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"Taiyi Heavenly Venerable, by urgent decree of the celestial law!"
Arden cast the spell as two streams of vivid crimson light fell onto the altar table, enveloping two straw effigies labeled [Odeum HAE] and [Fugue].
"Go!"
Yixuan burned the straw effigies into ashes, which scattered and vanished upon the wind.
"Heh, this is going to be fun to watch."
Arden gazed at the ashes drifting into the distance, the corner of his mouth lifting into an inscrutable curve.
With him and Yixuan Shifu jointly casting a curse, even immortals would probably find it hard to save them.
…..
Odeum HAE Group Headquarters, Corporate Development Director's Office.
The Director of Development, Hobson, had originally intended to cultivate Astra Yao into an artist under his own banner, but never expected her to be snatched away!
If it had been longtime rival Fugue, that would have been one thing—but the ones who intercepted Astra Yao were actually that bunch from Yunkui Summit.
"Those Daoists should be cultivating in the deep mountains—what kind of Film & Media are they running? Isn't that vulgar as hell?!"
Hobson vented bitterly.
["Guo'er…"]
["Aunt!"]
At this moment, the television was playing the drama Divine Tiger Companions.
Hobson had to admit that the show was indeed produced at an extremely high level—whether it was the script, the actors, or the overall execution, it was nearly flawless.
"Damn it, why wasn't this produced by our Odeum HAE?!"
With the obstruction plan having failed, the more Hobson thought about it, the angrier he became.
Bang!
He slammed his fist onto the desk.
Watching Astra Yao explode in popularity at Suibian Film & Media and become the hottest superstar in New Eridu made Hobson feel even worse than if his own company were losing money.
Creak~!
The office door was pushed open as the secretary entered, holding a stack of documents.
"Wow! It's Yang Guo and the Little Dragon Maiden."
Seeing the drama on TV, the secretary's eyes lit up. "Director Hobson, you're watching Divine Tiger Companions too!"
Even though it was a rival company's production, that didn't stop Odeum HAE employees from watching the series and expressing their fondness for it.
"Ahem! I'm not watching any drama!"
Hobson shot the secretary an annoyed glare. "Love this, love that, master and disciple nonsense—it's childish! I'm just researching a competitor's product. It's… critical viewing! Yes, critical viewing!"
"Uh…"
The secretary twitched an eyebrow, unsure how to respond.
"What is it?"
Realizing he'd lost his composure, Hobson changed the subject.
"Oh!"
The secretary snapped back to attention, stepped closer, and spoke in a hushed, mysterious tone. "Director, you've heard about the strange things happening in the company lately, right?"
"Hmph! Superstitious nonsense!"
Hobson snorted disdainfully, though his expression betrayed that he wasn't as unconcerned as he sounded.
After all, bizarre incidents had indeed been occurring frequently at Odeum HAE recently, already affecting normal operations. Even if Hobson didn't believe in spirits or fortune, he still had to take it seriously.
"….."
"I've organized all the details of those strange incidents."
As she spoke, the secretary placed the documents on the desk and quietly stood to the side.
Hobson flipped through them.
His brow gradually furrowed.
At first, it was just minor things—the company's money tree withering, the statue of the God of Wealth mysteriously toppling—but gradually it spread to far more areas.
For example, sudden unexplained power outages during performances by their artists, broadcast accidents on TV programs, rumors of hauntings in the headquarters building, endless scandals involving their artists, all kinds of PR crises, and even revelations of female artists being coerced by company executives!
These issues had already seriously disrupted Odeum HAE's normal operations.
Even more bizarre was the fact that none of these incidents could be traced to a clear cause. It was as if they were all coincidences piled together, almost like divine will.
"Director, do you think… this could be karma?"
As someone who had worked at Odeum HAE for over a decade, the secretary was well aware of the company's dirty dealings, which was why she asked.
"Bullshit!"
Hobson snapped back loudly, though a hint of guilt could still be heard in his voice.
"Odeum HAE has always operated legally. We've done nothing wrong—no fear of ghosts… knocking… on… our… door?"
Bzzzt~!
Mid-sentence, a strange sound came from the television. Hobson stiffly turned his head.
Then he saw the originally colorful image turn grayscale. On the screen, the "Little Dragon Maiden," who had been flirting intimately with "Yang Guo," was now crawling on the ground, inch by inch, toward the screen.
Gulp~~!
Hobson swallowed hard, but managed to stay somewhat composed.
No matter how scary it looks, it can't crawl out of the TV, right?
He reassured himself—then the "Little Dragon Maiden" crawled out of the television.
"I resent~~ I hate~~!"
Dressed in flowing white, with long black hair hanging forward to obscure her face, she crawled toward Hobson little by little. Her crimson fingernails stood out starkly as hoarse murmurs squeezed from her mouth.
"My mother—AAAHHH!!"
Hobson couldn't keep up the tough act anymore. Without hesitation, he clutched his head and bolted for the door in utter panic.
...
The effects of Arden's retaliation were immediate. Within days, the senior executives of Odeum HAE and Fugue personally climbed Yunkui Summit's gates to offer apologies and beg Daoist Xu to stop.
As for how the two companies knew it was Arden behind it… it was simple. To create such bizarre events without anyone noticing required methods only the Yunkui Summit possessed in all of New Eridu. Coupled with the fact that both sides knew perfectly well about the recent spy incident targeting Astra Yao and the public screening ceremony, retaliation was only natural.
There was no need to press the advantage excessively. Making too big a scene would also affect Yunkui Summit's reputation.
After making both companies sign guarantees that they would no longer target Suibian Film & Media, and accepting valuable compensation, Arden casted a spell to remove the curses afflicting them.
With that, Suibian Film & Media's position was firmly secured, effectively becoming one of the giants of New Eridu's film and entertainment industry.
...
With Suibian Film & Media's operations and Astra Yao's career fully on track, routine matters could be entrusted to Sweety and Yiji. Chairman Arden finally had some free time.
On this day, Arden arrived at Failume Heights.
While helping Yixuan Shifu take the Qingming Bird out for air, he also took Ju Fufu shopping.
"Chirp chirp chirp…"
Chirp chirp chirp~~!
Arden teased the Qingming Bird perched on his shoulder.
"Brother Arden, I want to eat this!"
Ju Fufu tugged on Arden's sleeve with one hand and pointed at a snack stall with the other.
"I'll buy it for you right away!"
Chirp chirp chirp~~!
Watching Ju Fufu happily eat her treats, the Qingming Bird gently pecked Arden's finger.
"I know, I know."
Arden took out premium bird feed pellets and fed the Qingming Bird.
Chirp chirp~!
"Nom nom!"
"..."
Arden looked up at the Qingming Bird fluttering around, then lowered his head to glance at Ju Fufu enthusiastically munching on snacks, suddenly feeling enlightened.
Does this count as… walking a 'tiger' while strolling a bird?
In ancient times, spoiled youths fought cocks and walked dogs. Today, Arden walked a tiger and strolled a bird.
"Hah… life really is comfortable. All that effort wasn't in vain."
As Arden sighed with emotion, he also resolved to protect the happy life he shared with those around him.
[Dang! Congratulations to the host for achieving 'sudden enlightenment.' Attribute points +100!]
"….."
Hearing the system notification in his mind, Arden felt a bit speechless.
Just casually appreciating his current situation counted as "sudden enlightenment"? And it even gave a massive reward of a hundred attribute points?
Unfortunately, attribute points were useless for now—he hadn't broken through the cap yet.
It's time to put 'Charging the Master' on the agenda.
Arden felt that he and Yixuan Shifu were only one step away—or rather, just one tiny accident away—from piercing that… paper-thin barrier.
Something like what happened with Evelyn before—some kind of accidental poisoning, for instance.
"Heh, what am I even thinking."
Arden shook his head self-mockingly.
With Yixuan's abilities, poisoning her would be harder than ascending to the heavens. Otherwise, Arden wouldn't mind directing and acting out a little drama himself. (Perchance)
That "unexpected incident" could only be left to fate.
Even with ninety-nine percent effort, that remaining one percent still depended on heaven's will.
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