Tonight, the moon was especially round.
Moonlight, radiant as gauze, draped over Qing Mao Mountain.
Each leap of the Treasure Aura Yellow Copper Toad covered a full hundred meters. Because it moved by jumping, the steep, narrow mountain path posed no limit or hindrance to it.
Jia Fu's entire group sat atop the Treasure Aura Yellow Copper Toad, having departed from Guye Stockade and now heading back toward the merchant caravan.
Wind howled past their ears, and their view pitched up and down with each of the toad's leaps.
Moonlight shone on everyone's faces. Each person was silent, and Jia Fu's expression was colder than frost.
After a long while, one of his confidants could no longer endure the deathly silence and ventured, "Master, what are we to do? Jia Jinsheng is dead. When you return, how will you explain this to the Patriarch? Shouldn't we find a scapegoat first..."
Jia Fu shook his head but deflected the question. "Do you know the story of the Human Ancestor?"
The confidant was stunned, not expecting such a response. For a moment, he had no idea how to answer.
Jia Fu continued, "The Human Ancestor had the Gui Ju Er Gu, and with them he captured every Gu under heaven. He gained strength, but lost wisdom. At that point, three Gu remained in his net. When he looked inside, they were the Attitude Gu, the Belief Gu, and the Doubt Gu. The Human Ancestor refused to let them go, so the three Gu struck a gamble with him. The moment he opened the net, they would scatter in three directions at once. Whoever he caught would submit. Tell me — which one did the Human Ancestor catch in the end?"
The confidant seemed to grasp something and answered, "The Attitude Gu!"
"Do you know why?" Jia Fu asked.
The confidant shook his head.
Jia Fu let out a dark chuckle. "Because attitude explains everything. Whether Father 'believes' or 'doubts,' I have already shown my 'attitude.' When Jia Jinsheng went missing, I immediately launched an investigation in the caravan. The moment I had a lead, I rushed back to Guye Stockade without pause. At the stockade, I risked being besieged by the entire Guye Clan to confront the matter face to face. I didn't even sit down — to verify Fang Yuan's words, I even used the Fourth Transformation Bamboo Lord Gu."
"After I return to the family, I will also hire Bu Shen with a generous sum and invite Tie Xue Leng to investigate this matter. Whether Jia Jinsheng is dead or alive, as his older brother, I have already done everything I should have. My attitude has been made clear! I've just figured it out — there's no need for a scapegoat. I'll go back honest and open, because this truly wasn't my doing! If I found a scapegoat, I might fall right into Jia Gui's trap. If I can find someone to take the blame, he can certainly find someone to overturn the case."
The confidant was secretly alarmed. "Master, do you truly suspect Young Master Jia Gui did this?"
"Hmph, if not him, then who else could have pulled this off so flawlessly?" At this, Jia Fu's face twisted, the fury in his eyes threatening to erupt. "Before, I held back out of brotherly consideration and didn't move against him. I never imagined he could be this sinister. Since you've shown no mercy, don't blame me, Jia Fu, for returning the favor!"
What he did not know at this moment was that from a distance, a pair of eyes had been watching him all along, quietly seeing him off as he departed.
Fang Yuan stood on the hillside, watching in silence.
The moonlight tonight was truly beautiful and pure.
A golden full moon hung high in the night sky, illuminating the mountains and earth in radiant clarity.
Nearby, the green mountains were lush and verdant, thick with every kind of grass. The slopes were covered with pines, cypresses, and firs, along with the Green Spear Bamboo unique to Qing Mao Mountain — patch upon patch, cluster upon cluster. Vast swathes of dark green cascaded from the mountaintop all the way down to the foothills.
The distant mountains stretched in an unbroken line, their forms blurring into heavy dark silhouettes under the moonlight.
The winding mountain path snaked downward like a sheep's intestine, occasionally hidden by the forest, stretching on into the distance.
Jia Fu's group rode the Treasure Aura Yellow Copper Toad along the mountain path. After countless leaps, their figures were finally swallowed by the trees.
Though mountainous terrain could not limit the speed of the Treasure Aura Yellow Copper Toad, Jia Fu did not dare blunder across Qing Mao Mountain at random. If he stumbled into a beast lair, even with his Fourth Transformation cultivation, he would find himself in a wretched state. Thus, following the mountain path was the safest course.
Not long ago, it was on this very hillside that Fang Yuan had held an umbrella and watched the merchant caravan depart. Now he stood here once more, watching Jia Fu disappear into the distance.
"The trouble of killing Jia Jinsheng is finally settled." His eyes were dark and deep, the lake of his heart utterly still, perfectly calm.
Ever since he had killed Jia Jinsheng that night, he had been pondering how to clean up afterward.
He knew all too well that he had no foundation whatsoever. If the truth were exposed, the Guye Clan would surely sacrifice him. But mere concealment would only delay the inevitable — paper can never wrap fire.