Chapter 5, Fighting

Xiao Fei faintly heard Li Qiang let out a soft sigh, realizing it was for him, which made him feel somewhat sad. He glanced at Cheng Dong, only to find Cheng Dong looking bewildered, seemingly lost in thought. Xiao Fei gently nudged Cheng Dong, startling him, and Cheng Dong looked at Xiao Fei in confusion, not understanding why he was being called.

Cheng Donggan chuckled twice but did not refute Xiao Fei's words. Xiao Fei was in a bad mood and said whatever came to his mind. Even if he punched himself twice, Cheng Dong would not hold it against him. After all, they were brothers, and understanding each other was essential.

Li Qiang looked at Xiao Fei, and Cheng Dong also turned his gaze towards Xiao Fei. The woman, noticing this, also directed her attention to Xiao Fei, her face revealing a hint of suspicion. She was unsure of what this person was up to, but it seemed that among the three, apart from Cheng Dong who appeared somewhat unruly, the other two did not seem like bad people. This slightly reassured her, and coupled with the fact that nearby villagers were also glancing in this direction, she managed to remain calm, quietly observing Xiao Fei and waiting for him to speak.

The woman grew up in the countryside and often heard the elders talk about certain matters. She had even witnessed a collision herself. Therefore, when Xiao Fei asked just now, she immediately recalled what had happened, which led to her intense reaction. No one wishes to be involved in such matters, but the door was blocked by Li Qiang, making it impossible to close. She couldn't help but feel a bit anxious, and her voice rose significantly: "What do you want to do? If you don't leave, I will have to call for help."

The woman, for a moment, did not know how to explain the matter clearly. She hesitated and found no suitable words to articulate her thoughts. After pondering for a while, she finally let out a hum and said: "Brother Yuzhang, these three individuals came knocking at the door in a rather peculiar manner, and upon meeting, they immediately spoke nonsensical words. I tried to drive them away, but they would not leave."

The several young men looked at the woman with a mix of doubt and curiosity, only to see her face filled with anger, as if she had suffered some grievance. The young man who had spoken earlier furrowed his brow and said, "Sister San, what exactly is going on"

The several young men nearby, upon hearing this, also gathered around, all wearing fierce expressions. One of them even shouted loudly: "What Yu Zhang Ge said is right, brothers, let's take action and beat these three oblivious creatures."

Li Qiang was startled by his inexplicable feelings, wondering what he was thinking. Xiao Fei had always been close to him. Two years ago, when his mother fell ill and he was short on money, Xiao Fei generously lent him all his savings, which amounted to about 30,000 yuan, without ever mentioning it. Even when Li Qiang repaid the money later, Xiao Fei never brought it up. Since then, Li Qiang and Xiao Fei had developed a very strong bond, as Xiao Fei was loyal and a true friend. In fact, it was about 30,000 yuan that he lent him, and he never mentioned it. Even when Li Qiang repaid the money later, Xiao Fei never brought it up. Since then, Li Qiang and Xiao Fei had developed a very strong bond, as Xiao Fei was loyal and a true friend.

Three people got out of the car and stood at the entrance of a house. There were people inside, and since the small door was not locked, it was one of those rural houses with two large doors. One of the large doors had a small door opened to avoid the hassle of opening the large door all day. The three of them stood in front of the door for quite a while without moving, attracting curious glances from passing villagers, who were unsure of what they were doing.

The young man named Yuzhang's expression darkened upon hearing this, yet he took the woman's nonsensical words as if the three had made some lewd remarks. A moment's misjudgment led to a significant error. Yuzhang snorted coldly, stepped forward forcefully, and said in a deep voice: "You really have some nerve, daring to cause trouble in our Xiao Luo Village. Brothers, if we let them leave our Xiao Luo Village today, where will we put our faces? If others find out, won't they stab us in the back?"

Xiao Fei, Li Qiang, and Cheng Dong exchanged a glance, their faces involuntarily revealing a hint of wry smiles. What on earth is going on here? Before the woman could speak, Li Qiang quickly turned around and addressed the several young men, saying, "Brothers, we are not here to cause trouble. We just have a few matters that we do not understand, so we took the liberty to come and ask. There is no ill intent; you can ask your sister-in-law if you don't believe me."

Cheng Dong shook his head with a bitter smile. Just now, he had momentarily lost his focus and was unaware of the chaotic thoughts swirling in his mind. However, he truly felt concern for Xiao Fei. Initially, he did not believe in ghosts or deities, but after Xiao Fei spoke, he found himself believing. After all these years as comrades, Xiao Fei had never deceived him.

However, it was evident that the youths were not receptive to the words of the three, and they continued to provoke them, which ultimately angered the three who had initially intended to avoid trouble. Xiao Fei and Cheng Dong, having come from the military, displayed considerable skill, but Li Qiang, who had never been in a fight, suffered a setback right from the start, getting hit on the head with a brick. Fortunately, it did not strike with full force, but it still left him with a cut.

Xiao Fei forced a smile, squeezing out a grin that was as unappealing as it could be. If Xiao Fei could see his own appearance, he would probably be startled. Clearly, the woman was frightened, taking a step back and looking at Xiao Fei with some tension. Xiao Fei then said in a deep voice: "Sister, here's the thing. I am a taxi driver. Last night, around two o'clock, I took a girl to your house. However, I remembered that I need to find her for something today. I wonder if you could call her out for me."

"Who is it?" A woman's voice echoed in the courtyard, followed by the sound of a door opening and the shuffling footsteps, which grew louder as they approached. When the sound returned, the small door had already been opened.

The three of them remained silent throughout the journey, unable to find anything to say. Li Qiang did not let Xiao Fei drive, stating that Xiao Fei was not in good spirits, so Li Qiang took the wheel himself. They hurriedly made their way to Xiao Luo Village. When they were about two or three miles away from the village, Xiao Fei suddenly recalled that last night, it was at this very spot that the taxi's headlights had suddenly gone out, only to inexplicably light up again on the way back. At that time, he had not had the chance to think much about it, but now, remembering it made his heart tighten, sending a chill down his spine. Taking a deep breath, Xiao Fei spoke in a low voice: "It was right here last night when the headlights suddenly went out, and on the way back, they inexplicably lit up again."

Xiao Fei recalled what happened last night and fell into deep thought. Li Qiang glanced at Xiao Fei and nodded towards Cheng Dong, signaling him to go knock on the door. Zhang Dongsheng was taken aback, let out a soft grunt, and muttered, "Why is it me? Can't you go knock on the door yourself?"

Having said that, she instinctively waved her hand and then intended to close the door, but was stopped by Li Qiang. Li Qiang coughed lightly and said in a low voice: "Sister, please do not be angry. My brother might be facing some issues, which is why I have come here so abruptly. I hope you can lend a hand."

Muttering to himself, he still took two steps forward, reached out to grasp the pair of lion-head rings on the large door, and gently knocked. To his surprise, it produced a crisp sound, startling not only Cheng Dong but also waking Xiao Fei from his contemplation. Xiao Fei glanced at Cheng Dong with a hint of reproach and said, "Why make such a loud noise? You nearly scared me to death."

As the woman raised her voice, it immediately attracted the attention of the villagers who were gazing from a distance. A few young men from the same family as the woman, with unfriendly expressions, quickly walked up behind the three individuals. One of them, a burly young man, said in a deep voice: "Third sister-in-law, what are these three people here for? If they are here to cause trouble, just say the word. With us around, they can come in standing but will go out horizontally."

Upon hearing this, the woman’s expression changed dramatically. Initially, she appeared somewhat angry, then her demeanor shifted to one of shock. Suddenly, as if she had come to a realization, her face turned pale, and her voice trembled slightly: "What nonsense are you talking about? There was no girl at my house last night. You are spouting nonsense. You are young and should be learning properly. Leave, leave quickly."

There were three men, none of whom she recognized, which left the woman momentarily stunned. With some hesitation, she asked, "Who are you looking for"

As they spoke, the taxi had already arrived at Xiao Luozhuang. Xiao Fei pointed to a household and whispered, "Qiang Ge, that's the one. I remember it very clearly; it's the house with two large lions at the entrance."

This delay has already brought them to lunchtime. Although Xiao Fei had little appetite, he still took into consideration Li Qiang and Cheng Dong, and dragged the two of them to the snack bar downstairs to have a bite. Afterward, the three of them got into Xiao Fei's car and headed towards Xiao Luo Village, intending to check out the place where the female ghost had been seen.

Li Qiang let out a silent sigh. Xiao Feiren was a good person, always willing to help others, and everyone around him spoke highly of him. However, why did Xiao Feiren have to encounter such misfortune? It truly was unfortunate, and it must be a sign of bad luck. Reflecting on Xiao Feiren made Li Qiang feel uncertain about his own situation. Perhaps it would be better to consult a fortune teller in a few days to see what his fate holds.

Xiao Fei is one hundred percent certain which one it is, because although he arrived at night, the place was brightly lit. He could see very clearly from https://m.hetushu.com, with four buildings, two western-style rooms connected by a large gate. The tall gate is adorned with ceramic tiles, and there are two large lions at the entrance, meant to ward off evil spirits. Upon entering the gate, there is a shadow wall with a pattern of a welcoming pine tree on it.

A single sentence shattered the tranquility inside the car, yet it sent a chill down Cheng Dong and Li Qiang's spines. They glanced outside for a moment, and Li Qiang looked at Xiao Fei, noticing the dark expression on his face and a flicker of unease in his eyes. The cigarette's glow flickered uncertainly, and the smoke obscured Xiao Fei's face, rendering it somewhat hazy. Suddenly, Li Qiang had a bad premonition; this time, it seemed, things would not be so simple.

"What are you thinking about, Dongzi?" Although Xiao Fei's voice was somewhat low, it carried a certain confidence. With Li Qiang and Cheng Dong bolstering his courage, Xiao Fei's mood gradually calmed down. Fear was of no use; it would only hasten his downfall.

Seeing Li Qiang injured, Xiao Fei and Cheng Dong exchanged a glance, their anger surging within. No longer caring, they decided to fight. After all, two of them against five or six others might not necessarily lead to their defeat. Especially for Xiao Fei, who was already in a bad mood; with Li Qiang hurt, he felt compelled to vent his frustrations through a fight. He growled, "Dongzi, since they refuse to listen to us, there’s no need to give in to them. Let’s take action; I refuse to believe we can be defeated here today."

As soon as the words fell, before Xiao Fei and the others could explain, the group of young men started to take action. Some grabbed bricks, while others picked up sticks, all of them rushing towards the three. Xiao Fei and the others, helpless, defended themselves while shouting loudly: "Don't act yet, we haven't provoked you! Even if you want to fight, shouldn't you at least know the reason? Please stop and listen to us."