Of course, the instigator of all this remains blissfully unaware.
The next morning, Ning An woke up early, stretched his muscles slightly, and the sound of dragons roaring and tigers growling echoed.
"No surprise that it's the system, what it gives is really good."
Ning An sighed to himself for a moment, then began his typical day.
After finishing miscellaneous tasks in the temple, Ning An opened the livestream effortlessly.
After all, if he wants to continue receiving rewards, attracting incense burners to make wishes through livestreaming is the right way.
The moment he opened the livestream, Ning An's mouth hung open in shock.
Thousands of viewers instantly poured in, and the number was steadily increasing.
Ning An touched his chin in confusion.
Is this popularity perhaps the manifestation of the founding master?
"Good morning, Little Daoist... Is our Daoist Master really this handsome now! Okay, okay, no wonder my girlfriend shared a livestream so reluctantly, she was hogging it all!"
"Shut it, you lovesick fool! Daoist Master, can I ask where this temple is located? I want my ex-boyfriend to visit and pay respects sometime."
"I've seen online that making wishes with incense here is very effective. As the Supervisor, what's your stance on this claim?"
"Is a stance even necessary? Seeking stability and being forcefully suppressed by the anti-terrorism group, sentenced to life imprisonment, is that stance okay?"
Speaking of this cap-wearing guy, those who were in the livestream yesterday suddenly had peculiar expressions.
"I...I'm not..." Ning An felt a swirl of emotions, but ultimately chose not to explain further, just sighed deeply.
But still, as they say, being controversial is still popularity!
Imagining scenes of incense burners flocking in the future, Ning An's eyes gleamed with shining light, his voice naturally raised a few pitches:
"Welcome, all patrons, to our Changchun Temple's livestream."
"Here at Changchun Temple, we uphold... principles, agree with... stances, and welcome everyone to burn incense and pray for blessings."
Seeing the bustling livestream, Ning An excitedly rubbed his hands together.
The conversion from online to offline doesn't even need ten, just a few decimal points and he'll eat well for years!
But now, even regular incense burners at the temple couldn't help but roll their eyes.
They dare to visit a decent temple, but who dares to visit one that's so proper it's freaky?
No matter how Ning An's gaze seemed elusive on the screen, many viewers bluntly expressed "harsh words."
"Little Daoist, other places worry about whether the incense prayers are effective, yours worry about whether it's sinister, I just want to have a few more years with my family."
"Your place practices a 'read and forget' mode; who dares to test the law with their body."
"Daoist Master, another day, another day I will definitely visit."
In a rule-of-law society, feudal superstitions aren't advocated, but selective beliefs are the current trend.
If the left eye twitches, it's wealth.
If the right eye twitches, it's an intermittent, involuntary spasm of the orbicularis oculi muscle controlled by the facial nerves!
The image of yesterday's cap-wearing guy being arrested is still vivid; the rights and wrongs, who's concerned about them, anyway, nobody wants to test the law with their body.
What if?
Seeing this scene, Ning An suddenly felt as if he'd been kicked out.
Originally, he planned to capitalize on yesterday's buzz for promotion, but the mistake was underestimating just how firmly people choose their superstitions.
As he felt a subtle unease inside, a knocking sound echoed.
"Hello... is anyone here?"
Hearing the voice, Ning An instantly felt there was still hope for what felt like a cold corpse.
"Yes, yes, yes, patron, please stay!"
Ning An hurriedly put down the tea cup and went out to greet the visitor.
Outside Changchun Temple.
From afar, Ning An saw a middle-aged woman, judging by her attire, probably from a nearby village.
Regardless of whether there's incense money, all who come are guests; the Daoist family does not disdain the poor or flatter the rich.
Ning An warmly welcomed her, asking:
"Auntie, I'm the Supervisor here at the temple; are you looking for directions or just taking a rest?"
Looking at the handsome young Daoist in front of her, the farmwoman felt a bit shy, clutching her faded shirt tightly, she lowered her head and spoke softly:
"I... I came to make a wish."
Hearing this, before Ning An could speak, the viewers in the livestream became anxious.
"No way, who comes here to burn incense, streamer, you should advise her."
"Streamer: Guess what my job is, haha, this cracks me up."
"Haha, haha, fooling around is one thing, but belief is important in the countryside; if the Daoist Master dares to disagree, by night, the village chief could send seven or eight strong men to level your temple."
"So thrilling! Just the way I like it."
Seeing the livestream comments, Ning An was quite moved.
Originally considering doubling the incense money, maybe that'll wait a bit.
Seeing the worried woman in front of him, Ning An laughed heartily:
"Woman patron, rest assured, whatever wish you have, just tell it to the founding master, he won't ignore it."
Ning An led the woman inside while gently reassuring her.
After all, using psychology as fortune-telling is an old Daoist tradition.
In no time, the woman was led to the incense hall, her expression now somewhat relaxed, she timidly asked:
"Daoist Master, is making a wish here effective?"
Upon hearing this, Ning An felt assured, confidently replied!
"Patron, rest assured, the immortals here are usually quite free, as long as you sincerely wish, the immortals are listening in the heavens, you'll definitely get what you desire!"
"Just like yesterday, another patron wished for stability, and by afternoon, joined a national agency. Auntie, isn't government agency life the most stable?"
Ning An selectively spoke about yesterday's event but promised he'd told the truth, no falsehoods!
It's not that he didn't want to share the full truth, but rather feared the woman would run away upon hearing it.
After all, who wouldn't be alarmed hearing that a wish for stability led to life imprisonment?
Moreover, he can't believe everyone's that unlucky.
The viewers in the livestream chimed in.
"Don't think our Little Daoist doesn't look the part, when he speaks, it's like a well-oiled routine."
"But the streamer really didn't lie, wished for stability in the morning, joined in the afternoon, doesn't prison count as a national agency?"
"Well, but, okay, I really can't refute."
Hearing someone wished for stability and joined a national agency in the afternoon, the woman's eyes seemed to brighten somewhat.
"Civil servant, huh? Civil servants are good; my daughter's nearly graduating from graduate school but can't even find a decent job, sigh."
"If my boy studied as well as his sister, he wouldn't have failed the first-tier university entrance."
Originally having both a son and a daughter was her pride in the village.
But her youngest son's lack of progress was her greatest worry.
The youngest son's education was poor, he didn't go out to find a job, stayed at home either asking for money to fool around or lying in bed, playing games intensely.
Burning incense and praying was just to hope for some peace.
Listening to the confident words from the Little Daoist before her, the woman's eyes sparked with some hope.
"Patron, I'll repeat, when we make wishes to the immortals, regardless of outcome, incense money isn't refunded, please confirm."
The woman instantly became anxious, gripping tighter: "Incense is a tribute to the Immortal Senior, regardless of outcome, what kind of reason is there to take it back?"
With that, the woman directly grabbed three sticks of incense from the case, holding them tightly, though still timid, her expression was resolute.
"If it happens, it's because the Immortal Senior pities me; if it doesn't, it's because my heart isn't sincere, insincerity insults him, isn't that courting disaster?"
"I am sincerely dedicated to the immortal!"
"Daoist Master, I wish to make a wish!"