Next Time, for Sure

"The three-day simulated wasteland zone expedition is over. How are you feeling right now? Could you share a few words with everyone?" In front of the camera, He Caihua looked at Yue Wen with a smile. Three days had flown by. Once the commotion caused by Huang Dahu and his demons settled down, the entire livestream was back on track. As viewers watched everyone systematically searching for treasure chests and slaying demonic beasts, discussions about "just how weak is Ji Yang really?" had become a favorite topic in the chat. Regardless of anything else, Ji Yang had achieved the fame he wanted before coming... though in a way he probably hadn't wished for. Although the contestants hadn't crossed paths much during the livestream, the directing team had kept He Caihua in the loop on certain developments, such as Yue Wen's surge in popularity as "Brother Ruthless." Consequently, right after stepping out of the wasteland zone during the brief curtain-call ceremony, she brought the reporter interviewing her over to drag Yue Wen into the frame. Facing the sea of cameras, Yue Wen declared with heartfelt sincerity, "I really don't want to leave, I really want to stay." After three days of exploring, everyone looked somewhat worn out. Only Yue Wen was radiant with vitality, a look of genuine reluctance lingering on his face. "Hehe," He Caihua chuckled. "Is it because you're unsatisfied? I heard you didn't find a single treasure chest in three whole days. But that's just how things go. Life is always full of regrets." "Indeed." Yue Wen wore an irrepressible smile. "I'm devastated by the regret." The production crew members cast strange looks in his direction, thinking to themselves: *You brought this regret on yourself! Wearing those beat-up sunglasses of yours from dawn to dusk, what did you expect to find?* The director, in particular, glared at Yue Wen as if staring down an archenemy. She had arranged at least seven or eight sponsored treasure chests directly along Yue Wen's path—a few practically sitting in the middle of the road. Yet Yue Wen hadn't spared them a single glance, darting straight into whichever ravines held hidden demonic beasts instead. It was as though he had come solely to kill monsters. Those staff members who had sweated and wheezed while sneaking around to dodge the cameras had spun in frantic circles around the chests. Despite being a star contestant whose late-stage viewer traffic rivaled Li Feixia's, Yue Wen hadn't promoted a single sponsor for Wangyou Media. On the contrary, the clothes he wore kept flashing ads for his own shabby agency. Not giving sponsors any screen time was bad enough, but his obsession with slaughtering demonic beasts bordered on deranged. The second batch of beasts deployed by the production team had run out again by the second day. The director had even resorted to warning Yue Wen over his earpiece that while viewers loved watching him fight, he didn't need to be quite so conscientious. *Did he think beasts were free?* On the third day, they had scrambled to release another emergency batch, yet right up until the livestream ended, Yue Wen hunted beasts across the entire wasteland zone as if he had wall-hacks turned on. He didn't even bother pretending anymore! The director had practically been on the verge of tears, begging him to stop killing. While his ability to siphon a portion of the traffic was an undeniable surprise that made the stream far more entertaining, he had slain far too many beasts. The production team's budget for purchasing demonic beasts had tripled solely on his account! All things considered, Wangyou Media had definitely taken a hefty loss on him. Aside from Yue Wen and the mid-game drop-out Ji Yang, the others had spent their time diligently hunting for treasure chests. Liu Yuanjun had discovered a real chest containing genuine treasures. However, he quietly put the treasures back, went outside to find his junior martial sister, and brought Li Feixia over to open it. The young girl was overjoyed, and off-screen viewers showered the pair with enthusiastic likes. The chat was flooded with the same phrase: *This martial sibling bond has us swooning!* The earnest He Caihua had also found a chest, sparking a celebration among her fans. In truth, her performance throughout the expedition had merely been standard, but her solid fan base ensured her personal stream held the highest viewer count the entire time, while her bullet comments in the main stream outstripped all others by a wide margin. The final chest wasn't found until the afternoon of the third day by Su Renxue. In fact, the production crew had only just placed it inside, and since the third chest held the grandest reward, her luck could be considered quite good. Standing on the podium, however, she looked far from happy. Her face was cold, carrying an air of stifled gloom. Throughout the entire expedition, everyone else had slaughtered demonic beasts the moment they saw them, experiencing almost no pressure at all. Only Hidden Dragon Pool's Ji Yang had been beaten into critical condition and forced to withdraw by such minor beasts, and it had unfolded in plain view of the public. Once they stepped outside, there was no telling how mercilessly their sect would be mocked. Even though Yue Wen hadn't found any chests, his bright smile never wavered. He stood around casually humming lyrics about how wanting to stay but being unable to was the loneliest thing of all. Across the whole venue, only Zhao Xing'er stomped her feet in fury. "Aargh! This makes me so mad! Why were all the chests I found fakes? I refuse to accept this! Is it rigged?" The nearby crew members swallowed their exasperation, thinking: *What is the deal with the people from your agency?* *One can't see chests sitting right by the roadside, and the other can't see anything hidden with even a shred of complexity.* *Their neural pathways are as straight as a highway.* *I won't even mention your search methods. Once you got frantic, you swung that massive mountain-splitting axe and chopped down every single tree on an entire hill! If the crew hadn't stopped you, you would've set the mountain ablaze. Even if there was a real chest, you would've destroyed it!* *What's more, whenever you fought a beast, you blew up a hill, and every clash blasted apart a whole area. Just having you around drove up the set-dressing budget considerably.* *It's only because the guy next to you went on a beast-slaughtering spree that your issues didn't look as severe.* *And you have the nerve to call it rigged?* At the end of the interview, Yue Wen smiled toward the camera. "To be completely honest, although I didn't find any chests during this expedition, it was a blast. I'm looking forward to next time." ... After a few brief remarks, He Caihua led the reporter away to chat with the next explorer. At that moment, Liu Yuanjun and Li Feixia walked over toward Yue Wen together. "Brother Yue." Liu Yuanjun opened with a very old-fashioned cupped-fist bow. Nowadays, it seemed only disciples from ancient immortal sects still observed such etiquette. "Feixia told me you lent a helping hand when she was ambushed by a demon. We came specifically to express our thanks." Back when Li Feixia was ambushed by the Da Pao roe deer demon, things might have turned out grimly had Yue Wen's flying sword not intervened. She had clearly kept that to heart. Li Feixia also bowed obediently from behind her senior martial brother. "Thank you, Big Brother Yue Wen." "Hey, it was nothing," Yue Wen said. "Anyone in that situation wouldn't have stood by and watched." "Regardless, Brother Yue saved a disciple of our Xuanfeng Temple. Should you need any assistance in Jiangcheng in the future, please don't hesitate to tell us," Liu Yuanjun stated generously. This favor was far weightier than the one Qi Dian had offered. After all, the Linjiang Sect was merely notable within Jiangcheng, whereas Xuanfeng Temple was indisputably Jiangcheng's top immortal sect, holding prestige across the entirety of Tianbei Prefecture—and Liu Yuanjun was its head disciple. Pondering briefly, Yue Wen replied at once, "No need to wait for the future; I actually have something I need help with right now." "Oh?" Liu Yuanjun asked. "What is it?" "I currently need a portion of Taiyi Mystic Blaze Cinnabar, but it's exceptionally difficult to acquire, and I have no well-connected channels." Yue Wen smiled. "If Brother Liu has the time, could you use Xuanfeng Temple's connections to help me inquire about where such cinnabar might be sold? You only need to track down a seller; I'll certainly cover the cost of the immortal material myself." Favors grew vaguer the longer they lingered. If you came knocking for help after some time passed, whether the other party was still willing remained uncertain. Conveniently, he was currently in a rush to gather materials, and Xuanfeng Temple possessed an ancient foundation and deep roots, so he might as well ask them to look into it. Such sects usually had their own procurement channels for immortal materials that rogue cultivators of his standing couldn't access. That was far more reliable than searching on Cult Chat. Upon hearing this, Liu Yuanjun immediately agreed with a nod. "I have heard a bit about that item; it is indeed a rare immortal material. Once I return to our sect, I will ask our sect elders to put full effort into making inquiries. However, should nothing come of it, please do not blame us, Brother Yue." "Of course not," Yue Wen said. "As long as Xuanfeng Temple is willing to help, I will be deeply grateful to both of you." Li Feixia nodded vigorously. "I'll definitely mobilize all the teachers and elders across the entire temple to help you! Don't worry, they all listen to me." "Feixia," Liu Yuanjun scolded in a low voice. "Before outsiders, you must show respect to our teachers and elders." "Oh." Li Feixia quietly bowed her head and took a step back. Yue Wen mused to himself: *Judging by what you just said, you don't show them much respect back at the temple, do you?* Naturally, he didn't pry into their private affairs and merely smiled. After a few more words of conversation, the director approached with several assistants, producing a stack of statements. "The split for the livestream tips over these past few days is ready. The receipts and vouchers are all here, so you can cross-check them against the data from the streams later." She handed the statements to each person. "Your share will be transferred to your accounts within three days." Yue Wen took his statement, glanced down at it, and felt his hands quiver involuntarily. Recorded on the page was his revenue share from viewer tips in the main stream and his personal stream, totaling 957,632 yuan and 5 jiao. Even after a hefty tax deduction upon payout, that was still a staggering sum—an astronomical fortune for the manager of a small agency that had barely made any money. For an ordinary person, this money would be enough to buy an apartment and a car in a satellite city and start living the good life. Yet for a cultivator seeking a breakthrough, it might not even cover a single rare immortal material. Such was the disparity of the world. "Livestreaming really brings in fast money," Yue Wen couldn't help musing. "It burns money fast, too," the director muttered through gritted teeth. "The company took quite a hit on this stream." She wasn't lying. While the revenue from tips looked substantial, for Wangyou Media, it wasn't even enough to recoup their costs. Even factoring in advertising fees from the sponsorships and merchandise sales, such a massive livestream production still ended up in the red. As a pilot project, it was an exploration of a new model, so burning some money early on was normal. However, having to ramp up their investment in demonic beasts several times mid-stream had sent the budget skyrocketing. It had truly thrown her for a loop. Once she returned, higher management was bound to reprimand her over her budget control. "A good business needs to shoulder more social responsibility," Yue Wen said with a grin. "The next time you have a great opportunity like this, be sure to contact our agency again." "Haha." The director let out two sharp, insincere chuckles, thinking to herself: *If I ever invite you to another beast-slaying project, I'm a dog!* Then she replied, "Next time, for sure!" ... In the car ride back, Zhao Xing'er dozed off to the side while Yue Wen took out the mustard seed jade again. He hadn't been idle these past two days either. Whenever he had a free moment to rest, he would take out the jade tablet to handle it, refining it with his true qi to gradually erase the original owner's imprint and attempting to manipulate it. By now, the refinement was finally almost complete.