Divine Level Witch Doctor

”What? How could this be happening?”

Hu Bin and the others frowned at the news. They had finally figured out the cause of the illness and were on the verge of curing the villagers of Xiaqiao Village, only for something like this to happen. It was utterly ludicrous.

Gao Zhixiang’s face darkened. ”Instead of trusting doctors, they’re running off to believe in a Mage and his rituals? Isn’t this just nonsense? If their illness isn’t treated in time, letting the toxoplasma parasites remain in their brains could be fatal! Come on, let’s go over there and talk some sense into those villagers. Xiaoma, you’re young. Run and get the police officers maintaining order in the village. Have them arrest that charlatan!”

”Okay, I’m on it.” The doctor named Xiaoma nodded and turned to run.

Gao Zhixiang, Hu Bin, and the others, leading a group of doctors and nurses, rushed toward the sunning-ground where the ritual was being performed, guided by the people from before.

Zhao Yuan thought for a moment and followed on his motorcycle.

’Unlike Hu Bin, Gao Zhixiang, and the others, he knew that gods and Ghosts, Magic, and all sorts of supernatural phenomena and abilities truly existed in this world; he himself was one of them. So he held no prejudice against countryside Mages and was even quite interested in communicating with one. But that was on the condition that the other person actually had skills, and wasn’t a fraud!’

However, the situation with the people of Xiaqiao Village was an illness, not a malevolent entity. But this Mage who had arrived was making a big show of performing a ritual to dispel evil, which was not just a scam! It was delaying the treatment of the Xiaqiao villagers, leading them down a path to their deaths!

Zhao Yuan could not, under any circumstances, sit by and do nothing!

So he decided to follow them and see. If the Mage knew when to back down, fine. But if he was stubbornly ignorant, Zhao Yuan wouldn’t mind teaching him a lesson!

”Zhao Yuan, you’re going with them?” Luo Jun fumbled his way out of the house and asked.

”Yeah, I’m going to go have a look,” Zhao Yuan instructed. ”Your eyes are bad, so don’t follow. Just rest in the house. Someone will bring you your medicine later. Make sure you take it according to the doctor’s instructions.”

Luo Jun said, ”I know. You can go watch the excitement, but you have to be careful not to offend Mage Zhang. If you anger him, the consequences will be severe.”

”Oh?” Zhao Yuan raised an eyebrow and asked, ”You know about this Mage?”

Luo Jun nodded. ”Granny Xing came to my house yesterday and said she was planning to invite Mage Zhang from Shangxian Village to perform a ritual, so I knew about it. I’ve also heard some rumors about Mage Zhang. They say his Magic is profound, that he can restrain Ghosts and capture Demons. His words are also said to be incredibly potent—whoever he says will have bad luck will have bad luck, and you can only escape the misfortune by begging him for help! Because of that, he’s extremely famous in Chuncheng County and even in several of the surrounding counties and townships.”

”There’s something like that?” Zhao Yuan had previously focused all his energy on his studies and rarely paid attention to such matters, so he had never heard of this Mage Zhang, who was so famous in the mountain villages of Chuncheng County.

’Based on Luo Jun’s description, this Mage Zhang seemed to have some real skills. But he’d have to see the man in person to know for sure.’

He agreed, ”Alright, I get it. I’ll be careful. You should hurry back inside and rest!”

After speaking, he got on his motorcycle and wobbled unsteadily after the doctors and nurses, heading for the sunning-ground in Xiaqiao Village.

Before they even reached the sunning-ground, they could hear waves of shocked cries.

After turning left at the gate of a household’s courtyard, they saw the situation on the distant sunning-ground.

Sure enough, most of the sick villagers from Xiaqiao Village were gathered there.

In the center of the sunning-ground was a table covered with a yellow cloth painted with all sorts of yellow Talismans. Although he was far away, Zhao Yuan could tell with a single glance that these Talismans had no Qi in them whatsoever!

Above the yellow cloth hung several portraits of Buddha and Bodhisattvas, with incense and candles lit before them. That in itself might not have been a problem, but the Mage himself was wearing a Daoist Robe.

This getup, neither Buddhist nor Daoist, was ludicrous. Even if one practiced Dual Cultivation of both Buddha and Dao, this wasn’t how you did it!

Putting everything else aside, this presentation alone made Zhao Yuan feel that this Mage Zhang was, nine times out of ten, a fraud!

But the villagers clearly didn’t think so.

In their eyes, Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva and the Jade Emperor were both Immortals from the heavens, part of the same big, indistinguishable family. At this moment, their gazes were all fixed on Mage Zhang, their expressions tense. They didn’t even dare to breathe too loudly.

Mage Zhang looked to be in his forties. His left hand gripped a Copper Bell, shaking it so it rang DANG DANG, while his right hand held a Peach Wood Sword. His feet moved quickly as he circled the sunning-ground, muttering some incomprehensible Spell.

Suddenly, Mage Zhang stopped. With a grave expression, he announced, ”Your Xiaqiao Village has indeed provoked an Evil Ghost—and not just one! That is why half the village has fallen ill and gone mad for no reason! These Evil Ghosts are Chaining themselves to you, devouring your Yang Qi! Once they’ve eaten and drunk their fill, your lifespans will come to an end. At that time, not only will you die, but your physical bodies will also be seized by these Evil Ghosts!”

”Did you hear that? Did you hear that? I told you our village was being Chained by Evil Ghosts! See, even Mage Zhang says so!” Granny Xing, who had invited Mage Zhang, was very excited, as if she were the one performing the ritual.

The surrounding villagers were terrified, but some still harbored doubts.

Mage Zhang sensed this and snorted coldly. ”You don’t believe me, is that it? Fine, I’ll open your eyes!”

With that, he began muttering again, weaving about with quick steps.

But this time, he wasn’t weaving through the open space, but darting between the villagers.

The villagers looked at each other in confusion, unable to guess what he was doing. Just as they were feeling bewildered, someone’s expression changed drastically. Pointing at an acquaintance next to him, he cried out, ”Li Erwa, what is that thing on your back?”

This person’s words were like a drop of water on a hot skillet, causing the previously silent crowd to instantly erupt.

”Damn, that’s a will-o’-the-wisp!”

”Hey, there’s a will-o’-the-wisp near you too!”

”Help me, I have a will-o’-the-wisp on me too, what do I do?”

”How can there be will-o’-the-wisps in broad daylight? And right beside us? Could it be that Evil Ghosts are really Chaining us?”

The villagers of Xiaqiao Village, whether they had been skeptical or believers before, were all thrown into a panic at this moment!

Mage Zhang retreated to the altar table, raised his head, and said in a deep voice, ”I just used Magic to make the Evil Ghosts Chaining you reveal themselves! Well? You believe my words now, don’t you?”

”We believe! We believe!”

”Mage Zhang, please save us!”

”Mage Zhang, since you can make these Evil Ghosts reveal themselves, you must have a way to get rid of them, right? Please, show some mercy and save all of our lives!”

The villagers pleaded one after another, and a few even dropped to their knees, kowtowing and begging for help.