The Great Bandit of Journey to the West

Chapter 5 Everyone Knows

Early in the morning, a series of urgent knocks woke Jiang Feng from his sleep.

"Jiang Feng, open the door! It's me, Li Fugui! Open the door now!"

"Stop knocking, I'm coming..."

Jiang Feng called out sleepily, got dressed, and went to the back door.

As soon as the door opened, a young man dressed in a gray coarse cloth robe darted in through the crack, startling Jiang Feng slightly.

Upon closer inspection, his face was filled with panic, and he was carrying a large bundle in his arms, looking as if he were fleeing for his life.

The boy's name was Li Fugui, the same little pilgrim whose candied hawthorn was eaten by Jiang Feng when he was a child.

Li Fugui's father was a traveling merchant who often went on business trips. After his mother died, he remarried and took a wife named Wang.

Wang was a courtesan, eloquent and sociable. After entering the household, she quickly won over Li Fugui's father and gained control of the family.

After having a stepmother, Li Fugui's life didn't become particularly difficult, but he was often mistreated by her.

He was timid by nature and dared not tell his father about the grievances he had suffered. Whenever he had free time, he would run to the temple to complain to Jiang Feng.

Jiang Feng frowned as he looked at his flustered appearance: "Did your stepmother kick you out of the house?"

Li Fugui quickly explained, "No, I ran into some trouble and came here to hide for a few days."

Jiang Feng asked curiously, "You, an honest man, can also get into trouble?"

"Sigh, I'm just unlucky. I didn't do anything to anyone, and I was just sitting at home when I was struck by a ghost."

Li Fugui sighed, then took out a string of copper coins and handed them to Jiang Feng, saying pitifully, "This is my room and board fee. If it's not enough, you can owe me for now. I'll pay you back when I have the money."

"Don't rush to give me the money, tell me what happened first."

As he spoke, he led Li Fugui to the meditation room and poured him a cup of hot tea.

At this moment, Zhao Ping'an also came in dressed, poured himself a glass of water, and sat down to join in the fun.

Li Fugui grasped the steaming teacup, his expression softening slightly. Recalling the strange events of yesterday, he involuntarily shuddered again.

"Yesterday, my father came home from doing business out of town. As soon as he entered the gate, the bedroom door suddenly opened, and a disheveled man with no clothes ran out of his room."

My father asked my stepmother and the servants in the house who the man was, but everyone said they hadn't seen anything!

My dad was terrified on the spot, feeling like he had been possessed by an evil spirit and had seen something unclean!

Fortunately, my stepmother was knowledgeable and knew how to exorcise evil spirits. She had someone bring in the dung of five different kinds of livestock to bathe my father, which finally freed him from the evil spirits.

After hearing this, Zhao Ping'an scratched the goosebumps on his body, then said with a relieved look, "Luckily, your dad wasn't in any danger. Everything's alright now, so why are you still so scared?"

Li Fugui said with a mournful face, "Actually, it wasn't just my dad; I also saw that naked man, but I didn't dare say anything at the time. I didn't want to bathe in animal excrement, and I didn't dare stay at home, so I came here early this morning."

"This is a Buddhist temple; evil spirits shouldn't dare to enter. Jiang Feng, you absolutely must take me in!"

Zhao Ping'an felt great sympathy for his plight and chimed in, "Yes, Jiang Feng, Fugui is in such a miserable state, you must take him in!"

"..."

Jiang Feng didn't speak, but looked at the two people in front of him with a complicated expression.

These two are truly a case of one daring to speak and the other daring to believe.

Especially Li Fugui.

Let's talk about the possibility that your stepmother was having an affair when your father suddenly came back, and the adulterer ran away without even having time to put on his clothes?

The servants say they didn't see anything. Could they have been bribed by your stepmother...?

Looking into their clear, untainted eyes, Jiang Feng sighed helplessly, knowing that they might not believe him even if he explained now, so he went to the kitchen to cook.

After breakfast, Jiang Feng led them to the county town.

They stopped in the alley where Li Fugui lived. Jiang Feng told them to hide to the side, and after a while, he casually grabbed an old lady passing by and asked, "Grandma, do you know where Wang's lover lives?"

"The first shop on the east side of Sesame Lane."

"Thank you, sir."

"You're welcome."

Zhao Pingan and Li Fugui were both stunned as they listened to their question and answer.

A moment later, Jiang Feng stopped a child who was passing by with a kite: "Little boy, what's the name of Wang's lover?"

"Call him Wang Lao Er!"

"Okay, go have fun."

After a while, Jiang Feng stopped a woodcutter and asked, "Esteemed benefactor, do you know what kind of business Wang Lao Er of Sesame Alley does?"

The woodcutter said, "You mean Wang's lover? He's a local thug who steals petty things all day long and doesn't have any decent livelihood."

Jiang Feng thanked him, saying, "I see. Thank you for your help."

Zhao Ping'an: "??!!"

Li Fugui: "@#￥%￥#@……"

How come everyone knows that Ms. Wang has a lover?!

After a moment, Li Fugui came to his senses and asked in astonishment, "What exactly happened?"

Jiang Feng glanced at him: "Come with me to Sesame Alley and see if that Wang Lao Er is the same naked man from yesterday."

Li Fugui and Zhao Ping'an exchanged glances, then followed Jiang Feng with some skepticism.

As Jiang Feng walked, he explained, "Old people like to gather together and chat when they have nothing to do. Nothing on the street can escape their mouths. Adults think that children don't understand anything, so they don't deliberately avoid talking to them."

The firewood seller travels from street to street, and is very well-informed.

"Most importantly, all the servants in your household know about this, so even if Madam Wang wanted to hide it, she couldn't..."

Li Fugui and Zhao Ping'an looked bewildered, as if they were both questioning the meaning of life.

After a moment of silence, the three arrived at Sesame Alley.

A rich aroma of sesame wafted through the alley, emanating from the two families grinding sesame oil there. Their shops had been operating there for fifty or sixty years, enjoying an excellent reputation; the alley was named after them.

Five or six people were gathered around the door of a house, discussing the matter with sighs on their faces.

"Wang Lao Er died a terrible death. I wonder who he offended. I heard that even his heart was ripped out."

"He's offended a lot of people. He owes a lot of gambling debts at the gambling den in the south of the city, and he even stole a jade pendant from the wealthy Wang family..."

"Oh, by the way, I heard that Li Dahai came back yesterday. Perhaps Li Dahai found out about Wang Lao Er and his wife's affair and, harboring resentment, hired someone to kill them. Otherwise, how could he be so ruthless..."

"Is Wang Lao Er dead?"

Jiang Feng was taken aback and asked the last person who spoke, "When did he die? Where is his body?"

The man replied, "I heard from the county government that he died last night. His heart was ripped out, and the body has already been taken back to the county government by the officials."

Jiang Feng frowned slightly, turned to the two people behind him and said, "Let's go to the county government office."