This Taoist priest is so unprofessional!

"OK! We're done and that's it!"

Zhang Chen threw the peach wood sword to the ground, panting heavily, but his face was full of smug satisfaction that "mission accomplished."

"Boss Liu, mission accomplished! I have suppressed that evil thought. It is now trapped in this room and cannot move! After forty-nine days, it will dissipate on its own!"

Boss Liu's face twitched violently as he suppressed his anger and doubts.

"Master Zhang, are you sure?"

"Don't you trust me to handle things?" Zhang Chen said confidently.

"However, in order to consolidate the effect, we must stay in the villa these days and guard this house in case that evil-thinking dog becomes desperate."

However, before Boss Liu could speak, the butler interjected, "Sir, please don't take offense, but I just couldn't help it. I think these two are clearly con artists; they're just trying to freeload and never leave!"

"I also know a powerful fortune teller, his abilities are incredible. If you trust me, I'll have him come over tomorrow! He's definitely more reliable than these two!"

Mr. Liu agreed with the housekeeper's words, but since he had already spent the money, he had to see the results.

"Shut up!" Boss Liu snapped, interrupting the butler. "Arrange guest rooms for the two Taoist priests. We'll see if they're any good tonight."

The butler had no choice but to put on a smile for Wang Xiaoer and his companion, and somewhat reluctantly led them to a luxurious guest room on the second floor.

A soft, large bed, a private bathroom, and a beautiful night view outside the window.

"This is what life is all about!"

As soon as Zhang Chen entered the room, he excitedly jumped onto the bed and rolled around on it twice like a child.

Wang Xiaoer also carefully sat down on the edge of the bed, enjoying the comfort of the fluffy mattress.

He looked at Zhang Chen, his heart still filled with doubt and uncertainty.

He knew Zhang Chen had some skills, but sometimes he seemed unreliable, but he never expected him to be this unreliable.

"Brother Chen," Wang Xiaoer lowered his voice and asked again, "Do you really think your printed papers can suppress that thing?"

Zhang Chen sat up in bed and looked at him seriously.

"Waiter, you're too focused on appearances."

"Let me tell you, in this line of work, three parts skill and seven parts acting."

"What does Boss Liu want? He wants a sense of security! He wants the image of a 'master' who can solve problems!"

Wang Xiaoer was completely convinced.

He used to think Zhang Chen was a jack-of-all-trades, but now it seems he's a complete professional conman.

"What if... that thing didn't leave?" Wang Xiaoer was still a little worried.

"Didn't leave?" Zhang Chen scoffed. "That's perfect. I'll put on another 'spirit possession' act, collect another sum of money, and then run away!"

"Running away?"

"What else? Just wait to get beaten up?" Zhang Chen shrugged, with a matter-of-fact expression.

Looking at his shameless appearance, Wang Xiaoer completely gave up on morally restraining him.

"Fine, I'm just here to freeload anyway."

Although Mr. Liu had his doubts, he still instructed the kitchen to prepare the best dishes.

Wang Xiaoer ate to his heart's content. He found that since he moved the grave, his appetite and energy had become exceptionally good.

As night deepened, all was quiet.

The entire villa fell into silence.

Zhang Chen and Wang Xiaoer lay on the soft bed and quickly fell asleep.

Wang Xiaoer was sleeping soundly; he hadn't had such a peaceful sleep in a long time.

I don't know how much time passed.

Wang Xiaoer's eardrums were suddenly pierced by a faint sound.

"Pat...pat..."

The sound was soft and slow, with a crisp, clear quality to the sound of solid wood colliding.

He suddenly opened his eyes, his body tensing instantly.

The sound of abacus beads!

The sound was like someone in the dark turning the abacus, one turn after another, each turn like a needle pricking one's nerves.

Wang Xiaoer turned his head to look at Zhang Chen beside him.

Zhang Chen slept like a log, with soft snoring coming from his mouth.

"Brother Chen! Wake up!" Wang Xiaoer nudged him.

Zhang Chen groggily opened his eyes and muttered impatiently, "What? It's the middle of the night, can't a person get some sleep?"

"Listen!" Wang Xiaoer lowered his voice and pointed towards the window.

Zhang Chen's ears twitched.

"Pat...pat...pat..."

The sound was exceptionally clear in the quiet night, as if it were right outside their bedroom window.

Zhang Chen's sleepiness vanished instantly.

His expression also began to turn serious.

"Impossible..." Zhang Chen sat up, rubbed his eyes, and muttered to himself, "I clearly suppressed it with a talisman, how did it end up here again?"

"Tap! Tap! Tap!"

This time, the sound of the abacus beads suddenly quickened, with a rapid and eerie rhythm.

Immediately afterwards, the temperature in the room dropped sharply, and a chilling coldness instantly shot from the soles of my feet to the top of my head.

Wang Xiaoer's hair stood on end.

He could feel something sticking to their window!

"Is...is there really something dirty?" Wang Xiaoer's voice trembled slightly.

Cold sweat beaded on Zhang Chen's forehead. He quickly jumped off the bed and ran to the window.

He abruptly pulled back the curtains.

Outside the window, it was pitch black, with only a faint glow from the distant streetlights.

There was nothing there.

"Phew..." Zhang Chen breathed a sigh of relief and patted his chest. "What a scare! It was probably just the wind."

"Thump—"

The moment he finished speaking, an even sharper and louder sound suddenly exploded outside their room!

The sound was no longer the clinking of abacus beads, but rather like someone slowly and fiercely scraping their wooden door with their fingernails!

"hiss--"

The sharp, grating sound was incredibly penetrating, as if the door would be torn open in the next second!

It's right outside the door!

Wang Xiaoer's body lay stiff on the bed.

The sharp scraping sound was like a file, repeatedly grinding against the eardrum.

He stared at the wooden door, his breath caught in his throat, and cold sweat soaked his pajamas.

"hiss--"

The voice rang out again, closer and slower than before, carrying a malicious mockery.

Zhang Chen's expression shifted uncertainly in the darkness.

Cold sweat was still streaming down his forehead, but his eyes, which had been filled with fear, suddenly lit up at that moment.

He suddenly laughed.

That smile carried a sinister air, instantly dispelling all the panic on his face.

"Fine, I'm not playing with you anymore."

Zhang Chen lowered his voice, his tone icy, completely devoid of his usual slickness.

He quickly walked to the door, pressed his ear against the wooden door and listened for a moment, then made a gesture to Wang Xiaoer.

"The fish has taken the bait."

Wang Xiaoer was completely bewildered by his sudden change.

All he saw was Zhang Chen transform from a panicked conman into a completely different person in an instant.

Zhang Chen didn't explain, but simply gestured for Wang Xiaoer to put on his clothes.

"Get up, and hurry up!"

Wang Xiaoer mechanically grabbed the clothes from the ground and put them on.

Just as they finished tidying their clothes, a suppressed gasp suddenly came from the next room.

"Ah! A ghost!"

That was Boss Liu's voice, filled with extreme fear and trembling.

Immediately following was the sound of hurried and chaotic footsteps.

The door was yanked open roughly, and Boss Liu ran out of the room in a panic, like a rabbit being chased by a hound.

He was wearing a silk bathrobe, his face was pale, and his hair was disheveled, completely unlike the dignified boss he was during the day.

Perhaps because he was running too fast, he bumped into Zhang Chen, who had just opened the door and come out.

As if grasping at a straw, Boss Liu gripped Zhang Chen's arm tightly with both hands.

His eyes darted around in the darkness, and his voice trembled.

"Master Zhang... Master Zhang! It... it's back again! Right in my room! Didn't you say you'd suppress it? But I can still hear it tapping on its abacus in my ear!"

"Are you even capable?! I spent so much money to hire you! You! You... you can't be a fraud, can you?!"

He practically screamed it out; the immense fear had driven him mad.

Zhang Chen remained motionless, letting Boss Liu shake him.

He simply patted Boss Liu's shoulder lightly, his expression calm and without a trace of panic.

"Calm down! Calm down, Mr. Liu."

Zhang Chen's voice wasn't loud, but it carried a convincing power.

He pulled Boss Liu behind him, his gaze sweeping across the corridor to the half-open door at the end.

That was the study on the second floor, the place where Zhang Chen had pasted A4-sized talismans during the day.

"I, Taoist priest, will slay demons and monsters for you tonight!"

Zhang Chen lowered his head, winked at Wang Xiaoer, and then casually slapped a talisman into the other man's arms.

"Waiter, it's your turn."

Wang Xiaoer was stunned for a moment. He had no idea what Zhang Chen was up to, but somehow, most of the fear in his heart suddenly disappeared.

"Just do as I told you during the day." Zhang Chen lowered his voice again, then gestured towards the study.

Wang Xiaoer recalled the strange looks Zhang Chen had given him in the living room during the day while "performing a ritual," and roughly guessed what the other party meant.

As his fear subsided, a strange sense of anger welled up inside him.

He took a sudden step forward, swung his arm, and strode towards the other side of the corridor.

The door was slightly ajar, and through the crack peeked out a darkness even deeper than the corridor.

"Pat...pat..."

The sound of abacus beads drifted slowly from inside the door, with a leisurely rhythm, as if mocking the fear of everyone outside.

Wang Xiaoer's anger was completely ignited.

He stopped thinking about evil spirits and ghosts.

All he knew was that someone was disturbing his sleep in the middle of the night.

Who can bear this?

He lifted his leg and kicked.

He used all his strength to kick the half-closed door hard!

"boom--"

A tremendous sound exploded in the silent villa, causing the crystal chandelier in the corridor to tremble slightly.

Wang Xiaoer roared, his voice even louder than the sound of the door slamming against the floor.

"What's all the noise about! Can't a person get any sleep?!"