On the way, Leo took out his phone to check the headlines.
A freshly released news story caught his attention.
It reported that there was a haunted villa community at the foot of Sandnola Mountain in the suburbs of the capital.
The incident began a few days ago when someone died in this villa community called Green Hills Estates.
The deceased was the wife of a well-known entrepreneur in the capital, and the entrepreneur himself went mad, possibly due to excessive grief or some other reason.
The police then got involved in the investigation, and various speculations from the public emerged.
Some said that the entrepreneur killed his wife because he had a mistress and couldn’t get a divorce, so he had to kill his wife and feign madness to clear himself of suspicion.
Others claimed that the entrepreneur’s mistress hired a killer to take out the wife in order to take her place, and then spread rumors of haunting to divert public attention.
There were even those who believed it was genuinely a ghost that killed her, citing evidence such as two blood holes on the wife’s neck, resembling a vampire bite.
Enthusiastic netizens always loved such bizarre stories, so the topic of discussion shifted to whether it was a ghost or a zombie that committed the murder.
The author of the news posted a pinned comment in the discussion section: “At ten o’clock this morning, the developer of Green Hills Estates invited a geomancer to perform an exorcism at the sales center, with a reward of one million dollars!”
“Sir, change destination to Green Hills Estates.”
Leo wasn’t tempted by the million dollars; he just wanted to see what this so-called geomancer was all about.
The taxi driver didn’t ask much, changed direction, and took Leo to Green Hills Estates.
After paying and getting out of the car, Leo followed the signs directly to the sales center.
Outside the sales center, Leo’s attention was drawn to various people.
Among them were individuals dressed in Taoist robes, monk robes, and traditional Chinese long gowns, walking in groups into the sales center.
Standing outside the sales center was a tall beauty in a black office lady outfit.
High heels and black stockings, a favorite among most men.
The beauty greeted each master with a smile as they entered the sales center.
These masters carried themselves with an air of detachment, barely glancing at the welcoming beauty.
After all the masters had entered the sales center, Leo leisurely walked over.
The welcoming beauty noticed Leo approaching, frowned slightly, put away her smile, and turned to enter inside.
“Miss, please wait. I am also here for the exorcism,” Leo called out, taking quick steps forward.
The woman stopped and turned around, scrutinizing Leo from head to toe, her slender eyebrows furrowing again.
This young man before her was far from her impression of a master. He dressed plainly and lacked the demeanor of a master. His age alone was enough to disqualify him.
Could this guy be here for free food and drinks?
The welcoming beauty thought so.
Leo paid no mind to her gaze. With hands behind his back, he tried to adopt an air of a master and boldly attempted to enter.
Unexpectedly, the beauty extended her right hand to stop him. “Sir, may I ask where you studied and where you practice?”
This question stunned Leo for a moment before he realized she intended to refuse him entry.
Underestimating me, huh? Leo glanced at her disdainfully and said proudly, “I am a wandering Taoist with no sect or school. I possess only skills in exorcising evil spirits.”
“Today, sensing that there are evil spirits here, I have come to perform an exorcism. Are you trying to stop me?”
Leo’s straightforward words startled the welcoming beauty.
Her eyes flickered for a moment before she forced a smile and gestured invitingly. “Master, please come in.”
Leo nodded slightly in acknowledgment and strolled inside.
Watching Leo’s back, the welcoming beauty snorted coldly. “I hope you really have skills; otherwise, I’ll kick you out later!”
Inside the hall were already many seated people from various backgrounds.
Regardless of their actual abilities, they all looked impressive on the outside.
Leo found a seat and instantly felt several gazes directed at him.
The meaning in those gazes was clear: disdain.
One person sighed. “Young people these days really don’t learn well. They don’t even look at where they are or who is around them before coming here to pretend.”
“Fellow Taoist, you are mistaken. What if this young man is truly skilled?” another person replied sarcastically.
“Yes, we cannot rule out that possibility. They say heroes emerge from youth. This young man dares to compete with us old folks; his ‘confidence’ is commendable.”
This remark made everyone laugh.
Leo merely observed coldly without speaking. Let them show off for now.
Soon after, the welcoming beauty returned with several staff members in work uniforms.
She instructed the staff to serve tea to each master present before standing at the front with her hands folded before her abdomen, smiling. “Masters, welcome to Green Hills Estates. My name is Lana Wagner. I am Mr. Gray’s assistant and responsible for handling recent events at Green Hills Estates.”
“Today, if anyone can solve the haunting problem, the reward is one million dollars!”
As Lana Wagner finished speaking, the masters remained composed.
The words “one million dollars” seemed like just one hundred dollars; no one showed any signs of greed or excitement.
These guys were really good actors; they must be from Hengdian Studios.
Lana Wagner was very pleased with their demeanor. This attitude of treating money as dirt could only be displayed by true masters.
Her eyes inadvertently fell on the young man sitting at the back. He was squinting as if looking at some part of her body, making Lana Wagner regret letting him in.
Now wasn’t the time to kick him out. Ignoring his inappropriate gaze, Lana continued, “I believe you all have some understanding of the recent issues at Green Hills Estates. Do any of you have insights?”
After Lana finished speaking, she waited expectantly for the masters to share their thoughts.
The hall suddenly fell silent as each master looked at one another, waiting for someone else to speak first.
No one wanted to go first because it would be like answering on the spot; speaking first would not be advantageous and might reveal one’s cards.
This approach was unwise; it was better to remain silent.
Seeing the masters’ indifferent attitudes made Lana feel awkward.
Mr. Gray had entrusted her with full responsibility for this matter; it was an opportunity for her.
Although she didn’t believe in supernatural things herself, Mr. Gray did.