Not long after Chu Mingjia and her group returned to the hotel, they were called in by the police.
The incident had caused too great an impact, and the live stream’s popularity was too high. Based on the unfolding events and Chu Mingjia’s statements, many netizens speculated that Lin Xiao had likely been murdered, rather than having died by suicide or accident.
As a result, people flooded the Qishan County Police Bureau’s social media accounts with tags. Since the situation was live-streamed, the police did not dare to take it lightly. They promptly dispatched officers in the middle of the night to the hotel where the production crew was staying and took Director Zhang Song, Chu Mingjia, Han Fengchen, Xu Chen, and others to the police station.
This was already Han Fengchen’s second time at a police station in a short period, and the reason for it was increasingly intense.
Because the case was involved, the live stream was forced to stop.
However, the police’s appearance had already determined the nature of this live-stream incident.
【I swear, if anyone still calls this scripted, I’ll be the first to curse them out.】
【Some fans are still hopping around, firmly believing that the police officers with badges are extras. To be honest, that’s laughable.】
【Lin Xiao was so tragic. I hope there’s a thorough investigation, don’t let the culprit get away!】
……
At the police station, the officers first asked Zhang Song about the reality show. It was indeed not scripted, and Zhang Song himself was innocent. He had no idea Chu Mingjia would be this intense. On the very first day of the live stream, she had already gone this far, getting them all brought to the police station!
Zhang Song didn’t lie, and the police could tell that without much investigation.
When it was Chu Mingjia’s turn, the officers interviewing her were no longer regular police but special agents from a specialized department. They were very polite to her. “Ms. Chu, how did you find Lin Xiao’s grave?”
Chu Mingjia: “I calculated it. Isn’t there a live stream replay?”
Police: “You said Lin Xiao drowned, did you calculate that as well?”
Chu Mingjia shook her head. “No. I could tell from her child.”
Police: “…”
This conversation was becoming increasingly eerie.
But since Chu Mingjia clearly had extensive knowledge in this area, the police carefully recorded everything she said. Then they asked a key question: “Ms. Chu, can you calculate who was behind setting up the formation?”
There were also Taoist masters within the special department. Many of them frequently dealt with such matters and had a fair understanding of them.
Some people were well-versed in the art of borrowing fortune. If this turned out to be an isolated case, that would be one thing. But if not, then Lin Xiao was just one discovery, how many other “Lin Xiaos” remained undiscovered?
People with strong fortune were typically those destined to make significant contributions in various fields. If their fates were altered and their fortunes stolen, how much talent would the country lose?
And the most terrifying question was: what exactly were those who borrowed the fortune doing with it?
Chu Mingjia frowned and said with some irritation, “I can’t calculate it.”
Hearing this, Jiang Mao’s heart sank.
Although the Mountain Lord was now in mortal flesh, her divine power remained. A small matter like this should have been no challenge for her.
If even she couldn’t calculate it, there were only two possibilities. One was that the person behind it possessed immense magical power, perhaps even surpassing Chu Mingjia.
The other was that the entity lay beyond the Six Realms, neither human, nor ghost, nor god, nor anything else. Without a fate to trace and not bound by reincarnation, it could not be calculated.
But did such a thing exist in this world?
Jiang Mao had walked the earth for over a thousand years and had never encountered anything of the sort.
Thus, the only plausible explanation was that the other party’s power was overwhelming, and Chu Mingjia, having taken on a mortal body, had yet to recover her full divine abilities. That was perfectly normal.
The police officers’ expressions grew serious. They had initially hoped Chu Mingjia could help identify the culprit, but now it seemed they would have to start with Xu Chen.
Ever since returning from Lin Xiao’s hometown, Xu Chen had been in a daze. His face was pale with a greenish tint, as if he had suffered a massive blow, his career was, after all, ruined.
But this was only the beginning. From now on, every night, he would be unable to escape the suffocating sensation of being underwater.
The police asked, “Who told you about borrowing fortune in the first place?”
Xu Chen kept his head down. “It was… a fortune woman introduced by a friend of mine.”
Xu Chen had found it nearly impossible to debut. The competition was fierce, and the pressure kept him up at night. He had heard that some people would stop at nothing to become famous, raising “little ghosts,” being adopted as godchildren by deities, or consulting fortune women to change their luck. There were all sorts of methods.
Xu Chen hadn’t really believed in such things, but in his confusion, he figured getting his fortune told wouldn’t hurt.
So, through a friend’s introduction, he went to see a well-known fortune woman. He remembered it very clearly.
“That day, there was a light drizzle. Lin Xiao and I had trained very late. By the time we left the company, it was already 9 p.m. We hadn’t even had dinner, so we hurriedly took a taxi to go see her.”
“At the time, the fortune woman was already getting ready to rest and refused to open the door for me. Then Lin Xiao stepped in and said a few kind words. The woman peeked through the gap in the door, looked at Lin Xiao, and said, ‘You and I are fated. Come in.'”
At the time, Xu Chen thought the woman meant he was the one she was fated with. But in hindsight, she was clearly referring to Lin Xiao.
The session didn’t last long. The woman gave Xu Chen a talisman, told him to take it home, and return seven days later, alone.
Seven days later, Xu Chen went back by himself. That was when the woman brought up the matter of borrowing fortune.
At this point, Xu Chen covered his face, his emotions crumbling. “She said Lin Xiao had exceptionally good fortune, a noble’s fate destined for wealth and glory. She said that if I borrowed just a little, it would be enough to make me famous across the country, and that Lin Xiao’s immense fortune wouldn’t be affected at all by losing such a small amount.”
Xu Chen had genuinely loved Lin Xiao once and had even thought about marrying her. But after entering the entertainment industry, everyone was scrambling to climb higher. No one wanted to stop halfway, and no one thought about marriage.
Back then, Xu Chen had only one goal: he wanted to debut. He wanted to be famous.
He was willing to pay any price.
If someone had offered to support him in exchange for resources, he would have agreed without hesitation, let alone borrowing fortune.
After borrowing the fortune, he indeed skyrocketed to fame in the entertainment world.
Lin Xiao, however, began suffering from constant minor illnesses and even experienced sexual harassment. Bad luck seemed to follow her everywhere. Xu Chen, feeling guilty, couldn’t bring himself to face her. He slowly distanced himself, and eventually, without even a word of breakup, he cut off all contact with her.
That was why, when he had just debuted, he had been willing to pay the million-yuan penalty fee for Lin Xiao, because his conscience weighed on him.
As they left the police station, Han Fengchen fumed, “Scumbag!”
Chu Mingjia remained silent for a moment, then said with a touch of sadness, “Most people in this world are like this, selfish, unable to resist temptation or stand the test. There’s no one you can trust forever. The only one you can rely on is yourself.”
Han Fengchen nodded sadly, deeply agreeing.
But Jiang Mao, walking behind them, felt a subtle unease. He had a faint suspicion that the Mountain Lord’s words were somehow aimed at him.
He remembered how he had once said that he would never betray her, that she could trust him forever. But now, her attitude…
Jiang Mao pressed his lips together, his brow furrowed. He didn’t know what to do.
A special agent from the special department, still in uniform, led Chu Mingjia and Xu Chen to the fortune woman’s residence.
Surprisingly, the woman hadn’t fled.
She lived in a town very close to Qishan County, on a bustling old street. Her small, cramped room was thick with smoke, heavy with the scent of incense, candles, and ritual offerings.
A hunched-backed, white-haired old woman knelt on a cushion, bowing before an altar.
There were no offerings on the altar, nor any statues of deities. As Chu Mingjia walked in, she frowned.
She could sense a familiar spiritual energy here.
Jiang Mao sensed it too! His pupils contracted. This spiritual energy was actually somewhat similar to the Mountain Lord’s. If Chu Mingjia herself weren’t standing right beside him, he would have suspected that the deity this fortune woman worshipped was the very Mountain Lord he had been searching for for a thousand years!
Jiang Mao’s expression turned grim. What was going on here?
Was someone impersonating the Mountain Lord?
The police entered, and with Xu Chen’s identification, they confirmed that it was indeed this fortune woman who had induced him into borrowing fortune.
The old woman’s hair was completely white, her face covered in wrinkles. She seemed to have long anticipated the police’s arrival. Slowly, she opened her eyes before everyone.
Her aged eyes were murky and gray, already unable to see clearly. Facing the group, she let out a strange laugh. “The Divine Lord said that today is my final day. I’ve lived over eighty years in this world. To have done one thing for the Divine Lord and earned recognition, that is my blessing and virtue.”
The police officer asked sternly, “Do you still remember Lin Xiao?”
The old woman nodded. “Of course. How could I forget? It was because of her that the Divine Lord acknowledged me! I will always remember her.”
Everyone: “…”
The old woman continued to mutter, “The Divine Lord said that I have accumulated enough virtue. I can now achieve immortality through celestial liberation, cast off my mortal shell, and return to youth.”
Everyone: “…”
The police officer said sharply, “Did you set up the formation that sealed Lin Xiao? Was it you who borrowed her fortune?”
The old woman looked in Chu Mingjia’s direction, gave a strange smile, and suddenly prostrated herself on the ground, performing a full kowtow to Chu Mingjia. “Divine Lord! O Divine Lord! I have already lent Lin Xiao’s fortune to you, just as you commanded. You promised to take me with you. Do you still remember?”
Everyone whipped their heads around to stare at Chu Mingjia.
Jiang Mao stepped forward, his expression stern, and positioned himself slightly in front of Chu Mingjia.
The special department was handling this case without a live stream, but Jiang Mao had still followed along.
Chu Mingjia looked down at the old woman and said, “I am not your Divine Lord. I am just an ordinary person.”
The fortune woman shook her head, still kneeling on the ground, refusing to get up. “No, that’s not true. You are the Divine Lord. I could never be mistaken! Divine Lord, you said you needed immense fortune to exchange for your rebirth, for your boundless wealth and status, for the good fate that eighteen lifetimes couldn’t earn you. Now that you have everything, you turn your back on me. Divine Lord, you can’t do this! I’ve served you for over a decade. You can’t treat me like this.”
Everyone stared at Chu Mingjia, their expressions full of shock and doubt.
Even Chu Mingjia herself couldn’t help but hesitate for two seconds, wondering if she might have actually done such a thing.
After all, she had indeed been inexplicably reborn. And in this current identity, she had good looks, a great figure, and a contractual marriage to the head of a top-tier wealthy family. Fame and fortune, she had it all.
Chu Mingjia remained silent. Han Fengchen, stunned, looked back and forth between Chu Mingjia and the fortune woman. The teenage boy didn’t expect the situation to take such a turn, and for a moment, his brain completely shut down.
It was Jiang Mao who suddenly stepped in front of Chu Mingjia, blocking everyone’s surprised or suspicious gazes. He raised his head, and the heterochromatic eyes beneath his peaked cap swept across everyone present, including the special department agents.
“It’s not her,” Jiang Mao said, his voice deep and cold. “It couldn’t be… Mrs. Chu.”
He spoke firmly. “She doesn’t need to borrow fortune. She is fortune itself.”
Back in the days on Qishan, countless living beings depended on the Mountain God for their survival. If even she had to borrow fortune, then was there any fortune left in this world to speak of?
The fortune woman continued to mutter, “Divine Lord, you promised to take me with you. You said that as long as my offerings satisfied you, you would lead me onto the immortal path and up the divine mountain… I personally pushed that girl into the water. You said I didn’t need to be afraid… that it would accumulate virtue… You cannot break your promise…”
Her muttering grew softer and softer, until suddenly, she lay motionless on the ground.
A police officer exclaimed, “Oh no! She didn’t just commit suicide to avoid punishment, did she?”
Everyone rushed forward. Among them was an emergency physician, who examined her and then shook his head. “No hope. She’s gone.”
Her pupils had already dilated.
For a moment, the air grew heavy with silence.
Judging from the fortune woman’s words, it wasn’t hard to infer that she had been manipulated by a certain “Divine Lord” she devoutly believed in, which led her to commit these acts. Lin Xiao had simply been the unlucky one to cross her path, if it had been someone else, she would have done the same.
But now, a new mystery had emerged. On her deathbed, the fortune woman had pointed at Chu Mingjia and insisted, firmly believed, that Chu Mingjia was that Divine Lord.
Chu Mingjia would not admit to being the Divine Lord. She wasn’t afraid of being investigated.
“Go ahead and investigate me,” she said.
Chu Mingjia’s expression was open and composed. “I will cooperate with you at all times. I’ll be continuing the live stream on Qishan for another month. If you’re afraid I’ll run, you can arrange for someone to follow me 24/7.”
This was such an unfair imposition that Jiang Mao’s fists clenched in anger.
He raised his head, his eyes reddening. “Let’s see who dares—”
“You shut up.”
With those soft words from Chu Mingjia, Jiang Mao immediately fell silent, his heart racing and his body tensing up.
The Mountain Lord, she had actually looked him in the eye. She had even spoken to him!
Jiang Mao’s ears turned crimson. He lowered his head and didn’t say another word.