Finally, Wen Bin had no choice but to think of a plan and said that if you can sit quietly under this pagoda tree for half an hour at the appointed time, you can become my apprentice. If you cant hold on, dont mention it again. Zhao thought about it and felt that it was just cooling off here, so he readily agreed.

  The time has arrived, Wen Bin looked up at the stars in the sky and raised his turtle shell to cast a divination: he got a hexagram, Kan below Zhen above, thunder over water, which is interpreted as: "Jie" means dispersal. Emerging from danger, evil things disperse, prison (and) lawsuits can be released, together singing and praising.

  Its a good omen, finally this month, Cha Wenbin smiled for the first time on his way out. He Zuo saw the divination and asked about the result. Cha Wenbin replied: No one will die in Wangzhuang Village within three years!

  He Lao bowed to Cha Wenbin, who stopped him: "How can I accept He Laos great courtesy, isnt this a shortened lifespan?"

  "Whats the point of struggling on, Wen Bin? Wang Zhuang was originally my wifes hometown, and you were innocently dragged into this, doing some dangerous things. This bow is for all the villagers, can you bear it?"

  Zha Wenbin returned a courtesy: "For several days, I have been troubling Old He to take care of me. The food and lodging are all good, and there is nothing to complain about. Its shameful to say that my Taoist skills are not refined, and I was unable to save the ladys life. I hope Old He will forgive me." After finishing speaking, he bowed again.

  He Lao on the other side was already tearful, presumably thinking of his wife again. He wiped away his tears and asked: "What are your plans next, Wen Bin?"

  Cha Wenbin looked up at the starry sky: "Xiang Tian!"

  "Good heavens! Youre devoted to the Tao, and Im willing to do my best for you, old brother. As for the Ru Yi Ce, Ill study it when I get back, and if theres any news, Ill let you know right away!"

  Zha Suo Zhang ran over from the other side, opening his mouth and saying: "Master, accept your disciples bow!" After finishing speaking, he wanted to kneel down, but was kicked upright by Cha Wenbin with a quick foot. He pointed to a nearby locust tree: "Go! Ill wait for you here with Old He."

  Zhao Suo walked towards the pagoda tree, muttering to himself that it was just a place to cool off, and there shouldnt be any ghosts. Besides, with Cha Wenbin around, even ghosts wouldnt dare to come. Thinking this, he walked alone in big strides until he reached the bottom of the pagoda tree, where he found a rock to sit on. Before long, the gentle breeze by the river blew, and Zhao Suo suddenly felt a bit sleepy. The two figures not far away from him started to become blurry, his eyelids kept fighting, and before he knew it, he fell asleep.

  On the other side, Cha Wenbin was staring at Zhao Suo under the tree, his eyes fixed tightly on him. In less than ten minutes, something happened over there: Zhao Suos eyebrows were furrowed, large beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and his lips were bitten tightly shut, as if he was in great discomfort.

  He Lao asked from the side: "Whats wrong?" Zha Wenbin didnt respond either, only gesturing to He Lao not to speak, and then continued on his way.

  Two minutes later, Director Zhaos face had started to turn green and his body began to tremble. Cha Wenbin shook his head, took out a talisman paper, held it between two fingers, and walked over. By the time he reached the tree, Director Zhao was already gasping for air loudly, his neck swollen thickly. Cha Wenbin flicked his finger, and the talisman paper ignited with a whoosh. Before the ashes even hit the ground, Director Zhao suddenly opened his eyes: "What happened to me?" Cha Wenbin said: "Nothings wrong."

  Zhao Shuo touched his forehead, and with a wave of his hands, he said: "Its so cool today, my back is all wet." It turned out that just now was a dream. Cha Wenbin asked: "Can you tell me what happened just now?"

  Zhao Shuo Chang looked at the sweat in his hand and muttered: "Just now, a woman choked my neck... I was about to suffocate, suddenly woke up, and saw Master by my side..."

  "Alas... That wasnt a dream," Cha Wenbin sighed

  "Isnt it a dream?" Zhao Suo looked at Zha Wenbin in incredulity and asked.

  Cha Wenbin nodded: "Thats the spirit of this tree. This tree has a very heavy yin energy, and its unknown how many thousands of years it has been alive in Wangzhuang Village. Accompanied by the river water nourishing its yin energy, it must have already developed a spiritual nature. It has attracted quite a few wild ghosts to gather here. The position you were sitting in just now happened to be on someones thigh. If it were someone with a predestined relationship with the Tao, she wouldnt dare show herself. But since you dont have a predestined relationship with the Tao, go back and do your job properly."

  After listening, Zhao let out a long sigh and gathered his thoughts. He also understood that Cha Wenbins words were not in vain. Just now, he almost died under this tree, and it was possible that he really had no fate with the Taoist path. However, he still didnt give up: "Then can I follow Master Cha but not learn the Taoist way? Can I just help with errands and fetching things?"

  "Dont mention learning the Tao again, Zhao. Youre not destined for it. Following me will only lead to trouble. As a friend, I advise you to return and focus on your official duties. With your appearance, youll be able to navigate the bureaucracy and rise through the ranks with ease. You have great potential!" He then walked towards the car parked by the side of the road. In the end, it was Old He who persuaded Zhao to give up. Years later, Zhao had become a high-ranking official in the provincial transportation department, proving that indeed "officialdom has no bounds".

  Before returning to the provincial city, Cha Wenbin went to Jin Guanzhangs place first. He stared at the dark circles under Jins eyes. When Jin saw Cha again, he was already on the verge of tears, fearing that this gentleman would bring him more trouble soon.

  Three people didnt stand on ceremony, and sat down on the office sofa. Especially Director Zhao, who was smiling and staring at Principal Jin with a hypocritical expression that made Principal Jin not dare to breathe loudly. After holding it in for a long time, he finally couldnt help but speak up: "Sir, hows the matter of Wang Zhuang?"

  I was sitting in the corner of the sofa, Cha Wenbin stopped fiddling with the tea cup lid: "You let that driver come out and go to the intersection where the accident happened on the seventh day after your head, prepare four sets of bowls and chopsticks, and some wine and dishes for a memorial service; be careful when burning paper", after finishing speaking, he glanced at the nearby Luofeng Slope and continued to play with the tea cup.

  Director Jin glanced in the direction of Cha Wenbins gaze, naturally understanding what he was looking at: "Sir, is that all? Dont need to go to that ghost place again? This wutong tree, Ive already bought it from various places, and it should arrive in a few days. Sir, do you think they will..."

  "Will those who have died come looking for you?" Director Zhao glared at Director Jin with a fierce gaze, scaring him so much that his glasses shook, and his fat belly also shook along with it.

  Zha Wenbin pressed down with one hand, glanced at Zhao Suozhang with a white eye, and said: "After the sacrifice is over, that car will be scrapped. Dont use it again. In the future, do more good deeds. You are doing business with dead people, so you should accumulate some virtue. Its only beneficial to you. Well take our leave now." After finishing speaking, he stood up and prepared to go out.

  Upon hearing this, Director Jin let out a long sigh of relief. Since returning from Wang Village, he hadnt been able to close his eyes without seeing the four coffins, and he had always felt that those vengeful spirits would come looking for him again. Now, he could finally rest easy. He opened his drawer and called out to Cha Wenbin, who was preparing to leave: "Sir, please stay a moment."

  Zha Wenbin, who had already stepped out the door, turned his head to see Director Jin handing him an envelope: "Sir, in recent days, not only have you helped me with feng shui, but also solved this great difficulty. Sir has saved my life, and I have no way to repay you. Please accept this small token of appreciation, its not enough to show my respect!"

  It turned out that he was giving money, but Cha Wenbin didnt even glance at it: "If you really want to repay me, take good care of that orphan."

  "Thats natural, thats natural, that child, I will be more careful than my own child, please rest assured, Mr. This respect, no matter what, please accept it." After saying this, Principal Jin took another step forward, but was waved away by Zhang Wenbins sleeve and left in big strides. From a distance, Zhang Wenbins words still lingered: "Man proposes, heaven disposes..." Leaving behind only Principal Jin standing there in stunned silence, holding the envelope in his hand.

  Director Zhao drove the public car, which was a wild ride all the way to the provincial city. They arrived before dark, and Old Hes old bones were shaken so badly that he threw up as soon as he got out of the car. After getting out of the car, he scolded loudly, but Director Zhao still had a cheerful smile on his face. The three of them went to find a restaurant to eat dinner, and then Director Zhao sent Old He back home, only then did they bid each other farewell.

  He gazed at the once warm and cozy little home, now left with only himself. Looking at Madame Wangs portrait, Old He couldnt help but feel a pang of sadness again. Cha Wenbin lit incense for Madame Wang and comforted him with a few words before letting Old He calm down. Having been out for some time, he had been eating and drinking at Old Hes place. Although Old He didnt mind, he wouldnt accept money from others for doing funeral rites, so Cha Wenbin thought to himself that he should find a way to make a living. If all else failed, he could set up a fortune-telling stall on the street to earn some food money. After thinking about it, he told Old He about this and asked him to take him to the Chenghuang Temple area tomorrow to take a look around.

  He Lao rejected the proposal outright, and even got angry. "Wen Bin, are you not comfortable living here with me? Are you being distant from me? Youve done so many things for my family and Wang Zhuang without asking for anything in return. The matter you entrusted to me still hasnt come to a head, and yet youre still staying here. Besides, Im lonely living alone, dont have that idea anymore! Youre a capable person, how can you go do those kinds of business? Just stay here peacefully, the two of us will study that text together, forget about setting up a stall!"

  Zha Wenbin stood up, also a seven-foot-tall man, had never taken advantage of others since childhood. After spending so much time, he was already gone. But when He Lao said this, he felt even more embarrassed. As they were arguing, there was a knock at the door...

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