Chapter 92: Live Stream 4

{Is ginseng that thick really okay to stew right into soup?!}

{Yeah, and it looks like they only used half of it… still super nourishing.}

{Am I the only one wondering if the ginseng chicken soup tastes good?}

Chen Ji remained utterly nonchalant. “A friend of mine who’s into traditional Chinese medicine gave it to me after it got weeded out from their stock. It wasn’t worth much.”

Chen Ji himself could use a little nourishing, and Liu Datie had been trekking through the mountains for ten hours—he needed it too. It was good for both of them.

Liu Datie let out a long breath and gestured with his hands. “Bro, you won’t get mad at me if I polish off the whole thing, right?”

“Go right ahead.” Chen Ji chuckled at Liu Datie’s words, lifting a hand slightly to gesture that he should help himself. He’d brought it out specifically for him to eat. If Liu Datie ate every last drop, Chen Ji would just feel pleased that his cooking was such a hit. If he were truly reluctant, he never would have served it in the first place.

Chatting with someone who had real emotional intelligence was surprisingly enjoyable. Swap in anyone else, and Chen Ji might have just sent them packing down the mountain and called it a day. He probably wouldn’t have even brought them back to the Mountain Lord Temple.

Liu Datie immediately ladled himself a heaping bowl of soup. He blew away the scant bits of oil floating on top. The broth looked as clear as water, but the moment it hit his tongue, he realized how rich and savory it was. The ginseng perfectly subdued the faint gaminess of the chicken without any bitterness, instead amplifying the soup’s sweetness to perfection.

After downing that first bowl, sweat beaded on Liu Datie’s forehead. He set the bowl down and eagerly ladled himself another, all the while chattering away. “This is so good! How can chicken soup taste this amazing?! Hey, there are mushrooms at the bottom too?”

No laws against that, so Chen Ji replied freely. “Just a bit of dried fragrant mushroom.”

“No wonder there’s that special aroma.” Liu Datie bit into one, scalding his mouth and grimacing, but he couldn’t bear to spit it out. The fragrant mushroom had soaked up all the juices, bursting with flavor on the first crunch. It was tender, thick, and packed with a deep, earthy scent—way better than the soup alone.

“This is even better than meat!” Liu Datie scarfed down his food while telling Chen Ji, “Bro, these mushrooms are incredible. Got any more? Sell me some, sell me some!”

Seeing his cooking so well-received put Chen Ji in an even warmer mood. “What do you mean ‘sell’? When you head down the mountain later, just take some with you. These fragrant mushrooms aren’t worth much up here in the mountains. After a rain, they spring up everywhere.”

“That’s ’cause your environment here’s so pristine.” Liu Datie gnawed on a chicken leg, his eyes drifting to the plum-sauced ribs. He only wished he had two mouths.

{The way Da Tie’s inhaling that food like a starving ghost… it must be seriously delicious.}

{Da Tie, slow down! Leave some for your bro!}

{Everything’s great, but where’s the link to buy it?! Daddy, your kid wants some!}

{Up top, we all know what you really want…}

Liu Datie soon swept the table clean. Chen Ji, sitting nearby, had eaten his fill too. He asked, “There’s more food at home. Want me to heat up a couple more dishes?”

Liu Datie waved him off. “Nah, if I finish this soup, it’s really gone.” He slumped in his chair, rubbing his belly and saying weakly, “I’m stuffed… Feels like I can hear the water sloshing around in there if I move.”

Chen Ji smiled and slowly began clearing the dishes. Liu Datie got up to help. By now, night had fallen, but viewers loved watching the two of them bustle about. The live stream audience broke past two hundred thousand.

Once everything was tidied away, Chen Ji said, “Want me to take you to light some incense for the Mountain Lord?”

“Oh, yeah, definitely!” Liu Datie was staying overnight in the temple, after all. Paying respects to Grandpa Mountain God was only right. Then something occurred to him. “Can I film it?”

Chen Ji thought for a moment. “You can shoot from outside the hall. No cameras inside the main sanctuary.”

He explained, “Pointing a lens at Grandpa Mountain God would be disrespectful… Truth is, everything in there is centuries old. The flash could damage them, so no filming. If the weather’s good tomorrow during the day, you could use your phone to live stream from inside… but don’t stay too long. Just a quick look.”

Liu Datie immediately covered his phone. “Bro, you can just say that outright?! Aren’t you worried about thieves?”

Chen Ji replied offhandedly, “On a mountain this high, who’d bother stealing? And even if they did, good luck getting back down.”

If someone could actually steal away the Mountain Lord, Chen Ji wouldn’t just stand by—he’d set off firecrackers, strings and strings of them. Two strings wouldn’t cut it; he’d go from dawn till dusk for three straight days.

“Sounds good! Don’t want my stream causing you any trouble.” Missing Chen Ji’s implication, Liu Datie relaxed and uncovered his phone. “Got it! I’ll just leave the phone outside the main hall.”

With that settled, Chen Ji led him over. Liu Datie kept narrating for the stream as they walked. “Heading to pay respects to Grandpa Mountain Lord now… Mountain Lord is just another name for the mountain god. Since I’m crashing at the Mountain Lord Temple tonight, of course I’ve gotta light some incense!”

“Incense money… Oh yeah!” Liu Datie turned to Chen Ji. “Can I pay by scan code here?”

Chen Ji shook his head. “No need for incense money. It’s all voluntary.”

“You gotta take it.” Liu Datie glanced around. Maybe it was the nightfall, but the rundown temple yard piled with renovation materials took on an eerie vibe. He knew it was just his imagination—he wasn’t familiar with the place… And look at the guy ahead of him. He seemed perfectly fine.

…Or maybe because he couldn’t see it?

Dark humor.

Liu Datie couldn’t help but chuckle. Chen Ji turned at the sound, and he waved it off. “Nothing, nothing. Just a funny comment in chat.”

The live stream filled with ‘???’, demanding to know what had him laughing.

Liu Datie deflected with a joke. “Nah, just feeling a bit chilly…”

He’d let the truth slip without thinking—from the walk to the main hall, the air had grown colder the closer they got. It was prime spring weather in March or April, but even his toes felt icy. No idea why… Probably just the mountain chill!

Chen Ji said, “I’ve got some spare clothes back at my place. I’ll grab a few for you.”

Liu Datie didn’t stand on ceremony. He was shelling out tens of thousands for this one-night stream; a few clothes were no big deal.

Soon they reached the main hall. Liu Datie propped his phone outside the door and turned off the flash. Unlike the city with its neon glow, out here in the mountains, it was too dark to make out more than vague shapes.

Chen Ji led Liu Datie inside and lit a candle nearby. “It’s a bit dim… No electricity in the main hall, and hardly anyone comes at night anyway.”

Liu Datie had been puzzled, but Chen Ji’s explanation put him at ease. Suddenly, he felt like he could really consider Chen Ji a true friend—talking to him was just that comfortable.

Handsome face, steady demeanor, great voice, high EQ, killer cooking skills, and loaded to boot… Liu Datie couldn’t think of a single reason not to be buddies.

Put a guy like Chen Ji in college, and he’d have tons of admirers trailing him everywhere, hollering “godfather” and “daddy” left and right!

Liu Datie took in the main hall. The first thing that caught his eye was the statue wrapped in thick purple satin that gleamed almost black in the candlelight. It gave him a start at first glance, but with Chen Ji right there, what was there to fear?

Just as Chen Ji had said, everything was ancient—clearly aged, with patches of repairs that couldn’t hide the patina of time. But it was spotlessly clean…

Liu Datie spotted the robot vacuum in the corner… Yeah, modern folks knew how to make life easier! No needless suffering.

Chen Ji drew three sticks of incense from the altar table, lit them, shook out the flames, and handed them to Liu Datie. Liu Datie knelt on the prayer mat, incense in hand. He thought seriously for a moment—first, a safe trip down the mountain, no mishaps, no PR disasters. Then, striking it rich!

As he prayed, he noticed Chen Ji’s gaze. He looked up instinctively and saw Chen Ji staring fixedly in his direction, half his body shrouded in shadow. From this angle, Liu Datie could just make out Chen Ji’s eyes—pitch black, reflecting no light.

For some reason, those eyes felt eerily familiar, though he couldn’t place why. The moment passed, and he lost the will to pray more. He hastily kowtowed three times to the Mountain Lord, stood, and stuck the incense into the burner.

“All set.” Chen Ji said mildly, “Time to head back and sleep.”

Liu Datie agreed, but he felt goosebumps for no reason. He hurried out of the main hall, and only once he crossed the threshold did the creepy feeling ease. He picked up his phone, about to chat with viewers, when it hit him why Chen Ji’s eyes seemed familiar.

They were exactly like those of the frail octo- and nonagenarians he’d seen in the village, staring blankly on their deathbeds!

The realization sent a chill straight to the top of his head. Just then, Chen Ji appeared behind him. “What’s up?”

“N-nothing.” Liu Datie said awkwardly. “You walk so quietly…”

Even the live stream viewers jumped.

{Holy crap, bro popped up outta nowhere—I thought it was a ghost!}

{That’s creepy as hell. Da Tie, you sure about staying the night?!}

{Hiss… Anyone know what’s up with this?}

Chen Ji brushed it off. He walked Liu Datie back to the guest room and then retired to rest. Once he was sure Chen Ji was gone, Liu Datie scrolled through the comments in a hushed voice. “This place does feel kinda off to me too…”

“Anyone in the know? What have I stumbled into?”

The live stream chat overflowed with all sorts of messages, including some that comforted Liu Datie by saying the worst-case scenario was that they’d drag him to the compound and fatten him up like a piglet. Before long, a particular barrage caught Liu Datie’s attention:

{That little bro looks seriously ill—he’s probably on death’s door.}

{Streamer, look out for yourself. There might be real gods in the temple; don’t offend them.}

Liu Datie let out a sigh of relief upon seeing this. “That’s good, that’s good… I’ll donate extra sesame oil money tomorrow!”

With that, he slapped his forehead. “I’m such a fool! Why didn’t I think of offering sesame oil money earlier?! Should I head over right now?”