Chapter Sixty: Unmasking [Seeking Recommendations]

The plan had been disrupted, and now Nangong Zhenyu demanded that the old Taoist awaken Nangong Xue. This left the so-called immortal in a difficult position. Knocking someone unconscious was easy, but to wake Nangong Xue and have her return to normal was far beyond the old Taoist’s abilities. If he truly possessed such skill, he wouldn't need to roam the world as a charlatan.

The old Taoist glared fiercely at Ling Tian, displeasure written across his face. He said harshly, "Young man, if you don't understand, you shouldn't speak carelessly." His tone carried a strong warning.

Ling Tian was unfazed and continued, "Revered Immortal, it is precisely because I do not understand that I come to seek your guidance. Pray tell, why does Miss Nangong remain unconscious? Can you offer us a reasonable explanation?"

The old Taoist stroked his snow-white beard and, feigning profundity, replied, "The thousand-year fox demon is cunning and deep, cultivating by absorbing Miss Nangong’s life force. Even though I have slain the demon, Miss Nangong’s body still requires a long period of quiet recuperation. Before my departure, I will prescribe a remedy. If taken as instructed, within a month she will recover, and I shall return from the mountain to visit her."

With that, the old Taoist turned to Nangong Zhenyu and said, "Prepare paper, ink, brush, and inkstone."

Ling Tian stood aside, watching the show, curious to see what tricks the old Taoist still had up his sleeve.

Nangong Zhenyu was a lover of calligraphy and always kept the finest writing supplies at home. In less than a minute, the servants had everything ready: premium xuan paper, wolf-hair brush, Huizhou ink, and an antique inkstone—apart from the xuan paper, everything bore the patina of age.

The old Taoist dipped his brush in ink and swiftly wrote on the paper. To give credit where it was due, his calligraphy was elegant—classic slender gold script. Truth be told, being a con artist was no simple task; it required cleverness and a variety of tricks, at the very least to put on a convincing facade.

Ling Tian glanced at the prescription and found it utter nonsense. As an expert, he saw that the old Taoist had cobbled together a mess of Chinese herbs at random; the resulting decoction would likely be poisonous. This old fox, in his quest for money, had abandoned even the barest shred of conscience.

Nangong Zhenyu, though somewhat knowledgeable in traditional medicine, was perplexed by the prescription’s thirty-some herbs, many of which he had never seen before. He could make little sense of it.

The old Taoist set down his brush and said, "All right, have the medicine prepared as written. Each dose should be eight qian, simmered over alternating gentle and strong heat for forty-nine hours. Otherwise, its efficacy will be compromised." He stood, shook out his robe, gathered his shattered eight-trigram mirror, horsetail whisk, and sword of coins, and said, "I must leave now, lest I not make it back to the mountain." As he spoke, he coughed violently, and a trickle of bright red blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.

This frightened Nangong Zhenyu greatly, making him all the more convinced that the old Taoist’s life was in danger if he delayed his departure. He hurriedly ordered a servant to fetch a bank card.

Nangong Ye approached Ling Tian and said, "Young Master Ling, you have worked hard. If you have time, let me treat you to a drink."

Although Ling Tian had not actually helped, Nangong Ye still treated him courteously.

"No need for such formality. I didn’t do much; it was all the immortal’s performance," Ling Tian said, putting extra emphasis on the word "performance," his tone sharp and full of sarcasm.

Everyone found his words jarring, especially the old Taoist.

"Young man, what do you mean by this?" the old Taoist said coldly, fixing Ling Tian with a piercing gaze. "Should I take this as a sign of disrespect?"

Ling Tian sneered, "Respect? A swindler who’d risk someone’s life for money—does such a person deserve respect? Deceiving people is one thing, but do you realize that by doing so, you may make the Nangong family believe you’ve cured Nangong Xue, causing them to abandon further treatment?"

The old Taoist felt a chill—could this brash youth have seen through his act?

Before he could speak, Mr. Nangong Mei, who had remained silent until now, interjected, "Boy, this is not your place to speak. If you dare disrespect the immortal again, you will answer to me."

From the first moment he saw Nangong Mei, Ling Tian had disliked her; this woman seemed to be up to something.

Ling Tian walked to Nangong Xue’s bedside, clapped his hands to draw everyone’s attention, and announced, "The so-called immortal you invited is nothing more than a charlatan, using a few cheap tricks to fool you. Of course, I can’t blame you—you’re only acting out of concern for your loved one."

The old Taoist sensed things were turning sour, but he still could not believe a mere youth could expose his tricks. He had traveled the land for years and never failed before.

An Qi, who had been silent, stepped forward and asked Ling Tian, "What about his eight-trigram mirror?"

Ling Tian explained, "It contains a mechanism and a small amount of gunpowder. Activate the device, ignite the powder, and naturally the mirror shatters. Sometimes, all it takes is to pierce the veil of mystery to see that things are nothing but nonsense."

Nangong Ye asked, "And the whisk that sparks with lightning, or the flames he produces—how do you explain those?"

Ling Tian replied, "The whisk conceals a stun baton, hence the sparks. As for the flames—surely you noticed he scattered white phosphorus? It ignites at a low temperature, so fire is easily produced."

Nangong Mei pressed, unconvinced, "Even if you’re right, what about the blood that appeared in midair?"

This scene had deeply shocked everyone, so all eyes turned expectantly to Ling Tian for an answer.

Ling Tian laughed heartily. Under their eager gazes, he explained, "The coin sword is hollow, with a small aperture at the tip sealed with wax. Expose it to an open flame, the wax melts, and the blood—likely pig’s blood, or something similar—oozes out. In fact, I suspect the old man used fox blood, to make it more convincing in case you wanted to test it."

At this, the old Taoist’s face changed repeatedly, for every word Ling Tian spoke was true. The old Taoist even began to suspect Ling Tian was some kind of professional fraud-buster. Still, years of experience allowed him to maintain his composure as he considered how best to escape.

Nangong Mei pressed on, "What about just now, when Xue’er suddenly spoke, and her voice was hoarse—how do you explain that?"

By now, the crowd was half-convinced. Ling Tian’s explanations had been precise, and especially Nangong Zhenyu, whose suspicious gaze had shifted to one of trust and anticipation.

"This old fraud may be a cheat, but he does have some skill, such as using hypnosis. He could make Nangong Xue move her lips while he provided the voice from behind you. To be honest, his acting is excellent—if he became an actor, he’d be worthy of an Academy Award."

With that, Ling Tian turned to the old Taoist and smiled, "Revered Immortal, am I right?"

With every trick exposed, the old Taoist’s composure was crumbling, but he forced himself to remain defiant. "Young man, your talent for storytelling is impressive, but your disrespect has incurred my wrath. Watch as I punish you with my magic!" With a dramatic flourish of his sleeve, a cloud of black smoke erupted, accompanied by a thunderous explosion, sending the room into chaos.

Ling Tian snorted, swung his right hand, conjuring a gust of wind that scattered the smoke, and in a flash blocked the old Taoist’s escape, kicking him back into the room.

"Trying to run? Not so easy," Ling Tian said coldly.

Had the old Taoist not tried to flee, Nangong Zhenyu might have retained some faith in him. Now, however, he was thoroughly disillusioned and immediately ordered men to watch the Taoist closely.

"Mr. Ling, since you saw through this swindler’s tricks, you must be a man of great skill. I humbly beg you to heal my daughter," Nangong Zhenyu said sincerely, bowing deeply to Ling Tian. To receive such respect from the head of one of Yunhai City’s four great families was a rare honor.

Ling Tian hastened to reply, "Master Nangong, I am unworthy of such courtesy. While I could see through the old Taoist’s tricks, I cannot guarantee I can cure your daughter."

Nangong Ye chimed in, "Young Master Ling, didn’t you bring the stone with you? Perhaps you could try it?"

Ling Tian shook his head. "The illness is too severe; the stone will be of no use. Perhaps I can try something else."

When he entered, Ling Tian had already used his spiritual sense to examine Nangong Xue’s condition. It was indeed a case of corpse poison, present for a long time and now spread throughout her body, the yin energy overwhelming. Expelling the corpse poison and yin energy would be easy for Ling Tian, but he wasn’t certain he could do so without harming Nangong Xue.