Ultimate Village Doctor

Chapter 61: Chapter 62: A Battle of Magic

"Do you have a grudge against Zhang Facai and Sister Su?" Long Xiaoshan asked.

Shen Yuerong shook her head, hesitated for a moment, and said, "What grudge could there be? I didn't know him before I came here. If there were any conflicts, it's because his mine had several accidents, and I sent people several times to demand rectification. Moreover, I named him in criticism during the meetings."

Long Xiaoshan slapped his thigh and said, "That's exactly it; I thought it must be something like that!"

He spoke to the Evil Ghost, "Was it Zhang Facai who locked you on the Soul-Nourishing Wood?"

"No, it was a Taoist," said the Evil Ghost.

Long Xiaoshan's brow furrowed. A Taoist— it seemed that Zhang Facai had an accomplice.

And naturally, a rural nouveau riche couldn't have such great abilities to control ghosts.

It appeared that without resolving the root of the problem, this matter wasn't over. Besides, by disrupting the ghost's spirit, he had undoubtedly offended that Taoist.

Long Xiaoshan spoke gravely, "Where is that Taoist now?"

"He is in the Lotus Temple in the village," the Evil Ghost said.

Shen Yuerong said, "I know of the Lotus Temple; it's rumored to be efficacious. There's an old Taoist there who usually appears kind and benevolent. I had no idea he would do such things. I'll have the police arrest him right now."

Shen Yuerong's face darkened.

Being harmed in secret, she too was filled with rage.

"Sister Shen, do you think the police will be useful? You want to tell them that Zhang Facai instructed the old Taoist to drive out ghosts to harm you?"

Shen Yuerong froze, indeed, this was too far-fetched. Using this reason to arrest someone, aside from whether the higher-ups would believe it or not, it would only harm her official career—a township chief believing in such superstitious things like demons and gods.

"Sister Shen, you wait here; I'll go to find that Taoist," Long Xiaoshan said.

"I'll go too."

"Sister Shen, don't. The Taoist definitely has some tricks up his sleeve. Your going will be of no use; I'm enough," he said.

Shen Yuerong sighed, acknowledging the truth in his words. Moreover, facing the ghost-controlling old Taoist, she felt rather uneasy, saying, "Xiaoshan, be careful. If it's dangerous, leave right away."

"Don't worry," he assured her.

Long Xiaoshan then said to the Evil Ghost, "Now, lead the way for me."

The Evil Ghost quickly got up, barely holding its form together. However, it was obviously much weaker; it seemed Long Xiaoshan had dealt it a severe blow.

With it leading the way, Long Xiaoshan wound through the village and reached a small hilltop.

On the hilltop there was a small Taoist Temple.

"Immortal, that Taoist is in there," the Evil Ghost said tremblingly.

Obviously, Long Xiaoshan was young and strong, and with True Qi at his side, he struck the old Taoist's hand and sent the sword flying.

The old Taoist was shocked; he had trained in martial arts, able to withstand a few robust men with ease.

He had not expected this young man not only to understand Daoist magic but also to be so formidable at hand-to-hand combat.

Seeing Long Xiaoshan pounce, the old Taoist quickly pinched a talisman and threw it out, shouting "Activate!"

Pfft!

The talisman transformed into a fireball and hurled towards him.

Long Xiaoshan was startled, having never encountered such a situation; unable to dodge in time, he could only strike forcefully with the Peach Wood Sword. A flash of white light, and with a bang, the Peach Wood Sword exploded, sparks flying in all directions.

The hand of Long Xiaoshan throbbed with pain.

Seeing that his Fire Talisman had not killed the young man, the old Taoist's face was filled with alarm, and he scrambled toward the window, moving with agility that belied his age of fifty or sixty years.

Long Xiaoshan grabbed a small stool beside his foot and hurled it at the old Taoist.

The stool struck the old Taoist's acupoint, trapping him in the window, unable to move.

A ghostly shadow rushed in from outside the window, plunging into the body of the old Taoist instantly.

The old Taoist began to scream.

Normally, the old Taoist could have subdued the ghost, but now that Long Xiaoshan had immobilized his acupoints, he couldn't move. His face turned pale with shock as he shouted and struggled. After a while, the old Taoist's face turned cyanotic, his mouth agape, eyes bulging, dying there with a stiff and horrified expression on his face.

A ghostly shadow rose from the old Taoist's body and continuously bowed to Long Xiaoshan, saying, "Thank you, Immortal, for allowing me to take my revenge."

"Forget it!"

Long Xiaoshan hadn't intended to kill the old Taoist, but he had died like this.

And since this evil ghost had killed the old Taoist, it also indirectly cleared a potential threat for him. Otherwise, it would have been difficult to deal with the old Taoist, who couldn't be apprehended by law, and letting him go would have meant worrying about him seeking revenge in secret, given his nature.

He dragged the old Taoist's body over to the bed.

Long Xiaoshan's Spirit Eye searched the room and discovered a hidden compartment underground. He opened it and found some books, some on geomancy, some on crafting talismans, and others on Daoist magic.

Seeing these, Long Xiaoshan's eyes lit up.

This old Taoist actually had some skill.

Ever since he started catching ghosts, he had taken great interest in this area; these materials were much better than the half-baked stuff found on the internet.

He quickly stuffed all the books into his jacket.

Then, he found a notebook. Opening it, he saw it was a ledger that recorded the old Taoist's financial dealings. Long Xiaoshan's eyes fell upon Zhang Facai's name; it mentioned the money Zhang Facai had given the old Taoist, totaling nearly a million.