Chapter 1461: Scare People Into Giving More Money
Ning Shu stepped up her practice. Fortunately, this Daoist temple was located in a sparsely populated area and was surrounded by lush mountains and forests, so it had a lot more spiritual energy than the big cities which were full of automobile exhaust.
All in all, it was a very good place for retirement. There was a village located at the foot of the mountain, but it was a backwater village.
Occasionally, when someone from the village encountered something supernatural, they would come to the old man. They usually paid him with some sweet potatoes or pumpkins, while those with slightly better conditions would offer a chicken.
Every time, the old man would take Tao Qin along to have her learn how to exorcise ghosts. If it was a family with better conditions, he would put on a show. He’d say that this ghost’s baleful aura was too strong, so they must quickly get rid of it, and such blah, to scare people into giving him more money.
Even so, they still couldn’t earn enough to feed the dozen or so mouths in the family. On top of that, those kids were all in their growing phase. They were like bottomless holes.
The old man wanted to recast the statues of Three Pure Ones and Mt. Mao’s founder into a gold body, but the conditions didn’t permit him to do so.
The development of science and technology was tightening the noose on fortune-tellers, exorcists, and others of similar professions. As of now, the old man wasn’t trying to bring Mt. Mao’s techniques to greater heights. Instead, all he wanted was to pass it on so that it would not disappear into the long river of history.
However, all of the old man’s hard work was destroyed by Tao Qin.
Tao Qin’s young age had also played a role in this. If this matter had been handled by the old man, who was seasoned by years of experience, things would not be so bad.
When the phantom king Feng Yin suddenly slaughtered his way to the Daoist temple, the old man had to focus on protecting the children. Furthermore, Feng Yin was extremely strong, so in the end, the old man and the children ended up dying, and their souls were destroyed.
Ning Shu sat on the bed, cultivating. She felt subtle spiritual energy flowing in from her pores and gathering in her dantian.
“Girl, come here.” The old man’s voice was so loud, Ning Shu could hear it in her room. She immediately stopped cultivating and went to find the old man.
When she arrived at the hall, she saw the old man in a half-new Daoist robe. His hair was combed in a bun again, and he looked like an upright old Daoist, dignified and solemn.
When Ning Shu saw him like this, she knew something was up. She asked, “What kind of job is it this time?”
The old man said, “It’s a job from the village below. The family’s being targeted by something, and the person is still unconscious.”
The old man looked at Ning Shu, then his eyes whirled, and he said, “This time, you take the lead. I want to see what you’ve learned.”
Ning Shu said while bracing herself, “All… All right.”
Was she going to be a ghost-hunter Daoist now?
She followed the old man down the mountain to see the family. As soon as they walked into the courtyard, she felt a chilling aura, and her hair rose up on end.
The old man stood in the yard and observed the surroundings. Ning Shu also looked around. This was an ordinary farmhouse. There was a locust tree in the yard, and beneath that, a well.
Ning Shu walked to the well and peered inside. Since it was right beneath the tree, the branches blocked all the light so it was pitch black inside. She couldn’t see any water in the well.
The locust tree was quite large and covered almost half of the small yard. It was quite cool standing under the tree, to the point it even felt a little eerie.
The owner invited the old man and Ning Shu inside. The moment they walked in, they saw a woman lying on the bed. Her face was pale, and there was darkness hovering around her.
The old man started his act, pinching his fingers and fluttering his eyes. Then he said to Ning Shu, who was staring at the woman, “Go and take a look.”
Ning Shu went over and took the woman’s hand to check her pulse. The woman was about fifty years old. The conclusion Ning Shu came to was that she was suffering from severe anemia.
In short, the woman had lost too much blood.
Ning Shu inspected the woman’s body. There weren’t any big wounds, so it was strange that she had lost so much blood.
“Daoist, how is my wife?” The woman’s husband asked the old man.
The old man was calm and composed. “There will be results soon.”
Ning Shu looked at the old man and asked, “Master, how did this happen?”
MTL Editor: Meraki
TLC: Kaho