Chapter 46 Erupting in an Uproar

As soon as the spirit medium arrived, the courtyard instantly erupted into a commotion. Everyone swarmed around, chattering and discussing animatedly.

"That old woman looks unfamiliar. What kind of relative of Xu Damao's did she turn out to be? It's really bizarre. I've lived for so many years and have never seen Xu Damao be this respectful to his own parents!"

"Oh, come on, can't you old folks in the courtyard tell? I saw it at a very first glance—this person is definitely a spirit medium! That scent on her is exactly the same as the spirit mediums I've seen before."

"Speaking of which, Xu Damao is doing just fine, so why on earth did he invite a spirit medium to his house? There's never been such a thing in the courtyard before! We must go and take a look right now to see what kind of mischief he's up to!"

Before long, a large crowd marched boisterously over to the entrance of Xu Damao's home.

Seeing this spectacle, Xu Damao felt thoroughly annoyed, yet he still had to plaster a smile on his face; after all, these old neighbors were not to be trifled with.

He turned to the elderly woman being supported beside him—the so-called spirit medium—and cautiously reminded her, "Elderly madam, please watch your step. This threshold is quite high."

The spirit medium had vacant and lifeless eyes, as if she could see nothing in this world, yet she seemed capable of discerning human hearts.

Supported by Xu Damao, she felt her way along the doorframe with both hands and shuffled into the room step by step.

The moment she crossed the threshold, her expression changed strangely.

Seeing this, Xu Damao's heart skipped a beat, and he asked nervously, "Elderly madam, what is this..."

Without answering immediately, the spirit medium extended her fingers and traced gestures in the air, as if calculating something through divination.

Then, she shook her head and said earnestly, "The moment I stepped into this room, I sensed a heavy shroud of gloomy yin energy.

There are some serious problems with this house of yours!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Damao grew even more panicked and hurriedly pressed, "Then... then tell me, where exactly is the problem?"

Slowly raising her finger, the spirit medium pointed toward the bed: "Let's put other matters aside for now; just the placement of that bed of yours is truly inappropriate.

Look, it is so close to the window! Because of this, your good fortune and blessings have quietly slipped away and been completely ruined!"

Following the direction of the spirit medium's finger, Xu Damao looked over, his eyes widening in astonishment.

He waved his hand in front of the spirit medium to confirm that she was indeed blind, and only after that did he let out a long sigh of relief, praising her from the bottom of his heart: "Elderly madam, you truly are a person of profound wisdom. The position of this bed is indeed very close to the window."

"Don't worry, I'll move the bed further away tomorrow," Xu Damao pledged solemnly.

Hearing this, the spirit medium closed her eyes once more, her fingers continuing to trace patterns in the air while she chanted incantations under her breath.

Deeply captivated by this mystical atmosphere, Xu Damao held his breath, terrified that he might disturb the spirit medium.

After a moment, the spirit medium suddenly opened her eyes and said in a deep voice, "There are quite a few improperly arranged elements in this room of yours. You must have inadvertently offended the Earth Deity."

"You need to properly prepare some offerings, worship with utmost piety, and send away those unclean entities. Once that's done, your chronic ailment might just cure itself naturally."

Startled, Xu Damao shivered all over and asked, "Then... then my illness is because of this improper room?"

Before his voice had even faded, the spirit medium turned around to face him directly.

The meeting of their lifeless eyes sent a chill racing straight from the soles of Xu Damao's feet to the crown of his head.

Next, the spirit medium's actions made a cold sweat break out all over Xu Damao.

She reached out to touch his face and head, and then let out a sigh: "Wise master, could my illness really be caused solely by the layout of this room?" Xu Damao asked with a puzzled expression, a trace of unease revealing itself in his eyes.

"I've always had a hunch that my arch-rival in the courtyard might have secretly used some underhanded tricks against me!" Xu Damao lowered his voice as if terrified of being overheard by someone.

Upon hearing these words, the spirit medium—who had been standing shoulder to shoulder with Xu Damao—slowly turned around to face him directly.

The locking of their lifeless gazes sent an inexplicable chill rising from the depths of Xu Damao's heart, causing a layer of cold sweat to spontaneously break out across his back.

Immediately afterward, the spirit medium's next move filled Xu Damao with terror.

She slowly extended her hand and gently stroked Xu Damao's head and face, as if searching for something.

"Your constitution is weak, and coupled with someone plotting against you in the dark, that is why you have ended up in this state!" The spirit medium's sigh sounded like a mournful wail in a cold wind, piercing deeply into Xu Damao's heart.

At that moment, Xu Damao became even more convinced that inviting this master to perform rituals was a wise decision.

He placed absolute faith in her words, practically treating her as his savior.

The spirit medium continued, "If you want to break these curses, you must prepare some offerings and devoutly worship the Earth God."

"Bring out all the gold, silver, and jade treasures you have at home. These items possess the power to ward off evil, and only by using them can we banish the unclean spirits lingering in the Xu household."

Believing every word the spirit medium uttered made complete sense, Xu Damao did not hesitate for a second.

He immediately ran back inside, retrieved the gold, silver, and jade artifacts he had treasured for years, and respectfully handed them over to the spirit medium.

However, he never expected in his wildest dreams that this entire affair was a meticulously orchestrated scam by the spirit medium.

Once she obtained the items, the spirit medium hastily departed under a pretext, leaving Xu Damao standing frozen in utter bewilderment.

By the time Xu Damao came to his senses, he realized he had been swindled.

Xu Damao simply could not believe that he, a shrewd and capable man, had been played right under the nose of a seemingly ordinary spirit medium.

To trace the story back to the beginning:

That day, carrying a bundle of family heirlooms, Xu Damao had full of expectations sought out the legendary spirit medium.

Clad in a worn-out Taoist robe, the spirit medium had graying hair and a face etched with the marks of time, yet her eyes were exceptionally bright, as if capable of seeing through the human heart.

She told Xu Damao that for these treasures to exert their maximum effect, a mystical ritual had to be performed.

Therefore, following her instructions, Xu Damao placed all his gold, silver, and jade artifacts into a jewelry box provided by the medium—one that looked antique yet radiated an aura of mystery.

As the ritual began, the spirit medium chanted incantations while the incense sticks in her hands burned brightly.

Obeying her commands, Xu Damao knelt respectfully on the ground, fixing his eyes on the burning incense and silently praying for everything to go smoothly.

Yet, when the incense burned out and Xu Damao eagerly opened the jewelry box, he was shocked to find that, aside from empty air, there was nothing inside at all!