Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Li Zhongping saved his own life because of a small act of kindness.
That day, on a whim, Li Zhongping gave a few coins to an old beggar in the subway. To his surprise, the old beggar returned a coin to him, insisting that he keep it on him for protection.
Later that day, there was an accident at the construction site.
At the moment of the incident, Li Zhongping was bending down to pick up the coin that had fallen to the ground. Just as he stood up, the steel structure behind him collapsed, turning into ruins in an instant, and he narrowly escaped disaster.
Since then, Li Zhongping had been searching for that old beggar, convinced that he was no ordinary person—perhaps even a deity.
Finally, one day, Li Zhongping spotted the old beggar in a narrow alley. He immediately took out all his savings and handed them over.
To be honest, at that moment, Li Zhongping felt like he was in the presence of a living Buddha. However, the old beggar replied, "There are no living deities here; I am just an old beggar."
The old beggar refused to accept the money and returned it all to Li Zhongping, saying that even if it were given to him, he would not have the fortune to enjoy it.
Seeing that he would not accept his generosity only strengthened Li Zhongping's belief that he had encountered a divine being. After returning the money, the old beggar made a request: if Li Zhongping truly wanted to repay him, he should treat him to a meal.
Li Zhongping was taken aback by this suggestion but thought that since he had already given away his money, what was a meal worth?
The meal the old beggar referred to consisted of two chicken legs, a serving of peanuts, and two bottles of cheap white liquor.
The old beggar was thoroughly satisfied with this simple feast, devouring it with gusto and spitting crumbs everywhere; at that moment, he looked nothing like a deity. Seeing him enjoy his meal so much, Li Zhongping struck up a conversation.
As they chatted, Li Zhongping asked the old beggar if he could tell fortunes or predict the future. The old beggar dismissed this notion and insisted that he could do none of those things and did not acknowledge having given him a coin or two bottles of liquor that day.
After several rounds of drinks, the old beggar opened up and said he could tell Li Zhongping a story. Perhaps after hearing it, Li Zhongping would understand something important.
The story took place in 1990 when he was still the owner of a hotel with considerable wealth.
However, just as he was riding high on his success, he suddenly encountered a competitor.
Someone opened a more upscale restaurant across from his hotel, stealing away most of his business. Watching the bustling crowd at the restaurant while his own hotel remained desolate filled him with jealousy and resentment.
To turn the situation around, he sought the help of a renowned local Yin-Yang Master—Mr. Huang. However, after hearing his plan, Huang shook his head vigorously, refusing to agree. He claimed that what he intended to do was to cut off someone’s livelihood and was against the natural order, which would bring about misfortune.
At that time, he was quite wealthy and threw down 10,000 yuan on the table without hesitation.
In that era, 10,000 yuan was no small sum. Upon seeing the money, Huang's eyes lit up, and he revealed a so-called "secret technique" to him.
This method was said to be extremely malicious, capable of ruining someone financially and leaving them unable to recover for eternity.
The method required finding a beggar's broken bowl and burying it at the entrance of the rival restaurant on the 15th day of the lunar month.
It was said to be a technique from the Cursed Scroll that could quickly bring a profitable establishment to its knees, even forcing it into begging.
Later, he and his assistant Liu Buzhu found a beggar and offered 100 yuan to buy his broken bowl. To his surprise, the beggar refused to sell it, clutching it tightly as if it were a treasure and insisting he wouldn’t part with it.
In the end, he pulled out 500 yuan, but the old beggar remained unmoved, as stubborn as a turtle with a stone in its mouth—completely resolute. Finally, he simply turned over and went to sleep.
Both men were infuriated by the old beggar's obstinacy. They rushed over and began to beat him up while cursing him for being ungrateful. In the end, they snatched the broken bowl without paying a single cent.
Afterward, he felt ashamed of their actions and muttered some curses before hastily leaving with Liu Buzhu.
However, the old beggar seemed unfazed. Sitting cross-legged, he said, “Today is the full moon of the 15th day of the lunar calendar. What you are doing is against heaven’s will and utterly immoral! The principles of justice are clear; those who harm others will ultimately harm themselves. I advise you not to stray down this wrong path; otherwise, you will meet your own demise.”
The old beggar spoke in riddles, each word seemingly laden with meaning. Yet at that moment, he couldn’t absorb any of it; his heart was consumed by jealousy and hatred, having lost all rationality.
That night, under the cover of darkness, he and Liu Buzhu dug a hole at the entrance of the rival restaurant and buried the broken bowl.
To his astonishment, this tactic seemed remarkably effective; by early morning, the owner of the rival restaurant had been arrested by the police for provoking trouble.
Three days later, the restaurant was sealed by the court due to other disputes.
Although it seemed satisfying to see this happen, he couldn't feel happy because his own business remained desolate.
Not long after, he was beaten up for offending an Street Boss.
However, at the moment he was curled up on the ground, he finally understood why he had fallen so low.
He saw the owner of the shop across from him standing with Huang Lao, and it was clear that the other party had offered a higher price to deal with him.
From that point on, he fell into despair, ultimately losing everything—his wealth, his family—and became a beggar.
During that time, he encountered an Old Beggar who took him in as a disciple.
After more than ten years of learning, Li Zhongping listened to the Old Beggar's story and was left in a daze, marveling at how much experience this Old Beggar had.
Once the Old Beggar finished his tale, he let out a loud burp and leaned back against his bedding to lie down.
Seeing that the Old Beggar was not inclined to chat further, Li Zhongping thanked him again and prepared to take his leave.
As the Old Beggar lay on the ground, he leisurely said one last thing: "A good deed will surely be rewarded; an evil act will inevitably bear fruit!"
Comment 0 Comment Count