Divine Level Witch Doctor

With a flick of his wrist, the paper fluttered down before Mage Zhang.

Mage Zhang’s face was dark. He slapped the paper to the ground, glared viciously at Zhao Yuan, and snarled, ”Kid, everyone who’s dared to ruin my business and insult me like you has ended up dead! I see you don’t want to live anymore either! You say I’m a fraud, that I have no real skills, right? Fine. Let’s just wait and see if you’re still alive to see tomorrow’s sunrise!”

A sudden chill filled the air, and everyone who heard Mage Zhang’s words couldn’t help but shiver.

Zhao Yuan’s brow furrowed. He felt that Mage Zhang’s threat was not only vicious, but also filled with a powerful confidence—as if he was genuinely certain he could eliminate Zhao Yuan.

”What are you planning to do?” Zhao Yuan asked, his voice low.

A strange feeling surfaced within him. ’This Mage Zhang... he’s probably not just a simple con artist. He might actually have a few tricks up his sleeve.’

”Heh heh.” Mage Zhang grinned, revealing a mouth full of yellow teeth and a menacing glint in his eyes. ”What, scared? Too bad, it’s too late! You have to die today. Otherwise, how am I supposed to make a living in these ten miles and eight villages? The reputation I worked so hard to build would be completely ruined! If you want to blame someone, blame yourself. If you don’t have the skills, don’t stick your neck out trying to be a hero!”

Zhao Yuan wasn’t intimidated by his words. Instead, he laughed and nodded. ”Alright. In that case, let me see what other tricks you have up your sleeve.”

Mage Zhang stared, stunned. He clearly hadn’t expected Zhao Yuan to be so calm and collected. Anyone else who heard his threats would either be trembling in fear or roaring curses out of sheer bravado. He had never met anyone as tranquil as Zhao Yuan.

He didn’t dwell on it, though. He figured Zhao Yuan was just young and naive, unaware of the true danger, which explained his composure. He sneered again. ”I hope you can stay this calm tonight!”

He then began packing his things, preparing to leave.

’Trying to run away after your tough-guy act fails? It’s not that easy.’

Just then, the police officers stationed in Xiaqiao Village to maintain order arrived at the village square, led by several doctors and nurses. They stopped Mage Zhang. ”You’re coming with us to the town police station for questioning!”

The epidemic in Xiaqiao Village was being taken very seriously by both the county and city authorities. Anyone who dared to interfere would face dire consequences—even Mage Zhang, despite his fearsome reputation across the ten miles and eight villages.

Faced with the police, Mage Zhang didn’t—and wouldn’t dare to—resist. He meekly finished packing and went with them. As he left, he didn’t forget to turn back and flash Zhao Yuan a grin.

It was a profoundly sinister smile. Anyone who saw it felt their scalp crawl as every hair on their body stood on end.

Mage Zhang moved his lips, silently forming a few words.

Zhao Yuan understood what he was mouthing: ”Wait to die!”

’Wait to die?’

Zhao Yuan raised an eyebrow.

’I’ve seen more weird shit than you can imagine. Who the hell do you think you are, threatening me like this?’

A sharp glint flashed in Zhao Yuan’s eyes. He decided to wait and see what would happen that night. ’If Mage Zhang actually dares to try something, I’ll be paying him a visit first thing in the morning!’

’So, you’re threatening me? You want me dead? Fine. We’ll see who gets the last laugh!’

After the police led Mage Zhang away, the villagers of Xiaqiao Village swarmed around Zhao Yuan, thanking him for exposing the Mage’s scam and saving them from being duped.

Granny Xing, in particular, grabbed Zhao Yuan’s hand, thanking him profusely.

She had been the one to invite Mage Zhang, and she had been his most ardent believer. Without Zhao Yuan, she would have led the entire village astray. As a result, her gratitude toward him was the deepest of all.

Zhao Yuan waved his hands and said loudly, ”There’s no need to thank me, everyone. We’re all neighbors here; of course I couldn’t just stand by and watch you get cheated! Besides, what you have is an illness, not a curse. The previous treatments didn’t work because the true cause hadn’t been found. But now it has. The next step is for all of you to follow the doctors’ and nurses’ instructions and cooperate with the treatment. I’m confident you’ll all make a full recovery before you know it!”

Hu Bin chimed in, ”And what you might not know is that we have Zhao Yuan to thank for even finding the true cause of your illness! If he hadn’t pointed us in the right direction, we’d probably still be in the dark, and who knows how long it would have taken to reach the correct diagnosis!”

Hearing this, the crowd’s gratitude toward Zhao Yuan deepened.

Once the crowd from Xiaqiao Village finally calmed down, Zhao Yuan got on his motorcycle and waved goodbye.

Filled with gratitude, the villagers of Xiaqiao Village walked him all the way to the edge of the village. They stopped only when he sped off, kicking up dust, but they didn’t disperse immediately. They remained at the village entrance, their eyes following him until his figure vanished completely from sight.

「Meanwhile」

Spiramycin, along with traditional Chinese herbs like Astragalus Root and sweet wormwood, were prepared and delivered to the village. Hu Bin, Gao Zhixiang, and the others immediately began directing the doctors and nurses. While they treated the patients, they also added powdered Astragalus Root, sweet wormwood, and other herbs to a large cauldron to be brewed. The resulting decoction was given to the patients to drink, but it was also used to spray the village, both inside and out, paying special attention to areas with high concentrations of human and animal waste.

The doctors and nurses dispatched to Xiaqiao Village were all highly competent. Now that the diagnosis was confirmed, the treatment plan they formulated would be sound.

Zhao Yuan knew this, which was why he felt confident entrusting the rest of the treatment to them.

On the way back to Jinhua Village, Zhao Yuan studied Zeng Rui as she floated beside him, his eyes filled with curiosity.

He noticed a subtle change in her aura compared to before, but he couldn’t put his finger on what it was. When he asked, he found that Zeng Rui couldn’t explain it either. With no other choice, he had to temporarily push the matter to the back of his mind.

「Over half an hour later」

Zhao Yuan arrived back in Jinhua Village, returned the motorcycle, and went home.

It was already noon. Shen Lijun was in the kitchen busy with lunch while Zhao Shiquan sat in the main room. When he saw Zhao Yuan return, his face darkened. ”Where have you been?” he demanded.

Seeing his dad’s expression, Zhao Yuan knew there was no point in lying. He answered honestly, ”I took a trip to Xiaqiao Village.”

Zhao Shiquan immediately grumbled, ”Didn’t I tell you to stay away from there? Why don’t you ever listen?”

”Dad, it’s not a curse or a haunting in Xiaqiao Village. It’s a parasitic disease.” Zhao Yuan recounted what he had seen and heard there, though he left out the part about Mage Zhang, not wanting to worry his parents.

Zhao Shiquan breathed a sigh of relief after listening, but he still admonished his son. ”I’ll let it slide this time. But in the future, you can’t just ignore my advice and run off to dangerous places.”

”Okay, I get it.” Zhao Yuan knew his father was just concerned for him, so he didn’t argue back, simply agreeing with a smile.

Just then, the White Cat leaped onto Zhao Yuan and began sniffing him all over, its behavior quite strange.