Chapter 1447 - 727: Magic Tricks (Part 2)
As he spoke, he dug out that Peace Talisman from the trash can in the corner and handed it to Lin Beichen. When Lin Beichen opened it, he found a Mountain Ghost Painting hidden inside.
"See, I told you my luck must have been affected by this Peace Talisman. There’s definitely something fishy about it!" Although Liu Baoguo didn’t understand the exact meaning of the Mountain Ghost Painting, he could tell it was ominous, and he spoke loudly.
"This is a Mountain Ghost Painting, also known as a Yin Ghost Painting, extremely inauspicious. Coming across something like this might bring you bad luck for three to five years at best, or lead to family ruin and death at worst," Lin Beichen explained.
Hearing Lin Beichen’s words, Liu Baoguo couldn’t help but break into a cold sweat. He had just despised that able-bodied monk, thinking he could work but still asked him for money, and cursed him a bit, not expecting to incur such great animosity.
"Obviously, you fell into someone’s trap. But you said the monk didn’t give you anything, so how did this Peace Talisman end up in your hands?" Lin Beichen asked.
"After cursing the monk, I left angrily and then encountered a young man about your age. He said he saw the monk bothering me, and to prevent it from happening again, he gave me a Peace Talisman, urging me to carry it so that no more able-bodied people would hassle me for money," Liu Baoguo recounted how he got the Peace Talisman.
"I can bet that the monk and the person who gave you the Peace Talisman are in cahoots. Besides, you are too careless. How could you accept a Peace Talisman from a stranger just like that?" Lin Beichen said.
Having understood the whole situation, Liu Baoguo was so angry that he couldn’t stop cursing: "How could such scum exist in society? What’s the point of their existence? They’re a waste of air when alive, a waste of land when dead, and wasting money when half-dead!"
"He also said that there’s no good among monks, and those in the temples recite scriptures daily, living off us ordinary people who spend money at the temples to support themselves." Hearing this, Lin Beichen realized that Liu Baoguo had greatly misunderstood monks.
Lin Beichen quickly explained: "The person you encountered might not be a real monk, just someone who shaved his head and committed misdeeds under the guise of a monk. Monks are not as despicable and shameless as you imagine; most of them are kind-hearted and helpful, and they couldn’t possibly have malicious intentions."
"Alright, let’s not talk about monks. Is there a way to solve this issue?" Liu Baoguo asked anxiously. He had taken Lin Beichen’s words to heart, not knowing if his misfortune was light or severe, but in any case, Lin Beichen needed to resolve it quickly.
"Is it just a matter of burning this thing to be all set? Will my luck stop being bad afterward?" Liu Baoguo asked.
Lin Beichen shook his head: "If you had burned this thing right after receiving it, that might have worked. But it’s too late now, as karma has already entangled you. To resolve this, you must hold a ghost-sending ritual and find the main perpetrator to stop harming others."
Liu Baoguo was filled with regret. As resolutely as he accepted the Peace Talisman from someone, now he regretted it just as much. He secretly resolved that he would never accept anything from strangers again, and even if given by acquaintances, he would think over it multiple times before accepting.
If Lin Beichen hadn’t come to his house, and he hadn’t met Lin Beichen, he wouldn’t have known about any of this. He might have continued to be unlucky indefinitely.
Additionally, with those antique experts reporting on the many valuable items in his house, likely, many thieves would come visiting, and with his luck being bad, they would surely take all these items away without leaving any behind.
"Alright, let’s carry out the ghost-sending ritual as you suggested. Whatever materials you need, I’ll prepare them for you right now." Liu Baoguo was eager to get this over with.
This way, he could return to his job and continue his work. Once his luck returned, he could take charge of major projects again, and the managerial position would be easily within his reach.
"Right now, you don’t need to prepare anything for me, since we haven’t found the main perpetrator yet. So I hope you can help me," Lin Beichen said.
Liu Baoguo, eager to take revenge on that guy, readily agreed when he heard Lin Beichen needed his help.
Once he found those fake monks, he definitely wouldn’t let them off easily.
"Where did you run into that fake monk, exactly?" Lin Beichen asked.
Now that everything was clear, finding the fake monk relied on Liu Baoguo providing the encounter location.
From the time Liu Baoguo met the fake monk until now, a lot of time had passed. During this period, he’d been to a lot of places, so he needed to recall carefully. If he got the wrong place and Lin Beichen went but couldn’t find it, it would waste time.
Liu Baoguo racked his brain and finally remembered where he ran into the fake monk.
"I remember having dinner that day, wanting to take a walk, and then wandering to the neighboring village, and then I ran into that fake monk."
Based on Liu Baoguo’s clues, Lin Beichen arrived at a nearby town. He didn’t expect the town to look so run-down.
"How did you happen to wander here?" Lin Beichen asked in disbelief, as this town was quite far from Liu Baoguo’s home.
"I just wanted to work off the meal, and walked here without realizing it," Liu Baoguo explained.
That day his wife cooked such a delicious meal, he ate too much and felt bloated, so he went out for a stroll.
He usually doesn’t take walks; he just lays on the couch reading newspapers after meals, which contributed to his somewhat large belly.
Before he realized it, he’d walked all the way to this town. When he realized he was far from home and wanted to go back, that’s when he ran into that fake monk, leading to all the subsequent events.
The town being run-down was normal, as it was in the mountains, far from the city, so the dilapidation was natural. With the rapid social development, many young people weren’t here anymore, leaving only some elders.
"Although I met the fake monk here, I don’t know if he will show up again," Liu Baoguo said. He brought Lin Beichen here but wasn’t sure if the fake monk would appear after so much time had passed.
"We might not necessarily run into him, but I can search for clues," Lin Beichen remarked, unsure if they’d meet the fake monk but feeling it was better than having no leads.
With Liu Baoguo leading the way, they arrived at the exact spot where he met the fake monk.
At a T-junction, they saw an empty table.
"I met the fake monk right here," Liu Baoguo pointed at the table. He had a deep impression of this table because the fake monk kept pestering him, and he was so angry he slammed his hand on it. He hit it hard enough that his hand hurt.
Lin Beichen approached the table and immediately noticed it was unusual.
Observing it, he discovered something attached underneath and reached out to grab a rectangular magnet.
"Hmph, this is a common magician’s trick. It’s even clearer now that this monk is fake." The fake monk placed the magnet here, using the table as a prop to perform some Divine Techniques to convince people, who then gave him money.
Mostly elders lived in the town, unfamiliar with online content and unaware of magic tricks, making them easy targets for deception.
"Ah, I should have noticed something amiss. The town is so run-down, yet this table is here, and though I hit it hard, it didn’t wobble. Given the surrounding environment, it should have wobbled or come apart from such a blow."
The table appeared worn on the surface, but in reality, it was new.
The fake monk used paint to make it look old so that people would believe the table had been here all along.
It was unfortunate that Liu Baoguo didn’t notice this back then. Otherwise, he could have exposed the fake monk on the spot, caught him, and made him confess who he cheated and return all the money to them.
However, it’s not too late now. They’ve exposed the fake monk’s trick, rendering him unable to con people with this move again. While they haven’t caught him yet, it’s a good start.