You can only blame him for being too arrogant. How dare he? When everything was still uncertain, he openly challenged Lin Beichen and provoked him like that. Looking back now, it was really courting disaster. Ji Fan can only swallow these bitter feelings now, what else can he do?

There’s no choice. Since Lin Beichen said so, he didn’t dare to offer any other opinions. Ji Fan had to comply and said, "Okay, then what can I do to help you, Master?"

Today, seeing Ji Fan being so enthusiastic was something Lin Beichen wasn’t quite used to. He couldn’t help but chuckle, thinking to himself: In the days ahead, I’ve got another good helper.

Just then, as they were about to continue their conversation, Lin Beichen suddenly heard the sound of a camera shutter. Ji Fan heard it clearly as well. They immediately understood and without a second thought, chased after the paparazzi. The paparazzi seemed to know he’d been exposed, cursed, packed up the camera, and started to flee.

As they ran, Ji Fan angrily cursed, "Seriously, why is there a paparazzi here taking secret photos of us at this moment? If he succeeds, who knows what kind of unfavorable news will break during this sensitive time."

It must be said, he was quite rational this time, didn’t act impulsively. If it were a normal situation, Lin Beichen wouldn’t have cared about media attention; if they wanted to take pictures, let them, he wouldn’t have cared.

However, that reporter’s actions just now were really suspicious. He had been recording, and their conversation was somewhat baffling; ordinary people wouldn’t understand. If this video got circulated, and people misunderstood, thinking they were plotting something, it would be impossible to clear their names even if they jumped into the Yellow River.

If things got blown up and caught the attention of relevant authorities for an investigation, it would be terrible. At that point, not to mention reviving Daoist skills, even trying to keep to oneself would be as hard as climbing the sky.

On this point, they were in agreement. Ji Fan is a Ph.D., his work, reputation, and prestige can’t afford any blemishes. This time, losing to Lin Beichen, he accepted it wholeheartedly because Lin Beichen indeed had real skills. But if rumors spread now, he might really lose his job.

Thinking of these potential troubles made Ji Fan very angry. If he could catch that paparazzi, he’d definitely give him a good beating and snatch the camera to smash it to pieces.

Lin Beichen, on the other hand, looked solemn, calculating in his mind while chasing. He felt that this paparazzi wasn’t simple, at least not coincidentally appearing here. He happened to hear their conversation, then started recording, it was too suspicious.

"I think someone is watching us from the shadows, don’t speak recklessly anymore." Lin Beichen suddenly said.

This statement startled Ji Fan, he widened his eyes and said, "Are you kidding? Someone’s actually watching us? This is too unlucky!"

"Master, did you offend someone? Why are we getting dragged into this?" Ji Fan questioned.

Lin Beichen wasn’t in the mood to explain things now; the situation was urgent. If they couldn’t catch up with that paparazzi, it would really be troublesome.

"Master, he ran that way, let’s hurry!" Ji Fan shouted, pointing at the road ahead.

The paparazzi nimbly leaped and directly jumped onto a passing car. This scene left Ji Fan dumbfounded; it was like a sci-fi novel’s plot! He’d never seen a human have such ability.

Thinking of this, Ji Fan couldn’t help but look at Lin Beichen. Right, he forgot, his master is also not an ordinary person. These things were real. So, it wasn’t surprising about the paparazzi just now.

"Master, faster!" Ji Fan shouted anxiously.

Lin Beichen saw that they couldn’t catch up, and there was nothing to be done. The person was already far away, chasing was useless. If they fell into another trap, it would be worse.

"Alright, stop chasing," Lin Beichen said.

Ji Fan stopped abruptly when he heard this, looking puzzled. Not chase? What did that mean?

"Master, if we don’t chase, our rumors will spread soon! Master, you’re not afraid, but I am! I’m a Ph.D.!" Ji Fan said anxiously.

His noise was starting to test Lin Beichen’s patience. He coldly said, "I’ve already arranged for people to intercept him; we don’t need to chase anymore. From now on, keep quiet."

Ji Fan was rendered speechless by Lin Beichen’s directness. Since his master had told him to shut up, he dared not utter another word.

"Alright, we can only do this for now," Ji Fan glanced at the car that had just been stepped on and smiled awkwardly, "After all, I couldn’t catch up."

He really felt helpless. He didn’t have the ability to catch up to a paparazzi, and the only one who could, Lin Beichen, chose to give up. There was nothing he could do.

Ji Fan hung his head dejectedly, looking worried. Lin Beichen didn’t speak to him, turned around, and strode away.

Meanwhile, discussions about Lin Beichen and Ji Fan were already raging online, completely beyond control. There were all sorts of claims, some believed them, but more were skeptical. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Ji Fan saw the online comments and said worriedly, "Many people are questioning, is it possible the livestream didn’t even go out?"

Lin Beichen sat on the leather sofa, took a sip of tea, and pondered silently. He said nothing, just quietly contemplated the issue.

He felt that the problem didn’t lie with the media. With such hot news, how could the media possibly cut corners? Unless it went against financial interests. The only explanation could be another force opposing them.

At present, Lin Beichen’s first thought was people like Ji Fan, who claimed to be magicians. After all, Lin Beichen’s abilities were too real and formidable, far beyond what magic could compare. In this case, once Daoist skills revived, magicians would really be out of jobs.

They wouldn’t want an outsider to take their livelihood. Even if for nothing else, just for survival, they would probably go to great lengths to trip up Lin Beichen.

"Don’t mind them," Lin Beichen said, "just do your best to win over more people. The rest, I’ll handle."

Though Lin Beichen spoke casually, Ji Fan still felt uneasy. He thought it over but didn’t resist and began posting online.

"Dear netizens, I was once a magician. I assume you’ve all seen the contest between Lin Beichen and me..." Ji Fan posted a status using his private account.

As soon as this post was published, the topic once again reached a climax. There were many supporting Ji Fan, but even more supporting Lin Beichen.

On the other hand, some self-proclaimed magicians were sarcastically sneering. As expected, like Lin Beichen said, it was them causing trouble behind the scenes.

"To the people above, stop confusing right and wrong. How is it possible that Daoist skills still exist in this world? Please open your eyes!"

"Ha? What are you clinging on to? Lin Beichen’s strength is beyond doubt. It’s you magicians who are truly disappointing."

"Exactly, exactly, magicians might only be able to conjure birds in their minds, right? Seriously, go offline already!"

Seeing these comments, Ji Fan still felt uncomfortable. No matter what, he was after all a magician. Even if he now acknowledged Lin Beichen as his master and indeed admitted the existence of Daoist skills, but science is science after all.

Ji Fan gritted his teeth and anonymously clapped back at a few really nasty commenters. He argued with reason and managed to bring a slight balance back for the magicians. But that was the limit.