A Valiant Life

There was quite a lot of time until the shop renovation works would be completed. Fraud Tian had nothing to do and he occasionally came to have a look at the shop. He would chat with the renovation workers and brag about things.

Outside the shop.

Elder Dog Nicholas had been looking after his doghouse. Suddenly, he raised his head and charged forward.

Lin Fan had appeared on the streets. When he saw Elder Dog charging towards him, he praised, “Not bad, Elder Dog. You know how to greet me.”

Elder Dog Nicholas barked continuously as if he was elated.

When Fraud Tian saw Lin Fan, he smiled, “The renovation works are really fast. I think it should be completed in no time.”

Lin Fan nodded and asked, “Not bad. Sir, how long more will you need?”

It wasn’t because Lin Fan wanted to start work quickly. It was because he wanted to stop worrying about the renovation works.

“Soon. I think I’ll only need about three more days,” said the renovation manager. The project wasn’t a major one and there were two workers, which hastened the works.

*Ding ding!*

Suddenly, the phone rang. It was a call from Bai Ke. Lin Fan wondered what the situation was like with him.

Bai Ke sounded extremely happy over the phone, “We succeeded! We succeeded!”

Lin Fan was also elated when he heard him. “What did you succeed in?”

Bai Ke replied, “Our shop finally has business! We’ve changed our restaurant’s concept. Now, we sell rice dishes. Our online sales reached almost three thousand servings. Furthermore, people gave us good ratings!”

Lin Fan was stunned. He hadn’t expected Bai Ke to start selling rice dishes but it was a pretty good choice. “That’s pretty good. Do a good job and you’ll definitely be rich in the future!”

“Young Fan, thank you so much. If not for you, I wouldn’t be in such a good state.” Bai Ke had called Lin Fan just to tell him about the good news. He was extremely ecstatic.

The restaurant was extremely worn down and he wasn’t able to cook other dishes properly. After discussing with his wife, they decided to sell rice dishes. Also, they created a platform online. It was well-received and business was booming. He would surely be extremely busy in the future.

Bai Ke was so happy that he could even laugh in his sleep because he could finally step out of his past.

Lin Fan also congratulated him and they hung up after chatting for a while longer.

Lin Fan was extremely happy too, after witnessing his good friend leading a happy life.

Fraud Tian asked curiously, “Who called? You look so happy.”

Lin Fan laughed but the laughter was short-lived. He was stunned.

How can it be? The mission wasn’t even completed but there was a notification sound…

Was it a hallucination…? But the sound felt so real.

“The sixth task has been completed. Encyclopedic Points will be increased by 20.”

“Unlocking the seventh Encyclopedic task. For it’s the seventh page of knowledge, a specialty of someone close to the host will be chosen.”

“Wang Ming Yang’s friendship with the host is timeless. Although he isn’t around, relevant Encyclopedic knowledge will be unlocked.”

Lin Fan was extremely stunned when he heard that. What does that mean? Even though I came to a place with so little people, it didn’t work? It even mentioned ‘timeless friendship’. Why not ‘timeless love’?

D*mn!

Wait, what does Wang Ming Yang know?

He had never asked that question before.

“Wang Ming Yang has a deep and meaningful friendship with the host. Hence, the Gambling classification will be unlocked. (along with the Encyclopedia’s mystical boost)”

“Task: To become the revered Master Lin.”

“Reward: Encyclopedic Points +20 and the ability to unlock the eighth page of knowledge.”

“Note: Since it is a small class of knowledge, there is no need to be involved in the profession.”

“Current Encyclopedic Points: 72 points.”

The notification ended. Lin Fan felt as if his head was getting hotter and hotter. It was as if someone had poured hot water on him.

Suddenly, everything that he had didn’t matter anymore. Lin Fan was more worried about how he was going to complete it.

The Encyclopedia gave him gambling abilities but still wanted him to be a revered Master Lin. Didn’t it just want him to gamble? It was impossible for people to still respect him after losing all their money to him.

It looked like this mission was going to be a difficult one for him.

Furthermore, this knowledge classification couldn’t earn him extra Encyclopedic Points. Even if he could teach others, he wouldn’t do it. It would definitely implicate the lives of others.

Fraud Tian looked at Lin Fan who was standing there idly. He curiously asked, “Why do you look so sad? Your expression is so serious.”

Lin Fan was stunned and he looked towards Fraud Tian. “Nothing much, I’m just thinking about something.”

Then, Lin Fan suddenly called Wang Ming Yang.

“Hey, tell me. What are you good at?”

Over the phone, Wang Ming Yang was stunned. “What do you mean?”

Lin Fan sighed, “I’m asking if you have any specialties other than gambling.”

Wang Ming Yang replied, “Don’t malign me, I don’t even gamble!”

“Alright, stop acting dumb. Just tell me. I’m prepared for it.” He suddenly thought he should make friends with some professors in universities or even scientists.

In the past, he had been trying to avoid Fraud Tian. But now, it looked like he had to avoid Wang Ming Yang too.

Wang Ming Yang didn’t understand what Lin Fan meant. But he thought about it for a moment. “Nothing much. I only drink, womanize, gamble and smoke. I’m not good at anything in particular. I’m just courageous, meticulous, gentle and kind. Nothing else.”

Alright! Nothing else needed to be said. At least gambling skills were still useful. If he had to learn Fraud Tian’s back-scrubbing skills, he’d probably be crying now.

“Alright, that’s all. Carry on with your work.”

Wang Ming Yang was completely clueless. He didn’t know what this brother of his was up to. It felt like something was wrong and he had to pay him a visit soon.

After hanging up, Lin Fan sighed.

Then, someone appeared. “May I know if you are Master Lin?”

Lin Fan looked at the man. He looked a little depressed, as if something bad had happened to him.

“I am, what’s up?” Lin Fan asked.

The man looked pretty young. He was in his thirties and his outfit was normal. However, there was something wrong with his facial expression.

The man spoke gently with a hoarse voice, “I heard you’re extremely good at fortune-telling. I want to find out what I should do in the future.”

Lin Fan was stunned. It was the first time he had been met with a request like this. Then, he shook his head. “You have to depend on your own choices. Everyone has their own way of thinking and it will determine their lives. Therefore, I can’t help you with that.”

The man raised his head and looked at Lin Fan. In the end, he nodded and left.

Fraud Tian looked at the back view of the dejected man. “There’s something wrong with him.”

Lin Fan nodded, “I guess so. I briefly read his fortune just now. He has a complicated fate.”

Fraud Tian curiously asked, “What do you mean by a complicated fate?”

“It’s just like he could lose his life anytime with his choices,” Lin Fan replied.

…

Fraud Tian followed that man to a nearby hospital. He was still suspicious as to why he had come to the hospital. But he had been moved by Lin Fan’s words. As the saying goes, saving one’s life is more meritorious than building a seven-floor pagoda for a dead person. Since he had met that man, he was curious and wanted to find out what had happened.

At the doctor’s office.

Fraud Tian stood outside and suddenly, the people inside started to converse.

The doctor said, “Her illness can’t be treated. You should stop wasting money on treating it.”

There was a long period of silence.

The man replied, “I know I’m wasting my money but I’ve already sold everything I had and I borrowed a lot of money. I can’t ever pay off my debts. If I were to stop her treatment, I really don’t know what to do anymore.”

The doctor sighed, “Let’s go have a look at the ward.”

At the ward.

There was a weak and frail-looking woman lying on the bed. Her eyes were shut and she looked like she was in a deep sleep. There was a three-year-old boy sitting beside the bed.

The boy immediately came over to hold his dad’s hand when he saw him.

The man carried the boy and looked at the person on the bed. He looked extremely dejected. Then, he turned to the boy. “Xiao Dong, when your mom leaves us, we have to go and beg for food on the streets…”

The boy’s eyes widened and he replied innocently, “Dad, I don’t know how to beg for food. What should I do?”

Fraud Tian was extremely stunned and he wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes. Then, he quickly rushed back to the shop.

…