Chapter 64: The Blind Brat

  Before I could even open my mouth with Lu Huan, Guai Zi Xiang suddenly spoke up and said this.

  "What doll?"

  He stroked the cat beside him and said, "You didn't come for that doll living at the foot of the mountain, did you?"

  I was astonished, how did he know I came for that child? From the moment I entered, I didn't even mention anything about that child. Does this person really have a way to calculate things?

  It's not me you should be looking at like that, it's the smell on your bodies that tells me.

  I sniffed my body hard, and except for not having taken a bath for several days, there was no special smell. Lu Huan raised his hand from the chair and waved it in front of Guai's face.

  "Say what's on your mind," Luan Tong suddenly spoke up, startling Lu Huan so much that he quickly withdrew his hand.

  I was originally going to ask about that group of people's affairs first, since he brought it up, I might as well ask about this matter first.

  "Although I don't know how you always know where we're from, but about that kid, I do have something to ask." The little rascal didn't say a word, so I continued.

  "What you said is right, I indeed came from Xiāo Dì's house at the foot of the mountain. I wanted to ask about the child's illness. The child's mother said she had come to find you."

  "Let go of your hand, that child is none of your business. Everyone has their own fate, it's his destiny."

  It seems that this is not a disease that can be cured in a hospital. Listening to Li's words, it's possible that the child really did collide with something.

  "So you know what's causing the illness?"

  He doesn't speak.

  I anxiously leaned forward, "Look at that child, he's only a few years old, can't stay like this for his whole life. If you really know what's going on, please tell me, it would be a great help to that family."

  I advised with bitter words, but that scoundrel didn't look at me from start to finish, it seems he's made up his mind and won't say anything. I suddenly thought of the scene when Zhaodi came. Was she also sitting here? Or maybe kneeling on the ground, begging bitterly.

  I don't know what it's like for a mother when her child is sentenced to death by the whole world. All I know is that I'm extremely angry right now.

  What kind of unspeakable secret is it that makes him so taboo? Or does he just need some money to be willing? I left all my cash at Zhaodi's house, and now I'm penniless. I poked Lu Huan who was sitting next to me.

  Whispering "Do you have money?" Lu Huan was stunned for a moment "What's the matter"

  "Never mind, give it to me."

  Lu Huan took out a crumpled handful from his pocket, I picked out the coins and unfolded the bills.

  "Pick it up," the blind man said faintly. Then he sighed, and with the help of the wall, stood up. "Young men, do you know why fortune tellers are either blind or crippled?" He suddenly asked us this question.

  Before we could respond, he continued to say 'That's because too many heavenly secrets have been leaked, and one has to pay a price. Look at me, I'm blind and crippled, you can tell how many things I've said that I shouldn't have. Everyone has their fate, and I'm no exception.'

  He said that, and I couldn't say anything more. They have already clearly told you why they can't say it, and the reason is completely sufficient. If I ask again, it's my own brain's problem.

  Everyone has their fate, I don't know why I hate these four words so much.

  "I'd advise you, it's better to mind your own business and not get involved in other people's affairs."

  I thought to myself, I really have a lot of idle thoughts, at least they're not small.

  It seems that I won't be able to help with Zhaodi's matter, and it can be said that I've done my best. Let me ask about the mysterious person instead. He then turned to Xiazi and said, 'I still have one more thing.'

  He got up from the bed, walked to the window on the opposite side, picked up a small water bottle beside him, and slowly poured water into a potted plant whose name I couldn't recall.

  "It's like this, I heard a group of people came looking for you the other day," I said straightforwardly.

  "Uh-huh"

  "Why did they come looking for you?"

  "Why should I tell you?"

  They are very likely to be a group of grave robbers, someone saw them taking something out of the tomb. We want to investigate these people, but we don't know where to start. After searching around, it was found that they had come to see you. So I came to ask you if you knew anything about it.

  The child put down the kettle and felt his way back, sitting on the edge of the bed. The old yellow cat suddenly jumped away and scurried up onto the cabinet in front of me.

  "Take the crutches standing by the bed and go."

  "Old man, this isn't a matter of leaking heavenly secrets or losing virtue, what can't be said?" I was getting impatient. If he didn't say anything about Zhaodi's affair, it was because he feared revealing heavenly secrets and suffering retribution, but this wasn't something that couldn't be said. Was this blind man in cahoots with those people? Was he responsible for receiving them in the village? That didn't add up either, why would they need to find a blind man to receive them?

  "I've taken the money, can't say"

  It turns out that this person is quite decent. At least they didn't make up some nonsense to cheat me.

  "How much did you take?" I slammed the chair and stood up, saying this sentence particularly hard. After that, I found out how much he took, I couldn't afford to give it either. Now I'm penniless.

  "How much did you receive?"

  I obediently sat back down again.

  "Matters on the mountain are not trivial. I advise you to leave quickly, don't get involved in this muddy water." The cripple rubbed the rounded protrusion on his crutch. "Sun Yi, things aren't as simple as you think."

  Here is this sentence again, wait a minute, it seems like something's wrong... How did he know I'm called Sun Yi? I've never told him my name!

  I looked at him, but didn't say anything. He walked to the middle of the room and knocked on the ground with his cane. Dong dong dong, three times. Then he said 'You two leave now, it's not good to talk in broad daylight'

  This sentence is simply said to be unrelated to the village and the store, but rather a kind of hint. After all, I am also a person who grew up watching Journey to the West, so I can more or less guess what it means. It seems that this crooked Li is treating me as Sun Wukong.

  "There's no one else here except for us three, you can say whatever you want." Lu Huan naturally didn't notice these details and continued to ask relentlessly.

  The little boy stopped talking and turned his back on us, tapping his cane lightly with his index finger.

  I don't know how to proceed, is my guess correct or not? If it's correct, I should leave now and come back at 3 am alone. I still need some clues to prove that my guess is right.

  That was the yellow cat suddenly let out a very mournful cry, I was startled to look over, on top of the cabinet actually hung a painting, ink landscape painting, painted a river.

  A poem on the river reads: 'In a dream, the scenery of the river suddenly becomes shallow, and the streams flow continuously. The halls are warm with wind, and the flowers compete for fragrance, the midnight flowers are fragrant, and people do not sleep.'

  I took another look at the painting, and then glanced at the blind man. I was even more certain of my previous guess. He indeed had something to say to me. The poem on the wall was a hidden character poem. The first word of the first three lines of the poem, when put together, read "Meng Xi Tang".

  That is the name of Ma Zhe's antique shop in Hangzhou.

  All sorts of things have shown that Diaozi is indeed giving me hints. But whether he is an enemy or a friend, good or bad, and even if he will hurt me, I don't know, but all these doubts in my heart have already made me unable to think so much.

  Anyway, I'll come at 3 am. Compared to that mysterious group, I'm more curious about what this has to do with the Mengxi Hall? If these people are relatives of Ma Si Zhe, then it's fine, but if they're not, things will get complicated.

  I stood up and said to the lame boy, "In that case, we'll leave first."

  "But he didn't say anything!" Lu Huan said anxiously.

  "He made up his mind not to speak, and we've been stuck here for ten days or half a month without making any progress."

  I took a look at Huaizi's blind spot and said to Lu Huan, 'Let's go back first and see if there's any way to persuade him.'

  Until I left with Lu Huan, Guai Zi didn't say another word. On the way back, Lu Huan kept muttering "What did those people want from him? Was it about hiding stolen goods?" I didn't respond, my mind was preoccupied with what he wanted from me.

  When I returned to the village chief's house, Lao Da and Cao Ke Rui were still sleeping. I leaned on one side thinking about what had just happened. Lu Huan came over and asked me 'Still thinking about that thing from earlier?'

  I nodded.

  "Never mind, he won't say it even if you ask him, wait a while until the boss wakes up and see if there's any trick."

  Lu Huan didn't know, now I'm thinking about why he wanted to find me, rather than why that group of people wanted to find him.