A Scam Spanning a Thousand Years

Su Ziyang was still in a bad mood, pacing around the living room. Fairy Li didn't try to comfort Su Ziyang, but instead lowered her head and started writing and drawing on her tablet.

You're back?

Mr. Mengfei came with Yang Tianzheng, and they were carrying some things in their hands.

"Master."

Su Ziyang greeted him in a low voice.

"Why are you so listless? Come, tell your master what skills you've learned."

Mr. Mengfei put the things he was carrying on the table. "Girl, don't bother. Wash these cherries and treat our meritorious Mr. Su to a good meal."

"Master, you're joking."

Su Ziyang offered seats to Mr. Mengfei and Yang Tianzheng, then lowered his head and expressionlessly poured tea.

"Don't make tea, I'm not thirsty. Sit down, sit down."

Mr. Mengfei pulled Su Ziyang's arm and made Su Ziyang sit next to him.

"I'll just say one thing: learn what Master Luo taught you, do it well, and pass it on."

Mr. Mengfei's words always have such a magical quality. After he finished speaking, Mr. Mengfei patted Su Ziyang's arm.

Su Ziyang nodded emphatically to Mr. Mengfei.

"He listens to what the gentleman says."

Fairy Li walked by carrying a bag of washed cherries.

"Eat up. We've ripped off Zhengzai, might as well eat it."

Mr. Mengfei was the first to pick one up and put it in his mouth.

"Oh, right. Ziyang, when you offer incense to your ancestral master in the future, light an extra bundle of incense for Master Luo, for three consecutive years, don't forget."

Some say that the China are the smartest people in the world because China are the only country in the world that runs a bank in hell.

Setting aside certain special functions, burning paper money and offering incense expresses people's endless longing for their deceased relatives.

Two or three days passed, Su Ziyang's mood gradually recovered, but he was still a little unhappy.

"Hey, nephew, what are you doing?"

Just as Su Ziyang got off work, his fourth uncle called. His loud voice, which sounded like he had been coughing for ages, made Su Ziyang feel choked up.

"What's up?"

Su Ziyang said something that sounded rather unpleasant.

"Oh dear, what's wrong? What did Fourth Uncle do to upset you? Why are you being so cold? Fourth Uncle will change right away!"

Fourth Uncle laughed and joked with Su Ziyang.

"No, Fourth Uncle. I just got off work, and it's a bit chaotic here. Please let me know if you need anything."

Su Ziyang realized he might have spoken too harshly, so he quickly composed himself.

"Ah, take a look at that group. It's the 'Image and Number' group, you haven't left it, have you?"

Fourth Uncle contacted him again because of the Bagua Image-Number Therapy. Su Ziyang usually doesn't look at his phone much, but lately he's been so busy he's practically running around, and he's in a bad mood, so he has even less interest in looking at those lousy group chats.

"What's going on in the group chat?" Su Ziyang didn't want to look at the group, but his fourth uncle kept urging Su Ziyang, saying, "Take a look, take a look, you'll know once you see it."

Left with no other choice, Su Ziyang opened WeChat.

The group was still bustling with activity, with everyone chattering away.

Su Ziyang watched carefully for a while and saw that someone was cursing, saying that Teacher Yi had accepted his large red envelope but had not cured his illness.

She then posted many screenshots of her chat history with Teacher Yi, which naturally included records of red envelopes and money transfers.

After the previous incident involving that person's lung cancer, Su Ziyang was not surprised by what Teacher Yi did.

To Su Ziyang's surprise, Teacher Yi said in the group that this person was cursing him everywhere. He had already solved nine-tenths of the problem, but the person was still nagging about the remaining one-tenth.

Finally, Teacher Yi added a saying, "Speaking out won't work."

Su Ziyang walked home while looking at the pictures. When he got home, Fairy Li had already prepared dinner.

"What are you looking at so intently?"

When Fairy Li noticed Su Ziyang secretly smiling while looking at his phone, she asked him a question.

"Look, this is a scammer trying to cheat people."

Su Ziyang smiled and placed his phone on the table.

"Huh? Let me see, let me see."

Fairy Li leaned closer and looked at her phone with Su Ziyang's face close to his.

"Wow, that looks so fake."

Fairy Li chuckled, "How do you know such a swindler? Interesting. Hahaha."

Su Ziyang and Fairy Li were chatting and laughing when their fourth uncle called again, "Hey, did you see it? It's in the group chat."

"Hey, Fourth Uncle, I just finished watching it." Su Ziyang turned on speakerphone, and he and Fairy Li listened.

"I messaged a few people privately in the group. Didn't Teacher Yi say that 'if you say it out loud, it won't work'? When he treats patients, he tells them that if other patients ask if they are cured, they must say yes. If they say no, then the illness will never be cured. They must say yes. So now you know why so many people in the group say they are cured!"

Upon hearing his fourth uncle's words, Su Ziyang suddenly chuckled.

"Why are you laughing?"

"This reminds me of something; I remember someone used this same deceptive method over a thousand years ago."

Tell me!

Fourth Uncle and Fairy Li spoke in unison.

It is said that in ancient times, around the Jin Dynasty or earlier, there was a swindler who used to be a bandit in the mountains. Later, due to the local government's strong suppression of bandits, he was convicted.

He had no choice but to change careers after suppressing bandits; he became a doctor.

He had his henchmen pose as patients who had come from afar, and then spread the word outside.

This shows that the ancients also valued the effect of advertising.

After this publicity, people from all around came to him for treatment.

He was just a bandit leader; he wouldn't know anything about medicine. But this bandit leader had all his skills in intelligence; he had tricks up his sleeve.

He dressed up, donned a Daoist robe, and carried a whisk, pretending to be a hermit.

When treating patients, they would call them into a room alone and then begin to perform; in short, they would put on a show.

After the performance, he told the patient the same thing that Teacher Yi had said.

After you leave, if anyone asks you if you're better, you must say you are, otherwise you'll never be better.

People back then were generally very simple-minded, so they believed this deceptive nonsense. As a result, more and more people came to him for treatment.

Over time, this man actually became a famous doctor.

Later, the officer who led the bandit suppression campaign was promoted to a high-ranking official in the area. He heard that there was a famous doctor there, who was also a reclusive master, so he came to visit him.

When the high-ranking official arrived, he discovered that this was none other than the bandit leader who had run away before!

Arrest them!

The bandit leader died.

After the bandit leader died, people realized that no one had actually been cured; it was all a deception.

"Holy crap. So this Teacher Yi is just a complete fraud."

Fourth Uncle was shocked and swore.

The tactic was clever, but Teacher Yi miscalculated. People today are well-informed and shrewd; they're unlikely to be fooled by such talk anymore.

If you don't see results in three days, people will think you're a scammer. Who will believe your nonsense then?