The next morning at seven, Yan Shouyi and the others were already awake.
It wasn't that they wanted to get up early, but because the funeral downstairs had already started with gongs and drums.
After waking up, the two washed and changed, then called Long Feicheng, who had also been woken up, to go downstairs with them.
They planned to set off early to investigate Chenjia Village.
Downstairs, Jiang Shuang was greeting guests for breakfast. Seeing Yan Shouyi and the others arrive, he quickly walked over and whispered to Yan Shouyi:
"I just heard that Wang Bo and his crew had their hands chopped off outside last night."
Yan Shouyi "oh"-ed, yawned, and looked for a seat to start drinking his porridge.
Jiang Shuang thought Yan Shouyi hadn't understood and followed him, sitting beside him and saying with a grave tone:
"It's said that their enemies came looking for them, and they were incredibly skilled. One person took down the two vans of people they had. Everyone had an arm chopped off, and they couldn't find anyone to help them in the middle of the night. In the end, they had to drive themselves to Zhicheng Hospital for treatment."
Yan Shouyi took a mouthful of porridge and asked suspiciously, "Why are you telling me this?"
Jiang Shuang said cautiously, "Yesterday you said you wanted to chop off Wang Bo's arm, but you didn't do it. As a result, he ran into his enemies on his way back..."
"Don't doubt it, it was my people who did it," Yan Shouyi admitted directly.
Jiang Shuang was stunned, but after a few seconds, he couldn't help but clap his hands and exclaim, "Well done! Wang Bo and his gang have been extorting and harassing people in our town and Chenjia Village for months, causing widespread discontent. People were angry but dared not speak. You've truly acted on behalf of Heaven!"
When Wang Bo and his group had their hands chopped off, it sounded frightening at first. But once people came to their senses and remembered who had been maimed, their sympathy vanished, and they were overjoyed.
This was supposed to be a funeral, but the guests today wore smiles, discussing the losses they had suffered because of Wang Bo, while lamenting that Wang Bo's fate was just retribution!
As for the person who chopped off Wang Bo's hands?
No one was afraid. Why should they fear someone who acted on behalf of Heaven?
Therefore, although such a violent incident had occurred in town, people would normally feel unsafe. But now, the town's shops were open, the streets were filled with people, and everyone wished they could set off firecrackers to celebrate.
Jiang Shuang now deeply understood Yan Shouyi's capabilities. His childhood friend not only knew some Feng Shui arts but was also fierce in fights, and most importantly, he seemed to have a powerful background.
Perhaps he could really help his father seek justice!
"Ashuang, I heard there's a direct bus to Chenjia Village now? What time does it leave?" Yan Shouyi asked while eating breakfast.
Jiang Shuang was taken aback, "You're leaving so soon without staying a few more days?"
"Our main purpose for returning this time was to go back to Chenjia Village, so we won't be staying in town much longer. Besides, don't I need to go back and help Uncle pick out a good Feng Shui spot?"
Hearing this, Jiang Shuang said with difficulty, "Shouyi, I definitely won't be free today. I might not be able to accompany you back to Chenjia Village."
"That's alright, I'm not an outsider."
"How about this, among my guests today, many are going back to Chenjia Village. I'll ask for you and see if anyone can give you a ride!"
After saying that, Jiang Shuang went to ask around.
Because the place was small and transportation was inconvenient, in rural areas, it was common to ask for a ride.
In the past, when Yan Shouyi came from Chenjia Village to town, he often rode in Jiang Shuang's father's car.
A moment later, Jiang Shuang returned, bringing with him a girl who looked about sixteen or seventeen.
The girl had dark skin but was very well-built, looking like a wild child who often ran in the fields. Her eyes did not possess the purity of her peers; they held a mature look, like an adult's. However, when facing Yan Shouyi, she was a bit shy as she was naturally timid.
Jiang Shuang introduced, "This is my cousin, Jiang Ting. She lives in Shangxiang Village behind Chenjia Village. She's going back later, so she can give you a ride."
Long Feicheng asked from the side, "How is she going to give you a ride? On a tricycle?"
Jiang Ting pointed to the small truck parked next to the convenience store and said, "I'll drive you there."
It turned out that Jiang Ting's father ran a convenience store in Shangxiang Village and sourced goods from Jiang Shuang. When her father was unavailable, he would let Jiang Ting drive the small truck to pick up the goods herself.
Jiang Ting was actually eighteen, but her short stature made her look younger.
After breakfast, Jiang Ting needed to head back to Shangxiang Village, which suited Yan Shouyi perfectly.
However, Long Feicheng was highly skeptical of Jiang Ting's driving skills. Standing by the car, he doubted, "Can this girl handle it? Why don't I drive? I don't want to crash and die before we even reach Chenjia Village!"
Yan Shouyi chuckled, "Little Long, it's not that I don't trust you, but our place has many mountains and winding roads. Outsiders might not be able to drive our roads. It's possible the driver themselves would get carsick!"
"It's not that exaggerated, is it..."
Jiang Ting climbed into the small truck and said to Yan Shouyi and the others, "Brother, Sister, please sit in the back."
Yan Shouyi and Lin Zhitong got into the car and sat in the back. Long Feicheng, with a grin, went to open the passenger door. As soon as he opened it, a pile of goods slid out from the passenger seat, burying him underneath.
Jiang Ting, sitting in the car, remained unfazed, "The passenger seat is loaded with goods. You can sit in the truck bed."
Long Feicheng angrily said, "Why not put the goods in the truck bed?"
"It rains a lot in the mountains, and the goods are prone to moisture. They can't get wet, so you'll have to put up with it."
Long Feicheng originally wanted to question Jiang Ting why she let Yan Shouyi and Lin Zhitong sit in the back. But then he thought, if Yan Shouyi were to go to the truck bed, it wouldn't be appropriate for him to sit with Lin Zhitong, and it was even less likely for him and Yan Shouyi to sit in the back while Lin Zhitong, a "frail woman," had to stay in the truck bed.
Therefore, the frustrated Long Feicheng could only accept the reality and honestly climbed into the truck bed, grabbing the two ropes that secured the goods, preparing to witness what "eighteen bends in the mountain road" truly meant.
Jiang Ting looked at Long Feicheng in the rearview mirror and giggled. She was actually a very vengeful girl. Since Long Feicheng didn't trust her earlier, she deliberately made him sit in the truck bed.
It was likely that once they reached the mountain roads, Jiang Ting would drive extremely fast, making Long Feicheng suffer.
Yan Shouyi saw this and didn't expose it. He thought it would be good for Long Feicheng to experience the Fujian-North scenery in the back and, at the same time, cure his foul mouth, preventing him from causing trouble in the future.
The car started and slowly set off.
Lin Zhitong gave Jiang Ting a piece of chewing gum. Jiang Ting felt a little embarrassed after receiving something from her, so she took the initiative to strike up a conversation:
"Sister, you're so beautiful! In our village... no! Our town doesn't have anyone half as beautiful as you!"
Lin Zhitong blushed slightly, "Really?"
"Of course, it's true! In the past, I heard on TV that women's skin is made of water, and I didn't believe it. But today, seeing you, I believe that saying is true!"
"Little Jiang girl, your mouth is too sweet!" Lin Zhitong was exceptionally happy, her smile widening considerably.
Yan Shouyi actually remembered Jiang Ting. This girl was only a few years younger than him and was the ringleader of the children in Shangxiang Village back then. Under her "leadership," the children of Shangxiang Village even fought with the children of Chenjia Village by the river over "territory."
Yan Shouyi didn't participate in that fight, but he heard that Jiang Ting had ridden on the head of the Chenjia Village ringleader and beat him black and blue.
Thinking back now, it was fortunate that his grandfather kept him home that day to study the Luban Book, otherwise, if he had gone, he might have been the one beaten black and blue. How awkward would that be now?
However, he hadn't expected that the grown-up Jiang Ting would be so sensible and well-behaved.
"Little Jiang girl, a group of outsiders came to Chenjia Village recently. Do you know about this?" Yan Shouyi asked.
Jiang Ting nodded, "Of course, I know. They are mining in my aunt's mountain and have hired quite a few villagers from the surrounding area to work in the mine."
"What do you know about them?"
"My dad isn't in good health, so I haven't been to the mine. Therefore, I don't know much about them. However, I heard that their boss, Mr. Zhou, is from Hong Kong and is very, very wealthy. He also brought along a powerful sorcerer who can perform Kuman Thong for people."
Kuman Thong sorcerer?!
Hearing Jiang Ting's answer, Yan Shouyi and Lin Zhitong couldn't help but be stunned.
This matter could actually be related to a Kuman Thong sorcerer.
In Southeast Asia, there have always been people who professionally practiced the art of Kuman Thong, known as Kuman Thong sorcerers.
Simply put, a Kuman Thong sorcerer is a master who understands how to use witchcraft and curses and possesses considerable magical power and experience. Most of them grew up in poverty, were forced to leave their parents, or were orphans whose parents died in war. By chance, they were noticed by an old Kuman Thong sorcerer and followed their master to various deep mountains and cemeteries to cultivate and live.
Kuman Thong sorcerers are divided into black-robed Kuman Thong sorcerers and white-robed Kuman Thong sorcerers. The former primarily accept money to cast spells on others and have no morals; the latter mainly help people break spells, foster good relationships, and so on.
It is said that powerful Kuman Thong sorcerers often have no relatives in their later years and have disciples and helpers. Some Kuman Thong sorcerers also have wives, but most are childless. This is one of the side effects of the Yin magic they cultivate.
This point is somewhat similar to the "five deficiencies and three disadvantages" of Luban's descendants, but the curse seems to be lighter, at least there is no fate of death within three generations.
Kuman Thong sorcerers are mainly distributed in Southeast Asia, and there are many in Hong Kong. Therefore, it is reasonable for Mr. Zhou, who came from Hong Kong, to have a Kuman Thong sorcerer by his side.
Lin Zhitong asked, "Why do you know about Kuman Thong sorcerers?"
Mentioning this, the bold Jiang Ting couldn't help but shiver.
It was this shiver that caused her steering wheel to swerve, almost driving the small truck into the mountain gully. Lin Zhitong was able to sit steady with Yan Shouyi's support, and Long Feicheng in the truck bed was almost thrown out.
"Damn it, I can't take it anymore, I'm going to puke!" Long Feicheng shouted from the back. "These eighteen bends in the mountain road are not fun at all. Little sister, slow down! We're not in a hurry, we don't have time constraints!!!"
To prevent any accidents, Jiang Ting also slowed down, and the car became more stable.
She took a deep breath and said, "The night after Mr. Zhou arrived in Chenjia Village, I encountered a Kuman Thong sorcerer in the mountains..."