The Little Demonic Cultivator in the Courtyard: Borrowing 100,000 Japanese Pirates to Heal

As soon as he said this, everyone in the courtyard turned their attention to Xu Jiande.

Jia Zhangshi stretched her neck out, her eyes widened, and her mouth opened and closed repeatedly, clearly remembering the commotion she had heard last night, but not daring to interrupt.

Wang Xiaoyong was stunned for a moment and asked what was going on.

Xu Jiande briefly recounted what happened last night: Ah Zhong and another neighbor sneaked into his house to steal rice in the middle of the night and were caught red-handed. He Daqing heard the commotion and came over with a kitchen knife to help. The two thieves still owe him 100 yuan.

After listening, Wang Xiaoyong turned around and walked to the sergeant's side, whispering a few words. The sergeant nodded and waved to the Japanese soldiers behind him.

Soon, a Japanese soldier followed Xu Jiande out of the crowd to check the wooden door of Xu Jiande's house.

The bolt on the wooden door was indeed kicked off. The wood shards at the break were still fresh; when you pried them apart by hand, there was no dust on the break, so it was clear that it had only recently broken.

The Japanese soldier looked at the door bolt, then at Xu Jiande, and nodded.

But the process isn't over yet. Just finding signs of a broken bolt isn't enough; they still need to find Ah Zhong and the other two thieves to verify.

Wang Xiaoyong said to Xu Jiande, "Jiande, take the Imperial Army to find that Ah Zhong and verify it."

Xu Jiande nodded: "Okay." He then said that he didn't know where Ah Zhong lived.

He Daqing quickly said, "I'll go. I know exactly which alley Ah Zhong lives in."

Wang Xiaoyong glanced at him, then whispered a few words to the sergeant.

The sergeant waved his hand, signaling the two men to lead the way.

He Daqing walked ahead with a limp, Xu Jiande followed beside him, and the Japanese soldier carrying a Type 38 rifle followed behind.

The three of them left the courtyard and walked west along the alley.

He Daqing knew the residents of Nanluoguxiang very well.

When he worked as a cook at Tan's Restaurant, he went to the market to buy vegetables every day, and he knew almost all the residents in the surrounding alleys.

Ah Zhong's family lived in a single room in a large courtyard in that narrow alley to the west. There was a pile of timber at the door.

Of course, they didn't need to specifically look for that room; barring any unforeseen circumstances, Ah-Zhong and his neighbors would be summoned by the Japanese soldiers to gather in the courtyard.

That is indeed the case.

When Xu Jiande and He Daqing arrived, Zhong Ge was also in the courtyard with many neighbors, and he seemed very scared.

He huddled at the back of the crowd, head down, unsure what to do with his hands, a large swelling on his right arm.

That was from last night when Xu Jiande hit me with a wooden stick. It was swollen like a steamed bun, and the bluish-purple color was particularly noticeable in the morning light.

The Japanese soldiers who came with Xu Jiande were talking to each other. The Japanese soldiers on the other side said a few words in their own language. Immediately, the Japanese soldier on the other side walked into the crowd with his gun and pulled Zhong Ge out.

Zhong was pulled so hard he staggered several steps and almost fell on the bluestone slab. He was terrified, thinking he was going to be killed by the Japanese.

After all, he was injured, making him a prime suspect.

At that moment, he looked up and saw Xu Jiande standing in front of him.

His face turned pale instantly.

The memory of being beaten up last night was still fresh; the swelling on his arm was still throbbing. Now, Xu Jiande had brought the Japanese devils to their door again. Zhong Ge's legs went weak, and he almost knelt down.

The Japanese soldier asked him if he had gone to Xu Jiande's house to steal rice last night.

Zhong was even more frightened, but he had no choice but to talk. He confessed everything that happened last night: how he pried open the door, how Xu Jiande caught him, how he was beaten, and even the fact that he had to pay 100 yuan in compensation.

His voice trembled as he spoke, fearing the Japanese would arrest him as a resistance fighter.

The two Japanese soldiers exchanged a glance and nodded.

Xu Jiande and He Daqing's alibis have been confirmed.

On the way back, He Daqing walked very slowly, limping, but the expression on his face was much more relaxed than when he came.

He glanced at Xu Jiande, hesitated, but ultimately said nothing.

Some things don't need to be said; just keep them in your heart.

Back in the courtyard, the search in the courtyard was nearing its end.

Xu Jiande and He Daqing's alibis were confirmed, but three neighbors in the courtyard were dragged out of the crowd by the Japanese soldiers because they could not say where they were or who they were with in the middle of the night.

One of them is Old Sun, who lives in the backyard. He is over sixty years old and lives alone.

One was Liu Haizhong, whose wife's testimony was not accepted by the Japanese.

Another one is Da Zhou. His wife testified for him, but the Japanese believed that the relationship between husband and wife was not valid.

The three men were led by the Japanese soldiers toward the courtyard gate. Old Sun's legs were trembling, and Da Zhou's face was covered in sweat.

Their families stood in the crowd, afraid to step forward or cry, and could only watch helplessly as they were taken away.

The person was taken away, but the courtyard remained deathly silent.

After a long while, people began to move, heads down, and walk into their own houses.

Xu Jiande stopped caring.

In this kind of world, there's no point in worrying about so many things.

He returned to the house, where Bai Ling had already prepared breakfast: cornmeal porridge, six steamed buns, and a dish of pickled vegetables.

The two sat down and finished eating in silence. Xu Jiande put down his bowl, picked up twenty catties of rice, and went out the door.

The scene on the street was even more desolate than yesterday.

Most of the shops were closed, and some doors still bore the marks of being vandalized yesterday.

Occasionally, a few pedestrians would hurry along the wall, heads down and shoulders hunched, not daring to look to either side.

There were many Japanese soldiers checking people and courtyards along the way. Crying and banging on doors came from different directions.

Xu Jiande carried his load across two streets and saw at least three groups of people being led by the Japanese soldiers in different directions.

Fortunately, the rice shop was not vandalized.

The door was intact, and the lock was still there; the new lock from yesterday hadn't been pried open. Xu Jiande opened the door, went inside, stacked twenty jin of rice in the corner, and began his business.

Aji arrived early as well.

There were far fewer people out shopping today than yesterday. The streets were already sparsely populated, and even fewer dared to venture out.

Occasionally one or two would come in, all of them with sallow complexions and unsteady gait, clearly very hungry.

This is probably because almost all the residents are still being questioned and interrogated by the Japanese.

However, the rice was sold out an hour later.

Although Xu Jiande increased the price by another 20%.

Xu Jiande packed up his stall, folded the empty cloth bags, and went to the main store.

When we arrived at the main store, the door was open, but the inside was empty; there was nothing on the shelves.

The clerk behind the counter saw him and waved his hand before he could speak: "It's all gone, really all gone. Not a single grain of rice left."

Xu Jiande looked at the empty shelves, remained silent for a moment, and then asked, "When will we get rice?"

The man shook his head, saying he didn't know either.

Xu Jiande pushed the empty cart back into the shop. When Aji saw him return empty-handed, his expression was complicated, a mix of disappointment and expectation.

After all, it was his own suggestion: to temporarily deplete the rice shops, starve the big pigs of Beijing, then give them some food and then manipulate them.

Xu Jiande naturally had no idea that the lack of rice in the upper district was related to the guy in front of him.

He sighed, "No rice left. Not a single grain. We'll be closing early again today."

Aji nodded without asking any further questions.

The two men fastened the door panels one by one, and Xu Jiande hung up the lock. He turned to Aji and said, "There might not be any rice tomorrow. I guess we'll only need to work half a day."

Aji said okay and turned to walk into the alley.

Xu Jiande watched his figure disappear into the alley before turning and walking towards home.

Back home, Bai Ling closed the door and sat at the table, lost in thought.

She's almost fully recovered from her injury these past two days; the injury to her left rib doesn't really affect her mobility anymore, but she still can't go out.

That's why it seems boring.

When Xu Jiande returned, he asked how the store was doing.

"We're out of rice. The main store is closed too." Xu Jiande placed the empty cloth bag in the corner. "We're closing early today, and we probably won't be open for long tomorrow either."

Bai Ling remained silent for a while, without saying anything.

The two then chatted for a few minutes, and Xu Jiande said he would continue to treat your injuries.

Bai Ling nodded, unbuttoned her coat, revealing her left rib area.

After several treatments, the bruises on the skin have mostly faded, leaving only a light yellow ring. The edges are still peeling, and the newly grown skin is pink and tender, looking much thinner than the surrounding skin.

Xu Jiande placed his palm on the surface, and demonic energy slowly surged from his dantian, flowing into his palm along the three yin meridians of his hand.

This time, the demonic energy was denser, gentler, and more persistent than before, like applying a warm water bottle to the skin in winter.

This is related to his increased control over demonic energy after breaking through to the second level of Qi Refining.

It is also related to the quality of demonic energy.