Chapter 16: The ‘Master’ Shows His Hand

What was the stance of a master?

One should have the proper thinking as such, 'You want me to help you? Sure, but you have to beg me, and once isn't enough. In fact, I'd make you willing to pay any amount for me and you'd have to flinch in fear of my every move. And when I comply, I'd say I'm doing it out of generosity.'

That was the stance of a master.

If Lin Jin were to make big money in a short amount of time, this was the kind of hand he needed to play.

So he stroked on the leopard's head, sighed, and left without a word.

This hand was intriguing.

But also a risky one.

If the person didn't think twice about it, then Lin Jin's actions would come off as idiocy, but on the other hand, if that person saw this as a chance with a great master who was beyond this world, then it would be an entirely different story. As long as they fell for it, Lin Jin would have the upper hand.

Well, Lin Jin was currently idle so he had nothing to lose. If it backfired with Youde, then all he could do was change his target. The worst that could happen was him being called a moron.

He could care less about what they call him, it's not like they aren't already doing it.

As Lin Jin took his tenth step, Qian Youde couldn't help but yell out, "Uh... please stay!"

Lin Jin smirked. A great master walked alone. He wouldn't just stop when you ask him to. So, Lin Jin went twice as fast instead of stopping.

Youde saw this and quickly chased after Lin Jin with his subordinates behind him. He was afraid of losing this opportunity. The main reason that made him chase after Lin Jin was because he saw how effortless it took Lin Jin to tame his pet beast.

Lin Jin took several turns while speed walking at an incredible pace, but Youde and his subordinates were able to keep up.

'That should be enough.' Lin Jin knew he was out of breath. The deed had been done, it'd be best not to overdo it and make Youde lose his patience.

Through the many classic books and works he had read in his modern world, Lin Jin had fully mastered this psychology of grasping the full intent of a person's heart.

Now, without turning back, Lin Jin stopped and asked, "Do you have business with me?"

His low yet confident voice echoed throughout the narrow alleyway, his aloof silhouette stood as the breeze danced by his wild clothes dramatically.

This imagery before Youde reminded him of three words.

A hermetical master.

Although he was exhausted, he was not mad in the slightest, instead, his eyes were lit with admiration. The two subordinates of his were puzzled. They did not understand why their master was so desperate in following a beggar that seemed mental.

"Master Qian, that person is dressed exactly like a beggar, there must be something wrong with his head..." Before one of the subordinates could finish, Qian Youde immediately cut him off, "What do you know? The legendary masters I've read about from biographies are always different from the rest."

"But..."

"But what? Didn't you see how he tamed Jinman by just stretching his hand out? It's not like you guys don't know what Jinman's temper is like. It wouldn't allow anyone besides me to touch it. So just by that, you should know that this gentleman here is special. The two of you don't read, are uneducated, and have no knowledge in any sort of way, so don't interrupt me." Youde waved them away with disgust and belittlement on his face.

The two subordinates secretly insulted him, 'It's not like you read.'

Qian Youde had a few hobbies. They include strolling around with Jinman, making money, and reading novels, listening to novels to be precise. Because in reality, he asked people to read novels to him while he listened.

Because he was illiterate.

But this didn't stop Youde's wild imagination as he was already very certain that he was standing before a hermetical master.

So he did what the books had told and spoke to Lin Jin, imitating the speech used when meeting a master, "Great sir, I, Qian Youde, hereby offer my respects to you."

Lin Jin said to himself, 'Oh? Seems like I've met a cultured man.'

He had an upcoming script and scenes prepared to act out, but it seemed that every fiber in Youde's body had already been convinced.

That was too easy.

He might be surprised, but the show must go on.

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"You followed me because of that leopard, is that true?" Lin Jin said as he kept his voice low and coarse.

"Yes, my pet beast has had some…. minor problems recently. But just now, great sir, you were able to tell most of its symptoms. Why not finish the good deed and give me a solution to it as well?" Youde might have imagined Lin Jin to be a great master, he was not stupid. He kept the symptoms silent on purpose to test Lin Jin, to see whether Lin Jin was as great as he portrayed himself to be.

Lin Jin lowered his voice and chuckled, "Minor problems? This leopard has been eating random things and accidentally swallowed the gall of a flame serpent. Your leopard is a gold elemental pet beast, it's poisonous for it to consume anything fire-related as its level isn't high enough to digest it. Thus, it has been sick and had almost lost its life, is that not true?"

Goosebumps formed all over Qian Youde as he trembled in awe.

All the 'master' did was ruffled and patted on his pet beast's head and he was able to diagnose every detail of its condition. This made his belief of Lin Jin being a great master to become even more solid.

Especially since what Lin Jin said was the same as Chief Wang during his session at the Beast Appraisal Association.

Lin Jin continued, "Nonetheless, it does not seem to be a grave matter since it can be treated with the correct cure. However, the problem is that the person treating it has been giving it random medicines. Though most of the symptoms have been cured by sheer coincidence, its fur loss has worsened. By the looks of it, it may become a bald leopard in approximately two days from now."

One of the subordinates who had been eavesdropping said softly, "Jinman was treated by Chief Wang himself, how dare he say that Chief Wang Ji was treating it randomly?"

The other subordinate shook his head and replied, "But Chief Wang really wasn't able to cure the fur loss..."

Qian Youde heard their conversation, which further confirmed his thoughts of Lin Jin.

"Sir, you have a great eye. Would you happen to know the cure for this?"

Qian Youde would rather hide at home forever than to stroll around with a bald leopard, so he became very desperate.

Lin Jin grew silent, watching if Youde would take the bait.

Youde reflected his silence.

After a while, he caught the drift. He was a businessman after all, he responded well to situations like these.

"Great sir, if you can cure Jinman's fur loss, I will surely offer you a bountiful reward!" Qian Youde promised. Lin Jin sneered as he thought to himself, 'Anyone can say big words and leave without paying. That just happened moments ago.'

He decided to throw in a little more of his act and said, "Fur loss is a small matter, but it would take a great deal for me to cure it... Besides, I have cured many pet beasts in my early days, so I decided that I should retire and travel the world. It would be bad for me to break this decision of mine. You should find someone else to cure it."

He finished and pretended to leave.

Youde started growing impatient.

Although this 'master' was slightly phony, Qian Youde couldn't help but think, 'What if he could actually cure it? Money isn't a big deal for me anyway.'

Qian Youde grabbed a stack of money and walked quickly to follow Lin Jin. He stuffed the money into Lin Jin's pocket.

"Great sir, this is just a little gift of mine. It must be fate that we have crossed paths, so please make an exception for me."

Lin Jin peered at his pocket from the corner of his eye and went over the moon.

Youde was quite generous. That stack of money was at least a couple hundred. Lin Jin would be able to buy a motorcycle in exchange for a bike with the money he had from this business. At the very least, the money needed for the pellet was dealt with.

Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Lin Jin lowered his voice and said, "Ah yes, every encounter is indeed a sign of fate. Since we share this fate, then I guess I will make an exception for today."

After turning around, Lin Jin saw that Youde's subordinates were there the whole time. The two of them surrounded Lin Jin, standing on each side.

Lin Jin smiled.

Qian Youde was not a fool after all. He must be thinking right now that if Lin Jin was a con artist and couldn't cure Jinman, he'd order his subordinates to beat him up and get back the money he offered.

In fact, that was exactly what Qian Youde was thinking.

He was a businessman, so despite having a great imagination, he wasn't a fool, he had to have a plan B.

Lin Jin ignored them as he walked towards Jinman and pressed his hand onto it. Qian Youde did not understand what Lin Jin was doing, which one of his subordinates couldn't help but ask, "Is there no medicine required for the treatment? Shouldn't there at least be a written charm of some sort..."

The subordinate stopped immediately as Qian Youde ordered him to.

Lin Jin suddenly used his finger as a blade to gather spiritual energy and press onto a few major points with supreme accuracy. This was one of the few skills his predecessor left him with, called the 'Spiritual Point Hand'. It was a martial art skill that was often used on pet beasts as a defense during emergencies.

From this inherited skill, with his fingertips full of spiritual energy, in a split second, blood was drawn from multiple holes made on the leopard's body.

Qian Youde became anxious. Was he curing it or killing it?