The Taoist Priest hesitated, clearly trying to keep Zuo Si in suspense.
“If it’s inconvenient for you to speak, then I’ll take my leave,” Zuo Si said, uninterested in engaging with him. He had seen too many con artists like this; if it weren’t for his dire situation, he wouldn’t be here buying these ‘ghost-repelling’ items.
Seeing Zuo Si about to leave, the Taoist Priest couldn’t hold back any longer. Why was this young man not following the usual script?
“Young friend, please don’t go! Stay a moment!”
“What is it? Speak quickly!” Zuo Si replied, somewhat impatient. He was in a hurry to return to the haunted house for his experiment and had no time to waste with this con artist.
“Very well!” The Taoist Priest seemed to make an important decision: “Although revealing the heavenly opportunity may be detrimental to me, the heavens have a benevolent nature, so I will share the divination with you for free.”
“The five senses of a person are known as the five elements. The art of the five senses can determine yin and yang, establish the universe, predict the trends of the great Dao, and discern the fortune of life and death…”
As the Taoist Priest spoke, he noticed Zuo Si was walking away again. He was at a loss for words. Wasn’t he speaking clearly? Why was this young man leaving again? Were young people so restless these days?
“Young friend, young friend! Please let me finish!”
“Sorry, Taoist Priest, but I don’t understand. Let’s not waste your time!”
“Stop!” The Taoist Priest shouted sternly: “To be honest, you’ve encountered a ghost, and it’s not just any ghost. Your facial features are ominous; if nothing unexpected happens, you will die tonight!”
The words were harsh, and not only did Zuo Si freeze, but even some passersby were taken aback.
In the past, Zuo Si wouldn’t have believed it, but tonight he had to complete a Daily Task, and the danger level was not to be underestimated.
He could easily lose his life.
“What if this Taoist Priest really has some skills?”
Zuo Si hesitated. Although he didn’t want to be fooled, life was certainly more important than money.
He returned to the Taoist Priest’s stall.
He asked, “Do you have a way to resolve this?”
“Ah! You’ve finally turned back. I’ve saved a precious life,” the Taoist Priest said, looking somewhat disappointed. He took out a brocade box from his sleeve: “This is the treasure of Longhu Mountain, the exorcism and warding talisman. It will definitely keep you safe.”
“Oh?” Zuo Si examined the yellow brocade box, which was exquisitely crafted, with a dragon and a tiger embroidered on either side, lifelike and clearly not cheap.
“Thank you, Taoist Priest! Thank you!” Zuo Si repeatedly expressed his gratitude as he took the brocade box.
“You and I are fated, so there’s no need for thanks,” the Taoist Priest said, shaking his head, looking like a wise man.
“You truly are a person of great wisdom, Taoist Priest. I was blind just now,” Zuo Si thanked him again and turned to leave.
The Taoist Priest watched Zuo Si’s departing figure, nearly spitting out a mouthful of blood.
He shouted angrily, “You didn’t pay!”
“You want money?” Zuo Si looked at the brocade box in surprise. “Didn’t you say it was a gift because we are fated?”
“You…” The Taoist Priest took a deep breath to calm himself. “Fated or not, I still need to collect the payment.”
“How much?”
“Eight thousand.”
“Eight thousand!?” Zuo Si exclaimed in shock.
“If it weren’t for our fate, I wouldn’t sell it to you.”
“Then you might as well keep it for the next fated person.”
Zuo Si returned the brocade box to the Taoist Priest.
Are you kidding? He didn’t even have eight thousand in total! Eight thousand for a broken talisman??
Seeing that Zuo Si was really going to leave, the Taoist Priest panicked.
He hurriedly said, “If you really don’t have enough money, I can lower the price since we are fated.”
“You can negotiate?” Zuo Si looked at the brocade box, feeling that while it wasn’t cheap, it should at most be worth a hundred bucks.
Plus the talisman inside, maybe two hundred?
Wasn’t eight thousand a bit excessive for something that should only cost two hundred?
“Three hundred!” Zuo Si said, “That’s all I have.”
The Taoist Priest didn’t respond, his mouth twitching.
“I mean, Taoist Priest, since we are so fated, and you seem to have a chivalrous heart, you wouldn’t refuse to sell it to me, right? I’m in danger here; are you really going to watch me die?”
Many people around were watching, and the Taoist Priest’s expression kept changing, unsure of what to think.
After pondering for several seconds, he finally spoke.
“Alright, since I have a fate with you, let’s consider it a good deed.”
The Taoist Priest pulled out a QR code, signaling Zuo Si to pay quickly.
Zuo Si didn’t want to waste any more time. Three hundred bucks was nothing; if it didn’t work, he could always return to the Taoist Priest for a refund.
After paying, he carried a bag of items back to the haunted house.
“Who should I experiment on?”
Zuo Si rubbed his chin.
Meng Miaoxue and Shen Xia were both quite pitiful; he felt a bit reluctant to use them for experiments.
Moreover, he still needed to use a child’s urine.
After thinking it over, Zuo Si ultimately decided that Liu Wenguang was the most suitable.
He went to the second operating room and dumped everything from the bag onto the floor.
“Liu Wenguang, come out!”
A gray shadow flashed, and Liu Wenguang timidly appeared before Zuo Si.
“Boss, what do you need?”
Zuo Si pointed at the dozen items on the ground and asked, “Do these things scare you?”
Liu Wenguang looked at Zuo Si in surprise, then began to examine them closely.
“Not scary at all. Why would I be afraid of these things?”
“Not scared?” Zuo Si frowned, picking up the black dog blood and holding it in front of Liu Wenguang. “You’re not afraid of this?”
“Not afraid. It actually smells pretty good,” Liu Wenguang said, leaning in to sniff it.
Zuo Si wasn’t ready to give up. He dipped his finger in it and flicked it at Liu Wenguang.
But nothing happened.
“Ah! I knew these things were unreliable.”
“I hope this exorcism and warding talisman is useful.”
Holding onto his last hope, Zuo Si opened the yellow brocade box, revealing a beautifully crafted talisman scroll lying quietly inside.
With a yellow background and red characters, the writing flowed like a dragon, giving a sense of grandeur, even edged in gold.
Zuo Si couldn’t help but admire it; such a talisman scroll shouldn’t be a scam, right?
He carefully picked up the talisman scroll and noticed Liu Wenguang was right beside him, staring intently at the talisman scroll.
“Boss, this talisman scroll is so beautiful! It must be expensive, right?”
“You… you’re not afraid?” Zuo Si suddenly felt he had been tricked.
“Not afraid. Why should I be afraid?”
“D*mn it, I really got scammed! How dare he trick me! I must settle this with him another day!” Zuo Si felt his teeth grinding in anger.
“Boss, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Zuo Si replied irritably. “By the way, don’t you have anything you’re afraid of?”
“Besides sunlight, I really don’t know what else I’m afraid of…” Liu Wenguang suddenly guessed something and said with a bitter face, “Boss, why are you asking this? You’re not planning to t0rture me, are you? I promise I’ll listen to you!”
“Don’t think too much; I’m not a pervert. Why would I torture you?”
Zuo Si checked the time; it was already nine o’clock in the evening, and there were still two hours until the task time.
He needed to prepare some other things to head to the Xiangyang Village bus stop.
My Midnight Livestream advance chapters (10 chaps) are available at Patreon Support Tier. The Support Tier also has access to the advance chapters of My Dream Goddess (10 chaps) and Hedonist Prodigy (15 chaps). (for limited duration)