chapter 5 magic charms salesman
Words : 1586
Updated : Oct 8th, 2023
Three beauties were stunned, staring at Andrew Qi in silence, not knowing why he suddenly blurted out such a statement.
But Andrew Qi was not speaking without purpose, previously, he had noticed Viola Su's furrowed brow, so he had the dragon spirit Ulysses use its divine consciousness to check on her, discovering that Viola Su was carrying resentment, indicating that someone close to her might have been entangled by a resentful spirit.
Ghosts do exist, but they are inherently weak and cannot harm people, only resentful spirits have the potential to injure someone.
But for Andrew Qi, wasn't this also a business opportunity knocking at his door?
Moreover, Viola Su looked like a naive and innocent girl. Solving her worries and making some money in the process wouldn't be bad either, as he still needed to prepare many materials for the next step of qi cultivation.
As expected, Viola Su's eyebrows twitched, and she couldn't help but ask, "Andrew Qi, what do you mean by that?"
"Forgive my bluntness, but may I guess if something strange has happened to your family recently?" Andrew Qi asked tentatively, feeling like a poor charlatan.
"How did you know? My mother—"
"Viola Su, don't listen to his nonsense!" Belle Tang felt that Andrew Qi was mostly trying to attract her attention with his ramblings, but she did not want Viola Su to be sad. Something indeed had happened to the Su family recently, it was said that her mother had entered a sanatorium due to depression, and despite being treated by specialist doctors, her condition had not improved. Viola Su was also exhausted from worrying, and it took Belle Tang and Rachel Ni a lot of effort to persuade her to come out of the hospital to relax.
Wouldn't it be a waste of all their efforts if Andrew Qi brought up her painful memories?
Therefore, Belle Tang immediately turned her anger towards Andrew Qi, "Andrew Qi! Enough is enough! Who do you think you are? To actually spout nonsense to Viola Su is really too much! If you keep this up, I might just ignore you!"
"Exactly, Andrew Qi, if you want to catch Belle's attention, this method won't work! Lying and boasting are despised by girls the most!" Rachel Ni shook her head and said.
Andrew Qi didn't mind being despised and continued, "My ancestor was a well-known geomancy master, and I know a thing or two about geomancy and charm arts. If I'm not mistaken, the person in your family who encountered evil is your mother, and you saw her today, right?"
"How did you know?" Viola Su seemed to believe him somewhat.
"Because there is sinister energy lingering within you. However, my peach wood charm is very effective in exorcising ghosts and breaking evil. If you trust me, you might as well give it a try," Andrew Qi offered opportunistically.
"Viola Su, you're a university student after all, how can you still believe in fortune-telling and talisman drawing? Moreover, you've already bought quite a few so-called consecrated talismans, and they haven't seemed to work... You should listen to me, find some psychiatrists for your aunt, and don't go after these useless superstitious practices," Belle Tang persuaded Viola Su while threatening Andrew Qi with her gaze to stop.
"Belle, I—I had no other choice, my mom kept saying she saw an old ghost woman, and now she's in the hospital, unable to eat or sleep, being in a state of extreme panic. In just a few days, she has been tormented beyond recognition, and I see that the doctors are helpless, I am just clutching at straws here!" Viola Su hurriedly explained.
"Ah... if you want to buy charms to expel ghosts, at least find someone reliable. How does this kid resemble a geomancy master? He's clearly a little swindler!" Belle Tang did not expect that Andrew Qi would unexpectedly not listen to her today, could it be that this guy was adopting a new strategy of pursuing her?
A little swindler?
Hearing this, Andrew Qi was not pleased, as a master of the art of talismans, being called a little swindler was damaging to his reputation. Therefore, Andrew Qi directly played his trump card and raised his voice, "Uncle Tang, it's true that our family has a heritage of geomancy masters, isn't it?"
"Yes. Andrew Qi's ancestor was a very skilled geomancy master and also a successful candidate in the imperial examinations. The Volong well famous at the foot of Qingtai Mountain was chosen by his ancestor," Bert Tang just happened to come over at this time to call Andrew Qi and the others to eat, inadvertently acting as a promoter.
"It's just a well, what's so remarkable about that?" Rachel Ni said, firmly set on belittling Andrew Qi.
"I've heard that the well hasn't dried up for hundreds of years, nourishing the local people and allowing them to live without worries about food and clothing, which should be considered a remarkable achievement," Viola Su, that girl, actually spoke something true.
Additionally, her speech was like pearls, and her voice was pleasant, making hearing her talk a kind of enjoyment.
"Right! You should know that the ways of heaven are unpredictable, wars, natural disasters, and epidemics, are unimaginable calamities to ordinary people, being able to support a local population with just a well, that's a great feat and a great skill! Although I am a soldier, I agree with the view that it's easier to kill than to save lives, killing thousands in battle is not as commendable as ensuring a local population is well-fed," Bert Tang, with his broad knowledge and vision, naturally couldn't be compared against a young girl like Rachel Ni.
"Andrew Qi also said he can draw talismans, don't tell me Uncle Tang, you believe that too? All this talk about evil spirits and ghosts, it's all fake, right?" Rachel Ni said.
Once several people were seated at the dining table, Bert Tang then continued, "Rachel, the existence of ghosts and spirits is elusive, even Uncle Tang dares not make a definite judgment. However, your Uncle Tang has indeed witnessed some extraordinary and even magical powers that surpass those of ordinary people!"
"Did you hear that?" Andrew Qi said to Rachel Ni and Belle Tang, "Uncle Tang is someone with real insight! The many mysterious and magical powers you have not seen do not simply cease to exist! ― Viola, would you consider buying a magic charm from me to experience it?"
"You're actually selling charms?" Bert Tang looked at Andrew Qi in surprise.
"Dad ― you just found out! He's trying to scam Viola out of her money!" Belle Tang huffed, appearing somewhat playful when angry, which made Andrew Qi involuntarily think of her as a child.
"How can you call it a scam?" Andrew Qi said earnestly, "Uncle Tang knows that the geomancy charms from our family are passed down from our ancestors, they are guaranteed to be useful."
"Your ancestor was a famous geomancy master, I know that, but whether your charms are effective, I can't guarantee!" Bert Tang said with a smile, thinking he almost became Andrew Qi's promoter unwittingly.
"That... Andrew Qi... Master Andrew, can your charm really cure my mother? How much is it for one?" Viola Su didn't know if it was a desperate attempt for a cure or her intuition telling her to trust Andrew Qi, but she was actually ready to buy a charm from Andrew Qi to see if it works.
"Twenty thousand for one."
Andrew Qi didn't ask for an exorbitant price, not wanting to scare his first customer away, but seeing the murderous look from Belle Tang and in front of Bert Tang, he had to take a step back, "How about this, you give me a deposit of two thousand first, and if it works, then give me the rest of the money ― remember, Southwest Associated University male dormitory building 6, room 403."
Bert Tang originally also felt it wasn't appropriate for Andrew Qi to sell a charm for twenty thousand, but since he took a step back and only asked for a deposit of two thousand, it wasn't too much a price to ask for, considering the Su family group had assets worth several billion, and two thousand was just pocket money for Viola Su. A small amount of money among youngsters was harmless.
Moreover, Bert Tang was actually curious whether Andrew Qi really had knowledge about geomancy charms, so he did not stop this transaction.
Everyone has a sense of curiosity, and Bert Tang was no exception.