Сhарtеr 230: Тhe Inside Stоrу 3
А bаd рremonition surgеd in thеir hearts. Тhe two quiсklу аrrivеd аt thе main hall, whеre the door was tightly shut, but thеу cоuld heаr thе sоund оf cоnvеrsаtiоn сoming frоm inside.
It seemеd likе guests wеre being entеrtained.
Ji Dаfu grabbed Li Каirui аnd stорреd him. The twо сrouсhеd bу the dоor, listеning tо the cоnvеrsatiоn inside.
It sounded likе the two inside wеrе сhatting hаppily, аnd Li Каixiаng sееmеd tо hоld this guest in high rеgаrd. Aftеr a fеw words, the tоpiс shiftеd tо bedrооm рlеasures. Li Kаixiang repeаtedly prаised Yuan Вaуuаn’s eliхirs for their excellent effects, allowing him to regain his vigor. He was so grateful that he almost regarded Yuan as his savior, treating him like a second parent.
Hearing this, the two outside roughly understood what was going on and kicked the door open.
To Li Kairui’s surprise, after just a few days apart, his brother seemed like a different person—his eye sockets sunken, his appearance withered like dried grass. Yet even so, he still spoke tirelessly about those bedroom matters. Sitting opposite him was a man dressed in Daoist robes, his hair tied in a Daoist bun, with two strands of beard hanging beneath his chin. His words were filled with incomprehensible talk, which infuriated the two.
“Who are you, daring to spout nonsense here and harm my elder brother?”
Li Kairui stepped forward to question him. Yuan Bayuan responded with disdain, his expression profound and mysterious, which only fueled Li Kairui’s displeasure.
Seeing this, Li Kaixiang quickly stepped in to mediate. Looking at the two, he explained, “You two are family, so I won’t hide it from you. This Immortal Yuan is an honored guest of mine, and even more, my benefactor. You’ve come at the right time—have a drink with the immortal and discuss the arts of immortality together.”
Upon hearing Li Kaixiang’s words, Li Kairui and Ji Dafu immediately felt uneasy.
After just a few days apart, not only had he grown thin, but his words had also become nonsensical. And now he was talking about the arts of immortality—how could he believe such absurd claims?
Li Kairui grew even angrier. Stepping forward, he pointed at Yuan Bayuan and shouted, “Where did this swindler come from, daring to deceive our family? Haven’t you heard? The Li family isn’t so easy to bully!”
Ji Dafu also spoke up in indignation. “Can’t make it in the jianghu anymore? Coming here to deceive people? Spouting nonsense about immortality—aren’t you afraid of divine retribution?”
Listening to their angry words, Yuan Bayuan remained silent until he heard Ji Dafu mention divine retribution. Only then did he show a reaction.
“The Dao begets One, One begets Two, Two begets Three, and Three begets all things. We who cultivate the Dao follow the principles of heaven and do things that benefit the people. I came here to help Brother Li with his troubles, yet you view me with such contempt. I fear it is not I who will face divine retribution, but you foolish people who speak so arrogantly.”
Seeing Yuan Bayuan’s anger, Li Kaixiang hurriedly stepped in to smooth things over.
“Immortal Yuan, please don’t be angry. These are my own brothers. They don’t understand these matters yet. Allow me to explain it to them. Once they understand, they will naturally recognize the immortal’s greatness.”
Hearing Li Kaixiang’s words, the anger on Yuan Bayuan’s face subsided slightly. “Very well, very well. We who cultivate the Dao focus on cultivating our bodies and minds. We do not bother with ignorant people.”
“Thank you, Immortal. Thank you, Immortal.” Li Kaixiang nodded and bowed as he spoke, behaving like a grandson in front of Yuan Bayuan.After finishing his words, he directly pulled Li Kairui and Ji Dafu outside the door, lowered his voice, and said, "Big brother knows you're worried that I might be deceived, but please trust me. This Master Yuan is no ordinary person; he is a descendant of the great master Yuan Tiangang, possessing extraordinary abilities, and he has already helped me a great deal."
After speaking, Li Kaixiang glanced into the room, seeing Yuan Bayuan still sitting on the couch drinking, and lowered his voice again to address the two, "Later, I'll find an opportunity to introduce you both to the immortal. When you speak, be very careful not to anger him again."
Seeing that Li Kaixiang not only showed no remorse but also deeply believed in him, Ji Dafu became thoroughly enraged, "Big brother, how have you lived all these years? How can you still believe in such things? That man is a fraud. Tell me honestly, did you give all the money you borrowed from us to him?"
Seeing Ji Dafu's rising anger, Li Kaixiang couldn't say much more, nodded, and quickly added, "But he truly has abilities. Moreover, he was introduced by Brother Liu. Even if you don't trust him, you should trust Brother Liu's character, right?"
"Liu Zongyuan?" Li Kairui quickly interjected, looking surprised, "You're saying this person was introduced to you by Liu Zongyuan?"
Li Kaixiang nodded. Li Kairui felt puzzled; Liu Zongyuan had an excellent relationship with his elder brother, and from their interactions, he seemed like a decent person.
But why would he use such a matter to harm his elder brother, even deceiving him out of so much money? It truly left him bewildered.
Without saying much more, Li Kairui and Ji Dafu went to the neighboring house to find Liu Zongyuan.
When the two questioned Liu Zongyuan, he showed no remorse and instead gave them a righteous explanation.
"If we talk about this matter, it really can't be blamed on me. I just mentioned it casually in front of Brother Li, and he took it to heart."
"But you shouldn't have let that fraud deceive my elder brother again and again, cheating him out of so much money. What do you propose we do about this?"
"That's not quite right. Brother Li is a businessman after all. If he were truly being deceived, he would have noticed long ago. Moreover, Master Yuan is indeed a descendant of the great master Yuan Tiangang. Even if you don't believe him, you must have heard of the great master Yuan Tiangang's reputation. It's just that after the establishment of our Great Zhou, the Empress ordered the cessation of Daoist practices, but that doesn't mean those with talents no longer exist."
"What does having talent matter?" Ji Dafu complained discontentedly from the side, "The Empress promotes Buddhism, and Daoist alchemy is fundamentally unacceptable. Moreover, if this matter spreads, it could damage our family's reputation and even affect the marriages of the next generation. You knew the pros and cons yet still introduced him to my elder brother. Isn't this clearly setting a trap for him?"
"Ah!" Liu Zongyuan quickly explained, "If I truly intended to deceive Brother Li, I wouldn't be waiting here for you to come and question me. How capable Master Yuan is and how miraculous his elixirs are—you can go ask Brother Li yourself. He has firsthand experience. After asking him, come find me again and see whether I harmed him or helped him."
With Liu Zongyuan's words, the two were momentarily at a loss for a retort.At the end of the day, this matter boils down to one being willing to strike and the other willing to bear it.
Li Kaixiang is a businessman—how could he so easily fall for such a person's tricks? Ultimately, it was his own choice.
With no other options, the two could only return in frustration. Since neither side could be persuaded, they had no choice but to go home and think of another way.
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