When Fang Ming was escorted back to Gu Yue Village, the matter had already spread.
An A-grade talent had encountered a wolf pack outside the village. His team had returned first, but he had been missing for several hours. The clan had already sent two Rank three Gu Masters and two teams to search for him. Yet before the rescue teams found any trace, news came from a mortal village under Gu Yue rule.
Fang Ming was alive.
The Gu Master stationed there sent the message quickly, and another team was dispatched to escort him back.
His injuries were not serious, but his condition was poor.
His clothes were torn. His body was exhausted. Dried blood still clung to places that had not been cleaned properly. Most of it belonged to wolves, but not all.
The Shi faction Gu Masters escorting him back did not ask too many questions on the road. They only confirmed that he could walk, then brought him directly into the village.
After that, Fang Ming was told to rest.
The clan did not question him immediately.
One day later, the rescue teams returned.
They had not rescued Fang Ming, but they had found his route.
The traces were messy at first. Broken branches, moonblade cuts on trees, blood on stone, wolf paw prints, and several wolf corpses or half-dead wolves left behind along the path. Fang Ming's escape route had twisted through the forest for a long distance. In some places, he had clearly cut trees and branches with Moonglow Gu to block or delay the wolves behind him.
After dawn, his route became much clearer.
The investigators found that he had deviated far from the direction of Gu Yue Village. At one point, he had even moved closer toward Bai Clan territory. Later, his path turned sharply and led toward the edge of a bear king's territory. There, wolf tracks scattered chaotically, and signs of a large beast appeared.
The result was clear.
Fang Ming had not returned quickly because he had been running in the wrong direction for most of the night.
On the other side, Gu Yue Shi Nan's team route was also investigated.
That route was far away from Fang Ming's.
Gu Yue Shi Kang's corpse was eventually found. The body had been badly damaged by wolves, but some traces remained on the bones. Among them, there was a cut mark that looked suspiciously like a moonblade wound.
This made the matter more complicated.
Internal Affairs Hall, interrogation room.
The winter sunlight entered through the only window, falling across the ground in a pale pillar. Dust floated slowly in the light, moving without sound.
Fang Ming sat on the chair beneath the light.
In front of him was a long table. Three elders sat behind it, their faces calm and unreadable.
The atmosphere was not friendly, but it was not hostile either.
Fang Ming was not here as a criminal.
At least, not yet.
One elder looked at the report in his hand, then raised his eyes. "Fang Ming, explain what happened that night from the beginning."
Fang Ming nodded.
"Our team accepted a material collection mission and left the village in the morning. The journey was normal during the day. At night, we set up camp. Shi Lan took the midnight watch because she had investigative methods. I asked for the dawn shift and rested first."
His voice was steady.
"At midnight, Shi Lan shouted that wolves had appeared. I came out and asked her which direction. She pointed toward one side. I judged that if wolves had already been discovered so close to camp, the situation was very likely worse than what could be seen."
The elder asked, "Why did you make that judgment?"
Fang Ming replied, "I read wolf tide records in the academy library. Wolf packs do not always attack directly. They surround prey, pressure weak points, and close escape routes. Also, a few days earlier, I spoke with a Gu Master team that had hunted a bear. From their description, that bear seemed to have been injured by wolves. At that time, I already considered whether wolves might be moving earlier than expected."
The three elders remained silent.
Fang Ming continued, "When Shi Lan said there were wolves, I did not dare delay. I do not have a movement Gu. If I waited until the encirclement closed, I might not have another chance to escape. So I ran immediately."
Another elder asked, "You ran alone?"
"Yes."
"Did you see your teammates after leaving camp?"
"No. After I left, I focused on escaping. I heard howls behind me, but I did not know the team's situation."
"You did not call them to follow you?"
Fang Ming looked at the elder. "At that moment, I only knew that wolves had appeared. Shi Lan had investigative Gu. Team leader Shi Nan was more experienced than me. I thought they would judge the situation themselves."
The answer was not emotional.
It was practical.
The elders did not comment.
A third elder asked, "How did you break through the encirclement?"
"I encountered several wolves blocking the path. Around five. I used Moonglow Gu to force them apart, killed or injured a few, then rushed through the gap."
"Only Moonglow Gu?"
"Only Moonglow Gu."
The elder looked at him for a moment, then asked, "According to the investigation, you survived being chased for many hours. Without a movement Gu, how did you last so long?"
Fang Ming had already expected this question.
"I left earlier than the others, so I gained some distance at the beginning. After that, I chose forested paths as much as possible. I used Moonglow Gu to cut trees, branches, and obstacles behind me to slow the wolves. My strength and endurance were always good during academy days. Many people know this. I also trained diligently after awakening."
He paused briefly, then continued, "But I could not see clearly at night. I had no investigative Gu and could not tell where I was going. Most of the time, I was only trying to avoid being surrounded. Only after dawn did I finally recognize the terrain and adjust my route back toward Gu Yue territory."
This explanation matched the traces.
The moonblade cuts on trees had already been recorded.
His physical strength was also known from the academy. Fang Ming had performed well in close combat and training. His endurance being better than most newly advanced Gu Masters was not impossible.
One elder tapped his finger lightly on the table.
"Why did you not return directly to the main village?"
"I was exhausted. I had lost too much stamina and primeval essence. After entering Gu Yue controlled territory, the nearest safe place was a mortal village, so I went there first."
"Did you know what happened to Gu Yue Shi Kang?"
Fang Ming shook his head. "No. I did not see him after leaving camp."
"Do you know why Shi Nan's team did not follow your route?"
"I do not know."
Fang Ming's expression did not change. "Shi Lan had investigative methods. Perhaps she saw that another direction was easier to break through. Perhaps by the time the others reacted, my route was already blocked. I cannot judge what they saw at that time."
The elders exchanged glances.
The answer left no handle.
He did not accuse Shi Nan's team.
He did not defend them either.
After a moment, the elder in the center closed the report.
"Fang Ming, your statement has been recorded. If there are more questions later, Internal Affairs Hall may call you again."
Fang Ming stood and cupped his fists.
"I understand."
"You may leave."
Fang Ming turned and walked out.
Behind him, the elders did not immediately speak.
Only after the door closed did one elder say, "His route has been confirmed. Shi Kang's death has nothing to do with his path."
Another elder nodded slowly. "The suspicious points are on Shi Nan's side."
"Shi Kang's bones had a moonblade trace. Wolves do not leave such wounds."
"And Shi Lan and Shi Rou both had investigative methods. Fang Ming had already opened a path from one direction, yet they chose another route. Their explanation needs to be checked carefully."
"The Shi faction will not like this."
The elder in the center said indifferently, "Then let them dislike it. An A-grade talent almost died, and a Rank one Gu Master did die. Someone must give an explanation."
Outside the interrogation room, Fang Ming walked through the corridor.
He did not care much about what would happen to Shi Nan's group.
If they were punished, it was useful.
If they escaped punishment, it did not matter much either.
What Fang Ming cared about was what he had gained.
That night had taught him many things.
The wolves were faster than he expected. Their endurance was even more ridiculous. Their coordination was not complicated, but it was efficient: pressure from behind, interference from the sides, sudden blocks ahead, and constant howling to adjust the pack's movement.
More importantly, Fang Ming had clearly seen his own weaknesses.
He needed an investigative Gu.
This had to be placed on the agenda.
Without one, he could only rely on memory and terrain knowledge. This time, he survived because he knew the surrounding maps and remembered where some beast kings usually resided. If he had not studied the terrain seriously, he would have been chased for much longer. If he had mistakenly entered the wrong place, such as the snake king territory near the route toward Bai Clan, the result might have been death.
Preparation mattered.
Decisiveness mattered even more.
If he had hesitated for a few more breaths at the camp, he might have been forced to move with the team. At that point, surviving without exposing his hidden Gu would have been difficult.
If he exposed them, he would need to silence witnesses.
Slowing Shi Nan so the wolves could surround him, then using Rank two Gu to escape alone; sneak-attacking one of the female Gu Masters, then delaying the team leader; chasing the last survivor before she could return to the village or leave a message — each possibility was troublesome, and none was clean.
He could not guarantee killing or stopping all three.
A few seconds of decisiveness had changed the entire situation.
Fang Ming walked out of Internal Affairs Hall.
The winter wind brushed against his face.
Outside, Gu Masters moved through the streets. Some looked at him with curiosity, others with relief at seeing him alive. News of the wolf encounter had already spread.
Fang Ming ignored their gazes.
He had only taken a few steps when someone called him.
"Fang Ming."
He turned and saw a former academy classmate walking over.
The youth's expression was heavy.
"You just came out from Internal Affairs Hall?"
"Yes."
The youth hesitated, then said, "Today is Gu Yue Jin Zhu's funeral. Did you know?"
Fang Ming's eyes moved slightly.
Gu Yue Jin Zhu.
The image of a girl appeared in his mind.
She had studied with them for a year. She was not close to Fang Ming, but he remembered her. She had been hardworking, serious, and had once fought in the academy arena.
"She died?" Fang Ming asked.
The youth nodded. "During the wolf incident. A lot of people are going."
Fang Ming was silent for a moment.
Then he said, "I'll go."
He followed the youth toward the memorial place.
The funeral was not grand.
In the Gu world, death was common. Even clan Gu Masters died often, especially during beast tides. The clan would mourn them, record their contributions, and give some compensation to their families, but life in the village would continue.
A few academy classmates stood together.
Some had red eyes.
Some were silent.
Some looked more frightened than sad.
The small wolf tide had killed someone they knew. Next year, the true wolf tide would come. At that time, the dead would not be just one or two familiar faces.
Fang Ming stood among them quietly.
He did not pretend to grieve deeply.
He and Gu Yue Jin Zhu had not been close.
But seeing someone from the same academy year lying dead still gave him a strange feeling.
In this world, death was near.
Very near.
A person could talk, train, compete, and laugh one day, then become a name in a memorial the next.
Fang Ming looked at the funeral tablet.
He did not pursue eternal life.
To him, eternal life itself had no meaning.
Living forever without purpose, without expectation, without anything worth seeing or experiencing, was no different from becoming a stone that could breathe.
He did not fear death much either.
Death would come one day.
This was natural.
But Fang Ming valued his life greatly.
Not because he wanted to live forever, but because he had expectations for this life.
He wanted to see this world.
He wanted to see how far Gu could go, what strange paths existed, what terrifying people stood above the mortal world, what kind of scenery waited beyond Qing Mao Mountain, beyond Southern Border, beyond the limited knowledge he had now.
To die early would be a pity.
A great pity.
The funeral continued quietly.
Fang Ming lowered his gaze.
In the past, he had considered himself a meticulous person. He liked planning, preparing, and leaving backup arrangements. Recklessness had never been his style.
Yet during the chase that night, he remembered his own feelings clearly.
There had been fear.
There had been pressure.
There had been exhaustion.
But there had also been excitement.
When the wolves chased behind him, when he cut through the forest in the dark, when every wrong turn could lead to death, Fang Ming had felt something sharp and vivid spreading through his chest.
After he escaped the bear king's territory and finally shook off the wolves, what he felt was not only relief.
There was fulfillment.
There was joy.
A strange joy born from surviving danger with his own judgment and strength.
This feeling was unfamiliar.
It was not something Fang Ming had expected from himself.
His rational mind still rejected unnecessary risk. He would not deliberately throw himself into a death trap just to feel excitement. That was foolish.
But another part of him had changed.
A part of him was already looking forward to the next time he stood at the edge of death and survived.
Fang Ming looked at Gu Yue Jin Zhu's funeral tablet one last time.
The Gu world was cruel.
But it was also alive in a way his previous life had never been.
The winter wind blew past.
Fang Ming turned and left the memorial grounds quietly.