Divine Level Witch Doctor

Based on Hao Li’s descriptions, while it was hard to say which of the four Magical Artifacts was the best, the worst one definitely seemed to be the Bell.

But Zhao Yuan didn’t think so.

Because the Information Leaf also provided descriptions for these four Magical Artifacts. The effects of the first three largely matched Hao Li’s descriptions; only this Bell was significantly different.

According to the Information Leaf’s description, the Bell was named the ’Yin Bell.’ Shaking it would temporarily alter an area’s feng shui, transforming it into a Land of Extreme Yin!

This Land of Extreme Yin couldn’t just be used to summon insects; it could also call forth Yin Spirits and Wandering Souls! Of course, what truly drew Zhao Yuan was that this Land of Extreme Yin could be used to cultivate many premium, shade-loving medicinal herbs, like Ginseng, Centennial Solomon, Jade Bamboo, and so on. It would be a perfect fit for his medicinal herb farm.

As for whether the summoned insects would harm the medicinal herbs, Zhao Yuan wasn’t worried. His medicinal herb farm was protected by an Array; there was no way the insects could get in!

And so, Zhao Yuan chose the Bell without the slightest hesitation.

This choice took Hao Li and Ying Ji by complete surprise. They never imagined that Zhao Yuan would actually pick the ’most useless’ of the Magical Artifacts.

Hao Li quickly tried to persuade him. ”Little Brother Zhao, maybe I didn’t explain it clearly. Of the four Magical Artifacts, this Bell is by far the most useless. I suggest you pick another one. Both the Copper Knife and the Stone Token are quite good. Even the Bone Whistle is more effective than the Bell.”

”Yes, Zhao Yuan, you should pick a better one,” Ying Ji chimed in. She felt that after all the effort he had put in, it just wasn’t right for him to take such a shoddy Magical Artifact. She felt bad about it herself.

But Zhao Yuan didn’t see it that way.

For one, he didn’t believe the other three Magical Artifacts were any better than the Bell. For another, he felt the other three were of little use to him personally, whereas the Bell was far more practical.

He smiled, shook his head, and politely declined. ”There’s no need to pick again. I’ll take this Bell. In my view, it doesn’t matter if a Magical Artifact is good or bad; what’s crucial is whether it’s the right fit. The best, most High Level Magical Artifact is a waste if it’s not right for you. But a seemingly weak artifact, if it’s the right one, can unleash a power that is anything but weak.”

His words made the three of them fall into contemplation. They all felt that Zhao Yuan had a point, and at the same time, that he deserved a perfect score for his grandstanding...

After Zhao Yuan took the Bell, Ying Ji picked the Bone Whistle, and Lu Qing chose the Copper Knife. She followed the Martial Dao, and having a blade with a built-in Curse effect would give her a significant advantage in a fight!

Hao Li pocketed the Stone Token. He was very satisfied, saying with a grin, ”A defensive Magical Artifact is exactly what I was missing. With this Stone Token, I can finally rest a little easier. At least I won’t have to worry about Sister Ying’s Ghost Spirits showing up at my door at all hours.”

His comment made everyone erupt in laughter.

After dividing the spoils, the four of them left the scene untouched, exiting the room to stand guard at the door.

About ten minutes later, Xian Hong arrived with a team of police. The moment he saw Zhao Yuan, he said, ”I just knew Zhao Yuan would be involved in this.” Then he turned to Lu Qing and asked, ”What exactly happened here?”

Lu Qing handed a journal to Xian Hong. ”This is the culprit’s personal journal. Take a look.”

”A journal?” Xian Hong took it, a look of surprise on his face. After flipping through a few pages, his expression turned grave. ”Is everything written in here true?”

Lu Qing replied, ”I can’t speak for the rest, but there are two things I can confirm. One is the police ambush from three years ago—I was there. The other is the recent string of deaths caused by parasites. Those weren’t from some random disease; the culprit did it intentionally! What’s written on the last two pages of the journal, about the Teng Mo sucking blood and eating hearts—that’s what this is about. Zhao Yuan can corroborate it!”

Wasting no time, Xian Hong led the police into the room.

The moment they entered, several officers were horrified by the scene. The room was spattered with blood, and some couldn’t hold it in, retching and vomiting on the spot. Then they saw the gruesome state of the culprit’s corpse and were even more profoundly shocked.

Fighting back a wave of nausea, Xian Hong found Zhao Yuan and Lu Qing. ”How did the culprit end up like this?” he asked.

”He reaped what he sowed,” Zhao Yuan said. He gave Xian Hong a rundown of what happened, omitting most of the details. He only told him that the man was adept at using Gu and that his death was caused by a backlash from his own Gu Insects.

Xian Hong didn’t seem to doubt it, merely marveling at the strangeness of it all.

After giving their statements, Zhao Yuan and the other three were allowed to leave. The rest would be handled by Xian Hong and his team.

News of the bizarre case spread quickly through police circles. Most officers only knew that Xian Hong had cracked another major case. Only Wen Ji, the captain of the criminal investigation team, guessed that it had something to do with Zhao Yuan.

Zhao Yuan had called him for help before going after the culprit, but unfortunately, Wen Ji hadn’t believed him. This left Wen Ji filled with immense regret. ’If only I had trusted Zhao Yuan back then, the credit for cracking this huge case would have been mine! What a pity... why did I have to doubt him?’

Downstairs, the four of them got into the car. This time, however, it wasn’t Lu Qing behind the wheel, but Ying Ji. Lu Qing was in no emotional state to drive.

Ying Ji drove Zhao Yuan back to the university first. As they parted ways, Zhao Yuan made sure to comfort Lu Qing, while Ying Ji reminded him, ”Zhao Yuan, please, don’t forget to help me translate that Sheepskin Book.”

Zhao Yuan nodded. ”Don’t worry, I won’t forget. I’ll contact you as soon as I’m finished translating it.”

Hao Li gave him a conspiratorial wink. ”Little Brother Zhao, I’ll hit you up in a few days. Got something good for you.”

”Alright,” Zhao Yuan replied. He waved goodbye to the three of them and walked onto campus.

By now, the sky had completely darkened.

As he walked, Zhao Yuan pulled out his phone and called Lin Xue.

Perhaps Lin Xue had been waiting by her phone, because she picked up after the very first ring.

A rapid-fire series of questions followed. ”Zhao Yuan, are you back? Is the surgery over? Did you save the patient?”

The corner of Zhao Yuan’s mouth curled into a faint smile. ’It feels so good to have someone worry about you like this.’

He smiled and said, ”The surgery’s done, the patient was saved, and I even helped the police crack a major case.”

”That’s wonderful!” she exclaimed, then asked, ”Are you okay? You’re not hurt, are you?”

”Don’t worry, I’m great. Not a damn thing’s wrong,” Zhao Yuan answered with a laugh.

”That’s good.” Only then did Lin Xue finally seem to relax.

Zhao Yuan reached his dorm as they were talking. They didn’t hang up right away, chatting for a while longer before finally ending the call.

The moment he hung up, his three roommates swarmed him, asking what had happened.

「Two more days passed in the blink of an eye.」

That day, Zhao Yuan suddenly got a call from Yang Jingbo, telling him to come to his office.