"Too naive! You think you can rob me of a million and not kill me, and just wait for me to report you so you can spend the rest of your life on the run?"
"Looking at the options, killing is still the least costly. If we keep it quiet and deal with the body properly, it might turn into a cold case."
"You clearly don't understand how fast law enforcement in Longguo solves criminal cases!"
"Two hundred and forty million in ten minutes, how much is that per minute? The novels talk about CEOs making millions per minute, but our Diédié? She's making tens of millions a minute!"
"Does Diédié take on students? Ugh, other people are running their own companies at 20, while I'm still at the bottom of the ladder!"
The livestream now only showed Xiang Wan on screen. She let out a huge yawn. Ever since her spiritual awareness had expanded, doing three readings a day was no big deal, but today was the first time she'd tried it, and it had pushed her past her usual sleep time. She was exhausted and all she wanted to do was crash on her bed and recover her energy.
Fighting to stay awake, she said, "Guys, we've almost pulled an all-nighter. Go wash up and get some sleep."
"I feel bad for Diédié, she's so tired!"
"If I made tens of millions per minute, I'd just chug Red Bull and keep going!"
"That's the mindset of someone who just got rich and doesn't know how to act."
"I don't care about the mindset, I just want to be suddenly rich!"
"Damn, it's 4:30 in the morning! In three and a half hours, I've gotta get up! Ugh, I still have all those PPTs to finish tomorrow. Gonna need iced coffee to save my life!"
"I feel like Diédié has ascended to godhood. Daoist culture is going to peak with our generation."
"Totally agree. Lately, the local Daoist temple has been packed with people wanting to practice. Some of them are willing to pay big bucks just to hear from a master. They're hoping for someone who can teach and enlighten, but none of them come close to being as powerful as Diédié. Even if they were half as good, they'd be swimming in money!"
"That's just chasing cash."
"Wishful thinking! There are thousands of Daoist disciples, but has anyone else like Zhuāng Zhōu Mèng Dié ever appeared? Don't underestimate the skill—don't think you can challenge a pro with amateur tactics."
Pulling an all-nighter was reckless for Xiang Wan, especially after failing her thunder trial, which had made her value her life more than ever. After saying her goodbyes to her clingy fans, she ended the stream.
That 240 million she earned tonight definitely didn't come easy!
She wanted to catch up on sleep, but Jiang Xiao still had a fatal calamity ahead, as seen in his destiny chart.
Forget it. Since she'd already taken on this task, she might as well see it through. After all, rich, gullible, and overly generous people like Jiang Xiao were rare. Hopefully, after saving him, he'd go on to do good deeds and earn some merit. That way, it wouldn't necessarily benefit her directly, but at least he wouldn't leave her with any karmic debt.
At that moment on Luoxia Mountain, Peng Ang's phone suddenly buzzed with a push notification. The headline was eye-catching: "Famous Rich Kid Possibly Kidnapped by Cousins, Parents Drop 240 Million for Zhuāng Zhōu Mèng Dié to Find Him!"
Chen Xinyuan had just finished sending the ransom message from a burner phone and came back dragging a sack full of tools. "Why are you just standing there? Give me a hand! And let's get one thing straight: you're just as involved in this kidnapping and murder as I am. We're doing this together."
Peng Ang was uneasy. His original goal was just to get money, but from the start, Chen Xinyuan had planned to kill Jiang Xiao after getting the cash. As he'd said, as long as Jiang Xiao was alive, they'd have the money but no way to spend it safely.
At that moment, as Peng Ang stared at the push notification on his phone, an inexplicable wave of panic washed over him.
He clicked on the article, and cold sweat instantly began to pour from his forehead. Then, both his and Chen Xinyuan's phones started ringing non-stop. Every time they hung up, another call came in, as if everyone in their contact lists was trying to reach them.
Peng Ang, trembling, handed his phone to Chen Xinyuan. "Cousin, we're done for! We're finished!"
Chen Xinyuan was also visibly shaken, but after reading the news, he scoffed. "They actually believe the nonsense from a fortune teller? Police need evidence to make a case. As long as we kill Jiang Xiao now, dispose of the body properly, and take a shortcut to get out, no one will know it was us!"
"But... but!" Peng Ang stammered, now completely distraught. Chen Xinyuan, though panicking himself, was still clinging to the plan he had from the start—to kill and cover it up.
Peng Ang's lips quivered. "What if the police catch us...?"
"Hmph! What's the difference between getting thrown in jail and being sentenced to death? We've made your uncle's son suffer so much, and your uncle is rich. Your cousin's connections are powerful too. Do you think we'd survive in prison?"
"We're in too deep to turn back now. You want to give up? I'm not ready to die!"
Peng Ang seemed to waver, and seeing his hesitation, Chen Xinyuan pulled a length of rope and a fruit knife from the sack. "Pick one."
Gritting his teeth, Peng Ang chose the rope, while Chen Xinyuan gripped the knife tightly.
Inside the stone house, Jiang Xiao lay in agony on the stone bed. His entire body was battered and bruised, and every slight movement sent waves of pain through him. In his twenty-something years, he had never suffered like this.
He silently pleaded, *Heaven, someone, please save me!*
*Dad, Mom, Cousin...* His thoughts suddenly turned to Zhuāng Zhōu Mèng Dié. If anyone could figure out what had happened to him, it would be her, right?
But had his cousin or parents contacted her?
No, they didn't even have her contact information. Even he had only managed to reach her through the flashy effects of the top gifter in her livestream.
*Zhuāng Zhōu Mèng Dié,* he prayed, *if you really are as powerful as they say, please save me. I don't want to die!*
"Creak!" Just then, the dilapidated wooden door to the stone house swung open, and the sound of two pairs of footsteps echoed inside.
Jiang Xiao turned his head to see the menacing figures of his cousin Peng Ang and Chen Xinyuan entering. His face immediately showed a pleading expression. "Cousin, don't kill me! We grew up together!"
"Don't blame me, Jiang Xiao. Blame your family for being too rich. Why should you get to feast on gourmet food every day while I'm stuck eating instant noodles? Why can you spend millions on a car while I'm drowning in 600,000 yuan of gambling debt? Auntie refused to help me, left me to die, and I was almost hacked to death by loan sharks!"
Earlier, Peng Ang had felt a hint of reluctance, but now, seeing Jiang Xiao, the overwhelming disparity between their lives—between wealth and poverty—fueled his anger and jealousy.
His eyes reddened, filling with bloodshot rage, and he gritted his teeth as he marched quickly toward the stone bed. Jiang Xiao, shackled by iron chains at his feet and tightly bound with rope, had no way to escape. His only hope was that Peng Ang might show mercy, for the sake of their family ties.