Chapter 5: The Ghost Behind the Live Stream

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A large hand covered the screen, obscuring the figure, while a crackling noise echoed throughout the entire livestream room. Every viewer watching was startled by the sound and the eerie scene. The ghostly angle plunged the once moderately lively livestream into complete silence. It wasn’t until Yang Xuan’s half-makeup face appeared that the tense atmosphere in the room finally eased.

“Scaredy Cat: Damn, it’s true what they say—people really do scare each other to death! That angle was terrifying!”

“The Handsome Rich Second Generation: I almost called the cops! Seriously though, where are Jiajia and Qiao Qiao?”

“Scaredy Cat: Could it be they’ve already been taken to the hospital?”

At that moment, Yang Xuan stared intently at the barrage of comments on his phone for a long while before speaking to explain.

“Everyone, don’t worry. Your host fainted from fright and is now resting. I believe he’ll wake up soon.”

After saying this, Yang Xuan began searching for the button to end the livestream. Just as he searched, the chat exploded.

“Scaredy Cat: Top Donor, did you see the forest behind the host?”

With this prompt, the viewers shifted their focus to the trees behind Yang Xuan. Within the woods, a faint glow flickered—like a pair of eyes blinking twice before vanishing.

“The Handsome Rich Second Generation: Damn, wasn’t the show over? Why is this livestream so creepy?”

“Colorful Reader: No way, Top Donor, you saw that too? Were those really eyes in the forest just now?”

After a long silence, the Handsome Rich Second Generation finally spoke again.

“Hands Rich: Yes, those were eyes!”

“Scaredy Cat: No way! Could there be a wild beast in those woods?”

“Hands Rich: No, not a beast. I often go hunting abroad, so I know animal eyes well. From what I observed, those eyes didn’t look like animal eyes, nor human eyes.”

...

The Handsome Rich Second Generation’s words plunged the chat into deep silence. The few dozen viewers rapidly dwindled until only a handful remained.

After the livestream ended, an off-road vehicle sped toward Baxian Village in Nanshan Town, Dongyang City. The driver was none other than the user “Scaredy Cat” from the livestream.

Looking closely, the man was about 1.7 meters tall, chubby, and weighed around 150 jin (approximately 75 kilograms).

Once the livestream was shut down, Yang Xuan was about to rest backstage when Uncle Kun came rushing over, phone in hand.

“Host! Host! Bad news, something’s happened!”

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Yang Xuan looked puzzled until Uncle Kun caught his breath and spoke softly.

“Uncle Kun, what’s the matter?”

The elder, out of breath from running, struggled to speak clearly but still handed over his phone to Yang Xuan.

On the screen was a recorded clip from the livestream. Watching the footage, Yang Xuan’s surprise deepened.

“What? Uncle Kun? Am I not allowed to show my face on the livestream?”

Uncle Kun straightened up and shook his hand calmly.

“It’s not that, Host. Look carefully—what are those eyes behind you?”

Following Uncle Kun’s finger, Yang Xuan saw the pair of eyes in the woods—cunning and sinister, radiating a deeply unsettling aura.

An inexplicable intuition told Yang Xuan those eyes did not belong to the living world.

At the thought, a chill ran down his spine.

“Uncle Kun, tell the master to add another ghost scene at midnight tomorrow. Charge half price.”

Uncle Kun was taken aback, confused, but still went to negotiate with the master as instructed.

Yang Xuan was left alone, scrutinizing his phone.

When he clearly saw the woods behind him in the livestream, he was certain those were the eyes of an evil spirit.

Yet, what puzzled him most was why he felt those eyes were watching him back.

After a long moment of contemplation, Yang Xuan could only wait until the midnight show the next day to find out more.

During the day, the daylight performances continued as usual. Although the troupe was exhausted from the night, everyone was grateful for the rest after the fourth show.

Yang Xuan fared alright, but the rest of the troupe—from Uncle Kun to the musicians—were all sporting heavy dark circles under their eyes.

Clearly, the night’s events had shaken them deeply.

Approaching dawn, as Yang Xuan drifted in and out of sleep, Uncle Kun hurried over.

“Host, I told the master what you said. He’s very pleased and agreed to pay the troupe half again as much.”

Yang Xuan nodded thoughtfully—extra pay? This master seemed to understand some deeper matters, or else why would he say such a thing?

“Uncle Kun, take me to see the master.”

Following Uncle Kun, Yang Xuan arrived at a relatively grand courtyard.

Though the master’s place was said to be impressive, it was still far from matching the buildings in other villages—conditions were rather poor.

Inside the courtyard was a house built from mud bricks.

The walls were riddled with thin cracks, some wide enough to fit an adult’s finger.

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“Master, are you home?”

Uncle Kun called out twice. An elderly man, around seventy or eighty years old with white hair and beard, lifted the door curtain and stepped outside.

“Oh, it’s the troupe. What brings you here?”

Uncle Kun immediately turned aside and introduced Yang Xuan.

“Master, this is our host. I was told you’d pay us half again, so I was sent to meet you.”

Entering the house, a strong scent of incense drifted through the air.

It seemed the master also had some form of household worship.

“Master, do you have some kind of shrine here?”

The master turned, giving Yang Xuan a meaningful, complex glance that lasted only a moment before returning to normal.

“Yes, come with me.”

The master led Yang Xuan and Uncle Kun to the east room.

The incense smell wafted from the west room.

Once inside, Yang Xuan gestured for Uncle Kun to leave.

As soon as Uncle Kun left, Yang Xuan dropped all pretense and spoke directly.

“Master, giving the troupe extra pay shows you understand something. This village isn’t normal—why don’t you tell me what’s really going on?”

The master merely sat there, puffing on a dry pipe, hesitating as if wanting to say something but holding back.

Seeing this, Yang Xuan pulled out his phone, played the footage until the eyes appeared, paused it, and handed it to the master.

“Do you recognize these eyes?”

After seeing it, the master’s hand holding the pipe trembled uncontrollably.

“Nan... Shan...”

“What?” Yang Xuan asked sharply.

Before he could hear the full answer, the master grabbed him and hurried him outside.

“This is none of your concern!”

“Just perform your play well! As long as you stay out of this, I’ll pay your troupe double!”

Yang Xuan was pushed outside, and the master slammed the door shut.

From the sounds of footsteps, the master went into the west room, muttering something under his breath.