Divine Level Witch Doctor

Mage Zhang was very pleased with the villagers' attitude. But he didn't immediately begin the exorcism. Instead, he sighed, feigning reluctance. "I do want to save your lives—after all, we're all fellow villagers. But performing an exorcism consumes a great deal of Essence, and it could even shorten my own life! It puts me in a very difficult position!"

Hearing this, the villagers' pleas grew even more frantic.

But it was Granny Xing who understood how these things worked. She immediately grasped the crux of the matter and hastened to say, "Mage Zhang, you have to save us! We're willing to pay, to buy you restorative tonics to replenish your lost Essence."

The other villagers caught on and quickly chimed in.

"Yes, yes, we're willing to pay!"

"Mage Zhang, as long as you save our lives, we'll pay any price!"

Mage Zhang stroked his goatee. Dropping the act, he named his price. "In that case, I'll be blunt. Let's do it this way: each of you gives me ten thousand yuan, and I will perform the ritual to get rid of the Ghost Chaining you!"

"What? Ten thousand yuan per person?" The crowd was stunned by the price.

Although Xiaqiao Village was slightly better off than Zhao Yuan's Jinhua Village, it was still impoverished. A whole family might not even make ten thousand yuan in an entire year! For Mage Zhang to demand ten thousand per person was nothing short of extortion. To the people of Xiaqiao Village, it was an astronomical sum!

Mage Zhang had seen this plenty of times and knew exactly how to handle it.

With a flick of his sleeve, he pretended to pack his things and leave. "Too expensive? Then by all means, find someone more qualified! But don't say I didn't warn you. These Evil Ghosts are incredibly powerful. Someone else might not be able to handle them! Besides, your Yang Qi is nearly drained. Just you wait. You'll become their replacements, unable to pass on, unable to be reborn, doomed to wander the world as dazed, lost souls!"

The common Techniques of a charlatan—a feint followed by a threat. Mage Zhang was a master of them.

Sure enough, the moment the villagers saw he was about to leave, they panicked. They rushed to surround him, some kneeling, all of them pleading.

"Mage Zhang, don't go! We beg you, please stay and save us."

"We're all fellow villagers. You must know what our village's situation is like. Ten thousand per person... we really can't come up with that much money!"

"That's right. Can't you make it a little less?"

Mage Zhang stopped in his tracks. "Lowering the price is out of the question. You think this money is for me? Wrong! It's for buying offerings, for placating the Six Ding and Six Jia and the on-duty Star Official! If the amount is insufficient, we'll anger these Divine Spirits, and that's far worse than being Chained by an Evil Ghost! However, I know you villagers aren't rich. So, how about this: I can try to communicate with the Divine Spirits and get you three months to raise the funds!"

"But, three months... Will our Yang Qi last that long?" Everyone was worried. None of them wanted to spend another three months with the Evil Ghosts. 'Who knew what sort of accident might happen during that time?'

Mage Zhang said, "Don't worry. I can get rid of these Evil Ghosts for you first. But you must deliver the money to me within three months. Don't even think about backing out of the deal, because this money is for the Divine Spirits. Once you go back on your word, the consequences will be unthinkable!"

He paused, his expression suddenly turning cold and sinister. "You've heard about what happened to Wang Gui from Houshan Village, right? He tried to welsh on the debt, and a Divine Spirit punished him. In front of everyone, he took a knife and stabbed himself to death, one cut after another! I'm sure you don't want something like that happening to you, right?"

The crowd nodded in unison, their faces filled with terrified awe.

Mage Zhang then said, "Anyone willing to pay ten thousand yuan for me to get rid of the Ghosts for them, step forward!"

'Ten thousand yuan versus their lives? Life was obviously more important. Plus, they had three months. In that time, they could borrow money or sell off their assets. They'd find a way to scrape it together. And even if they couldn't, well, at least they'd get to live for three more months, right?'

Having reached this conclusion, the Xiaqiao villagers gritted their teeth and all stepped forward to stand before Mage Zhang.

Mage Zhang nodded in satisfaction, a flash of smugness in his eyes. Then he began his ritual. Shaking a Copper Bell in his left hand, he continuously waved a Peach Wood Sword in his right, dancing around the villagers as if battling some unseen foe.

After the commotion, he returned to the altar table. He slammed the Copper Bell down hard on a stack of Yellow Paper and declared, "It is done. I have subdued the Evil Ghosts and sealed them in these sheets of Yellow Paper. Now, I will burn them away!"

The crowd, half-believing and half-doubting, stared with wide eyes.

Mage Zhang picked up the sheets of Yellow Paper one by one and passed them by the incense and candles. A shocking scene unfolded: holes quickly burned through the paper, one after another.

On closer inspection, the holes were all shaped like human figures!

"Heavens, he's really burning Ghosts!" Granny Xing cried out at once.

The crowd subconsciously came to the same conclusion. 'He must have burned away the Evil Ghosts that were tormenting us. Otherwise, why would perfect, human-shaped holes appear in the Yellow Paper? Those must have been the Evil Ghosts sealed inside!'

Mage Zhang quickly finished burning the Yellow Paper, clapped his hands, and said, "Alright, the Evil Ghosts that were Chaining you have been dealt with. You can rest easy now. But there's one thing you must remember. When you go home, you must light an oil lamp and not let it go out. This lamp must burn continuously for forty-nine days, and every day, you must piously chant the name of Buddha and recite scriptures in your hearts! Only then can the Evil Qi left on you by the Evil Ghosts be completely cleansed! If you make a mistake during this time and your illnesses don't get better, you can't blame me!"

The crowd nodded again and again, none of them noticing the trap laid in his words.

Right at that moment, Zhao Yuan, along with some doctors and nurses, arrived at the threshing ground.

Hu Bin stepped forward and called out, "Everyone, you need to believe in science, not this superstitious nonsense! You aren't cursed, you're ill. We've determined the nature of your illness now. As long as you take the prescribed medicine, you'll recover in no time!"

Unfortunately, the people of Xiaqiao Village had been completely bewitched by Mage Zhang. They didn't believe him at all. Instead, they retorted, "You're the one talking nonsense! We were clearly Chained by Evil Ghosts! Mage Zhang just performed a ritual and got rid of them for us. We'll get better even without taking any medicine!"

Hu Bin tried to explain, but the villagers wouldn't listen to him at all, making him break out in a sweat from anxiety.

At this moment, Zhao Yuan put his motorcycle on its stand, stepped forward, and pointed a finger at Mage Zhang. In a solemn voice, he declared, "You've all been fooled. He's not a Mage at all, he's just a con man!"

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