Water Margin: Gao Yanei is actually a Gal Genius

What a boorish monk! Yet here in the Gao family's backyard, he was behaving like a shifty-eyed thief.

Gao Jin, looking around anxiously, said to Lu Zhishen, "Brother Zhishen, aren't you worried about Brother Lin Chong joining Liangshan?"

"Don't worry, I'll accompany you to Liangshan when the time comes. Who cares about their reputation? As long as they can handle my staff, that's all that matters."

Upon hearing this, Lin Chong said gratefully, "Thank you very much, Brother Zhishen!"

"We've been brothers, so it's only right that we share joys and sorrows! It's a pity my brother is under house arrest; I wonder when the Grand Commandant will finally agree to release him. Otherwise, wouldn't it be wonderful for the three of us brothers to venture into Liangshan Marsh together?"

Gao Jin was thinking of finding some free time to go out for a walk with his two brothers. "Brother Lin Chong, when are you planning to set off?"

Lin Chong seemed to have planned this all along, saying, "The Mid-Autumn Festival is in three days, so I should stay and celebrate the festival with my brother before I leave."

Gao Jin felt that his wound should have healed in three days, and he should be able to go to Liangshan Marsh with his brothers to take a look.

"How about I find an excuse to accompany my brother to Liangshan Marsh for a visit?"

Lu Zhishen immediately became excited, "Brother, is what you say true? Then the three of us brothers will have to have some fun."

Lin Chong hesitated, seemingly troubled. "I wonder how my brother plans to explain things to the Grand Commandant?"

He didn't want Gao Jin to go with him. If they were seen together, and Grand Commandant Gao was accused of being a bandit, who would bail him out then?!

"Let's explain when Old Deng is in a better mood; it'll be easier to communicate then," Gao Jin waved his hand, reassuring Lin Chong not to worry.

"Don't worry, brother, my husband is very easy to talk to."

"I'm at ease knowing that you're in the know, brother." Lin Chong decided to inform Gao Qiu later, and hopefully get another beating. That Gao Jin is incredibly audacious.

Seeing that the two had finished talking, Lu Zhishen started thinking about Cai Xiu again. "Brother, quickly tell me how that villain got away with it."

Seeing that Lu Zhishen was still preoccupied with that matter, Gao Jin lowered his voice and whispered, "After leaving Cai Xiu's residence, I hurried back in a sullen mood..."

As I passed through a quiet alley, I heard Qingmei calling me...

"Qingmei said she knew I was troubled and prepared a surprise for me..."

"Then I went with Qingmei to the courtyard..."

"Only after entering the courtyard did I realize that the surprise Qingmei had mentioned was actually that scoundrel Cai Xiu..."

Upon hearing this, Lu Zhishen said, "I never expected that madwoman to be so kind and compassionate. I must have wronged her today. I will definitely apologize to her tomorrow!"

Gao Jin said, "Didn't I keep telling you to stop today?! You reckless monk, you wouldn't listen! My Qingmei has already run away, and you still wanted to chase after her!"

When Gao Jin heard that Chen Liqing had run away, he was furious. It was clear that there was no chance tonight, but he couldn't let his brothers know, so he could only glare at Lu Zhishen.

Lu Zhishen, oblivious to the situation, patted his head and continued, "And then what? What did you do next, brother?"

Gao Jin picked up a chicken bone from the table, pinching it between two fingers. "I suffered such a great injustice at the banquet, how could I let him suffer so easily?! I grabbed his neck right then and there, just like the bone between my fingers. With a forceful pull..."

Gao Jin exerted force in his hand, crushing the middle section of the chicken bone into powder with a crisp "crack" sound, and the broken bone fell back onto the table.

"That's great!" Lu Zhishen quickly poured wine for Gao Jin.

Lin Chong raised his glass to invite him to drink, "Brother, you have some skill." He could break chicken bones, but he couldn't crush them with sheer force like Gao Jin did.

After drinking the cup of wine, Lu Zhishen glanced around before speaking, "Brother, what happened to that fellow's body?"

"I threw it into a dry well, and I also threw some odds and ends in to cover it up."

"Brother, this is not appropriate. We should bury him properly." Lu Zhishen looked around warily.

"My husband said the same thing, and I'll go and move him to a different place in a while."

"It's not even winter yet, it'll probably stink in a few days," Lu Zhishen said.

Gao Jin felt nauseous at the thought of Cai Xiu's later softened and disfigured state. "Brother, what should we do?"

"I heard that a wealthy family in the city has lost its young master. Why don't we send this fellow to the young master's coffin and then take him out of the city for further disposal?"

Gao Jin stared at Lu Zhishen with a look of horror in his eyes. This monk was even more unrestrained than him. "Brother, you..."

"I know, but we must act swiftly and expediently. We cannot allow that villain to linger in the city for too long."

"Having stayed in the city for too long, the smell will indeed be hard to maintain. In my opinion, it would be better to stuff it into the Jinzhi cart and have the porters send it out of the city."

Remembering Gao Qiu's instructions, Gao Jin said solemnly to Lin Chong, "This matter should not be known to others. If it is hidden in the Jinzhi Cart, it may not be able to be kept from Qingjiao, and it will cause unnecessary trouble."

Upon hearing this, Lin Chong realized what was happening and was filled with lingering fear.

Gao Jin then said to Lu Zhishen, "The people carrying the coffin must have something on their minds. The coffin has suddenly become an extra hundred or so pounds. It's inevitable that they will have doubts, and it's not quite appropriate."

"This won't do, that won't do either, this is really troublesome!" Lu Zhishen slapped his thigh.

Gao Jin recalled what Chen Liqing had said that night, and his gaze drifted to Lin Chong. "I've heard that there's a place in this capital city called 'Ghost Market.' Have you two brothers heard of it?"

Lin Chong, being a Tokyo local, immediately began to explain.

"At the crossroads east of Panlou, teahouses lit up every five o'clock to trade... and dispersed at dawn, which was called the Ghost Market. I often heard that clothes, paintings, garlands, collars and the like were being bought and sold there."

Gao Jin sensed something was off; it sounded like a black market. He pressed for more information.

"Is this place located beneath Tokyo?"

Lin Chong shook his head. "The Ghost Market is located in a small alley near Panlou. It opens at midnight every night and closes at dawn. This is the capital of Tokyo..."

At this point, Lin Chong paused, his expression hesitant. He was afraid that Gao Jin would want to go underground again, taking unnecessary risks.

"What's going on in Tokyo?" Lu Zhishen asked curiously. As an outsider, he had no idea about the intricacies of Tokyo, and found it quite interesting.

Gao Jin also stared intently at Lin Chong.

"Beneath Tokyo lies the ruins of an ancient city from a previous dynasty, often frequented by beggars. In my youth, my friend Lu Qian became trapped there, which is how I came to know a little about it. The passageways inside are intricate and complex, like a maze..."

"Brother, are you perhaps planning to hide the body there?!" Lin Chong said, but Lu Zhishen realized what he meant.

Gao Jin glanced around to make sure no one was paying attention before asking, "Where is a good place to hide something?"

Lin Chong shook his head violently, "No! There are countless eyes hiding in there. If someone sees us, the consequences will be unimaginable."

Indeed, there's no reason to hide things on someone else's turf.

Gao Jin then came up with another idea, "Why don't we seal up that dry well and smooth out the ground so that no one can tell anything is wrong? What do you think?"

"What about the taste?" Lin Chong asked.

"Should we fill in the gaps with soil to block the smell?"

"No, transporting soil into the city would be too conspicuous."

"Buy some molten gold and pour it in, then cover the wellhead with boards and seal it. If anyone asks, just say the cesspool is next door. How about that?"

"I think it's a good idea." "I agree."