Volume One, Chapter One: V Streamer One Thousand, Testing Intelligence

Outside the quaint, antique single-story building, a girl in plain clothes stood with her ears drooping, glancing nervously at the house from time to time. After a moment, as if summoning her courage, she took a determined step forward.

“Little trickster, you should just go home! Mr. Su won’t see you,” the security guard at the gate stopped her as soon as she approached.

The guard looked helpless; this girl had been waiting outside for a whole week, insisting she had something important to discuss with Mr. Su. But judging by her humble attire, there was no way Mr. Su would have any dealings with her.

The girl ignored him. Before leaving home today, she had done a divination; she would see Su Jin today.

Seeing that she merely stood there quietly, making no trouble, the guard threatened her a couple of times before leaving her alone. Under the harsh, windless summer sun, he figured she would soon give up and go.

Yet on this stifling day, the hem of her simple dress rippled gently despite the still air.

Suddenly, the distant sound of a car horn made the girl’s eyes light up. It’s here!

As a black sedan entered the community, a shadow flashed swiftly across its path.

Screech—!

The driver slammed the brakes, tires shrieking against the pavement.

Su Jin had just regained his balance when he heard someone knocking on the car window. Looking up, he saw a girl standing outside in a pale blue, plain dress.

Given what had just happened, Su Jin’s brows furrowed, annoyance plain on his face. He was used to these scammers and their schemes.

But seeing the girl’s youthful face, Su Jin felt a pang of sympathy. He rolled down the window. The girl outside smiled sweetly, her bright white teeth oddly endearing.

“Mr. Su, I see a shadow over your brow; great misfortune is coming your way. If you’d like to avoid—”

But before she could finish, the man cut her off. “Young lady, you’re still so young. You should learn an honest trade. Being a fortune-teller won’t get you anywhere.”

He gave her a look of regret and rolled the window back up.

The sedan started up again and sped off, not giving her another chance to speak.

The car’s rush stirred up roadside dust, making the girl cough as she patted her chest.

Watching the car disappear, Qin Yu sighed. She was once a young Taoist nun at Ling Mountain Temple, living a simple but content life with her master in the mountains.

But a week ago, her master left her a letter and a few pieces of silver, and vanished.

The letter contained three instructions:

First: After eighteen years of cultivation on the mountain, it was time for her to descend and gain experience in the world.

Second: She was the true daughter lost by the Su family, owners of the Su Group. She owed them her birth and must resolve this karmic bond herself.

Third: Until she fulfilled the above two tasks, she could not return; otherwise, she would be considered to have defied her master’s orders and be expelled from the sect.

Glancing from afar at the silhouette of the house behind the trees, she saw faint wisps of dark energy rising from within.

She had already given her warning. Whether he believed it or not was up to him.

Returning forlornly to her rented room, Qin Yu ate her last cup of instant noodles.

#Shocking! Woman in Dijing loses over a hundred thousand to an online fortune-telling scam!#

Scrolling idly through her phone, a news headline caught her eye. Qin Yu’s round, doe-like eyes curved with delight.

Her master had arranged for her to rent this shabby little room when she arrived, and her few pieces of silver had long been spent on the journey. She’d been wondering if she should set up a street stall and do fortune-telling to make some money, and now the perfect opportunity had landed right in her lap.

Others might be online scammers, but if it was her, she’d be a real, living goddess!

Not only would this solve her food problem, but it would also help her accumulate merit through her worldly training.

Qin Yu was a fast learner. In just a few hours, she’d figured out the most popular streaming platform of the moment—Sprout Live.

After registering her account, she calculated the auspicious date—it happened to be today! The perfect day for a grand opening.

Her account name was Autumn Mat, her Taoist name during her cultivation.

Today’s stream topic: A Fortune Worth a Thousand Gold.

Qin Yu artfully kept her face out of the camera, showing only her upper body.

After more than ten minutes of streaming, not a single viewer had appeared. But Qin Yu was in no hurry—she simply took out the sunflower seeds she’d brought from the mountain and began to snack.

“Is this a new kind of stream? Eating sunflower seeds?”

“I have to admit, the sound of her eating is oddly relaxing.”

“The streamer has such pretty hands~”

“Hey, streamer, are you selling sunflower seeds?”

“We have an audience,” came an ethereal voice, excitement coloring its tone.

Qin Yu glanced at the dark mist above her head.

This was Mu Ling, a fierce ghost with whom she had signed a soul contract. Thanks to the contract, as long as they didn’t want their conversation to be overheard, no one else would hear them.

Mu Ling always claimed to be a formidable thousand-year-old ghost, yet couldn’t even take human form, which Qin Yu often teased him about.

“The streamer doesn’t sell sunflower seeds; she tells fortunes.”

“Wow! The streamer’s voice is so lovely!”

“Say something more!”

“I only tell fortunes, not idle chat.”

“So sassy! I like it...”

Mu Ling rolled his eyes. “What do these people like about you?”

Qin Yu didn’t really get it either.

“With a voice like yours, you could try singing or performing. Scamming people isn’t for you.”

“What do you know? There are plenty of pretty and talented people out there, but only a unique approach goes viral. This is a new marketing trick.”

“But honestly, the streamer doesn’t seem like she’s acting. The place she’s living in really does look like somewhere you’d need to scam people just to get by...”

“Hey! Be polite!”

“Miss, how much for a fortune?”

“As stated.”

“I thought ‘a fortune worth a thousand gold’ was just a gimmick, but you’re serious?”

“That’s outrageous!”

“Easy money.”

“If the reading isn’t accurate, you don’t have to pay.”

“Really?”

“The streamer never lies.”

Mu Ling snorted. “As if you never lie.”

Qin Yu grinned, her white teeth flashing as she whispered, “The streamer never lies, but that doesn’t mean Qin Yu never lies.”

Mu Ling: “...”

“Any rich viewers want to give it a try? I want to see if the streamer’s any good.”

“Sent the streamer a thousand—let’s test her IQ.”

“Haha, this is great.”

Handsome Grandpa sent a ‘True Love Eternal’ gift.

A ‘True Love Eternal’ was worth exactly a thousand.