A bad feeling washed over them as they quickly arrived at the main hall. The doors were tightly shut, but they could hear voices coming from inside.
It sounded like someone was entertaining guests.
Ji Dafu held Li Kairui back, and they crouched by the door, listening to the conversation inside.
The two inside seemed to be chatting happily, and Li Kaixiang appeared to be very respectful towards this guest. After a few exchanges, the topic shifted to bedroom matters. Li Kaixiang kept praising Yuan Bayuan’s elixir, saying it had greatly restored his vigor. He expressed deep gratitude, almost regarding Yuan as his second parent.
Hearing this, the two outside roughly understood what was happening. They kicked the door open.
Li Kairui was shocked to find that in just a few days, his brother seemed to have become a different person. His eye sockets were sunken, and he looked like a withered plant. Despite this, he still spoke enthusiastically about bedroom activities. Opposite him sat a man wearing Taoist robes, with his hair in a Taoist style and two whiskers hanging from his chin. He spoke words they couldn’t understand, which angered them greatly.
“Who are you to speak such nonsense here and harm my elder brother?” Li Kairui stepped forward and questioned.
Yuan Bayuan showed disdain at this, maintaining a look of profound wisdom, which further angered Li Kairui.
Seeing this, Li Kaixiang hurriedly tried to mediate. He looked at the two and explained, “You two are family, so I won’t hide anything. This Immortal Yuan is my honored guest and my benefactor. It’s good that you’ve come. Let’s have a drink together with the Immortal and discuss the arts of longevity.”
Hearing Li Kaixiang say this, Li Kairui and Ji Dafu immediately felt something was very wrong.
In just a few days, not only had he become thin, but he was also speaking nonsense. Longevity arts? How could he believe such absurd claims?
Li Kairui became even angrier. He stepped forward, pointing at Yuan Bayuan and cursing, “Where did this con artist come from, daring to deceive our family? Don’t you know our Li family isn’t so easily fooled?”
Ji Dafu also spoke up in indignation, “Can’t make a living in the jianghu anymore, so you’ve come here to deceive people? Spouting nonsense about longevity arts, aren’t you afraid of divine retribution?”
Hearing their angry words, Yuan Bayuan remained silent until Ji Dafu mentioned 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 to benefit the common people. I came to help Brother Li with his troubles, yet you see me as so despicable. I fear it’s not I who will face divine retribution, but you foolish people who speak so presumptuously.”
Seeing Yuan Bayuan getting angry, Li Kaixiang hurriedly tried to smooth things over.
“Immortal Yuan, please don’t be angry. These are my brothers. They don’t understand these matters yet. Let me explain to them, and they’ll naturally understand your greatness.”
Hearing Li Kaixiang say this, the anger on Yuan Bayuan’s face subsided a bit. “Never mind, never mind. We who cultivate the Dao focus on self-cultivation and nurturing the heart. We won’t quibble with those who are ignorant.”
“Thank you, Immortal. Thank you, Immortal.” Li Kaixiang bowed repeatedly, behaving like a grandson in front of Yuan Bayuan.
After saying this, he pulled Li Kairui and Ji Dafu outside and spoke in a low voice, “I know you’re worried that your elder brother is being deceived, but please trust me. This Immortal Yuan is no ordinary person. He’s a descendant of the great Master Yuan Tiangan and has extraordinary abilities. He’s also helped me greatly.”
After saying this, Li Kaixiang glanced back into the room. Seeing Yuan Bayuan still sitting on the couch drinking, he lowered his voice again and said to the two, “In a moment, I’ll find an opportunity to introduce you to the Immortal. When you speak, be careful. Don’t anger him again.”
Seeing that Li Kaixiang not only showed no remorse but also had blind faith in Yuan Bayuan, Ji Dafu became thoroughly angry. “Elder Brother, how have you lived all these years? How can you still believe in such things? That man is a con artist. Tell me honestly, did you give him all the money you borrowed from us?”
Seeing Ji Dafu’s rising anger, Li Kaixiang didn’t know what to say. He nodded and quickly added, “But he does have abilities. Moreover, he was introduced by Brother Liu. Even if you don’t believe him, you should trust Brother Liu’s character, right?”
“Liu Zongyuan?” Li Kairui quickly interjected, his expression surprised. “You’re saying this person was introduced to you by Liu Zongyuan?”
Li Kaixiang nodded. Li Kairui was puzzled. Liu Zongyuan had a very good relationship with his elder brother, and from their interactions, he seemed like a decent person.
But why would he use such means to harm his elder brother and swindle so much money from him? It was truly perplexing.
Without further words, Li Kairui and Ji Dafu went next door to find Liu Zongyuan.
When the two questioned Liu Zongyuan, not only did he not show any guilt, but he also gave them a righteous explanation.
“If we’re to speak of this matter, you really can’t blame me. I just mentioned it casually to Brother Li, and he took it to heart.”
“But you shouldn’t have let that con artist repeatedly deceive my elder brother and swindle so much money from him. What do you say we should do about this?”
“That’s not right. Brother Li is a businessman. If he were truly being deceived, he would have noticed long ago. Moreover, Immortal Yuan is indeed a descendant of the great Master Yuan Tiangan. Even if you don’t believe him, you must have heard of Master Yuan Tiangan’s reputation. It’s just that after the establishment of our Great Zhou Dynasty, the Empress ordered the cessation of Taoist practices. But that doesn’t mean talented individuals no longer exist.”
“So what if he has talent?” Ji Dafu complained, full of discontent. “The Empress promotes Buddhism. Taoist alchemy is completely unacceptable. Moreover, if this matter gets out, it will ruin our family’s reputation and might even affect the next generation’s marriages. You knew the pros and cons, yet you still introduced him to my elder brother. Isn’t this setting up my elder brother?”
“Ah!” Liu Zongyuan hurriedly explained, “If I wanted to deceive Brother Li, I wouldn’t be waiting here for you to come and question me. As for Immortal Yuan’s abilities and how miraculous his elixirs are, you can ask Brother Li yourself. He has first-hand experience. After you ask him, come back to me, and see if I’ve harmed him or helped him.”
Hearing Liu Zongyuan say this, the two couldn’t think of how to refute him.
In the end, this matter was a case of one willing to deceive and one willing to be deceived.
Li Kaixiang was a businessman. How could he be so easily fooled by such a person? In the end, it was his own choice.
Helpless, the two could only return home dejectedly. Since they couldn’t reason with either side, they could only think of other ways after returning home.