Divine Level Witch Doctor

”ACHOO!”

At the entrance to Jinhua Village, after seeing off the villagers from Xiaqiao Village who had come to express their gratitude, Zhao Yuan suddenly sneezed. He rubbed his nose and muttered in confusion, ’Strange, why would I suddenly sneeze out of nowhere? Is someone talking bad about me behind my back?’

”Brother, you’re not catching a cold, are you?” Zhao Ling asked with concern.

”No way.” Zhao Yuan shook his head. He was in peak physical condition; there was no way he could catch a cold so easily. ’Besides, if I were really getting sick, wouldn’t I have noticed?’

Zhao Yuan didn’t dwell on it. He called to Zhao Ling, ”Come on, let’s go back.”

”Okay,” Zhao Ling replied, trotting happily behind Zhao Yuan. As she walked, she said, ”Brother, you’re so amazing!” Her voice was filled with admiration.

Zhao Yuan laughed and replied, ”Haha, of course! I’m your big brother, how could I not be amazing?”

Chatting and laughing, the two of them quickly arrived back home.

The courtyard of the Zhao Family home was bustling with noise and excitement. Everyone was praising Zhao Yuan while helping Zhao Shiquan and Shen Lijun sort through the thank-you gifts from Xiaqiao Village.

The old village chief was smoking his long-stemmed pipe, his weathered face lit up with a huge smile. Zhao Yuan helping to save everyone in Xiaqiao Village had brought him great honor, and he was extremely proud. He told everyone he met, ”A few days ago, before Brother Yuan went to Xiaqiao Village, he came to me for detailed information about their situation. So, you could say I contributed to saving Xiaqiao Village too.”

Brother Quan also puffed out his chest and said proudly, ”Me too, me too! When Brother Yuan went to Xiaqiao Village, he rode my motorcycle!”

Listening to everyone praise Zhao Yuan, Zhao Shiquan was grinning from ear to ear. When a son makes something of himself, no one is happier than his father.

He discussed it with Shen Lijun for a moment, then announced, ”Tonight, everyone should stay for dinner! We’ll eat and drink right here at our house. On one hand, we’re celebrating that the illness in Xiaqiao Village is under control. On the other, it’s a send-off for Zhao Yuan. He’s heading to Huashang tomorrow for a very important meeting.”

The gifts from Xiaqiao Village included a lot of fruits and vegetables. There was far too much for Zhao Yuan’s family of four to eat before it went bad, so it was better to share it with the whole village. Besides, most of the people in Jinhua Village were now employees of the medicinal herb cultivation base, so this could be considered an early company New Year’s party.

The people helping in the courtyard cheered when they heard this. They wouldn’t let the Zhao Family bear the cost of the feast alone and immediately offered to contribute:

”I have some dried wild mushrooms I foraged from the mountains at home. I’ll go get them right now.”

”I have alcohol! A couple of you, come with me and help me carry it over!”

”Xiaqiao Village only sent a fat pig, no poultry. A feast with just pork feels like it’s missing something. I’ll go back and grab a couple of chickens!”

Immediately, many villagers headed home. Those with meat brought meat, those with vegetables brought vegetables, and some even brought seasonings, firewood, and more.

Zhao Shiquan, meanwhile, was calling over to the village butcher. ”Brother Ma San, where are your butchering tools? Hurry up and bring them over! Let’s slaughter this fat pig from Xiaqiao Village so we can have some meat!”

”You got it!” a middle-aged man about Zhao Shiquan’s age called back loudly before heading home to get his tools.

Zhao Yuan was about to go help when Shen Lijun caught him. ”Come inside with me. I have something to say to you.”

Seeing this, Zhao Shiquan spread his hands toward Zhao Yuan with a helpless expression that said, ’There’s nothing I can do’.

Zhao Ling, on the other hand, gave him a look of sympathy. ”Brother, you’re on your own.”

Without a doubt, both of them thought Zhao Yuan was about to be dragged inside for a scolding from Shen Lijun.

Zhao Yuan thought so too. The moment he stepped inside, he immediately admitted his mistake. ”Mom, I was wrong.”

Unexpectedly, his reaction amused Shen Lijun, who couldn’t help but chuckle. ”And what were you wrong about?”

Zhao Yuan froze for a second. He hadn’t expected his mom to use that ultimate female technique—the ’What were you wrong about?’

But he was quick on his feet and immediately answered, ”I shouldn’t have disobeyed you and gone to Xiaqiao Village…”

Shen Lijun shook her head. ”I didn’t want you to go before because I was afraid there was really something unclean in Xiaqiao Village and that you would be harmed. But now it seems things weren’t as I imagined. And you did the right thing. Otherwise, who knows when the people of Xiaqiao Village would have been cured of that strange illness.”

Zhao Yuan was a little surprised. ”Uh… Mom, so you’re not blaming me? You’re not mad at me?”

Shen Lijun huffed. ”I’m not blaming you, but I am angry. I’m angry that you didn’t discuss it with us. If the people from Xiaqiao Village hadn’t come to thank us, you would have kept this a secret from us forever, right?”

”Mom, actually, I wanted to tell you, but Dad wouldn’t let me.” Zhao Yuan sold out Zhao Shiquan without a moment’s hesitation. He was going to drag his old man down with him to take the heat.

”He knew you went to Xiaqiao Village?” Shen Lijun was very surprised.

”He knew,” Zhao Yuan nodded.

”Oh, really? He dared to hide something this big from me?” Shen Lijun was instantly furious. Zhao Yuan had successfully diverted her attention. She ordered, ”Go. Get your father in here. I have something to say to him.”

”You got it!” Zhao Yuan scurried away happily. Out in the courtyard, he saw his dad was still bragging to someone. He quickly called out, ”Dad, come inside for a minute! Mom’s looking for you.”

Zhao Shiquan, not suspecting a thing, turned and walked toward the house.

Watching his father’s back, Zhao Yuan held a three-second moment of silence for him in his heart. ’Dad, don’t blame me. If I don’t make you the scapegoat now, who else can I use?’

He stayed in the courtyard for a while but found there wasn’t much he could do to help. It wasn’t that he didn’t know how; it was that every time he tried to lend a hand, someone would snatch the task away from him and tell him to just sit and rest.

So, Zhao Yuan simply left the village. He didn’t go to the medicinal herb cultivation base, but instead headed for the woods behind the village.

There was no one around here. It was quiet and secluded, perfect for practice.

It turned out that just a moment ago, when the people from Xiaqiao Village came to express their gratitude, Zhao Yuan had harvested another batch of Wish Power.

Because this time he hadn’t just saved over a hundred lives; he had saved nearly a hundred families and an entire village. As a result, this wave of Wish Power was exceptionally strong in both quality and quantity! After absorbing it, although Zhao Yuan’s Cultivation hadn’t changed, the Information Leaf had grown a little larger and unlocked a new Martial Skill!

That’s right, a Martial Skill. Not a Cultivation Technique like the Four Saints Technique or the Creation Technique, but a Martial Skill meant for combat!

Zhao Yuan was thrilled. This was the first time the Information Leaf had ever unlocked a Martial Skill. Before this, he only had the Jade Ring Step and Mandarin Duck Leg that he learned from Lu Qing. That technique was graceful but lacked power. It was fine for dealing with ordinary people, but against a tough, thick-skinned, and monstrously strong opponent like Xiaoyang, it was a struggle. Otherwise, last night’s battle wouldn’t have been so difficult for him.

Now, he finally had a Martial Skill from the Information Leaf!

Zhao Yuan was certain this Martial Skill would be incredibly powerful!