Divine Level Witch Doctor

Wu Yan grinned slyly. ”Aren’t these guys supposed to be ’protecting’ us? Let’s give them something to do!”

He pointed. Not far off, a pickpocket was using a pair of long, specialized tweezers to deftly lift a tourist’s wallet.

”Pickpockets like this, the ones who hang around tourist traps, they’re all part of a gang. If we teach one a lesson, he’ll bring back a whole swarm of them. Then we can just let the Jinling Zhao Family go at it with them.”

”Great idea! And we’d be doing a public service, too.” The group’s eyes lit up, and they all started laughing.

In the distance, all the Jinling Zhao Clan Members sneezed in unison.

After quickly agreeing on a plan, Zhao Yuan strode over to the thief and seized him by the wrist mid-theft.

Caught red-handed, the thief showed no fear. Instead, he shot Zhao Yuan an arrogant glare and yelled, ”Let go! Don’t be a fucking busybody!”

”Well now, you’re a feisty one for a thief.”

Zhao Yuan didn’t have to lift a finger. Wu Yan, who had followed him, stepped up and slapped the thief across the face.

Wu Yan had been diligently training with the Four Saints Technique every day, and his strength had grown considerably. The single slap made half the thief’s face swell instantly. Blood gushed from his nose—a truly miserable sight.

Wu Yan hadn’t expected to be that strong. He froze for a second, stunned by his own power.

While he was stunned, Zhao Yuan wasn’t. Sticking to the plan, he kicked the thief to the ground and barked, ”Get lost! If I catch you stealing again, it won’t be just a slap!”

The thief scrambled up from the ground, shot Zhao Yuan and Wu Yan a venomous glare, and spat, ”You dare hit me? Just you wait!” Then he turned and ran.

Zhao Yuan and Wu Yan exchanged a look. ’Perfect,’ they thought. ’The fish has taken the bait!’

A few minutes later, the thief returned, and he’d brought a dozen men with him.

”Run!”

Zhao Yuan yelled, grabbing Lin Xue and Yang Zi and bolting in the direction of the Jinling Zhao Clan Members.

In reality, with his level of power, he could have handled not just a dozen punks, but twice that number. He was only doing this to make trouble for their stalkers. Besides, Liu Zhu and the others were with him. Though not as strong as Zhao Yuan, they also practiced the Four Saints Technique and could easily deal with a few ordinary men.

Seeing Zhao Yuan’s group take off, the dozen-odd thieves immediately gave chase.

This sudden turn of events made the Jinling Zhao Clan Members extremely tense.

”Uncle Wu, what do we do?” a younger member of the Jinling Zhao Clan asked, turning to the elder leading them.

”These bastards really know how to stir up shit!”

Deep down, Old Wu wanted nothing more than to see Zhao Yuan’s group get a beating. But he knew that if anything actually happened to them, the Jinling Zhao Family would be the ones to take the fall. With no other choice, he crushed out his cigarette and led his men to intercept the pickpockets.

Old Wu had intended to reason with them, but the thieves weren’t interested in talking and immediately threw the first punch. Old Wu was already simmering with rage, and seeing as these thugs didn’t know what was good for them, he didn’t waste another breath and ordered his men to fight back.

The clansmen Zhao Dezhu had sent were all trained martial artists. The gang of thieves was only brave when bullying ordinary people; faced with real fighters, they immediately lost their nerve. In a matter of moments, every single one of them was sprawled on the ground.

”I tried to give you an out, but you just had to be difficult!” Old Wu kicked one of the thieves twice and muttered a few more curses. Suddenly, he remembered Zhao Yuan’s group, and his expression changed. ”Where are the targets? Don’t tell me they used the chaos to slip away!”

”Relax. We didn’t run. We’re right here.”

Zhao Yuan waved at Old Wu and his men from a nearby snack stall.

”Thanks for all your hard work! I’ve already called the police. The officers will be here soon. I’m sure you’ll get a commendation for your heroic public service.”

The look on Old Wu’s face was absolutely foul.

He was only now realizing that not only had their cover been blown, but they had been thoroughly played by Zhao Yuan’s crew.

”Damn it!”

Old Wu couldn’t help but curse under his breath, but he would soon realize he had spoken too soon.

When the police arrived and hauled the thieves away, Zhao Yuan’s group grabbed the snacks they’d bought, left the Confucius Temple, and headed for the next tourist spot.

Though their cover was blown, Old Wu and his men had no choice but to continue tailing them.

At the next few attractions, Zhao Yuan’s group pulled the same trick, luring waves of pickpockets to fight Old Wu’s men. Even for trained fighters, the constant harassment was taking its toll. They were becoming exhausted, and some had even sustained minor injuries.

After yet another forced ”act of heroism,” Old Wu pulled out his phone and called Zhao Dezhu. He reported what had been happening and finished with a desperate plea. ”Brother Zhu, this Zhao Yuan is leading us around like dogs on a leash! What should we do? Should we just pull out? He’s only doing this because he knows we’re here. He’s deliberately stirring up trouble to wear us down. If we leave, he’ll probably stop.”

”No!” Zhao Dezhu’s voice was grim. ”Let them run wild. Let them have their fun.”

”Huh?” Old Wu was stunned, thinking he must have misheard.

’Let them run wild? Let them have their fun? Whose side are you on, anyway? It’s easy for you to say since you’re not the one out here getting his ass kicked!’

Zhao Dezhu explained, ”The more he messes around today, the more energy he’ll burn. By the time the medical competition starts tomorrow, he’ll be too drained to focus! Old Wu, you’ll have to endure it a little longer. Tell you what, I’ll send more men to help you.”

Since his boss had spoken, Old Wu had no choice but to swallow his frustration and continue being tormented by Zhao Yuan and his friends.

Zhao Yuan’s group had an absolute blast, keeping up their antics until one or two in the morning before finally returning to their hotel.

When Zhao Dezhu received the news, a cold sneer crept across his face. ’I refuse to believe you can get any decent rest after staying out that late. The medical competition starts first thing in the morning. Your mind will still be in a fog; it’ll be a miracle if you can perform at all! The competition hasn’t even begun, and you’ve already half-lost. You have no one to blame but yourself.’

What Zhao Dezhu didn’t know was that Zhao Yuan possessed Soul-Stabilizing Incense. Even with only an hour or two of sleep, he could wake up the next day feeling completely refreshed and a hundred times more energetic.

The night passed without incident. The next day, Zhao Yuan was up bright and early. He joined Ma Guotao and the others on a minibus headed for the Jinling Zhao Family’s estate.

The Jinling Zhao Family certainly lived up to its reputation as a Noble Family with a legacy stretching back centuries. In a city like Jinling, where every inch of land was worth its weight in gold, they actually owned a magnificent estate. The grounds were vast, built in the classic style of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Beyond the various buildings, it housed a breathtaking garden complete with hills and streams, flowers and lakes, a landscape that could easily rival the world-renowned Suzhou Gardens.

The minibus pulled right up to the estate’s main gate. Zhao Yuan and the others were left speechless by the sight before they even stepped off the vehicle.