Lu, the Fellow Cultivator Who Wants to Open a Zoo, Goes Viral

Lu Can, born with the gift of true speech, had barely moved into his new home when monsters began pestering him. One after another, they took up residence and refused to leave.

Unfortunately, Lu Can had no desire to break the law. Faced with a pile of protected animals and other wildlife, including a horned serpent, a red fox, and a weasel spirit, he was at a loss. Keep them? He had no money, and some of the animals could not legally be kept in private homes. Release them? The very next day, they would come back, looking at him expectantly.

With a million followers, Lu Can was a pet rescue blogger, but he had no idea what to do.

His senior fellow disciple, Jiang Ye, came up with a plan: Apply for a license and open a privately run zoo.

Lu Can: Who's going to open it?

Jiang Ye: You.

Lu Can: What about the money?

Jiang Ye fell silent for a moment, then turned and went back to his cutthroat family business. "...I'll earn it."

Sometimes Lu Can really wanted to crack open his senior's skull and see what was inside.

Unfortunately, he didn't dare say it out loud. He was afraid his inborn gift for true speech would get out of hand and actually split his senior's head open.

To raise money, Lu Can stumbled into a talent competition. His manager talked a mile a minute: "The entertainment industry pays fast! Once we get through this gig, we'll set you up with livestream sales. You'll have mountains of gold and silver!"

Lu Can: "..."

And so a trainee who had practiced for all of two hours joined a certain talent show, with no aptitude for singing, dancing, or rapping.

Mentor: What's your goal?

Lu Can: "...Make it through each round by the skin of my teeth, survive until the final round, get more than ten million followers on social media, and sign up for a few livestream sales gigs."

Mentor: "..."

That's a pretty specific goal.

Nobody believed him. Only his senior, Jiang Ye, smiled with his eyes narrowed.

When the show aired, both the audience and the production crew were dumbfounded.

A haunted ancient temple, a wildcat delivering a baby, a hamster mystery... This didn't feel like an idol competition. It felt like a paranormal investigation show.

Audience: I think that Lu Can... is the real deal.

◇ Modern alternate universe, lighthearted wish-fulfillment story

◇ A protagonist with innate true speech × a love interest burdened with baleful energy, both inexperienced in love, one-on-one

◇ The snake skin in the hallway and the foul-smelling ride-hailing car, among other scenes, are based on real news stories, with adaptations

◇ Everyday life + lighthearted tone + low-magic world + no leveling up and fighting monsters

Theme: A warm, everyday world where two people find their way to each other