Five or six fully armed Protectors burst into the Fortune-telling House.

"Don't move!"

"Nobody move!"

The Protectors raised their guns, all of them aimed at Xia Liang.

? Xia Liang was bewildered.

"Someone reported a kidnapping here," one of the Protectors barked at Yan Qianwei. "What's your name?"

"I... I'm Yan Qianwei," she said cautiously. "Uncle Protector, is there some misunderstanding?"

Xia Liang felt a wave of helplessness. There really isn't one.

"Be quiet and don't move!"

Two Protectors moved to restrain Xia Liang.

"Yes, that's right! It's a misunderstanding! Uncle Protector, it's all a misunderstanding!"

"What is all this nonsense? You're coming with us to the police station."

Xia Liang was speechless. Why do I have to go to the station again?

Under the circumstances, he certainly couldn't pull out his work ID and tell them he was a colleague. With so many netizens watching, who knows what rumors would spread. A headline would probably appear by tomorrow: *Shocking! Qingyun City Criminal Investigation Division Consultant is a Fortune Teller!* That's the kind of news that would pop up.

As they were escorted into a police car, the live stream chat exploded.

"Whoa, this is getting serious!"

"The Anchor's been taken to the station!"

"I can't tell if the Anchor is the liability, or if his bestie is."

"Obviously, the Anchor is the liability. The bestie was just following his orders."

"A live broadcast from the police station! The Anchor must be the first to do it, haha!"

"Wow, this is my first time seeing the inside of a police car!"

Due to Yan Qianwei's status as the supposed victim, the Protectors didn't ask her to end the live stream. It just so happened that the station was running a "Civilized Law Enforcement" publicity week and was short on video material. They figured they might as well use the footage this young woman was shooting. This stroke of luck allowed the viewers to glimpse the interior of a police car, and just like that, Yan Qianwei experienced her first ride in one.

「...」

"And that's what happened, Uncle Protector."

After a detailed explanation, the Protectors finally let him go.

"Young man, no offense, but you're young and presentable. Can't you find a legitimate profession?" the officer said. "Why get involved in this superstitious nonsense? Can you blame us for being suspicious?"

"You're right, you're right." Xia Liang rubbed his temples, a headache forming. There was nothing to be done.

Beside him, however, Yan Qianwei was displeased. It wasn't clear if it was out of guilt or because she was genuinely convinced by Xia Liang's skills. She began to argue on his behalf.

"Uncle Protector, Xia Liang has real abilities! He's not a fraud!"

The Protector just smiled, a look on his face that clearly said he thought young women were gullible.

"Heh, the Uncle Protector is about to be proven wrong!"

"That familiar expression, the familiar smackdown... ah, this is just delicious!"

"Waiting for the Master to blow the Uncle Protector's mind."

"Go, Master! Show them what you can do! Let them see your power!"

The viewers in the live stream were buzzing with excitement again. There was more drama to watch. They were the happiest of all, reveling in the chaos. The stream's popularity had already soared to number one on the platform. The viewers who had been drawn in by the super chat alert had all stayed to watch the novelty of an anchor being taken to the police station, keeping the stream's popularity at the top spot.

Thanks to explanations from the early viewers, newcomers also grew curious about Xia Liang. Of course, most remained skeptical. Some even scoffed, eager to see him make a fool of himself. The Uncle Protector also saw the flood of comments, which piqued his curiosity.

"Young man, it seems you have some skills! Some of these viewers hold you in high regard."

"Not at all. The viewers are just being generous," Xia Liang said modestly, raising an eyebrow.

"I see the netizens have made bets with you before. Well, I'll make a bet with you now. If I expose you as a fraud, you shut down this shop and find a proper job. But if you manage to convince me, I'll be the first to defend you if anyone calls you a charlatan. How about it, young man? Do you dare to take the bet?"

The Uncle Protector gave a cryptic smile. This officer was no ordinary man. He specialized in dealing with fraudsters who exploited superstitious beliefs and knew plenty of their tricks. The department had sent him as soon as they heard Xia Liang ran a Fortune-telling House. The officer didn't mean to be aggressive; he simply wanted to persuade Xia Liang to back down and find a respectable profession.

The live stream erupted again.

"Take the bet! Master, we support you!"

"I've never seen an Uncle Protector get owned before, hehe!"

"Hmph, the Uncle Protector isn't a gullible fool like the rest of you. He'll definitely expose this trickster's schemes."

"This guy's obviously new here."

"Bro, your perspective is too narrow!"

Yan Qianwei sat quietly to the side, secretly enjoying the show. This had nothing to do with her now.

Sighing, Xia Liang thought, I've been put on the spot again. He could see from the man's line of causality that the officer meant no harm, and in fact, was surprisingly experienced in this field.

"Impressive," Xia Liang said. "If you were in my line of work, the average person would never see through your act."

"Hm?"

Hearing this, the Uncle Protector's heart skipped a beat, but his expression remained a perfect mask of calm.

As expected of a veteran Protector, Xia Liang remarked inwardly. His composure is impressive. Anyone else would have shown a reaction to that.

"Young man, I'm impressed that you know about my background, but that's not enough to convince me," the officer said, recovering smoothly. "I can't speak for other regions, but around here, anyone in your business knows who I am."

The Uncle Protector lifted his teacup with a hint of smugness, smiling as he blew on the steaming liquid.

Then don't blame me for bringing out the big guns, Xia Liang thought, annoyed by the man's smugness.

"Ahem!" he cleared his throat and said with a smile, "Sir, you should probably change those socks with the three holes in them."

PFFT!

The tea the Uncle Protector had just taken a sip of sprayed all over the face of the Protector next to him. Cup still in hand, he stared at Xia Liang in utter shock.

"Hahaha, the Uncle Protector's socks!"

"The Master is right again! I'm kneeling!"

"This live stream has some real 'flavor'."

"I've been watching all afternoon. I'm not even fazed by the Uncle Protector's shocked expression anymore."

"I'm not surprised at all. In fact, it's starting to get a little boring."

The viewers in the chat were roaring with laughter. The newcomers spammed "Kneeling!" and soon, every stream on the platform knew that there was an Immortal in Yan Qianwei's broadcast.

The most shocked of all was the Uncle Protector himself. He still hadn't recovered.

How... How is this possible? he thought, his mind reeling. I was on a 24-hour shift yesterday, and my socks only tore then. That's so embarrassing, nobody would ever mention it. None of my colleagues know. How could he possibly know?

The Uncle Protector's eyes were filled with a terror so profound it was as if he'd seen a ghost. His expression made Xia Liang and Yan Qianwei's skin crawl.

"Um, are you okay?" Xia Liang ventured, breaking the tense silence.

The officer gasped for air. "You... you... you... what are you? Are you human or a ghost?"

At that moment, the Uncle Protector's expression bordered on madness.

Why does this seem so familiar? Xia Liang wondered, feeling a bit tense himself. Damn it, isn't this exactly what happened with Yan Qianwei?

He shot a sharp glare at Yan Qianwei, but she was too preoccupied with staring nervously at the officer and missed his look.

He quickly turned back and traced the Uncle Protector's line of causality once more.

He let out a long sigh of relief.

Good thing he's not armed. That scared me to death!

Knowing from the line of causality that the Uncle Protector didn't have his gun, Xia Liang finally allowed himself to relax.

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