The most melodramatic rebirth in history

Chapter 21 The People's Obedient Son
"and then?"

Feng Ling glanced at him indifferently; he had already guessed what Xu Banxian would say.

"Everyone, I have now uncovered the truth. A water ghost lives in the ancient well, and this water ghost is the culprit that has caused everyone to suffer from these terrible illnesses!"

Hmph! Fool...

Feng Ling glanced at the old Taoist priest with the ox-nose who was turning to announce to the villagers, and suddenly snorted coldly in his heart, "What a guy who only looks at appearances and not the essence!"

"Therefore! I have won this bet! Now, in front of everyone, it is time to reiterate the rules to certain individuals!"

Ignoring everyone's reactions, Xu Banxian immediately began to put pressure on Feng Ling.

"Oh no! The old lady actually lost..."

"Damn it! If Master Xu hadn't gone in first, how could he have had a chance to win!"

"This time, is the old lady really going to call him... Father!?"

Listening to the clamor of the crowd, Xu Banxian was secretly delighted and even gave Feng Ling a provocative glance.

Seeing his expressionless face, Xu Banxian assumed he was terrified and smiled even more sinisterly.

"Everyone, please be quiet! Although I have won, I will not actually follow the rules to the extreme!"

When Master Xu suddenly uttered those words, everyone was stunned, but a hint of joy appeared on their faces.

Something's fishy going on! Feng Ling sneered inwardly. Would this guy be so kind as to let him off the hook with a chance to embarrass himself?

as predicted,

The next moment, the old Taoist priest with the ox-nose uttered a seemingly righteous statement that made everyone secretly curse him as a hypocrite.

"Therefore! This merciful immortal has decided to grant him two more days! Come to the ancient well tomorrow and call me 'Father,' and get out of Ancient Well Village the day after tomorrow!"

Xu Banxian's scheme was truly ruthless. On the surface, it appeared that he was magnanimous and generous, but in reality, it was a slap in the face to Feng Ling!
Imagine you lose a bet and are publicly humiliated by being called "father" by someone. If that person then pretends to be magnanimous and offers to let you stay in that humiliating place for a day, would you stay?

"Let's talk about it tomorrow. I'm tired and need to go back and rest!"

Feng Ling felt even colder. Although he didn't care about winning or losing the bet, he couldn't tolerate the other party's repeated provocations.

"Hmph! You're in such a hurry to leave, are you planning to run away tonight?" Xu Banxian chuckled inwardly, thinking that Feng Ling would really run away in the middle of the night as he thought.

So, he shamelessly exposed it in public, leaving no room for leniency and not even willing to give up the last bit of dignity!
That's an extreme thing to do!
"Very well! Today, I, this old man, will swear an oath before the entire village of Gujing."

The loser who doesn't come tomorrow and call you "father" is a bastard, a son of the masses!

A fierce glint appeared in Feng Ling's eyes; he was utterly enraged and made the promise in front of everyone.

"Very well! I will be waiting for you here first thing tomorrow morning, Zhang Dan! Let's go...!" Seeing that Feng Ling had made a firm vow, Xu Banxian left these words behind, arrogantly called his disciples, and departed.

Feng Ling sneered again, "Hmph! It's true that the loser will have to call me 'father' in public tomorrow, but that person might not be me!"

People's hearts are unpredictable, so Feng Ling wasn't worried. But the villagers who didn't know Feng Ling's thoughts were secretly anxious for him.

The fact that things have developed to this point is entirely our fault for letting the old lady investigate this broken well; otherwise, how could so many things have happened?

Unconsciously, everyone felt extremely guilty, and one after another, they showed a dejected expression.

"Fellow villagers, there's no need to worry about this old man. Everything will be clear by tomorrow!" Feng Ling smiled gently, his heart filled with gratitude for the villagers of Gujing Village.

Alas! Even if you were to gain a fortune, it would be far less valuable than making a good connection!

Feng Ling was touched by the simple and honest folk customs of the people, which were free from deceit and treachery.

For a moment, I felt a little reluctant to leave this warm and welcoming little village of Gujing, but I knew I had to leave eventually!
Perhaps, before leaving,

We really should leave something behind!
"You have the heart of a Bodhisattva, while we... alas, it's all our fault for harming you!"

The crowd thought the withered old man was trying to comfort them, which only intensified their sadness and self-reproach. Feng Ling shook his head and smiled bitterly; his words of advice had backfired!
"Old Wang! It's past midnight today. You should stay with the Li couple for the night and go back tomorrow. The matter of the ancient well has been resolved. I will go and find out about Liangzhu's matter tomorrow night!"

Feng Ling gave some instructions to the worried Old Wang, and the old man immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

"Could it be that the old lady really won't leave tonight?" Upon hearing this, everyone secretly speculated.

He hesitated, then thought it best not to ask such a question.

And so, the crowd dispersed, and Feng Ling returned to his thatched hut outside the village. The water ghost incident in Gujing Village had come to an end.

What we await tomorrow
It will be a clash with the ugliness of human nature!

"Cough, cough..."

With the crowing of a rooster, the first rays of dawn appeared, and a new day began.

Early in the morning, villagers who had just gotten up early to work in the fields returned with their farming tools. When they passed by the ancient well, a number of people had already gathered there. Sitting cross-legged in the center were the three old Taoist priests with ox-nose noses.

"So early?" Feng Ling was taken aback. He thought he had arrived early enough, but to his surprise, Xu Banxian and his group, full of confidence, had arrived even earlier.

"Look, it's the old lady!" The villagers exclaimed.

While anticipating the appearance of this aged figure, everyone couldn't help but show expressions of worry.

"You old scoundrel, since you dare to come, then you should accept your defeat and call me 'father'!" Upon hearing the commotion, Xu Banxian and his two companions immediately stood up arrogantly.

This move immediately aroused dissatisfaction among many people, and several villagers had a bright idea.

"Old charlatan, what did you say your name should be?"

"father."

"Oh! My dear son..."

"..."

"You bastard!" Upon realizing he had been tricked, Master Xu's face flushed red, and he cursed angrily.

Unexpectedly, the surrounding villagers laughed even more wildly, and the three of them were filled with shame and indignation.

The disciple who was guarding the gate of the Taoist temple yesterday, having experienced this feeling for the first time, immediately turned his head away.

"Your father is here, don't shout!"

The white-haired old man glanced indifferently at the old Taoist priest with the ox-nose.

"You old scoundrel! We agreed that the loser would shout for the other... Are you going to go back on your word in public?" This time, Xu Banxian was more careful and avoided that word, directly questioning Feng Ling.

"That's right, I did say that!"

"Then hurry up and bark! Bark, bark, why aren't you barking..."

Seeing that the other party had admitted it, Xu Banxian issued a series of stern and pressing statements, feeling extremely pleased with himself.

The atmosphere was subtly tense, and the villagers couldn't help but silently pray for Feng Ling, hoping that this scene wouldn't actually happen!
However, everyone knew this was impossible, judging from Xu Banxian's fierce shouting.

It's clear that they won't let it go until they've thoroughly humiliated the other party!

"Ah! Something's wrong! Make way, make way..." Two panicked villagers carried a villager with black lips and trembling all over, pushing through the crowd and rushing towards Feng Ling's location.

"What happened?" Feng Ling immediately stepped forward to ask. In fact, he already knew the answer, but he still had to ask first.

"Old Liu drank well water today and that's why he looks like this! Before we came, his eyes were rolling back and he was foaming at the mouth, which scared us to death!"

"How is this possible? The water ghost has clearly been exorcised! Impossible, this is absolutely impossible!"

Xu Banxian exclaimed in shock. Only now did he realize that Feng Ling's attitude had been far too cold. Even if one is well-mannered, one would be somewhat angry in the face of such a thing, right?
(End of this chapter)