This Taoist priest is so unprofessional!

Wang Xiaoer and Zhang Chen walked along the roadside for half a day before finally finding a hotel to stay in.

"You stinky Taoist priest, what did you do before? Your acting was way too convincing just now."

Zhang Chen lay down on the bed, took out a cigarette from his pocket, and lit it.

"See, even you believed it. I'm a pretty good actor, aren't I?" Zhang Chen said, holding a cigarette between his fingers, suddenly becoming more animated.

"Looks like if I can't make it in this industry, I can try my luck in the entertainment world. With my looks... tsk tsk... wouldn't a bunch of female celebrities be chasing after me..."

"Alright, stop getting carried away. You really took a few compliments seriously?"

Wang Xiaoer simply interrupted Zhang Chen's uncontrollable fantasy.

"Go to sleep early. I'm going back tomorrow. I have no interest in whether you want to make it in the entertainment industry or continue swindling and cheating."

As he spoke, he prepared to lie down and go to sleep.

"Hey? Wait, didn't we have an agreement? It's only been less than a day and you're already breaking up?"

Zhang Chen was taken aback at first, then smiled ingratiatingly and said, "Hey, can you play for a few more days? How about I give you an extra 10% after I get the final payment?"

However, Wang Xiaoer remained unmoved, and muttered, "You said you wanted to be partners, but I have no idea what you're up to from beginning to end. Do you even consider me a business partner?"

"Hey! It was a mistake! It was a complete mistake. I've never worked with anyone before, you know."

Having understood why the other person was angry, Zhang Chen quickly apologized: "From now on, I'll discuss any plans I have with you first, okay?"

"So what are your plans next?"

Wang Xiaoer still didn't turn around, but his tone had softened considerably.

"What to do? Of course, we'll help Boss Liu catch the thief."

Zhang Chen took out his phone from his pocket. The screen was lit up, showing his text message call with Boss Liu.

"Last night in the hallway, when I whispered to him, I told him about my plan."

"The role that Boss Liu is playing now is that of a sucker who has been cheated by a 'charlatan' and terrified by 'evil spirits,' and desperately needs a 'real master' to save his life."

"And that butler, that bastard is probably in a hurry to call his 'mastermind' to strike while the iron is hot and get his hands on Boss Liu's account books or other important things."

"We're not just catching one thief, we're catching an entire gang."

Upon hearing this, Wang Xiaoer couldn't help but feel a little doubtful.

"Aren't they stealing the account books? Why are they trying to steal your job?"

"Money!" Zhang Chen stubbed out his cigarette and lit another one.

"Isn't stealing the account books just for blackmail? Do you think they're some kind of righteous heroes, specifically there to bring him down?"

"I reckon those bastards initially probably intended to use the butler's connections to steal something valuable, but they ended up discovering that ledger instead..."

Zhang Chen spoke with increasing enthusiasm, as if he had witnessed it firsthand, and eventually sat cross-legged on the bed.

"Although Boss Liu paid me to come here, I still have to tell you, you know how it is in real estate, those who know, know... he's got it all in his little notebook... hehe!"

"As a result, they found the ledger, and they're bound to try and extort a hefty sum from us, aren't they?"

Zhang Chen became more and more energetic as he spoke, and suddenly he started chuckling to himself.

"But these bastards are really bold, they actually started doing accounts in someone's study, that's pretty bizarre."

"As the saying goes, if you do nothing wrong during the day, you won't be afraid of ghosts knocking at your door at night. But as you can see, Boss Liu thought his house was haunted."

"Now they can not only openly steal account books, but also make extra money under the guise of ghost hunting. Tsk tsk, this is a good business!"

Ding!

Just then, Zhang Chen's phone received a text message.

"See? The fish has taken the bait."

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking.

A thin layer of mist still lingered on the forest paths in the villa area.

Wang Xiaoer and Zhang Chen, each holding a large meat bun, squatted in a bush diagonally opposite Boss Liu's villa, looking like two thieves preparing to scout the place.

"Brother Chen, are you sure they'll come today?"

"Don't worry." Zhang Chen took a big bite of the bun and said indistinctly, "Boss Liu acted so realistically last night, throwing things and roaring. The butler must think that the master is scared out of his wits. It's the perfect time to call in a 'master' to clean up the mess."

As soon as he finished speaking, a black minivan silently glided into view and came to a steady stop in front of the villa.

The car door opened, and the butler, beaming, got out of the passenger seat, quickly walked around to the back seat, and respectfully opened the car door.

An old Taoist priest with a sage-like demeanor stepped out of the car.

The old Taoist priest was dressed in a dark blue silk robe hand-sewn, with intricate cloud patterns embroidered in gold thread on the cuffs and collar. He wore cloth shoes with a thousand-layer sole and held a carved sandalwood box instead of a compass. He exuded a "professional" aura that was completely different from Zhang Chen's.

Even his two disciples following behind him were dressed in matching blue short jackets, carrying magical artifacts wrapped in yellow cloth, with steady eyes and brisk steps.

This pomp and circumstance far surpasses that of Zhang Chen.

"Tsk tsk." Zhang Chen clicked his tongue. "See? This is what professional attire looks like. We need to learn from them. When we make money, we'll get a couple of sets too."

As he spoke, Zhang Chen casually wiped the oil stains off his hands, took a few steps to the wall outside the villa, pushed off with his feet and hung on the wall, and with another push, he climbed up the wall and flipped over.

The movements were so fluid and seamless that Wang Xiaoer didn't even have time to react before Zhang Chen disappeared.

"Oh no! What do I do now?"

Looking at the wall that was taller than a person, Wang Xiaoer couldn't help but swear.

He's good at climbing trees, but he'd probably have to use all his strength to climb such a high wall.

"You country bumpkin, you think you can't get over here? Hurry up, or someone will see you!"

Zhang Chen, on the other hand, urged them on without taking it seriously.

"Alright!"

With a determined effort, Wang Xiaoer sprinted forward and hung on the wall, but just as he was about to exert himself, his stomach churned violently.

"Ah~ Ouch... No, no!"

Wang Xiaoer quickly jumped down and whispered to the wall behind him, "Brother Chen, why don't you go first? I have a bit of an upset stomach!"

"Damn it! You let me down at the crucial moment!"

Zhang Chen was speechless for a moment: "Fine, why don't you just stay outside and keep watch?"

As he spoke, Zhang Chen hurriedly tiptoed to the villa window.

Inside the villa, everyone had already entered the main hall, and the old Taoist priest solemnly opened the sandalwood box.

Inside lay a Bagua compass made entirely of brass, with finely crafted pointers and intricate markings, which even shimmered with a mysterious luster under the light.

The old Taoist priest, holding a compass in one hand, walked slowly and unhurriedly through the villa.

Although he was muttering to himself, he wasn't speaking Zhang Chen's strange "ooh-ah-ee-ya" tone, but rather an obscure and difficult-to-understand ancient dialect.

Boss Liu followed behind him, his face displaying just the right amount of anxiety and anticipation.

The old Taoist priest walked around the villa for a long time, and finally stopped in Boss Liu's bedroom.

The compass needle in his hand began to tremble slightly, and finally suddenly pointed to a blue and white porcelain vase about half a person's height next to the bedside table.

The vase had a warm, lustrous glaze, and its body was decorated with landscapes and pavilions, making it clearly very valuable.

"Found it!"