Wandering Gods of Day and Night-Chapter 34 - 31 Headline

34: Chapter 31: Headline

34 -31: Headline

Zhou Xuan counted on his fingers one by one and said, “Mr.

Dai sent himself to his death and had meticulously planned this self-sacrifice in advance; that is true.

The Maitreya Buddha of the Corridor River is a fake Buddha; that is also true.

There’s something very eerie under the opera stage, truly bizarre beyond belief, with all the bones unearthed.”

“Which part isn’t true?” Yu Jia asked.

“The suicide ritual of Mr.

Dai…

it could have been any ritual, but it certainly was not a ‘faith’ enlightenment blood sacrifice.

His death is related to the six corpses from the ghost opera.”

Zhou Xuan had seen the filth, knowing it was the laughter of the six corpses that initiated the death feast of Mr.

Dai.

The laughter of the six corpses was like a horn, and after the laugh, hundreds of the one-eyed villagers from the Corridor River received the order and rushed to feast on Mr.

Dai.

He believed that he was the only one who actually witnessed this scene.

Zhou Xuan looked up at the sky and said, “I told Liu Tianen so many true things to lay the groundwork for the story of ‘Mr.

Dai dying in a blood sacrifice ritual.’ It was exhausting.

Ah…

in these times, even being a fraud isn’t simple, but thank goodness we got away with it.”

The most important part of this case was the cause of death of Mr.

Dai.

Due to his prominent status, if the cause of his death couldn’t be found, the constables couldn’t carelessly close the case.

In any era, the cases of big shots were always handled extremely seriously.

Without closing the case, the Investigation Bureau would probably pester the Zhou Family’s Troupe every few days, and how could the Zhou Family’s Troupe, which opened its doors for business, withstand such disturbances?

At this time, Yu Jia’s view of Zhou Xuan had changed.

Yu Jia was an expert in maneuvering in the business world and could see at a glance where the difficulty lay in Zhou Xuan’s storytelling —

— Zhou Xuan, after only a brief meeting with Liu Tianen, pointed out that Mr.

Dai had died in a blood sacrifice ritual, and yet this point was the false part.

This meant that in just one brief meeting, Zhou Xuan had clearly thought through the vast subsequent situation and led Liu Tianen step by step into the trap he had already set up.

Words like thorough thinking failed to fully describe this young master before him.

Young Master,

when did you become so capable?

Why didn’t you take me with you?

*Yu Jia was feeling quite envious, his speech somewhat dispirited,* “Young Master, since Mr.

Dai’s matter is settled, what do you still need me for?”

“The story is ultimately false.

No matter how closely it resembles the truth, it is not the truth itself!

Swift action leads to incomplete work, while patience might yield clarity.

Even though Liu Tianen is currently in the dark, he might take a breath one day and discover flaws in my story…”

“Then what should we do?”

“We act first, before he has time to catch his breath!”

“You mean…

take him out…”

*Yu Jia’s voice was somewhat trembling.

Although the Zhou Family’s Troupe had previously employed similar means, those people were from the martial arts world, so they did what they did.

This is the deputy director, and if we really act against him…*

“What are you thinking?

I’m not a born killer…

use your brain…”

Zhou Xuan, infuriated by Yu Jia, shook his hand and scolded him.

“You said not to allow him to catch his breath…”

*Yu Jia felt a little aggrieved.*

“I just meant not to let him catch his breath, not to take his breath away!”

Zhou Xuan grabbed the newspaper from the table, pressed it against Yu Jia’s chest, and said, “Spend some money to find reporters, have them stealthily photograph the bloody scene in the Earth Temple, write it into news, and publish it overnight, no matter the cost, even buy the front page headline!”

“Write in the news—Mr.

Dai feared aging, feared death, restarted the Corridor River blood sacrifice ritual from years ago, attempting to seek enlightenment and opportunities from the Alien Ghost to achieve immortality.”

“Isn’t that story you made up for Liu Tianen?”

“Yes!

But once it’s published in the newspaper, it’s no longer a story.

It will become an ironclad fact.”

Zhou Xuan explained to Yu Jia, “Mr.

Dai’s reputation is well-known; his death is a big deal in Ping Shui Prefecture and a hot potato for the constables.

Now it might not be so hot, but the constables might still be leisurely to drag on with the investigation,

but once it’s in the paper, causing an uproar among the public, with the public opinion heating up, the potato becomes too hot for anyone to handle.

Mr.

Bai Yun will think of calming the storm by coming out to apologize, and he’ll likely denounce Mr.

Dai as a rotten apple, proactively cutting ties.

The constables will aim to close the case quickly and issue case announcements to the media to show their efficiency in solving cases.

Most of my story holds up because it’s actually true.

As for Mr.

Dai’s cause of death being false…

When the public opinion reaches that level, who will still care about his true cause of death?

The Investigation Bureau and Mr.

Bai Yun will have no choice but to rush to use the story I made up to respond to the media and the public.”

A headline story would firmly solidify the fabricated story.

Yu Jia began listening in confusion but became more and more alarmed as he listened, using public opinion to force the Investigation Bureau and Mr.

Bai Yun to explain to the public.

Such a ruthless idea, he had never dared to think of before, but now hearing Zhou Xuan say it, he felt a bit excited.

After the excitement, he became fearful again.

“Young Master, this news will provoke Mr.

Bai Yun and the Investigation Bureau.

I’m afraid those reporters won’t dare to take it.”

“Perspective, open your perspective.

Ping Shui Prefecture’s newspaper industry is flourishing.

But there are many newspaper companies, all eager to grab the headlines and the spotlight.

In our news, we have a celebrity like Mr.

Dai, and it involves gods, blood sacrifice, and opportunities for immortality.

It’s full of explosive points.

As long as it’s published, it will certainly grab high interest.

Maybe one or two newspaper companies won’t dare to run it, but there will always be an ambitious, fearless one willing to publish it…”

Benefits over a hundred percent will drive people to take risks,

Benefits over three hundred percent will make people trample on everything in the world,

This news offers benefits far beyond three hundred percent; there will be newspaper companies vying to do it!”

Yu Jia was completely shocked!

He was a traditional businessman, always smiling at people when doing business, welcoming joy when opening doors, navigating with diplomacy, and never offending anyone.

In short, he was still following the old way of serving people.

On further reflection on Zhou Xuan’s methods today, from meeting Liu Tianen to planning to buy a headline, he switched roles from guest to host, sweeping away the humble posture of a businessman, with an attack as sharp as a knife.

At first glance, it didn’t seem like the usual business way, but upon deeper thought, all the methods could work and were full of hidden intricacies.

“Can business and work be done like this?”

In an instant, the business principles he had accumulated over many years seemed to crack a bit.

“Benefits over three hundred percent will make people trample on everything in the world…

Young Master’s words, brilliant.”

*Yu Jia murmured.*

“By the way, Fourth Brother, don’t just buy the headline for a day.

Buy it for several days.

This thing can’t fear spending money.

Since we’ve made a move, we must do it thoroughly.

Using only half the effort is worse than not using any at all!”

“Oh…”

“Alright, report any new developments to me.” Zhou Xuan turned and went to find Yu Zhengyuan.

“Report…

I haven’t heard this word for years.” Yu Jia sighed.

Reporting naturally was something a subordinate does to a superior.

How many years had it been since anyone dared to speak this word to Yu Jia in the Zhou Family’s Troupe?

Even Zhou Lingyi and the old Class Leader would consider his contributions and wouldn’t use such an emotionally cold word.

*Yu Jia also found the word harsh, but deep down, he felt Zhou Xuan’s asking him to report wasn’t inappropriate.

Given the difference in their capabilities, it seemed he was supposed to report.*

“I now understand how the Young Master managed to hold Liu Tianen…”

*Yu Jia had a mix of reluctance and admiration, admiration for this Zhou Xuan whom he had always looked down upon.*

He gazed into the distance, feeling that everything had changed, even the light and shadow seemed somewhat dizzy.

…

Zhou Xuan walked into the backstage of the troupe.

At this time, Yu Zhengyuan was listening to Xu Li animatedly recounting the brilliant moves Zhou Xuan had made today.

Yu Zhengyuan nodded as he listened, agreeing, “I realized long ago that Xiao Xuan is no ordinary person.

You say he’s so young…

yet he can drive!”

Zhou Xuan felt quite pleased listening to the first half, but upon hearing the latter half—what was so glorious about being able to drive?

“I went to get a driver’s license and still haven’t passed it in so many years,” Yu Zhengyuan envied, stamping his foot.

Oh,

that was indeed worth being proud of.

“Ahem, ahem, Senior Brother.”

“Ah, we were just talking about you, and here you are.

Everyone’s quite tired today, and it’s nearly mealtime, so I figured we might as well gather everyone from the troupe and eat out.”

Yu Zhengyuan animatedly introduced to Zhou Xuan that there was a donkey meat shop by the Corridor Bridge, known for its donkey viscera soup and donkey meat dumplings, so flavorful that diners couldn’t stop eating.

“The deliciousness mainly comes from how well they raise their donkeys; they’re so fresh and healthy.”

Zhou Xuan had been a bit interested, but Yu Zhengyuan described the donkeys as “fresh,” reminding him that his Senior Brother had a unique understanding of women.

He immediately lost his appetite and waved his hand, “I won’t have dinner, I’m tired and just want to go back to rest.”

“Alright, then rest early.”

“By the way, Senior Brother, what do you plan to do with those six corpses?” Zhou Xuan inquired.