The Senior Sister finished speaking and felt she had lost her composure. She awkwardly said, "Regarding disciples who have betrayed the sect, Senior Uncle should not bring them up."
Knowing there was something unusual, I quickly put on a smile and said, "In our sect of The Schemers, traitors are as common as autumn vegetables. If we were to list them all, we'd probably need to order a large harvest platter. Let's not bring them up."
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Wang Ren chuckled lightly, "Then we won't mention it. Since we're meeting for the first time, let's have a drink."
Hearing Wang Ren say this, the Senior Sister's expression changed again. "Senior Uncle, I heard you don't drink alcohol."
"I don't drink in front of outsiders, but I do drink a little with family. I prefer red wine."
Upon hearing this, I knew I couldn't just sit there. I stood up, "You two ladies chat, I'll go buy the wine."
"Sit down!" the Senior Sister commanded.
I was puzzled. "Isn't running errands my job?"
"Can you even buy it?"
"Price is the priority, buy the most expensive one."
"I'll go, I knew you wouldn't be able to."
After the Senior Sister left, I looked at Wang Ren helplessly. "Ghost Auntie, you're quite the psychologist. You did that on purpose, didn't you? If Senior Sister found out you don't drink, it should mean you never drink."
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"I don't usually drink, but I do when I'm setting up a scheme."
"Aren't you afraid Senior Sister will eavesdrop again? She's quite skilled at making props."
"It's not that I can't let her hear, but not doing it in front of her would be disrespectful. Besides, I trust she wouldn't eavesdrop on me. And you've already noticed that I have something to tell you, so how could your Senior Sister not? Also, what kind of name is 'Ghost Auntie'? If you're not going to call me Senior Uncle, you should at least call me Teacher Wang Ren."
"Got it!"
…
Teacher Wang Ren wanted to tell me about the matter of the Long-Tongued Ghost. The Long-Tongued Ghost pushing me into a desperate situation was part of a plan. He never expected me to survive. In the Long-Tongued Ghost's plan, I would eventually kill him and fall into the demonic path.
Following that, the Long-Tongued Ghost's arrangement was for someone from "Logical Paradox" to pick me up and rendezvous with "The Mentor" abroad. The Old Ghost was being contained by the Long-Tongued Ghost in Beijing, and the Long-Tongued Ghost believed the Old Ghost would definitely send his most trusted disciple, Qianqian, to rescue me. Therefore, the person picking me up was not just any random Schemer. The person picking me up, nicknamed "Shadow," whose real name was Wang Zi, had parents who were unconventional. Wang Zi grew up in a privileged environment and was proficient in chess, Go, calligraphy, and painting. Wang Zi was an exceptionally intelligent person, learning anything he set his mind to. Medicine, traditional martial arts. After mastering these, he felt a sense of emptiness, always feeling that something was missing in life. Until one day, Wang Zi was deceived.
That was when Wang Zi's life was like a prolonged drought finally blessed with a drenching rain. His mundane life gained a new direction.
Deception!
Deceivers deceive, he deceives (the deceiver)!
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Until one day, he met Cao Shi, the gluttonous ghost. Cao Shi had never met such an intelligent person, so he readily took Wang Zi as his disciple and taught him how to scheme. Wang Zi learned quickly, but he could never meet the Old Ghost's standards, nor could he deceive the Old Ghost. The Old Ghost himself didn't understand why such an intelligent person couldn't grasp the key to the saying, 'All things under heaven are not mine to possess, but all things under heaven can be used by me.'
Wang Zi believed this saying was a paradox. If something didn't belong to him, how could he use it? For example, a firearm used for killing. If he didn't even know how to pull the trigger, what use would the gun be even if he held it? If he couldn't hit the target, what was the point of the gun?
Unable to overcome this hurdle, Wang Zi eventually chose to part ways with the Old Ghost on 'peaceful' terms. He only considered the Old Ghost as a 'teacher,' just like the teachers who taught him chess, Go, calligraphy, painting, and martial arts. When the time for their connection to end arrived, it was time to part ways.
Hearing this, I couldn't help but interrupt and ask, "Teacher Wang Ren, what is the relationship between this 'Shadow' and Senior Sister?"
Wang Ren frowned. "That's a later story. Listen!"
After leaving the Old Ghost, Wang Zi began to engage with "Logical Paradox," learning scheming from "The Mentor" and the Long-Tongued Ghost. Based on the assessments made by "The Mentor" and the Long-Tongued Ghost, they believed 'Shadow' was capable of dealing with the Old Ghost. Therefore, as a specific combatant for "Logical Paradox," Wang Zi, under the guise of 'Shadow,' was specifically tasked with dealing with the Old Ghost.
It was that year that Wang Zi met Qianqian. After they established a romantic relationship, he began to mentally control Qianqian, attempting to harm the Old Ghost. This matter was eventually discovered by the Old Ghost. After saving Qianqian, who attempted suicide, the Old Ghost retaliated in kind, pushing Wang Zi into a desperate situation. Wang Zi, unable to defeat the Old Ghost, suffered a mental breakdown. Of course, once he was captured, anyone could tell he was a complete madman.
Wang Zi was confined to a mental hospital under the guise of a murderer for treatment. Last year, "Logical Paradox" encountered issues. Two of their four great enforcers, X Driver and the Agent, died in Xi'an. The gambler Jin Bengui defected due to financial reasons. The Long-Tongued Ghost was diagnosed with cancer. Many schemes in China were left unmanaged and were subsequently cracked down by the police. "The Mentor," under these circumstances, set up a scheme to rescue 'Shadow' Wang Zi.
Qianqian had been with the Old Ghost for six or seven years. Most people couldn't deal with Qianqian, so the Long-Tongued Ghost had 'Shadow' Wang Zi, who could deal with Qianqian, come to Huhhot to pick me up.
The Long-Tongued Ghost suffered a crushing defeat, and 'Shadow' never appeared.
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Therefore, the Long-Tongued Ghost decided to use the remaining time in his life to set up a scheme and push me to my peak, making me comparable to Schemers like the Old Ghost and "The Mentor."
After listening, I frowned. "Teacher Wang Ren, why did the Long-Tongued Ghost go to such lengths? I heard he has difficulty eating and is not long for this world, yet he still sets up schemes."
"Li Jiu is also a pitiful person. He loved painting since childhood and spent most of his life immersed in his own world. Learning from Teacher Wen De, he finally connected with the real world and had a woman he deeply loved. However, fate was unfair. When he acknowledged that love, his beloved left him, and from then on, he had no connection to the human world. You find him very powerful, but in reality, he is the loneliest person in this world."
"Sigh."
I could only sigh along. Compared to these people, I was just a gullible fool, someone the Old Ghost pulled back from the brink of death. I couldn't experience loneliness. My mother's half-hour nagging twice a week is enough to keep me from being lonely. As for Chang Dachun, he needs me to account for things monthly, calling me a partner, though I never thought of profit when I invested.
Then there are the two from Xi'an, who talk about business operations whenever they have time. Huang Aiguo is doing alright; the restaurant's profits and losses are settled at the end of the year. Jiang Cheng's e-sports club constantly asks me for money, like a con artist.
Can I be lonely living this kind of life?
No. I can't understand it.
"I've studied criminal psychology my whole life. Only when I reached retirement age did I conclude that most high-IQ criminals lack real-life experiences. In the seemingly unbreakable mysteries of impossible crimes they concoct, they often fail due to trivial daily matters and emotional entanglements. Now, Old Jiu understands this principle too. Back when we were learning from Teacher Wen De, Teacher Wen De told us to interact more with people and socialize more. The Eldest Senior Brother didn't go, staying home to serve him. He often scolded the Eldest Senior Brother. On the other hand, Little Ten, with his runny nose like a dog, searched for good food everywhere, utterly unschooled, yet Teacher Wen De doted on him. Although Little Ten ultimately refused to be a Schemer of this era, he has now become an irreplaceable Schemer. Even in his teaching philosophy, he is starting to approach Teacher Wen De, otherwise, he wouldn't be teaching an ordinary person like you to become a Schemer."
I knew I was ordinary, but when others said it, I felt indignant and strongly argued, "I'm not ordinary, I'm very capable too!"
"'A hint of wisdom amidst ordinariness, but lacking a bit of ferocity in true combat.' That's Old Jiu's evaluation of you. He also said that in this final scheme, he will force out that missing bit from you. Otherwise, you'll meet 'The Mentor' and die."
"Forcing me again? What's the point?"
Seeing my indignant expression, Wang Ren laughed heartily. "The steamed buns are getting cold. Why hasn't the girl who went to buy wine returned? When she gets back, I'll tell you all about this scheme."
…
I went out to find the Senior Sister. Wang Ren said that the Senior Sister sensed he had something to tell me, so she was delayed, and asked me to go check on her. Seeing me, the Senior Sister would naturally return. But as I walked out of the restaurant, I saw the Senior Sister facing a man with a cold expression. The man was in his early thirties, with a stylish beard and deep-set eyes. He looked at the Senior Sister with a slightly melancholic gaze. "In college, you used to laugh a lot, often until you couldn't breathe. Why have you become so cold now?"
"Wang Zi, after three days, one should look at people with new eyes. I am no longer the Qianqian of the past. You'd better stay away from us."
"I was sick during those days. As soon as my treatment showed some results, I regretted what I had done to you. I always thought that past pain should be erased and forgotten by time. Our reunion, a conversation, a cup of tea, and seeing your sincere smile again would be the happiest thing in my remaining life."
The Senior Sister pursed her lips. This Wang Zi was quite formidable, with a unique style, wielding gentleness as a weapon. I walked over and took the Senior Sister's hand. "Let's go, Teacher Wang Ren is waiting for his red wine?"
Wang Zi wanted to speak to me, but I turned and made a shushing gesture at him. "We are all Schemers. We'll settle it in the game."