Chapter 137

She was the fourth female student she had seen before.

She looked grim, resentment surging to the heavens; Ling Yue watched, unable to help frowning—this was becoming a water ghost; if not resolved, this lake will surely cause more deaths in the future.

After a series of operations, the viewers in the live stream followed her gaze and saw the lake wide open, completely visible, not a single ripple— they couldn't help but wonder.

【Host, what are you looking at? That expanse of lake light is bald and bare—what's there to see?】

【Host, are you trying to relax? Why not change the scenery? I think the flower wall nearby is nice.】

Someone also noticed something was off and couldn't help saying: '【Could it be… you haven't noticed anything wrong?】'

【??? What are you saying?】

【Would someone like the host see the same scene as us? Maybe she isn't looking at the scenery, but at……】

【Shut up, shut up—I'm going to be scared to death by you!】

【Clutching my little blanket, shivering. JPG】

In a sense, he was actually right, but Ling Yue had no intention of explaining; seeing someone in front of the screen preparing to go into the water to retrieve a body, she told Xu Qingjia: 'Let them wait a moment—the lake isn't calm right now.'

Xu Qingjia stared, then quickly nodded; having just gone through that, he couldn't help but believe Ling Yue's words.

After he told the others, everyone looked at each other: 'Not calm?'

They gazed into the distance; the lake surface was calm and waveless—how could it be not calm?

The shrieking, hysterical woman from earlier started shouting again: 'Fine, you—my daughter drowned, and you won't even let anyone retrieve the body? What's your motive?!'

She came up scratching; Xu Qingjia narrowly avoided being scratched on the face, stepping back several steps, the shaking camera making viewers dizzy, yet he never mentioned the livestream.

At that moment, after hearing his words, the crowd instead began to hesitate—better to believe it might exist than to doubt it.

I don't know if it's psychological, but the longer they looked, the more the water made their hearts feel cold; resentment gathered on the surface that ordinary people couldn't see through.

The girl who had become a water ghost lay prone on the water, her pallid face and pure-white eyes peering at the people on shore; she tilted her head, jerking like a gear, and whispered hoarsely: 'Die!'

You all will die!

Fortunately, no one witnessed this horrifying scene; otherwise, it might have frightened people into having heart attacks.

Because of this hesitation, everyone could see the formerly calm water surface suddenly boil; the sharp-eyed and keen-eared furrowed their brows, looking at that spot, and couldn't help saying, "This isn't the center of the lake—who…… drowned here?"

As soon as those words were spoken, the surrounding crowd went numb, instinctively rubbing their arms as gooseflesh broke out, and a chill shot up from the soles of their feet straight to the crown of their heads.

Someone couldn't help blurting out, "I've heard that those who drown turn into that, seeking a substitute in the water—do you think——"

Now everyone was stunned.

Everyone stared at each other, involuntarily rising onto their tiptoes, ready to bolt, but since someone had already called the police, they could only pace back and forth, as if the concrete beneath their feet had grown a layer of foot‑pinning nails.

Someone suddenly brought up Xu Qingjia: "Young man, you just said you couldn't go into the water—do you know something?"

In an instant, nearly everyone's gaze fell on him; Xu Qingjia wasn't stupid, he clenched his phone, shook his head, and said, "Nothing much—I just feel the lake water is too cold right now. Should we salvage it, or wait for the police to come and then talk?"

"So that's how it is."

"You've thought of everything, hahaha."

Everyone didn't press further, but their glances at Xu Qingjia clearly wrote disbelief; Xu Qingjia scratched his head, deliberately walked to the corner, he hadn't forgotten Ling Yue's earlier instruction, and recalling the group's recent speculation, he couldn't help blurting out, "Host, it couldn't be——"

Really?

Ling Yue knew what he wanted to ask, she pursed her lips: "This is a pet‑consultation livestream; the world is at peace—how could there be such a thing?"

As she spoke, her fingertip traced in the air; whether it was everyone's illusion or not, when she finished the final stroke, a streak of light flashed.

Even through the screen, that airborne talisman struck the female water ghost's body—let alone the heart‑rending scream; almost the instant she entered the water, not only the lurking water ghost but all the yin energy and filth gathered across the lake were cleansed away, reduced to flying ash.

The viewers who watched the whole process in the livestream: "……"

Host, what's growing on our noses are eyes, not just two holes that only let out air!

【Host, are you blind?】

【What is this? Amazing sorcery?】

At the same time, after Ling Yue had finished everything, the patch of boiling water miraculously disappeared; not long after, a corpse floated up with the water, drifting slowly toward the shore as if something were holding it up.

The livestream viewers couldn't help voicing their doubts.

【Holy cow, this is way too fast—unreasonable! After a person dies, they sink to the bottom; it takes a while for the body to surface, and by then it's usually rotted!】

【So then? Big bro, how long have you been in our livestream? Haven't you reshaped your worldview yet? What's unreasonable—our host here is the ultimate unreasonableness!】

【Umm…… actually that makes a lot of sense.】

【Hahahahaha ge ge ge】

Ling Yue: "……" No, I'm still here while you're chatting?

She gave a light cough, intending to let it pass, but the group of people on the shore, seeing the corpse suddenly drift over, froze on the spot; after reacting, someone let out an anguished "Ah!" and, turning back, saw that the fastest runner was actually the parents of the drowned girl.

The rest of the people glanced at each other, and after a while, none dared to move the corpse stuck on the shore.

Until the police arrived.

On Xu Qingjia's head, the mysterious phoenix parrot Guo Guo pecked twice, almost making a nest there; suddenly, it craned its neck and shouted, "Idiot! Idiot! Big idiot!"

Xu Qingjia muttered something about who the idiot was, then suddenly realized, hurriedly looked at Ling Yue, and said, "Thank you, host!"

Ling Yue shook her head: "Listen to advice, eat your fill."

If you insist on going your own way, no amount of my words will help.

This point struck a chord with the livestream viewers who had watched the whole thing; if Xu Qingjia hadn't changed his mind, he'd probably be the one jumping in now—and who knows what might happen……

【Just looking at that gurgling, bubbling lake surface earlier, I'd have been scared to death!】

【Earlier the host even…… cough cough, let's skip that—anyway, the situation was really dangerous, Little Brother Xu, you'd better hurry home, sprinkle some pomelo leaves to wash away bad luck.】

Xu Qingjia nodded repeatedly; the person he was most grateful to was still Ling Yue, but before he could say a few words, Ling Yue already sent him off on the livestream: "Go home, get more sun, sleep early and rise early—from now on you'll have peaceful, smooth days."

【Today's auspicious words x1】

【No matter how much others say, it's not as good as the host's line: Little brother, live well, be happy every day!】

Xu Qingjia's face slowly reddened, a bit embarrassed he scratched his head, but instead he touched the mysterious phoenix parrot Guo Guo, which pecked his fingertip fiercely.

Xu Qingjia affectedly let out a light hiss.

Over there, the Xuanfeng parrot Guo Guo was so scared it flapped its wings, flew mid-air, stared fixedly at him, opening its mouth and making everyone laugh.

"Rogue! Rogue! Stinking rogue!"

He actually touched her butt, what a big rogue!

Forgot to mention, don't be fooled by Guo Guo's liveliness; she's actually a pretty cute girl.

Xu Qingjia's face grew redder and redder; before ending the livestream he could still see the screen full of hahas, he rubbed his burning ears, really had no face to meet people.

Pet consultation livestream.

Ling Yue quietly breathed a sigh of relief; finally it was about to end.

Just relaxing like that, her relieved expression was instantly caught by everyone, the screen full of small black house warnings!

【Hehehe, I knew you liked to slack off, now it's finally over, are you especially happy?】

【Ahhh, thinking we won't meet until tomorrow makes each second feel like a year! Sisters, let's crowdfund a small black house, lock the host inside, and let her stream for us every day!】

Ling Yue stared wide-eyed in shock, especially with people below constantly supporting.

【Sisters, I'll add one, lock up the host, no streaming, just whip her with a little leather whip!】

【Host, we can't keep resting like this, look at the top hosts, none are as lazy as you; if you keep resting, even the production team's donkey will starve!】

Ling Yue: 'QWQ'

【Being cute is shameful!】

Ling Yue chose to just give up: 'Extra updates are impossible, we can only keep going like this.'

The fans were so angry they wanted to send her blades; Ling Yue looked at the comments below, propped her chin and smiled: 'You can come offline to find me to play.'

She said, recalling something: 'The Hu Jing platform will hold its fifth anniversary celebration next week; I've been invited. If anyone is in Jing Shi, you can come find me to play then.'

The fans cooing below were stunned; Ling Yue said with a giggle: 'Especially those who have small pets at home, I'll give gifts when we meet. So this time there will be no lottery.'

【Wah wah wah, you woman, you've kept us in the dark so badly!】

【Look what I saw, it's an offline meetup, hahaha, host don't worry, I'll definitely go, gifts ready, I'm coming to splurge on the big dog household! 【hands on hips】【hands on hips】】

【Good heavens, I'm going to go crazy, I just left the capital this week, I "@%!!】

Ling Yue: 'Don't be angry from the pat, there'll be another chance.'

【I heard that to participate in the anniversary celebration the host has to perform a talent; host, what will you perform?】

Ling Yue looked at the netizens' query, suddenly paused, she pondered a moment, quite seriously asked: 'Does pet consultation count?'

【!】

【No lottery, just go straight up? I'm going to get excited crazy!】

After Ling Yue finished speaking, she saw the comments below exploding like chicken blood, instantly felt her scalp tingle, and immediately changed her tone: 'Hahaha, I was just joking earlier, but as for the talent, I'll keep it secret for now!'

【Great great, I love to watch whatever the host performs!】

【Emmm…… I really suspect the host hasn't decided what to perform.】

【Hahahaha, stop spouting nonsense~】

Ling Yue: '...... Let's end the stream here for today, we'll meet tomorrow!'

【No! Let's chat a bit more, host!】

However the next second, the netizens mercilessly and cruelly faced the blacked-out screen, with still danmaku being sent——

【Let you guys mess around teasing, fine, now the host is annoyed and angry and ran away!】

【Wuwuwu host, without you I don't know how to live!】

In the villa, Ling Yue patted her cheeks, and indeed they guessed it right; Ling Yue just didn't expect, how did they know, to participate in the anniversary celebration one also has to go on stage to perform; in this situation, shouldn't guests just sit below eating, drinking, watching the performance?

All that can be said is, she's still too naive.

Ling Yue sighed, a sudden flash of inspiration in her mind: 'I've thought of it!'

Beside, the resting Xunbao Shu Duo Duo was startled, lying in the little cradle, half-asleep turned over again, mumbled: 'What did you think of?'

Ling Yue gave a mysterious smile: 'The program for the anniversary celebration.'

After saying that, she called Cen Ming.

At the same time, Cen Ming looked at the statistics table and was also stunned.

The Hu Jing platform's fifth anniversary celebration had probably started promotion half a month ago; Ling Yue should be considered among the latest batch of promoters, but according to the survey form taken out by the moderators who guarded the livestream room, actually half of the fans chose 【participate】.

Not long after, Cen Ming received a report from his subordinates; it turned out that the remaining half of the invitations to attend the ceremony were all cleared out in just a few minutes.

He immediately sighed with regret, but this decision wasn't his; as a lowly manager, he couldn't do much.

Suddenly, he received Ling Yue's call, and instantly his eyes widened in surprise: 'Hey, Miss Ling, you——'

Ling Yue directly got to the point: 'I've decided what program I will perform.'

Cen Ming: 'Good!'

After Ling Yue actually filed the report and then arranged a rehearsal time, she only then realized: 'Right, when you answered the phone earlier, what did you want to ask me?'

Cen Ming smiled kindly: 'Our original plan was to let you watch the performance together with the company's higher-ups; since Miss Ling is so enthusiastic, I added you in.'

Ling Yue: '!!!'

Wait——

Can I withdraw what I just said now?

Cen Ming: 'Miss Ling, keep going! I represent all staff in supporting you!'

Ling Yue responded with tears.

What was she just doing? She's basically finding work for herself!

No matter what, the words are already out, there's no reason to take them back; Ling Yue adjusted her mindset, aside from this matter, everything else is fine.

For example, the ancient sunken ship discovered earlier.

Ling Yue finally got in touch with an underwater archaeology team jointly established by Jing Shi University and other research institutes and colleges through her connections. Upon hearing her discovery and seeing the photos Ling Yue had taken, they immediately agreed without waiting for her to say more.

The next morning.

Ling Yue changed into a clean, simple outfit. As for the destination, it was not Wangjiangkou, and the formation she had set up was still in the experimental stage, requiring at least half a month to succeed.

So it was another waterway, and that sunken ship was not at Wangjiangkou either.

The time Ling Yue had agreed with them was 8 a. m.; just past seven, she had already arrived at the destination.

Ling Yue headed straight to the shore, where she could see the Feng Shui Turtle Master resting from afar. Yesterday she had called and asked the inn owner to notify the Feng Shui Turtle Master and Dragon Fish Jinjin.

Upon arriving, Ling Yue noticed that the Feng Shui Turtle Master seemed to have grown another circle; on its shell, larger than a washbasin, grew an ancient, elegant pattern, deep purplish‑tan, as if carved with knives and axes, dignified and grand.

For a moment, she was completely captivated.

"Heh, Yueyue, you came without calling me first—you scared me!"

The Feng Shui Turtle Master opened its eyes and saw a human figure; on the misty riverbank, so close, in a expanse of white, it startled the turtle.

Ling Yue bent down to look at it: "I wasn't watching you rest; I'll talk after you wake up. Besides, it's still far from the time I agreed with the underwater archaeology team."

The Feng Shui Turtle Master crawled slowly along the shore; nearby in the water, Jinjin, with its little head popping out, perked up at the news of the archaeology team: "Humans want to excavate a sunken ship? No way—I've got to go see!"

It excitedly flicked its tail in the water, its bright crimson scales beautiful and exquisite. At this moment, the thick fog had been blown away by the river wind; in the distance, a red sun rose, shining on the resplendent scales of the Dragon Fish King Jinjin, giving them a luxurious purple‑gold sheen.

Ling Yue felt a little worried, but she didn't stop it: "Just be careful yourself—don't let anyone catch you."

The Dragon Fish King Jinjin then performed a leap over the dragon's gate for her: "Yo, take a look at my jumping power and muscles—who'd dare catch me? I've got everyone's support!"

Ling Yue burst out laughing.

But Jinjin wasn't wrong about that—after the previous fish‑versus‑fish counteroffensive, it's not just "one call, a hundred responses" here; it's practically ruling supreme.

Ling Yue didn't need to tell it the address; after all, they were the ones who discovered it first.

As for what comes next, she gazed far into the distance; within the ten‑year fishing ban on the Yangtze, fishing is strictly prohibited, otherwise the inn owner wouldn't have switched to running a guesthouse.

At that moment, Ling Yue suddenly noticed a man in black clothes walking toward her from not far away, rubbing his eyes as he walked, as if trying to make out something.

In an instant, he suddenly sped up and actually came running straight at Ling Yue.

Ling Yue instantly went on alert; looking again, he had already run over and stopped two or three meters away, panting as he looked at her: "Are you the host of the pet‑consultation livestream?"

"Are you a fan?"

Ling Yue eyed him suspiciously, not relaxing her guard, and simply nodded: "Hello."

The man instantly broke into a grin, almost blooming like a flower: "Great, great, host, save me!"

"Please help me—if I go back like this, my wife will surely beat me to death! Saving a life beats building a seven‑story pagoda; please save me!"

"By the way, I'll pay you a consulting fee—is a thousand enough?"

Ling Yue looked at his impatient expression and slowly furrowed her brows: "Please calm down—could you explain in detail what's going on?"

The man was overcome with excitement, unable to put it into words.

After a moment, he slapped his belly, face full of regret: "It's my ring."

The man in black was nearly on the verge of tears, his fierce face scrunched up into a wrinkled mess—Ling Yue could hardly bear to look.

Hearing his regret, he pointed to a spot not far behind him where a black fishing rod was set up on the riverbank: "Host, do you see? There's a fishing rod planted on the riverbank—I was fishing here just now when I suddenly hauled up a huge white carp. Hey, it's really big—seventeen or eighteen pounds, as long as my thigh!"

Ling Yue nodded, thinking to herself, "This guy must be from Tianjin; his way of speaking is just like a solo crosstalk act."

The man continued: "But as the saying goes, pleasure leads to sorrow—hey, I exerted myself, and that big white carp jumped ashore, sending the ring on my finger flying!"

"That's the wedding ring I share with my wife—goodness, if she finds out she'll surely beat me to death! Just now I stood by the river, feeling like jumping in to fish for the ring."

"Host, please, help me."

Upon hearing this, Ling Yue thought it was really simple; she glanced at the time—it was only a few minutes past seven—so she nodded: "Let's first go to the riverbank and have a look."

Actually, she was preparing to summon the fish by the river.

Not long after scattering a handful of pet food, the formerly calm lake surface suddenly boiled over, as fish of all sizes crowded together, their scales flashing with blinding light.

"So fragrant, so fragrant—it's you, Yueyue!"

"How did you come over? Why didn't you come find us?"

"Waa waa waa, I finally got to eat—so delicious, so delicious!"

Ling Yue got straight to the point: "I'm here this time to ask for your help—someone dropped a ring in the water by the riverbank; could you help look for it?"

The happily feasting school of fish had no reason to refuse; even if they wanted to, they'd first have to see whether the pet food in their mouths agreed.

A big white carp suddenly slapped its tail, sending up a large splash on the water surface, and without hesitation said: "Help! Yueyue, we'll definitely help with your request!"

"Don't worry—we've got this covered!"

Ling Yue nodded, then clapped her hands; in the man's astonished gaze, the fish scattered quickly, and before long they had all vanished into the river water.

It was a strange sight—hardly believable to the eyes.

The black‑clothed man, who had just been surprised, now stared wide‑eyed, searching the water; Ling Yue could see his eyeballs almost popping out.

Ling Yue: "What are you looking for?"

The man in black replied instinctively: "Those fish—uh, where are the fish? Not even one left?"

Ling Yue curled the corner of her mouth: "Isn't that so? They've all gone to look for your ring."

They chatted a few sentences, and Ling Yue found that this Tianjin‑accented guy was truly a goofball—his few words made her laugh uncontrollably.

Suddenly, a splashing sound rose from the river surface.

A big white carp broke the surface at the riverbank, letting out a loud cry; the black‑clothed man jumped in shock and hurriedly stepped back.

Only Ling Yue could hear it say: "Found it! Found it! The big diamond ring is found!"

Ling Yue observed more closely, but still saw nothing, and she frowned: "Where is it?"

The big white carp went 'pa‑pa' with a tail larger than an adult's palm, slapping the water and sending spray everywhere: "Look at the fish!"

"We saw the diamond ring on a fish's body—hey, we only realized it was still a live fish after we fought it; the fish‑fish has already brought it over for you."

Ling Yue froze for a moment, then began a careful search.

Suddenly, her ear twitched; in an instant, her gaze fell downward—a wholly pink catfish was quietly hiding beside the water plants, muttering as it hid: "I can't be seen…… I'm looked down upon…… I can't be seen……"

Ling Yue: O(∩_∩)O

She immediately burst out laughing; the older brother beside her looked surprised, and before he could ask, Ling Yue had already pointed out the catfish's location—

"You timid fish beside the water plants, come out quickly—I've already seen you."

Catfish: "!!!"

It had been hiding beside the water plants for cover; only after it truly swam out did Ling Yue discover that this catfish was actually over a meter long, yet timid—upon seeing Ling Yue, it was frightened into letting out a loud "ahhh ahhh ahhh"—

"Don't kill me, don't kill me! Wah wah wah, I'm not married yet, I haven't even found a wife to have kids…… I don't want to die!"

A catfish over a meter long—now in this state, saying it's timid as a mouse is no exaggeration.

Ling Yue couldn't help but shake her head, saying to it: "Come over."

How could a big catfish possibly be disobedient? It had already been harshly scolded by other big fish, shaking its head and tail with sobs as it floated to the surface.

The next moment, Ling Yue bent over, and a blinding flash of light flickered across her eyes.

She saw a silver ring hanging on the hard dorsal fin of the catfish—sure enough, it was a diamond ring; as for the blinding light just now, it was the effect of a dripping diamond above.

Before Ling Yue could ask, the black‑clad older brother shouted excitedly: "It's a ring! It's my diamond ring!"

His voice was especially loud—one could say he was very happy.

The catfish also finally reacted, as if perhaps…… humans weren't here to eat it!

It instantly became excited, as if it had come back to life, wriggling its body uneasily with a "slap" sound.

Ling Yue gave it a slap: "Don't move, the ring hasn't been taken off yet."

Catfish: QAQ

Do you know how big a psychological shadow your little ** pouch has caused on a fish over a year old?

Ling Yue: "Ah this……"

The next second, Ling Yue swiftly took off the ring; the distracted catfish didn't notice, still waiting, waiting and waiting……

On this side, Ling Yue looked at the older brother, didn't hand it to him, but asked: "Is this your diamond ring? Any distinguishing features?"

The older brother immediately protested: "It's definitely my diamond ring—look inside the band, there are two engraved letters, h and z, those are my and my wife's surnames."

Ling Yue glanced—and sure enough, they were there.

He looked at Ling Yue, tears streaming from excitement, and bowed repeatedly with the ring in hand: "Thank you! Thank you, streamer!"

Ling Yue waved her hand—just a small effort.

Catfish: "……"

Only in my wounded world as Fishy is it achieved!

It wagged its tail and whined tearfully: "Wah wah wah, humans are really terrifying, Fishy I want to go back to the Dragon Palace, I want to find a big boss!"

Dragon Palace?

Ling Yue instantly focused her thoughts—what Dragon Palace? That's a term she's never heard before, let alone that this fish is a fresh specimen only recently discovered by other fish.

Ling Yue stared at the catfish in surprise: "What did you just say? What Dragon Palace?"

The catfish shuddered in fright: "I‑I didn't say anything!"

Ling Yue smiled faintly: "Really?"

She was just about to say it outright—I don't believe it.

It's obvious this shy catfish, just like that big white carp said before, is a newbie; seeing Ling Yue's expression, it immediately barked out a cry: "Wah wah wah, I'm speaking, I'm telling everything."

Ling Yue herself hadn't expected to obtain the information she'd been seeking for so long from the catfish.

It's also too much of a coincidence—if she had refused today, she might never have realized it in this lifetime.

As it turns out, this catfish, fearful of humans, has hidden in deep waters since youth, so much so that even its own kind rarely saw it.

This time, it surfaced to breathe and play, and was accidentally struck by the ring, which let other fish discover its existence.

As for the secret the catfish has kept hidden—

It stammered: "I‑I long ago, at the bottom of the water, discovered a huge Dragon Palace—that must be a dwelling of great monsters. Moreover, I saw in there three especially strange big fish!"

Three?

For some reason, Ling Yue felt a vague premonition in her heart; she asked the catfish: "What do those three big fish you saw look like?",,.