Chapter 96: The Money-Scamming Old Beggar, Found
Chapter 96: Chapter 96: The Money-Scamming Old Beggar, Found
The morning’s training session was over.
Lin Yi and Zhou Qi were eating lunch.
Then, Zhou Qi lowered his voice. "Lin Yi, be honest with me. Are you and Shen Mengyi dating?"
"Of course not. The Martial Arts exam is just around the corner. Women would only slow the speed of my blade..."
Lin Yi shook his head, smiling as he joked.
Zhou Qi shot him a look. "You might not be interested, but she clearly is!"
"She keeps sneaking glances at you, even while she’s eating!"
At his words, Lin Yi subconsciously turned his head.
At a table not far from them,
Shen Mengyi and a few other female students were sitting together, eating.
From time to time, she would secretly raise her head and look in Lin Yi’s direction.
The moment Lin Yi turned to look at her, their eyes met.
Lin Yi didn’t look away. Instead, he smiled and nodded at her.
Shen Mengyi, however, blushed and quickly lowered her head...
"See? You’re not interested, but she is."
"But don’t say I didn’t warn you. It’s best if you don’t get involved with that Shen Mengyi in any way!"
Zhou Qi said, lowering his voice.
"Huh? Why?"
Lin Yi paused, asking curiously.
Zhou Qi glanced at him and said with a smile, "Plenty of guys are chasing Shen Mengyi. She’s the school beauty of Fifth Middle School, so she’s not lacking for suitors!"
"And I heard she has a pretty badass older brother named Shen Yuzhe. He’s a Martial Arts genius with incredible talent. He got into a Martial Arts University three years ago!"
"He’s a total doting older brother. During every holiday, while other people are doing part-time jobs, going on a Demon Hunt, training with the army, or heading to a Restricted Area..."
"Guess what he does?"
Lin Yi shook his head. "What?"
"He rushes back from the New District to take his sister out to eat, drink, and have fun. Plus, he finds every guy who pursued Shen Mengyi while he was away and ’invites them for tea’ one by one!"
"Anyway, don’t go messing with her. There’s no need to bring that kind of trouble on yourself!"
After Zhou Qi finished speaking,
Lin Yi, however, was a little puzzled. "I thought you weren’t allowed to just come and go from the New District once you’ve entered?"
"Who told you that? You’re just going to the New District, not to prison. What, they’re not allowed to go home?
"You do need a pass, though. As long as you have one, you can travel freely between the New District and the Old District!"
"Once you get into a Martial Arts University in the future, you’ll understand all this!"
Only after Zhou Qi finished explaining did Lin Yi understand.
He lowered his head and continued to eat.
Just as he was halfway through his meal,
his phone vibrated in his pocket.
Lin Yi took it out and saw it was a call from Lei Hu.
Ever since their last meeting outside the Demon Hunting Institute where he got the Golden Light Fist,
he hadn’t been in contact with Lei Hu for a long time.
Lin Yi answered the call. "Hello? Brother Hu, what’s up?"
"Boss, where are you? Get to Nanshan Park, quick! I found that beggar!"
"Beggar? What beggar?"
Lin Yi paused, asking back in confusion.
"The beggar who sold me that... Qi Transformation Technique! Hurry up and come..." Lei Hu’s voice was anxious.
But the look in Lin Yi’s eyes changed.
He had indeed told Lei Hu to let him know if he ever ran into the beggar who sold him the Star River Qi Transformation Technique.
According to Lei Hu, that old beggar had more than just that one book.
There was another one called something like ’Corpse Collection’.
And from practicing the Star River Qi Transformation Technique, he had discovered it was an incredibly profound cultivation technique.
’If I could find that beggar again and buy a few more books from him...’
’Regardless of whether they were cultivation techniques or martial skills,’
’they would probably be treasures.’
"Okay, I’m coming right now. Keep him there for me!"
"No problem, I’ll be waiting for you here..."
After Lei Hu finished speaking, Lin Yi hung up the phone.
"What’s wrong?"
Seeing that Lin Yi was about to leave, Zhou Qi quickly asked.
"Senior Brother, I have to go out for a bit. Something’s come up. Can you help keep an eye on the afternoon training?"
"I’ll try to be back as soon as I can!"
After saying that, Lin Yi ran towards the changing room.
After changing his clothes, he hurriedly took the elevator downstairs.
It was then that Shen Mengyi approached Zhou Qi.
"Senior Brother Zhou Qi, where did Senior Brother Lin go? He seemed to be in a real hurry!"
Zhou Qi shook his head. "Who knows what he’s up to. He just said something came up and he had to go out. I guess he’ll be back this afternoon. If you want to spar, I can practice with you!"
"No, no, that’s okay. I think I’ll just practice my basic fist techniques this afternoon. No sparring!"
Shen Mengyi quickly shook her head, rejecting Zhou Qi without a second thought.
This made him give an awkward smile, and he didn’t say anything more.
「Leaving the Martial Arts Hall.」
Lin Yi hailed a taxi on the side of the road.
"Driver, to Nanshan Park!"
"Alright..."
The driver nodded and headed straight for Nanshan Park.
The journey wasn’t long; it only took about ten minutes or so.
Lin Yi paid the fare, got out of the car, and walked into the park.
It was noon, and the park was bustling. Young men and women sat by the man-made river, talking and laughing.
Some elderly people were in the small woods, playing instruments and singing.
There were also young parents playing with their children in the park.
Xinghai City during the day was a stark contrast to the night.
Only during the day was Xinghai City filled with the lively atmosphere of mortal life.
But when night fell, everywhere would become cold and deserted.
Accompanied by danger, fear, and death...
"Brother Hu, I’m at the park entrance. Which way do I go?"
Lin Yi took out his phone and called Lei Hu.
"Boss, just follow that road straight ahead. I’ll wait for you by the roadside.
"Don’t worry, the old beggar is asleep on a bench. He’s not going anywhere!"
Lei Hu said hurriedly.
With that, Lin Yi hung up and continued walking down the main path from the entrance.
After about ten minutes, he saw the tall and burly Lei Hu in the distance.
He was looking this way with an anxious expression.
When he saw Lin Yi, he started waving his arms and shouting loudly.
"Boss, over here, over here..."
A man in his thirties, built like a brick shithouse,
was flailing his arms and yelling over there.
The key thing was, the "Boss" he was shouting for was just a high school senior.
This caused many people nearby to give them sideways glances.
Some even subconsciously wanted to move away from Lin Yi.
’The thing was, Lei Hu didn’t exactly look like a good guy...’
Lin Yi hurried over to Lei Hu. "Alright, stop shouting. Anyone who didn’t know better would think we’re criminals making a contact.
"Where’s the old beggar?"
"Boss, follow me!"
After saying that, Lei Hu headed into the small woods behind him.
Lin Yi didn’t overthink it and followed right behind him.
There were also some long benches in the woods for tourists to rest on.
The park’s environment was beautiful and pleasant, with a man-made lake in the center.
A dozen or so small boats drifted on the lake, carrying tourists who were chatting and laughing.
A gentle breeze blew by, carrying the fresh scent of flowers and grass.
"Boss, that’s the old beggar who tricked me out of my money back then!"
They hadn’t walked far when Lei Hu pointed to a person lying on a long bench not far away.
He looked quite old.
His hair and beard were completely white, and his face was etched with the ravages of time.
His clothes, however, weren’t very tattered, completely different from what one would imagine a beggar to wear.
He was wearing a black jacket, but it was very dirty.
A pair of jeans, whose original color was no longer discernible.
On his feet was a pair of sneakers that had turned somewhat yellow...
Lin Yi and Lei Hu approached the old beggar.
They noticed that the clothes he was wearing looked dirty and old.
However, there was no unpleasant smell.
His hair and beard, in particular, looked as if they were regularly groomed.
He didn’t have the scruffy appearance of a typical beggar or homeless person.
"Hey, old man, my boss is here. Stop pretending to be asleep!"
Just as Lin Yi was about to speak,
Lei Hu unceremoniously shoved the old beggar.
and spoke in a very harsh tone.
The next moment, the old beggar, who had been lying there with his eyes shut tight, slowly opened them.
When he saw two people in front of him,
the old beggar seemed to get a huge fright. He quickly curled up his legs and shielded his head with his arms.
He stammered, "Don’t, don’t hit me, don’t hit me..."