311: Chapter 305: Need to Pay More?
311: Chapter 305: Need to Pay More?
Upon seeing Chen Hai walk out of the small western-style building, Wei Zhidong and his nephew Wei Fang hurriedly went up to greet him.
“Master Chen, how was your discussion with Taoist Wang?”
“Regarding our Black Stone Reservoir, did he have any other opinions?”
Wei Zhidong was the first to speak, eagerly asking.
As for Wei Fang, he still seemed timid in front of Chen Hai, feeling somewhat unable to let loose.
If it were not for his uncle Wei Zhidong being there, wanting to perform well and not be looked down upon by his own uncle, perhaps he would have gone out of his way to avoid Chen Hai.
“We just had a casual chat,” Chen Hai nodded and responded with a smile.
As for what he and Taoist Wang discussed privately in the tea room of the western-style building, it was enough for him to know, and there was no need to let Wei Zhidong and his nephew in on it.
With his abilities, he naturally wouldn’t take a nearly dead old fellow like Taoist Wang seriously.
Why didn’t he expose Taoist Wang in front of Wei Zhidong?
The reason was simple: he felt it was better to have one less problem.
Just as Taoist Wang said, cutting off a man’s livelihood is akin to killing his parents.
In Taoist Wang’s eyes, he already saw Wei Zhidong as a fat sheep.
By rashly revealing his true face, perhaps it was out of good intentions, not wanting him to fall into danger.
But in his eyes, Chen Hai just appeared to be trying to snatch away his business and cut off his financial path.
If things turned sour, who knew how much Taoist Wang would resent Chen Hai!
Although that guy was a cheat, who knew if he, having wandered the Jianghu for so many years, possessed some other strange abilities?
Chen Hai had relatives and friends.
Taoist Wang’s slight abilities were indeed something Chen Hai could ignore himself, but most of his relatives and friends were just ordinary people.
Who could guarantee that a Taoist Wang, who bore such a grudge against Chen Hai, wouldn’t commit some irrational act?
After a little thought, Chen Hai could understand that exposing Taoist Wang and making him lose the financial path of Wei Zhidong was simply a thankless task for himself.
This was something he didn’t want to meddle in, nor did he have the energy to!
Let that guy make a fuss; perhaps Chen Hai could even use him to draw out the thing in Black Stone Reservoir and reveal its true form.
“Master Chen, when do you think we should start the ritual to resolve the issue with the thing in the reservoir?”
Not getting any substantial information from Chen Hai, Wei Zhidong was slightly disappointed.
After a brief pause, he spoke up again, trying to inquire from Chen Hai.
Knowing that Taoist Wang was acquainted with Chen Hai, he felt that Taoist Wang must have some abilities!
After all, birds of a feather flock together, a truth understood by the ancients and clear to Wei Zhidong as well.
However, between Taoist Wang and Chen Hai, he certainly trusted Chen Hai more.
After all, he had witnessed Chen Hai’s abilities with his own eyes.
His nephew Wei Fang, who felt superior in front of others, always thought he was better than everyone else.
To say that he feigned being scared by Chen Hai, rolling on the ground and conspiring with Chen Hai to deceive him?
Even if you beat Wei Zhidong to death, he would never believe such a thing.
“Elder Wei, haste makes waste, there’s no need to rush the matter of the reservoir!”
“Didn’t Taoist Wang say he was going to perform the ritual immediately to resolve the issue?”
“Let him showcase his abilities first, for your enlightenment!” Glancing at Taoist Wang, who had regained his sagely demeanor and was walking unhurriedly out of the western-style building with a spring-like smile on his face, Chen Hai chuckled lightly.
“Alright then, let’s have Taoist Wang go first.”
“If he can’t handle it, can’t resolve the issue with the reservoir, it won’t be too late for Master Chen to take action afterward!” Wei Zhidong nodded slightly after a moment of consideration and responded.
If truth be told, in his heart, he definitely hoped that Taoist Wang would successfully resolve the issue with the reservoir.
After all, it was cheaper to engage him.
If Chen Hai didn’t lift a finger on this visit to Black Stone Reservoir, the matter of the shares would naturally be invalidated.
As for the compensation, the most Wei Zhidong would give to Chen Hai was basically the travel expenses.
“Taoist Wang, it’s already noon; are you ready to start the ritual now?” Greeting Chen Hai, Wei Zhidong, with a smile on his face, led his nephew Wei Fang and strode towards Taoist Wang who had just emerged from the building.
Two days prior, when he felt that you get what you pay for and regarded Taoist Wang indifferently!
But now, feeling that the Taoist might truly have some abilities, Wei Zhidong seemed to have completely changed his attitude!
To this, Chen Hai merely smiled.
In his view, human nature was just like this, there was nothing surprising about it!
“Yes, I am indeed ready to start the ritual now!”
Maintaining a faint smile, Taoist Wang nodded and then continued, “Boss Wei, may I ask, you mentioned that in this Black Stone Reservoir, schools of fish keep dying in large numbers.”
“At night, those who patrol the reservoir also suffer one mishap after another.”
“Then you should know approximately where these accidents occur, right?”
While he spoke, he casually pulled out a Compass from a cloth bag he carried on his back.
This thing was his bread and butter.
His previously often-used Compass had already shattered to pieces in Liuhua Alley.
As for the one he was currently using, he had picked it up for two hundred yuan at Panjiayuan Market.
Judging by the patina, this Compass in his hand must be quite old.
However, whether this thing could really reveal anything, he had no idea.
Anyway, if he wanted to make the needle of the Compass move wildly, he had always relied on a magnet.
“Taoist Wang, do you see that, over there, where those several willow trees are located?”
“The last accident at our reservoir happened right in that area?”
“Do you think there’s a problem with that spot?”
After a moment of thought, Wei Zhidong pointed to a few large trees growing along the bank about one or two hundred meters away, their branches mostly overhanging the water’s surface, and explained to Taoist Wang.
The accidents he mentioned naturally referred to that time when the capable person he had hired suddenly became confused and jumped into the water, losing a leg.
However, he was vaguely general about this matter in front of Taoist Wang, while he himself knew the specifics.
After all, he was somewhat concerned that if Taoist Wang knew about it, he might be scared off.
“Over there?
I understand!”
“Old Taoist I will head over and take a look right now.
With me here, those evil spirits, some minor and insignificant beings, won’t be able to stir any trouble!”
Taoist Wang nodded, held the Compass in his hand, and pretended to walk over to the vicinity of those willow trees.
He stepped in the Seven-star Steps around the willows, then thoroughly observed back and forth from all sides for a long time.
Wei Zhidong and the others, including Chen Hai, also came over to this side.
However, they didn’t get too close to the edge of the reservoir where the willow trees were located, and they were about twenty meters away from where Taoist Wang was.
“Boss Wei, take a look at this Compass in my hand, see how erratically the needle is jumping?”
“There’s quite a strong yin qi in this spot!”
Holding the Compass, Taoist Wang walked back to Wei Zhidong.
After sighing and showing him the trembling needle on the Compass,
He pointed to one of the big trees, the one that was the oldest and had the thickest branches, and continued, “If I’m not mistaken, this place might have been the site of a hanging suicide about a hundred and eighty years ago.”
“If it were just a hanging death, that would be one thing, but what happened?
The branch broke, the man didn’t die from hanging, but fell into the water and drowned!”
“For that reason, he harbors deep grudges, and a breath of resentment has not dispersed!”
“Such an entity, once it encounters blood, becomes uncontrollable.”
“The dead fish in the reservoir, their blood, has surely already been sucked dry by him.”
“When the fish blood ceases to satisfy his thirst for fresh blood, then he will certainly start to target humans…”
With an appearance of grave seriousness, Taoist Wang explained to Wei Zhidong.
Deceiving and manipulating, and wandering the Jianghu for so many years, his gift of the gab was unquestionably impressive.
The more mysterious and frightening the story, the thicker the wad of cash he could extract from someone’s pocket.
To be honest, Taoist Wang’s methods were still in high demand even now.
Had it not been for his advanced age and the fact that the insurance companies wouldn’t give him an opportunity or hire him, he would have considered switching careers to sell insurance!
After all, isn’t selling insurance about exaggerating dangers to scare people so that, in a moment of anxiety, they dig into their pockets to buy an ethereal safety net for the future?
When it came to bluffing and scaring people, Taoist Wang felt he was an expert.
If he took up selling insurance, his performance would surely outshine all the young salespeople…
Look, even Boss Wei, a big boss, was clearly scared by his fabricated and nonsensical chatter!
“Taoist Wang, since you were able to spot something wrong with this willow tree at a glance, then you surely know how to solve this problem?”
“I’m extremely troubled by the events happening around the reservoir!”
“As long as you can thoroughly resolve this matter, whatever your conditions are, we can discuss them!”
Anxious, Wei Zhidong pleaded with Taoist Wang.
“Heaven bears the virtue of nurturing life, and exorcising demons and protecting the Way is the responsibility of those of us who practice Tao Cultivation!”
With a righteous face, feigning a sorry-for-the-world attitude, Taoist Wang continued, “That entity, it resides in the roots of the tree during the day, and at night, it roams around searching for food.”
“Unfortunately, my abilities are limited, and resolving this situation would certainly deplete my vitality…”
He said, feigning difficulty, and paused there.
Knowing his character, there was no need to guess – he definitely wanted more money to take action.