Chapter 940: Loss of Faith
Seeing that Old Master Lu had suddenly stopped breathing, the “new son” panicked and let go, exclaiming, “This can’t be blamed on me, right?”
Chen Shi darted forward, snatching the knife and twisting the man’s arms behind his back. “Stay put!” he ordered.
He then called KK and Sun Zhen over to watch the “new son.” KK delivered a swift kick to the groin, causing the “new son” to crouch down in pain. Chen Shi admonished, “Why’d you hit him?”
“How else do you subdue someone?” KK replied matter-of-factly.
“Just pin him to the ground. Honestly…”
Wang Haitao was shaking the seemingly lifeless Old Master Lu, tears streaming down his face. Chen Shi approached to check on him. As soon as he placed his hand near the old man’s nose, Old Master Lu suddenly opened his eyes and sat up, his arrogance returning. “Damn it, you cops are useless! If I hadn’t put on this act, who knows how much more I’d have suffered!”
“Huh? It was an act?” Chen Shi was stunned.
“What, you were hoping I’d die?” Old Master Lu glared at Chen Shi. “Help me rest a bit.”
Soon after, more police arrived and took everyone into custody. Liao Chunhuang struggled as he was led away, while his subordinates obediently lined up. All the ritual tools were seized as evidence.
Chen Shi finally had the chance to inspect the scene. Behind a pillar, he found a hidden control room with a console covered in buttons for lights, smoke, sound, and projections. Pressing a button triggered the corresponding effect at the altar.
“It’s like a stage play, quite the production,” Lin Dongxue remarked. “We should have Old Master Lu take a look so he knows he’s been scammed.”
“Let Wang Haitao handle that. Let’s go say goodbye,” Chen Shi said.
In the lounge, the old Daoist was lecturing Old Master Lu, “Seeking immortality is misguided. Life and death are preordained. Emperors and generals throughout history have failed to achieve immortality, so how can you, a mere merchant, hope to succeed? The universe is divided into three realms for a reason. Life on earth is a school; if you excel, you ascend to the heavens as a deity. If you fail, you descend to hell as a laborer. After the Yellow Emperor died, a dragon took him to the heavens. Any person of virtue can ascend after death. There are now over five trillion deities, living just like us. Deities are our term for them; figures like Barefoot Immortal and Taibai Jinxing are officials among the deities. When you arrive there, you will be an ordinary deity, able to marry, run a business, eat, drink, and even gamble. There’s no exploitation there, everyone is wealthy, and there’s no illness or aging. So, cultivating immortality is the right path!”
Old Master Lu listened with shining eyes, patting Wang Haitao’s hand. “I’ve been fooled for so long by that fraud. I should have met this true Daoist sooner. I’ll leave the company to you, and I’ll cultivate with the Daoist. When I ascend, I’ll expand our business to the heavens and become the richest there. What do you think, son?”
Wang Haitao could only offer a bitter smile. “That sounds great, Father.”
The old Daoist continued, spitting words passionately. Old Master Lu was so engrossed that he didn’t notice Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue enter. Wang Haitao saw them and stepped out. “Mr. Chen, you saved us again. I don’t know how to thank you!”
“No need for thanks. I can’t accept it anyway,” Chen Shi replied.
Wang Haitao glanced back into the room. “Although this old Daoist is also a scammer, he’s better than the last one. People need something to believe in, especially someone like my father.”
“Keep an eye on him. Don’t let this scammer lead him into trouble.”
“This time it won’t happen. My father’s health is declining. I just want him to spend his remaining time happily.”
“Take care, Mr. Wang.”
“Thank you!”
On the way back, Lin Dongxue mused, “Modern people lack faith. From Old Master Lu’s experience, I see that even a flimsy belief can be meaningful. It makes facing the void after death a bit easier.”
“Do you think there’s nothing after death?” Chen Shi asked.
“What else could there be? Once the brain stops functioning, thoughts can’t exist.”
“I don’t see it that way.”
“You don’t?”
“People once believed in gods because the world was full of mysteries, leading them to think a higher power created everything. Now, people don’t believe in gods because we’ve been to space and explored the depths of the ocean, finding no evidence of divine palaces. This mindset is similar to that of ancient people, meaning that one day, what we believe to be true might be overturned. What is the real truth? Our imaginations are limited to concepts like aliens, higher dimensions, and time travel, much like ancient people imagining gods. The true unknown is beyond our comprehension. If everything we believe today were overturned, including atheism, then what about gods?”
Lin Dongxue laughed, “You should become a great scammer too!”