Xiao Hei led Zhang Xiaoman toward the direction of the villa and pointed at a few men in black suits standing ahead.
"The man up ahead is our captain; he used to be an ace special forces soldier in our military district. Sadly, he was discharged later on."
Zhang Xiaoman followed his gaze and saw a rugged-looking middle-aged man speaking with another man in a black suit beside him, seemingly sensing the two's gaze, the man also glanced in their direction.
As the man's gaze swept over Zhang Xiaoman, it abruptly narrowed when it reached the pocket of his jacket, then, without changing his expression, he tilted his head and quietly said something to his companion before stepping toward them.
The man in the black suit beside him, however, stood frozen for a moment before his face changed color and he hurriedly followed.
Because the two words their captain had whispered in his ear were:
"Gun."
The group quickly met face to face, and Xiao Hei went forward to greet him, saying, "Captain Wu, I found Master Pei whom the boss mentioned, I'll take him over first."
But Captain Wu stretched out his hand to stop him to the side, standing less than a meter away from Zhang Xiaoman, he inquired, "Master Pei? May I ask what is in this pocket of yours?"
Zhang Xiaoman first blinked in confusion, then followed Captain Wu's gaze to his own pocket before he realized.
"Uh, this, don't misunderstand, it's just a toy gun, not a real one."
As he spoke, he slowly raised his hand, tugged at the side of his jacket, and gestured for the other party to reach in and take it themselves.
Captain Wu didn't hesitate; although he saw that Zhang Xiaoman was cooperative, he didn't relax his vigilance and quickly reached in to take out the water gun.
As soon as he held the gun, Captain Wu knew Zhang Xiaoman was likely not lying, after all, the material and weight were telling—it was too light. He then looked down at the shape of the handgun, his facial muscles involuntarily twitched.
Well, it was an Earth Guard Team-style toy gun, the kind used to fight monsters.
Even so, Captain Wu still examined it from all angles, also ejecting the magazine from the back of the pistol, and only after seeing it was loaded with water bullets did he return it to its owner.
"I'm sorry, it was presumptuous of me."
Zhang Xiaoman took back the water gun and put it in his pocket, politely responding, "Captain Wu, there's no need for apologies, you were just doing your duty."
Although the misunderstanding was resolved, the way several people around started looking at Zhang Xiaoman inevitably turned a bit strange—a grown man, toting around a toy gun in his pocket, seemed a bit off.
The commotion at the entrance of the courtyard had evidently attracted the attention of many people; a few elderly men in bizarre attire looked over, and upon seeing a new young man, each speculated about his identity.
"Master Pei, you might have to wait a bit longer. Just now, Master Liao from the town said he had thought of a way to counter the evil spirits, and he went inside. If he fails, I'll talk to the boss later and let you go in and have a look,"
stated Captain Wu.
"It's fine, I'm not in a hurry..." Zhang Xiaoman waved his hand, but soon felt his response was inappropriate. After all, according to Xiao Hei, the man's son was on his "deathbed"; his lack of urgency seemed quite improper.
He hastily corrected himself, "Uh, what I mean is, I am very anxious, after all, it's a matter of life and death. But since there are other... Taoists casting magic, I should wait a bit longer."
Upon hearing this, Captain Wu's face twitched, revealing an awkward yet polite smile. He then turned, pulled Xiao Hei in front of him, and asked in a low voice:
"Heizi, are you sure you got the right person? This Master Pei, how can he be so young? Could there be a mistake?"
Xiao Hei emphatically patted his chest, saying, "Captain, absolutely no mistake. I found him in the old district area; his stall clearly stated, 'Half-immortal Pei tells fortunes.' Moreover, I never told him my name, but he just figured it out by calculating with his fingers—that is definitely a real master!"
Captain Wu smacked him on the head, "Still calling him a master? Have you written that report I asked for? Later, admit your mistakes thoroughly, and I'll plead for you, isn't that better than those so-called masters you talk about? Look around; these people have been causing a ruckus for two days now, any useful results? In my opinion, they're all swindlers from the Martial World."
Looking around, Xiao Hei's face inevitably fell, "Captain, I had no other choice! Look at the so-called experts and doctors the boss had brought home, they're clueless too. If I don't do something, what about the remaining million plus mortgage, it's like treating a dead horse as though it were alive."
"What am I to say about you..."
Regardless of what the two were whispering about next to him, Zhang Xiaoman found himself in such a peculiar scene and couldn't help but observe the charlatans around him.
Most of the old men here were Taoists, but there were also one or two monks, and Zhang Xiaoman even spotted a priest dressed in clergy attire in the crowd.
Some were huddled in small groups, others sat quietly alone, all wore serious expressions on their faces, their brows furrowed tightly, occasionally shaking their heads and sighing as if encountering extremely troublesome matters.
Although Zhang Xiaoman had now acquired the system, gaining Extraordinary Power, and had encountered and defeated several unknown eerie entities, he was still unsure whether there were other Transcendents in this world aside from himself.
Could there be, as written in novels, an Extraordinary World hidden behind the real world, unknown to ordinary people...
Hence at the moment, when he looked at those masters around him, he couldn't distinguish which one genuinely had real skills, and who, like Master Liu, belonged to those old charlatans.
With this in mind, he pricked up his ears, intending to listen to what these famous masters from nearby cities were discussing.
The closest to him was a bald monk in monk robes, who wasn't doing much else but sitting cross-legged on a chair with his eyes closed, chanting scriptures that were incomprehensible.
On the other side, two old Taoists huddled together discussing something. Zhang Xiaoman moved closer to listen and heard them discussing the matter concerning Mr. Su.
"Mr. Wang, do you have any new methods for dealing with Mr. Su's issue?"
"I am ashamed to admit, having descended from the Heavenly Master Sect and having roamed the mortal world for decades, I have captured countless evil spirits. But I have never encountered a demon like the one within Mr. Su. This ghost's Yin energy is deep and cold, and its grudge is incredibly heavy, inherently difficult to deal with. Now that it has attached to Mr. Su's body, we must act cautiously. Even with thousands of skills, it is hard to carry them out..."
"Exactly, exactly. From what I see, this ghost transformed from a person who died a violent death. After death, someone buried it in a wild grave in the wilderness, keeping it out of the ancestral grave. Combined with the locust grove's inherently Yin nature, which easily nurtures ghosts, this has greatly increased its powers. Moreover, it hides within Mr. Su's body, avoiding conflict, leaving us helpless!"
"Absolutely right, Mr. Liu, what you've said completely coincides with my thoughts. If this ghost dares to show itself, I will certainly destroy it with Thunderbolt methods, yet it cunningly uses Mr. Su's Yang energy and vital force to resist the power of our magic... Alas, it's just sad for that child!"
"Yes, indeed, it's pitiable and deplorable, the demon wreaks havoc, what a calamity!"