313: Chapter 307: Kicked Over 313: Chapter 307: Kicked Over “Before, I really thought that this Taoist Wang was all bark and no bite, without any real skills!”
“It was a good thing that at the time, I figured it was just eight hundred yuan and gave him a chance, instead of impulsively driving him away!”
“Otherwise, I would have truly missed out on a real Buddha!”
A distance away, Wei Zhidong, who was watching Taoist Wang perform the ritual, had a face full of relief as he murmured to himself.
At the time of saying these words, he cast a meaningful glance at Chen Hai on the side.
There’s an old saying, “No fear in not recognizing the goods, just fear of comparing goods.”
The Chen Hai before him did have true abilities, no doubt about it.
But if you compared him to Taoist Wang, the gap between the two of them really became apparent.
After all, it was Wei Zhidong who had personally sought out Chen Hai.
But in the end, the man had refused him outright, unwilling to sell him that bit of face.
If it hadn’t been for his gritting of teeth, getting tough, and offering the reservoir shares as bait, the chances of him persuading Chen Hai would have been not just unlikely, but truly slim.
The Taoist Wang before him was not swayed by fame or fortune, with money drifting before his eyes like passing clouds.
This was truly a high-level immortal with a heart of kindness, the living Buddha of the Wan Family…
If Wei Zhidong had known earlier that Taoist Wang had real skills that could solve the reservoir issue, where would he have had the will to go grovel at Chen Hai, begging him to lend a hand?
Now, he was pondering how much he should pay Chen Hai for his trouble after resolving the matter at the reservoir.
One thousand, too little?
Ten thousand?
Chen Hai didn’t even lift a finger, just took a stroll around Black Stone Reservoir?
This guy, even if he charges a steep price, walking away with tens of thousands just for a stroll should somewhat satisfy his appetite…
Wei Zhidong thought in circles inside his head, while from time to time casting glances at Chen Hai.
Regrettably, Chen Hai didn’t pay him any attention.
Earlier, he had stood with his arms crossed, watching the show, but now, his eyebrows had begun to furrow at some unknown point!
“They say peers are rivals; this Chen Hai wouldn’t be feeling upset because Taoist Wang is about to resolve the issue, making his trip a waste, right?”
“I hope he can stay rational and just watch from the side without causing unnecessary trouble!”
Frowning slightly, Wei Zhidong thought to himself.
He gave a signal with his eyes to his nephew and his followers, indicating they should keep an eye on Chen Hai.
Wei Zhidong’s gaze then returned once more to Taoist Wang, not far away.
At this moment, Taoist Wang, holding a Compass, was making a show of walking around a willow tree another couple of times.
When no one was paying attention, he had confirmed that there was no magnet under the Compass.
The magnet he had on him was still in his pocket.
“This Compass I picked up from a Panjiayuan stall broke in less than half a year!”
“This thing is a piece of junk; that damn stall owner still claimed this Compass was old and definitely authentic — he was tricking ghosts!”
“I, an old Taoist, have been cheating and deceiving all my life, and here I am at an old age with my reputation in tatters…”
Feeling dejected, Taoist Wang muttered to himself.
As he saw the needle of the Compass swinging wildly, he carefully perceived his surroundings.
Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, he looked up at the scorching sun directly overhead, which made him feel a lot more at ease.
Having wandered all around the south and getting involved in strange incidents countless times, Taoist Wang had had more than one or two encounters with the supernatural.
His experience told him that none of those ghostly things dared to roam around and harm people at this time of the day!
The reason why he chose to hold the ritual at noon was to be on the safe side and avoid any risks.
After being certain that the sun remained shining high in the sky and there were no problems around,
aside from the Compass itself being faulty, he couldn’t think of any other reason for the wild movement of its needle.
“I finally encountered a fat sheep, I need to come up with some other excuse to swindle some money from that Mr.
Wei!”
“Encountering such a fat sheep means I could go without business for three years, and if I do, it would feed me for three more!”
“I’ll make a bigger spectacle; later, I’ll casually fool him with a few words, telling him the problem has been resolved.”
“As long as I get the money, I’ll hit the road and wander the world…”
On the surface, Taoist Wang held the Compass in one hand and the Peach Wood Sword in the other, hacking and chopping around the willow tree.
But his mind was already racing with thoughts.
He even began to think about how he would spend the money after he got it.
This man had always been a drifter; only in recent years, due to his old age, had he taken up residence in an abandoned Taoist temple within Capital City.
With money in hand, it would be a matter of minutes for him to take off, a trivial matter indeed.
“Devil, where will you run?
Take my sword…”
Getting excited, Taoist Wang let out a loud yell as his Peach Wood Sword forcefully pierced into the willow tree before him.
Following that, his hand gently pressed a spot on the hilt of the sword.
A stream of blood sprayed out from the tip of the sword, staining the area of the willow tree that had been stabbed by the Peach Wood Sword a bloody red.
“This devil, so profound in his cultivation, not good…” Taoist Wang let out another angry roar.
At some point, the ketchup he’d sucked into his mouth began spraying wildly from it.
His once clean and tidy Taoist robe was now mottled with splashes of ketchup, leaving him looking utterly disheveled.
“Taoist, how are you?
Has that thing appeared?”
“Can you hold on?
Do you need us to come over and help…”
Taoist Wang was reveling in his act, but Wei Zhidong and the others nearby were in a state of panic, spinning around anxiously.
Unaware of the truth, they thought Taoist Wang was wrestling and struggling with some unknown thing, as he seemed drenched in blood.
As ordinary people, they did consider helping.
Alas, while they might think about doing so, they ultimately lacked the courage when it came to taking action.
“Master Chen, you…” Having no other choice, Wei Zhidong could only turn his gaze towards Chen Hai.
Unfortunately, Chen Hai, who had just been there a moment ago, had now disappeared without a trace.
Not far away, Taoist Wang, in the throes of his act, was about to find an excuse to get Wei Zhidong to cough up more money.
Suddenly, his mind went fuzzy and unresponsive.
In his vision, barrel after barrel of fine wine was set before him, seemingly waiting for him to come over and taste.
He wasn’t lustful or a gambler; his greatest passion in life was fine wine.
The money he swindled on a regular basis was spent on wine instead of meals, without fail.
“Wine, so much wine!”
“I’ve struck it rich, I’ve truly struck it rich this time!”
“With so much fine wine, if I make a pool, I could lie in it for years…”
Whether it was the compass in his hand or the Peach Wood Sword, he didn’t notice when they had both dropped to the ground.
As far as Taoist Wang was concerned, there was no room for anything in his eyes except for the allure of fine wine.
He opened his arms wide and took large strides towards the reservoir ahead.
Of course, in Taoist Wang’s eyes, what he saw was not a reservoir, but a pool of wine.
“Get back…” Just as he was about to leap into the reservoir, Chen Hai had already blocked his path.
With a swing of his leg, he sent Taoist Wang flying, landing him squarely on his backside on the ground.
“Chen, what do you think you’re doing…”
Wei Zhidong was still standing in the same place, but his complexion had turned sour.
Wei Fang and others rushed over immediately, and one of them pointed directly at Chen Hai and confronted him.
Earlier, Wei Zhidong had signaled to them to keep an eye on Chen Hai to prevent any interference.
For a moment, their attention had been drawn to Taoist Wang, and they hadn’t noticed Chen Hai moving this way.
When they realized Chen Hai was gone, they just saw him kick Taoist Wang to the ground.
In their eyes, wasn’t this Chen Hai causing trouble?
“What am I doing?
Can’t you see?”
“If I hadn’t kicked this fake Taoist to the ground, he would probably have already jumped into the reservoir, right?”
Expressionless, Chen Hai faced the reservoir with his back to the others, casually answering them.
His focus was entirely on this body of water.
Taoist Wang had simply been confused and enchanted, intending to jump into the water!
Then, that unknown existence must be waiting below this body of water.
“Fire of the heavens and earth, heed my command, blaze up!”
“I don’t care what you are, come out and meet your doom!”
Having roughly pinpointed the location of the thing beneath the water, Chen Hai motioned with his hand, and flames rose fiercely above the span of water a few meters away from him.
Regrettably, the flames were limited in power; they could only burn on the surface of the water, raising the temperature but not reaching the entity hidden within.
Wei Fang and the others were about to question Chen Hai further.
But at that moment, they were suddenly astonished to see him summon a large swath of flames with a gesture.
Everyone stood there, faces filled with shock, some shuddering uncontrollably in fright.
Taoist Wang, who had been sent sprawling by Chen Hai, was now getting back to his feet, his gaze dull and saliva dripping from his mouth as if he was still not fully awake.
If it weren’t for the presence of others holding him back in time, he would likely have charged to the edge of the reservoir and plunged into the water once again.
“Get this fake Taoist farther away, don’t hinder my casting!”
“Whoever has any child urine, it should wake him up if you pour it on him!”
Without turning, Chen Hai shouted.
In front of him, the area enveloped by the flames began bubbling with fist-sized bubbles.
An immense shadow could be faintly discerned weaving in and out of visibility in the water, slowly manifesting.