Chapter 160: Chapter 159: The Mountain City Old Taoist’s Exorcism Ritual

「Mountain City. A certain village.」

Gu Qi drove Gu Zhao here. Traveling with them were several other timber bosses and a local guide.

This is the internet age, and the villagers have become savvy. The era when merchants could just wander into a village and find cheap goods was over.

Nowadays, a guide usually brings several bosses from different regions into the mountains to hunt for goods. If they found something good, the bosses would bid on the spot, and the villagers would sell at their discretion.

"So, it’s like hunting for treasures in the mountains or by the sea?" Gu Zhao asked with great interest.

"Yes, but the things we’re looking for are much more valuable," Gu Qi explained to Gu Zhao. "Huanghuali and Small-leafed Purple Sandalwood can be cultivated or imported from overseas, but Golden Rattan Wood truly can’t be found abroad.

Lesser quality Huanghuali and Small-leafed Purple Sandalwood can mature in a little over ten years, and a hundred-year-old tree is already considered old timber. But Golden Rattan Wood only begins to mature after a century. If you want the golden threads to be translucent and beautiful, two or three hundred years is not considered excessive.

There are Golden Rattan Wood plantations in the country, but not a single tree has matured yet. Not to mention, even if you could find any wild timber, you wouldn’t be allowed to cut it down.

So now, we can only search for old materials in the homes of mountain dwellers here in the southwest, buy them, reprocess them, and sell them. And they have to be scattered pieces. If they were fully intact, they would be protected structures."

The group entered the mountain village, led by the guide. Gu Zhao looked around. "The incident last time happened in this very village. How do they still dare to come?"

Gu Qi grinned. "It’s a different group of people. Even the guide is new."

Gu Zhao couldn’t help but laugh. "They’ve certainly got guts. Are the villagers okay?"

"Nothing happened inside the village itself," Gu Qi said, shaking his head. "I remember the particularly gloomy places were mainly some of the mountain paths in the forest."

The group arrived in the village and was received by some villagers, who then led them to inspect the new and old residences around the area.

Gu Zhao asked, "You’ve all inspected this place several times. Are there still fish that slipped through the net?"

Gu Qi smiled and shook his head. "There are some who slipped through, but the remaining situations are basically..."

"Not for sale!"

"That’s too cheap! I’ve seen stuff like this used by the emperor. At least ten million."

"I heard about some auction in Port City where something sold for over a hundred million. This old piece of timber of mine is so big, it has to be worth at least fifty million, right?"

Gu Qi said to Gu Zhao, "Besides age and size, the value of Golden Rattan Wood also depends on its condition and the quality of the golden threads inside. Not every piece is worth tens of millions or over a hundred million."

Gu Zhao was speechless. "Then why do you still come?"

"It’s business. What if they have a change of heart and decide to sell?" Gu Qi replied. "If the price is right, there’s still a profit to be made. Besides, having furniture and decor made from Golden Rattan Wood is a status symbol."

Gu Zhao nodded and followed behind Gu Qi, treating it as a sightseeing tour.

"Where’s that rather gloomy place?" Gu Zhao asked.

Gu Qi pointed behind the village. "There’s a cluster of abandoned old houses back there, in a shady spot in the mountains. A lot of people got sick after coming out of that area."

"I’ll go take a look." Just as Gu Zhao finished speaking, he saw a group of people arrive at the village entrance. On the periphery were what appeared to be respected villagers, and surrounded in the middle was a group of Daoists in brocade robes, holding Banners.

"It’s that patch of woods behind us that connects to the old village."

A middle-aged man in the lead explained to the Daoists, "Ever since a small earthquake last year, that area has felt very gloomy. Any villager who goes in comes out sick. Last time, it even took down several of the bosses who came to the village to inspect the Phoebe Wood."

"The village suspects the earthquake stirred up something unclean from underground. We’d like to ask you Daoists to see what’s going on and if it can be suppressed."

As the middle-aged man spoke, he came face to face with Gu Zhao’s group. The two parties stared at each other, momentarily speechless.

"AHEM!" The middle-aged man cleared his throat and started to lead his group away. "You all carry on, carry on."

But the bosses’ interest was piqued.

This was a technological society, and not only was it daytime, but they were also surrounded by people. So no one was afraid; instead, their curiosity was aroused.

After asking around a bit, they learned what had happened before. Although it felt a bit strange, just getting sick wasn’t enough to scare them off. On the contrary, they eagerly followed the group, ready to watch the show.

The villagers were asking for exorbitant prices, so buying wood was out of the question. Watching a Daoist perform a Ritual would make the trip worthwhile.

Gu Zhao also mixed in with them, his gaze falling on an old Daoist in a bright yellow brocade Magical Robe who was surrounded by the others.

The old Daoist was not tall, his face was wrinkled and homely, but he had a solemn expression and a sharp gaze. As he looked toward the mountain forest behind the village, a strange glint flashed in his eyes, but then he shook his head, looking slightly disappointed.

Following him were four young Daoists, two men and two women, also in yellow Daoist Robes. Each held a Banner in one hand and had a cloth bag slung over their shoulder, though it was unclear what was inside.

Feeling the stirrings of the Five Thunders Order and the New Thunder Seed in his Sea of Consciousness, Gu Zhao was surprised to have encountered another old Daoist with Magical Power.

’Who said Dao Practice is hard to cultivate in the modern era? It seems pretty simple to me!’

The crowd followed them out of the village and into the forest on the back mountain. Only a single, winding path led deeper in. Although there was no miasma in the woods, the dense canopy of trees overhead blocked out most of the sunlight, and a chill ran through everyone.

"Something really does feel off!"

"I’m already wearing thick clothes, but I still feel a bit cold."

It was already the beginning of winter, and it was even colder in the mountains. Even though everyone was bundled up in thick down jackets, they could still feel a bone-chilling cold seeping into their bodies through the gaps in their clothing.

Gu Zhao also sensed the faint Yin Qi emanating from the forest.

This wasn’t the Yin Qi Evil Technique cultivated by a sinister Cultivator, but a kind of terrain formed by a coincidence of natural environmental factors, similar to a situation Yunyang had once encountered.

The old Daoist stood in the forest, observing for a good while. He looked from side to side before finally turning to the middle-aged man. "It’s not some unclean thing. It’s just that the earthquake affected the local topography, trapping the miasma. This mixed with the decaying animal and plant carcasses in the forest, combined with the cold and damp environment. Unless you’re a young man with extremely strong Yang Qi, anyone who comes here will get sick."

The middle-aged man’s mouth fell slightly open, a mix of surprise and disappointment on his face. "Huh? So it’s not an unclean thing!"

"You silly child, where would you find unclean things these days?"

The old Daoist sighed. "We’ll first deal with the evil presence in this forest. After that, you should submit an application to the higher-ups to cut down some of these trees. Letting more sunlight in should solve the problem."

The middle-aged man nodded in a daze. He then watched as the old Daoist directed the four young Daoists beside him to begin their preparations.

They planted the Banners, set up a divine altar, lit candles, and took out their Magical Artifacts.

A Wooden Gong, a Bell, a small drum, and a pair of Copper Gongs.

The four young Daoists took their positions and began to chant scriptures and play the Magical Artifacts. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

The old Daoist, holding a jade tablet in one hand and a candle in the other, walked back and forth along the mountain path. As his Magical Power circulated within his body, he actually managed to disperse much of the surrounding Yin Qi.