Courtyard House: The Frog Boy Brings Back a Genetic Potion at the Start

Just then, Wang Daoren suddenly caught sight of a dark blue figure rushing straight towards his face, which terrified him so much that he screamed in horror.

Fortunately, the shadow turned away midway and went somewhere else, and did not actually pounce on him.

Although he was temporarily spared from disaster, Wang Daoren was terrified and dared not stay in this hellish place for even a moment longer.

"Yi Zhonghai! Sha Zhu! And A Juan!"

He no longer cared about decorum and screamed for help to the men who had come with him, "Help me! Drag me away from this doorway! I... I can't move! Help me!"

He thought that others might doubt his sincerity and dare not step forward, but Yi Zhonghai and the others should believe him and help him.

To his dismay, Yi Zhonghai and Sha Zhu merely glanced at each other and remained standing in place, showing no intention of offering any assistance.

At this moment, Wang Daoren completely panicked, and fear overwhelmed him like ice water.

"What on earth is this old Taoist priest up to? It's all so mysterious and ghostly."

Someone in the crowd muttered in confusion.

"But the fear on his face didn't seem fake..."

Another person hesitated.

Even though no one believed there were any real zombies, Wang Daoren's deathly pale face and horrified eyes were clearly visible to everyone.

Xu Damao picked at his ear with his little finger, curled his lip, and snorted through his nose: "Tch, what's so hard to guess? If you ask me, this old man is definitely acting strangely here—"

He tapped his temple with his finger. "He's either a lunatic or insane, otherwise how could he have caused such a ridiculous incident?"

As soon as he said this, a murmur of agreement arose from the surrounding crowd.

"madman"

This idea has already taken root in the hearts of many people.

After all, everyone had seen clearly that Hao Jianguo's room was completely empty; there was nothing "horrifying" about it.

Things.

"I used to believe in Master Wang's skills to some extent... but is this person really Master Wang? Could it be someone impersonating him?"

Liu Hai was inwardly puzzled, his eyes darting around uncertainly.

Yan Bugui adjusted his glasses, which had slipped down to the middle of his nose. He had always scoffed at such superstitious and bizarre talk, and seeing Wang Daoren's flustered behavior, his contempt only intensified.

If it weren't for the lingering fear he felt at the sight of the copper coin pierced by the silver needle, he would have already started cursing at it.

Several of the older folks were starting to feel uneasy, increasingly worried that they might have been fooled by the old Taoist priest.

"Master Wang! What are you dawdling about? Hurry up and get to work!"

The deaf old woman stood at the back of the crowd, shouting at the top of her lungs, her face full of anger.

She thought the old Taoist priest was really despicable, making her lose face in front of everyone.

He Yuzhu, equally impatient, said gruffly, "Save you? You're standing perfectly fine at the door. What life-threatening situation are you in? How are we supposed to save you?"

Yi Zhonghai cleared his throat and spoke calmly: "Master Wang, you are a person with true cultivation."

Your actions at this moment must have their own deeper meaning.

"But for now, please don't delay any longer; it's the right thing to do is to act quickly."

It must be said that Yi Zhonghai has a real knack for handling things.

These words, seemingly calm, subtly brushed aside Wang Daoren's previous lapse in composure, leaving one with the impression that "a wise person's actions always have a reason."

Illusion.

He firmly believed that as long as Wang Daoren showed a little bit of his real skills, the current predicament could be reversed.

As Wang Daoren listened to these people's words, he felt a tightness in his chest, as if he were about to vomit blood.

But now that things have come to this, he has finally seen things clearly.

Hoping that Ah Juan and the others will come to their rescue is probably hopeless.

If you want to survive, you can only rely on yourself.

Yi Zhonghai's words were like a drop of water, suddenly waking him up.

The scene before him was terrifying, but he was no longer the timid apprentice he once was.

He is the "King of the Way" who made a name for himself.

The fright he just experienced was simply because the incident happened so suddenly that he was momentarily stunned.

After observing carefully for a while, he realized something: although the eerie world in front of him was terrifying, the shadowy things inside did not seem to have any intention of rushing out to harm him.

"Could it be... that it was all a lie? That kid set a trap for me, and I fell for it?"

Wang Daoren's mind raced, and the more he pondered it, the more convinced he became that the guess was pretty accurate.

Otherwise, none of this makes any sense.

He suddenly turned his head and glared fiercely at Hao Jianguo, just in time to catch the mocking, half-smiling expression on the other's face.

That one glance solidified his suspicions even further.

"You little rascal! I, Old Wang, have lived half my life, but I never expected to be caught off guard by your trickery! You actually managed to fool me with your paltry illusions! Although I don't know what methods you used, everything I see is an illusion! You can no longer fool me!"

Wang Daoren straightened his back and shouted, trying to regain some of his former authority.

However, the neighbors in the surrounding courtyards were filled with suspicion and impatience. Clearly, no one was buying his act anymore and thought he was just putting on a brave face and bluffing.

"Today, I'll show you how I see through your illusion!"

Wang Daoren no longer paid attention to the gazes of others.

He knew that he had completely lost face today, and the reputation he had built up over the years had probably all gone down the drain.

The most important thing right now is to break this illusion first, and then figure out how to gradually regain the face we've lost.

He took a deep breath, steadied his slightly trembling hands, and quickly formed a complex hand seal in front of his chest. His lips moved as he chanted a difficult and indistinct incantation.

The hand seals that Wang Daoren was forming did have some effect, at least calming his panicked mind a little.

The eerie illusions around them gradually faded away until they completely disappeared.

He was overjoyed, thinking that he had overcome the illusion set up by Hao Jianguo.

But how could he know that the rift leading to the other world was not sealed by him, but simply disappeared on its own?

Just as Wang Daoren was about to breathe a sigh of relief, someone suddenly patted him lightly on the shoulder from behind.

His relaxed nerves suddenly tightened, and he was so startled that he almost jumped up, letting out a shrill scream.

In that instant, he almost thought that a zombie had broken through the barrier and was about to attack him.

Seeing his dejected appearance, the residents who were watching in the courtyard all pursed their lips and shook their heads.

At this moment, everyone was convinced that this Taoist priest probably had a real problem with his mind, otherwise why would he behave so abnormally?

Even Grandpa San and the others began to have doubts about the objects they had dug out of the ground earlier.

They even began to speculate whether it was something Wang Daoren himself had planted beforehand—otherwise, how could he have "calculated" it?

How could it be so accurate?

"Master Taoist, haven't you made enough of a scene?"

Hao Jianguo's words were tinged with helplessness.

He hadn't expected the old Taoist priest to be so easily frightened.

Realizing he had just lost his composure, Wang Daoren abruptly turned his head around.

His eyes widened as he glared angrily at Hao Jianguo, convinced that the other man was deliberately trying to frighten him.

At this moment, he had completely lost his air of superiority and was on the verge of cursing.

However, the next moment, Wang Daoren was stunned again.

He stared at Hao Jianguo in disbelief, his knees buckled, and he almost knelt down on the spot.

Hao Jianguo released a wisp of cultivator's aura, and in Wang Daoren's eyes, the image of the person in front of him had been completely transformed.

At this moment, Hao Jianguo's clothes seemed to be accompanied by a gentle breeze, and his whole body exuded an otherworldly aura, as if a banished immortal had descended to earth.

In Wang Daoren's vision, the other party seemed to be enveloped in a layer of bright halo.

My hard-won composure was now completely thrown into chaos.

Wang Daoren stared blankly for a moment, then, to everyone's astonishment, he knelt down with a thud.

He kowtowed deeply.

"Immortal Master... Immortal Master, spare my life! It was my fault for being blind and foolish enough to try to outsmart you. I beg your forgiveness... I was unaware of your true form, it was my fault..."

He stammered and begged for mercy repeatedly, muttering "Immortal Master" over and over again.

He slapped his forehead repeatedly against the muddy ground.

This abrupt change left everyone around looking at each other in bewilderment.

The old Taoist priest, who had been so aggressive and ready to settle scores with Hao Jianguo, suddenly knelt down and proclaimed himself a god.

Yan Bugui and the others found it utterly absurd.

At this point, everyone was convinced of one thing: this Wang Daoren was indeed a madman.

Hao Jianguo spread his hands, shook his head and sighed, "See? I told you long ago that this Taoist priest is out of his mind. Maybe he was frightened by the criticism and struggle sessions he was subjected to years ago, which left him with this mental illness."

"You actually believe his nonsense? Isn't that ridiculous?"

Hearing Hao Jianguo say that, Yan Bugui and the others felt their faces burning and awkwardly kicked the objects they had just dug out of the ground aside.

The last vestige of Wang Daoren's image in their minds had now completely collapsed.

What enlightened master? He's nothing but a madman pretending to be a deity.

Although Wang Daoren heard Hao Jianguo's words, he dared not utter a single rebuttal and continued to kowtow and beg for mercy while prostrating himself on the ground.

Seeing Wang Daoren's behavior, everyone in the courtyard shook their heads and sighed.

The thought that I had actually believed such a charlatan filled me with a surge of anger.

If the situation weren't so strange, someone would probably have already rushed up and punched that charlatan who dared to play tricks.

The younger generation, in particular, felt a sense of pride and satisfaction. They used to be scolded by their elders, but now they had the opportunity to turn the tables and teach their parents a lesson. The joy they felt was indescribable.

Yan Jiecheng went up to his father, Yan Bugui, and kept repeating to him that he should "respect science and believe in knowledge," which made Yan Bugui's face turn ashen.

He always prided himself on being a scholar, and if it weren't for the recent spate of strange occurrences, how could he have so easily believed those absurd claims?

In desperation, Yan Bugui came up with a way to save face—to shift all the blame onto Aunt San.

He glared at his wife, his eyes wide with anger.

"See? I told you long ago you shouldn't believe in gods and ghosts! But you insisted on believing, and now look what's happened! You've ruined my lifelong integrity!"

Aunt San rolled her eyes at the sound of it. If it weren't for Yan Bugui's old face, she would have already retorted.

Just now, Master Wang mentioned "financial loss".

At that time, didn't Yan Bugui himself believe it without a doubt? Now he's pretending to be a wise man.

The deaf old woman standing nearby couldn't bear to watch any longer and called out to the Taoist priest several times, but the Taoist priest seemed to be possessed and kept kowtowing to Hao Jianguo, begging for mercy.

The old lady was so angry that she tried to grab him, but Yi Zhonghai pulled her back.

Yi Zhonghai looked solemn and shook his head slightly.

"Zhonghai, why are you stopping me? I'll tear their faces off!"

The deaf old woman was furious, feeling utterly humiliated by the scene before her.

Yi Zhonghai smiled bitterly.

He understood the old lady's thoughts perfectly well, but the scene before him was strange, and he was afraid that taking any rash action would only bring trouble upon himself.

After hesitating for a moment, he lowered his voice and spoke:

"Grandma, don't you think Wang Daoren looks... familiar?"

He was reluctant to point it out, fearing it would frighten the old woman, but if he didn't explain it clearly, the old lady would definitely not give up, given her temperament.

Before the deaf old woman could react, Sha Zhu, who was standing next to her, suddenly gasped:

"Uncle Yi, you mean... the time the old lady knelt before Hao Jianguo? This... this really does seem a bit like it!"

These words touched a nerve with the deaf old lady.

In the past, everyone avoided talking about it, but now, in order to prevent further complications, Yi Zhonghai had no choice but to bring up the old story again.

"Oh, now that you mention it, they really are exactly the same!"

Xu Damao and his group also heard this and began whispering among themselves.

Yan Jiecheng smiled and glanced at the old lady, deliberately raising his voice:

"That's right! The only thing missing is Wang Daoren calling her 'Dad'—if he did, wouldn't Wang Daoren and the deaf old woman be siblings?"

Liu Guangfu laughed along.

The whispers in the courtyard were like fine needles, each word piercing the deaf old lady's ears.

She stood frozen in place, her wrinkled face gradually turning bright red.

The young men were making fun of the deaf old lady, and none of them paid her any attention.

The old lady has long lost her former authority. In the eyes of these troublemaking young people, she is not even as good as an ordinary old woman—who told her to be so domineering in the past?

Moreover, this old lady still doesn't understand the situation and just now she put on that arrogant look to scare people, so Xu Damao and the others were naturally unhappy.

They're not stupid. Wang Daoren came for Hao Jianguo today, and the deaf old woman must have been instigating him behind the scenes.