Xu Qin shouted particularly loudly, as if afraid no one would hear her. Jiang Mengxin repeatedly waved her hands, signaling her to be quiet.
"Mom, please don't be like this. Let me explain the whole story slowly."
Xu Qin had no intention of listening carefully. It was obvious even without thinking that Lu Ming had killed someone. She was just looking for a way to get rid of Lu Ming, and he had come knocking on her door.
She had to deal with him!
Under Xu Qin's clamorous shouts, a large crowd soon gathered.
At first, everyone thought it was the usual scene: Wang Banxian was performing an exorcism for someone, and the person, unable to bear the pain, was screaming. But when they arrived, they saw that Wang Banxian was dead!
This sent everyone into a panic.
"No way, can Banxian really die? Isn't he an immortal? Why didn't he use his immortal arts?"
"Who did this? I haven't even received Wang Banxian's blessing yet. How could he die? He should have waited until after I was blessed before getting killed! That way, I wouldn't have to pay."
"Damn it, I paid a deposit. If Banxian is dead, will my money be refunded?"
The crowd was arguing noisily, each person concerned about their own interests. They didn't seem to care much about Wang Banxian himself.
Soon, Mao Zhao, the president of the Taoist Association on the mountain, arrived with his men.
When the news of Wang Banxian's death reached Mao Zhao's ears, he immediately put down his work and rushed over. Upon seeing Wang Banxian's corpse, Mao Zhao's blood ran cold.
It wasn't because he had any deep affection for Wang Banxian, but simply because Wang Banxian provided him with a substantial protection fee every month!
It wasn't as if no one had discovered the wicked deeds Wang Banxian had committed.
As the president, Mao Zhao had long known that Wang Banxian was incompetent and a charlatan who cheated people out of their money. However, Mao Zhao had not fulfilled his duty to expel him or expose his true nature, all because of the protection fee!
At the beginning of each month, Wang Banxian had to provide Mao Zhao with two million yuan as a protection fee.
That amounted to 24 million a year!
And it was tax-free!
This was a huge sum of money. Because of this protection fee, Mao Zhao had transformed from a penniless Taoist priest into the esteemed president of the Taoist Association.
For the sake of the protection fee, Mao Zhao turned a blind eye to all of Wang Banxian's immoral acts and never interfered, as long as no one was killed.
It was precisely because of Mao Zhao's protection that Wang Banxian had lived so comfortably for so many years.
Now that Wang Banxian was dead, Mao Zhao was the most heartbroken.
"Banxian, oh Banxian!"
Mao Zhao rushed in and examined Wang Banxian thoroughly, clinging to a sliver of hope. Unfortunately, Wang Banxian was indeed thoroughly dead.
"Who did it?" Mao Zhao's eyes turned green, and he glared fiercely at the crowd.
Xu Qin immediately pointed at Lu Ming with her hand, "He, he did it!"
Huh?
Mao Zhao stared at Lu Ming. "You killed Wang Banxian?"
Things had reached this point; it was impossible to deny. Besides, Lu Ming saw no need to deny it.
He nodded. "I killed him."
"Heh heh, you impudent brat, you actually dare to admit it." Mao Zhao said, "Do you know how beloved Wang Banxian is by the common people? He's a living immortal in our area! By killing him, you will not only face legal punishment but also divine retribution! You're going to hell!"
Hell?
Heh.
Lu Ming scoffed. "I don't think so. Wang Banxian used rats to commit evil, pretended to have powers when he had none, resorted to all sorts of tricks to amass wealth, and cruelly defiled numerous innocent girls. For such a despicable and shameless scoundrel, killing him will not only keep me out of hell but send me to heaven, earning me a reward from the heavens."
Tsk, tsk, tsk. He actually had the nerve to say that.
The surrounding people were stunned.
What?
He was rationalizing murder now?
Mao Zhao bellowed, "Don't spout nonsense here! Now that Wang Banxian is dead, there's no one to bear witness. You can say whatever you want, can't you?"
"No, I have evidence."
Lu Ming scanned the crowd and walked up to a young girl. He said, "I heard everything you said earlier. Now that Wang Banxian is dead, you don't have to be afraid of him anymore. Tell us about the heinous things he did to you."
The girl's parents exchanged glances.
"No, what do you mean? Are you trying to ruin my daughter's reputation?"
"Damn it, you pervert, get away from my daughter!"
Just as the parents were vehemently denying it, the girl's tears began to fall. Crying, she said, "It's true, I was indeed defiled by Wang Banxian. He used the excuse of exorcising evil spirits and did terrible things to me. I cried and screamed with all my might, but no one saved me, just because Wang Banxian told outsiders that it was a necessary part of the exorcism! I wasn't possessed at all. It was all a plot concocted by my parents and Wang Banxian. They are both beasts!"
The girl not only cursed Wang Banxian but also her own parents.
The couple was stunned at first, then angrily said, "You ungrateful girl, we, your old parents, brought you here with good intentions for an exorcism, and you blame us? It seems you are deeply possessed, and the previous exorcism wasn't thorough enough."
"Nonsense!" the girl sobbed. "I was never possessed! You two old brutes harmed me! You are not my parents, you are devils! Get out!"
No one had expected the relationship between parents and daughter to deteriorate to this extent.
However, what was even more astonishing was that this incident stirred up a hornet's nest.
She wasn't the only girl Wang Banxian had defiled. There were many others present who had also suffered Wang Banxian's cruelties!
These girls bravely stepped forward, all denouncing Wang Banxian.
The scene became chaotic.
Xu Qin's eyes widened, and she said, "It's terrible, it's terrible. These girls have been bewitched by Lu Ming; they've all become his puppets. Quickly, quickly invite a powerful Celestial Master to subdue the demons!"
At this moment.
Jiang Mengxin, who had been silent all along, stepped forward.
She quietly walked up to Xu Qin and said, "So... Mom, you didn't bring me here to pray for blessings today, you actually brought me here for an exorcism?! You think Lu Ming bewitched me and brought me to Wang Banxian to have him lift the curse, right?"
Uh...
Xu Qin nodded. "Daughter, Mom did it all for your own good."
"Heh heh."
For the first time, Jiang Mengxin felt an extreme sense of disgust towards Xu Qin.
She had always obeyed her parents' words since she was a child. But today, she had nearly been defiled by Wang Banxian, nearly died in the mouth of a rat, and all of this was due to Xu Qin's superstitious beliefs!
"Mom, you're disgusting," Jiang Mengxin said coldly.