Chapter 247 - Reacquaintances (1/2)

“Come on, this is MY rate. An honest one to boot!” I glowered at Lu Shengnan with tremendous exasperation. “What makes you think the rates charged by swindlers and hustlers are the correct ones?”

Only Lu Shengnan seemed to misunderstand me. She was thinking I was being too courteous. “Wow, I’ve known you for so long, Shiyan. This is the first time you’re so soft-spoken! I’m not a complete amateur! I know the market rates for exorcising spirits! They usually charge at least tens of thousands!”

Edelweiss and I broke into fits of laughter. “And were they effective?” “Urm…” Lu Shengnan stuttered, “Well, I know at least that those Huang Li went to were useless. Otherwise, she would never be forced to come to you. She had looked for more than ten of them, having spent hundreds of thousands for nothing!”

Wow, so being a swindler could still be such a lucrative calling, I almost burst into another fit of guffaws. I was pondering on ways to explain to a thickheaded Lu Shengnan when the door swung open suddenly and Chongxi’s voice came from outside, “Of course swindlers would charge higher! They don’t know if they’d be able to find another target before their money runs out! It’s call insurance!” He walked in, plump and stocky as he was with a slender and tall Xiao Yu following in tow. In his hands, he was carrying plastic bags of food.

Lu Shengnan looked at Chongxi. Obviously he remembered Chongxi this short guy and he screamed, “You! We met before! Do you remember me?” But Chongxi could only gape at her with a puzzled look on his face.

Knowing Chongxi, I introduced him and Xiao Yu to Lu Shengnan again. He must have long forgotten about Lu Shengnan, considering the last time they met it was during a dinner where he would have most likely reserved his attention to the food and Lu Shengnan then was present with a group of girls.

Chongxi and Xiao Yu took their seats and began eating. Xiao Yu was not much of a chatter, but she was attentive to detail. Time and again, she would pluck out slices of meat from her rice box to offer it to an oblivious Chongxi, who never stopped inhaling his food.

My head shook at my friend’s laughable antics and I turned to Lu Shengnan. “As you have heard, those who demand astronomical rates are most likely swindlers. They will slaughter any gullible prey with zero mercy. But we are the real deal. We would never charge exorbitant rates and at times, we even help people out of charity. Because we believe in karmic retribution.” Chongxi burst into stifled giggles, his head rising from his rice box with grains of rice stuck on his face, sniggering. “Remember the 1.2 million yuan that the foolish charlatan almost sold his life for?”

“Right on,” I chuckled at him and said, “Oh, yeah! I met the guy at Mount Changbai!”

“Huh?” Lu Shengnan interjected dubiously and I told her the tale about the swindler who had now become a tour guide to demonstrate how we charge our clients.

Lu Shengnan slapped her thigh and said, “All right! So you’d be coming with me later in the evening?” I rolled my eyes at her unbridled fervor. “Wait up. You have yet to tell me about the condition at Huang Li’s house. How else would you expect me to prepare?” “But she did not tell me anything about her house?” Oh, for the love of the gods, I groaned. But a confident Chongxi quipped, “Have no fear! Since when have we met with any problem that we had failed to handle?”

“But Lin Feng’s not back yet, I’m afraid,” I said, “Shouldn’t we wait for him?” As if on a cue, from outside the door, came Lin Feng and Yuanyuan’s voice. “You were not there,” Lin Feng was saying just outside the Center, “If only you’d seen Big Sister Lan’s sword telekinesis magic…” Chongxi and I looked at each other. Talk about impeccable timing. Obviously, Lin Feng must be bragging about his experiences to Yuanyuan again.

“Quit gloating out there, Lin Feng! Come in quick!” I yelled at the door. Hearing me, Lin Feng came in, wearing a broad grin on his face. “Your hearing must be really good to hear me from outside!” Then he saw Lu Shengnan and he hurried over to greet her.