247 – Tricks

Early in the morning, Mr. Bai readied himself for his usual walk. Outside of his servants, he kept to himself. He trusted no one but himself and Buddha. There were people who wanted him dead, enemies whom he had trampled on and blackmailed to attain his wealth and power. 

As he walked outside, his bodyguard walked closely. His bodyguard had been with him for over fifteen years. 

The small temple he helped to fund was visible from his villa. Within 10 minutes, he arrived at the stone steps guarded by two giant stone tigers. Nearby the temple courtyard, he heard laughter from the neighbors.

The neighbors were typically wealthy elites, but the older generation still visited the temple daily. From the front steps of the temple, they seemed to be discussing something with excitement.

“Oh my, that’s so impressive!” The ladies complimented.

“Young man, do it again,” an elderly man pleaded.

The group of elderly surrounded the caretaker dressed in an off-white and dirty jumper suit.

“All right,” Li Yun agreed, revealing a rose out of thin air. Many magic tricks were simple with a bit of preparation. Some looked even more impressive than his actual ability. While x-ray visions and creating antibody was useful, it wasn’t entertaining.

“Are you a magician?” The excited group of elders asked. They all knew it was a trick, but it was fun to see.

“Just practicing during my spare time.” Li Yun figured that since he was rather dexterous, might as well learn a few magic tricks. Magic was simply another method of deception and misdirection.

“What else can you do?” asked the elderly man.

“I can read a person’s past,” Li Yun replied.

“Really? Let me try, what do you see?”

Li Yun studied the elderly man’s face. Having greeted him earlier, he knew the overall state of his health. He had early stages of alzheimers and was beginning to feel troubled by it. However, he had kept it a secret from his kids in fear that they would move him into an assisted living home.

“Mister, you had a serious accident when you were eight or nine that gave you multiple rib fractures,” Li Yun told the elder. “You’re a poor eater, preferring to eat high gluten content meals and meat. You hate all sorts of vegetables, except for carrots. Lastly, I know you’re worried about your health, but it isn’t good to leave your children in the dark.”

The elder reacted when Li Yun mentioned his kids. He simply nodded.

“Memories are important to have,” said Li Yun. “If there’s anything you don’t want to forget, maybe now is a good time to write them down and record them. And talk about your concerns to your doctor.”

The elder was surprised by Li Yun’s suggestion, but remained silent.

“Ooh, oohh, how about me?” asked the elderly lady.

The elderly lady appeared to be healthy, but her body was progressively deteriorating. People naturally died, and her life of extravagance had burned out much of her jing. It wasn’t to say that her life was wasted, she didn’t seem to regret her life decisions.

Li Yun simply smiled at her. “It’s not the parent's responsibility to build up karma for their children. The best you can do for your descendent is to leave behind a legacy they can follow. You’re planning to donate everything you have to the temple, are you sure that is a good idea?”

“Huh? How do you know what’s in my will?” asked the lady.

“I suggest you talk to your children about this,” said Li Yun, who had heard her complaining about her kids from afar. “If they are caught surprised by your will, there will be unnecessary consequences in the future.”

Family fighting over inheritance was so common and had broken many families apart. Li Yun had seen it happen in the apartment, where even the decision to sell collectibles tear a low-income family apart. Imagined an inheritance worth millions. How many families had been torn apart because of poorly designed will?

“What should I do?” the lady asked, unexpectedly pulled into Li Yun’s words. Although she knew it wasn’t magic, she still wanted to consult with him.

“Meet with your children to discuss your plans,” said Li Yun. She may not have a lot of time left. 

Watching from the entrance, Mr. Bai thought the caretaker had good mentalist ability. He was too used to seeing parlor tricks and illusions, but even he wanted to see what Li Yun could see.

“Young man, try it on me,” Mr. Bai requested.

Li Yun turned to Mr. Bai. “Elder, can I hold onto your hand?”

Mr. Bai nodded and approached Li Yun, from behind, the bodyguard watched Li Yun carefully. After touching Mr. Bai’s hand, Li Yun pretended to read his palm, but was looking at the darkness covered in Mr. Bai’s dantian. The darkness was influencing his health, but Li Yun wasn’t sure if it would continue after his death and how it would affect his children and descendents.

“Mr. Bai, you were a judge?” Li Yun began, his phasing was slow, but he sounded cautious.

Mr. Bai’s narrow jaw clenched upward as he thought about Li Yun’s question. There was something about the gardener that was off, but he nodded to confirm. 

Everyone else laughed. “Everyone here knows Mr. Bai was a judge!” 

“I can see Mr. Bai is a man that worries a lot about world affairs,” Li Yun continued, his voice speeding up quicker than usual. “Not only are you considerate, you’re a very generous man! You have constructed a beautiful temple, have made so many contributions to mankind, and uphold justice, so I can see the gates of the heavenly palace in your future path!”

The neighbors surrounding them laughed, but they nodded in agreement. The former judge had a very good reputation amongst them.

“Young man, everyone knows that, what else can you see?” They asked.

“Well, it’s the end of my break,” Li Yun responded. “Back to work.”

“Isn’t today your last day? I’m sure no one will care if you take longer breaks.”

“Yes, but it’s going to be the weekend and it will be more difficult for Guhu when he returns next Monday.”

The neighbors left him alone to work on collecting the yard debris around the temple. 

Mr. Bai felt that Li Yun urgently wanted to leave as soon as possible. He wondered what had prompted the change in the gardener. He decided to ask later after everyone returned home.

Near the end of the day, Mr. Bai approached him and asked if he was free.

“Um… I am done for today,” Li Yun reacted timidly.

Mr. Bai finally felt fear coming from Li Yun. The gardener was afraid of him, which was odd. Ever since he retired to the community, everyone considered him to be good natured. Unless, the gardener was afraid of him for a different reason.

“I heard from the neighbors that you have been working hard, come, I’ll get you some tea,” Mr. Bai invited Li Yun to sit by the temple pavilion.

As the neighbors have returned, only Mr. Bai, Li Yun and the bodyguard remained.

“When you were reading my palm, you were holding back a bit?” Mr. Bai asked.

Mr. Bai knew most psychics worked by gathering information from the neighbors and other data sources. People were gossipy by nature, and liked to talk about themselves and others. Mr. Bai had scrubbed most of the information about himself on the net, but he wondered what the neighbors had been saying behind his back.