Tang Dayuan still gripped the blade handle tightly, facing the sky to receive the rain, roaring with a long cry, “How I hate this!”

“I’ve finished what I had to say. Now it’s your turn.” Li Si gazed at Tang Dayuan while Wu Wen stood shoulder to shoulder with Li Si.

Tang Dayuan walked to the grave and squatted down, touching the blade-carved characters on the wooden plaque. “Buried here is my foster father, Tang Wei. Fifteen years ago, my foster father was a woodcutter here, and this bamboo building belonged to him. According to what my foster father told me, fifteen years ago on a similarly torrential, dark rainy day, on his way home he saw people on the plank road robbing a sick person’s bundle. My foster father wanted to help, but feared being outnumbered. While he was hesitating, the bundle was snatched away and the sick person died suddenly. Among that gang of robbers, only a pregnant woman didn’t participate in the robbery. They hastily buried the corpse beside the plank road.”

Tang Dayuan wiped clean the stains on the wooden plaque and continued, “My foster father was filled with righteous indignation and wanted to seek justice for the deceased, so he followed this gang of robbers, planning to obtain their names and report them to the authorities. After following them for a hundred zhang along the plank road, he suddenly heard the pregnant woman’s cry of alarm. The robbers were actually turning on the pregnant woman. During their verbal dispute, my foster father understood that it was because the pregnant woman was unwilling to accept the stolen silver and was being silenced. In the end, the pregnant woman was pushed off the plank road. Someone among the robbers said they should go down and take a look. My foster father immediately descended first via a familiar small path to save her.”

“In the vast ancient forest, traces were hard to find, and with the darkness and increasing rain, the difficulty grew even greater. My foster father searched for a full two hours before finding the severely injured pregnant woman by the stream. Beside the pregnant woman was also a vicious gray-clothed man. The gray-clothed man was desperately strangling the pregnant woman’s white neck. By the time my foster father drove away the gray-clothed man with a wooden stick, the pregnant woman’s life force was already nearly gone. The pregnant woman begged my foster father to cut open her belly and take out the child, while telling him the names of the four people who pushed her down, one by one. Seeing the pregnant woman’s breath gradually fading, how could my foster father carelessly send away another small life in her womb? So he used a dagger to cut open her belly and took the child out.” Tang Dayuan’s expression was sorrowful as he said mournfully, “My foster father adopted that child and named him Tang Dayuan.”

“I am precisely the infant who was cut from the womb and barely survived fifteen years ago. Chen Zhimei is my birth mother.” Tang Dayuan spoke these words.

“Before my foster father died, he told me the whole truth. Killing Hu, Liu, and the other four was to avenge my mother.” Tang Dayuan’s expression turned cold again as he said desolately, “This is what I have to say.”

Having personally witnessed Tang Dayuan’s tragic and heroic countenance, Wu Wen and Jiang Zeshui couldn’t help but be greatly shocked. Li Si, on the other hand, remained calm and composed, his eyes profound as he said, “We’ve finally reached this point.”

“Wu Wen, go find some water.” Li Si suddenly spoke.

Wu Wen found a large broken pottery tile from a corner of the courtyard, filled it with ice-cold rainwater, and brought it over. Li Si placed the tile one zhang in front of Tang Dayuan and said, “Time passes swiftly, things change and people are no longer the same. But in this heaven and earth, in the human world, there are immutable laws, one of which is that the clear remain clear and the turbid remain turbid.”

“Now look—are you clear or turbid?”

Tang Dayuan looked at his own young, cold face reflected in the water on the tile and asked, not understanding, “What do you mean?”

“With irrefutable evidence, I didn’t arrest you but instead insisted on coming to the wild, road-severed Niugu Mountain. Have you thought about the reason?” Li Si asked straightforwardly. Tang Dayuan was startled and shook his head. “I haven’t thought about it.”

Li Si exhaled gently. “In Jinxi City, just when I had obtained the silk gauze as solid evidence and was about to arrest you, I unexpectedly received a letter—the letter said that the Jinxi murder cases were all false appearances, and if I wanted the answer, I had to come to Niugu Mountain. It also revealed that the person I wanted to arrest was you, Tang Dayuan, and said your background was extraordinarily bizarre, absolutely unimaginable. It instructed me to bring you along as well. After much consideration, I made the decision to select you as a guide to come to Niugu Mountain together. This journey seemed ordinary, but in reality, I paid attention to you at every moment. Walking behind was also to leave marks for Wu Wen to follow.”

“Then, fighting the enemy at the bamboo building and laying out the ironclad evidence, I obtained your confession about your background, and I suddenly understood everything.” Li Si sighed. “Previously, I was half-believing and half-doubting the letter’s contents, but now I fully believe it. Truly extraordinarily bizarre, absolutely unimaginable! However, since this mountain person invited me to meet at Niugu Mountain, what reason is there to hide? Please reveal yourself.”

Li Si’s gaze turned like lightning, shooting directly toward the left side of the courtyard fence. In that place, shadows shifted, gradually revealing two figures. The one in front had a crippled left foot, a gaunt, weathered face, and half white hair. Behind him was someone with bloody marks on his cheeks—it was Qiao Zi, who hadn’t been seen for quite some time.

Qiao Zi supported the white-haired cripple as they squeezed through a gap in the fence into the courtyard.

“Qiao Zi! You, how did you escape…” Tang Dayuan’s heart and spirit shook violently again. Then, turning to look at the cripple, he couldn’t help but shudder and asked in bewilderment, “Who are you?”

“Uncle Qiao saved me. You’re very disappointed, aren’t you?” Qiao Zi faced him coldly and slowly recounted his experience.

It turned out that after descending from the plank road, Tang Dayuan said he had spotted a three-colored dove—this thing could easily fetch two or three hundred taels of silver in Jinxi. Tang Dayuan pulled Qiao Zi to help catch the bird. Qiao Zi didn’t suspect anything. The two went deep into the giant forest for some distance when Tang Dayuan suddenly gesticulated wildly, saying, “The dove is right there! Come quickly and look.” Just as Qiao Zi turned around, he felt Tang Dayuan kick him in the back. His whole body flew forward, and looking ahead, there was clearly a pitch-black ground crevice. No matter how Qiao Zi struggled, it was in vain. His whole body fell into the hole. Fortunately, the bottom was full of fallen leaves, so he didn’t fall to his death—he just passed out. In his dazed state, Qiao Zi barely opened his eyes and saw Tang Dayuan dragging him, with countless red snakes flicking their tongues all around. His heart filled with anger, and he passed out again. Not knowing how long he had been unconscious, he felt someone attending to him at his side. Forcing his eyes open, he saw the gaunt-faced cripple who had repeatedly made his heart pound with shock. The cripple used vibrant flowers and plants to help him escape the snake den, explaining many things along the way. Qiao Zi suddenly understood everything, and the two then hurried to the bamboo building.

Qiao Zi was actually the scapegoat Tang Dayuan had selected, so Tang Dayuan didn’t kill him. He just kicked him into the crevice and hid him in another side cave, ensuring he wouldn’t die from snake bites. As for Tang Dayuan’s fearlessness of venomous snakes, it was entirely due to a poisonous flower called “Ten Thousand Tongues Fruit.” As long as venomous snakes smelled the rich fragrance of the Ten Thousand Tongues Fruit, they would lose their fighting spirit and absolutely wouldn’t attack the person holding the flower. The cripple also used this flower to rescue Qiao Zi from the snake den.

“This humble commoner Qiao Zhi pays respects to Lord Li.” The cripple was about to kneel. Li Si blocked him with an invisible force and waved his hand. “Dispense with the empty formalities. The stories of Tang Dayuan and myself are finished. Now it’s your turn.”

Qiao Zhi turned his dejected face toward the proud, cold Tang Dayuan.

“It’s been fifteen years. Do you really not remember who I am?” Qiao Zhi sighed emptily.

Tang Dayuan’s mind felt like needles piercing and insects biting, the pain unbearable. He said harshly, “Nonsense! I’ve never even seen you before!”

“Haha, what a fine ‘never seen before.’ Very well, very well. Let me start from fifteen years ago then.” Qiao Zhi slowly closed his eyes, then opened them and said, “Fifteen years ago, on the ancient plank road, I saw people robbing a gravely ill merchant. The merchant lost his wealth and died suddenly. The robbers destroyed the corpse and buried the body beside the plank road. After the robbers left, a hand reached out from the earthen grave—it turned out he had only fainted from rage and indignation. The merchant crawled out of the grave mound but didn’t notice he was standing right at the edge of the plank road. A gust of wind from the ravine blew, and the merchant plunged straight down from the plank road. I followed closely behind and found the fallen merchant. He was seriously injured, blood dripping from his head—clearly having struck against mountain rocks. His expression was extremely dazed. I called to him to treat his wounds, but he turned a deaf ear and just kept walking forward, muttering words, his eyes revealing a fierce light.”

Qiao Zhi paused briefly, then continued, “Escorting the merchant all the way to the stream bank, suddenly another person tumbled down from the plank road top more than twenty zhang high—it was precisely the pregnant woman who hadn’t participated in the robbery. The merchant reached out and viciously strangled the pregnant woman’s throat. I stepped forward to stop him, but unexpectedly, after the merchant had crossed through the gates of death, his strange strength was astonishing—he pushed me flying more than a zhang away. Just when I thought the pregnant woman would surely meet a cruel fate, the merchant suddenly lowered his face against the pregnant woman’s belly to listen. That pregnant woman, gravely injured and unable to survive, desperately begged him to cut open her belly and take out the child, urging him to avenge her as a mother, while telling the merchant the names of the robbers. The merchant’s gaze was vacant, his mouth continuously repeating the two words ‘avenge.’ Very quickly, the pregnant woman’s breath ceased entirely. As if suddenly awakened, the merchant used a dagger to slice open the pregnant woman’s belly and tremblingly lifted out the infant inside.”

“It was also fate’s cruel joke. The infant that was lifted out had long since died in the womb from the violent fall. The merchant stared fixedly at the dead infant, first shaking it as if trying to wake the baby, then bringing the infant’s small face close to his own, murmuring ‘avenge, avenge mother.’ When I drew near, the merchant looked at me with innocent, bright eyes. After a moment, his throat emitted a cry as bright as an infant’s, accompanied by movements and expressions that only an infant would have. I looked at the merchant uneasily, then looked at the dead infant, and suddenly understood—he had become that infant.” Qiao Zhi gazed at Tang Dayuan and said sorrowfully, “I brought the merchant back to the bamboo building. In a flash, half a year passed. Not only did the merchant’s mind show no signs of improvement, but on the contrary, the infant he had become slowly grew. From crying all day to babbling, occasionally showing an infant’s expression, smiling at me and reaching out. I invited many doctors, but all were helpless against this strange illness. Another year passed, and the ‘infant’ had grown to nearly two years old, beginning to call for me and look for me. I originally wanted to steel my heart and drive him out of the bamboo building, but having lost my wife early with no children under my knees, all alone, I kept him as a companion.”

Li Si listened carefully, his gaze seeking Tang Dayuan. Tang Dayuan’s face gradually paled, his eyes bewildered, his expression growing increasingly intense.

“I flipped through the merchant’s old shirt and found a tattered family letter, learning that the merchant’s original name was Tang Wei, who had been traveling and doing business abroad for many years. Unfortunately, the address portion was damaged and missing, so I couldn’t send Tang Wei back to his hometown. Time flew like a shuttle. In the blink of an eye, Tang Wei had stayed at the bamboo building for seven years, and his mental state had also become that of a seven-year-old, gradually becoming sensible. After much hesitation, I brought up Tang Wei to him, urging him to recall more. Who knew he would show the same fierce, murderous gaze as when he first fell from the plank road, muttering and murmuring ‘Chen Zhimei, avenge mother! Kill… Hu Hai, Liu Feng’er, Huang Gang, Jiang Zeshui…’ I was greatly alarmed. Within a few days, Tang Wei, as if possessed, drove me out of the bamboo building.” Qiao Zhi looked sad and grieved, while Tang Dayuan’s features twisted into a terrifying expression.

“After that, Tang Wei changed his name to Tang Dayuan, recognized the nonexistent Tang Wei as his foster father, and erected a tombstone and grave for him. Tang Dayuan became increasingly violent day by day, single-mindedly thinking about avenging Chen Zhimei. He sought masters and studied martial arts for five or six years. Seeing that he couldn’t forget revenge, I advised him again. This time, Tang Dayuan seemed to have become a different person, completely blocking out previous events. His methods were vicious—after just a few words, he… crippled my leg. Alas, I could only flee in panic.” Qiao Zhi looked at his crippled left leg and sighed endlessly. “Later, Tang Dayuan made his move against Hu, Liu, and the other four. Although I resented him, we had lived together for seven years after all. I didn’t want him to die without ever finding himself! So I left a letter for Lord Li, arranging to meet at Niugu Mountain to reveal the true cause and outcome.”

Qiao Zi interjected, “What Uncle Qiao said is true. I also saw Tang Dayuan cripple Uncle Qiao’s leg at the narrow gate, but at the time I was frightened and didn’t see Tang Dayuan clearly—I only glimpsed half of Uncle Qiao’s face. When I saw Uncle Qiao again, that frightened feeling surged up anew, making me remember.”

“That day I caught sight of Tang Dayuan returning to his room covered in blood. Guessing he had gotten into trouble outside, I hinted in my words that he should think more about the pleasures of being alive and not foolishly do wrong things. Tang Dayuan! The pleasure of being alive is simply being alive. Only by being alive can you have the pleasure of being alive. Isn’t that right?” Qiao Zi said with deep meaning.

Tang Dayuan stood there dumbly, murmuring, “Only by being alive can you have the pleasure of being alive! Yes, haha, how did I not think of that…”

Rainwater like silver arrows shattered the ripples in the tile. Tang Dayuan gazed at his reflection again. In the clear rainwater, the young, cold face became turbid with the ripples and gradually sank, leaving behind a clear, real image—an aged, grizzled face, a pair of eyes full of dark yellow turbid spots, and a bitter, lonely smile at the corners of the mouth.

This is the real me!

Tang Dayuan felt his mind splitting apart, as if dividing into two. In the chaos, that lost picture slowly unfolded: falling from the plank road, pursuing enemies, cutting open the belly to take out the child, circling around Qiao Zhi, learning martial arts from masters, killing to avenge, returning to Niugu Mountain, bloody battle at the bamboo building, right up to this very scene! It turned out everything was wrong, all wrong! The gray-clothed man who strangled Chen Zhimei was no one else—it was himself. He himself was the final mastermind behind it all that he had been seeking! How lamentable, how sad, how laughable!

“The clear remain clear, and the turbid remain turbid. It’s indeed so. I finally understand.” Tang Dayuan first bowed to Li Si, then with a thud, knelt at Qiao Zhi’s feet and wailed.

“What happened to me, what on earth happened to me…” Tang Dayuan’s voice was filled with grief. Qiao Zhi also shed tears freely, reaching out to support his companion of seven years.

Li Si’s profound gaze flickered as he slowly said, “You’re just ill, suffering from a long and terrible malady.”

Under Tang Dayuan’s confession, Li Si found Bai Zhenzhu, Constable Feng, and the Jinxi youth Yuan Li, who had been bound and brought there, in the cellar beneath the bamboo building. It turned out Tang Dayuan had made two preparations—if Qiao Zi couldn’t serve as a scapegoat, he would use Yuan Li to take the blame instead, so he had also abducted Yuan Li.

The fifteen-year blood case of Niugu Mountain finally came to light. Although Tang Wei, who had transformed into Tang Dayuan, was obsessed with his malady, in the end, the iron law of justice existed. What awaited Tang Wei would be cold prison bars. Jiang Zeshui also couldn’t escape the law’s net.

Bai Zhenzhu threw herself into Li Si’s arms feeling wronged. Li Si originally wanted to stop her, but seeing the little girl covered in mud and dirt with her hair in disarray, his heart filled with pity, and he gently embraced her.

On the way back to Jinxi, Bai Zhenzhu frequently looked back. Li Si scraped her nose tip and said, “What is the little girl thinking about?”

“Niugu Mountain is actually very beautiful. If there were no bloody vengeance killings, it would surely be even more beautiful. In such a scenically picturesque deep mountain, to have a graceful bamboo building and stay together forever with one’s beloved would be like a heavenly couple.” Bai Zhenzhu’s pretty face turned red as she shyly glanced at Li Si.

Li Si’s eyes took in the magnificent mountain scenery and he nodded. “Yes, it’s very beautiful.”

Bai Zhenzhu’s expression changed as she said, “Big Brother Li, there’s one more thing I haven’t told you.”

“Oh, what secret is the little girl still hiding?” Li Si smiled.

“Earlier, I met Senior Lao Sitou. He said Big Brother Meng Rui encountered great danger and told me to inform you after I saw you to go to Qingzhou for a rescue. I… I didn’t want to part with you so quickly, so I never said anything.” Bai Zhenzhu held back crystal tears. “Big Brother Li, I was wrong. You can scold me or hit me—just please don’t ignore me. Okay?”

Seeing Bai Zhenzhu’s pitiful appearance, Li Si pretended to be angry. “I won’t scold you or hit you, but I must punish you.”

“How will you punish me?” Bai Zhenzhu looked at Li Si with teary eyes.

Li Si smiled. “I’ll punish you by making you serve me tea and water all the way to Qingzhou, and also cook porridge and prepare meals.”

Bai Zhenzhu was startled, then broke into laughter through her tears. “Does this mean Big Brother Li is willing to take me to Qingzhou? That’s wonderful!”

“Pack up—we’ll set out tomorrow.” Li Si silently prayed in his heart: Dawn is near. I hope Meng Rui is safe and well.