Chapter 1448 - 728: Hemming and Hawing
Liu Baoguo proposed an idea: "He put a table here, and there’s a hidden rectangular magnet underneath. Does this mean he will come back?" He continued to explain that if the person had no intention of returning, there would be no need to leave the table and magnet here; moving everything away would be more straightforward.
Lin Beichen thought he made sense. After all, moving such large items back and forth is troublesome, and making a new table with paint would be even more of a hassle.
Therefore, it’s very likely that the person will come back and continue using this table for deceit.
Furthermore, if he performs with a table in every place, he will soon be exposed. By then, his tricks would be revealed, the rectangular magnet would be exposed, people would no longer be fooled, and they might even be angry about being previously conned and would seek him out for retribution.
As everyone was chatting, Liu Baoguo suddenly pointed at a place and shouted: "Look, it’s that fake monk!"
As soon as he saw the fake monk, his eyes flared with anger, wishing he could kill with his stare.
Lin Beichen and his group reacted quickly, and upon seeing the fake monk, they chased after him. But the fake monk ran faster than a rabbit, disappearing within moments.
It turned out that the money the fake monk swindled a few days ago had already been spent, so he wanted to come back and scam some more.
Just as he was calculating how much he could con, he saw the person who hadn’t been fooled before pointing at him and yelling, then a group came chasing after him. He realized things were bad and took off running, cursing under his breath: "You fat pig, can’t give me money yourself, yet you bring others to get back at me!"
He had been in this business for a while and had been chased before, so he ran particularly fast, and no one could catch up.
Liu Baoguo, after a couple of steps, was already out of breath and stopped: "That damn monk, he really runs fast."
Lin Beichen remarked: "He might be particularly familiar with this village, using the terrain to evade us; otherwise, he wouldn’t have disappeared so quickly."
When they were chasing, the fake monk kept turning corners, not running in a straight line.
Now they faced two choices: either wait here for him to return, or search for him in the village.
The village is small; if he’s hiding in it, they would definitely find him. But if he sees us continuously searching, he might escape to another place, and then we wouldn’t find him.
Lin Beichen thought for a moment and said: "Zhou Dazhuang, Yang Yiyi, you two stay here and keep watch. I’ll go back and study that table again."
He didn’t plan to search the village because the terrain was complex, and searching every spot would be time-consuming. Also, the person might hide back in places they’ve already searched while they were looking elsewhere, having them running in circles.
Lin Beichen felt there must be some trick with that table, so he wanted to investigate it further.
Liu Baoguo said: "I’ll join you in studying the table."
Lin Beichen gave him a glance, somewhat suspicious.
Liu Baoguo quickly added: "Think about it, I’ve collected so many valuable antiques, indicating I have some skill in this area. Studying a table isn’t out of my depth."
So, Lin Beichen and Liu Baoguo walked over to the table together. To their surprise, an old man was sitting by the table, turning the magnet over and over, deeply absorbed, completely oblivious to them.
The old man maintained the same gesture and expression, not reacting to their arrival.
Lin Beichen thought: "Who is this old man? This magnet was our find, yet he sits here examining it, not understanding the concept of first come, first served."
Liu Baoguo was clearly displeased with the old man’s behavior, furrowing his brow.
However, Lin Beichen felt this old man was extraordinary and whispered to Liu Baoguo: "Don’t act rashly; this old man seems unusual, better not offend him."
Though Liu Baoguo didn’t quite understand Lin Beichen’s reasoning, he had always admired Lin Beichen. Since Lin Beichen had said so, he suppressed his temper and remained silent.
After all, if they did get into any trouble, it would be he who’d suffer, and who could say if Lin Beichen would be willing to help him then.
Lin Beichen stepped forward and started a conversation with the old man: "Sir, why are you so focused on this magnet?"
The old man immediately revealed the secret: "This magnet shouldn’t be placed on the table; it’s supposed to be underneath it, used for deception, like a magic trick."
Then, he asked Lin Beichen if he was looking for someone.
Lin Beichen was surprised. After he took the magnet, he had just left it on the table and hadn’t dealt with it further. That the old man could accurately reveal its usage and know they were searching for someone showed that this old man was indeed exceptional.
At this moment, Lin Beichen’s livestream was still ongoing, and the audience was commenting actively.
"Lin Beichen, don’t be fooled by this old man; he might be an accomplice of the fake monk."
"Some old people appear kind-hearted but may actually be malicious, perhaps planning to play some dirty tricks."
"I think this old man looks like an enlightened expert."
Lin Beichen kept an eye on the livestream comments, and when he saw this comment, he became even more cautious.
If the old man was indeed an enlightened expert, his purpose in appearing here wouldn’t be simple, and knowing exactly what they were doing could well be targeting him.
With the old man’s identity unclear, whether friend or foe, Lin Beichen dared not let down his guard. After all, no one knew what he would do next.
Although the old man’s gaze remained on the magnet, he was keenly observing Lin Beichen’s expression from the corner of his eye. Seeing Lin Beichen’s solemn face, he guessed that Lin Beichen was on guard against him.