Tonight, the moon was exceptionally round.
Moonlight cascaded like radiance, like gauze, draping over Qing Mao Mountain.
Each leap of the Treasure Aura Yellow Copper Toad covered a full hundred meters. Since it moved by jumping, the steep and narrow mountain paths posed no limitation or obstruction to it.
Jia Fu and his entourage all sat atop the Treasure Aura Yellow Copper Toad, having departed from Guye Stockade, heading back toward the merchant caravan.
The wind roared in their ears, their vision pitching up and down with each of the toad's leaps.
Moonlight shone upon everyone's faces. Each person sat in silence, and Jia Fu's expression was colder than frost.
After a long while, one of his trusted retainers could no longer bear the dead silence and ventured to speak: "Master, what are we to do? Jia Jinsheng is dead. When we return, how are you going to explain this to the old master? Should we perhaps find a scapegoat first..."
Jia Fu shook his head, but deflected the question: "Do you know the story of the Human Ancestor?"
The retainer was stunned, never having expected such a response from Jia Fu. For a moment he had no idea how to answer.
Jia Fu continued: "The Human Ancestor possessed the Gui Ju Er Gu, and with them captured all the Gu insects in the world. He gained strength, but lost wisdom. At that point, three Gu remained in his net. He opened it and found they were the Attitude Gu, the Belief Gu, and the Doubt Gu. The Human Ancestor refused to let them go, so the three Gu had to bargain with him — they would gamble. The moment the Human Ancestor opened the net, they would scatter in three different directions at once. Whoever he caught would submit. Tell me — what did the Human Ancestor ultimately catch?"
Section 59: No Matter Third or Fourth Transformation, It's All Monkey Business The retainer seemed to grasp something and answered: "The Attitude Gu!"
"Do you know why?" Jia Fu asked.
The retainer shook his head.
Jia Fu let out a dark laugh: "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 within the caravan, and the moment I had a lead, I rushed back to Guye Stockade without delay. Inside the stockade, I faced confrontation head-on despite the danger of being attacked by the entire Guye Clan. I didn't even sit down — to verify Fang Yuan's words, I used even the Fourth Transformation Bamboo Lord Gu."
"When I return to the family, I will also hire Bu Shen for 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 done what needed to be done. My attitude has been made clear! I've already worked it out — I don't need a scapegoat. I'll simply go back and face everything honestly, because this truly wasn't my doing! If I found a scapegoat, I might just fall into Jia Gui's trap. If I can find someone to take the blame, he can certainly find someone to overturn the case."
The retainer was secretly alarmed: "Master, do you truly suspect Young Master Jia Gui?"
"Hmph, who else could have pulled off something so masterful?" At this, Jia Fu's face twisted with rage, fire practically shooting from his eyes. "Before, I was restrained by brotherly affection and didn't dare move against him. I never expected him to be so sinister. Since you show no mercy, don't blame me, Jia Fu, for being ruthless!"
What he didn't know was that all this time, a pair of eyes had been watching from the distance, silently observing his departure.
Fang Yuan stood on the hillside, watching quietly.
Tonight, the moonlight was truly beautiful and pure.
A golden full moon hung high in the night sky, bathing the mountains and earth in crystalline clarity.
Nearby, the green mountains were lush and verdant, thick with vegetation. Pine, cypress, and fir trees blanketed the slopes, along with the Green Spear Bamboo unique to Qing Mao Mountain — one grove connecting to the next, one thicket adjoining another. Vast swaths of dark green cascaded from the mountaintop all the way down to the foothills.
In the distance, the far mountains stretched in an unbroken line, blurred by moonlight into a mass of deep, dark silhouettes.
The winding mountain path meandered downward like a sheep's gut, sometimes concealed by the forest, extending ever onward.
Jia Fu and his party rode the Treasure Aura Yellow Copper Toad along the mountain path. With each successive leap, their figures were eventually swallowed by the trees.
Though the mountainous terrain could not hinder the Treasure Aura Yellow Copper Toad's speed, Jia Fu dared not stray recklessly across Qing Mao Mountain. If he blundered into a beast lair, even with his Fourth Transformation cultivation he would be in dire straits. Thus, following the mountain path was the safest course.
Only recently, it had been on this very hillside that Fang Yuan had stood with his umbrella up, watching the caravan depart. Now he stood here once more, watching Jia Fu disappear into the distance.
"The trouble of killing Jia Jinsheng is finally resolved." His eyes were dark and unfathomable, his inner lake undisturbed, completely at peace.
Ever since the night he killed Jia Jinsheng, he had been thinking about how to handle the aftermath.
He knew full well that he had no roots or foundation. If the truth came to light, the Guye Clan would certainly sacrifice him. But merely concealing everything would be equally futile — paper cannot wrap fire.