The Shattered Bond: A Fox Amulet's Ominous Sign

Are you suggesting there's a monster hidden in here?

I smirked and let out a light chuckle.

This relationship advisor named Evan had sharp features with piercing eyes and defined brows.

Despite being in his early twenties, he spoke with a directness that never minced words.

His high looks combined with his stern demeanor surprisingly made him very popular among netizens. It was said that his live stream never had fewer than ten thousand viewers.

His popularity was so high that even my best friend, Shelly, who loved watching handsome guys, followed him. It turned out that the "Evan" she kept talking about was actually him.

An anchor specializing in solving emotional issues accidentally saved a girl haunted by a ghost, and only then did his fans realize that the always stern-faced Evan was actually a Taoist disciple.

It seemed unreasonable, yet it made sense.

A handsome guy + relationship advisor + Taoist practitioner, what a fresh combination.

This novel niche quickly attracted thousands of diverse fans, and his live stream's popularity once soared into the top three of the monthly rankings.

Shelly told me that her "Evan" recently launched a new live stream project: emotions + Chinese birth chart.

The popularity soared even higher.

Because of this, I casually swiped my phone and entered his live stream.

But to directly say that my jade pendant had a problem right off the bat was a bit.

.. hasty, wasn't it?

The bullet comments, however, didn't share my doubts and were already excitedly discussing:

"Oh my gosh!

Could it be that we get to watch the anchor fight ghosts again from a first-person perspective?

So excited!"

"Me too, I already have goosebumps!

Anchor, hurry up and catch the ghost!

Love it!"

"Why does this anchor always encounter these superstitious things like demons and ghosts? I think it's just hype!

After the last ghost-catching live stream, his followers increased by millions. Isn't that enough?"

"I agree with the above. I think the anchor is just hyping things up. A good relationship advisor has now deviated to ghost-catching?

Ridiculous! Is he going to claim everyone has a ghost on them?

"

"But the anchor really saved that girl's life last time. Many of us saw it in the live stream!

"

"Live streams can have special effects and Photoshop. It looked like hype to me too!

"

Facing the continuous rolling of skeptical bullet comments, Evan's expression remained unchanged:

"If you believe me, take a picture of the link first."

My gaze shifted to the little yellow car in the lower left corner. The connection price had tripled in just a month.

In the era of traffic, anchors really make money.

Of course, I didn't believe his talk about demons and ghosts, but I was annoyed and thought of it as listening to a story for fun. I wanted to see how far he could spin it.

After paying, I reported my birthday and birth hour as required. Evan, with a cold face, took out a turtle shell from a drawer and started calculating with his other hand.

In just a moment, his calculating fingers stopped, and he looked up at me:

"Your birth chart shows a wealth destiny, favorable for wealth but not for marriage. You have no destined marriage.

"

I didn't really believe in ghosts and gods, especially through a screen. With all the special effects and AI high-tech, many things seen with one's own eyes might not be real.

Holding the thought of seeing him make a fool of himself, I covered my mouth in surprise:

"What?

! But my boyfriend and I are getting married in three days. The invitations have already been sent out.

"

That's also why, despite not liking exercise, I was at the gym trying to lose weight.

As soon as I finished speaking, the bullet comments started rolling:

"Haha, caught in a lie, right? I think the last ghost-catching live stream was also a fake to gain traffic!

"

"I support the above. Since then, this anchor's traffic has skyrocketed, making a fortune. I think it's all a joint hype!

"

"But, but I watched the whole thing last time.

It was too real! It didn't look fake at all!

I was so scared I couldn't sleep with the lights off!

I still believe in the anchor.

"

"Yeah! I also believe in the anchor. The ghost was too real, something AI effects couldn't achieve.

"

Evan glanced at the bullet comments but ignored them, continuing:

"Your fox spirit jade pendant was given by your boyfriend,

right?" "Yes."

"You've never kept pets like cats or dogs while you were together, right?"

He got that right.

I nodded again:

"I love cats and dogs, but my boyfriend doesn't like them, so we never kept any.

"

When we first got together, I brought home a stray kitten.

The kitten was only two months old, skinny and small, so I put it in a little cardboard box.

When Richard came home from work and found it, he got very angry, saying it was either the cat or him.

That night, it was raining and thundering, and he forced me to throw the kitten out.

His fearful yet cold-blooded reaction made him seem like a stranger to me.

Later, Richard explained that he had a severe allergy to cats and dogs, and the allergic reactions scared him.

That's why he reacted so strongly.

There are indeed many people allergic to animals, and my boyfriend happened to be one of them.

Evan asked again:

"Over the years, have you ever seen your boyfriend enter a temple or a Taoist shrine?"

I nodded again. The bullet comments started flooding with "scared" comments, while some people cursed:

"You guys are too gullible!

Not keeping pets might simply indicate a preference. Not everyone has to like cats and dogs.

And what's wrong with not going into temples or shrines? It could be a different belief or non-believer.

All of this makes sense! You guys are just being superstitious!"

Someone retorted:

"But the anchor got it right twice, didn't he?"

"The anchor's profile says he's a Taoist disciple. Plus, the last ghost-catching live stream seemed more real than gold. Just wait and see!"

The angry commenter got even angrier:

"Look at the girl's profile videos. It's clearly her home, and there's not a single video with cats or dogs. Even an outsider could guess she doesn't keep pets."

"And what's wrong with not worshipping at temples? I don't like going to those places either.

Does that mean I have a problem too?"

Most people were starting to be convinced.

Evan remained calm, but I was getting anxious.

I could understand Richard not liking pets, but his refusal to enter temples or shrines puzzled me.

Richard was a businessman.

He had statues of the God of Wealth at his company and home, offering incense and prayers every morning and evening.

This showed he wasn't a non-believer.

On the contrary, he strongly believed in ghosts and gods.

If the company's performance was poor, he would spend a lot of money to invite masters from abroad to perform rituals to improve the company's fortune.

But this superstitious man never stepped into a temple or shrine during our hikes, which baffled me.

I remembered one summer when it suddenly rained heavily during a hike.

The downpour was so intense that it was hard to keep our eyes open.

Everyone rushed to a nearby shrine, except Richard, who walked back the way we came.

Worried about catching a cold, I grabbed his hand and tried to pull him to the shrine.

But he forcefully shook me off, his angry shouts were drowned out by the pouring rain, making it hard to hear clearly.

He just told me to go and not to worry about him.

I was stunned, not understanding why he wouldn't take shelter in the shrine.

No matter how I persuaded him, he stubbornly walked in the rain.

Helpless, I followed him, step by step into the downpour.

We both fell ill after that, hospitalized for half a month.

Since then, my immune system has been weak, and I often get sick.

I blamed him for a long time, but he eventually won me over with gifts and sweet talk, and I let it go.

Evan knew even this. He really had some skills.

I was anxious:

"What is wrong with my boyfriend?"

Evan raised his eyes, his gaze intense:

"He is possessed by a fox spirit!"