Divine Level Witch Doctor

After a moment of consideration, Zhao Yuan said, ”You have to write the confession, but you can’t mention the Paper Mache Man and Xiaoyang.”

”Then what should I write?” Mage Zhang asked.

Zhao Yuan shrugged, tossing the problem back to Mage Zhang. ”How you write it is your business; I don’t care. But I must remind you of one thing: it has to be plausible. I’m going to review this confession when you’re done. If I’m not satisfied, I’ll have you rewrite it again and again. Don’t forget, you still have needles in you. Every three minutes, they’ll give you a nice, long bout of agonizing itching!”

At the mention of agonizing itching, Mage Zhang couldn’t help but shiver. ’If mental curses could kill,’ he thought, ’Zhao Yuan would be dead twenty times over by now.’

Mage Zhang sighed and accepted his fate. Brows furrowed, he chewed on the end of his pen, pondering what on earth he should write.

In that moment, he felt like he was back in school, taking an incredibly difficult but critically important exam. It was sheer torture!

After several revisions and rewrites, Mage Zhang finally produced a confession that satisfied Zhao Yuan.

”Alright, this will do.” Zhao Yuan tossed the confession back to Mage Zhang and commanded, ”Memorize what you wrote, then go to the police station and turn yourself in. Don’t even think about denying it, and especially don’t think about running. There’s no way you’re getting out of this, and no place you can run!”

Having said his piece, Zhao Yuan turned to leave.

Kneeling by the bed, Mage Zhang stared at Zhao Yuan’s back, a vicious glint suddenly flashing in his eyes.

He didn’t want to go to prison, and he definitely didn’t want to die. He wanted to keep living his life of debauchery and pleasure!

But Zhao Yuan had backed him into a corner!

There was only one way to escape this corner: kill Zhao Yuan! With Zhao Yuan’s back turned to him, this was the perfect opportunity!

Desire overcame fear. Gritting his teeth, Mage Zhang suddenly reached under his pillow, pulled out a gun, and aimed it at the back of Zhao Yuan’s head!

He hadn’t had a chance to get the gun from under the pillow before, and besides, he wasn’t confident he could kill a Cultivator in a direct confrontation. But now, with Zhao Yuan’s back turned, things were different!

’Even if he is a Cultivator, his body can’t be tough enough to stop a bullet, can it?’ Mage Zhang thought. ’And he can’t be faster than a speeding bullet, right?’ He was absolutely certain he could turn the tables and get the kill!

’Kid, you brought this on yourself! Don’t blame me for this!’ Mage Zhang roared internally as he pulled the trigger.

But the gunshot he expected never came.

More accurately, Mage Zhang’s finger refused to obey his brain’s command to pull the trigger.

Mage Zhang froze for a second, then tried to pull the trigger again. But his hand, as if disconnected from his brain, wouldn’t move an inch.

Zhao Yuan had already reached the bedroom doorway. He turned, glanced at the terrified Mage Zhang, and sighed, shaking his head. ”I gave you a chance. It’s a shame you didn’t know how to appreciate it.”

Mage Zhang immediately understood that what was happening to his finger was definitely Zhao Yuan’s doing.

And it was true. Just before leaving, Zhao Yuan had secretly used an Enchanting Talisman on him. Mage Zhang, completely unaware, had thought his sneak attack would succeed.

Panicked, Mage Zhang scrambled to kowtow, begging for mercy. ”I was wrong! I was really wrong! Please, spare me…”

This time, Zhao Yuan offered no forgiveness. ”You certainly were wrong,” he said coldly. ”So atone for it with your death!”

The words had barely left his lips when Mage Zhang watched in horror as his own hand, completely beyond his control, shoved the gun into his mouth.

”N… No…”

Desperate, Mage Zhang tried to beg for his life, only to find his tongue was also no longer under his control, preventing him from forming any coherent words.

Zhao Yuan didn’t look at him again. He turned and walked out of the bedroom.

”BANG!”

The gunshot rang out. Mage Zhang had ended his own life with his own gun.

Blood streamed down his body, staining the floor and his confession red. His corpse remained in a kneeling position, not toppling over, as if in that posture he was repenting to all the people he had killed.

Stepping out of the house, Zhao Yuan felt the temperature suddenly plummet as a ghostly wind swept over him. He activated his Qi Observation Technique and was stunned to see several Ghost Souls drifting around the courtyard.

These Ghost Souls were very weak, nothing compared to Zeng Rui, so they couldn’t manifest clearly, appearing only as vague silhouettes.

’How did so many Ghosts suddenly show up?’ Zhao Yuan wondered, instantly on his guard.

But then, he saw the Ghost Souls in the courtyard kneel before him in unison. A somber, strange voice echoed in his ear. It was the Ghost Language.

”Thank you for avenging us!”

Zhao Yuan understood instantly. These Ghost Souls weren’t Mage Zhang’s accomplices, but the souls of the people he had murdered! Because they had died unjustly and their grievances were unresolved, their souls had been unable to pass on, remaining trapped in the mortal world. Now that Mage Zhang was dead, their grudges were settled, and they had come to express their thanks to Zhao Yuan.

Zhao Yuan took a deep breath and replied in the Ghost Language, ”There’s no need for thanks. I wish you happiness in your next lives.”

The Ghost Souls were surprised that Zhao Yuan could see them and speak the Ghost Language.

Zhao Yuan didn’t explain further. Instead, he began to chant a Spell. It was from the Ancient Witchcraft and Divination Secret Record, a rite for guiding Wandering Souls.

As he chanted the Spell, the Ghost Souls’ Spirit Bodies grew fainter and more transparent until they vanished completely. This meant they had left the mortal realm and entered the cycle of reincarnation.

”I hope in your next lives, you all meet good people and become good people yourselves,” Zhao Yuan murmured, then glanced back toward the bedroom.

Mage Zhang’s corpse was still kneeling by the bed, but his soul was nowhere to be seen.

It seemed the bastard’s soul had been dragged directly to the Underworld. ’Not that it matters,’ Zhao Yuan thought. ’Even if his soul had lingered in the mortal world and become a Fierce Ghost, I wouldn’t be afraid.’

’I could take you down when you were alive. Why would I be afraid of you now that you’re dead? What a joke!’

Tearing his gaze away, Zhao Yuan vaulted over the courtyard wall, activated a new Shrinking Earth Talisman, and left Longmen Village with ghostly charm and speed. At the same time, the gunshot had jolted the villagers awake. They scrambled out of bed, throwing on outer layers as they went to investigate the commotion.

”What happened?”

”What was that noise?”

”It sounded like a gunshot! I don’t know where it came from.”

Just as the villagers were gathering in small groups, chattering amongst themselves, a bloodcurdling scream erupted from Widow Ma’s house.

As it happened, once he was clear of the village, Zhao Yuan had canceled the Hypnotic Curse Technique. Startled awake by the light in her room, Widow Ma opened her eyes to see Mage Zhang kneeling by her bed, drenched in blood. The sight terrified her, and she let out a piercing scream…