Kill the beasts in the courtyard, I fled to Hong Kong, surrounded by beauties on both sides.

The black market for opium paste was located in a remote alley in the west of the city, a place teeming with all sorts of people and where robberies and fights frequently occurred.

If Jia Zhangshi were to be robbed "accidentally" while buying opium paste...

Chen Fei's lips curled into a cold smile.

This plan is feasible.

But some things need to be prepared.

He needed a tattered outfit for disguise. He needed a black cloth to cover his face. He also needed a knife—not a real knife, but a fake one made of wood, painted black so it wouldn't be visible in the dim light.

Most importantly, he needed to know when Jia Zhangshi would go to the black market.

After thinking about it, Chen Fei decided to "remind" Jia Zhangshi tonight.

He took out a piece of paper and wrote a line of words crookedly with his left hand:

"The opium paste is almost gone. Same place in the west of the city, 8 pm the day after tomorrow."

Then, he folded the note and placed it by thought next to Jia Zhangshi's pillow—under the opium paste.

In this way, when Jia Zhangshi takes the opium paste at night, she will see the note.

What will she think?

They might have thought the message came from someone who sells opium paste.

It's also possible to suspect it's a trap.

However, given Jia Zhangshi's current state of excessive grief and urgent need for anesthesia, she will most likely go.

Even if he didn't go, Chen Fei had other options.

After doing all that, Chen Fei began preparing the disguise.

He retrieved the most worn-out cotton-padded coat from his system space—dark gray, patched, and inconspicuous. He then found a piece of black cloth and cut it into the shape of a face mask. Next, he whittled a dagger out of wood, coated it with soot, making it look pitch black, like a real knife.

After preparing these things, he put them into the system space.

Next, all that's left is to wait.

Evening: The conflict between Yi Zhonghai and Sha Zhu

In the evening, something happened again in the yard.

Yi Zhonghai and Sha Zhu started arguing loudly in the courtyard, and the whole courtyard could hear it.

"Zhu Zi, tell me the truth, what do you know?" Yi Zhonghai's voice was filled with suppressed anger.

"What do I know? I know nothing!" Sha Zhu's voice wasn't quiet either. "Old man, have you taken the wrong medicine today? Why are you asking me all this random questions!"

"Out of the blue?" Yi Zhonghai sneered. "Was that note in my notebook something you put there?"

"What note? Why would I put it in your notebook?"

"Still pretending?" Yi Zhonghai pulled a piece of paper from his pocket—the very one Chen Fei had placed there last night. "‘Sha Zhu knows about this and threatened to report it. We need to find a way to keep him quiet’—did you write this?"

Sha Zhu took the note and glanced at it, his face changing: "This wasn't written by me! I may be rough, but I'm upright and honest! If I really wanted to report you, I would have done it long ago, why would I need to write something like this?"

"And what about the note under your pillow?" Yi Zhonghai stared at him. "'Yi Zhonghai suspects you know the cause of Chen Jianguo's death and wants to eliminate him. Be careful'—you didn't write that either?"

Sha Zhu was stunned: "There's a note under my pillow... too?"

"You don't know it yourself?" Yi Zhonghai frowned.

"I really don't know!" Sha Zhu exclaimed anxiously. "Grandpa, we've known each other for so many years, don't you know what kind of person I am? If I really wanted to harm you, would I need to resort to such despicable means?"

Yi Zhonghai remained silent.

He looked at Sha Zhu with a complicated expression.

Indeed, Sha Zhu may be reckless, but he's not cunning. If he really wanted to harm someone, he would act directly, not write a note like this.

Who wrote these two notes?

They both thought of the same question.

Just then, Xu Damao came out of the house and said in a sarcastic tone, "Hey, what's all the commotion? Is it because you're not happy with how you divided the spoils?"

"Xu Damao, shut the fuck up!" Sha Zhu cursed directly, still furious.

"Shut up? Why should I shut up?" Xu Damao retorted angrily. "Don't think I don't know about the dirty tricks you two have been up to behind my back!"

"What do you know?" Yi Zhonghai turned to look at him.

"I know a lot more than I think," Xu Damao sneered. "For example... was Chen Jianguo's death really just an accident?"

As soon as he said that, the courtyard fell silent.

Everyone looked at Yi Zhonghai.

Yi Zhonghai's face turned ashen: "Xu Damao, what nonsense are you spouting!"

"Whether I'm lying or not, you know in your heart," Xu Damao said. "And was Bang Geng's death really just an accident? I heard that someone saw Chen Fei wandering around the beach at Shichahai for a long time yesterday before going to rescue him?"

Chen Fei, who was inside the house, felt a sinking feeling in his heart upon hearing this.

How did Xu Damao know?

Did someone really see him yesterday?

Impossible. He had observed that there was no one else around except for those children.

Xu Damao is faking it.

But saying that is enough to arouse suspicion.

Sure enough, both Yi Zhonghai and Sha Zhu looked in the direction of Chen Fei's house.

Chen Fei knew he could no longer hide.

He pushed open the door and walked out, his face filled with anger and grievance: "Xu Damao, what do you mean? Explain yourself!"

Xu Damao was taken aback by Chen Fei's sudden appearance, but quickly recovered: "What do I mean? I just want to ask, why were you at Shichahai yesterday? Were you really just passing by?"

"I was just passing by on my way to buy food at the black market, is that not allowed?" Chen Fei stared at him. "But you, Xu Damao, how did you know I was wandering around Shichahai for a long time? Were you there at the time?"

"I..." Xu Damao was speechless.

"If you weren't there, how would you know so much?" Chen Fei pressed on, "Could it be that Bang Geng's death is related to you?"

"You're talking nonsense!" Xu Damao retorted angrily, "I was home all day yesterday!"

"Who can prove it?" Chen Fei asked. "Sister Lou Xiao'e went back to her parents' home, and you're all alone. You said you were home, but who saw you?"

"I..." Xu Damao couldn't finish his sentence.

The people in the courtyard started talking about it.

"Is that bastard Xu Damao crying 'stop thief' while being the thief himself?"

"It's possible. He has a grudge against Sha Zhu, and he doesn't have a good relationship with the Jia family either."

"What happened at his house yesterday was suspicious—the underwear and the note. Who knows if he did it himself?"

Xu Damao's face flushed red, and he was about to say something when Yi Zhonghai interrupted him: "Alright! Stop arguing!"

He scanned the crowd, his voice stern: "Bang Geng is gone. This matter ends here. Anyone who spouts nonsense again, don't blame me for being impolite!"

After saying that, he turned and went back into the house.

Sha Zhu glared at Xu Damao and went back into the house.

Xu Damao stood in the courtyard, his face turning pale and then red, before finally going back inside.

Chen Fei stood there, watching the crowd disperse, but he felt no relief.

Although Xu Damao's words today were met with a rebuttal, they have already sown seeds of doubt in everyone's minds.

Moreover, the conflict between Yi Zhonghai and Sha Zhu was completely escalated because of those two notes.

All of this was part of his plan.

But the fact that the plan was going too smoothly made him uneasy.

He always felt that something was wrong.

Late at Night: The Discovery of Jia Zhangshi

Late at night, Chen Fei lay in bed, listening to the sounds coming from the courtyard.

Inside the Jia family's house, Jia Zhangshi was still awake.

She sat on the kang (a heated brick bed), holding the oil paper package in her hand, her expression constantly changing.

There's only a little opium paste left in the oiled paper packet; it can only be used twice more at most.

And the note hidden under the oil paper package...

She picked it up and looked at it again by the moonlight:

"The opium paste is almost gone. Same place in the west of the city, 8 pm the day after tomorrow."

The handwriting was crooked and messy, as if it were written with the left hand. There was no signature, but the meaning was clear.

Was the message from Lao Zhang?

Old Zhang sells opium paste and has a fixed location in the west of the city. But she always took the initiative to go to him; he never sent her a message first.

Why the sudden message?

Jia Zhangshi had some doubts.

But the opium paste was almost gone. Banggeng had died, and she was heartbroken; she couldn't sleep without the opium paste.

To go or not to go?

She hesitated for a long time before finally gritting her teeth.

go with!

Just be careful. Take your money, buy what you need, and leave; don't linger there.

She burned the note and threw the ashes into the stove.

Then lie down and close your eyes.

But I just couldn't fall asleep.

My mind is filled with images of Bang Geng: the way Bang Geng learned to walk as a baby, the way Bang Geng called out "Grandma" for the first time, the way Bang Geng came back showing off after stealing something...

"It's so good..." she murmured, tears welling up in her eyes again.

In the next room, Chen Fei opened his eyes, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

The fish has taken the bait.