"Fengyuan forcefully pulled Laogong out of the night pot."
It crashed onto the bedside table with a thud.
Laogong moaned in pain, his face and eyes showing even more disarray, his head still struggling and twisting.
"Laogong, if you go back inside, you're telling me that Wu Bing and Mao Xiansheng are right, that you're avoiding something." Fengyuan bit her teeth tightly and let go of her hand.
Laogong's head shook twice, and he didn't go back into the night pot.
He seemed extremely embarrassed and deeply distressed, with a look of entreaty.
I furrowed my brow slightly and said in a low voice, "Laogong, you better speak the truth."
Laogong understood my attitude very well.
Laogong shook his head and then coughed, as if clearing his throat.
"Miss, you see, my lord is right. Life can't always be smooth sailing, without any bumps and twists, it would be boring."
"And just say about this old thing in my belly, hasn't it also made people cover their hats?"
Fengyuan: "..."
I: "..."
Laogong, realizing his embarrassment, added one more sentence: "Taking a woman is taking a woman, but the old Ma as a diviner has nothing to say about it. But you think about it, how much emotional value have you brought to my lord, how many important reminders have you given in critical moments? People can't just live their lives looking at the astrological signs; they need hearts."
"So... Ma San's astrological signs are indeed real, and I have been fooling myself all along?"
"Why did Sheng Shen accompany me in self-deception?" Fengyuan murmured.
"Hmm... Can't seem to wrap my head around it."
"Sacrificing is sacrificing, only by giving up can one gain. Miss, you're too young to understand this." Laogong was getting anxious.
"I'll leave." I spoke in a hoarse voice.
Laogong seemed to be greatly relieved, but after going back into the night pot and emerging with half his head, he cautiously peeked around.
"Laogong used to lie before, but now he won't lie, he's a teacher." Fengyuan said earnestly.
"I..." I tried to speak, but the knot in my brow remained unresolved.
"I don't want to talk about it anymore. There are so many things to do, and I'm a little tired." Fengyuan smiled weakly.
She lay back down, turned over, and faced away from me.
I, on the other hand, felt a slight sense of relief.
"There is a gain for every sacrifice, and I know what I gain and what I willingly let go."
After saying the last sentence, I lay down.
A sleep without dreams...
When I woke up the next morning, the sky was just starting to lighten up, and a little white light was coming through the windows.
Fengyuan was still asleep.
I got up carefully, making no noise, went to wash and brush my teeth, and Fengyuan was still asleep. Only then did I leave the room.
There was a slight dew on the Chinese medicine drying in the yard.
Wuling sat on a small stool, in front of him was a whetstone, he was sharpening an axe.
The knife was extremely sharp, as if it could easily cut through gold or split stone.
"I am a mountain person who goes up to collect medicinal herbs." Wuling did not turn around, his tone sounded low due to the friction caused by sharpening the knife.
"Si Guo Mountain is not always home to Daoists who descend the mountain, most Daoists spend most of their time studying Daoism in the mountains. Only when someone is seeking enlightenment will Daoists come down."
"The time is not fixed, nor is the number of people, the purpose is to train one's heart. Similarly, they will also handle all sorts of affairs below the mountain."
"Three days ago, there happened to be a Daoist who descended the mountain and stayed at Zhenxin over there."
"He is currently repairing the eaves of the houses in town, as Mr. Mao requested, you need to be noticed."
"From the village of Si Guo to the west, about a tens of miles, there is a village. About three months ago, an incident occurred where a father and son who make a living by collecting medicinal herbs killed eight people in their village."
"The Daoist is also trying to gather this information, but he doesn't know it as thoroughly as I do. I am friends with the father and son, we have climbed cliffs together and picked medicinal herbs together."
"The people who were killed, it was because they received a dowry and got married, but within a week they divorced. The dowry was not returned, so they negotiated to return 80% of it, originally it was given 3 million yuan and was to be returned 2.4 million yuan. But when the divorce certificate was obtained, the woman did not recognize it, and even the father and son went to argue and even had the woman's family beat them. It was so unreasonable."
"Anger filled their hearts, and evil grew in their bones. The father and son sharpened their axes, killing eight people in one night, not even the chickens in the yard were spared."
"Then, the old father hanged himself at the door of the woman's family, and the son drowned himself in a well."
"This matter, on the surface, seems to have been resolved with the father and son committing suicide out of guilt and the legal punishment being imposed. However, it only brings an end to the visible aspect, that is, the law."
"The matter has far from been resolved. The father and son would wander the village every night, knocking on doors, saying they were suffering."
"Even calling the police is useless; the police won't encounter them."
"You go and handle this matter first, don't let Mr. Mao be disappointed."
Wuling turned his head, his face was full of simplicity.
A chill ran through my heart.
On the surface, Wuling is a mountain person who makes a living by collecting medicinal herbs, ordinary and simple. However, is he really as ordinary and simple as his appearance?
He may not be as ordinary and simple as his appearance.
I... I'm just someone who suddenly appeared before Mao You San.
Wuling, however, cannot possibly be someone that Mao San You brought out at the last moment.
He must have been living here for a long time.
Could it be that Mr. Mao has some plans for Si Guo Mountain?
"How long have you known Mr. Mao?" I asked.
"Yes, for quite a few years." Wuling's simple face showed a touch of gentle smile.
"Don't ask any more questions, go and do what you should do. Don't let that Daoist take the lead, otherwise, many arrangements will be passive and troublesome." He said seriously.
I exhaled slightly and looked at the door again.
I didn't bring Laogong with me.
In fact, Mr. Mao has mentioned to me that bringing Laogong with me wouldn't have a significant impact.
I left him here mainly because I was afraid something would happen to Fengyuan.
I left Wuling's house and walked directly towards the west.
As for the Daoist mentioned by Wuling, living in Zhenxin Town, I was curious about it, but I didn't go to see.
During the process, I passed by a shop with rolling steam and had a hot breakfast.
Not long after, I left the town and continued westward.
After walking for about an hour, I had covered a distance of about 10 miles.
The village I saw ahead had a wooden sign at the entrance, which read "YaoShi Village".
At the village entrance, it was lively with a variety of small stalls selling all kinds of medicinal herbs. Cars came and went, and people were bustling about.
The information that Wuling had told me before seemed to be much clearer, but he didn't say how to solve this matter specifically.
Catching the ghosts of the father and son, to perform a purification ritual?
Could this matter be so simple?
I just roughly estimated it and didn't consider this method as the only solution.
After killing people and seeking revenge, committing suicide, people should have gone down, but still wandered in the village, which is not reasonable.
My intuition tells me that the information Wuling mentioned is also not complete, and it may be a kind of validation on Mr. Mao's part.
I casually walked through the village entrance, glancing at the vendors.
These were not drug dealers, but mostly simple-looking villagers dressed in rustic attire, looking like mountain people.
I didn't initiate any conversations or seek out information; I simply went deeper into the village on my own.
