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

"Did you do this?" Yi Zhonghai stared at him.

"It wasn't me," Xu Damao insisted stubbornly. "Who saw it?"

"No one saw it, but everyone knows it was you," Yi Zhonghai said. "Xu Damao, the Jia family just finished their funeral, and you're already doing something so disgusting. Isn't that going too far?"

"I went too far?" Xu Damao sneered. "When Jia Zhangshi was cursing me yesterday, why didn't you say she went too far? She called me a fool, accused me of crying wolf, and you didn't do anything about it then?"

"That was because she was overwhelmed with grief and spoke without thinking," Yi Zhonghai said. "You did it on purpose."

"So what if I did it on purpose?" Xu Damao retorted angrily. "Yi Zhonghai, don't pretend to be a good guy! Don't think I don't know what you've been doing behind my back!"

"What did I do?" Yi Zhonghai's face darkened.

"You know perfectly well what you've done!" Xu Damao's voice rose. "Chen Jianguo's death, Bang Geng's death, and those mysterious notes... all of these things are inextricably linked to you!"

That's incredibly shocking.

Everyone in the courtyard was stunned.

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 was going all out. "Let me tell you, Yi Zhonghai, don't push me too far! If you do, I'll spill everything I know!"

"What do you know?" Yi Zhonghai took a step forward, his eyes fierce.

Xu Damao felt uneasy under his gaze, but he didn't back down: "I know a lot! For example... why weren't you there the day Chen Jianguo died? According to regulations, the workshop supervisor must be present to oversee the process! Why weren't you there?"

Yi Zhonghai felt a chill run down his spine. He had explained this many times, saying he had gone to the restroom. But Xu Damao's bringing it up now was clearly intentional.

"I went to the restroom," Yi Zhonghai said. "The factory has investigated this matter, and there's no problem."

"The toilet?" Xu Damao sneered. "What a coincidence? The steel ingot just happened to fall off while you were using the toilet? Yi Zhonghai, do you think everyone's a fool?"

"Xu Damao!" Yi Zhonghai roared, "If you spout any more nonsense, don't blame me for being impolite!"

"You're welcome? What can you do to me?" Xu Damao retorted, "Fire me? Do you think you own the steel rolling mill?"

The two were on the verge of a fight, their swords drawn.

Sha Zhu stood to the side, his expression complicated. He looked at Yi Zhonghai, then at Xu Damao, unsure of whom to believe.

Chen Fei listened to the argument outside from inside the house, a cold smile curling at the corner of his lips.

Let them argue, let them fight.

The more fiercely they fight, the better.

Late at night: Scouting the western part of the city

At 11 p.m., the entire courtyard fell asleep.

Chen Fei quietly got up, changed into his tattered dark gray cotton-padded jacket, put on his old hat, and covered his face with a mask. He checked his equipment: the fake dagger, thin rope, scraps of cloth, and lime powder were all in his system space.

Then, he tiptoed open the door and slipped out of the yard.

The streets of Longcheng were deserted late at night, almost devoid of pedestrians. Occasionally, a cyclist would pass by, their dim headlights flickering like will-o'-the-wisps.

Chen Fei walked close to the wall, trying to stay in the shadows. He activated all five senses, listening to the sounds around him.

Footsteps, breathing, and distant barking... were all clearly audible.

This is the benefit of the Marrow Cleansing Pill and his mastery of traditional Chinese martial arts. He is now sharp of hearing and sight, and agile in action, able to react quickly even in the face of danger.

After walking for about forty minutes, he arrived at Coffin Alley in the west of the city.

At the entrance of the alley stood a wooden sign with the words "Coffin Alley" written on it in red paint. The paint had peeled off, and it looked eerie in the moonlight.

The alley was narrow, with low bungalows on both sides. Most of the windows were dark, with only a few windows letting out a faint light—the light of kerosene lamps.

Chen Fei did not go in directly, but first went around to the back of the alley to observe the terrain.

Behind Coffin Alley was a wasteland overgrown with weeds and littered with broken bricks and tiles. Behind the wasteland was a wall, and beyond the wall lay what appeared to be the backyard of some factory.

The alley has two exits: one on the front street and one on the back street. The exit on the back street is very hidden, blocked by a pile of clutter, and cannot be found without careful observation.

Chen Fei memorized this exit. In a critical moment, he could escape from here.

Then, he quietly slipped into the alley.

The alley was quiet, with only the whistling of the wind through the broken windows. There were puddles on the ground, making a soft "plop" sound when you stepped on them.

Chen Fei walked very slowly, taking each step with great care.

He counted the house numbers on both sides: 1, 3, 5... all odd numbers, no even numbers. It seems these houses were all built haphazardly later, without any planning.

After walking about fifty meters, he saw the sign for "Zhang's Grocery Store".

The sign hung at the entrance of a small courtyard. The gate was two dilapidated wooden doors, closed but unlocked—in a place like this, being locked would actually attract attention.

Chen Fei didn't rush in. He first observed his surroundings.

To the left of the courtyard was an abandoned house, its windows gone, leaving it dark inside. To the right was a wall covered with withered vines.

Across from the courtyard is a corner piled with miscellaneous items, a good place to hide.

Chen Fei hid in that corner and waited quietly.

He wanted to see if anyone entered or left the courtyard at night, and if anyone was guarding it.

An hour passed, and nothing happened.

Just as Chen Fei was about to leave, he suddenly heard footsteps coming from afar.

He immediately held his breath and shrank into the shadows.

The footsteps grew closer; they were two men, talking in hushed tones as they walked.

"Old Zhang's batch of goods is of good quality, but it's a bit expensive."

"There's a reason why it's expensive. The checks are strict now, it's good enough if you can even get your hands on it."

"That's true. Hey, do you think that old woman from the Jia family will come tomorrow?"

"She'll definitely come. She's addicted; she can't quit."

"Then let's..."

The sound grew closer, and Chen Fei heard it clearly.

These two people are from the black market. They're talking about Jia Zhangshi.

Chen Fei's heart stirred, and he continued listening.

The two walked to the entrance of the courtyard and knocked on the door—three long knocks followed by two short ones, in a rhythmic pattern.

The door opened, and a voice came from inside: "You've arrived?"

"Here it is, the goods have been delivered."

The two entered the courtyard, and the door closed again.

Chen Fei hid in a corner, his heart pounding.

He overheard the crucial information: Jia Zhangshi would be coming tomorrow. The people in the black market knew she was coming and were still talking about her.

This indicates that Jia Zhangshi was a frequent visitor here.

This also shows that people in the black market are very familiar with her.

This is both a good thing and a bad thing for Chen Fei.

The good thing is that it's "normal" for Jia Zhangshi to come here to buy opium paste, and it won't arouse suspicion.

The bad thing is that the people in the black market know Jia Zhangshi. If something happens to her here, they might testify that they saw her come and then disappear.

We need to find a way to make Jia Zhangshi's "disappearance" seem unrelated to the black market.

Chen Fei's mind raced.

What if Jia Zhangshi was robbed on the road after leaving the black market and then died "accidentally"?

There's a secluded road leading from the black market to the courtyard house. If you were to make your move there…

Chen Fei has a new plan.

He quietly left his hiding place and returned along the same route.

As he passed through the wasteland, he made a point of observing the terrain. There was a small path in the middle of the wasteland, a shortcut back to the city, but it was very remote and almost no one walked on it at night.

If we take action there...

Chen Fei noted down the location and then quickly left.

It was already 2 a.m. when we got back to the courtyard house.

He quietly slipped back into the house, closed the door, took off his disguise, and put it into the system space.

Then I lay in bed and started refining the plan.

Tomorrow night, Jia Zhangshi will go to the black market to buy opium paste.

After buying the goods, she would take that shortcut back to the city.

He will take action on that path.

Disguised as robbery and murder.

perfect.

Chen Fei closed his eyes and began practicing breathing exercises to restore his strength.

Tomorrow, there will be another tough battle.