Chapter 179: Chapter 179: Chi Ling is Related to the Immortal

Seeing the screen filled with worried comments, Zhao Jing began to explain the situation. “Our situation is pretty bad right now. The Island Country’s police are treating us as suspects without any evidence, and we’ve been detained.”

“Right now, our only option is to save ourselves. We have three problems: First, was the death a suicide or a homicide? Second, the Island Country’s residents are blindly xenophobic. Third, we’re surrounded and can’t get out…”

Zhao Jing went on and on in front of the camera.

The other guests couldn’t get a word in, sitting awkwardly behind her and scratching their heads.

Zhao Jing felt she was putting on an excellent performance, one that was sure to win over many people.

After all, this was Shen Zhiyao’s account, and Zhao Jing’s constant fight for the spotlight was starting to annoy the viewers.

“Zhao Jing, can you get the hell out of the way! You’re fat as a pig, you’re blocking our view of the streamer!”

“What’s the point of all this analysis! Just find the killer already!”

“Exactly! Get the streamer to do a divination and find out who the killer is. Let the viewers see her real skills.”

Zhao Jing’s long-winded speech in the livestream had successfully antagonized a large number of viewers.

She was absolutely furious, but she couldn’t say anything on camera.

So she played along, “Haha, I’m a little curious myself. Can our ever-so-talented fortune-telling streamer actually divine who the killer is? Or perhaps… your abilities don’t work when there are other people around?”

Her words sounded like a joke, but she was actually being passive-aggressive and questioning Shen Zhiyao’s divination abilities.

She was implying to the audience, both subtly and overtly, that Shen Zhiyao’s previous accurate divinations were all scripted. Without a script, she was nothing!

Sure enough, as soon as she said this, Zhao Jing’s fans started clamoring for Shen Zhiyao to hurry up and do a divination. If she couldn’t, she should just get lost and stop embarrassing herself.

Shen Zhiyao hadn’t intended to say anything, but now that things had come to this, there was no longer any need to hold back.

“Since you’re all so curious about who the murderer is, I’ll tell you. The person who killed Master Qin was none other than Qin Feng.”

The moment she said this, the guests and the on-site staff were all stunned.

Although the guests had only met Qin Feng once, he had left a deep impression on them.

It was mainly because they had never seen a man in his nineties who was still so spry, and his eyes were terrifying—like those of a murderer on the run.

Shen Zhiyao continued, “Not only that, but our being locked up here is also Qin Feng’s doing. He doesn’t just want to trap us here; he wants to pin the murder on us.”

Meng Xiaoxiao was a little scared and asked timidly, “We didn’t do anything to him, so why would he frame us?”

Shen Zhiyao said, “If he pins the blame on us, he can get away scot-free.”

Zhao Jing really hadn’t expected her to suddenly reveal the killer’s identity.

Once she processed it, she instinctively retorted, “You say that, but do you have any proof?”

Shen Zhiyao replied, “I divined it, so no, there’s no proof! I didn’t say it to the police because I have no evidence; it would’ve been completely useless. I’m only saying this because you all pushed me to.”

The director immediately had an idea. He passed a note to the guests, and one of them read it aloud:

“Guests, please work together to find evidence proving that Qin Feng is the murderer and clear your own names.”

After reading the production team’s mission, Zhao Jing’s courage faltered.

’If what Shen Zhiyao said is true, and Qin Feng is Master Qin’s killer, wouldn’t he try to hurt us?’

’Wouldn’t recklessly searching for evidence just bring them bigger problems?’

Seeing the guests hesitate, the director picked up a whiteboard and quickly scribbled:

[This is a hot topic online; we have to seize the momentum. We just need to go out, search around for a bit, build up some suspense for the audience, and ride the wave of popularity. That’s all.]

Zhao Jing thought about it for a moment and decided it was a worthwhile risk.

’Putting aside whether Shen Zhiyao’s divination is accurate,’ she thought, ’even if Qin Feng *is* the killer, he’s over ninety years old.’

’The production team has plenty of people; he wouldn’t dare to make a move.’

Zhao Jing said, “Alright then, let’s discuss our strategy!”

After some discussion, the guests decided to head to the Bell Factory to look for evidence.

There were too many people outside during the day, so they couldn’t leave. They would have to wait until night to sneak out.

To avoid having the locals discover their secret mission, one guest needed to stay behind at the villa to stand guard.

This was Zhao Jing’s suggestion, and her goal was to leave Shen Zhiyao behind.

Since Shen Zhiyao was the owner of the phone and the host of the livestream, if she went along, she would undoubtedly take control of the situation.

And Zhao Jing, as a top-tier host, really hated feeling irrelevant.

But on this particular show, Shen Zhiyao had been constantly stealing her thunder, which left a very sour taste in her mouth.

Zhao Jing suggested, “Why don’t we draw lots to decide?”

Zhao Jing had known the production staff for a long time, so she was confident her proposal would be approved.

Shen Zhiyao saw right through Zhao Jing’s scheme but had no intention of calling her out. “I’ll stay behind, then,” she said.

Chen Yan, who was sitting beside Shen Zhiyao, added, “I’ll stay too. That way, we can watch each other’s backs if something happens.”

Zhao Jing was secretly delighted. ’Those two are ridiculously good-looking. Even if they aren’t big stars, they still draw a lot of attention on the show. It’s perfect that neither of them is going.’

“Then the phone…” Zhao Jing was a little worried Shen Zhiyao wouldn’t hand over the phone.

“You can take the phone, but the director has to be the one to hold it.” Shen Zhiyao handed the phone over without hesitation.

The director promised, “Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to bring it back in one piece.”

After all, this phone was their only way to contact the outside world.

「After dark.」

Zhao Jing, Zhou Ye, Sun Yingbin, and Meng Xiaoxiao used the cover of night to sneak out and head toward the factory to search for evidence.

Members of the production team followed them to ensure their safety.

Now, only Chen Yan and Shen Zhiyao remained in the villa.

Shen Zhiyao asked, “Why didn’t you go with them?”

Chen Yan chuckled. “Going with them would definitely lead to trouble. I’m not an idiot, so why would I follow?”

Shen Zhiyao was a little surprised. “How did you know there’d be trouble? Did you do a divination?”

Chen Yan replied, “I can’t do divinations, but you can. You didn’t stay behind out of modesty; it could only mean there’s trouble ahead. Why wouldn’t I follow your lead to avoid danger?”

Shen Zhiyao smiled faintly. “You’re quite clever. I didn’t stay just to avoid trouble, but because I’ve already found a clue.”

As she spoke, she revealed a Chi Ling in her palm and asked Chen Yan, “Well? Ever seen one of these?”

Chen Yan took the Chi Ling and channeled a bit of his Spiritual Power to examine it. “It’s a Chi Ling! What is a Chi Ling doing here?”

Shen Zhiyao countered with a question, “Do you remember what Gu Shi told us when we first arrived?”

Chen Yan nodded. “He said this place used to be very backward, but then an Immortal took up residence here and led the villagers to prosperity by teaching them to mass-produce Chi Ling. Whoever possessed a Chi Ling would be blessed with good fortune. But later, the raw materials ran out, the Chi Ling vanished from the world, and the Island Country began its decline.”

Shen Zhiyao said, “I used to think it was just a story, too. But then I saw the 398 bells in the center of the Island Country, and this Chi Ling. That’s when I knew it wasn’t a story, but something that truly happened here. And the material for the Chi Ling isn’t native to the Island Country; it’s connected to the Immortal. This is all just an elaborate show she has arranged. All we need to do is watch. As for everything else… we stay out of it.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep