Chapter 19: Grandmother: The Truth Revealed!

Lu Qingfei had done her homework.

Whale Live’s popularity relied on the Matthew Effect—

The strong grow stronger, the weak become weaker.

Streamers with a certain number of followers and traffic could gain more exposure through official support, while ordinary streamers seldom received recommendations or made it to the trending lists.

Yellow V, Blue V, Red V streamers—the official traffic offered rose with each tier.

With twenty thousand followers, she could be certified as Yellow V.

But her follower count wasn’t enough yet.

The revolution had not yet succeeded; Qingfei still needed to strive.

I’m Streaming Cultivation Among Mortals: [Hello, at seven-thirty, we’ll connect; I’ll send you a link request at that time, is that alright?]

Liu Zhenyan V: [Of course, everything will go according to your plan.]

I’m Streaming Cultivation Among Mortals: [Thank you, flower emoji.jpg]

After replying, Lu Qingfei searched for information on Liu Zhenyan.

There was no need for sleuthing; celebrity profiles could be found with a simple online search.

Liu Zhenyan was the head of the Liu family, renowned in the calligraphy world, as well as the president of the Calligraphers’ Association of the Arts Federation, and the dean of the Academy of Calligraphy at the Art Research Institute.

An elderly figure with halos shining brightly—he would never stoop to connect live with Lu Qingfei.

But Qingfei didn’t care who would be on the other end. Her only concern was whether it would bring in traffic.

Seven o’clock.

Lu Qingfei sat up straight, picked up the props she’d prepared in advance, and started the stream.

Viewers trickled in. She waited a minute, then greeted them warmly.

“Good evening, everyone.”

A smattering of “good evening” comments floated across her screen.

“Tonight, we’re still selling Fasting Pills.”

“If anyone needs one, feel free to purchase.”

[This streamer is hilarious; she only ever sells one pill each time.]

[Don’t believe her, folks! I have a friend who does livestreams; they control the quantity backstage to make it seem like the item’s super popular—if you don’t grab it now, it’ll be gone! Once you order, they secretly increase the quantity backstage. The streamer’s definitely doing that! It’s just hunger marketing!]

[Friend above, you’re overthinking it. The streamer really only sells one pill; she did the same yesterday.]

The debate over the number of Fasting Pills raged among viewers, but the streamer paid it no mind.

Right now, things were sparse. Once the spiritual veins were full, she could cultivate, and then there’d be more to sell.

Lu Qingfei looked serene, her cherry lips moving:

“Do you all remember last time we talked about how the cat and mouse became enemies because of the zodiac selection?”

[I remember! The mouse made it into the zodiac, but the cat didn’t!]

“When we have a falling out with a good friend, we usually try to fix things; the mouse was no exception.”

[If your friend’s angry, what do you do? Just give them a beating!]

[The comment above is criminal!]

On camera, Lu Qingfei deftly twirled a clean brush between her fingers.

“According to folk tales, the mouse wanted to mend its relationship with the cat, so it invited the weasel to act as matchmaker and offered its prettiest daughter to the cat.”

“What do you think—did the cat accept?”

[I don’t think so. If the cat had agreed, cats wouldn’t chase mice anymore.]

[I bet fifty cents, no!]

The screen was filled with “no.”

Lu Qingfei’s clear eyes sparkled with a relaxed smile as she spoke unhurriedly, “The cat agreed.”

“The mouse chose an auspicious day and married its daughter into the cat’s family, but—”

Her tone shifted, “In the end, the cat groom turned the mouse bride into a delicious meal.”

“Reconciliation failed; from then on, cat and mouse stayed estranged forever.”

[Poor mouse, crying emoji.jpg]

[What’s there to pity? Mice that steal food are so annoying!]

“Folk culture also believes that as long as people don’t disturb the mice on the day they marry off their daughter, all the mice can be eaten by cats, reducing mouse infestation.”

“In some folk beliefs, New Year’s Eve or the sixteenth day of the first lunar month is the day mice marry off their daughters. On that day, every household fries sesame seeds as wedding candy for the mice.”

[No wonder my grandma always fries sesame seeds on New Year’s Eve.]

[Grandma: Time to confess! I’m the hero who exterminates mice!]

[Reborn: My grandma is a master of secret identities, ready to slay!]

Lu Qingfei set down her wolf-hair brush and picked up a red paper-cutting, displaying it to the camera.

“This is the story behind the folk paper-cutting ‘The Mouse Marries Off Its Daughter.’”

[Calligraphy teacher, I missed out on your calligraphy yesterday—if I buy a pill today, can you throw in a paper-cutting?]

Lu Qingfei’s sharp eyes caught the comment and she agreed, “Sure.”

As soon as she spoke, the product listing cleared instantly.

Another pill sold.

Lu Qingfei was in excellent spirits, feeling spiritual energy swirling in her sea of consciousness.

She glanced at the viewer count—it was over 2,500.

The new arrivals were a bit confused.

[I don’t get it—if I watch this cultivation stream, can I become immortal?]

[If that’s true, I’ll sleep for half a year in advance!]

The longer the stream, the more viewers tended to grow fatigued.

Lu Qingfei had some experience with pacing a stream, though not much.

Aside from content, she needed to interact with viewers occasionally—never neglect the audience, never perform a solo act.

[Streamer, I won a free divination in the fortune-telling stream next door; want me to ask how your path to immortality looks?]

The question was clearly playful.

Lu Qingfei’s lips curled.

“Thank you, but there’s no need.”

She lifted her eyelids lightly, gazing straight into the camera; deep within her dark eyes gleamed a light that pierced the heart.

“Fate is in my hands, not in the hexagrams.”

[Wow, almost pulled a muscle from her arrogance.]

[Streamer: Why bother with fortune-telling? When in doubt, I’m the best!]

[Aaaaah, fairy streamer, can you tell my fortune?]

“Sorry, this is a cultivation stream, not a fortune-telling one.”

Not won’t—but doesn’t.

Lu Qingfei rarely bothered with divination.

[Cultivation sounds a bit more impressive than fortune-telling, but you don’t know how to tell fortunes? How~disappointing~]

[Fortune-telling? Better spend the time solving a couple more calculus problems!]

Once the crowd had warmed up, Lu Qingfei proceeded methodically.

She folded the paper-cutting, set it aside, adjusted the camera and aimed it at the desk.

On the spacious desk sat six conspicuous paper ingots.

[? Paper ingots? Are we tuning into some underworld show now?]

“Just now, someone mentioned fortune-telling. Fortune-tellers often use talismans; some cultivators use them too.”

Lu Qingfei leisurely picked up a paper ingot, unfolded it, and showed it to the camera.

“Waste not, want not.”

“Paper ingots can occasionally serve as yellow paper for talisman writing.”

Talisman materials usually come in gold, silver, purple, blue, and yellow. Gold talismans are the most powerful, require the highest cultivation, and consume the most spiritual energy; yellow is the lowest tier.

[So… the protective charm my mom got from the celestial master—is it actually made from paper ingots meant for the dead?]

[Oh my god, what a terrifying story!]

[I can’t stop laughing! Even though the streamer is so serious, you’re way too funny! I laughed so hard I cried, sob sob sob.]

“Don’t worry.”

Lu Qingfei’s lashes fluttered, her eyes curved, laughter flowing from their depths.

“Your protective charms aren’t made from paper ingots.”

“They’re filled with cinnabar, coins, glutinous rice—items meant to ward off evil.”

[After hearing the streamer, for some reason, my anxious heart remains anxious.]

[Your heart, my heart—let’s string them together~]

**

Art Research Institute.

“The streamer’s calligraphy has already been sold.”

After hearing the answer from the head of publicity, Lian Qi was perplexed.

“Who would target an unknown streamer and buy the artwork before we could?”

The minister feigned mystery, “Guess who.”

“Stop teasing. Who is it?”

“Xi Yun.”

The name dropped like a bomb in deep water, sending waves crashing, chilling the spine.

Lian Qi pressed his palm to the desk, his brows furrowed deep.

“How could it be her... If it’s her, this won’t be easy.”