Ze Tian Ji (Way of Choices)

Chapter 906 – Between Father and Son

The blue-clothed visitor said, “But I believe that just this point was not enough for you to believe that Chen Changsheng was not the murderer.”

Bie Yanghong replied, “Correct. The Qi of the Black Frost Dragon cannot be faked, so just a few moments ago, I still believed that it was the work of His Holiness the Pope.”

The visitor asked, “Then how could you be sure that your son was killed by me, or at least suspect me?”

The plateau erupted into a clamor.

A few people had already guessed that this might be a scheme aimed at the Pope, but they couldn’t help but be shocked at hearing the blue-clothed visitor personally admit it.

“The reason for my doubt is that someone showed me a few things when I was coming up the mountain.”

Bie Yanghong waved his hand, and several sheets of paper drifted out from his sleeve. They hovered in the surrounding air, rustling in the wind.

This paper was white paper that had been drawn on with charcoal.

The lines of these drawing were not complex, but they were bursting with detail.

In the first drawing, there was a small alley, an ancient scholar tree, and a young man.

The young man’s face was almost alive, his two eyebrows seemingly about to take flight. He was like a real person.

As he looked at the young man in this drawing, a hint of anguish flashed across Bie Yanghong’s face.

The small alley and the ancient scholar tree depicted a part of Hanqiu City, and the young man was his son, Bie Tianxin.

In the second drawing, there was a carriage. At the time it was drawn, there had probably been a gust of wind that had raised a corner of the window curtain.

It was just a glimpse, but through the charcoal pencil of the artist, it became a static and unchanging record.

In the carriage window was a proud and beautiful girl and a blue-clothed individual wearing a copper mask.

It was the blue-clothed visitor on the plateau today.

The remaining drawings all depicted various scenes, like the raging waterfall outside Hanqiu City, or the young man and woman walking side by side.

Each drawing was an incredibly accurate record which clearly conveyed what Bie Tianxin had been doing and who he had met over the last few days.

After Bie Tianxin’s death, these records became clues.

The blue-clothed visitor gazed at these drawings in silence for a very long time. Suddenly, he asked, “You believe these drawings?”

Bie Yanghong replied, “I believe the artist of these drawings, but not entirely. In the end, it was your appearance that served as true proof.”

“Now that I think of it, it truly was unwise for me to act, but if not for your doubt, you would not have decided so quickly, and I would still have had a chance to kill Chen Changsheng and leave. This being the case, I still lose to the artist of these drawings.”

The blue-clothed visitor looked at the drawings and furrowed his brow. “I thought that the abacus beads were in my hand, that my plan was flawless, but I did not expect for all my tracks to completely fall in this person’s eyes. Just who was this person that secretly spied on me yet went completely undetected?”

Bie Yanghong replied, “Qiushan Jun.”

The blue-clothed visitor froze in surprise.

The crowd on the plateau became restless upon hearing this name.

Qiushan Jun was naturally a celebrity, but he had been missing for five years, so many people had almost forgotten about his existence.

No one had expected that when he next appeared, he would have accomplished such an impressive feat.

Bai Cai was even more shocked at this. He looked at Gou Hanshi and asked, “Eldest Brother? What’s happening here?”

Gou Hanshi shook his head, indicating that he did not know.

……

……

In that stream at the base of Holy Maiden Peak, the fragrance of roast fish drifted farther and farther, the rustling in the forest getting closer and closer. A few more audacious beasts had even peeked out their heads.

Qiushan Jun tore off a chunk of fish and threw it over, then turned around and said, “Father, it’s useless to keep me here.”

The Qiushan clan head took the roast fish and took two bites before proudly saying, “Don’t think about tricking me.”

Qiushan Jun said helplessly, “It’s true—you came too late. I’ve already met Sir Bie.”

The Qiushan clan head’s jaw dropped as he found himself speechless.

Someone else would probably retort, “Bie Yanghong wouldn’t believe you just off a few words.” However, as Qiushan Jun’s father, he was well aware of his son’s sterling reputation. Crucially, his son had always been a very thorough person. He must have other tricks up his sleeve besides just words.

The Qiushan clan head uneasily asked, “How confident are you?”

Qiushan Jun replied, “There was no direct evidence, and it did involve the murder of his son, so there’s at most a thirty percent chance that Bie Yanghong believed me.”

The Qiushan clan head slightly relaxed. “That’s fine. Hopefully nothing unforeseen will occur.”

Qiushan Jun added, “If the blue-clothed visitor can’t help but act today, thirty percent will become ninety percent.”

The Qiushan clan head became slightly apprehensive. “If I were him, I wouldn’t even come to Holy Maiden Peak today, much less act.”

Qiushan Jun replied, “The blue-clothed visitor has an unfathomable cultivation and a cruel and emotionless way of doing things, but in terms of scheming and patience, he’s far inferior to Father. And besides, this place is Holy Maiden Peak, and Chen Changsheng assuredly has more tricks. Considering that Wang Po might have also come, he really might act.”

Although these words praised him, the Qiushan clan head still felt gloomy.

Based on what Qiushan Jun said, if the blue-clothed visitor acted, Bie Yanghong would inevitably feel suspicious, and then Chen Changsheng really might survive.

The Qiushan clan head gave him a resentful glare. “If things have come to this, I can only think of some other methods.”

Puzzled, Qiushan Jun asked, “What does Father want to do?”

The Qiushan clan head rallied himself, “If it really is as you say, then when the time comes, it’s naturally time to announce your achievement to the crowd.”

Qiushan Jun helplessly said, “I’ve spent today accompanying Father in roasting and eating fish. What sort of achievement is that?”

The Qiushan clan head sternly said, “Have you thought about this? If the Great Western Continent’s scheme succeeds, His Holiness the Pope will die. Crucially, Bie Yanghong and his wife killing the Pope will assuredly cause the world to fall into chaos, the demons will assuredly invade, and the Human race will assuredly be rocked by storms. But now, none of this will happen, all because of you.”

Qiushan Jun commented, “This logic sounds a little strange.”

The more the Qiushan clan head talked, the more excited he became. He trumpeted, “How is it strange? Son, even calling you the savior of the Human race wouldn’t be too much!”

Qiushan Jun helplessly said, “Father, this is a little too exaggerated.”

The Qiushan clan head rebuked, “What do you know? Can you be so sure that my conjectures won’t become reality?”

Qiushan Jun suddenly fell silent.

The fish in the stream silently swam into the distance.

The beasts in the forest had also disappeared.

After some time, Qiushan Jun finally spoke.

He looked into the Qiushan clan head’s eyes and earnestly asked, “Father, since you also know that your conjectures might become reality, why did you do it?”

This scheme was targeted at the Orthodoxy and Chen Changsheng.

The executors of this scheme were the blue-clothed visitor from the Great Western Continent and Mu Jiushi.

But anyone could see that the Imperial Court had known of this matter in advance, though no one knew how deeply it had been involved.

Qiushan Jun was even more sure that his father had known of it.

At this question, it was the Qiushan clan head’s turn to fall silent.

Until the end, he still did not answer Qiushan Jun’s question.

He stood up, rubbed Qiushan Jun on the head, then left the stream bank.