“Chapter Eight”

"Chapter Eight"

"Wang Kai, Li Pingping, and Xu Cheng watched Shen Wang send a few texts and then do nothing more, all of them wearing skeptical expressions."

"Shen Wang pocketed his phone and looked up to meet three pairs of curious eyes. Puzzled, he said, 'What are you staring at? Let's go, back to the dorm.'"

"Wang Kai: 'That's it???'"

"Shen Wang was also puzzled: 'What else? Did you expect me to personally catch the scammer? That would be a different price.'"

"Wang Kai was momentarily speechless."

"He now deeply felt that he had somehow absurdly believed Shen Wang's tall tales, as if he had been bewitched."

"The other two exchanged a glance, not daring to speak further."

"Fuming inside, Wang Kai kicked at the ground on his way back to the dormitory. Sitting on his bed, his anger subsided significantly, comforting himself internally: at least this time he was only played, not scammed out of money, no financial loss..."

"Li Pingping deeply sympathized with Wang Kai's plight but felt powerless to help."

"From childhood, Shen Wang was known for his vengeful nature. In the orphanage, he was the child no one dared to provoke, appearing sweet and delicate but in reality, a devil in angel's clothing."

"If other kids bullied him, he would fight back even at the cost of getting hurt; if anyone dared to steal his food, he would sneak sand into their meals every day."

"Fortunately, Shen Wang was not only vengeful but also deeply loyal and protective. If he acknowledged someone as his younger sibling, he would go to great lengths to shield them."

"Some detested this trait, but for most kids, it was undeniably cool, akin to the righteous bandits in TV dramas."

"Regrettably, throughout his life, there were only a couple of people Shen Wang acknowledged as his younger siblings."

"Recalling the past, Li Pingping puffed out his chest, approaching Shen Wang who was busy with something, 'Brother, I've transferred two thousand yuan to you. I can earn money now, so you don’t need to give me living expenses anymore.'"

"'Thanks, Ping Ge, you’re so generous.' Shen Wang put down what he was holding, checked the transfer on his phone, indeed seeing a two thousand yuan increase, and patted Li Pingping’s head, 'Brother is broke now. Once we recover your roommate's money, I'll have some.'"

"Li Pingping: '...You’re still thinking about his service fee.'"

"'Isn’t that obvious, it’s twenty thousand!' Shen Wang said with frustration, 'You don’t want me to give him a discount, do you? You’re my brother, but why do you always side with others? I can give him a 1% discount at most, no more.'"

"Li Pingping: '...It’s not about giving him a discount.'"

"Li Pingping: 'Forget it, never mind, as long as you're happy.'"

"Shen Wang looked puzzled at Li Pingping’s weary figure, 'If it’s not about the discount, then what is it?'"

"Children grow up and have their own secrets. Unable to pry further, Shen Wang could only reflect internally, feeling a hint of warmth only when he saw the record of the two thousand yuan transfer."

"Li Pingping has two thousand yuan in savings; does little Yue have any? Shen Wang pondered, but couldn’t bring himself to ask his sister, who wasn't even eighteen yet, for money, so he sighed in regret."

"Turning his attention back to the medicinal herbs, Shen Wang’s expression became calm and serious again."

"To embark on the path of cultivation, one must purify the body, cleansing most worldly impurities to attract spiritual energy. If the body harbors too much impurity, cultivation becomes inefficient and risks the dangers of demonic possession or deviation."

"In the world of cultivation, there were numerous methods for purification, including spiritual liquids, pills, medicinal meals, and even bathing elixirs. Even slightly wealthy mortals could afford these for strengthening their bodies."

"However, the modern world, unlike the resource-rich cultivation realm, had scant spiritual energy and few spiritual plants. Even if they existed, Shen Wang couldn’t afford them now."

"Unable to use spiritual plants for purification, Shen Wang had to rely on quantity over quality, extracting every possible medicinal property through special techniques to create a crude purification liquid. Multiple applications should still be effective."

"And this pile of Chinese medicinal herbs, which had cost all of Shen Wang's savings, was just enough for the first course of the purification liquid."

"'So poor.' Shen Wang looked at the dark purification liquid, downed it in one gulp like a shot of liquor, his demeanor exuding resolve and melancholy, 'I really need to find a way to make money.'"

"But Shen Wang quickly realized his plight: no education, no skills. The methods to make quick, big money were all written in the criminal code."

"Lying down on the bed Li Pingping had made for him, Shen Wang gazed at the old dormitory fan, musing to himself, 'How can I quickly make a large sum of money?'"

"Xu Cheng curiously asked, 'Shen Ge, how much money do you need?'"

"'Not much, just several hundred million or so.' Shen Wang estimated. The purification liquid was just the threshold to cultivation; there would be many more elixirs needed later on."

"What about a breakthrough pill for leveling up? A tranquility pill for stabilizing the mind? An experience pill for doubling cultivation efforts? All of these required raw materials, all needed money."

"Li Pingping gasped, 'Shen Ge, what do you need all that money for?!'"

"Shen Wang glanced at Li Pingping, saying irritably, 'Why are you asking so many questions, kid? Go to sleep!'"

"'No, brother, I…'"

"Li Pingping only managed to utter a few words before he saw Shen Wang closing his eyes and then gradually his breathing became even and calm, leaving him feeling utterly drained, 'You fell asleep, how do you expect me to sleep now!'"

"Xu Cheng, witnessing Shen Wang’s transition from closing his eyes to falling asleep, admired genuinely, 'Your brother's ability to fall asleep instantly is awesome.'"

"The next day, Shen Wang woke up to a chorus of exclamations."

"'Whoa, that's amazing, Li, your wound was bleeding so much yesterday, and it's all healed today?!'"

"'What kind of constitution do you have? Are you China's Superman or something, with incredible healing powers?'"

"'I don't know, I usually heal at a normal rate. I don’t understand why it’s so fast this time…'"

"Amidst the noisy chatter, Shen Wang noticed it was already bright outside the window. Looking at the time, it was already past nine."

"Sitting up and stretching comfortably, Shen Wang rubbed his arm, scraping off a small strip of dirt."

"The purification liquid made from ordinary medicinal herbs was effective, but not extraordinarily so."

"Had it been a fully functional purification pill, his whole body would have been covered in dirt by the second day, expelling most of the impurities, and requiring only one or two more doses to completely cleanse his body."

"But the homemade liquid Shen Wang used showed little change overnight; only long-term use could match the effect of one purification pill."

"Even though he knew this, Shen Wang couldn’t help but feel a bit down for a few seconds."

"'Shen Ge, you're awake,' Li Pingping was the first to notice Shen Wang’s awakening. He pointed at the two meat buns and a tea egg on the table, 'Breakfast is already bought.'"

"Shen Wang, feeling somewhat glum, went to wash up. Passing by the still astonished Wang Kai and Xu Cheng, he commented, 'Stop with the wild guesses. Ping is not a superhero, nor was he healed by kind-hearted aliens in the night. It’s the medicine I gave him yesterday that worked.'"

"Li Pingping: '!!!'"

"Xu Cheng: '!!!'"

"Wang Kai: '???'"

"Wang Kai: 'What medicine? Which pharmaceutical company’s product is so miraculous that it can heal a wound overnight!'"

"Remembering the taste of the medicine he drank yesterday, Li Pingping had a complex expression, 'That was a traditional Chinese medicine concoction made by Shen Ge himself.'"

"Xu Cheng also remembered the strange taste of the peculiar medicine, his expression turning odd as well, 'Li, your Shen Ge is really a hidden master, isn't he?'"

"'Hidden master, nothing. He was just messing with you.' Wang Kai didn’t believe a bit of it, waving his hand dismissively, especially frustrated recalling how Shen Wang had made a fool of him yesterday."

"Just then, Wang Kai's phone suddenly rang with an unfamiliar landline number, and he answered with confusion."

"'Hello, is this Wang Kai? I'm calling from the Public Security Bureau of C City University. You reported a case of fraud yesterday involving a loss of one hundred thousand yuan. The perpetrator has now surrendered, and we’ve recovered your money in full. We need you to come and verify it.'"

"Hearing what the caller said, Wang Kai became instantly furious, 'Damn, are you scammers targeting only me? You even know I was cheated out of a hundred thousand and still have the nerve to call me? Do you scammers have no conscience!'"

"'How can you do such despicable things? Aren’t you afraid of divine retribution? I'm telling you, justice is extensive and inescapable. The police will eventually bring you to justice!'"

"After venting his anger, Wang Kai hung up the phone, feeling surprisingly refreshed."

"Li Pingping and Xu Cheng applauded him, 'Way to go, Old Wang!'"

"'Awesome! That’s how you deal with scammers!'"

"As the mood was heating up, Wang Kai's phone rang again, with the same number as before, 'Hey, this scammer dares to call back?'"

"About to continue his tirade after picking up, Shen Wang, who had just finished washing up, came out and saw Wang Kai, saying, 'It’s not a scammer. It’s actually the police. The person who scammed your money has surrendered, and your money has been recovered.'"

"Wang Kai, about to unleash another tirade on the phone, paused, and a voice sounding somewhat amused came through the line."

"'Wang Kai, I'm not a scammer. I'm the officer who took your statement yesterday. If you're free today, just come to the bureau.'"

"After hanging up, Wang Kai, still in shock, asked Xu Cheng, 'Was he in the bathroom when he called just now?'"

"'Yes.'"

"'The soundproofing in our restroom is good, right?'"

"'Yes.'"

"How did he hear the voice on the phone then? Wang Kai was puzzled and felt that delving deeper might shatter his worldview."

"Shen Wang, not interested in joining the commotion this time, stayed back, leaving only Li Pingping and Xu Cheng to accompany Wang Kai to the police station."

"As they approached the entrance, the trio hesitated, finding the claim made over the phone too absurd to not suspect a scam."

"'Are you Wang Kai?' While they were still in doubt, someone had already noticed them and started to greet them in an oddly enthusiastic manner."

"Following that greeting, a group of policemen in uniform emerged from inside, all eyes fixed on Wang Kai and his companions."

"'Are you Wang Kai? Which one of you is Shen Wang?'"

"'Shen Ge... he didn't come.' Wang Kai, surrounded by a group of police officers, felt a chill despite being a law-abiding citizen who never even ran a red light."

"Help, this feels like the perspective of a thief or a rat."

"Wang Kai sent a pleading look to his roommates, and following his gaze, the police also surrounded Li Pingping and Xu Cheng."

"Li Pingping: '...'"

"Xu Cheng: '...'"

"It was hard not to curse internally."

"After being escorted inside, the trio realized they had been surprised too soon. When they heard that the scammer had surrendered out of fear caused by a few text messages, they were too numb to make any more exaggerated expressions."

"They could only look at each other with numb expressions, finally all turning their eyes to Li Pingping."

"What kind of deity is your Shen Ge, really?"