I Went Crazy Killing in the World of Gods and Demons - Chapter 55

Chapter 55

The title of that post went like this:

Fellow netizens!! Be cautious when attending performances!! Especially those bringing elderly parents or children to showsyou MUST choose the right program!! Last month, I took my parents to see Butterfly Lovers, and after returning home, it left both elders traumatized. They fell ill for a full month, and now I’m weeping tears of regret while caring for them in the hospital!!!

Main content: Here’s what happened. Last month, I had a three-month vacation and thought, since I hadn’t spent much time with my elderly parents lately, I’d take them out for some fun to lift their spirits. Coincidentally, Butterfly Lovers was trending online with tons of organic hype, so I brought them to see it. The truth is, the production is indeed excellentso excellent, in fact, that my parents became overly immersed in the story. After the show, they came home wielding a feather duster to whack me, lamenting why they hadn’t sent me to learn dance when I was young. They’ve been muttering about it obsessively, as if possessed, and their health started declining with minor ailments, leading to frequent hospital visits. It was way too intense. A word of caution to those planning to bring elders or kids to live performances: think twice!! Their mental state is fragile and can’t handle the impact of such tragic beauty!!!

The replies below had already erupted into chaos.

1L: This is the funniest blame-shifting I’ve seen all year. You didn’t take proper care of your own elders, they got sick, and you’re blaming the dance drama? Are you off your meds?

2L: I agree! How can anyone’s mental state be that fragile? Butterfly Lovers is such a major IPeven kids and seniors can chat about it. If you’re claiming they fell ill because of the play, I’m not buying it.

3L: Fame attracts jealousy. Just because this little show got popular, haters are scrambling for reasons to criticize. Honestly, linking illness to watching a performance is a weak and far-fetched connection.

4L: Actually, this just shows how well-produced the dance drama is. The haters can’t even find a real flaw, so they invent this storyline about elders getting sick from watching ithow ridiculous. They’re wasting their talent by not becoming scriptwriters.

5L: After reading the original post, all I can say is how absurd it is. Seriously, OP’s imagination is way too vivid.

…

Most of the replies were from fans of the dance drama and Xia Ke’er’s supporters defending and explaining.

However, a few others came forward reporting similar issues as described by the original poster.

45L: I’ve been meaning to say this tooI brought my nine-year-old niece to the show. She’s a young cosplayer and has been to plenty of conventions with me, but this time, she came back traumatized and fell ill. My mom even scolded me over it, and I got sick tooalmost saw my grandma coming to fetch me (lol). Initially, I thought my niece just caught a chill, but after seeing OP’s post, it made me think of Butterfly Lovers.

56L: Elders and children naturally have weaker constitutions; they really shouldn’t be exposed to such intense sensory stimulation. Let’s be realwhile Butterfly Lovers is a classic story, the live performance was overwhelmingly powerful. When I sat in the front row, I could even smell something like the scent of blood by the end. I think people with fragile mental states or who are easily frightened should probably avoid watching it.

77L: I can only say that Xia Ke’er and her team are truly pursuing ultimate perfectionthe live performance was absolutely breathtaking! Honestly, while watching it, I felt like my soul had been stolen too. It was so immersive, so beautiful!

At this point, Xie Qingling closed the webpage and didn’t continue reading.

She had already formed her judgment about this matter, though some key details remained unclear.

Watching Xia Ke’er’s performance did indeed cause a certain degree of influence, but not everyone was affected. Currently, it appeared that the elderly and children were more susceptible to problems.

From common characteristics, both the elderly and children generally have weaker physical constitutionsmore prone to illness, and… more easily contaminated by unclean things.

As for physically stronger young adultswere they completely unaffected, or were the effects simply too minor to manifest yet?

Xie Qingling had no way of knowing.

Xia Ke’er’s performances sold 450 tickets per show, with every session packed to capacity.

“Liang Zhu” had been running for over two months now. Even without daily performances, given the show’s popularity, the number of live viewers was considerable. Its reach was extensive, and one could imagine that if it continued, more people would fall under its influence.

She needed to prevent more people from falling into this unknown trap before the situation worsened.

Xie Qingling’s expression grew solemn.

It was now 7:30 PMstill early. Xie Qingling had originally intended to stroll outside, but instead she returned directly to the office.

She wanted to consult ancient texts to see if there were precedents for cases like Xia Ke’er’s, and whether proven solutions existed.

By the time she reached the office, it was 8 PM.

The office was empty now. Xie Qingling turned on the lights and began searching through the archives for relevant case records while simultaneously consulting the Book of Observation, hoping to uncover some clues.

Xie Qingling didn’t work long that night before she found a lead.

“Raising little ghosts…” Xie Qingling murmured.

Similar cases had appeared in the department’s archived records.

There was one case from thirty years agobefore Xie Qingling was even born.

A female celebrity who rose to fame overnight committed suicide by charcoal burning in her home less than two years after her peak. While media outlets claimed she died from depression, the department’s files clearly documented that she had invited a little ghost into her home seeking fame and success.

Not long after, the celebrity suffered a backlash that ultimately cost her life.

Considering Xia Ke’er’s transition from obscurity to sudden fame, the theory that she might be keeping some supernatural entity seemed quite plausible.

The scent of incense offerings emanating from her further supported this hypothesis.

However, Xie Qingling couldn’t determine what kind of “ghost” Xia Ke’er might be raising.

The female celebrity who died thirty years ago had kept a little ghost that provided her with endless resources and mesmerizing beauty, catapulting her to overnight stardom. But it was also highly sinisterfeeding on the keeper’s blood until it drained the celebrity dry within a short period.

This little ghost’s malevolence only targets the female celebrity herself? The files don’t record anyone around the female celebrity being affected in any way.

This point is actually quite different from Xia Ke’er.

It seems I’ll need to watch this dance drama again to confirm.

Xie Qingling quickly made arrangements.

She took out her communicator and sent a message to Ling Fang.

[Xie Qingling: Minister, if I discover a certain female celebrity might be keeping a little ghost, and to investigate the situation I bought very expensive tickets, can the department reimburse this expense?]

After a while, Ling Fang replied to her message.

[Code Zero: What ghost have you encountered again? Aren’t you on vacation?]

[Xie Qingling: I don’t know what ghost it is either, that’s what I’m investigating. First answer whether it can be reimbursed]

[Code Zero: If it can be confirmed to be case-related, it can be reimbursed.]

Having gotten a definite answer, Xie Qingling felt relieved.

She spent a huge amount online to buy a scalped ticket.

A full three thousand yuan.

Even though it would be reimbursed, Xie Qingling still felt a pang of pain.

The next morning, Xie Qingling went down to the first floor.

Ye Anran and Dai Xingyu, who had already finished writing their self-criticisms, were sitting in the first-floor lobby. One was furiously writing a self-criticism, while the other was drinking coffee and scrolling through videos.

From Ye Anran’s phone came the sound of Xia Ke’er being interviewed:

“…Ke’er is known as a workaholic, do you plan to continue performing so intensively?”

“Probably not. The schedule has been too packed recently, my body is too tired. After May, I plan to take a vacation and relax.”

“I heard Ke’er’s movie is in preparation. Ke’er’s popularity keeps rising. What would you like to say to your supporting fans?”

“…Thank you for your support. I need to become more excellent and work harder to deserve your support.”

“One last question – does Ke’er have a boyfriend now? There are many fan-made shipping videos online, haha. What’s Ke’er’s ideal type?”

“Of course not.” Xia Ke’er laughed. “My entire life will be dedicated to my dance career. I want to devote the most brilliant and beautiful years of my life to the stage I deeply love.”

Xie Qingling walked over and asked, “Are you following celebrities too?”

Ye Anran put down her phone, thought for a moment, and said, “Not really. It’s just that I keep getting her recommendations recently and can’t help clicking on them. Don’t you think she has great public appeal? When people see her, they can’t help but like her and want to know more about her?”

…If she weren’t keeping a little ghost, this would be hard to explain.

“By the way, didn’t you watch the live version of Butterfly Lovers yesterday? How was it? Worth seeing? Was it good?” Ye Anran asked enthusiastically.

Xie Qingling looked somewhat conflicted and replied, “It was good, but… something felt off.”

“What?”

“I suspect Xia Ke’er is keeping a little ghost. I’m planning to go again today to confirm.”

This statement was like a bolt from the blue. After being stunned for several seconds, Ye Anran finally exclaimed with a shocked expression: “Holy shit!!!”

Ridiculous!

Why does Xie Qingling always manage to say such face-twisting things so casually!

Also, wasn’t she on vacation?

How did she run into another supernatural incident again?!

Is this even reasonable?!

Ye Anran stared blankly as she turned off her phone. Whatever Xia Ke’er, whatever female celebrityinstantly lost all appeal, not a shred of interest remained.

The thought that all this was being manipulated by some entity made Ye Anran, who dealt with such beings year-round, feel nauseous.

“What? What? Sister Anran, where are you going?” Dai Xingyu looked up from his busy work, joining their conversation.

Xie Qingling smiled and said, “Brother Xingyu, are you free today? I’ll treat you to a dance drama.”

“Sure, sure, I’m not busy anyway.” After agreeing, Dai Xingyu remembered something and pointed at Ye Anran, grinning mischievously. “Is Sister Anran coming? If I go with you to watch the dance drama and leave her alone, won’t I get beaten up?”

Xie Qingling: “…”

Ye Anran: “…”

He looked so punchable.

But Ye Anran wasn’t angry at all. Instead, she wagged her finger and said, “No, no, you’re still too young. Do you think this is just about watching a dance drama? This is overtime work! The world is a treacherous place, little brother!”

Dai Xingyu: “…”

He didn’t want to go anymore.

But Xie Qingling wouldn’t take no for an answer.

Amid Dai Xingyu’s dramatic wails, his plans to attend the dance drama with Xie Qingling were finalized.

It was the weekend, and the weekend show was from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

So Dai Xingyu still had to work normally during the day, and then in the evening… accompany Xie Qingling on her “overtime.”

Just thinking about it made Dai Xingyu want to shed tears for his youth and the treachery of the world.

At 5:30 p.m., the audience began entering.

Xie Qingling waved the tickets in her hand. “Let’s go, Brother Xingyu.”

She had bought another ticket from a scalper and spent an extra five hundred yuan to get a seat next to hers for easier communication.

Dai Xingyu sighed and followed her into the opera house.

It was the same theater, the same lighting, the same setmisty and breathtakingly beautiful.

The Butterfly Lovers began.

Xia Ke’er made her entrance.

The tickets bought from the scalper were neither great nor terrible. At over three thousand yuan each, they only secured Xie Qingling and Dai Xingyu middle-row seats, surrounded by people in front and behind.

Another show with 100% attendance.

Not long after the performance started, Xie Qingling leaned over and whispered to Dai Xingyu in an extremely soft voice, “How does it look?”

Dai Xingyu’s expression turned serious. He replied quietly, “She’s covered in death auranot long for this world. But…”

“But what?”

“Aside from the death aura, I don’t see any other energy on her for now,” Dai Xingyu said. “Like with Chai Yuhuwhen I saw him, I could see his death aura and also the sinister energy from the ghost haunting him. But this Xia Ke’er… it seems like nothing is attached to her. She’s very clean.”

Xie Qingling frowned upon hearing this.

It was indeed tricky.

No wonder that voice hadn’t spoken upon the surface, Xia Ke’er really did seem “completely fine.”

But recalling the slightly eerie posts netizens had shared online, Xie Qingling wasn’t so sure.

It seems the spirit behind Xia Ke’er is deeply hidden.

Neither of them had actually come to watch the performance. Since they had confirmed Xia Ke’er was indeed problematic, it was time for them to leave.

Next, Xie Qingling planned to first report the matter to Ling Fang, then see if they could find a way to cancel the remaining performances of this dance drama. This would prevent more people from being affected and minimize the impact.

The two left midway, remaining somewhat silent along the way.

Xie Qingling asked Dai Xingyu, “In this kind of situation, can we directly order the dance troupe to stop performing and discontinue the related repertoire?”

“Without concrete evidence of ghoul activity, our department doesn’t have the authority to force them to stop the performances. Otherwise, we’d receive complaints, and the Logistics Department would have a hard time handling it. To make them stop, we must have solid proof of Xia Ke’er’s abnormality. Relying solely on reasoning isn’t feasible.”

“If we act on suspicions too often, it becomes easy to chase shadows and create chaos. Our department’s authority isn’t limitless. Moreover, if the basis for our reasoning is just a few online comments… you have to understand, netizens have wild imaginations. Sometimes you can’t even tell if they’re making up stories or joking. It’s hard to use that to convince others.”

“I understand. I’ll find a way,” Xie Qingling said.

She drove in front while Dai Xingyu sat in the back. They sped through the city as night fell.

Suddenly, Dai Xingyu said gravely, “Pull over at the next intersection.”

“What’s wrong?”

“We’re being followed.”

Dai Xingyu said, “Following a Herdsman… they’re really asking for death.”