312: Chapter 306: The Old Daoist Performs a Ritual 312: Chapter 306: The Old Daoist Performs a Ritual Taoist Wang was a certain kind of person, and Chen Hai knew a bit about him, but Wei Zhidong and his associates had no idea at all.
When Taoist Wang mentioned that solving the reservoir issue would severely impair his vitality,
Wei Zhidong thought about it, and it indeed seemed reasonable.
After all, the unknown entity in the reservoir was truly formidable, which was beyond doubt.
The last time he had invited an expert, who, as if in a sudden fit of madness, rushed into the water, was just over a month ago.
At that time, Wei Zhidong was watching from the side.
That expert, reportedly quite renowned in their area, presumably had some real abilities.
Yet even such an expert had been unwittingly enchanted by the unknown entity in the reservoir and had even lost a leg as a result.
If that thing wasn’t formidable, how could it have done such a thing?
Originally, when the disaster at the reservoir first occurred, he had called the police.
Unfortunately, this place was somewhat remote, and the reservoir was far too vast.
A few officers came by, investigated for a few days, found nothing, and then there was no follow-up.
At that time, the incident involved people patrolling the reservoir in a small boat at night; the exact location of the incident was unclear to everyone.
Seal off the crime scene?
That was simply a joke.
The entire reservoir spanned several square kilometers; who would seal it off, and how?
The police definitely didn’t have the capability; perhaps only the military could manage it.
Afterward, when another incident occurred at the reservoir, Wei Zhidong didn’t even bother calling the police!
After all, calling the police was useless, it didn’t solve anything and only added trouble for him.
For the families involved, Wei Zhidong still had to provide consolation; he couldn’t skimp on the compensation they were due.
In Wei Zhidong’s view, handling things privately was much more hassle-free.
Of course, as the boss, it was inevitable to lose money when something happened at the reservoir.
However, in these times, human life wasn’t worth much; compensating tens of thousands for a dead person was already quite generous of him!
With Wei Zhidong’s financial resources, he could afford these losses.
Continual incidents at the reservoir were no solution, his search for experts was meant to resolve this situation once and for all.
Judging from his readiness to offer nearly half the shares of the reservoir as a reward to get Chen Hai involved, Wei Zhidong’s determination to settle this matter was apparent!
Taoist Wang’s words did help him to relax a bit.
Although it was said that resolving this issue would severely hurt his vitality, from his words, it seemed that he ultimately had a way to bring a total end to the problems inside the reservoir!
“Taoist Wang, please take care of the reservoir issue for us!”
“As for the matter of your vitality being severely hurt, as long as you can recover afterward, then nothing else will be a problem.”
“I also know that merely eight hundred yuan as compensation for such a sacrifice is indeed not quite appropriate.”
“If you have any other conditions, as long as they aren’t too excessive, I can accept them!”
Wei Zhidong was indeed very straightforward.
Hearing some indication of wanting a higher price from Taoist Wang’s words, he didn’t hesitate to quickly speak up and make a promise.
“Boss Wei, we Tao Cultivators, by expelling demons and defending the Dao, are merely fulfilling our duty!”
“Monetary matters, these worldly possessions, I disdain and have never valued.”
“To resolve the situation at Black Stone Reservoir, you need not mention it; I will naturally give my all.”
“As for the issue of severe vitality loss, to be honest, I know a Taoist friend who has a type of Guiyuan Pill, which is very effective for such conditions!”
“Unfortunately, not everyone is like me, indifferent to wealth and viewing it as mere dirt.”
“The Taoist friend I mentioned, everything about him is good except he is somewhat greedy, a little money-minded; a Guiyuan Pill the size of a little fingertip, he actually sells for eighty thousand yuan each.”
“But fortunately, having been expelling demons and defending the Dao for so many years, I do have some savings.”
“If dealing with the entity in the reservoir really causes me severe vitality loss, at most, I will spend all my savings and buy a Guiyuan Pill from my Taoist friend!”
…
With a face full of sympathy for humanity, Taoist Wang showed a rare sign of pain when he mentioned spending all his savings on the pill.
Of course, as he spoke these words, he didn’t forget to glimpse Wei Zhidong from the corner of his eyes to gauge his reaction.
Originally, he had planned to quote eight thousand yuan per pill.
Seeing Wei Zhidong’s bold and generous demeanor, he changed his mind on the spot and raised the price from eight thousand to eighty thousand.
If at this moment, Wei Zhidong’s expression darkened or showed any sign of dissatisfaction,
Taoist Wang would immediately slap himself a few times and then use a slip of the tongue as an excuse to change the eighty thousand back to eight thousand.
But fortunately, the Wei Zhidong before him was indeed a big fat sheep.
Upon hearing the figure “eighty thousand yuan,” he merely furrowed his brow briefly.
Taoist Wang’s worries did not actually come to pass.
“Taoist Wang, you agreeing to take care of this Black Stone Reservoir issue is already a huge favor.”
“Eighty thousand yuan for a pill, right?
How could I let you pay for this?”
“As long as the reservoir issue is successfully resolved, the eighty thousand yuan, not a penny less, will be delivered to your hands at the earliest opportunity!”
With only slight hesitation, Wei Zhidong laughed heartily with great boldness.
Even to show his sincerity, he had specifically instructed his nephew Wei Fang to bring the eighty thousand yuan in cash from the car he drove here.
Seeing this play out, Taoist Wang kept a stoic appearance, but internally, he was already delighted.
He even sent a provocative glance to Chen Hai, who was not far away, in an extremely subtle manner.
“Boss Wei is generous.
We Tao Cultivators do not discuss money, but your action still ultimately eases my worries.”
“I shall start the ritual now!”
“From today onwards, your Black Stone Reservoir will be calm and peaceful, with no further incidents!”
Taoist Wang laughed lightly with a serene and indifferent demeanor.
“This old guy has no real skill; yet he acts quite the part?”
“If I hadn’t known his background, just by the manner he presents himself, even I might have believed he was a genuine Tao Cultivator!”
Feeling Taoist Wang’s challenging glance, Chen Hai scoffed.
In his view, Taoist Wang was laughing heartily now, but if he were to accidentally cause any trouble, he wondered if he would even know how to cry!
Standing about ten to twenty meters away from Taoist Wang, Chen Hai reciprocated with a meaningful glance as a form of politeness.
If it weren’t for Wei Zhidong, Wei Fang, and the others merely standing around here,
Chen Hai would have thought about going to the villa behind, taking out a chair, and getting some sunflower seeds and peanuts to sit here and see if any drama would unfold!
Wei Fang, who went to the car to get the money, had now returned to Wei Zhidong’s side.
While the eighty thousand yuan hadn’t been handed to Taoist Wang yet, it was at least laid out before his eyes.
Spotting the money, Taoist Wang performed even more spiritedly than before.
He pulled out a Tai Chi Bagua Map from a cloth bag he carried on him.
Then, he spread it under a big willow tree, on the shore only three or four meters away from the water of the reservoir.
Meanwhile, under his instruction, two men working for Wei Zhidong moved a long table from the villa and placed it in front of old Taoist Wang.
On this table, there were also fruits and offerings, an incense burner, and a bowl of water.
At some point, Taoist Wang’s hair had come undone.
He then drew a two to three feet long Peach Wood Sword from the same cloth bag.
“Supreme Elder commands, relieve your lone spirits, exorcise all ghosts and demons, bless the four births, those with heads ascend, those without heads rise, save from spears and swords, from drowning and hanging, urgently rescue these masses, quickly uplift these souls, urgently rescue these masses, quickly uplift these souls!”
While chanting continuously, Taoist Wang seemed like he was having a fit, without frothing at the mouth, his expressions grotesquely exaggerated!
One might think he was performing a séance; he suddenly bent over, then squatted…
Chen Hai had to restrain himself to avoid bursting into laughter.
The laymen like Wei Zhidong and Wei Fang really didn’t think much of it.
Perhaps, in their minds, the more incomprehensible things were, the more impressive they seemed.
After about ten to twenty minutes of exertion, presumably tired, old Taoist Wang finally stopped his chants and paused in front of the long table.
He took several deep breaths, and when his rapid breathing eased a bit, he picked up the bowl and took a sip of water.
Then, he sprayed the water onto his Peach Wood Sword.
He drew a talisman with his left hand, and with a flick of the right, he slipped the talisman onto the sword while shouting, “Lord Lao Zi of the Great Monad, Abracadabra!”
Strangely, as old Taoist Wang shouted, the talisman did indeed spontaneously combust without fire.
“This old guy, in order to fleece a fat sheep, prepared quite a bit, even having white phosphorus ready in advance!”
With the demeanor of someone watching a good show, a profound smile appeared on Chen Hai’s lips.
Insiders observe the nuances, while outsiders enjoy the show.
Taoist Wang’s tricks were immediately transparent to Chen Hai.
As for Wei Zhidong, Wei Fang, and others, they were purely there for the entertainment, watching in amazement as the talisman on old Taoist Wang’s wooden sword burned without fire.
Catching this scene in the corner of his eye, old Taoist Wang felt proud and picked up the compass from the table.
“Have all my magnets been taken out yet?”
“Why has the compass needle suddenly started moving on its own?”
Noticing the anomaly with the compass needle, Taoist Wang was perplexed, and his whole person stunned momentarily.