Scammer

Chapter 20: Scammer

A little after eight that evening, Lin Li arrived at the late-night food street in Magic City's West Suburbs and headed straight into a private room on the second floor of an old pigeon soup restaurant.

Inside, a bearded old man in a Zhongshan suit was leisurely drinking pigeon soup.

"Teacher, I'm here." Lin Li bowed respectfully and stood beside the old man.

The old man smiled and nodded, pointing to the seat beside him. "Sit. Order yourself a bowl of soup."

Lin Li sat down but did not order any soup. Instead, he took a small box from his pocket and handed it to the old man. "These are the Golden Carp you wanted."

The old man opened the box and found two small golden carp inside. He put them away and nodded. "You've gone to too much trouble."

"As long as you can refine the Golden Elixir, Teacher, what does this amount to?" Lin Li said with a smile.

The old man smiled. "For your teacher to take the Golden Elixir would be a waste. I spent fifty years gathering materials and finally collected the Five Sands Nine Herbs, but my end is near. Taking the Golden Elixir now would do more harm than good."

"Fortunately, I met you, Li'er. You were born a precious gem for Qi refinement. Once you obtain the Golden Elixir and swallow it, you will roam freely between heaven and earth from then on."

Lin Li clenched his fists beneath the table, unable to contain his excitement.

"Restrain your impatience! Restrain your restlessness!" the old man suddenly barked.

Lin Li jolted and hurriedly said, "I'm sorry, Teacher. I got carried away."

The old man said displeasedly, "No wonder you have been unable to sense Qi for so long. Your desire for gain is too strong! If not for your extraordinary talent, your once-in-an-age brilliance, with that state of mind, you would never go far!"

"I'm sorry, Teacher..." Lin Li said dejectedly.

"Go. Return and reflect quietly for three days. Once your heart is settled, come back and ask me for the Golden Elixir."

"Oh..." Lin Li rose to his feet and took out his wallet, about to pay the bill and leave.

The old man waved him off, took out a hundred yuan, and said, "Go on, go on. Why would I let you pay? How many times have I told you? You provide one portion of the materials and call me Teacher, and I will grant you the Golden Elixir. Do not entangle yourself with any other karmic ties. If you can awaken a sense of Qi, that will be the best repayment for me."

Lin Li could only put away his wallet and look at the old man with respect.

He had known the old man for a month and knew that no matter what they bought, the man never let anyone else pay.

He only ever said that karmic debts should not be owed. If he was not giving, then he would not take.

Even when materials for the Golden Elixir were lacking, he did not take Lin Li's money. He merely told Lin Li to prepare one ingredient: a carp forged from gold.

The carp was to be used for the Golden Elixir, and the Golden Elixir would ultimately be given to Lin Li. In other words, he was merely providing materials for something that would belong to him.

"Teacher, I'll return and reflect at once!" Lin Li said, preparing to take his leave.

Suddenly, a group of people rushed up to the second floor and crammed into the private room.

There were six of them, all muscular and brimming with rage.

"Old bastard, I finally found you! You damned con man, give me back my money!" shouted the crew-cut man at the front.

Lin Li was dumbfounded. There was far too much information in that sentence, leaving him frozen in place.

A... con man?

Lin Li hurriedly turned to look at the old man. The old man took a sip of soup, leisurely set down his bowl and spoon, and wore a calm, unhurried smile.

That composure immediately calmed Lin Li as well.

There must be some misunderstanding. Teacher can't be a con man.

He kept telling himself that, wanting to see how his teacher would handle this.

"Li Quan, your boss beat you up, didn't he?" the old man asked calmly.

Li Quan, the crew-cut man at the front, froze for a moment before angrily saying, "Wasn't it because you swindled me out of a hundred thousand yuan? That was my boss's money! He wants to skin me alive! Give it back now, or I'll break your bones!"

The old man shook his head. "That's right, I did deceive you, because your sins are too grave! I have already donated that money on your behalf."

"What?" Li Quan cried out in shock and fury.

Hearing that, Lin Li suddenly understood as well.

So his teacher was not a con man. He had merely used a small trick to take Li Quan's money and punish him!

And he had donated the money.

"Damn it, old bastard! Get him! Grab him!" Li Quan shouted.

Just as the group was about to swarm him, the old man suddenly rose to his feet, threw back his head, and laughed loudly.

"Ha ha ha ha!"

His voice was full and powerful, making him seem rather intimidating.

Li Quan and the others were utterly confused. They stopped in their tracks, unsure what was happening.

"Old bastard, what are you laughing at?"

The old man stopped laughing and lowered his head. "I laugh because you fail to recognize a True Person!"

Seeing the old man so confident, Lin Li was filled with confidence too. "Teacher! Show them what you can really do and teach them a lesson!"

The old man said, "Disciple, you have been unable to sense Qi for so long. Today, I will transfer a breath of True Qi to you. Experience it carefully, then use that True Qi to teach these petty scoundrels a lesson!"

Lin Li trembled with excitement. His teacher could transfer True Qi to him?

There was such a shortcut?

He quickly agreed. "All right! Teacher, today I'll see who dares take another step forward!"

As soon as he said that, the old man raised a palm and slammed it heavily into the center of Lin Li's back.

Struck hard in the back, Lin Li stumbled several steps forward and lunged directly toward Li Quan and the other six men!

When places like the chest or the center of the back suffered a heavy blow, a person would feel tightness in the chest and heat rising, along with a faint numbness mixed with pain spreading from the center of the back outward.

The blow left Lin Li gasping for breath, but he only assumed his teacher had transferred a breath of True Qi into him.

"Ha!" Lin Li charged forward and threw a punch.

Bang!

To his surprise, Li Quan slapped him across the head, leaving him dizzy and reeling before he crashed against the wall.

Then he took another kick to the stomach. Lin Li immediately clutched his abdomen, spat out saliva, and crumpled limply to the floor.

A burly man grabbed him by the back of his collar and cursed, "What the hell are you supposed to be?"

Lin Li was stunned. Where was any True Qi? He had been taken down with ease.

But what hurt even more was...

"That old bastard jumped out the window and ran!" one of the burly men cursed.

So the old man had struck Lin Li hard in the back and shoved him forward. Lin Li had then rushed ahead, conveniently blocking the six men for a while.

The private room was cramped, with a large round table in the way. By the time Li Quan had dealt with Lin Li, the old man had seized the chance to push open the window and leap out with remarkable agility.

All that grandstanding beforehand had merely been preparation for this moment.

"Go after him!" Li Quan immediately sent three men downstairs to chase him.

Lin Li tried to stand, but Li Quan grabbed him and pinned him in the corner, roaring, "Stay right there!"

"Heh heh..." Lin Li crouched in the corner, his eyes dull and his expression full of self-mockery.

How could he not have known that the old man might have been scamming him out of money?

But he had fallen for the old man's entire act. The old man did not covet small sums of money and even frequently treated him to meals.

Whenever he spoke of Qi refinement, he quoted classics and scriptures without any obvious flaws. When he mentioned that the Golden Elixir still lacked several ingredients, he did not ask Lin Li for money either. He had only told him the specifications of the materials and asked him to prepare them.

Lin Li had provided one portion of the materials, meaning he had a share in that Golden Elixir. Then, all he had to do was call the old man Teacher, and the man would give him the Golden Elixir.

That line of reasoning had drawn him into the trap without his even realizing it.

The old man had put on a complete performance! As long as Lin Li coveted the so-called Golden Elixir, he would instinctively believe, The materials I provide are for refining my own Golden Elixir.

From beginning to end, the old man had never conducted any cash transactions with him. Everything had been entirely voluntary on Lin Li's part.

Thinking back, the two Golden Carp had cost him eight thousand yuan. Half a month ago, he had also gathered some expensive medicinal herbs for the old man, spending another four thousand yuan.

All told, he had lost twelve thousand yuan. If the old man sold those things for cash, he could probably make eight or nine thousand yuan in profit.

"When all is said and done, it was my own greed." Lin Li gave a self-mocking smile.

Ever since childhood, he had loved exploring mystical and obscure things. He enjoyed studying anything strange or unusual, and he especially believed in legends passed down through the ages about Qi refinement, cultivation, martial arts, and the like.

Even if there was only the slightest chance that they were real, he was willing to believe. What if? What if he missed a genuine opportunity?

That was simply the kind of person he was. Though he had considered what he would do if the old man was a con man, he had ultimately chosen: Then I'll wait until he really scams me.

No warnings, no worldly advice from others could stop him.

Because he had not yet seen the result of being deceived.

Lin Li was willing to believe. If someone wanted him not to believe, they would have to place the bloody reality right before his eyes!

The old man had clearly seen through his nature and played him like a fiddle.

"I was completely calculated against..."

P.S. Sorry.