Just past midnight, Fatty was driving, Song Bing sat in the passenger seat, and I was in the back. The three of us were heading towards the farmhouse we had been to earlier that day.
Song Bing had arrived around eight in the evening. Wu Tingxiu had asked him to come, primarily to ensure my safety.
Honestly, having him around did put my mind at ease quite a bit.
As the car was about to leave the city, I asked Fatty if he knew the way. He replied, "What's not to know? No bragging, but if I've traveled a road once, I can remember it."
"That's good then."
I said this and was about to light a cigarette when Song Bing glanced at the rearview mirror and said, "Turn left ahead."
Fatty seemed a bit taken aback. "Huh? Master Song, where are we going?"
"We're being followed..." Song Bing stated.
Upon hearing this, I immediately turned to look behind us. There was only one van following our car.
"This car has been behind us since we left the residential area," Song Bing said.
Fatty asked me, "Master Xiang, who do you think it could be?"
I wasn't entirely sure myself. Could it be Zhao Wei's people?
Impossible. My relationship with Zhao Wei was currently in its "honeymoon phase." I hadn't refused him, so there was no reason for him to have me followed.
Then who could it be?
Could it be people from the Guang Gu Association?
If it were truly the Guang Gu Association, it would mean they already suspected me.
Song Bing told Fatty to drive around the city aimlessly, but the van kept a tight pursuit. No matter how we weaved, they managed to keep up.
"Master Xiang, where do we go next?" Fatty asked as we passed through an intersection.
I looked around and realized the place looked somewhat familiar. A location instantly popped into my mind. "Fatty, turn right ahead."
Fatty paused for a moment upon hearing that, then quickly reacted. He passed me a glance through the rearview mirror. "Master Xiang, you're going to..."
I nodded and pulled out my phone to call Jiang Xue'er.
Soon, the car pulled into the nightclub's parking lot. After getting out, the three of us went inside.
Since I had already contacted Jiang Xue'er in advance, the manager there guided us to the back entrance and even prepared a Santana for us.
After this clandestine maneuver, the three of us drove the Santana around to the front entrance. As we passed by the van, the people inside didn't even glance at us.
Through the car window, I noticed there were at least four people inside, and one of them was that You Yi.
He was the one who had insisted on searching me earlier that day, and now he was following me.
It seemed he had already decided I had taken the Guanyin statue.
It made sense. At the time of the incident, I was the only suspicious person present. Now, they could only start with me.
"Master Xiang, that bastard is still watching you?" Fatty also saw You Yi and commented.
I replied, "My suspicion is indeed quite high. We need to be cautious for the next few days."
Fatty nodded and accelerated, quickly reaching the small road leading to the farmhouse.
To avoid being discovered, we didn't drive the car in. Instead, we parked it to the side. I asked Song Bing to wait in the car.
Fatty and I walked into the woods by the farmhouse entrance. Fatty held a flashlight, leading me around for quite some time.
"Where did you bury the item?" I asked.
Fatty said, "It should be around here. I even made markers..."
Visibility was not great at night. After searching for about ten minutes, Fatty finally stopped. "Master Xiang, I found it!"
Fatty crouched down and started digging with his hands. Before long, he unearthed a plastic bag. Opening it, the Water Moon Guanyin was perfectly intact.
I took the Water Moon Guanyin and put it into the bag I had prepared.
Just as we were about to head back the way we came, a rustling sound reached our ears. Listening closely, it sounded like footsteps, and many of them.
I quickly told Fatty to turn off the flashlight, and then we both crept to the base of a pine tree nearby.
As our eyes gradually adjusted to the dim light, I saw several figures appear not too far away, illuminated by the moonlight.
They were holding flashlights, shining them in our direction.
Fortunately, they were quite far from us, so even with their flashlights, they couldn't clearly see our position.
Fatty and I exchanged a glance and made a gesture, meaning we should quietly leave.
Fatty understood and nodded.
However, just as we stood up, Fatty couldn't help but let out a loud fart!
The fart was exceptionally clear in the silent woods, like the crack of a firecracker.
Fatty looked at me apologetically. I was used to his behavior; this guy always faltered at critical moments.
"What are you standing around for? Run!" I said irritably.
As we took off running, a voice from behind us shouted, "Who's there? Stop!"
I had initially thought that running this short distance would only take seven or eight minutes to reach the car. Who knew that after running for ten minutes, we still hadn't gotten out of the woods?
Fatty was exhausted and gasping for breath. "Master Xiang... I can't run anymore..."
I said with frustration, "Do you remember the way we came?"
"It should be around here. I only remember the general direction..."
"Didn't you say you could remember any road you'd traveled once?"
Fatty gave an embarrassed laugh. "I meant on the roads... Besides, there are no roads here..."
I was speechless at this fat guy. I turned to look; the flashlight beams were getting closer. I grabbed Fatty and pulled him along as we continued to run.
I don't know how many detours we took, but we finally managed to shake off those people. However, we had no idea where we had ended up.
Those people were likely from the farmhouse. Coming out in the middle of the night, they were most likely on patrol.
The trees around us were shadowy and looked pretty much the same. We couldn't tell which way led back to the road.
Fatty and I sat on a small mound to rest for a bit, then stood up to continue walking.
However, Fatty suddenly needed to relieve himself and insisted on finding a place to do so first.
"Master Xiang, wait for me. I really can't hold it anymore," Fatty said.
Seeing his state, I had no choice but to say, "Then hurry up."
"Okay!"
With that, Fatty adjusted his pants and ran towards a tree. Soon, a series of "pitter-patter" sounds could be heard. I covered my nose and quickly moved away from him.
After about ten minutes, this damned fatty still hadn't finished. I went back to find him, only to discover he was gone.
I called out softly, "Fatty!"
There was no response from the surroundings. It was then I realized this place didn't seem to be where Fatty had gone to the restroom earlier.
Suddenly, I felt the forest become somewhat eerie.
Could it be that we had encountered a ghost-induced disorientation?
Thinking of this, I felt a shiver.
I told myself not to scare myself. Even if it was ghost-induced disorientation, I still had the Guanyin statue on me, so what was there to fear!
Unable to find Fatty, I could only pick a direction and keep walking, thinking I should get out of this forest first.