?! This made no sense!

Her Moon Cult’s membership fee was only 998, and no one would pay it. They all just called her a scammer. But Zhou Huai’an, who was clearly terrible at his job, could charge nearly 100,000 for a single talisman, and people were lining up to buy it!

Feeling bitter and jealous, Yue Yin left a sneaky comment on Zhou Huai’an’s account: “Zhou Huai’an is so weak. Do you guys really believe in him?”

Instantly, a flood of replies came in:

—【You don’t know anything! Master Zhou is a certified expert with the Metaphysical Society!】

—【Get lost! Stop slandering Master Zhou. Do you even know how prestigious the Metaphysical Society is? It’s officially recognized!】

The Metaphysical Society had cooperated with the government for years, helping the Paranormal Incident ManagementDepartment handle malignant spirits. In return, the government acknowledged the society’s legitimacy and value.

Even though they couldn’t openly promote superstitions or confirm the existence of evil spirits, practices like Feng Shui and the I Ching were accepted.

So, the Metaphysical Society’s standing in the public eye was quite high.

And Zhou Huai’an, being both handsome and a renowned Daoist, had legions of fans fiercely defending him.

Watching the flood of replies and notifications grow, Yue Yin blinked in confusion, unwilling to give up, and replied again: “Does being certified by the Metaphysical Society automatically mean he’s powerful?”

She was genuinely curious now. Wasn’t the official organization supposed to be the Paranormal Incident Management Department? Why did the Metaphysical Society seem to be so influential?

Amused by her persistence, more fans chimed in:

—【You can’t doubt Master Zhou just because he’s young! Plenty of people have tried, and they’ve all ended up embarrassed!】

— [No need to explain it to them, there are plenty of people jealous of Master Zhou. We all know it.]

— [Check out this person’s profile, it’s cracking me up.]

Everyone clicked on the hater’s profile, and soon enough, laughter erupted.

— [I was wondering who could be so dumb. Turns out it’s just a little kid.]

— [What are elementary school kids doing online? Go home and do your homework.]

— [So ugly, looks like he’s going to be a wannabe punk with dyed hair in the future.]

Yue Yin got bombarded with insults, and when she tried to respond, she found out that Zhou Huai’an had blocked her as well.

She sighed, tossing her phone aside, propping her chin on her hand, and gazing blankly at the sky, “Ugh, I’m so disappointed with this world.”

Shen Xioadi came running over, “Yue Yin, what are you doing?”

The phone on the sofa kept buzzing with notification dings, and when Shen Xiaodi picked it up, his eyes went wide. “Why are so many people cursing me?!”

“What did I do to upset them? Ugh, all I did was post two short videos with special effects, I didn’t provoke anyone. Why are they all attacking me? Waaaah…”

Shen Xiaodi was genuinely upset, feeling like the world was being unfairly harsh on elementary schoolers.

Yue Yin patted his head and reassured him, “It’s not your fault, it’s just that this group of people is stupid.”

Shen Xiaodi started crying even harder, touched for the first time by how reliable Yue Yin seemed. “Sis, you’re so nice. I used to think you were just a lazy bum who borrowed money from me.”

Yue Yin stroked his head and said kindly, “Of course, I’m your sister.”

Luckily, she had used Shen Xiaodi’s account to leave comments earlier, not her own main account. Otherwise, she’d be the one getting roasted right now.

Heh heh.

When Jiang Suliu came back with milk tea, he saw Yue Yin and Shen Xiaodi—one with teary eyes, the other gazing wistfully at the sky.

He squatted down and handed the drinks to them, “What’s going on?” He had been with Shen Xiaodi earlier to buy milk tea, but Shen Xiaodi ran off out of boredom, leaving him to catch up now.

Shen Xiaodi gulped down the milk tea and said indignantly, “A bunch of online trolls are insulting me! Brother Jiang, go and help me yell back at them!”

He knew that Jiang Suliu had once helped his sister talk back to keyboard warriors in online games!

Oh, it turned out Shen Xiaodi was the one getting flamed. In that case, it didn’t matter.

Jiang Suliu pretended not to hear and instead turned to Yue Yin, “You still have physics and chemistry homework left. There’s an exam next week. Do you want to study your vocabulary?”

Yue Yin stood up with a fist pump, “Study vocabulary? They already have assistants, but I don’t even have one. I’m not studying vocabulary!”

Jiang Suliu frowned, confused, “Who?”

Yue Yin spoke with a tone of deep grievance, “Zhou Huai’an!”

What had just happened made her feel envious and upset. She needed to make people understand who the real god was, who the true future was!

She decided right then to save these people who were blinded by ignorance and instructed seriously, “Summon all the members of our Moon Cult for a meeting!”

Jiang Suliu’s expression became complex and indescribable as he stood there.

As the sole follower of the Moon Cult, he had no idea who else Yue Yin could be referring to when she mentioned “all the members.”

But when Yue Yin spoke, he had to listen. As the Moon Cult’s only current member and potential future high priest, he grabbed Shen Xiaodi, who was trying to run away, and made him sit back down in the chair.

Shen Xiaodi was furious, protesting loudly, “Let me go! I’m a Young Pioneer!”

He was a proud Young Pioneer, who only believed in the Party!!

But Shen Xiaodi’s protests were ignored, and eventually, he gave up, sulking in his chair while drinking his milk tea.

Yue Yin stood on a chair and declared loudly, “Now is a life-or-death moment for our Moon Cult! We are such a great cult, and our deity is so extraordinary! But these foolish humans don’t realize it!”

Shen Xiaodi continued sipping his milk tea, while Jiang Suliu kept doing his homework, paying her no mind.

Yue Yin went on, “Captain Li said that among the three most popular deities, none of them is our Thousand-faced Moon. As followers of the Thousand-faced Moon, I think you all need to reflect on where you went wrong.”

Shen Xioadi kept drinking his milk tea, and Jiang Suliu kept writing his homework.

Yue Yin slapped the table, her voice filled with disappointment, “Even though you’re all pretty useless and haven’t contributed much to our Moon Cult, I still believe you’ll grow eventually.”

She pointed and demanded, “Do you understand?”

“Jiang Suliu, tell me what we should do next!”

Jiang Suliu didn’t even look up from his spot.

Yue Yin felt embarrassed, “Jiang Suliu, what’s your problem? We’re having a Moon Cult meeting here!”

Jiang Suliu took a deep breath, finally lifting his head. So, he was the only member, huh?

After a moment of silence, he calmly said, “I’m doing homework.”

Yue Yin slapped the table in anger, “How can you still be doing homework at a time like this? Do you even know how important this meeting is for our cult? What are you writing? Stand up and tell me!”

Jiang Suliu replied coolly, “Your homework.”

He added, “It’s due tomorrow morning.”

Yue Yin instantly relented, “Alright, never mind, keep writing.”

She opened a can of Red Bull for him and said attentively, “Work hard, write well, have some tea.” Jiang Suliu: … Who drinks Red Bull as tea!?

Whatever. He decided not to argue with a fool.

He swallowed his frustration.

Shen Xiaodi, after watching the entire exchange, couldn’t hold back anymore. He sneaked up to Jiang Suliu and whispered, “Why do you hang out with my sister, who’s so… quirky?”

Even elementary schoolers were over this kind of stuff. Anyone who called themselves the “Dark Lord of Gnunala” would get ridiculed by the entire class!

They wouldn’t hang out with people like that—it was embarrassing!

Jiang Suliu remained calm, “Your sister is my faith.”

Shen Xiaodi didn’t understand but nodded anyway, trying to look like he got it so no one would think he was just an ignorant kid.

Jiang Suliu raised an eyebrow, “You know what faith means?”

Shen Xiaodi pointed at him, boldly accusing, “You’re a simp!”

Jiang Suliu pursed his lips, taking a deep breath. He wanted to throw down his pen and walk out!

Was everyone in the Shen family like this?!

Just a week ago, he was the revered and unattainable young master of the Jiang family, the proud prince. Now, he had been reduced to doing someone else’s homework, arguing with an elementary schooler!

Fearing Jiang Suliu might leave and there’d be no one to do her homework, Yue Yin quickly dragged Shen Xiaodi away.

She stroked her chin thoughtfully and said, “Shen Xiaodi, you’re the smartest elementary schooler among us. Tell me, how can I get as many followers as Zhou Huai’an?”

Shen Xiaodi, hands in his pockets, said bluntly, “What’s the use of ranting online all the time? If you don’t give people real benefits, why would they believe in you?”

Even those who run schemes at the local markets give away free eggs to the elderly. Yue Yin, who wasn’t willing to spend a dime, just kept posting online, thinking people would rush to send her money. That wasn’t happening.

Yue Yin frowned, a little irritated, “What do you mean? It’s an honor to join the Moon Cult, and you think I need to give them something in return?”

She was planning on charging a 998 membership fee per person, no less!

If no one sent her money, how could she afford the latest comics and gaming consoles?

And Zhou Huai’an, with his lousy occult group, had people scrambling to buy his talismans. She was much better than him; there was no way she’d lower her standards.

Yue Yin had her own calculations and was firm about not lowering her standards.

Shen Xiaodi rolled his eyes, “I mean you need to invest something first if you want to get returns.”

He chewed on his milk tea, mumbling, “You need to build a reputation, get famous first, then people will like you and spend money. That’s called marketing, understand?”

Just like with celebrities—once they’re famous, there’ll always be fans who like them.

Yue Yin sort of understood and humbly asked, “How do I do marketing? Advertise?”

Shen Xiaodi thought his sister was pretty dumb, “Do a giveaway.”

Yue Yin responded immediately, “I don’t have money.”

Even if she had money, she wasn’t going to spend it. After all, she was an evil deity, her money only came in, never went out!

But the idea of marketing was pretty good, so she turned to Jiang Suliu.

Jiang Suliu stayed silent: … So I’m the only one getting exploited here?

Shen Xiaodi watched for a long while, clicking his tongue in disapproval, thinking to himself how tough it must be to be a simp like Jiang Suliu.

Not only did he have to help with homework, but he also had to humor her by playing make-believe meetings, and even spend his own money for giveaways.

At that moment, the Shen Xiaodi set a grand goal in his heart:

He would never, ever be a simp for anyone!

minaaa[Translator]

Just a translator working on webnovels and sharing stories I love with fellow readers. If you like my work, please check out my other translations too — and feel free to buy me a Ko-fi by clicking the link on my page. Your support means a lot! ☕💕

Leave A Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

@

error: Content is protected !!