"Temptation herb?"
"Yes, our boss said that a memory also represents a temptation, hence the name."
I smelled it for a while longer, then, afraid I wouldn't be able to resist eating it, I carefully tucked it into the inside pocket of my coat and said, "If this stuff were made into perfume and applied to the body, wouldn't it be like a gaseous aphrodisiac? We could sell it to those rich ladies and charge them ten thousand dollars per ounce..."
Li Tianrun: "..."
I then realized that my conversation partner was a bit awkward; strictly speaking, we were enemies. To try and establish a connection, I said, "Besides Li Tianrun, what else can I call you?"
Li Tianrun said helplessly, "Just call me Li Tianrun. It's just a code name. My other identity is a clerk in the propaganda department of a certain government agency."
"No wonder you speak so formally. If being a clerk isn't good enough, why are you fighting with people like that?"
Li Tianrun seemed somewhat lost in thought, unsure whether to speak to me as one of the Eight Heavenly Kings or as a modern clerk. Of the two reincarnated individuals I've met, both he and Baojin possessed somewhat dual personalities. Baojin was somewhat better, as he was more of a free spirit, while Li Tianrun seemed to be suffering more. I knew that a lowly bureaucrat like him, who would meticulously record even five cents borrowed from someone, could suddenly transform into a ruthless, bloodthirsty man, requiring multiple steps to accomplish a task, as if two separate battles were raging. And since both had lived for over 30 years, it was difficult to determine who was superior. Judging from his neat and meticulous attire, Li Tianrun likely still had a family.
He remained silent for a long time before finally sighing, "That's fate!"
I said, "What are your plans regarding the feud with Liangshan? Do you really have to wipe them all out again?"
Li Tianrun rubbed his temples and said, "I don't know myself. When I first 'woke up,' I just felt hatred. But after I met Zhang Shun, I realized that I hadn't killed anyone in over 30 years, and I was finding it hard to do it. You know he's no match for me, but at the time, all I could think about was my daughter. What would she do if I killed someone? There aren't any good schools in our area, and I still have to worry about the tuition fees for her school."
I chuckled: "Didn't your boss pay you?"
Li Tianrun said, "I don't want to be shot either."
I asked, "So, do you regret changing back?"
Li Tianrun said the same thing again: "Sigh, that's fate." Then he looked up at me, staring intently, hesitating several times as if he wanted to say something but couldn't. I didn't know what trouble he had to tell me; it seemed difficult to speak. So I took out my phone and dialed a number for him. As you know, my mind-reading ability is quite advanced now, and it even supports image display. What I saw on the phone screen was a huge battery...
I told him, "I'll return the battery to you next time you go to Yucai."
Li Tianrun then stood up and let out a long sigh of relief...
As soon as Li Tianrun left, I called the heroes and told them I had a way to restore Wu Song's memory, and that I was coming over immediately. The heroes were overjoyed to receive this news, but Fang Zhenjiang and the others had already finished work for the day. Zhang Qing and Dong Ping vowed to find a way to keep Fang Zhenjiang there tomorrow. They were happiest to have found another brother, but I was more concerned about the duel. Sending Wu Song would increase his chances of winning, giving us the upper hand and keeping the situation under control. Fortunately, the medicine's effects wore off quickly, so it shouldn't delay the duel.
Just then, Sun Sixin returned carrying a heavy bag of loose change. When I looked at it, there was indeed half a bag of coins. Sun Sixin was a very considerate friend. He probably guessed that I was going to use this money to disgust people. The coins he got in return were all tattered and worn, showing how hard he had worked. It was almost heartbreaking to see.
I checked the time and it was almost time, so I shoved all the money into my bag, tied it shut with a rope, and carried it out the door. Sun Sixin followed behind me and said, "Brother Qiang, should we get a couple of people to come with you?"
"Why are you keeping me company?" I said, lifting the sack on my shoulder. "If anyone tries to steal it, I can swing this sack at them and either kill them or seriously injure them. It's more useful than a brick."
Halfway there, a clap of thunder sounded in the sky, and then large raindrops began to pelt down. By the time I reached the restaurant entrance, the rain had almost formed continuous streams. I considered waiting a while before going in, but the rain showed no sign of stopping, so I pulled my coat over my head, shouldered the sack, and rushed towards the restaurant door. But just as I stepped inside, the doorman, who was sheltering from the rain, shoved me in the chest and yelled, "Go collect junk somewhere else!"
I threw the sack at him and yelled, "I'll bury you in money!"
The doorman stumbled from the impact, opened the sack, and stared in disbelief. Just then, the foreman arrived; he'd seen me yesterday. He said obsequiously, "Mr. Xiao, Young Master Jin is already waiting for you." He glared at the doorman, then offered to help me with the sack. But he had to rest every few steps, like a pregnant woman about to give birth. This pretty boy was truly useless.
I said with a smile, "Let me do it. You can't even carry the money."
I hoisted the sack onto my shoulder. I spotted Jin Shaoyan in the distance, walked over, and slammed the sack onto a nearby chair with a loud thud, drawing the attention of the surrounding diners. I grabbed a few tissues to wipe the rain and sweat from my brow and sighed, "Damn, I'm exhausted."
The supervisor, with his hands hanging down, said, "Mr. Xiao, shall I take your clothes to the back to dry?"
I tossed my coat to him, sat down casually opposite Jin Shaoyan, and grinned at him.
Jin Shaoyan knew he was doomed again when he saw me from afar. His face turned green, and he quickly pulled out the document proving the termination of the contract and held it in front of my nose, saying, "I've brought what you wanted. Give me the money, and we'll call it even and go our separate ways."
Trying to run? No way!
I politely pushed the contract back, patted the sack next to me, and said, "Let's count the money first!"
Jin Shaoyan bowed his head like a Japanese man and respectfully placed the contract on my side with both hands: "No need to count it, I trust you!"
I picked up the two pieces of paper and threw them at him, saying, "I don't even trust myself. Let's count them, so you won't accuse me of underpaying later."
By this time, the restaurant was getting busier, and because of the rain outside, many people who were originally going home changed their minds and decided to eat there instead. Normally, the environment here is indeed very elegant, but today it was so crowded that it resembled a roadside food stall. The restaurant owners couldn't exactly kick people out, and they were extremely busy.
Jin Shaoyan looked at the large group of people around him, then solemnly pushed the contract towards him, almost crying as he said, "I really believe you, I will never hold you accountable later, I can sign a guarantee for you right now..."
I waved my hand and said, "What kind of talk is that? It's better to settle things face to face—500,000, right?" I pulled out a bundle of 10-yuan bills from the sack and counted them loudly, "One, five, ten, fifteen, twenty..."
Jin Shaoyan finally slumped helplessly in his chair, his once-neat short hair now looking like leftover dough stuck to his head.
At first, our actions didn't attract much attention. But when I placed the tenth bundle of banknotes on the table, people finally noticed us and started looking in our direction, remaining silent. Gradually, this influenced those around us. When everyone realized something was amiss, the entire hall fell silent, save for my rhythmic counting of the banknotes: "Seventy-five, eighty, eighty-five, ninety..." Out of habit, many people's lips moved slightly as they counted along with me.
When I counted down to 100, I slammed the stack of money on the table and said, "This is 1000 yuan—"
...Later I also discovered a problem, which is that counting money like this is really tiring. Although there were hundred-yuan bills, there were also one-cent and one-cent bills. I counted several thousand ten-yuan bills, which only amounted to tens of thousands of yuan, and my right thumb was rubbed raw, and my hand was sore.
Damn, I should have exchanged less change. This is what they call reaping what you sow!
Jin Shaoyan sat there numbly, occasionally glancing around, his eyes darting about.
In the short time it took to glance at him, I completely forgot how many I had counted to...
As you all know, I'm not good with numbers. When I was little, other kids could count on their fingers even if they couldn't count, so I tried to do it too. But in the end, I couldn't even tell which ones I had counted on and which ones I hadn't. It was terrible.
I looked up, dumbfounded, and asked the sky, "How many have I counted to?"
To my surprise, several people around me said in unison, "Sixty-seven thousand eight!"
Chapter Seventy-One: Medicine
Then, with everyone's reminders, I counted the remaining money. Whenever I forgot to count, I could always get the exact answer just by looking up; our teamwork was quite seamless.
Of course, they didn't know what had happened; they just thought it was exciting and fun to count money together with a large group of people in a restaurant.
But when I got to 300,000, I just couldn't keep going. I'd only counted the five-yuan notes, and the sack was mostly filled with small bills and coins. If I were counting by myself, it would take me until the opening of the 2008 Olympics.