Journey to the West: The Mountain Shaker

Chapter 87 A Lump of Snot

On Flower Fruit Mountain, the crowd was in high spirits, but inside Water Curtain Cave, the atmosphere was somber.

The matter was of great importance, so the academy did not dare to stop them and directly allowed Kong Fande to meet with Cai Fei.

Upon entering the Mind Monkey Chamber, Kong Fande, without saying a word, first handed over a sound transmission talisman.

"Ping An asked me to bring this over. He said he was relieved that you escaped the calamity of the Three Evils. But..."

This time, they've laid a trap, just waiting for you to fall into it. Knowing it's a dead end, don't walk into it. Live well and avenge him.

After saying this, Kong Fande walked over and hugged Cai Fei, his eyes red as he whispered, "I will try my best to leave some descendants for the Xu family. As for Ping An... I'm useless, I can't protect him anymore."

Before Cai Fei could speak, he had already turned and left the cave, heading straight back to Sushanfang.

The old mountain lord's voice in the jade slip was very calm, but after listening to it, Cai Fei slumped onto the futon, holding his head and remaining silent for a long time.

The news quickly reached Feng Xiangguo, who was also receiving treatment inside the Water Curtain Cave.

After eight days of treatment, he was finally freed from the physical restrictions and removed the helmet and shoulder guards that protected his head and neck. Several servants were carefully moving him onto a wooden board so that he could move from the inner cave to a more spacious area in the outer cave to recuperate.

Upon hearing the news, Feng Xiangguo was stunned for a moment, then struggled to raise his head and spoke to the Feng family chief who had been guarding him.

"Father, I owe Cai Fei my life."

After saying that, he stared straight at his father.

"Don't worry, son." The bearded chieftain Feng patted his son's face and assured him, "If Cai Fei dares to return, all thirty-odd cultivators from my Feng family will follow him, not one will be spared!"

"Take him to the outer room to rest quietly, and let the Feng family members watch over him." The old dean, who had come to inspect, waved his hand, and two servants lifted the stretcher and went out.

At this moment, people were already waiting in the spacious outer cave. As soon as the stretcher appeared, several people immediately surrounded it. They were direct relatives and friends who had come from Fengjia Village.

Someone suddenly pulled off the thin blanket covering Feng Xiangguo.

His right arm hung limply from the elbow down, held together only by a thin layer of skin; a bowl-sized blackish-purple wound was visible on his left trouser leg; his right leg was wrapped with bandages from the calf to the sole; and his chest and abdomen were completely covered up...

Xiao He, who was accompanying them, said in a low voice, "The injuries were too severe. Although his life is no longer in danger, he will need at least a few months to recover..."

The sound of a woman sobbing softly came from the crowd.

"Don't cry!" Chief Feng whispered, trying to stop him. "He's injured like this, with only his left hand in the sea, yet he still managed to fight off the bloodthirsty shark and hold on until people came to rescue him. Our son is a tough guy, so don't shed any tears!"

The woman immediately stopped crying, and the group followed the stretcher as it meandered to the outer cave, where they found an empty stone chamber that had been prepared for them.

The old dean followed them out, and when he had the chance, he pulled aside the chief of the Feng family village and whispered a few words of advice, nothing more than paying attention to protection and being cautious with medication.

"Does Feng Xiangguo have some special talent he's hiding from us?" the old dean asked as a final question. Seeing the other party hesitate, he added, "Nothing else. The other party must have known about the Three Evils' actions. We are a school. If he has any special talents, we can arrange some courses for him. It's also our way of apologizing. We are truly sorry for what happened this time."

"Hmm... Xiang Guo, he's reached the intermediate level in weapon refining." Chief Feng didn't hide anything, but he was also extremely indignant. "Only a few people in the village know about this, all of whom were close relatives I could trust, but after this happened, I didn't dare bring them to visit him in the hospital. We need to investigate thoroughly when we get back to find out who leaked the secret!"

"Stars and moon... sigh..."

The old dean shook his head as he walked out of the Water Curtain Cave, stepped onto his flying sword, and returned to the small courtyard behind the mountain. Inside the office, Guo Xiqin was already waiting.

"How's your injury?" The old dean pressed his hand on Guo Xiqin's shoulder and channeled a stream of spiritual energy into him, which circulated slightly within his body. He finally felt relieved.

"Seventy or eighty percent chance, even if the Myriad Calamity Leopard were to return, I would still have a fighting chance!" Guo Xiqin said through gritted teeth.

Being ambushed by Wan Jiebao, causing him to vomit blood and fall unconscious, was his most painful defeat to date. He had been brooding over it for the past few days. As soon as his injuries began to improve, he refused to sit idly in the Water Curtain Cave and insisted on coming out to do something.

Guo Xiqin then reported all the information he had just gathered.

First, there was the disappearance of the steward and two monks, and then the resignation of the deputy director of the Pacification Division.

The Anfu Division has determined that the Hundred-Damage Rat and the Thousand-Faced Beast infiltrated and replaced the cultivators on the island. During this time, the Deputy Chief of the Flower and Fruit Order happened to be taking medicine to treat his tinnitus, so he was completely unaware of it.

As for why the deputy colonel happened to take the medicine and practice his internal energy at that exact time...

"Manager Bao was on good terms with him. During a casual chat, he learned that Bao had an ear injury, so he specially went to buy it and gave it to him that same day." Guo Xiqin handed over a waist tag, which was Manager Bao's.

"That day, Steward Bao took two people, one tall and one thin, to repair the formation and never returned. This was found by someone on the beach. It seems that Steward Bao selected two cultivators who resembled the Three Evils in build, took them to the cave, and had the Three Evils kill them to take their place. Afterward, he threw away his waist token and ran away."

"Manager Bao, Bao Zhongxin... this... he's an old man at the academy, he came to Aolai with me more than twenty years ago..." The old headmaster was both angry and confused. "He was originally a rogue cultivator affiliated with the Wansong Sect, but he was framed and came to Aolai with me. Why would he do such a thing? Why?"

"It is indeed difficult to solve, but the facts are all there. Deputy Commander Xiang is unlikely to lie. He is known for his meticulous work. He was caught making such a mistake and is now feeling guilty. He has resigned and is just waiting for the higher-ranking inspector to assign him a post."

The old dean nodded speechlessly. He knew this deputy chief well. Zhao Shizuo didn't care about anything and specially made a serious and responsible deputy. Over the years, he had been the first deputy in charge of the Pacification Division and had worked diligently. He didn't expect to stumble here.

Secondly, there was the matter of fish bone powder. This matter involved the academy's internal affairs, and before it was thoroughly investigated, the old headmaster preferred to have the people from Fengjia Village stay behind to guard the wounded.

"I checked who had contact with Li Fengping during that period." Guo Xiqin handed over a list with four or five names, among which Yin Lianli was clearly visible.

"Teacher Yin took the initiative to talk to me about some things. He secretly accepted some gifts from Li Fengping and was tutoring her in 'Dahuang Tong'. He showed them to me; they were all local specialties from Qiaozhufang, nothing special. Teacher Yin was very saddened by Li Fengping's death because he was not respected in any of the classes. Li Fengping was the only one who regarded him as a teacher." Guo Xiqin first introduced Yin Lianli's situation.

Yin Lian Li Yao...

The old dean recalled the mock exam not long ago. He had only mentioned the scores of the three classes, "Earth," "Mystery," and "Yellow," in front of everyone, when Yin Lianli blushed, stammered for a long time, and finally said, "I will try my best," before leaving and never returning.

Guo Xiqin later told him, "Teacher Yin was hiding in a corner and crying."

"A soft, snotty blob!" The old headmaster crossed out his name. "He's impossible; he's the kind of person who blushes even when he speaks."

"The rest are the logistics and purchasing staff. Li Fengping does some small business in her spare time and has a lot of contact with these people. But these people have a lot of different contacts, so it's hard to check them all at once..." Guo Xiqin introduced them one by one.

"Keep a close eye on these few for now. Have our informants in the market keep a close watch. As for the academy... don't let them into the Water Curtain Cave for now. Also, be careful with the items we buy, especially the medicines we're using to treat Feng and Cai."

"Yes," Guo Xiqin replied.

"As for the matter of the four families besieging the Chu family, go and ask Zhao Shizuo first, and see what the Pacification Commission's reaction is. As for the rest, well, let me think about it before I say anything more."

The old dean left these last words, turned and went into the inner room to ponder a solution.