The wager agreement was signed, and the 500,000 was transferred into the account Ye Yiming provided.
This was not because they trusted "one of their own," but because Ma Zhonghua's position prevented him from getting involved in such a wager. Ye Yiming, a retired old man, had no such constraints.
Zhang Zhi raised his wrist and glanced at his expensive gold Rolex. "The clock starts now. Everyone here is a witness."
Luo Yang pointed at Zhang Zhi, looking like a man who had been wronged and had nowhere to plead his case. "You really are... fine, you win!"
A man ought to be decent. The other party had spent 500,000, so surely he deserved a good customer experience?
After that one pointless remark, Luo Yang, now dressed in protective clothing, strode toward the prefabricated isolation room.
Watching Luo Yang's retreating back, Zhang Zhi snorted. "People still believe in miracle doctors these days? And a miracle doctor like him, at that. I have no idea what they're thinking."
The remark was clearly aimed at someone.
Ma Zhonghua did not take the bait. He pulled Ye Yiming aside and lowered his voice. "Sir, I trust you completely, but can young Luo really cure an archaeological expert in half an hour?"
"You brat. You say you trust me, but you're still worried I've misjudged him, aren't you?" Ye Yiming saw straight through Ma Zhonghua's concerns.
"Originally, we were only going to let him try. We wouldn't lose anything if he couldn't cure them. But now he's made a wager with Zhang Zhi. It won't look good if word gets out."
"I'm the one who brought him here. If anything goes wrong, I'll take responsibility. What are you worrying about?" Ye Yiming glared at Ma Zhonghua.
Ma Zhonghua remained anxious. "It's 500,000. If they really treat it as fraud, he could get years in prison. I shook my head at young Luo earlier to warn him not to sign any wager agreement, but he pretended not to see me. Sir, I really am worried about him."
Ye Yiming gave a hearty laugh, then suddenly asked, "What do you think of my daughter?"
Ma Zhonghua froze for a moment. Where did that come from? Besides, wouldn't I be too old for her?
Ye Yiming frowned. "I asked you a question."
Only then did Ma Zhonghua come to his senses. "Uh, young Ye is wonderful, of course. Young and capable. What I admire most is her judgment. Last time I was at your house, she told me housing prices in Luo City would double. I went back and bought an apartment with a mortgage, and she turned out to be right. Prices doubled in just three years. My wife still complains all the time, asking why I didn't buy another one. It drives me crazy."
At that point, Ma Zhonghua changed tack. "But sir, why are you suddenly talking to me about young Ye?"
Ye Yiming looked toward the isolation room Luo Yang had entered, smiling. "When my daughter went away on business this time, she didn't leave my granddaughter at my house. She left her at young Luo's instead. Let me tell you, you can doubt my judgment, but you should trust my daughter's. Young Luo is absolutely trustworthy."
Suddenly understanding, Ma Zhonghua smiled too. "So that's how it is. Then I'm relieved. By the way, when's the wedding banquet? You mustn't forget to invite me, sir."
Ye Yiming gave Ma Zhonghua a disdainful look. "What are you going on about? They're still just ordinary friends."
Ma Zhonghua pursed his lips, clearly unconvinced.
Inside the prefabricated isolation room.
The protective suit's face shield lay silently on the floor.
A ghostly green mark appeared on the forehead of the archaeological expert, Shi Fei. As the Spirit Infusion Seal activated, his eyes snapped open, and he struggled violently, roaring in fury.
Luo Yang took the Golden Bronze Mask out of the shoulder bag he had brought and put it on. He channeled a trace of spiritual power into it, and a ghostly green Spirit Infusion Seal appeared on the mask's forehead as well. At that very instant, darkness shrouded his vision, with blood-colored mist curling in its depths. He could hear neither Shi Fei's roars nor the sounds outside the isolation room. The entire world fell deathly silent.
This was the spirit communication state.
With the foundation he had laid earlier, together with two days of intensive study and practice, Luo Yang had gained a basic grasp of the Spirit Communication Technique. Admittedly, he still needed the Spirit Infusion Seal to assist him, but that was more than enough to deal with the problem before him.
His confidence came from the fact that an "evil spirit" was still a form of spiritual energy. And when it came to spiritual energy, his decade-plus of practicing the Ancestral Shaman Qi Refining Art was no joke. All he needed to do was lure the "evil spirit" out with the Spirit Communication Technique, and he could absorb and refine it!
The real trouble lay in the Sacrificial Pit. The artifact that had nurtured the "evil spirit" was the most formidable thing of all, and it was the root of the problem. That was also why he had come straight here to treat the archaeological experts: he would leave the greatest challenge for last. Besides, Ma Zhonghua must have given his superiors his personal assurance before asking Luo Yang to help. Luo Yang needed to demonstrate what he could do and set Ma Zhonghua's mind at ease.
"The heavens are dark, the earth stretches vast; the gods emerge, the four spirits guard the four directions. Azure Dragon of the east, take your place. White Tiger of the west, take your place. Vermilion Bird of the south, take your place. Black Tortoise of the north, take your place..."
This was the shamanic incantation for the Spirit Communication Technique. The words carried those meanings, but their pronunciation was unlike their modern pronunciation. It bore some resemblance to Sanskrit chanting, yet it was something entirely different. Its tones were short, flat, and low. Even a professional linguist standing beside Luo Yang would not have understood what he was chanting.
As the murmured incantation echoed, Luo Yang moved his arms and feet. Sometimes he looked like a crab walking sideways, sometimes like a charcoal seller pushing a cart, and sometimes like a swordsman drawing his blade and slashing. It looked utterly bizarre.
This was the Shamanic Dance.
The incantation alone could not make the Spirit Communication Technique work.
Likewise, with only the incantation, the Spirit Communication Technique would not work.
At that moment, every word Luo Yang chanted stirred his spiritual power, producing resonance. Every movement of his Shamanic Dance released spiritual power. Together, they formed a mysterious energy field.
This energy field was what Luo Yang was "seeing" at that moment: boundless darkness, curling blood-colored mist, and not a single sound. Deathly silence.
He kept chanting.
He kept dancing.
The energy gathering within the field grew stronger and stronger, and Luo Yang's state became stranger and stranger. He could sense things that did not exist!
Suddenly, Luo Yang's body shuddered violently. All his movements stopped, and his chanting ceased. Two blood-colored points of light flickered deep within his pupils, eerily sinister.
"You have some nerve, coming straight to my door!"
Although the voice came from Luo Yang's mouth, it was nothing like his own. It was cold and hard, with a pronounced metallic quality.
"I've been looking for you. Come out, and I'll take you back." This was Luo Yang's voice.
"Get away! Die!" The icy metallic voice.
"It's no use. You can't change anything. Going back is your only option." Luo Yang's voice.
"I'll kill you!"
Shi Fei, lying on the hospital bed, suddenly opened his mouth. At that very instant, a thread of clear light shot out of it and plunged straight into Luo Yang's chest.
Luo Yang's body jolted!
It was indeed spiritual energy carrying an evil will. As that thread of clear light invaded his body, Luo Yang felt cold all over, shivering despite the summer heat. He immediately sat cross-legged and began practicing the Ancestral Shaman Qi Refining Art.
But that was all. He promptly sat cross-legged and began practicing the Ancestral Shaman Qi Refining Art.
As he practiced the Ancestral Shaman Qi Refining Art, that wisp of spiritual energy grew weaker and weaker. The chill he felt also gradually faded, until it vanished entirely.
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