[500,000? You might as well rob me!]

[Isn’t anyone going to do something about this? Straight-up daylight robbery, huh? Scammers these days are getting wild!]  

[With a face like that, why not just go into the entertainment industry and milk fans for cash? How can you scam people like this without fearing divine retribution?!]

[Just drop dead, you scammer!]  

Huo Ning almost rolled her eyes but managed to hold back.  

“When did I say it was 500,000?”  

Huang Xiu nearly fainted when she saw the comments mentioning that amount. Back before her daughter fell ill, 500,000 wouldn’t have been impossible for her family to scrape together. But over the past month, they’d already spent a fortune on medical treatments. If Huo Ning really demanded that much, she wouldn’t be able to pay.  

Relieved to hear it wasn’t 500,000, she exhaled.  

“50,000 then? But how are you going to save my daughter? What do I need to do? And how do I get the money to you?”  

Huo Ning: “…”  

She had actually been about to say 5,000.  

After all, this was her first day streaming, and charging too much might make people think she was a fraud.  

But she’d overlooked the fact that, in the public’s eyes, an actual mystic master charging too little would seem even more suspicious.  

Then again, in her past life, she would’ve charged six figures minimum for something like this—no upper limit.  

50,000 wouldn’t bankrupt Lin Shuangshuang’s parents, so Huo Ning didn’t bother correcting the assumption.  

“Send 5,000 as a deposit first. The rest can wait until after I’ve resolved the issue. I see we’re in the same city—DM me your address later, and I’ll come over in person.”  

If it were just an ordinary vengeful spirit, she wouldn’t need to make the trip.  

But Huo Ning had just divined something… unusual.  

“Also, take that Buddhist pendant off your daughter’s neck, wrap it in red cloth, and bury it—preferably under a tree. Just keep it as far away from her as possible.”  

“The rest can wait until I’m done streaming and come over.”  

[F*ck! Host, have you considered that if that thing acts up and kills the aunt, you showing up later won’t do sh*t!]

[Exactly! Will you really prioritize money over a human life?] 

[B*tch! So a few thousand bucks means more to you than someone’s life, huh? Wait—don’t tell me YOU were the one who sold that cursed pendant to her cousin in the first place!]

[Hey, I get that you’re blunt, but must you speak straight out of your a**?]

[The host obviously wouldn’t be this calm if she thought the aunt was in real danger. Can some of you PLEASE use your brains before typing?]

[Oho, already got brain-dead fans defending you? Share the group chat link—let’s all scam together!]

The chat erupted into chaos, with everyone convinced they were the voice of reason.

Only a small portion of the audience felt there were too many ridiculous points to ignore.  

[Seriously, this is so obviously scripted. How low does your IQ have to be to believe this crap?] 

[Right? If you’re gonna do fortune-telling, at least look at a photo of her daughter first! You didn’t even check anything and just “divined” it all? And you didn’t even assess whether you can handle the ghost? Are you just grinding our intelligence into the dirt?]

Huo Ning: “……………”  

Huo Ning twitched her lips and asked sincerely, “I took one look at the aunt and immediately knew what was going on. Do I really need to see her daughter’s photo too?”

As for whether she could handle the ghost—did she not already know that herself?!  

She wasn’t an idiot!  

The live-stream viewers found her excuse utterly unconvincing.  

[Just admit your act fell apart. Stop making excuses.]

[If you only write the answer to a math problem without showing your work, would the teacher give you full marks?!]

“…You’re right. That was me being careless.” 

Huo Ning exhaled and turned her attention back to Huang Xiu.  

“Alright, let’s go through the proper steps. Show me a photo of your daughter—make sure it’s a bare-faced, unedited one.”

“Or, if your daughter is home right now, just point the camera at her.”

Huang Xiu was frantic but afraid that refusing might anger Huo Ning.  

Not daring to delay, she carried her phone into her daughter’s bedroom.  

Even though the air conditioner was running, a chilling draft swept over her the moment she entered.  

Huo Ning frowned. The room was thick with swirling black energy and an eerie, unnatural cold—the yin aura was overpowering!  

On screen, the girl lying on the bed had dry, brittle hair, a sickly pale-yellow complexion, and lips devoid of any color.  

At a glance, she looked completely lifeless—so much so that one might wonder if she was even still breathing.  

And around her neck hung that Buddhist pendant, emitting a sinister, ghostly glow.  

Huo Ning clicked her tongue inwardly.  

If this girl hadn’t spent her life doing good deeds, she wouldn’t have lasted this long.

The live-stream audience was equally disturbed by the sight.  

[I thought this was all fake, but after seeing the state of the aunt’s daughter… I’ll shut up now.] 

[Wait, isn’t that our department manager? She’s been on leave for almost a month. I thought she just overworked herself, but she ran into something supernatural?!]

[Acting! Keep acting! This is just makeup, you gullible idiots!]

[Hey commenter above, I’m a veterinarian who specializes in treating horses. I regret to inform you that your horse is gone.] 

Huang Xiu desperately wanted to tear that cursed pendant off her daughter’s neck, but without Huo Ning’s instruction, she didn’t dare act recklessly.  

Wiping away tears, her heart ached at the sight of her daughter’s condition.  

“Host… is there really still hope for my daughter?”

The formalities were done, but seeing Huang Xiu like this, Huo Ning couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy.  

After a moment’s thought, she said, “Alright, I’ll have ‘someone’ deliver a talisman to you later. Burn it, mix the ashes into water, and have your daughter drink it. She’ll wake up soon.”

“But don’t think everything’s fine just because she regains consciousness. If I don’t come over in person, she’ll still be in danger later.”  

Huang Xiu bowed repeatedly, her eyes red with gratitude. “Master Huo, thank you so much.” 

Huo Ning waved her off. “No need. If there’s nothing else, I’ll connect with the next guest now.”  

[Auntie! Can you livestream when you give your daughter the talisman water?!]  

[Yeah, Auntie, please go live!]  

[If you don’t, a lot of people are gonna think you’re just the host’s plant!]

Hesitating briefly, Huang Xiu finally agreed.  

“Alright, I’ll definitely go live then.”  

[Host! Don’t disconnect from Auntie yet—you still haven’t answered what you’d do if that ghost tries to hurt her!]

Huo Ning shook her head.  

“It only wants to possess her daughter’s body. It won’t harm the aunt.”

As for the vision of a family torn apart she’d seen earlier—that had nothing to do with this vengeful spirit.  

The corner of Huo Ning’s lips curled slightly, her eyes glinting with something sharp and knowing.  

“Human hearts are far more terrifying than ghosts.”

After a pause, she smirked.  

“Besides, this ghost has something to ask of me.”

Her gaze fixed on the cursed pendant, its eerie glow trembling faintly under her stare.  

“If you want my help, behave yourself. Otherwise, I have a hundred ways to make sure you’re erased from existence—no reincarnation, no afterlife.”

Of course, she didn’t mention that the ‘person’ she was sending to deliver the talisman was far more powerful than this ghost.  

The pendant’s sinister light shivered again, as if cowering in fear.  

The live-stream audience: “……” 

[Such cringey dialogue. I’m embarrassed just listening.]

[Ghosts can sense how scary the host is through video calls now? Wait—can it crawl through the internet to get me?!]

[Commenter above, it doesn’t need to crawl. It can teleport.]  

[Stop talking, I’m scared! Prosperity, Democracy, Civility, Harmony, Freedom, Equality, Justice, Rule of Law, Patriotism, Dedication, Integrity, Friendship! Evil spirits, begone! Begone! Begone!] 

[Auntie disconnected after sending the gift. Are we picking the next lucky victim now?] 

[CosmicUltraMegaHandsomeGuy: Host, pick me! It’s urgent! I’ve encountered a Yin Peach Blossom!]