The treehouse was not very spacious, yet it contained a great many things, seeming chaotic at a glance.
In the center of the floor, a thick, dark yellow blanket was spread.
Against the inner wall stood an iron wood-burning stove, with a copper kettle on top. Inside the stove were black ashes, and beside it was a small pile of unburned dry firewood.
Despite being summer, the mountain nights were still cold. Although the iron stove was small, once lit, it could keep the entire treehouse warm.
The treehouse had two windows. Two or three hemp ropes looped around the outer frame of one window, stretched across the treehouse, and were fixed to the outer frame of the other window.
On the ropes hung several patched and shabby pieces of clothing, clearly adult-sized, still carrying some moisture, not — Chapter 74: Wisdom Peers Through the Mist, Revealing Killing Intent — completely dried.
The afterglow of the setting sun shone through the window, illuminating the treehouse.
Inside, the light was dim. The handles of an iron axe and a hunting knife in the corner were wrapped in animal hide. The blades still bore dark red bloodstains.
On another wall was a piece of bamboo paper, with a dagger stuck right in the center.
On the paper was the drawing of a young man's face, unmistakably Fang Yuan's likeness.
All this indicated that someone had recently come to this secluded little treehouse to live in hiding. That person's goal, obviously, was Fang Yuan, depicted on the paper.
The dagger thrust into the paper vividly expressed his malicious intent.
Such a scene could not help but move the concerned party, Fang Yuan.
"What does this person want? Why target me? No, perhaps it's not me, but Fang Zheng." Fang Yuan's thoughts churned violently.
Fang Zheng was a Class A talent, the only Class A genius of the Gu Yue clan in three years, the hope of the clan. If successfully nurtured, he would become the family's next banner.
But nurturing always takes a process.
In this process, there are natural disasters, and even more so, **.
Heavenly disaster — Chapter 74: Wisdom Peers Through the Mist, Revealing Killing Intent — let's not talk about it for now; the key is **. As everyone knows, Qing Mao Mountain has not only the Gu Yue village, but also Bai Family Village and Xiong Family Village. These two forces absolutely would not look happily upon the traditional hegemon Gu Yue clan successfully nurturing a Class A genius.
Therefore, dispatching assassins was a common occurrence.
In this world, there are few geniuses, and even fewer who grow up smoothly.
Class A talent Gu Masters were not nonexistent. Three years ago, the Gu Yue clan had one. In earlier times, they also appeared repeatedly.
But among the three villages on Qing Mao Mountain, in all these years combined, only one Class A genius had been nurtured: Bai Ning Bing from Bai Family Village, who was already at the third turn of cultivation.
This phenomenon alone was enough to explain a lot.
"Is this person from Bai Family Village or Xiong Family Village? Is he starting to eliminate Gu Yue Fang Zheng now?" Fang Yuan frowned, staring at the portrait on the wooden wall.
"But why is there a mark for this treehouse on Old Man Wang's animal hide map? Could Old Man Wang be a secret contact developed by another faction? No, this person is targeting me!"
A fierce gleam suddenly flared in Fang Yuan's eyes.
At that moment, he recalled many scenes.
First, by the trap, he overheard the conversation of the four young hunters—
A hunter said: "Wang Er-ge, if you ask me, you're already nineteen after the New Year, old enough to take a wife and have children."
Wang Er retorted: "Hmph, a real man — how can he be tempted by such trivial beauty! One day, I will leave Qing Mao Mountain, go out and explore the world, see all under heaven — only then will I be worthy of being a man!"
Second, after he took action, Wang Er's unusual calmness. He drew his bow, arrow aimed directly at Fang Yuan, while the other three were already begging for mercy.
Third, Fang Yuan's interrogation.
"I ask you, does Old Man Wang's family have anyone else?"
A hunter replied: "Hunter Wang originally had a wife, but more than a decade ago, she was killed by wolves that broke into the village. Before his wife died, she gave Old Man Wang two sons and a daughter. But the eldest son, Wang Da, died hunting on the mountain three years ago. The Wang family has no one left."
"I, I remember! Old Man Wang actually also had a daughter-in-law, Wang Da's wife. But after Wang Da disappeared, that woman died a faithful death. That year, the village even specially sent down a chastity arch. However, I heard that Wang Da's wife wanted to remarry, and Old Man Wang forced her to death. Sir, you killed Old Man Wang, removing a tyrant and bringing peace to the people — doing good for everyone."
Another person quickly chimed in: "Yes, yes. Actually, sir, we've also long been sick of this Old Man Wang. Hmph, what's so great about him? Just because he's better at hunting? We're all mortals, but he acts as if he's something special, deliberately moving out of the village to live here. As younger folk, we sometimes wanted to ask him for advice, but he just drove us away and even forbade us from coming near the hut!"
Old Man Wang's family, moving out of the village, living in seclusion…
The eldest son, Wang Er, died hunting on the mountain three years ago…