The time Six Lord arranged was peculiar; everyone else met during the day, but he insisted on the evening.
After a simple tidy-up, Hu Jia prepared to leave.
He opened the door to find several people standing outside in a dense crowd. The Lu siblings, Ouyang Wen, and Yu Yue were all there.
“Brother?” Yu Yue called out to him, her eyes full of worry.
“Ah, it’s nothing. You women just worry too much. With this kind of energy, why not go back and see… Huh? Where’s Li Yang? Why isn’t that kid here?” Hu Jia asked.
“You know him. A lazy bum. He finally got a Sunday off, so he’s definitely gone drinking,” Yu Yue replied.
“Oh!” Although Hu Jia felt something was off, he didn’t press further. He glanced at everyone. “I’m off. Let’s grab a late-night snack together.”
With that, he left without looking back.
He dared not meet Lu Qingqing’s gaze, fearing he’d see the worry in her eyes, and also afraid that lingering too long might affect his own emotions.
Lu Qingqing watched Hu Jia’s retreating back. She knew Hu Jia deliberately left a line about a late-night snack to dispel everyone’s worries about his trip.
But how could their feelings disappear with just a few words?
“Let’s go!” Ouyang Wen called to the others. They were heading to the riverbank to keep watch, so they could reach the Coral Dam as quickly as possible if any accident occurred.
“Mm! It’s Sunday today. Lots of people will be cooling off by the river, so we need to get there early to grab a good spot,” Yu Yue said.
Uh…
Lu Qingqing took a deep breath. It was Sunday today?
Alas, she only now realized it was Sunday.
They had only remembered it was the day for the meeting between the two parties, and had overlooked that it was a Sunday.
“What’s wrong with it being Sunday?” Yu Yue asked.
“Tomorrow is Monday,” Lu Qingqing replied.
Yu Yue was stunned. It was Sunday today, and tomorrow would be Monday. What was so surprising about that?
It was Ouyang Wen who suddenly understood what Lu Qingqing was implying. “You think Six Lord deliberately chose today to meet because even if Xiao Jia discovered something, he’d forget it quickly within a few hours?”
“Mm!” Lu Qingqing nodded.
“Damn, that’s devious!” Ouyang Wen cursed.
However, Lu Qingqing felt a sense of relief. If that were the case, it meant Six Lord had no intention of harming Hu Jia, and Hu Jia was safe.
…
A small boat slowly carried Hu Jia towards the Coral Dam in the middle of the river. The dam was covered in lush green grass, no deeper than an ankle, but because it was night, Hu Jia couldn’t see clearly.
As the boat drew closer, besides the flickering lights on the dam, he couldn’t accurately gauge the number of people. Hu Jia got off the boat and looked around. It was so dark; if there was truly an ambush, he might not even discover it.
“Mr. Hu, this way please.” Hu Jia then realized the fisherman who rowed him was a Dao Ren.
Hu Jia sneered. He had casually found a boatman by the shore, and unexpectedly, it turned out to be a Dao Ren. It was likely that the boatmen by the shore had already been replaced by Dao Ren.
No matter which household he approached, it would be a Dao Ren.
Following the boatman, he gradually adapted to the darkness. He turned to look back at the city, seeing the scattered lights twinkling.
Lu Qingqing was probably watching him from there too.
Suddenly, with a roar, a ball of fire erupted.
The area was instantly illuminated.
It was a bonfire, surrounded by dozens of people. In the center sat a masked man.
“You are Dao Ren Liu Ye?” Hu Jia asked.
“Presumptuous, call him Six Lord!” someone beside him interrupted.
The masked man waved his hand. “It’s just a title, call me whatever you wish. In your mouth, I doubt I’ve ever been spoken of favorably.”
Hu Jia snorted, “Where is my brother?”
He didn't have time to chat. His main objective for coming here was to exchange for Luo Wenwu, and secondarily, to uncover the truth of the matter.
Six Lord beckoned, and two or three Dao Ren shoved Luo Wenwu out from the darkness.
“Brother!” Luo Wenwu looked extremely ashamed, believing Hu Jia’s compromise was entirely for his sake.
Hu Jia glanced at Luo Wenwu. “Are you alright?”
Luo Wenwu nodded.
Hu Jia felt relieved. “I’ll deal with you later.”
“Alright, I’ve witnessed your brotherhood. I’ve brought the person, now where is what I want?” Six Lord asked Hu Jia.
Hu Jia raised the iron box in his hand. “You know my conditions clearly. Besides the person, I need to understand things.”
“Haha!” Six Lord laughed. “What else is there to understand? Haven’t you already investigated what you should? Everything you found should be the correct answer.”
Upon hearing this, Hu Jia’s fists involuntarily clenched.
As he took a step forward, the Dao Ren holding Luo Wenwu placed a dagger at Luo Wenwu’s throat.
“You’re just like you were five or six years ago, always wanting to act out when you get a little emotional. It seems you still haven’t learned your lesson,” Six Lord said smugly.
Hu Jia’s eyes blazed. Five or six years ago? That was when he lost his memory!
Lesson?
“So, you killed Mou Ji Xuan back then?” Hu Jia subconsciously looked at Six Lord’s feet. He was sitting on a stool, very relaxed.
White socks?
In his flash of memory, the person who killed Mou Ji Xuan wore white socks!
“Yes, I killed him! Didn’t you see me kill him with your own eyes?” Six Lord said triumphantly. “Oh, I remember now. I heard you lost your memory. Tsk tsk, such a young fellow, with such a poor brain.”
Hu Jia desperately wanted to rush forward and punch Six Lord, but when his gaze swept over Luo Wenwu, he forced himself to suppress his anger.
“Go to hell, you old bastard,” Luo Wenwu couldn’t stand seeing Hu Jia being held in check. He knew that if it weren't for his brother’s concern for his life, Hu Jia would have already started fighting based on Dao Liu Ye’s words.
“Stop your meaningless rambling. If you’re so capable, let me go and we’ll have a one-on-one fight,” Luo Wenwu continued to curse. Unable to fight, he wanted to gain the upper hand verbally.
Huh…
Luo Wenwu let out a grunt as he was punched in the stomach.
“Stop talking!” Hu Jia shouted. He knew Luo Wenwu was trying to vent his anger for him, but this kind of venting only led to more anger.
“Tell me about Mou Ji Xuan,” since Mou Ji Xuan’s death was mentioned, Hu Jia naturally asked about it.
If there was anyone whose death had always bothered him, it was Mou Ji Xuan.
He didn’t know how they became brothers, nor why Mou Ji Xuan had died.
Since experiencing memory flashbacks, Hu Jia had only three images in his mind: holding Lu Qingqing’s hand, eating with Mou Chun Ya, and Mou Ji Xuan’s death.
Therefore, Mou Ji Xuan’s death remained a mystery.
He also wanted to know what they had investigated back then that led to Mou Ji Xuan’s fatal end.
“Mou Ji Xuan?” Six Lord seemed to deliberately provoke Hu Jia. “The one who was burned to death? He was stubborn, just like the person beside you, still chattering even when tied up. Might as well just burn him to death and save my ears the trouble.”
Uh…
Luo Wenwu promptly shut his mouth!