At first, I was almost in despair when the middle-aged man said he didn't know the customer's identity, but his new explanation rekindled a glimmer of hope in me: "Since that thing was sent by mail, there must be a delivery address. Where was that thing delivered?"
"I don't know!"
The middle-aged man shook his head: "Fengmen Village is a very orderly place. Everyone only needs to deal with their own tasks. After I receive the flyer, I prepare the necessary items and hand them over to the person picking up the goods when I change shifts. Although I don't know the delivery address, I changed shifts a little early that day, so I waited for the person picking up the goods at the intersection for a few minutes. Judging from the direction he came from, the goods should have been delivered to the two caves in the center of the village."
I pressed further, "You just said that person is a super big customer here. How much money do you need to spend to have that kind of status?"
“No amount of money will do! Fengmen Village is a money pit. No matter how much money you bring in, you can spend it all. Moreover, in order to create a fair environment, the bosses only differentiate between accommodation and food; everything else is the same.”
The middle-aged man paused for a moment: "As far as I know, all the super big clients in Fengmen Village are handpicked by the managers above, and some are even designated by the big boss."
When I heard the middle-aged man say that, I narrowed my eyes: "You just mentioned the big boss, which means there's more than one boss here, right?"
“I don’t know. The strictness of Fengmen Village is far beyond your imagination. I have worked here for seven years and have never met the master of Fengmen Village. I usually only cooperate with the person in charge of the pharmacy. We call the people above him the big boss.”
When I heard that the situation in Fengmen Village was so complicated, I curled my lip and asked, "So where do you usually live?"
"We're underground, just not in contact with you. We're like animals kept in captivity, living a monotonous life, just at the very bottom of this world."
The middle-aged man gave a self-deprecating smile: "Everyone who works for Fengmen Village is a desperate person. It's already a miracle that we can survive. How can we ask for more? If you kidnapped me to find out about the other clients, you'll probably be very disappointed. Fengmen Village is just as wary of us as you are."
Wang Qing thought for a moment: "You said there's someone above you who governs you all. How can I find that person?"
"Stop dreaming. Trying to find someone higher up is just suicide."
The middle-aged man raised an eyebrow at us: "You're lucky today. You've only dug up the beginning of the underground passage. If you keep going along that path, you'll pass through several security checks, including fingerprint locks and iris locks, and there are armed guards on duty! Without absolute force, do you think Fengmen Village could control a group of outlaws who work for them?"
Seeing that the middle-aged man's knowledge was indeed limited, I didn't press him further and asked one last question: "In the past few days, red lights have been constantly on in Fengmen Village, and it looks like they're arranging ghost marriages. Is this an illegal business here?"
“The red lights in Fengmen Village mean that not only you can’t watch them, but we ordinary people can too.”
The middle-aged man shook his head: "Let me tell you this, the entire Fengmen Village is shrouded in a huge fog. Everyone can only see a small area around them. Apart from the top predators, no one can really see the whole picture."
"Fengmen Village is really a strange place."
After listening to the middle-aged man's story, I checked the time. It had been almost half an hour since we kidnapped him. I waved to Wang Qing and said, "Give him a sedative and send him back the way we came."
"You really want to let him go?"
A murderous glint flashed in Wang Qing's eyes: "Letting this guy leave will pose a huge threat to us."
“He’s right. Fengmen Village is shrouded in mystery. The complicated rules here are to keep people from prying into what lies beyond the fog, including us and him! If he goes back and talks nonsense everywhere, he’ll get himself killed… Let’s send him away, so as not to interrupt his call with his mother.”
I nodded to the middle-aged man: "Although our methods were somewhat underhanded, I still appreciate your willingness to tell us so much. We meant no harm; we were just forced into a corner. Please forgive us."
"Are you really going to let me go?"
Seeing my words, the middle-aged man's tense expression finally relaxed a little: "If you are investigating customers who want to buy the Netherworld Peony, there is some information I know that might be of some use to you... On the delivery slip that the person sent before, in addition to the medicinal herbs he bought, there was something on it that even we don't have here."
Seeing the middle-aged man speak first, I looked him in the eyes and asked, "What are you talking about?"
The middle-aged man responded, "It's like a malignant tumor in the body."
The monkey was completely confused: "What ball?"
"It's not a ball, it's Yama's Tumor. It's a kind of mold that grows in extremely harsh environments and is particularly prone to attracting poisonous insects. Legend has it that places where this mold grows are extremely dangerous, and those who come into contact with it have a nine-out-of-ten chance of dying. Most importantly, because Yama's Tumor is a mold, it is only effective when it is fresh, and it is extremely difficult to preserve. That's why herbalists describe picking this herb as pulling a tumor off the back of Yama, the King of Hell."
Wang Qing explained familiarly, "The Yama's Tumor is known as the most potent poison in the world. When mixed with sea wasps, it can be made into Golden Branch and Jade Dew. Legend has it that this stuff can cure all poisons in the world. Anyone who drinks Golden Branch and Jade Dew will be immune to all poisons for seven years."
"That's amazing?"
I was a little surprised, then nodded: "Qu Xuelin is a master of poisons. If he gets his hands on this, it will be a very useful thing, whether for poisoning or for making an antidote for himself."
Wang Qing said sullenly, "That may be true, but the Yama's tumor is extremely rare. There are only a handful of people in the world who can preserve it. Even my sect, which is known as the number one medical sect in China, does not have this ability."
After hearing this news from the middle-aged man, I waved to Wang Qing: "Let's send him back first. We can talk about the rest when we're safe."
Although the middle-aged man had already reached a cooperation agreement with us, Wang Qing was still a little worried and gave him a sleeping pill.
After the middle-aged man was drugged, we returned the way we came, took him to the underground passage, and then the group quickly evacuated and returned to Wang Qing's residence.
Inside Wang Qing's residence, both he and his fellow disciple looked dejected. Wang Qing even lit a cigarette, which was unusual for him: "Damn it, after all this time of work to catch this guy, he doesn't know anything. Tonight, we've wasted our time!"
Hearing Wang Qing's complaint, I licked my lips and said, "I've thought of a way to lure Qu Xuelin out."
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