"Ding... Host has successfully impressed everyone, bringing a shocking effect, and earned 3 Pretentiousness Points."
The Mu Family and the surrounding crowd were so stunned they couldn't utter a word. Mu Chenglang and the noblewoman wore extremely ugly expressions, as if they had swallowed dead flies. Mu Yuxun's pink mouth hung open, her shocked expression almost as if she had seen Superman. Mu Yufei was in the same state; the usually cold and glamorous beauty looked at Chu Hao with a sharp gleam in her eyes.
Chu Hao stood with his hands behind his back, his face inscrutable, exuding an immense pressure as he looked down at Zhuge Dao. "It's not that your deeds won't be answered for; the time just hasn't come yet," he said. "Do you want to know how much longer you have to live?"
With a sob in his voice, Zhuge Dao knelt on the ground. "Master, Master, please give me some guidance," he pleaded.
Chu Hao sneered. "You won't live more than three years. Besides, why would a Taoist Master like me help someone like you?"
Zhuge Dao fell into complete despair. He now utterly regretted his foolishness. Not only had he encountered a true master, but this person had also seen through everything, revealing all the wicked deeds he had committed in his life.
Chu Hao couldn't be bothered with Zhuge Dao, his gaze sweeping over everyone present. They all lowered their heads in fear, including Mu Yuxun, feeling the overwhelming dominance emanating from Chu Hao. Eventually, Chu Hao's gaze settled on Mu Chenglang and the noblewoman.
Mu Chenglang was struck with terror by his gaze, his earlier bravado gone. "Thank you, Taoist Master," he said sheepishly. "Now I know this man is a fraud. I will send him away immediately."
Chu Hao waved his hand, interrupting Mu Chenglang. "Aren't you going to come clean?" he asked.
Caught off guard, Mu Chenglang stammered, "Clean? Clean about what?" Mu Chenglang had experienced many things, but today's events had completely shocked him. His usual business-like arrogance had vanished, and Chu Hao's questioning left him dazed.
"A Taoist Master like me can see that you are enveloped by yin energy," Chu Hao stated. "It's clear that some negative energy has come close to you. That One-armed Ghost, it followed you here."
Mu Chenglang exclaimed in shock, "How is that possible!" He was totally blindsided. He really couldn't remember offending anyone.
Chu Hao's cold gaze shifted to the noblewoman beside Mu Chenglang. "Who did you just call a fraud?" he asked icily.
"Taoist... Taoist Master, I was deceived by that man," the noblewoman quickly replied. She was so frightened by Chu Hao's prescience that she didn't dare meet his eyes and was shaking all over.
"Rather than saying the One-armed Ghost followed your husband here, it's more accurate to say it has been following you for the longest time," Chu Hao said. "Are you, by any chance, carrying a jade Buddha amulet?"
All eyes turned to the noblewoman. She frantically searched herself and pulled a jade Buddha from her bag. She had placed it there because she had new jewelry to wear.
"Ah! There really is a jade Buddha!" Even the Mu Family members were astounded, staring at Chu Hao in disbelief.
"Ding... Host has successfully impressed everyone and earned 2 Pretentiousness Points."
"That's... that's incredible," the young people uttered, utterly astounded.
"To deduce the presence of a jade Buddha on someone... Is he even human?"
Mu Chenglong couldn't help but ask, "Master Chu Tian, what's going on here?"
Holding the jade Buddha, Chu Hao said to everyone, "This jade Buddha has the power to ward off evil spirits. That's why the One-armed Ghost didn't dare follow you directly. It could only follow your husband."
The noblewoman was completely dumbfounded.
Mu Chenglang was also livid. Pointing at the noblewoman's nose, his anger was evident as he demanded, "Lin Yulan, what the hell is going on?"
"I... I don't know," the noblewoman stammered, completely panicked, her voice trembling on the verge of tears.
The Mu Family members all turned to look at the noblewoman, some with anger in their eyes.
Out of his wits with fury, Mu Chenglang yelled, "Are you going to talk or not?"
Mu Chenglong's face darkened. "Sister-in-law, please speak quickly!" he urged, his voice as the billionaire group director tinged with anger. "This matter is of great importance. The One-armed Ghost has already harmed my mother, and I don't wish for a second victim."
With a wail, Lin Yulan burst into tears and crouched on the ground. In the end, she still refused to come clean.
Chu Hao shook his head. "It seems I, the Taoist Master, can't help you any longer," he said. "You should seek someone more skilled! You all certainly have the money for it."
Everyone panicked. Mu Chenglang, even more enraged, slapped Lin Yulan across the face. "Are you going to speak or not? Do you want to doom us all?" he roared, absolutely furious.
Seeing Chu Hao about to leave, the Mu Family became frantic.
Lin Yulan hurriedly cried out, "Taoist Master, don't go! I'll talk... I'll talk."
Finally, she revealed the truth, leaving everyone dumbfounded.
As it turned out, she really did know the One-armed Ghost. When Chu Hao had mentioned a one-armed ghost the day before, she had panicked and immediately had her husband contact Zhuge Dao—not because she didn't trust Chu Hao, but because she felt an extra knowledgeable person would offer more assurance for her safety.
The One-armed Ghost was named Tang Yucheng, a male model. Lin Yulan had kept him as her lover for when Mu Chenglang was away.
Upon hearing this, Mu Chenglang felt as if his lungs were about to explode with fury. He lunged forward, ready to lash out, but the others held him back.
"Let me go! I need to kill this bitch!" Mu Chenglang was beside himself with rage.
The truth was beyond everyone's imagination: Mu Chenglang had been cuckolded. No wonder Lin Yulan had kept silent.
"This is just too explosive!"
The folks from the village listened, utterly astounded.
Then, Lin Yulan confessed everything, saying, "I had an affair with him a few times, and he started to cling to me. Tang Yucheng was addicted to drugs. Because he owed a lot of money, someone chopped off his arm, and the modeling agency kicked him out. He had no money, not even for food. Knowing I was married, he used our affair to blackmail me into supporting him. I refused, and he threatened to expose everything and destroy my reputation."
Mu Chenglang was livid. If not for the others restraining him, he would have probably pounced on Lin Yulan and given her a severe beating.
Lin Yulan cried and continued, "I was furious at the time, terrified he would spill the secret, so I gave him money and supported him. But he became more and more demanding. I couldn't take it anymore and tried everything to get rid of Tang Yucheng, but nothing worked.
"Seeing how severe his drug habit was, I came up with a plan. I increased the dosage of the drugs, placed a large amount of them in the living room, and then called the police, hoping they would arrest him. But that night, he took too much, jumped out of the skylight, and fell to his death."
Lin Yulan wept even harder.
Mu Chenglang stopped struggling. He knelt on the ground, a grown man crying his eyes out. "Mom," he sobbed, "it's my fault! I've been unfilial and have caused you harm! Boo hoo..."
Everyone fell silent.
Only Chu Hao frowned. Throughout this process, there was no mention of the man in the red conical hat, accompanied by the Drought Fiend. What was really going on?
Chu Hao asked, "Have you ever seen a person wearing a red conical hat?"
Lin Yulan cried and shook her head.
Chu Hao couldn't help but scoff internally. So, it's a mystery now? Someone wearing a conical hat, playing mysterious? What's their angle?
Mu Chenglong approached, sighed, and said, "Master Chu Tian, I apologize for this farce—for such a scandal to happen in our family."
"Don't disgust me with people like this again. This is the last time," Chu Hao said with a wave of his hand.
The Mu Family members offered sheepish compliments. Indeed, who would dare provoke him now? Just moments ago, he had forced the fraudster to his knees and caused Lin Yulan's complete breakdown.
Mu Chenglong asked, "Master Chu Tian, what should we do now?"
Chu Hao looked up and saw everyone gazing at him expectantly, their eyes filled with a new light—adoration mixed with fervent zeal.
Chu Hao snapped his fingers. "Tonight," he declared, "we hunt the ghost."
"Ding... Host has successfully impressed everyone, gaining 2 Pretentiousness Points."