A Pig with a Backing

“That’s right, I know!” Zhu Wuneng declared with absolute certainty.

“How did they die?” the Saint couldn’t help but ask.

Everyone else turned their gaze toward Zhu Wuneng as well.

“They must have been trying to rob me. You can tell just by how they were dressed...” Zhu Wuneng paused for a moment, looking as if he were still shaken by the thought.

Xiao Huihui couldn’t help but nudge him. She wailed in her heart, Silly piggy, don’t say anything! If you talk, we’re all going to die!

However, Zhu Wuneng completely failed to understand Xiao Huihui’s urgency. He shook his head and continued, “These villains wanted to rob me, but the moment they reached the door, they were spotted by a righteous individual. That person couldn’t stand the injustice and stepped in, killing them on the spot...”

Xiao Huihui’s eyes widened in disbelief. Is this really that silly piggy? He actually learned how to shift the blame!

The others were equally speechless. Are you sure you aren’t just reciting a storybook?

“But why did he kill everyone within a hundred miles?” the Saint pressed.

Zhu Wuneng puffed out his chest with a look of smug satisfaction. “That was obviously a warning to everyone else! It was to tell people that I, Zhu Wuneng, have someone looking out for me, so they shouldn’t even think about coming after me...”

Hearing Zhu Wuneng’s explanation, both the Gu King and the Saint were at a loss for words. Take a look at yourself! What kind of legendary figure would be stupid enough to protect a silly pig like you?

Right then, Zhu Wuneng looked at the Gu King with delight. “Lord Gu King, I bet that expert was you, wasn’t it?”

As soon as Zhu Wuneng spoke, the tribesmen who had followed the Gu King all looked at their leader in shock. Could it really have been the Gu King who killed Chi Ya and the others?

The Gu King shook his head with a dark expression. “It wasn’t me.” He had come here to investigate the murderer, only to end up being suspected as the murderer himself.

Seeing the Gu King deny it, Zhu Wuneng turned his gaze toward the Saint. Before he could even ask, the Saint quickly refuted, “It wasn’t me either. It had nothing to do with me. I was in seclusion all night...”

“You two should just admit it. The only experts I know in the Southern Frontier are the two of you. If it wasn’t you, then who? Tell me, who else could it be?”

The people standing behind them nodded repeatedly, looking at the Gu King and the Saint with suspicion. The silly pig’s analysis was actually quite logical. If it wasn’t one of them, then who could it be?

It certainly couldn’t be this silly pig. He was only at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage; there was no way he could silently kill so many people.

Feeling the weight of everyone’s gazes, the Gu King flicked his sleeve. “It was not this King...”

The Saint also spoke up hastily, “Nor was it this Saint...”

Seeing that neither of them would admit to it, Zhu Wuneng sighed helplessly. These two are truly good people. They do good deeds but don’t want any of the credit. I, Old Zhu, should learn from them...

“Did you really not hear anything last night?” the Gu King asked once more.

“No. You finished the battle so quickly, how could it have possibly affected me?” Zhu Wuneng scratched his head and gave a simple, honest smile.

The Gu King’s face darkened. He’s dead set on pinning this on me! His eyes flickered, but he said nothing more. He turned and left immediately, muttering to himself, Could someone really be protecting this guy in secret?

Furthermore, that person was very likely a Southern Frontier traitor. They had been planning in the demon race territory for so long, and everything had been going well at first. Yet, in the end, it was a total defeat. Elder Gu was dead, the Saintess was dead, and every single tribesman they had stationed there was dead as well...

It was far too bizarre. He had suspected for a while that there was an internal problem. The Saint watched the Gu King’s departing figure, his own eyes flickering with thought. The Gu King wouldn’t let me kill this silly pig earlier. Is it because he truly cares about the tribesmen’s opinions, or is there something else?

If the Ancestor was successfully resurrected, the one in charge of Miaojiang would be the Ancestor. Right now, the Gu King was essentially the head of the household. Did he really want the Ancestor to return? After considering this, the Saint said nothing and followed the Gu King out.

After leaving Zhu Wuneng’s residence, the Saint originally wanted to discuss this with the High Priest, but he hesitated. He decided against it because he had no evidence to prove anything. Besides, could the High Priest even be trusted?

Shortly after, the Saint returned to his own residence to cultivate.

...

After leaving, the Gu King continued to send people to search for the killer. However, many tribesmen were already gossiping in private that the silly pig’s secret backer was likely either the Gu King or the Saint.

As for the hundred-mile radius around Zhu Wuneng’s residence, no one dared to approach it. They were afraid of being killed just to make an example for others.

Once the Gu King and the others were gone, Xiao Huihui really wanted to praise Zhu Wuneng. Silly piggy, I didn't expect you to be so clever. You actually managed to shift the blame.

At this moment, Zhu Wuneng was very happy. “Xiao Huihui, we don’t have to be afraid in the Southern Frontier anymore. We have a powerful expert as our backer...”

Xiao Huihui was speechless. Silly piggy, you don’t have to pretend anymore, there’s no one else here! Then, a thought struck her. I was too careless. Someone must be eavesdropping from the shadows.

And indeed, she was right. The divine senses of the Gu King and the Saint were still focused on this place. They both wanted to see exactly who was backing Zhu Wuneng.

...

“Strange, where did the array disk I used to prevent my aura from leaking while I was killing bugs last night go?”

Perched on Zhu Wuneng’s shoulder, Xiao Huihui’s eyes widened in absolute disbelief when she heard his quiet mutter. She could swear that Zhu Wuneng hadn't used an array disk at all.

She opened her mouth, stunned. So, Zhu Wuneng has no idea that those people were poisoned to death by his bug-killing poison... He really thinks there’s an expert helping him from the shadows...

Meanwhile, the divine senses of the Gu King and the Saint didn't think much of Zhu Wuneng’s mention of killing bugs. The Southern Frontier was full of poisonous snakes and insects, so it was normal for him to kill them. After all, it was clear from his refusal to choose a Gu worm that this pig didn’t like insects.

...

“Xiao Huihui, come on. Let’s go find some bugs for you to eat...” Zhu Wuneng placed Xiao Huihui on his shoulder and walked out of his courtyard.

There was no other choice; there were no bugs left within a hundred miles of his home. Even if there were, they were only new arrivals at the very edge of that radius. Any cultivators who saw Zhu Wuneng coming out avoided him like the plague.

Deep within the miasma forest, a woman sat cross-legged under an ancient tree. She wore a dress made of scarlet soft mulberry silk. Her skin was translucent and glowing, and a cinnabar Gu mark was placed between her brows. Her black hair was loosely tied with several poison-dyed colored cords.

At this moment, she was surrounded by dried Gu grass and a circle of clay dishes. The dishes were filled with a black liquid, and several blue-black Gu worms were slowly crawling around the edges. These were the Gu worms she had just finished breeding, and she had brought them out today to refine them.

Right then, a large, chubby hand reached out and grabbed the Gu worms in front of her.

“Xiao Huihui, look! I caught a few more bugs for you...”

Perched on Zhu Wuneng’s shoulder, Xiao Huihui was already too tired to react. Zhu Wuneng had already snatched an unknown number of people’s Gu worms along the way.

Sure enough, the woman whose Gu worms had been snatched stared at Zhu Wuneng with her almond eyes wide, her gaze filled with fury.