"My dear nephew, Uncle bought you a bag of sweets, do you like them?" Village Chief Tian pulled out a large handful of candy from his bag and handed it to Young Master Liu.

"I like them, hehe, Village Chief Tian is the best!" Young Master Liu said with a grin, just as Zhang Enpu also came forward to greet him.

Village Chief Tian said with a face full of smiles, "Daoist Master Zhang has arrived, hehe!"

Zhang Enpu asked with a smile, "Has that matter been settled as you were told?"

Village Chief Tian chuckled mysteriously, "Oh, esteemed elder, you can rest assured. Would I dare to delay the matter you instructed? Everything has been prepared exactly as you said, so please don't worry about a thing!"

Young Master Liu was completely confused, not knowing what matter Zhang Enpu had entrusted to Village Chief Tian, so he asked Zhang Enpu what was going on.

Zhang Enpu patted Young Master Liu's head and said, "You kid are just too curious. Don't worry, you'll know soon enough."

Then, looking at everyone, he said, "Today, we will let Young Master and that young man have a little wager." With that, he invited them to go outside.

Arriving at the village entrance, the villagers were still gambling there. When they saw Zhang Enpu arrive, everyone quickly made way for him. Zhang Enpu suddenly strode forward and pinched Ke Jiang's left hand. Before anyone could react, he sat back down on his chair and announced, "Young man, I am here to gamble!"

Ke Jiang was just about to flare up when he heard that Zhang Enpu had come to gamble. He then gave a sly smile and said, "I didn't expect the old gentleman to be a man fond of gambling too. Please, enlighten me!"

Zhang Enpu replied calmly, "It's not about enlightening, I don't understand gambling. I am a man living on borrowed time!"

Saying this, he stared straight at Ke Jiang.

Zhang Enpu’s words made Ke Jiang shift uncomfortably, and he let out a couple of dry chuckles, saying, "Hehe, I wonder what the old gentleman wishes to bet on?"

Zhang Enpu slapped the table, startling the gathered villagers. They heard him enunciate every word slowly.

"I bet on the ring on your left hand!"

Hearing this, Ke Jiang trembled all over, seeming hesitant. After a long pause, he finally said, "Old Sir... this... this ring is a family heirloom of mine. It might not be suitable as a stake, perhaps?"

Zhang Enpu snorted and said, "The eldest son of the Zhang family in our village wagered his family treasure against you, and Yan Yan Xiao Liu from behind the village gambled his very life and lost it. You balk at wagering just a mere ring—do you perhaps not dare to gamble against this old man?"

Young Master Liu knew Zhang Enpu was provoking Ke Jiang. Seeing that Ke Jiang wasn't moving, Zhang Enpu turned around as if preparing to leave.

"Wait a moment!" Ke Jiang finally spoke, his expression showing he had made a great decision.

"I... I'll gamble with you!"

Zhang Enpu smiled slightly and sat back down, saying, "Good! The stake will be this worthless life of mine, just like the deceased Yan Yan Xiao Liu!"

"Elder, you must think clearly. Are you certain you want to gamble?" Ke Jiang asked.

"Haha, that should be for you to answer! Are you afraid?"

Ke Jiang let out a few laughs: "Hehe, very well, old sir, what shall we bet on?"

"You decide!" Zhang Enpu waved his hand dismissively.

"Then we'll bet on dice, guessing high or low!" With that, he took out the small jar from before, covered the dice, and began to shake it.

Ke Jiang shook it a few times and then placed the jar upside down on the table.

"Old Sir, do you guess high or low?"

"I guess low. Open it!"

"Hahahaha! Old Sir, you lost! It's six points! High! Hahahaha!" Ke Jiang roared with laughter, lifting the jar sharply.

However, his laughter immediately died in his throat; the upturned corners of his lips froze in a rather comical expression. Behold, a single large red dot faced upward—Zhang Enpu had won. Young Master Liu also let out a sigh of relief.

Zhang Enpu stood up and said, "Young man, you have lost."

At this, Ke Jiang slowly raised his left hand, looked at the ring, and was about to take it off.

But then he let his hand drop back down, saying faintly, "I cannot give it to you."

Zhang Enpu seemed to have anticipated this. He suddenly shot forward to Ke Jiang’s side, faster than Ke Jiang or his lackeys could react.

In an instant, Zhang Enpu gripped Ke Jiang's left wrist with his left hand, and with his right hand gripping the ring, he exerted force and yanked it off. The nearby henchmen snapped back to reality and reached out to grab Zhang Enpu.

At that moment, Village Chief Tian bellowed, leading the joint security team in a charge, engaging in a brawl with that group.

Zhang Enpu, meanwhile, took out a piece of black cloth inscribed with red characters and wrapped the ring in it.

Looking at Ke Jiang, he was clutching his left hand and howling in agony on the ground. Upon seeing his left hand, it was nothing but stark white bone, with shreds of flesh still attached and bleeding.

Zhang Enpu simply pulled Young Master Liu and ran quickly back home.

Upon arriving, Young Master Liu, following Zhang Enpu’s prior instructions, hurried to the study to affix the several already drawn Wulei Zhenzhai Fu (Five Thunders Town Protection Talismans) to every door and window. Zhang Enpu, on the other hand, swiftly brought out a small table, about a foot square, which he usually used to keep his talismans.

He placed the ring, wrapped in the black cloth with red script, onto the table.

He fetched a bowl, poured in half a bowl of water, sprinkled a large handful of rice into it, lit three incense sticks and stuck them into the water, chanting: "Thirsty, drink water; hungry, eat rice; invite the Taisui [Deity of the Year], let no evil approach!"

Afterward, he took out a piece of yellow cloth, the size of a door curtain, and hung it on the wall.

The cloth bore the drawing of the Taisui Fu (Taisui Talisman).

Zhang Enpu then took out a compass; the needle wouldn't stop jumping. The compass was covered in words indicating directions and doors.

Holding the compass, Zhang Enpu muttered to himself, pacing back and forth in the courtyard. The compass needle pointed steadily in one direction and stopped moving.

Zhang Enpu set down the compass, formed a hand seal with his left hand, placed his right hand on his forehead, and chanted: "Northwest, invite the Taisui; evil spirits lurk behind; burn paper and light incense to come; Taisui, do not be offended; dispel evil, purge filth, ghosts; please come, Taisui."

Suddenly, Zhang Enpu leaped into the air toward the Taisui Fu, bit his middle finger until it bled, and dripped the blood into the water bowl, staining it red.

Then, Zhang Enpu picked up a brush, dipped it first in cinnabar powder and then in the blood-tinged water, and quickly wrote the characters “，，，，，，，，” (Lín, Bīng, Dòu, Zhě, Jiē, Zhèn, Liè, Zài, Qián—the Nine Syllable Seal) onto the Taisui Fu. Just as he finished writing, the ring under the black cloth on the table began to shake violently. Outside, a knocking sound suddenly echoed against the door. It was twilight, but the knocking was eerie, coming one beat at a time.

Young Master Liu was about to open the door when he heard Zhang Enpu shout, "Don't open it! That is a ghost knocking!"

Hearing this, Young Master Liu quickly retreated a few steps, covering his eyes with willow leaves. When he lowered his hand, he saw the creature that the previous day's Yan Xiao Liu had been carrying on his back—a monster with a long, lolling tongue, long, disheveled hair, and a greenish-pale face, knocking rhythmically against the door.

Young Master Liu cried out in horror, stumbled back a few steps, and fell onto the ground.

Zhang Enpu, however, remained calm and walked quickly to the table. He chanted, "Evil fiends shall not see the Taisui come; swiftly invite the Taisui to sweep away yin evil!"

With that, he pointed his right finger at the ring on the table. The black cloth suddenly opened by itself, as if blown by the wind, and the ring immediately stopped shaking.