Divine Level Witch Doctor

Zhao Yuan shook his head and politely refused, ”No need to change it. I think this mountain is great. Old Village Chief, you don’t know this, but Chinese medicinal herbs and regular crops have different soil requirements. Don’t be fooled by how barren the soil here looks. It’s actually perfect for growing medicinal herbs.”

”Is that really so?” the old village chief asked, his face full of doubt as he puffed on his long-stemmed pipe.

”Of course it is.” Zhao Yuan’s earnest expression successfully fooled the old village chief and the others. After all, none of them had ever grown Chinese herbs before. Since Zhao Yuan was a top student from West Hua Medical University, they subconsciously felt that what he said made sense.

How could they have known that Zhao Yuan had told a white lie?

Using the barren mountain to cultivate medicinal herbs was entirely beneficial for the villagers, with no drawbacks. If he had chosen a fertile plot of land instead, it would have meant competing with the villagers for resources—something Zhao Yuan wanted to avoid.

Over the next while, Zhao Yuan wandered around the barren mountain. To an observer, his movements might have seemed random and chaotic, but in reality, he was using a Secret Technique left by Wu Peng to survey the mountain and find its Five Elements Acupoints! Every time he found a Five Elements Acupoint, he would stop and dig a hole in the ground with a stick or a similar object.

At first, the old village chief and the others were quite puzzled. They couldn’t help but ask, ”Brother Yuan, what are you doing?”

Zhao Yuan had already prepared an excuse. He replied, ”I’m surveying the condition of the land. As you know, there are many different types of medicinal herbs, and each has unique requirements for its environment and soil. I need to see which areas are suitable for which herbs.”

The old village chief and the others all nodded. Though they didn’t quite understand, they were impressed. As such, they failed to notice that when Zhao Yuan was refilling the holes, he was secretly placing small gourds into them at different locations.

These gourds were the Magical Artifact, the Five Elements Gourd.

Zhao Yuan was obviously not surveying the soil. He was burying the Five Elements Gourd to construct a Five Elements Formation, all to improve the mountain’s feng shui, drawing in the surrounding Spiritual Qi to nourish the soil and cultivate the medicinal herbs.

The old village chief and the others followed Zhao Yuan for a while before stopping. They sat down on the ground and watched him bustle about. They figured even if they stayed by his side, they couldn’t help much, so they might as well rest their feet.

Zhao Yuan couldn’t have been happier about this.

In just a short while, he had placed the last Five Elements Gourd into a hole and buried it.

A low, rumbling sound echoed from within the barren mountain, giving the old village chief and the others a huge scare. They thought it was an earthquake. It wasn’t until a good while later, when they confirmed it was just a couple of rumbles with no other movement, that they finally relaxed. They couldn’t help but wonder what had happened, but none of them knew it was the sign that the Five Elements Formation had taken shape!

The birds were the first to notice the change on the barren mountain. They flocked over, perching on the few large trees and chirping cheerfully.

The old village chief and the others paid it no mind. These mountains had never been developed, so there were plenty of birds and beasts. A flock of birds showing up was nothing strange.

At the summit, Zhao Yuan closed his eyes, sensing the change in the surrounding Qi. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly into a satisfied smile.

’From this day on, this barren mountain will become a Blessed Land. It can’t compare to the legendary Grotto Heaven Blessed Lands, but it’s more than enough for growing medicinal herbs!’

Zhao Yuan dusted the dirt off his hands and turned to walk back toward where the old village chief and the others were resting.

Although the Five Elements Gourds weren’t buried very deep, he wasn’t worried about them being accidentally dug up. When the Array took shape, they had fused with the barren mountain itself. Forget ordinary people; not even a Cultivator looking for treasure would be able to excavate them.

When Zhao Yuan approached, the old village chief asked, ”How did it go, Brother Yuan? Are you done looking?”

”I’m done.” Zhao Yuan nodded and said with a smile, ”I’ve divided the mountain into several zones, each for planting different types of medicinal herbs.” As he spoke, he took out his phone to call Fang Yi and ask him to purchase a batch of seeds for him.

But when he took out his phone, Zhao Yuan realized he had no signal.

The old village chief spoke up. ”Need to make a call? Go use the landline at the village committee office.”

Zhao Yuan nodded and said with a wry smile, ”I guess that’s the only way.”

On the way to the village committee office, the old village chief said, ”Since you’ve chosen this barren mountain, I’ll organize some people to help you clear the weeds and prepare the land tomorrow.”

Zhao Yuan said, ”Great, I’ll have to trouble you then, Village Chief. Please tell everyone that anyone who comes to help will be compensated.”

The old village chief waved his hand dismissively. ”What’s this about compensation? Most of the people in our village are working at your medicinal herb planting base. Clearing weeds and preparing the land is part of their job. Otherwise, they wouldn’t feel right taking the salary you’re paying them.”

Zhao Yuan smiled and readily agreed, ”Alright then, I’ll leave everything to your arrangements, Village Chief.”

At the village committee office, Zhao Yuan used the landline to call Fang Yi. He briefly explained that he had set up a medicinal herb planting base and then asked for his help in purchasing a batch of seeds.

Fang Yi couldn’t understand why Zhao Yuan would run off to a remote mountain area to start a medicinal herb planting base. After his attempts to persuade him otherwise failed, he had no choice but to give up and promise to gather and send the seeds Zhao Yuan needed as soon as possible.

At the same time, Zhao Yuan didn’t forget to ask him to help find a few experts in medicinal herb cultivation to come over and teach the villagers how to care for the plants.

After the call, Zhao Yuan returned home, brought a chair out, and half-reclined in the courtyard, basking in the sun.

He had his eyes narrowed as if he were sleeping, but in reality, he had opened the Information Leaf and begun his daily studies.

As evening approached, Zhao Shiquan returned on his motorcycle with the village committee’s accountant riding on the back.

That night, the feast at the Zhao Family’s home continued; these running banquets were set to last for several days. Just as everyone was about to sit down and eat, Scarface and his gang of thugs appeared in the village.

Zhao Ling was the first to spot them, exclaiming, ”Look! Aren’t those the extortionists who scammed us? What are they doing here?”

”What? Those are the guys who extorted Zhao Shiquan?”

”They extorted someone and now they dare to show up here? Do they really think our village is empty?”

Hearing Zhao Ling’s words, the villagers became righteously indignant, glaring angrily at Scarface and his men.

Zhao Yuan was now not just their boss, but also the pride of their village. For this group to dare to come and cause trouble for Zhao Yuan and his family was absolutely intolerable!

”Everyone, don’t worry. These guys are here to return the money.” Zhao Yuan, however, was completely calm when he saw Scarface and his men.

Return the money?

Everyone was stunned.

This bunch was a gang of scammers and lowlifes. Once money fell into their hands, how could they possibly give it back?