Divine Level Witch Doctor

Zhao Yuan was stunned.

In the past, if anyone had told him about hauntings and possessions, he would have dismissed them as fake. But now, after everything he'd been through, he no longer doubted the existence of ghosts in the world.

What's more, there was a Ghost living in the Ghost Residence he carried in his pocket.

Still, he was a little skeptical of his dad's story. "Xiaqiao Village is haunted? And a lot of people have been possessed? Dad, who told you this? You sure it's not just some baseless rumor?"

Being questioned by his son made Zhao Shiquan quite unhappy, as if his authority had been challenged.

His voice rose. "How could it be a rumor? Everyone's saying it! The day before yesterday, I even went with your Uncle Zhang and a few others to take a look at Xiaqiao Village. At least half the people in that village are acting incredibly strange. They're either huddled in corners muttering to themselves, or they're trembling and convulsing as if possessed by a Ghost. The most outrageous part is that some have gone completely mad, like Fierce Ghosts or wild beasts, wanting to eat raw flesh, drink fresh blood, and even devour people!"

"Oh?" Zhao Yuan raised an eyebrow. If his dad wasn't lying, then the situation in Xiaqiao Village was indeed quite strange.

Just then, Shen Lijun's furious roar came from inside the house. "You've got some nerve, Zhao Shiquan! How dare you sneak off to Xiaqiao Village behind my back? Aren't you afraid you'll bring something filthy home with you?"

Zhao Shiquan's face turned deathly pale in an instant. He scrambled to turn around and pleaded with the furious Shen Lijun, "Honey, listen to me! I didn't want to go, it was Old Zhang and the others who dragged me along! Rest assured, I didn't enter Xiaqiao Village. I just stood on a hill outside and took a peek from afar... Really, I'm not lying! What are you doing with that feather duster? Our son and daughter are home, leave me some dignity... Ouch! Hey! You're actually hitting me?"

Zhao Shiquan fled into the courtyard with Shen Lijun in hot pursuit, their ruckus stirring up the chickens and dogs into a chaotic frenzy.

Zhao Ling, who had been sleeping in, was startled awake. Yawning, she poked her head out to look into the courtyard and asked curiously, "Bro, what's going on?"

"Nothing much, Mom's just disciplining her husband," Zhao Yuan said with a laugh. He then added, "Go put on a jacket. It's cold in the morning. Aren't you afraid of catching a cold?"

Zhao Ling grinned. "I'm not scared. Besides, you're a medical student, Bro. If I catch a cold, you can just cure me."

Zhao Yuan shook his head and chuckled. "I can cure it, sure, but you'd still be the one suffering, wouldn't you?"

"That's a good point." Zhao Ling stuck her tongue out playfully. "Now that I think about it, it doesn't seem worth it. Never mind, I'm going back to bed for a bit. Aaaah! It's not that I don't want to get up, it's that the blanket monster has me in its clutches and won't let me go!"

With that, she burrowed back under the covers, pulled out the Apple phone Zhao Yuan had given her the night before, and started fiddling with it.

Zhao Yuan could only smile wryly. 'When did my little sister get such a goofy side to her? I never noticed before.'

By now, Shen Lijun had caught Zhao Shiquan. After a great deal of pleading, he managed to escape his "punishment" in the courtyard, only to be dragged into the house by his ear.

Shen Lijun still spared Zhao Shiquan some face. Once inside, she let go of his ear and warned Zhao Yuan, "Son, whatever you do, don't go to Xiaqiao Village!"

Zhao Yuan gave a noncommittal reply. "Don't worry, Mom. I know how to handle myself."

Zhao Shiquan coughed. "Son, you go on about your business. Your mother and I are going to our room to discuss a few things."

'Discuss things? More like get punished by kneeling on the washboard, right?'

Zhao Yuan grimaced. He had clearly seen his mom carrying a washboard into the bedroom.

Zhao Shiquan saw it too, rubbed his nose in embarrassment, and followed her in with his tail between his legs.

'Alas, so much for the husband's authority.' Zhao Yuan held a few seconds of silent mourning for his father in his heart. Then a thought occurred to him. 'Here in the Shu Region, nine out of ten men are henpecked. I'm not going to end up like that too, am I?'

The image of himself being forced to kneel on a keyboard flashed through his mind, and Zhao Yuan couldn't help but shudder. 'That's too terrifying to even think about. Better if it never happens.'

The door to his parents' bedroom slammed shut with a BANG. Zhao Yuan walked over to the White Cat, which was sprawled fast asleep on the table in the main hall. He reached out and stroked it awake, whispering, "I'm planning on heading to Xiaqiao Village for a look. Interested in coming with?"

Past experience had taught Zhao Yuan that the White Cat was no ordinary feline; it possessed a spiritual awareness. He had long suspected it could understand human speech, which was why he was trying to communicate with it like this.

The White Cat lifted its head and let out a low RUMBLE at Zhao Yuan, its expression thoroughly displeased, as if to blame him for daring to disturb its nap. Then, it buried its head in its paws and curled its fluffy tail over itself like a blanket.

'Alright, then.' Seeing his master's reaction, Zhao Yuan knew the cat had zero interest in this Xiaqiao Village business.

'Does this mean it's not actually hauntings and possessions in Xiaqiao Village?' Zhao Yuan muttered to himself.

So basically, he was using the White Cat as a Demon Ghost Detector. Then again, judging from its past performance, it wasn't just a qualified Demon Ghost Detector; its ability to sense danger, killing intent, and treasure was just as sharp.

Since the White Cat refused to go with him, Zhao Yuan didn't press the issue. He turned, left the house, and headed first to the medicinal herb cultivation base.

When he got there, he found that despite the early hour, a surprising number of people had gathered.

It turned out that ever since the villagers had heard that Zhao Yuan had hired Cai De and his team to build them new houses, they couldn't contain their excitement. They had all rushed over to help, hoping to get the new houses built sooner so they could move out of their dilapidated thatched mud huts and into beautiful new homes of blue brick and green tile.

With the villagers' help, Cai De and his crew had smoothly erected their temporary shelters the previous evening. After a good night's sleep, they were now back at it, once again with the villagers' assistance, surveying the terrain, pinpointing the location for each building, and marking out the construction zones. Meanwhile, the electricians and plumbers were poring over a stack of blueprints, figuring out how to lay the wiring and where to dig wells for water.

That early in the morning, the entire medicinal herb cultivation base was already a hive of activity.

But not everyone was welcoming Cai De and his crew. Meng Dahua and Li Tao, the two medicinal herb cultivation experts, were trailing Cai De with indignant expressions, waving their arms and shouting about something.

As soon as they saw Zhao Yuan, the two men abandoned Cai De and rushed over to him. They got straight to the point: "Boss Zhao, you can't build houses here!"

"Why not?" Zhao Yuan asked in surprise.

Meng Dahua answered, "This place is a Treasure Mountain! Building houses here is a complete waste. Every inch of this land should be used to grow medicinal herbs!"

Li Tao nodded in agreement. "Elder Meng is right. Every inch of land on this mountain is precious! If you want to improve the villagers' living conditions, can't you build the houses somewhere else? Do you have any idea what's happening with the medicinal herbs planted here? Let me tell you, one day of growth in this soil is equivalent to one or two years of painstaking cultivation anywhere else! Shocking, right? Now hurry up and tell them to stop working!"