Chapter 8: Knocked Out
Lin Yuan laughed. “Old sir, you have two red circles on the back of your neck. Naturally, he could guess it!”
The old man touched his neck, suddenly remembering that he had just done cupping yesterday, so there were definitely still red marks.
That spot was mostly covered by his collar, but perhaps not completely.
Lin Yuan pointed at the enthusiastic citizen, his handsome brow raising slightly. “You are actually a shill, right?”
The enthusiastic citizen instantly fell silent.
Iron Mouth Zhang slammed the table in anger. “You wet-behind-the-ears brat! What nonsense are you spouting here?”
The corners of Lin Yuanâs mouth curled up. “Although Master is advanced in years, I think you’ve lived in vain!”
“Didn’t your master teach you that to learn the art, you must first learn to be a decent human being?”
“Look at this old gentleman. Does he look like a rich man? Swindling money from the poorâdoesn’t your conscience hurt, Master?”
“Or has your conscience long been eaten by dogs?”
A barrage of rebukes made Iron Mouth Zhang roll his eyes.
“You… You…”
Lin Yuan smirked. “You what? I’ll show you what true divination is!”
As he spoke, he looked at the old man. “Old sir, give me the child’s birth date and time. I’ll calculate a hexagram for her.”
Half-doubting, the old man told him his granddaughter’s birth details.
Unimpressed, Lin Yuan took out a small bag from his pocket and poured six Five Emperor Coins into his palm.
He closed his fingers, shook them gently, and chanted a few words silently.
Then he scattered them onto Iron Mouth Zhangâs table.
He examined the six coins closely and murmured softly, “The Li Hexagram, offending the Six Clashes. Snake and Pig, Fire and Water clash.”
“The hexagram shows emptiness and fullness; delusional thoughts suck away life span. How can Heavenly Law tolerate chaos? Retribution will clearly distinguish itself.”
He looked up. “Old sir, the little one has definitely been in contact with strangers in the past month, right?”
The old man frowned. “Strangers? It doesn’t seem so! The child is only two years old. Usually, besides my wife and I taking her out to sunbathe…”
Iron Mouth Zhang sneered from the side. “Kid, stop playing mysterious! He already said no, what else do you have to say?”
Lin Yuan raised a handsome brow. “Shut up!”
Iron Mouth Zhang: “You!”
Just then, the old man suddenly slapped his forehead. “Oh, I remember! Half a month ago, we took the child to see her Great-Aunt.”
The old man explained that his younger sister had been critically ill recently.
Two weeks ago, she suddenly called, saying she wanted to see her grandniece and asked him to bring the child to her house for a visit.
So, the old couple took their granddaughter to his sister’s house.
“Young man, why do you ask this?” The old man looked puzzled.
Lin Yuan nodded and asked again, “Then, the Great-Aunt must have given the child some small object, right? Like a bracelet or a longevity lock?”
Hearing this question, the old man immediately nodded. “Yes, yes! Indeed! My sister gave the child a red string bracelet, saying it was a peace string, and told her to wear it every day!”
“Young man, you… you even calculated that?”
At this moment, the surrounding onlookers cast looks of surprise and approval at Lin Yuan.
Iron Mouth Zhang, sitting in his chair, sat up straight, scrutinizing him with deep hostility mixed into his gaze.
Lin Yuan looked calm. “I didn’t calculate that; I deduced it. Because the methods for ‘borrowing life’ are nothing more than these few.”
The term “borrowing life” shocked everyone.
“What? Borrowing life?” The old manâs eyes widened. “What does that mean?”
Lin Yuan: “The child’s Great-Aunt’s body is failing, so she wanted to find someone to siphon life span from.”
At these words, the old man couldn’t control a shiver.
Lin Yuan continued, “On the day you took the child to her house, she must have taken something like hair or fingernails from the child.”
“Tie that red string to the child’s wrist, then find someone to perform a ritual. That way, she can achieve the goal of transferring Yang lifespan.”
The old man was dumbfounded.
Iron Mouth Zhang stood up with a cold snort. “I think you are the one swindling people!”
“You’ve been talking for so long, but it’s all baseless nonsense without a shred of evidence!”
Lin Yuanâs small face looked serious as he glanced sideways at Iron Mouth Zhang. “Evidence is easy. How about we make a bet?”
“If I can’t produce evidence, I’ll kowtow and apologize to you. If I produce evidence, you leave the stall and get out. Dare to bet?”
Iron Mouth Zhang gritted his teeth fiercely.
He had swindled his way through the world for decades and had never encountered a situation where he was backed into a corner like today.
There were more and more people watching the excitement. If he was scared off and didn’t accept the challenge, his lifelong reputation would be ruined in a day.
He wouldn’t be able to make a living in this trade anymore.
Moreover, he was certain the other party couldn’t produce evidence. How could there be evidence for such mystical things!
“Fine, I’ll bet with you!” Iron Mouth Zhang shouted. “Where’s the evidence? Bring it!”
Lin Yuanâs lips curled, a cunning look flashing in his eyes.
He spoke unhurriedly.
“That Great-Aunt’s health is definitely much better now than before. And the color of that red string must be much brighter than when it was first worn. This is the evidence!”
After speaking, he looked at the old man.
The shock in the old man’s eyes couldn’t be hidden. “That string is really getting redder and redder! My wife even mentioned this strange thing to me!”
“My sister’s illness has indeed improved. The hospital said there was no hope, but in the last few days, she’s actually been able to get out of bed and walk around!”
The crowd instantly erupted into discussion.
“This Great-Aunt is too vicious!”
“She can even lay a hand on her own flesh and blood!”
The old manâs face was pale, his lips trembling slightly. “That’s my own sister, the child’s biological Great-Aunt! She… how could she…”
Lin Yuan nodded. “The human heart is unpredictable. Go back and take off that red string first, then find a master to resolve it, and the child will be fine.”
The old man thanked him profusely and tried to stuff the whole stack of money into Lin Yuanâs hands.
Lin Yuan only pulled out one bill.
“This is enough.”
Although he was short on money, this old manâs life was even harder.
Lin Yuan looked at Iron Mouth Zhang.
“Master, accept your loss. Leave the equipment and you can go!”
Iron Mouth Zhangâs fat face turned red then white.
The corner of his mouth twitched violently.
Flinging his sleeves, he grabbed his banner and left.
The onlookers gave Lin Yuan a thumbs up.
Lin Yuan looked at the equipment he had won with his skills, a smile blooming on his lips.
His stomach was hungry. He was just about to go buy some food nearby to fill his stomach before opening for business.
At this time, a man walked over.
He looked to be under thirty, with regular features, gentle and clean-cut, and a very warm smile on his face.
“Little brother, I saw your divination was quite accurate just now?” The man spoke slowly and methodically.
Lin Yuan smiled and nodded. “Yes, guaranteed accuracy! Sir, would you like a reading?”
The man: “It’s like this. My family’s Old Master hasn’t been in good health recently. He wants to find an expert to calculate.”
“But the Old Master has trouble moving around, so you have to come to the house to calculate.”
Lin Yuan: “No need for that trouble. Just tell me the elderly person’s birth date, and I can calculate it.”
The man rubbed his chin. “The Old Master said, besides fate, he wants to calculate something else.”
Lin Yuan nodded slightly.
To calculate destiny, reporting the birth date is enough.
But if calculating other things, it is best to meet the person for better accuracy.
Lin Yuan knew from the man’s attire that he was a big client.
He stood up. “How much is the divination fee?”
The man: “The Old Master said as long as the calculation is accurate, money is not a problem.”
Lin Yuan smiled, his eyes curving. “Okay! Then let’s go now!”
The man also smiled and led Lin Yuan to a black sedan parked not far away.
Lin Yuan sat in the passenger seat next to him.
The car started and drove forward.
The man took a bottle of juice from the storage compartment and handed it over.
“Little brother, you must be thirsty. Drink something to moisten your throat!”
Lin Yuan was indeed thirsty.
He took it, said thanks, unscrewed the cap, and drank more than half the bottle in one breath.
Having something in his stomach, he felt a bit more comfortable.
Once comfortable, he felt a bit sleepy.
He leaned his head against the headrest of the seat, his eyelids growing heavy.
The man turned his head to look at him, the corners of his mouth turning up. He said very kindly, “Tired? Then rest first. I’ll call you when we arrive.”
Lin Yuan nodded groggily, his consciousness sinking into darkness bit by bit…
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