The next morning, Jiang Xueyi and Xu Qin were ready early, planning to take Jiang Mengxin to meet the so-called Master Wang. However, as soon as they stepped out, they saw the person they disliked the most – Lu Ming.
"Why are you here? Who told you to come? What are you here for?" Xu Qin launched a barrage of three critical questions.
Jiang Mengxin quickly emerged, smiling, and said, "I invited Lu Ming. Mom, didn't you say we were going to pray for blessings? I thought it would be better if we went as a family, bringing Lu Ming along."
A family?
Xu Qin rolled her eyes. Who would consider herself family with a grave digger? Hmph.
"I don't want to go with him; it's embarrassing," Xu Qin said, turning her face away, not even wanting to look at Lu Ming.
Jiang Mengxin pouted and replied, "Mom, if you don't want to bring Lu Ming, then I won't go either."
Huh?
That won't do!
Xu Qin was startled. The whole point was to take Jiang Mengxin to Master Wang to ward off evil. If Jiang Mengxin didn't go, what would be the purpose of the trip?
No, no, no.
Reluctantly, Xu Qin had to agree to Jiang Mengxin's request, unable to refuse taking Lu Ming.
Thus, the 'family of four' set off in an SUV, enveloped in a peculiar atmosphere, heading south of Jinling to find the legendary Master Wang.
During the drive, Lu Ming asked a few curious questions, wanting to know who this Master Wang was. His inquiries were met with a torrent of sarcastic remarks from Xu Qin.
Finally, Lu Ming gave up struggling and stopped asking.
After nearly three hours of driving, just before noon, they arrived at a Taoist temple nestled among the mountains – Huilong Temple.
This was where the legendary spiritual medium resided.
Besides the Jiang family, numerous other people had come to pray, offer incense, seek blessings, and ward off evil. It had to be said that Huilong Temple was quite prosperous.
For a small, remote temple like this to have such a thriving incense trade indicated that Master Wang possessed genuine skill.
However, Lu Ming remained neutral.
Lu Ming was a firm atheist and absolutely did not believe in mice achieving immortality. He harbored doubts about the stories of Master Wang.
Lu Ming had encountered all sorts of "masters" before, and a hundred percent of them turned out to be charlatans.
Therefore, Lu Ming held no good opinion of the Master Wang they were about to meet.
Upon arriving at the temple entrance, they were greeted by dedicated young disciples. It had to be said that there were quite a few of them, at least thirty to forty.
For such a small temple to support so many disciples was indeed peculiar.
Under the guidance of the disciples, the Jiang family proceeded into the temple. Due to their esteemed status, the disciples treated them with special consideration, arranging for them to rest in a more luxurious room temporarily.
A disciple said, "My master is currently performing blessings for other benefactors. Please, you are welcome to rest here. Once my master finishes, he will come to meet you."
Xu Qin nodded, politely saying, "Ah, yes. The half-immortal has great abilities and many people to care for. It's only right that he is busy."
She was mistaken.
Master Wang was not busy at all.
Although many people sought his services, Master Wang only went through the motions. Whether he was busy or not depended entirely on his mood.
At this moment, Master Wang was deliberately feigning busyness to appear "professional" in front of the Jiang family.
The wealthier the client, the more cautiously Master Wang dealt with them.
Moreover, he was particularly interested in Jiang Mengxin, which meant he had to be even more careful, leaving no room for error. Appearing busy could also build anticipation among the Jiang family.
After waiting patiently for over 40 minutes, the Jiang family finally met the Master Wang they had been eagerly anticipating!
As Master Wang emerged, he exuded an aura of otherworldly grace.
Dressed in a pure white robe, with a full mustache and a whisk in hand, he possessed a transcendental demeanor, looking like a master stepped out of a Wuxia novel.
As the saying goes, the face reflects the heart.
Seeing Master Wang's distinguished aura, Xu Qin's belief that he was truly gifted became even stronger.
However, Lu Ming did not share this sentiment.
One's temperament could not be judged solely by their attire; these external aspects were the easiest to deceive. With a little effort, anyone could project a profound appearance.
Judging a person required looking at their inner self.
As Master Wang walked out, Lu Ming noticed that the man's gaze was wicked, tinged with a subtle hint of lust, unlike that of a good person.
Lu Ming had met many highly accomplished Taoist priests before; the eyes of those reclusive masters were always clear and filled with wisdom.
In contrast, this Master Wang had the look of a cunning villain.
This person is problematic.
This was Lu Ming's initial assessment of Master Wang.
Xu Qin stepped forward excitedly and said, "Half-immortal, it's finally a pleasure to meet you. We are the Jiang family from Jinling, and we have come specifically to seek your blessings."
Master Wang nodded, "Yes, I am aware. However, blessings must be done one by one. Who would like to go first?"
Xu Qin smiled, "Then I'll go first. I've just recovered from a serious illness, and I hope you can grant me a long life."
"Very well, follow me."
Master Wang led Xu Qin out of the room and into a side chamber.
Once inside and the door closed, Xu Qin's smile immediately vanished. She grasped Master Wang's hand, saying anxiously, "Half-immortal, my daughter has been cursed. She completely ignores her parents now and only listens to that scoundrel! Half-immortal, please find a way to break the curse within my daughter and make her normal again. If you can help my daughter recover, I am willing to pay a reward of ten million!"
Ten million!
Tsk, tsk, tsk. As expected, foolish and rich. Master Wang loved this type of customer the most.
He said with a solemn tone, "Don't worry, I know what to do. When I entered the room just now, I specifically observed your esteemed daughter and found that she indeed emits a pervasive aura of malevolence. The person who cursed her is also not simple, to achieve this extent."
Saying that, Master Wang snapped his fingers.
Immediately, a young disciple entered and pulled down the yellow curtains that were hanging. The side chamber was then revealed to be plastered with talismans and adorned with various magical artifacts.
Master Wang said, "To help your beloved daughter break free from the curse, I have made preparations in advance. Benefactor, you can now go and call your daughter over. Under the guise of a blessing, I will help her break the curse!"
Xu Qin was overjoyed. "Good, good, good! I'll go right away!"
"Oh, and one more thing," Master Wang reminded her at the end. "Because your beloved daughter's curse is so deep, she may experience pain during the ritual. She might cry out tragically, but that is a normal reaction. You absolutely must not come in and disrupt the process!"
Xu Qin nodded repeatedly. "Understood, I understand completely. No matter what my daughter cries out, even if she screams for help, I will pretend not to hear!"