CHAPTER 1150: CHAPTER 1146: THE RITUAL CONCLUDES

When Dao Hong, the mage, saw the stack of cash piled high, a smile broke out on his face that he couldn’t suppress.

"Haha, Mr. Li, you’re too kind. It’s our duty to help the people in distress. Besides, your project is for the good of the children in this mountain village, allowing them to attend school nearby. With such a virtuous cause, we poor monks certainly must support it unconditionally." Dao Hong laughed as he continued the pleasantries.

The meaning behind his words was clear: he claimed not to care about money.

However, his disciple quickly collected the cash on the table, and he acted as if he didn’t see it, saying nothing.

This made it hard not to laugh. Wasn’t he just slapping his own face?

Chen Yang wasn’t sure if the four women thought the same, but he definitely chuckled inwardly.

"Haha, Master, you’re being too kind. We’re just going with the flow, not as great as you say..." Li Han replied with a chuckle, reciprocating the pleasantries with Dao Hong, the mage.

She was very familiar with such business niceties, as they were too numerous to count in business interactions.

So dealing with them was something she was adept at.

The two exchanged pleasantries for a good while, probably for about ten minutes, before Dao Hong, the mage, suddenly stopped chatting idly.

He abruptly asked Li Han about the village chief of Liuhe Village.

"Mr. Li, I humbly ask for your assistance. Could you please help me with something?"

"Of course, please go ahead."

"Do you know the village chief of Liuhe Village? If you do, could you introduce me?"

Dao Hong asked.

Hearing this, Chen Yang knew he was probably planning to perform another ritual for Liuhe Village.

Because earlier that day, he had mentioned that the project disrupted Liuhe Village’s feng shui and needed to be reassembled.

Now asking about the village chief obviously meant he wanted to perform another ritual in the village.

Li Han naturally realized this as well.

If Wu Kexin were not present, she would definitely find a way to politely decline, but since Wu Kexin was there, she had no choice but to introduce her to him with a smile.

"Master, the village chief of Liuhe Village is right here."

Dao Hong looked at Wu Kexin, slightly surprised.

"This is our village chief of Liuhe Village?"

"Yes, I am the village chief. My name is Wu Kexin. Nice to meet you, Master." Wu Kexin noted the topic turned to her and, out of politeness, introduced herself and greeted the mage.

Dao Hong was momentarily taken aback but immediately smiled and said, "I didn’t expect that you are indeed Chief Wu. Hello, hello."

Afterward, they exchanged a simple round of pleasantries.

After the pleasantries, Dao Hong, the mage, got straight to the point and said, "Chief Wu, do you remember what I said today?"

"Liuhe Village is a place with great feng shui, but this construction site has disrupted the village’s entire feng shui."

"If the village wants prosperity in the future and peace for everyone, it might need a ritual to reassemble the feng shui."

...

Dao Hong, the mage, looked indifferent, speaking eloquently.

Wu Kexin understood immediately what the mage meant hearing this.

"Um..."

"Master, we appreciate your intentions, but just a few days ago, the town issued a notice prohibiting superstitious activities in the village; it’s really not feasible." As Wu Kexin struggled to find a polite refusal, Chen Yang suddenly spoke up, helping her with an excuse to decline.

Wu Kexin nodded immediately upon hearing Chen Yang’s words, indicating agreement.

"Haha, indeed, Master, it’s really inconvenient right now. If there’s a chance, we can invite you next time." Wu Kexin said politely.

Dao Hong, the mage, was adept at reading the room.

Seeing both Chen Yang and Wu Kexin saying so, he realized that they did not want to perform the ritual.

So, he didn’t insist and nodded with a slight smile, saying, "Well, it’s a pity. With such good feng shui in Liuhe Village, every day delayed is a loss. But since Chief Wu finds it inconvenient, I won’t insist. We can wait until the village has discussed it and then invite me; it won’t be too late."

"Yes, yes, thank you for your kindness, Master."

Seeing this, Wu Kexin went along with the mage’s meaning, saying it’s temporarily unnecessary.

Afterward, a few of them chatted in the car for a while until they had rested enough. The mage then said he wouldn’t sit any longer, stood up, and prepared to leave.

Chen Yang, Li Han, and Wu Kexin didn’t mean to continue chatting, so they followed his lead and got off the car together.

As they stepped out of the car, they immediately saw that the crowd hadn’t dispersed yet, still bustling as ever.

Workers, villagers, and the like were all there.

Seeing the mage come down, they started praising him again.

They said something like Dao Hong, the mage’s profound skills, etc.

Dao Hong, the mage, smiled broadly hearing such words.

As for his disciple, he held his head high, with a somewhat proud and smug look.

Of course, such emotions are typical for a person, and seeing this, Chen Yang said nothing more.

He just stood by with the four women, watching until Dao Hong, the mage, and his disciple had heard enough praise, turned, and got into the car to leave.

It was only then that Chen Yang told everyone present to disperse. After all, gathering so many people late at night might lead to unforeseen events, and it was getting late; everyone should head back, wash up, and rest, especially as they needed to work again tomorrow.

Although the site was quite lively, everyone respected Chen Yang’s words to disperse, and they gradually left the construction site and returned to their respective homes.

The lively construction site turned quiet quickly as the crowd dispersed.

"Chen Yang, let’s go too."

Seeing the crowd disperse, Wu Kexin and the four women didn’t want to stay there either. The construction site was at the edge of Liuhe Village, so no streetlights were installed, leaving the surroundings rather dim.

And having just performed a ritual, the place felt a bit eerie.

The four women didn’t feel comfortable staying there.

"Okay."

Chen Yang nodded briefly, and then planned to leave with the four women.

But just as they were about to leave and reached the village road, Chen Yang suddenly noticed a mysterious van parked under a hidden tree by the roadside.

He had a good memory of the vehicles coming and going in the village, and he had never seen such a van before, especially parked so close to the construction site late at night.

The area was relatively secluded, and no one lived nearby.

Considering these factors together, Chen Yang felt a bit suspicious.

"What’s wrong, Chen Yang? Why did you stop?"

At this moment, the four women noticed Chen Yang’s unusual behavior, so they paused to ask him what was going on.

"Look over there." Chen Yang pointed directly at the van.

The four women looked in the direction Chen Yang pointed, carefully observing several times before spotting the van parked under the tree.

The light there was dim, making it hard to notice without careful inspection.