A Con Artist's Self-Cultivation

Wu Liu...

The last Great Shaman of the Jiuli tribe.

A great fire two years ago reduced the Jiuli tribe to ashes.

Suddenly penniless, Wu Liu decides to start making a living as a performer.

The Great Shaman is the most mysterious figure among the Miao people. He has remarkable medical skills and is an expert in witchcraft.

When word gets out that the Great Shaman is opening a clinic, people seeking treatment come in an endless stream.

Even if someone has only a single breath left, the Great Shaman can ensure they live to be a hundred.

That's just Wu Liu's side job. It doesn't make much money.

His real line of work is fortune-telling, feng shui, ghost hunting, exorcisms, and even serving as a priest.

Today, he wears a monk's robe in a temple, saving all who come to him.

Tomorrow, he might be in a church, guiding his followers toward a new life.

Wu Liu isn't very satisfied with this life. The people who come to him are either just as broke as he is or have problems that are trivial and tedious.

After half a year of waiting, he finally gets a client who's gullible and loaded.

Wu Liu looks at the sucker in front of him, quite pleased.

His big mansion is finally within reach.

Xi Yuan looks at Wu Liu's young, handsome face and raises an eyebrow. "One million?"

Wu Liu solemnly tries to pull one over on him. "You won't find another deal like this once you leave."

After finishing the job, Wu Liu decides to throw in a complimentary fortune-telling session about the man's love life.

Xi Yuan looks confused. "And?"

Wu Liu's expression turns grave. "You'll have no descendants, your wife will die, and you'll be alone forever."

Xi Yuan looks delighted. "Really?"

Wu Liu says without expression, "Really."

Xi Yuan lets out a long sigh. "That's wonderful."

Wu Liu smiles mockingly. "You'd better remember you said that."

Reader's Guide:

1. An extra story about Wu Liu, the Great Shaman from After a Miaojiang Youth Put a Love Curse on Me.

2. The story involves witchcraft, fortune-telling, feng shui, and more.

3. This is a work of fiction. Please don't use it as a reference to real life.

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The Miaojiang series' forthcoming sequel, After a Miaojiang Youth Put a Love Curse on Me II

Synopsis:

Ji Rong wins third prize at his company's annual meeting: a luxury travel voucher for a six-day, five-night trip.

The next day, he lands in Yunnan, ready to enjoy a nature getaway.

At his tour guide's recommendation, he also signs up for an expedition into a primeval forest.

Unfortunately, they encounter a storm, fog, and miasma in the forest, and gradually stray from their original route.

The magnetic field deep in the mountains is chaotic, the compass stops working, and their only flare is too waterlogged to launch.

Just as Ji Rong despairingly waits to die, he meets a man named Yao Xu, who takes him back to his tribe.

Ji Rong thinks he's found salvation, only to realize he's stepped into another abyss.

From that day on, Yao Xu keeps appearing in his dreams, licking the red mole on Ji Rong's lower back, over and over.

"So beautiful. Do you like it?"

Ji Rong has no idea there's a mole on his lower back. He clutches the sheets helplessly and curses him in a hoarse voice. "Liar! Get out!"

Only later does Ji Rong learn that the red mole is the mark of a love curse.

"Have you heard of a love curse?"

"What?"

"When someone is cursed, the parasite gnaws at their heart whenever they think of the person who cursed them. The pain only stops when they're with that person."

Yao Xu gently kisses away Ji Rong's tears and soothes him. "Be good. How could I bear to let you suffer?"

Ji Rong's eyes redden. He raises his weak, aching hand and slaps him. "Psycho."

Yao Xu licks his lips and smiles silently at Ji Rong.

Ji Rong cowers in his arms, trembling with fear. "I'm sorry. I was wrong."

Theme: Love can overcome any hardship