Chapter 37: Opening Fire on the Livestream, May Weibo Be Forever Submerged Beneath the Cesspool

Since the decision has been made, it is time for a fight to the death.

At eight o'clock in the evening, with all eyes upon him, Xu Qingfeng went live right on schedule.

The attention drawn by this broadcast was even higher than before. With Weibo having issued a gag order, the entire entertainment industry denouncing him, and his previous streams being shut down, the public's appetite for "tea" had been thoroughly ignited.

The moment the stream started, the view count hit over 100,000 within a minute. Xu Qingfeng hadn't said a word yet, but the chat was already a dense wall of text. Other celebrities and streamers were drooling with envy.

[Is the streamer resurrected?]
[Do you have any idea how I’ve been living these past few days?]
[Get on with it! Kill, kill, kill!]
[Brother, if I don't watch your stream for a day, I feel like I'm going to fall apart.]
[Where are the glasses? I’m asking you, where are the glasses?]
[Someone get the streamer his glasses!]

"Glasses? What glasses? The streamer isn't wearing glasses today," Xu Qingfeng said, looking at the dense stream of comments. He turned on "Tears Behind Iron Bars." "I'm an entertainment streamer, guys. Listen to some music and relax."

[I can't even... listening to "Tears Behind Iron Bars" to relax?]
[The young hero has exquisite taste.]
[What kind of entertainment streamer are you? Is that really your style? We only want to see the bomber.]
[You can fool the guys, but don't start believing it yourself.]
[Start the blast! Start the blast!]

Xu Qingfeng wasn't pleased. "How am I not an entertainment streamer? 'Tears Behind Iron Bars,' 'Impulsive Punishment,' 'Love for Sale'—these songs are sharp critiques of current affairs, hitting the nail on the head. Which one isn't a great song?"

[Fine, fine, if you say so. When are you going to start calling names?]
[Hurry up, streamer. I have a dinner party later; I’m waiting for the inside scoop.]

Xu Qingfeng sighed. "You all underestimate me. But as for calling names, that's off the table today. Today, the streamer is going to tell you a story."

[???]
[No, wait a minute? At a time like this, you're going to tell a story?]
[Heartbroken!]

Xu Qingfeng picked up his cup, took a sip of water, and began to display his talent.

"After Pangu created the world, in the twilight of the primordial era..."

The very first sentence made the audience lose their composure.

[Damn it, are you really starting from Pangu creating the world?]
[Buddy, you’re getting a bit abstract.]
[I’m here for the drama, who wants to hear a story? I'm out.]

Watching the skepticism in the chat, Xu Qingfeng wasn't angry; he just continued happily.

"In the twilight of the primordial era, when Cangjie was creating characters, a drop of ink fell. This drop, imbued with spiritual energy, fell into the netherworld, where it was corrupted and transformed into a fierce beast named 'Wei.' Those who saw it would lose their minds, or worse, be reduced to dry bones. It was truly terrifying."

[??? Are you actually going through with this?]
[Let's go, the streamer has been castrated.]
[My intuition tells me this story isn't as simple as it seems.]

The stream's popularity dipped slightly, but it was quickly offset by new viewers, so it was hardly noticeable.

Xu Qingfeng continued: "Speaking of this Wei, it looked quite bizarre, with a rather 'cyber' aesthetic. This beast didn't have fur on its chest; instead, it grew a bronze mirror. Though it had a mirror, it didn't display anything, which the world considered a bizarre phenomenon."

"Then one day, a beast who dreamed of fame heard about this and felt there must be something fishy. So, he gathered countless treasures and offered them to Wei. Wei swallowed the treasures in one gulp and stared at the beast with its blood-red maw wide open. The beast hurriedly offered more, and the bronze mirror on Wei's chest began to shine brightly, displaying a few large words:"

Xu Qingfeng suddenly stopped and picked up his water.

[??? What's next!]
[I'm reporting you!]
[No, you really deserve to die!]
[Keep going!]

Glancing at the chat, Xu Qingfeng felt confident; the numbers hadn't dropped much.

"Let's continue. The bronze mirror on Wei's chest suddenly erupted with a dazzling light. A golden ray shot straight into the sky—the Vermilion Bird flew across the void, the True Dragon roared, the White Tiger howled, and the Black Tortoise rose and fell. The celestial phenomenon shocked the entire primordial world. The Heavenly Court, the Underworld, the mortal realm, and the demon realm were all shaken. All the gods, immortals, and ghosts thought something major had happened, so they bathed, burned incense, and craned their necks to look up at the sky, waiting to hear the will of heaven."

"Who knows how much time passed? Everyone's necks were about to break when the golden light finally dissipated, revealing seven shimmering words: 'A certain beast choked on water.'"

[???]
[Wait, my head is itching.]
[Damn, I get it now. Isn't this just the primordial version of Weibo?]
[Holy crap, 'Tiancai' (Sweet Beet)!]
[I envy your talent!]
[Explosive!]

The number of comments surged, and the screen was flooded with gifts.

Xu Qingfeng frowned. "Those seven inexplicable words shook the Three Realms and alarmed the Primordial Lord of Heaven. Even he couldn't understand the meaning. After careful calculation, he was so angry he cursed aloud. He reached out from thousands of miles away and slapped the beast to death. The seven words exploded, but the beast Wei was nowhere to be found."

[??? Streamer, I suspect you're implying something.]
[Holy crap, is Wei that powerful? Even the Primordial Lord of Heaven couldn't catch it?]
[Awesome, the streamer is so talented.]

Xu Qingfeng spoke with passion, the story becoming more exciting by the minute.

"Shocked, the Primordial Lord of Heaven invited the Grand Supreme Elderly Lord—the good incarnation of Laozi. Here comes the question: why the Grand Supreme Elderly Lord? Guys, type the answer in the chat."

Xu Qingfeng teased them.

[Because he's one of the Three Pure Ones, isn't that normal?]
[Because Laozi is awesome!]
[Haha, the streamer is a real talent.]

Xu Qingfeng shook his head. "Guys, the Grand Supreme Elderly Lord has an alchemy furnace, and it's quite magical. It's called the Bagua Furnace! Do you get it now? If you do, type '1' on the screen!"

[Holy crap, foreshadowing!]
[Awesome, streamer, hurry up and write a novel.]
[God-tier logic, using a Bagua Furnace to find a beast.]
[666, just donated.]

"That's right! Only the Bagua can restrain Wei! Carrying the Bagua Furnace and accompanied by the Primordial Lord of Heaven, the Grand Supreme Elderly Lord rushed into the netherworld. Guided by the furnace, Wei was finally caught. After 365 days of interrogation, Laozi finally discovered Wei's true face."

Xu Qingfeng spoke with fervor, and the audience listened with great interest.

"This beast, Wei, is unlike any known creature. Its characteristics are highly abstract. It has eighteen sins. Let me tell you about them one by one."

"The first sin is called 'False Flame Burning the Heavens.' This beast consumes wealth and can use the bronze mirror on its chest to project text into the sky—true or false, it goes to the highest bidder."

"The second sin is 'Lying Rain Corroding the Soul.' Its mouth periodically sprays acid rain. Those drenched by it lose their sanity. A peasant woman crying about a drought has her voice corroded by the rain, and by the time it spreads, it has become: 'Widow at the village entrance is having an affair.'"

"The third sin is 'Ghost Soldiers in Formation.' It is said that one should be laid to rest in peace, yet this beast often controls spirits, using the dead as soldiers. These ghosts charge while holding 'Legal Notice Warning' shields. Wherever they pass, the truth collapses, leaving only 'My brother is innocent' and 'My sister has been slandered' left by the roadside."

"The fourth sin is 'Gouging the Heart to Pry into Privacy...'"

"The fifth sin is 'Soul-Eating and Throat-Locking...'"

Xu Qingfeng spoke fluently. "These are the eighteen sins. After studying them, Laozi couldn't help but sigh: 'This beast commits countless evils, feeding on human greed, anger, and ignorance. It cannot be killed or wiped out; it is truly a scourge upon the world. It must be suppressed in a deep abyss of filth to prevent future trouble.'"

Xu Qingfeng clapped his hands. "The Primordial Lord of Heaven agreed and said: 'This beast is named Wei, but its body is massive and its supernatural powers are vast, so we can call it 'Bo' (Broad). Let's name it 'Weibo'!' And Laozi said, 'Well done.'"