Chapter 1
"Wang Daoist, do you think I've encountered a ghost?"
People were coming and going beside the small bridge, vendors were walking up and down with their loads on their shoulders, their silk skirts and brocade clothes were covered with moisture from the river.
At a small stall with a tattered banner that read "Tianshan Taoist, I'm not a liar," a man with an ordinary, barely handsome appearance, wearing a tattered navy blue Taoist robe, took the pulse of the believer in front of him, then withdrew his hand, breathed a sigh of relief, and slowly spoke.
"Miss, you are really perceptive. Fortunately, you discovered it in time and found me. I saw that Miss looked gloomy and weak. It seems that this little devil still has some strength."
The woman with makeup on her face was immediately anxious when she heard this. She stretched her neck over the small table and grabbed the Taoist's hand, saying, "Master Wang, then, then what should I do? I won't die!"
"Ahem." The Taoist coughed dryly, withdrew his hand, and comforted her, "Don't worry, don't worry. Once I take this little ghost away, you can live a worry-free life from now on."
He took out a red candle from his backpack, lit it, and walked quickly around the woman. Then he burned a piece of talisman paper, and the ashes fell into a bowl of water. He stirred it and handed it to the woman.
"Miss, drink this talisman water quickly. I have trapped the sins of this little ghost in the talisman paper. Once you drink it, the little ghost will be shattered and will never be able to harm anyone again."
"Okay, okay, I'll listen to you." The woman then picked up the bowl and drank it all in one gulp. Then she wiped her mouth with a handkerchief and asked cautiously, "Master Wang, is the little ghost gone?"
Taoist Wang closed his eyes, put two fingers together, and drew something in the air. Suddenly, it stopped at the woman's forehead. He opened his eyes and said with a smile, "Let's go."
The woman was overjoyed. As she untied her purse and was about to take out some money, she paused. Taoist Wang understood and pointed at the tattered flag with a sage-like demeanor. At the bottom of the flag was a message: "One sentence, one ounce, one answer to your doubts." "No deception for children or the elderly."
After receiving the money, the man nodded with satisfaction and put the things back into the backpack.
A man selling vegetables nearby looked at him with disdain, shook his head, and went over to gossip with an old man who was sitting on a small stool selling fish.
"Master, you said that the world is going downhill these days. Anyone can come here to make money. I work myself to death and only earn a few dozen or a hundred coins a day. Hey, if I also become a Taoist priest, can I earn as much as him?"
The fish in the old man's bucket swung their tails, splashing water everywhere. He sat on a stool, his waist leaning forward, his eyes fixed on the front, as if there was some gold, silver or treasure in front of him.
The man, who received no response, turned away in frustration, spat, and cursed inwardly, "What kind of weirdos are they?" Tomorrow, no, never again will I set up a stall at this bridge.
Seeing that it was getting late, Wang Sheng stood up and began to pack up his stall. Before leaving, he saw the old man still sitting there, not having sold a single fish in the bucket. After a moment's thought, he counted out a few dozen coins and placed them in his wrinkled hands.
As he was about to leave with his backpack on his back, a well-dressed man in fine clothing came towards him. The people around him stopped Wang Sheng.
"Excuse me, is this Taoist Wang?"
Wang Sheng looked him up and down and concluded that he was a wealthy man. He immediately gave up the idea of going home and said with a smile on his face, "It's me, the Taoist priest. What can I do for you, benefactor?"
The man bowed and said, "I've heard that Taoist Wang is the most effective fortune teller in this area. My master, in admiration of your reputation, has asked me to come to your house and tell his fortune."
The man spoke flattering words one after another, making Wang Sheng feel ecstatic. He straightened up and said, "Of course, of course." Then, as if remembering something, he looked up at the sky, a little hesitant. "It's getting late, how about I come to your house early tomorrow morning?"
The man was a little anxious, and said with a certain impatience, "It's still an hour before dark, it's still early, please come with me now."
He made a sign with his right hand at his waist and said, "If the Taoist priest can help my master resolve the disaster today, the price will be negotiable."
Wang Sheng opened his eyes wide in surprise. Sure enough! He was a rich man who could actually give ten taels of silver. He could stay at home for a month or two to tell fortunes.
Wang Sheng put on his backpack again and said seriously, "Since your house has increased the price tenfold, I think only I can handle this matter. Please lead the way."
"No," the man shook his head, "it's one hundred taels."
By the time they reached a grand gate, Wang Sheng was still dazed, as if in a dream. When he finally came to his senses, he looked up and was even more surprised. This was actually the Zhang County prefectural government office! Could it be that the prefect had invited him?
Logically speaking, for a vendor like him, it would be good enough if he was not driven out of the city. He never expected that one day he would be invited by a government official to exorcise ghosts and tell fortunes.
Wang Sheng calmed down and asked the man who claimed to be the steward of the prefectural government, "I wonder what's happening to the prefect? I can think of a solution to solve your problem."
The housekeeper said nothing more, but only reminded: "You will know when you see the master later. Please keep everything that happened here to yourself after you leave the prefectural government, otherwise you will cause trouble from your words, and money will not be so easy to get."
"That's natural, that's natural."
He followed the housekeeper and quietly raised his head to take a look around. As expected of a prefectural governor's residence, how could it be so big, just a place for people to live? Is it possible to live here?
Pavilions, towers, terraces, rockeries and flowing water, servants coming and going doing their own things, all are quiet and orderly.
It seems that I am really going to make a fortune this time. When I go back, I will move to a place with a better location so that it will be more convenient to buy groceries and cook.
After turning several corners, they saw a noble woman sitting on the opposite fence, throwing some fish food into the pond. The housekeeper was also a little surprised, then stopped and respectfully called her "Madam."
The woman didn't respond. Seeing the shabby Taoist priest following behind the housekeeper, she sneered. The housekeeper quickly took Wang Sheng away.
"That's the governor's wife. If you see her, stay away from her. She doesn't like ghosts and gods."
The last scene of the woman was in my sight. A maid approached her and said something. In anger, the woman spilled all the fish food in the bowl into the pond, scaring all the fish in the pond.
Wang Sheng looked away, and a scent drifted over, and his nose twitched. He frowned slightly, and after a long time of thinking, he still couldn't figure out what the smell was.
"What is the incense in your house made of? I have never smelled it before."
The housekeeper walked without stopping, led the man to a door, opened it, pushed Wang Sheng, and instructed: "The master is inside, please move aside, Taoist Wang." After that, he walked away without stopping.
Wang Sheng shook the backpack, feeling strange. What was going on?
The further in he went, the stronger the aroma became. Wang Sheng shuddered and covered his mouth and nose in discomfort. After passing through a screen, a lewd sound came over him, the tail end of which made the listener blush and his blood run cold.
Behind a crimson gauze curtain, three young women in minimal clothing were lying next to a man on the bed. The man stretched out his withered claws, and it was unclear whether he was caressing the people around him or torturing them. The high-pitched voice stopped when they saw the person coming.
Wang Sheng lowered his head and recited the Heart Purification Formula in his mind, wanting to shout out "Sin, sin".
"Is he a new Taoist priest?"
A weak voice came from the other side, and Wang Sheng replied, "Greetings, Your Excellency the Governor. I am Wang Sheng."
"Come here."
What? You still want to go over there? Wang Sheng quickly glanced over there. He was still a young boy, and had never even been to a brothel. How could he bear to see such a scene that would destroy his moral integrity?
After several fights, he still strode over with his eyes closed. What a joke, it was only one hundred taels of silver.
The person on the bed waved his hand and said, "Open your eyes. I called you here to show you my illness."
"I've been to every doctor in the palace and in the city, but my condition hasn't improved. It's even gotten worse. For the past few months, every night I've dreamed I was in a place of torture, and every time I woke up, my condition got worse. Could this be a ghost?"
Wang Sheng felt that this was somewhat disrespectful to the other party, so he half-opened and half-closed one eye, walked around those white bodies to look, and exclaimed in surprise.
Wow, his face was ashen, his eyes were dark blue, and he was as thin as a stick, as if his vitality had been sucked out of him. This wasn't just a ghost dream, this was probably him having sex with a ghost.
Curiously, he opened his eyes and observed the man before him. He didn't look like a city governor at all; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he was nearing death. How could he cure this kind of exhaustion? Better to finish the job quickly, take the money, and leave.
"Well, your illness is indeed strange. I'm afraid it has something to do with ghosts. I have a way to relieve your worries."
"Oh? Tell me about it." When Zhang Wei heard that there was a way to cure him, his eyes suddenly widened, which made Wang Sheng tremble with fear.
"Perform a ritual to catch the evil spirits."
"Ah, the altar is about to be opened." After hearing that, Zhang Wei lay down again and motioned Wang Sheng to leave. "Go down and prepare. The manager will help you."
Wang Sheng's confident smile hadn't faded yet, when he realized Zhang Wei didn't quite believe him. He wondered if the duck in his hand would fly away! No, with so much money, he would do it even if he lost an arm or a leg.
After leaving the bedroom, he found the housekeeper and told him he wanted to perform a ritual. The housekeeper took him to an open courtyard with ease.
"We have everything here. If you need anything, please get it yourself. If you really don't have anything, I will ask my servant to go out and get it. I hope you can help me solve my illness."
"It's all within my responsibility, please rest assured, sir."
He put down the backpack and looked around. There were copper basins, incense candles, paper money, peach wood swords, bells and other things here. There was also some incense ash in the corner that had not been cleaned up in time. It must have been left by the previous Taoist friend.
The housekeeper was still standing by, and Wang Sheng stretched out his arms, trying not to be looked down upon. After all, he was out here to make a living, so how could he dare accept this invitation if he didn't have some real talent?
He inserted three lit incense sticks into the tripod incense burner, took out the talisman paper from the backpack, and when he was about to take out the only bit of cinnabar, he stopped and put it back with a painful look on his face.
He usually doesn't want to use this thing, but now that it's here, he doesn't have to use his own.
He held up the talisman paper in one hand and picked up the brush dipped in cinnabar in the other, and drew circles upwards like a ghost drawing a talisman, muttering incantations in a mysterious voice.
The butler stared at him suspiciously. How could this one be even more of a dud than the previous ones? It was true that the greater the fame, the more exaggerated the abilities. He had long said that these so-called Taoist priests were fake, and that there were no ghosts in the world. Alas, the master's illness was most likely incurable. The family should prepare for the funeral as soon as possible.
Seeing that the time was almost up, Wang Sheng quickly stopped, wiped his forehead with a tired look, and said, "The ritual is over. I think the prefect's condition will soon improve without this ghost disturbing him."
Wang Sheng was very excited when he saw the fat money bag in the housekeeper's hand. He really hoped that such lucrative jobs would come one after another in the future. He would be able to marry a wife soon. His life was getting more and more promising.
Before he could finish his grand plan, the housekeeper said quietly, "Thank you for your hard work, Taoist Wang. When the master falls asleep in the middle of the night, please perform another ritual."
Wang Sheng raised his head instantly, "What?"
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