Chapter 153: Ming Di: So All Of That Was Real!
The sudden white mist that spread all around left Ming Di utterly dumbfounded.
He simply could not figure out what was happening.
Seeing this, Chen Han seized the moment, raised his mobile phone, and filmed the scene of the spreading mist, not forgetting to shout, “Demonic cultivator, since you want to ambush me before the Demon Suppressing Grand Gathering begins, let the people you arranged come out!”
Almost as soon as his words fell, heavy demonic shadows appeared on the mobile phone screen, with ox horns and six arms.
Ming Di was even more confused. No way, brother, did you not see this cloud mist?
Or is this something you created?
While his mind was full of doubts, he heard the Chen Family Head shout again, “So many of them, damn it!”
Before he could react, he saw the Chen Family Head turn around and run.
“???” In that instant, Ming Di’s mind was filled with question marks.
So many what?
Zhu Xueqin said he was deeper in the role than the Chen Family Head. They should let her see who was more immersed.
But then he turned slightly and his eyes widened as black figures appeared all around him.
Those black figures were exactly the special effect demonic shadows the Chen Family Head had conjured before.
“Ah… th-this…” Ming Di was even more stunned, almost scared to the point of peeing himself.
He immediately made the best possible choice, running in the same direction as the Chen Family Head, exploding with potential, wishing he could grow an extra leg.
He also remembered something: previously, there had been a john and two Joyful Union Sect demonic cultivators. The three of them had said they encountered demonic shadows on the mountain.
At the time, no one believed them. They even thought the three were making things up and treating everyone like fools.
Later, when the Chen Family Head produced that special effects video, everyone thought he was just good at using material, taking the chance to make a special effects video.
But who could have imagined the demonic shadows were real.
They were not special effects at all.
Just like those three had said, the Chen Family Head had actually been exterminating demonic shadows back then.
Not a single person online had believed this fact, including him.
Chen Han had not run far when he saw that demonic cultivator Ming Di also came running down behind him screaming “ah, ah, ah.”
Apparently, he had been badly frightened.
Seeing this, Chen Han kept running while turning his phone lens toward the back, recording Ming Di’s screaming dash downhill, while shouting, “Damn demonic cultivator, it has been a full day and night and you are still hunting me. Once the Demon Suppressing Grand Gathering begins and the righteous experts are assembled, we will definitely make you pay the price.”
“…” Hearing this, Ming Di was on the verge of tears.
Brother, do you really not know what is going on?
Am I hunting you?
What a sin!
Soon they reached the foot of the mountain. He saw the Chen Family Head stop again and stand there laughing with his phone, “Hahaha, I finally escaped. Demonic cultivator, just you wait!”
Ming Di was completely numb.
What had he just gone through?
Woof woof!~
You Cai had also been running along just now. He seemed to find it great fun, hopping around at Chen Han’s feet, looking like he wanted to play again.
Ming Di’s legs were shaky from running down the mountain, and he staggered over to Chen Han, face full of lingering fear, and said, “Brother, was that real just now? You know, don’t you?”
Chen Han put on a bewildered expression and said, “What was real? We were just filming a promotional video. Thank you, yeah!”
Ming Di wanted to cry. “Brother, I mean those demonic shadows. I saw them.”
“What demonic shadows? This is the new era, you have to believe in science. You should believe you were just seeing things. If you don’t believe it, rub your eyes.” Chen Han said this, then smiled and walked toward the Chen Clan.
You Cai hurried after him.
Ming Di subconsciously rubbed his eyes, then froze. Rub what? He really had seen them.
Looking at the distant Chen Family Head, his head buzzed. Instinctively, he headed back to where he was staying.
When he arrived at the Village Chief’s house, Zhu Xueqin was chatting with his assistant. Seeing him return, she asked, “Finished filming the promotional video for the Chen Family Head?”
Hearing this, Ming Di did not know where to start, so he only said, “I want to be alone now.”
Zhu Xueqin was puzzled.
What is with this “I’ve seen a ghost” look?
…
After filming, Chen Han returned to his courtyard and started editing the video footage.
In fact, the video had not required any deliberate cooperation from Ming Di. It was all his most natural reactions. Of course, the editing needed artistic processing.
After all, when Ming Di was screaming “hunting him down,” those expressions, paired with special effects and made more ferocious.
Not bad, not bad!
Right up to the end, when he swore that after the Demon Suppressing Grand Gathering he would make the other side pay the price.
At the end he added a line of teaser text: 《The Demon Suppressing Grand Gathering is about to begin. We sincerely invite righteous experts from all paths to participate. Various spirit medicine resources that enhance cultivation await those with fate!》
Think about it: there was royal jelly, scar removal cream, and Thunder Bamboo Spirit Tea. Taking out a bit of each as rewards was indeed providing spirit medicine resources to enhance cultivation.
After finishing the editing, he directly uploaded it with the title: 《The demonic cultivator tried to stop the Demon Suppression Assembly and actually ambushed me!》
Then he sent it.
Just as he finished, his ringtone sounded. It was that Director Chen from culture and tourism again, calling to discuss follow-up road expansion matters regarding Old Master Wang.
After all, they were doing charity by helping expand the Chen Clan’s road. The road was also to support tourism for the Chen Clan, so of course they needed to consult the Chen Clan.
Chen Han brewed a pot of tea in the courtyard to host Director Chen. The other party outlined the plan, and Chen Han was quite satisfied with the proposal from culture and tourism.
As for whether those in charge on the culture and tourism side would secretly collude internally to cut corners and cause obvious impact.
What a joke. Right now culture and tourism cared more about this matter than the Chen Clan. Anyone in charge of the project who dared do such things would not just be opposing the Chen Clan, but opposing culture and tourism, and even the county.
After the discussion, Chen Kai suddenly asked, “Chen Family Head, does your Chen Clan have anyone who can play soccer? If they know some kung fu, they would be even better at soccer, right?”
Chen Han asked in confusion, “Uh, Director Chen, why are you suddenly asking this? Martial arts are martial arts, soccer is soccer. They are different things.”
Chen Kai explained, “Looks like you haven’t watched the news these past few days. The soccer competition over at 13 Taibao has blown up. That association tried to step in and was rejected by 13 Taibao.”
“Then that association said soccer has to be under their authority, that all competitions must be under their management or they would be shut down. So 13 Taibao directly had their competition approved as a culture and tourism project.”
“After netizens learned about this, they proposed that whoever sponsors a certain football body will be boycotted. The boycott had not even really started, but those sponsors evaporated by 4 billion overnight. Two companies were so scared they ran to sponsor 13 Taibao instead.”
“So, the higher-ups saw there was potential and also want to launch a culture and tourism soccer project, maybe get a piece of the pie. They’re asking cities and counties below to come up with plans. If done well, they can later interact with the 13 League.”
“It can be like this?” Hearing this, Chen Han was surprised and said with a smile, “I’ll ask in the clan to see if anyone can play soccer. If so, I’ll train them.”
After speaking, he could not help feeling emotional.
This was bizarre. Which of the thirty-six stratagems was this?
The 13 Taibao competition was currently the hottest competition in the country online. Everyone already knew that association would definitely come in to cause trouble.
They would not just let it go.
But no one expected they would directly classify themselves under culture and tourism, not in the same category as that association, leaving those people with no way to reach in.
Yet before this, who would have thought that a soccer competition could become a culture and tourism project?
The key was, with so many people being drawn to that competition, was that not equivalent to attracting tourists?
That was impressive.
Chen Han also understood why netizens wanted to boycott the sponsors of that football body. Because of their boycott, those sponsored products lost 4 billion in value overnight. Would those companies not panic?
They sponsored to make money. What was this situation now?
The two companies that immediately switched to sponsoring the 13 Taibao competition already explained a lot.
So, culture and tourism departments everywhere had started to get ideas.
If this strategy succeeded, in the end every city’s culture and tourism bureau would create its own culture and tourism project soccer team. Then provinces and cities would hold competitions, culminating in a big league to decide a national champion.
Then those sponsorships tied to that football body would go to these culture and tourism soccer teams. Who knew if that football body would still have any role left. Then they would not have to lament annual salaries of only seven million and worry that no one would play soccer in the future.
Now it all depended on whether netizens would stand united.
Chen Han also sent a message in the family group to ask if there were any young people who could play soccer.
His message immediately livened up the clan chat, since the Family Head had not shown up in the family group for a long time.
Meanwhile, the video of him being ambushed by the demonic cultivator Ming Di, which he had uploaded online, was drawing a lot of attention from fans.
The backstage data was jumping up rapidly.
Chen Han opened the video. The comment section was already bustling:
“666, the Chen Family Head is putting in effort with special effects again to promote the Chen Clan National Style Event.”
“Seriously, the Chen Family Head’s special effects are sometimes great, sometimes bad. The gap is a bit big.”
“Ming Di this demonic cultivator is going all out hunting down the Chen Family Head!”
“…”
Chen Han smiled. The promotional video was a success. He opened Weixin and sent the link to Xiao Mi to claim credit, since he had completed her assignment.
Shangyuan Village.
In Village Chief Guo Zhen’s house, Zhu Xueqin also saw this latest promotional video from the Chen Family Head. She felt Ming Di had put in a lot of effort. That speed of running downhill, one misstep and he could have fallen.
She immediately went to Ming Di’s room and found him staring blankly toward the mountain behind the Chen Clan.
She did not know what was so interesting about the mountain, and hurried to tell him the good news: “The Chen Family Head’s promotional video has been uploaded. The data is very good, and he put in great effort with special effects again for this promotion.”
Hearing this, Ming Di subconsciously picked up his phone and searched. Sure enough, he saw the newly uploaded video from the Chen Family Head.
The video opened with his silhouette and the Chen Family Head talking about his supposed ambush. At the time, he had been confused.
But in the video, his bewildered expression looked exactly like the shock of having his ambush exposed.
This…
Then he saw the white mist quickly spreading all around. In the video, he also saw those bull-headed, six-armed demonic shadows appearing one after another around them.
Seeing this, his body trembled subconsciously. He had not noticed any of that in the moment.
Zhu Xueqin immediately said, “The Chen Family Head’s special effects are really good this time. He put in real effort for the National Style Event promotion. And your scene chasing him was so full of energy. Running that fast downhill!”
“…” Hearing this, Ming Di could not help asking, “Xueqin, what if those demonic shadows were not special effects at all, but real? And I was not energetically hunting down the Chen Family Head, but was scared out of my mind and desperately running down the mountain?”
“Didn’t some people online say that there is actually some demonic king sealed on the Chen Clan mountain, and the Chen Clan is suppressing it? What if that is true?”
Hearing this, Zhu Xueqin laughed and said, “Alright, don’t get too into character. Do you take me for a fool?”
“…” Ming Di sighed quietly.
Sometimes no one believes the truth.
He looked back at the Chen Family Head’s video. The likes and comments were truly numerous. Then he looked at the mountain behind the Chen Clan, gritted his teeth, and took out his phone to edit the footage he had shot today.
There was popularity here that he had to piggyback on. Otherwise, he would have been terrified for nothing.
From when the little earth dog blocked him, to when he and the little earth dog entered the mountain forest, he finished editing and uploaded it to his own account with the title 《A secret meeting with the Dog Demon King Brothers was discovered by the Chen Family Head, so I used all the demonic shadows I had prepared to ambush him!》
He hit send.
Soon, because the Chen Family Head’s video was hot, his own video also started receiving comments:
“Hahaha, you are collaborating with the Chen Family Head again!”
“No wonder you were so determined to ambush the Chen Family Head. So that’s how it is!”
“Wait, how did you and the Chen Family Head get the doggy to cooperate with your filming?”
“Help tell the Chen Family Head that in future, don’t make 50-cent special effects. Just use this level.”
Seeing these comments, Ming Di could not help replying, “What if those were not special effects at all!”
Then he quickly received many replies:
“No wonder you can piggyback on popularity. You are still not out of character!”
“Right, right, right, not special effects. Those demonic shadows are all your doing.”
“Haha, definitely not special effects. They are your demonic techniques.”
“…” Ming Di was extremely speechless, and profoundly understood what it meant that no one believes the truth and the truth is always held by the few.
Online, as the feud of ambushes and hunts between the Chen Family Head and the demonic cultivator Ming Di became popular, more and more people learned about the Chen Clan National Style Event. Pushed by the rising popularity, it directly became a trending topic.
Xiao Mi rushed to Chen Han’s courtyard at once to share the good news: “The National Style Event has become a trending topic!”
Becoming a trending topic meant the event would definitely be hot when it happened. The people coming just to piggyback on the popularity alone would be enough to ensure the event would not lose money.
Chen Han, however, was looking at the new set of hanfu Xiao Mi was wearing.
G-string Maniac collection task progress (3/5).
Xiao Mi noticed his gaze was off and snorted, “I already made plans with Xiao Yu. I’m leaving!”
She did not give him a chance at all. Was he not clear on his own condition?
…
On July 26, it was a big day for Shangyuan Village, because the county’s road expansion construction team had moved in.
Although the road was being expanded for the Chen Clan, the people of Shangyuan Village also benefited. So, when discussing whose fields and land the road would pass through, everyone cooperated. The village also contributed labor.
There were no bizarre and disgusting incidents.
Like that story online about a village road project where one household not only refused to help but unreasonably obstructed it and extorted 30,000 from the village. As a result, when their son got married, the whole village blocked the road and refused to let the wedding cars pass.
Someone from the bride’s family was a reporter. At first they wanted to expose it, saying “bad people from poor mountains and rivers.” But then they found out it was their own girl’s groom who was the real scoundrel, and they decisively called off the marriage.
When Chen Jing returned home with his girlfriend, he saw the village was building the road.
Because of the 15,000 a month salary, he had persuaded his girlfriend as fast as possible to resign from that studio on her own, and they had rushed back.
Their car stopped at the Chen Clan gate. After getting out, Sun Jie asked in confusion, “Chen Jing, your family is the Chen Clan. Why didn’t you say so earlier? Working as an assistant writing copy for the Chen Family Head and Xiao Yu Za has more potential than that music studio, yet we only came back now. You blocked my future!”
“…” Chen Jing was speechless. The clan had not mentioned such a high salary before.
He paid the driver and took his girlfriend home.
Cai Xiaojuan had long been waiting at home, since she wanted to see what kind of girlfriend her son had brought back.
Look at the girlfriend Chen Jun had brought back: so well-behaved, and already about to become a guide supervisor.
“Mom, you’re home. This is Sun Jie.” Chen Jing quickly introduced.
“Ah, Xiao Jie, come in, come in.” Cai Xiaojuan warmly greeted her. After chatting with them for a bit, she said at once, “I’ll inform Xiao Yu and have her handle your procedures first, then let you meet the Family Head. You know, the clan is giving you 15,000 a month. A lot of people are asking around. Someone might try to intercept. Better lock it in first.”
Hearing this, Chen Jing became a bit anxious.
No one had mentioned competitors.
When Xiao Yu saw Chen Jing, she remembered him. It seemed he had been beaten up by Dalong as a child, pressed to the ground and rubbed, and Dalong’s butt had almost been beaten raw afterward.
What could they do? Chen Jing was good at studying, while Dalong was a troublemaker bullying good students. Of course his family had beaten him.
She first took them to Chen Xiaoyan to complete the hiring, then led them to meet her senior brother.
She knew very well the effect of the 《Ancient Quiet Heart Art》. In the future, this scripture chanter would need to recite the 《Ancient Quiet Heart Art》 with her senior brother for tourists.
That would become a special feature of the Chen Clan.
Which Daoist or mystic sect could match that?
Following behind Xiao Yu, Chen Jing began to guess at his future work. On the way back he had looked up what a Daoist scripture chanter was.
Roughly speaking, he would be reciting scriptures for tourists in the future. He had studied music, so it should not be too hard.
Xiao Yu did not forget to remind him, “Chen Jing, later my senior brother will teach you to recite the 《Ancient Quiet Heart Art》. In the future, your job will be to recite the 《Ancient Quiet Heart Art》 for tourists. But this 《Ancient Quiet Heart Art》 is a bit miraculous, so don’t be too shocked when the time comes.”
Hearing this, Chen Jing froze for a moment and thought of the rumors discussed in the family group, such as the clan’s Feng Shui array.
He had not come back while working outside, and had been half-skeptical about these things. But now, returning to the Chen Clan and seeing the completely transformed Chen Clan buildings, it all seemed real.
Now Sister Xiao Yu was specially reminding him to learn the 《Ancient Quiet Heart Art》 and not be too surprised. Could this 《Ancient Quiet Heart Art》 be the miraculous chanting his parents had mentioned?
Of course he had asked about things when coming back. His parents told him that during the consecration ceremony, when the Family Head chanted scriptures, everyone entered an incredible state.
When he heard that, he was stunned.
How was this any different from those enlightened experts chanting scriptures in movies?
Now it seemed he would be able to learn this himself?
His heart suddenly began pounding wildly.
