"You claim to be borrowing the popularity of Shennong to save Mr. Ma, by depicting his youthful photograph as an image of Shennong and letting people worship it," Cheng Xiaofan questioned, his voice echoing with disbelief. "But who would have thought that when Mr. Ma absorbed the devotion, he would suffer such a fatal backlash?"
"You presumptuous Taoist priest! How dare you use someone else's photo to impersonate Shennong? Are you not afraid of heavenly retribution?" Cheng Xiaofan's fury erupted. "You, a mere dog of a Taoist, misuse divine arts and steal the divine energy from Shennong's worship. You are simply courting death!"
"Woof woof!"
Taotao, who had been lying by the side, immediately protested Cheng Xiaofan, as if to say, "Master, it's fine to scold the Taoist, but why involve the dog? Does this priest even deserve to be compared to a dog?"
"..." The Taoist priest was utterly bewildered by Cheng Xiaofan's tirade. Had this young man been possessed by Shennong? Otherwise, why would he be so enraged? Little did he know, Cheng Xiaofan was indeed Shennong's inheritor, essentially Shennong's stand-in in this world. To see his own revered image distorted and replaced by a commoner's likeness, how could he not be furious? He wished he could tear this unsightly priest apart with his bare hands.
"Do you believe I'll have my dog tear your throat out?" Cheng Xiaofan stepped forward, confronting the Taoist priest aggressively.
"I believe it, I believe it!" The Taoist priest was on the verge of madness. Where had he offended this Master Cheng? He bowed and gestured repeatedly to Cheng Xiaofan, his face a picture of misery. "It's all my fault for resorting to dark arts."
Cheng Xiaofan let out a cold laugh. "Do you know why Mr. Ma suffered the backlash? It's because Shennong himself descended today and witnessed this. He was enraged and bowed to your fake image of Shennong. How could Mr. Ma withstand Shennong's bow? It's no wonder he was afflicted!"
"Ah, Master Cheng, how did you know all this?" the Taoist priest asked, his curiosity piqued.
"..." Cheng Xiaofan was momentarily stumped. If he told the Taoist priest that Shennong was him, and that he bowed to the fake image, would he believe it? Furthermore, this was not something that could be easily revealed.
"Do I need to report to you how I know?" Cheng Xiaofan snapped back, his anger rekindled.
Seeing Cheng Xiaofan's ferocious demeanor, as if he were about to devour him, the Taoist priest shivered. "Forgive me, Master Cheng, I was being nosy. I shouldn't have asked." He then pleaded, "Master Cheng, please show mercy and save Mr. Ma's life!"
Cheng Xiaofan nodded. "Taoist Priest Qingfeng, your Qingfeng Temple is not far from Jinbao Town, and I know a bit about it. I've heard you've made quite a fortune in recent years. Since you've come to me, you might as well share the bounty. Transfer ten million to my bank account immediately, and I will wake Mr. Ma up."
"I can tell you, another two hours and the old man will be gone. We're all adults here, don't be so hesitant. Be prompt!" He knew that Qingfeng could afford ten million, and any more would be beyond his means.
"Ah, ten million?" The Taoist priest was startled. It felt like a thousand knives piercing his flesh.
"If you're unwilling, then let Mr. Ma's son-in-law deal with you!" Cheng Xiaofan, who detested indecisiveness, turned to leave. But after only two steps, he heard a mournful cry from behind, like that of a slaughtered pig: "Master Cheng, please wait!"
"I'll pay the ten million!" He thought that if Old Master Ma died due to his actions, his son-in-law would surely drag him down to accompany his father-in-law in death. It was better to live than to die. After all, who would spend the money if he were dead?
Cheng Xiaofan smiled faintly and slowly turned around. "Taoist Priest Qingfeng, are you even a man? Do I have to shame you before you're willing to pay? You might not feel embarrassed, but others do!"
"Enough with your vulgar talk. I'll give you my bank account details!"
The Taoist priest received Cheng Xiaofan's bank account number and immediately transferred ten million via mobile banking. *Ding!* Cheng Xiaofan heard the text message notification. The money had arrived. Excellent! This was a good omen. It meant his trip to Sakura Country would go smoothly.
He approached the young Taoist priest and, with a resounding slap, struck Mr. Ma's face. The slap immediately woke Mr. Ma up. "Ah?" The Taoist priest was dumbfounded. A single slap woke him up? If he had known, he would have just slapped him himself and saved ten million. To earn ten million with one slap – how could anyone justify that?
Seeing the Taoist priest's pained expression, Cheng Xiaofan sneered. "Taoist Priest Qingfeng, don't be resentful. My slap can save people, but yours would kill this old man. My slap contained true qi, it's a life-saving slap!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Mr. Ma, who was on the young Taoist priest, exclaimed, "Who slapped me just now?"
"That slap felt so good!"
"Did you hear that? If you have the guts, go give him a slap and see!" Cheng Xiaofan said to the Taoist priest with disdain.
"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare!" The Taoist priest worried that Mr. Ma might overhear his conversation with Cheng Xiaofan. He waved his hand at the young Taoist, signaling him to move away.
However, Cheng Xiaofan waved his hand at the Taoist priest again, looking impatient. "You can take this fellow and leave now!"
"Master Cheng, you haven't treated Mr. Ma's wasting disease yet!" the Taoist priest quickly said.
Cheng Xiaofan's face darkened. "Taoist Priest Qingfeng, did I ever agree to treat his wasting disease? He suffered a backlash from the Shennong image. I am only responsible for waking him up. I won't deal with any other ailments!"
"Master Cheng, I've given you ten million. For the sake of us Daoists, please help!" the Taoist priest pleaded.
"Is ten million a lot?" Cheng Xiaofan scoffed. "Let me tell you, ten million is not even enough to tickle my teeth. And don't try to use the name of our Daoist brethren to sway me. If you want me to treat this old man's wasting disease, it's not impossible, but you'll need to produce another hundred million!" The mention of a hundred million stunned the Taoist priest.