No one expected that Master Liu Ling would try to feign a swoon without even bothering to refute the accusations.
Would these businessmen really let such a fraudulent qigong master get away with it?
Of course not.
Almost immediately, a portly businessman with a beer belly lunged forward and kicked Master Liu Ling.
Whatever admiration he had for Master Liu Ling before was now replaced by hatred for this so-called master, who was clearly inviting his own demise.
Not only was he a swindler of money, but he also attempted to deceive them about his identity and status.
Looking back at the qigong performance after it was exposed, it was nothing more than a sham.
Under these circumstances, it was quite restrained of some hot-tempered individuals not to have beaten him severely on the spot.
Even Chen Aiguo, his face flushed red, disregarded his role as the organizer of the gathering and would have taken action long ago. Whom better to swindle than a businessman like him with a rugged personality?
Truth be told, Chen Aiguo was so enraged at that moment that he nearly suffered a severe ailment.
He had initially thought he was bringing great honor to himself by inviting a qigong master.
Indeed, many of the entrepreneurs and businessmen at this gathering believed in qigong.
Having such a renowned qigong master from Wanghai grace his gathering – what was that if not giving him face?
But who could have foreseen this? It was all a hollow charade.
Without hesitation, and giving the man no chance to feign unconsciousness, he ordered his subordinates to escort the master away, his face ashen with fury.
"Now, Master Liu Ling, do you have anything else to say?"
"I truly never imagined you would dare to swindle me. It seems you have no regard for your own life!"
Having been exposed publicly, what else could the master say?
However, he was trembling at that moment.
Why? Because he had also heard of this man's reputation.
He had genuinely made a fortune in the energy sector, and that wasn't just about being good at business.
Were these not all ruthless individuals? Offending him meant offending someone formidable, a powerful man with a fiery temper.
Therefore, Liu Ling's sole thought at that moment was to beg for mercy quickly, hoping the other party would dismiss him as if he were merely a passing fart, allowing him to escape unscathed.
"It was my fault, all my fault!"
"I shouldn't have been blinded by greed and deceived all you bosses. It was all my mistake. Please, Boss Chen, please let me go?"
With a thud, he fell to his knees on the hard floor tiles. At this moment, Liu Ling couldn't even be bothered to offer any further excuses.
Being exposed in front of everyone, and with his prior claims being so easily debunked, he understood.
He knew that his past successes were all thanks to the qigong craze.
Once exposed, the downfall would be complete. In the years since, there had been no shortage of so-called qigong masters whose lies were revealed, and none of them had met a good end.
"Let you go? Then where would I put my face?"
Chen Aiguo certainly wouldn't let him off so easily. It was just that they were in Wanghai.
If this were in Jìn Shěng, he would have had countless ways to make this person disappear permanently from this world, all legally and legitimately.
This kind of person was truly detestable.
"Old Yu! You discovered this matter, and you exposed it. Tell me, how should we deal with this so-called master!"
Chen Aiguo turned his head, his gaze shifting to Yu Zhou.
Even his address to Yu Zhou had changed.
Previously, he had addressed him as "Boss Yu" repeatedly, but now he called him "Old Yu." This signified that he had completely accepted Yu Zhou as one of his own.
Yu Zhou saw nearly all eyes in the room turn to him, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of amusement mixed with helplessness.
Truthfully, even at this point, he hadn't intended to get involved.
The qigong craze, even in the coming years, would persist.
Whether he exposed one fraud or not wouldn't affect the bigger picture.
If the person hadn't targeted him, hadn't prescribed that obviously harmful medicinal soup for him, Yu Zhou would have been too lazy to bother.
Unfortunately, this Master Liu Ling had specifically targeted him, and worse, intended to harm his health while swindling his money.
That was something he could not tolerate.
"Escort him to the public security bureau! How they deal with him is up to them!"
"We are law-abiding citizens."
Yu Zhou didn't hesitate and spoke his mind.
If it were up to these businessmen, this individual might have suffered unimaginable beatings before even being sent to the police station today.
However, Yu Zhou was too lazy to haggle with such a swindler.
It wasn't due to his inherent kindness, but rather because he felt there was nothing to boast about in dealing with such a person.
Liu Ling at this moment was not the super qigong master who would later chat and laugh with countless influential figures, nor was he a so-called social elite.
Wasn't his premature demise before achieving success pathetic enough? Yu Zhou felt he had no inclination to kick a man while he was down.
"Alright, we'll do as you say and send him straight there."
Chen Aiguo gave Yu Zhou a look of gratitude, stating that this was the best course of action.
Indeed, if not for Yu Zhou today, it was likely not just him, but a large group of people at this gathering would have been swindled.
Undeniably, among this large group, a significant portion might have knowingly allowed themselves to be deceived.
But there were also those like him, who genuinely believed he was a qigong master and had sought to humbly learn, only to discover he was merely a fraud.
The more these people were, the more enraged they became. They had genuinely believed they could cultivate qigong and prolong their lives.
But in the end, they discovered the man was just a con artist seeking money. Who could stomach that?
Therefore, Chen Aiguo was sincerely grateful to Yu Zhou today.
Because if it hadn't been for Yu Zhou, he would have lost all face.
However, he was unaware that even without Yu Zhou, they wouldn't have been disheartened or lost face upon discovering they had been deceived later on.
Why? The reason was simple: it wasn't just them who were being deceived; almost all businessmen and influential figures were being swindled.
When everyone was in the same boat, there was no shame to be had.