Chapter Seventy-Two: Clues Begin to Emerge

"What is your name?" Fang Mu sized up the young man, asking.

The youth was dressed in worn cloth garments, patched in places. Though the courtyard was clean, beneath its tidiness lay a pervasive sense of dilapidation; even the middle-aged man's recliner showed much of its paint rubbed away. The entire household exuded an air of abject poverty.

"Sir, please see clearly!" The youth suddenly knelt, his face twisted with grief and anger, and cried out, "My father did not suddenly go mad—he must have been harmed by some villain!"

Fang Mu regarded the kneeling youth, and pondered aloud, "What is your name? He is your father, and you say he was harmed by a villain? Explain in detail."

This surprised Fang Mu. He had expected some effort would be needed, perhaps even the use of force to get the truth out of the youth. Yet as soon as he arrived, the young man seemed to have found someone to plead his case to, and was nearly sobbing uncontrollably.

"My name is Duan Gen," the youth said, head lowered. "This is my father, Duan Wei. The one who harmed him is Zhao Mei from Jinglong County!"

"Jinglong County? Zhao Mei?" Fang Mu frowned. "Stand up first and tell me everything you know. Who is this Zhao Mei you speak of?"

"Yes!" Duan Gen replied, rising from the ground and speaking with bitter indignation. "Sir, Zhao Mei is the wife of the wealthy Sun family’s master in Jinglong County."

Upon hearing this, Fang Mu understood. The Zhao Mei Duan Gen spoke of was likely the Zhao woman from the Sun family, the one whose eyes, tongue, and hands had been cruelly mutilated.

Duan Gen gritted his teeth and continued, "Zhao Mei and my father were childhood sweethearts, but because her aging father needed medical treatment, she married Sun Chang, who had come to Dongfeng Prefecture to procure goods. Sir, my father has ended up like this—some old matters must be told!"

"Go on," Fang Mu gestured.

Duan Gen’s face darkened with anger. "Before Zhao Mei married Sun Chang, she was already pregnant with my father's child. My father never spoke of it, but let slip the truth to me."

Fang Mu frowned. "In your opinion, what is the reason?"

"It’s Zhao Mei’s doing!" Duan Gen said through clenched teeth. "Sun Wei is my father's child. Not long ago, when my father fell ill, I went to them to borrow money, and we had a heated argument. The Sun family's master saw it, and fearing their secret would be exposed, sought to silence us. They started with my father, and I am surely next!"

Fang Mu circled Duan Gen, smiling. "Where is your proof?"

Duan Gen was stunned; he did not know how to answer. Without evidence, who would believe mere words?

From what Fang Mu had gathered, the bizarre events were at the root of this affair, yet they had unearthed such entanglements.

Duan Gen’s expression twisted in conflict. He pulled a letter from his chest. "Zhao Mei’s heart was restless. After my mother died, she secretly exchanged letters with my father. This is the evidence."

Fang Mu took it, and upon unfolding the letter, could not help but exclaim inwardly. The contents were, to put it mildly, unsuitable for children—beyond longing, the words were explicit. If these passages were made public, they would surely require censorship.

For example, phrases like "winding paths lead to secluded places," "nine bends entangled," and "too rigid breaks easily" were woven in, with great detail and flourish.

Fang Mu tossed the letter back and said slowly, "Zhao Mei has been grievously harmed; her current state is dire. According to your account, only Sun Wei remains?"

Sun Wei was the Sun family’s son, the child conceived by Zhao Mei and the addled Duan Wei.

Duan Gen paused, surprised. "Harmed? By whom?"

Fang Mu stroked his chin, not answering, but looked at the now witless Duan Wei.

Duan Wei sat vacantly in his recliner, eyes fixed on the sky, expression dull. The scene seemed genuine; Fang Mu could detect no deception.

"Sir, I beg you to bring justice!" Duan Gen, seeing this, knelt again and cried out, "According to the laws of the Ancient Yue Kingdom, murder must be repaid with death. My father’s state is no different from being murdered!"

Yet time seemed to halt; Fang Mu's reply did not come.

Duan Gen raised his head to find the courtyard empty—no one remained.

...

Leaving the Duan household, Fang Mu returned to the secluded street and sought out the merchant he’d met earlier.

"Brother, you... you’re back?" the merchant asked in confusion.

Fang Mu nodded and handed over a coin. "Does Duan Wei have a son named Duan Gen?"

"Yes," the merchant replied, even more puzzled. "Since Duan Wei went mad, his son has cared for him alone. He’s given up his stall, truly a filial child. Brother, you..."

The merchant was suspicious. This man claimed to be a traveling merchant, yet this was not a merchant’s business.

"Nothing, just asking," Fang Mu replied, then left the street and headed toward Jinglong County.

Based on what he had gathered, everything seemed to point toward Sun Wei.

Setting aside the sordid affairs, Fang Mu’s thoughts lingered on the uncanny master who commanded the strange phenomena.

For now, he would return to Jinglong County and seek out Sun Wei directly, to see what he had to say.

...

Daylight broke, and the return path was a winding mountain road.

Fang Mu employed the Earth-Walking technique, moving swiftly through the terrain.

"Hmm?"

Dense woods flanked him, and midway, Fang Mu halted, frowning at his surroundings.

From the distant thicket, something unusual appeared—white mist!

Thick white fog seemed to have arisen out of nowhere, spreading rapidly through the forest until it enveloped Fang Mu.

In moments, it became so dense that one could not see a hand before their face.

Though fog might appear in the woods during the day, this mist had come too quickly, and too thickly.

Fang Mu frowned, his hand resting on the hilt of his butcher’s blade.

Ah Bai, perched on his shoulder, stood and growled threateningly.

"Tap... tap... tap..."

Just then, a strange footstep echoed, its source unknown, as if coming from all directions.

The sound seemed to tread upon the heart—each heartbeat was accompanied by a step, imparting a terrifying sense of pressure.

Before Fang Mu could react, the footsteps abruptly ceased. The empty shoulder opposite Ah Bai suddenly felt weighed down, as if someone had pressed upon it.

A chill spread from his shoulder through his entire body, abrupt and swift.

At the same time, an icy voice whispered in Fang Mu’s ear.

"Husband... turn your head. Your wife has put on new makeup. Tell me, am I beautiful?"

As the hand touched his shoulder, Fang Mu recalled a legend passed down among the people.