Every time Lu Fei saw the little bird, he felt something was a bit off.
Jia Banxian rubbed his temples, distressed, "It cries and calls, and its voice sounds like a child, quite eerie! The first night, I almost thought it was a ghost!"
"Sounds like a child?"
Lu Fei was somewhat surprised. In order to see more clearly, he moved his head closer to the cage.
The little parrot seemed greatly frightened, burying its head in its wings, its small body trembling and shrieking loudly.
Bixiaogui!
Bixiaogui!
Its voice resembled that of a child, wailing particularly mournfully.
Lu Fei was startled and quickly stepped back two steps.
"You saw it, Senior, I didn't do anything."
"This little bird is just like this, with a very timid nature. The slightest movement can scare it half to death. It's like this every day; I'm almost developing a nervous breakdown," said Jia Bandaian, frowning and looking distressed.
"That's really an exaggeration, isn't it? What it's calling sounds like I'm trying to kill it."
After Lu Fei finished speaking, he suddenly paused.
"Senior, it wouldn't be calling... 'don't kill me,' would it?"
"Now that you mention it, it does sound a bit like that!"
Jia Banxian looked at the frightened little parrot in the cage, his eyes filled with anger and heartache.
"Could it have been abused by its previous owner? No wonder it gets scared so easily at the slightest noise! That's too much, what could a little bird do wrong?"
Lu Fei thought for a moment, then shook his head: "No, parrots don't speak on their own, they mimic people."
Jia Banxian paused, his expression becoming serious: "Its voice sounds like a child, so it was mimicking a child... So, did it witness a child being abused?"
"Moreover, this abuse wasn't just once, otherwise the little parrot wouldn't have learned it and formed a conditioned response, screaming every time someone approaches." Lu Fei's brow furrowed.
The behavior of this little parrot, upon closer thought, was truly terrifying.
"What beasts!"
Jia Banxian was furious, slamming his palm on the table.
"This little parrot was bought from the flower and bird market. The owner is a big, fat man with a full head of brains, clearly not a good person! I'm going to confront him tomorrow!"
"Banxian, don't be rash. After all, it's just our speculation. Besides, such a person definitely won't admit it. How about if I go with you tomorrow?" Lu Fei was a bit worried.
"Alright! You're quick-witted. If that fat man tries to argue his way out, you can find the loopholes."
Jia Banxian looked at the little parrot in the cage, his original impatience turning into pity.
"I shouldn't meddle in other people's business, but now that this bird is in my hands and I happen to know about this, if I just let it go without doing anything, I might not sleep well in the future."
"It would be great if it's a misunderstanding, but if there really is a child being abused, saving that child would be an act of kindness."
"You are right, Senior." Lu Fei nodded.
Since they had encountered the situation, they needed to get to the bottom of it to feel at ease.
The little parrot gradually calmed down.
Jia Banxian covered the cage with a cloth to prevent the little creature from being constantly scared.
"It's getting late, senior. You should rest early. I will come to pick you up tomorrow."
Lu Fei hugged the small black dog and returned to Sinisterium Pawnshop.
Then he contacted Master Kuleng, asking him to help find a willow branch to place at the lotus seat of Guanyin Bodhisattva for offering.
"Master, I trouble you."
"Such a trivial matter, why is Manager Lu being so polite with me?"
It could be said that it was all thanks to Lu Fei that Kuleng was able to join the Lingyin Society. He was more than happy to do something for Lu Fei.
But after putting down the phone, he couldn't smile anymore.
The night outside the car window was heavy and dark.
Tie Shenglan and Zhang Molin both found excuses to get off the car early, leaving him as the only one in the car. The road back to Red Lotus Temple was rather remote, and it was hard to find a ride.
"Master Kudeng, don't worry, there's no traffic outside the city, we'll be there soon."
Jing Jian pressed down on the accelerator, and the divine car roared, increasing its speed by several notches.
When the sky was just starting to brighten.
Kudeng finally returned to Honglian Temple.
"Master, no need to thank me, I'll send you again next time!"
Jing Jian waved enthusiastically, driving his divine car towards the rising sun, leaving Kudeng in disarray in the wind.
And at this moment.
Lu Fei also drove off with Jia Banxian, heading to the flower and bird market.
The little black dog, upon seeing the birdcage, immediately became excited, stretching out its two paws to dig at it.
"Xiao Hei, stop! That little parrot is very timid, you'll scare it," Lu Fei hastily stopped him.
The little black dog whimpered pitifully a few times but still obediently retracted its paws and no longer tried to touch the birdcage, though its two dark eyes couldn't help but curiously peek inside.
"Lu family boy, speed up! We have to get this done today!"
Jia Banxian was fuming with anger. Last night, the little parrot made a racket again, keeping him from getting any sleep, and he had a belly full of fire with nowhere to vent it.
"Senior, when we get there, don't act impulsively. The most important thing is to find evidence."
Lu Fei stepped on the gas pedal, and soon they arrived at the flower and bird market.
After parking the car, the two of them headed straight for the shop that sold the little parrot.
At this time, the shops on the street were just beginning to open one by one. When they reached the shop Jia Banxian mentioned, they immediately saw a large, at least 200-pound man, cleaning with a mop.
Various cages were hung in the shop, each containing different kinds of birds.
The chirping was quite lively.
"Boss!"
As soon as Jia Baxian entered the door, he placed the birdcage in his hand on the table with a menacing air.
"Oh, isn't this the old man who bought the parakeet?"
The big fat man quickly recognized Jia Baxian, put down the mop in his hand, and approached with a broad smile on his face.
"What would the old man like to buy today?"
"I told you the other day, one is too lonely, two are just right for company."
"I have a few particularly smart cockatiels; let me bring them over for you to take a look..." The big fat man was especially enthusiastic, and as he spoke, he went to fetch the birdcages.
"Stop right there!"
Jia Baxian, with a stern face, pointed at the little parakeet's cage.
"First, explain to me, what is going on with this little parakeet you sold to me?"
"What do you mean? Didn't you pick out this parakeet yourself?" The big fat man was momentarily stunned, his dough-like face full of confusion.
"Are you still pretending? Don't you know what immoral and conscienceless things you've done?" Jia Banchen snorted coldly.
"What immoral thing have I done?" The big fat man frowned and raised his voice.
"I run my shop with integrity, do business honestly, clearly mark the prices, and sell only healthy birds. It is a willing transaction. How could I be without a conscience?"
"I'm not talking about the birds, I'm talking about the children!" Jia Banchen shouted angrily.
"What children? I'm selling birds, not children! Old man, are you here to cause trouble for no reason?" The big fat man put his hands on his hips, a sardonic smile on his face.
"I've seen your kind before. You bought something and now don't want to keep it, don't try to beat around the bush, I'm telling you, you can forget about getting a refund!"
"Still trying to deny it!" Jia Banchen reached out and pulled away the black cloth from the cage, "This little parrot cries miserably every night, how dare you say there's nothing strange about it?"
"Ghost?"
The big fat man was taken aback, a fleeting hint of fear flashed across his narrowed eyes.