In just a few minutes, Huo Ning was bombarded with hate and stormed onto the trending list of the live-streaming platform, even causing a slight stir on Weibo.  

Numerous curious onlookers rushed over upon hearing the news. The moment they saw Huo Ning’s face, they followed her without a second thought, not even caring what kind of streamer she was.  

The number of live viewers soared past eight thousand, climbing toward nine, with signs of potentially breaking ten.  

Huo Ning smiled faintly.  

All of these were potential clients.  

“Let me reintroduce myself. My surname is Huo. I’m a metaphysics streamer. Three readings a day—one ‘Phoenix Coronet and Embroidered Robe’ gift for one reading.”  

[Finally, someone predicted Zheng Yunfan’s downfall! I’ve been holding it in for so long! No acting skills, no singing ability, no variety sense—just a worthless hack!]  

[All he knows how to do is act cute and play nice. Hope he ends up in jail like that other scandal-ridden star.]  

[Zheng Yunfan’s brain-dead fans are losing it! Keep it coming, I love it. Drop dead at my doorstep.]  

[You haters in the comments, do you not have mothers?!]  

For a moment, the barrage was filled with fan wars, a complete mess.  

This, however, kept the livestream’s popularity skyrocketing, with more and more people clicking in to watch the drama.  

From beginning to end, the mysterious viewer who had requested the reading remained silent, staring at the screen without saying a word.  

After a long while, she finally spoke: “You’re not one of Yunfan-gege’s antis, are you? You’re not lying to me?”  

“I’ve connected with so many masters, and they all said Yunfan-gege has a noble destiny!”  

Huo Ning curled her lips lazily.  

“They didn’t fail to see it—they just didn’t dare say it.”  

Out of ten complimentary readings, if there was one line about recent bad luck, fans wouldn’t pay it much mind.  

The oddly dressed viewer said nothing more, only rasping out a quiet “I see” before disconnecting.  

Huo Ning stretched. “Alright, that’s it for today’s stream. Time to head out and help that auntie deal with the vengeful ghost.”  

[Nooo, host! We want to see how you’re going to subdue the ghost!]  

[Holy shit, host’s so short!]  

[Putting on a show and then running? Pfft. Little Yunfans, spam this bitch’s DMs!]  

[Bitch! From now on, every time you stream, your Yunfan grandpas will be there to curse you out!]  

(“Little Yunfans” is the fandom name for Zheng Yunfan’s fans.)

These people usually revel in watching others fawn over Zheng Yunfan, praising their “gege” as the most handsome man in the world.  

But the moment someone like Huo Ning showed up, they instantly turned into rabid dogs, tearing into her without mercy.  

Huo Ning pitied them.  

At an age that should be as bright as flowers, their obsession with celebrity worship had filled them with toxicity, unknowingly turning them into Zheng Yunfan’s personal knives—pointing wherever he directed.  

What they didn’t realize was that, in doing so, they had already entangled themselves in karmic consequences.  

Zheng Yunfan wouldn’t take responsibility for the sins they spewed.  

Because they chose to become keyboard warriors for the sake of idol worship, they alone would suffer the bitter consequences.  

…

Huo Ning put on a cap and a mask, then hailed a cab to the neighboring city based on the address Huang Xiu had given her.  

The moment she got in, the driver apologized.  

“Sorry, miss. The A/C’s broken. Just roll down the window, and it’ll be fine.”  

Huo Ning frowned.  

The temperature inside the car was unnaturally cold—the kind of chill that made one deeply uncomfortable.  

Her gaze fell on the Buddha statue ornament placed on the dashboard, her eyes icy.  

“Pretty nice, huh? Bought it off Taobao for three hundred. Just for peace of mind, y’know? Hoped it’d ward off evil.”  

“Though I guess you young folks aren’t into this kinda stuff.”  

Seeing her silently staring at the ornament, the driver couldn’t help but strike up a conversation.  

The ride was an hour long, and if they stayed silent the whole time, he’d die of boredom.  

The red string tied around Huo Ning’s wrist twitched slightly.  

She looked away from the statue and said calmly, “Driver, you’ve been having a rough time lately, haven’t you?”  

“A few days ago, did you rear-end someone out of nowhere?”  

The driver’s eyes widened in shock. How the hell does she know that?

“Haha, you’re joking, miss. Nothing like that happened.”  

He played it off, but inwardly, he cursed his bad luck.  

That day, he’d been driving just fine when, suddenly, it was like he lost control—smacking right into the car in front of him.  

Huo Ning smiled.  

“Just making conversation. Take it as a joke.”  

“But half a month ago, you drove a friend to the countryside at night, right? Passed by a graveyard?”  

“You just thought it was unlucky and forgot about it. The next day, when you drove your youngest son to school, he suddenly said there was an old man in the car. You scolded him for it.”  

“Then that afternoon, your son came down with a fever.”  

The driver’s hair stood on end.  

What the hell? How does she know all this?!

Getting one thing right could be a coincidence, but hitting the mark over and over? The driver couldn’t help but feel uneasy.  

“I… Did I run into something dirty?”  

He glared at the Buddha statue. “Three hundred yuan, and it’s completely useless!”

Huo Ning’s lips twitched.  

“Driver, you can’t just randomly enshrine statues of gods or Buddhas without proper consecration. Over time, something might move in.”  

“Plus, cars aren’t the best place for Buddha statues. Buddhas prefer stillness, not movement.”  

The driver nodded repeatedly. “Any other taboos, Master?”  

Huo Ning pursed her lips.  

Well, she was bored anyway—might as well chat to pass the time.  

“Avoid keeping blades in the car, and don’t overload it with items linked to the Metal or Wood elements. In feng shui, traffic accidents are often attributed to ‘Metal-Wood conflict’—where ‘elements’ refer both to materials and colors.”  

“Water can neutralize Metal-Wood clashes, so adding black or blue items can help balance things out.”  

“As for your home, steer clear of wind chimes or dolls with facial features. But these things are probabilistic—no need to be overly paranoid.”  

Of course, if someone with a Yin-attracting constitution has these at home… well, good luck.

The driver committed her words to memory.  

His eyes darted back to the Buddha statue, a chill running down his spine.  

“Master, what should I do with this thing? From what you’re saying, it sounds like some old ghost is attached to it!”  

Huo Ning stifled a yawn.  

“When you drove past that graveyard, you cursed it as bad luck. That pissed him off, so he latched onto you.”  

“Drive back there when you have time, light some incense, apologize sincerely, and kowtow. If you’re feeling extra remorseful, burn some spirit money. The old man just wanted to teach you a lesson—if he’d wanted you dead, that collision wouldn’t have been so minor.”  

“As for this statue, wrap it in red cloth and take it to a temple someday. Have a monk properly consecrate it.”  

Cold sweat dripped down the driver’s back as he stammered out apologies.  

…

Early the next morning, he followed Huo Ning’s advice and drove back to the graveyard.  

He apologized profusely, insisting he’d meant no disrespect and begging the old man not to hold a grudge.  

Then he knelt, kowtowed, lit incense, and dutifully burned stacks of spirit money—even throwing in paper villas, luxury cars, gold ingots, and a few paper servants for good measure.  

Miraculously, on the drive back, the A/C worked perfectly, and the heavy weight on his shoulders vanished.  

But that’s a story for another time.  

…

Right now, as the car rolled down a tree-lined path, the sky suddenly darkened. Thick clouds blotted out the sun, plunging the world into gloom.  

3 PM. No rain, no wind—just an unnatural black fog swallowing the road. The silence was absolute, devoid of even the faintest sign of life.  

The driver slammed the brakes, nearly scared out of his skin.  

Huo Ning’s eyes snapped open.  

Well, well. Work’s here.