Zhang Xiaoman listened to their mutual business flattery and muttered darkly to himself, "Two drama kings," before shifting his gaze elsewhere.
Up ahead, a priest dressed in a black robe held a thick black book, making the sign of the cross with his hand. It was only when he turned around that Zhang Xiaoman realized the man was actually Caucasian.
"Eastern mountains block the purple aura, trees by the courtyard invite evil spirits. The main house is too low, the layout uneven, misfortune looms over the descendants..."
Suddenly, a voice came from behind Zhang Xiaoman. He turned and saw a middle-aged man in a suit passing by, mumbling continuously.
"This section of the wall, particularly, avoids triangular reverse paths, wider at the front and tapering at the back, accidents thrive here!" The man walked around, scrutinizing his surroundings now and then, furrowing his brow or closing his eyes in deep thought, much like an old scholar.
"And this west side room, directly facing the swimming pool, this is the White Tiger opening its maw, an ominous presence!"
The man pointed and shook his head incessantly. As he reached a small bridge, a look of shock suddenly crossed his face.
He hurried to the roadside, pointing a trembling finger in the direction of the bridge and said with a disbelieving expression:
"Who designed this bridge and road? How could it be built this way? Jade belt around the waist, water path attacking the house, this is the Scythe Sha!"
By this point, Zhang Xiaoman could barely hear what he was saying any longer.
The man rushed over to another in a black suit, looking frantic, gesturing and babbling to the man across from him, who appeared utterly confused and clueless.
"This person must be a Feng Shui Master," Zhang Xiaoman guessed.
He looked up at the sky, which had gradually darkened, yet the courtyard of the Su family was still bustling and very lively.
Zhang Xiaoman took a moment to familiarize himself with his surroundings, his gaze passing over the villa's main gate, over several arguing doctors flushed with anger, and looking towards the interior, estimating roughly how long Master Liao had been inside.
As he was considering what action to take next, he saw a middle-aged man walk out of the foyer, his face full of impatience and annoyance.
Behind him, an old man in a Daoist robe staggered out, his face flush red, one hand clutching his chest and the other holding a Peach Wood Sword, as if he had suffered a great internal injury.
Every few steps, he turned to look back at the house, his face a mixture of guilt and rage.
"Damn evil spirits! To attack me while I was transferring True Qi to Young Master Su to save his life! Utterly detestable!"
The previous two business-flatterers approached, full of concern, asking about the situation inside.
"Master Liao, may I ask how things progressed?"
"Yes, Master Liao, did you manage to catch the ghost?"
Seeing them, Master Liao, with some difficulty, bowed and said with a face full of annoyance:
"All my efforts wasted, all my efforts wasted!" lamented Master Liao. "Little did I, Liao Kongxu, imagine that after a lifetime of exorcism, I would be outwitted by a ghost today. After entering the room, I intended to directly kill the evil spirit, but seeing Young Master Su's extremely frail condition, I feared he could not withstand the impacts of my battle with the evil spirit, so I decided to first use my True Qi to stabilize him before annihilating the evil spirit..."
He said, coughing repeatedly before continuing, "Who would have expected that this evil spirit was so cunning? It took advantage of the moment I was transferring True Qi to launch a sneak attack on me with its Yin Poisonous Spiritual Power within Mr. Su's body!"
"This ghost is so malicious? Even Master Liao has been deceived. What are we to do now?" the two sidekicks added with great vigor.
"However, you need not worry too much, my fellow Daoists. Although it ambushed me, at the critical moment, I too unleashed a powerful counterattack with my Spiritual Power. The evil spirit did not have an easy time and is probably heavily injured by now. If one of you Daoists could strike while the iron is hot and pursue it, you can naturally capture the evil spirit easily!"
The sidekicks, faces alight with joy, exclaimed, "Really!? Master Liao is truly a master of Meihua City; with Master Liao's strike, that evil spirit won't be at ease for long. If anyone resolves this ghost issue, we must thank you, Master Liao! If it weren't for your critical hit, things could have become much more complicated!"
Master Liao waved his hand and sighed, "Don't mention it. I was careless. Otherwise, this ghost would have already been slain by me, and there would have been no need for other Daoists to waste their mana..."
Zhang Xiaoman was watching the three old drama queens competing in a performance, and his mouth nearly hit the floor. What was this? Did they underestimate everyone else's intelligence?
Thinking this, he glanced at the middle-aged man standing by the door. This must be Su Fu, right? Looking at his expression, his face was so dark it seemed like it might drip water. Who knows what he was feeling now.
The middle-aged man standing outside the hallway indeed was the person in charge here, Su Fu. Since his son's accident a week ago, he hadn't had a good night's sleep.
Initially disbelieving in ghosts and gods, he began to waver after seeing the human face on his son's stomach.
Furthermore, with the doctors also clueless and his son's body showing no signs of irregularities, he had gritted his teeth and sought out these "renowned" masters.
"I never imagined that I, Su Fu, would have a day when I would be made a fool of by these buffoons," Su Fu remarked solemnly as he watched the people in front of him, feeling infuriated.
He clapped his hands to draw everyone's attention and said,
"Masters, I truly appreciate your coming to help, but after these two days of effort, my son's condition has not improved. Perhaps it's his lot in life not to enjoy such a thrilling existence."
"So as not to waste your time, I would ask you all to leave shortly. Also, as a token of my gratitude for your assistance, I've prepared some travel expenses for the masters. Please accept this gesture."
His words were a clear dismissal. Although he was annoyed with these Martial World charlatans for their poor performance, they were, after all, invited by him.
And since some of them were quite connected, as a successful businessman, he was capable of great forbearance. Thus, despite his extreme disdain, he managed to mask his feelings well.
Upon hearing Su Fu's words, the crowd murmured softly among themselves, showing various expressions. Some secretly rejoiced at the mention of travel expenses, others bowed their heads in contemplation, some looked sad and shook their heads, and there were even those who beat their chests and cursed the evil spirits' cruelty.
Zhang Xiaoman found the varied expressions of these charlatans quite entertaining; the competitive acting of these old men compelled him to almost laugh uncontrollably.
"Truly, what a spectacle."