After thinking for a long time, the group still couldn't come up with a solution. At this moment, Pu Duandiao suddenly said, "It seems that the reason Brother Zu led us on a detour a few days ago was to avoid these dangerous beasts. If he were still here, how could we have suffered such heavy losses?"
Jiao Sigun, who was standing nearby, also said, "Yes, before everyone thought he was deliberately taking a detour, but now it seems that we had clearly misunderstood him."
The others felt embarrassed, their faces burning with shame, since they were all partly responsible for driving away Zuan and his group.
Some people did have some regrets, but others remained unconvinced.
“Zu’an is the most likely to have a motive and be the most suspicious. Being with him might allow us to avoid these magical beasts, but if he kills a few people every day, the losses will be even greater in the short term.” Pei You snorted. After all, he was the leader who forced Zu’an to leave, so he came out to save face.
Jiao Sigun said, "Isn't that a bit too far-fetched? Those people might not have been killed by Zu An."
“That’s right, I also think it’s a bit strange.” At this moment, Gu Heng suddenly spoke up. Jiao Sigun and Pu Duandiao were stunned. This guy used to hate Zuan the most, so why is he suddenly speaking up for him today?
Then he continued, "We were misled by treacherous people and forced Lord Zu to leave. Now it is too late to regret it."
Pei You frowned: "Hey, what do you mean, Gu?"
Gu Heng said in a deep voice, "Who chose this route?"
The others were startled and all looked at Pei You.
Pei You's expression changed: "I was just following the trail left by the Azure Moon Dragon. How could I have known there were so many ferocious beast lairs along the way?"
"Are you really unaware or just pretending?" Gu Xing said. "Previously, Lord Zu changed your route several times to avoid the ferocious beasts along the way. When you saw that your plan was ruined, you deliberately tried to drive him away, so that you could finally lure us into the ambush in a legitimate way."
Liu Xian wiped the soot off his face and cursed, "Well, I always thought you were acting strangely and suspiciously, but I never imagined you were this wicked!"
Zhao Xi stood up at this moment, subtly surrounding him: "You surnamed Pei, I trusted you so much before, but I misunderstood Zu An. Tell me, who sent you!"
Pei You clutched his sword tightly: "How ridiculous! What motive would I have to harm you!"
Meng Pan said in a sinister tone, "How could there be no motive? There are two branches in your Pei family. The other branch is the staunch Qi Wang Party. Your grandfather was at odds with Lord Bi, but your father was on good terms with Bi Zi'ang. It's really strange. Most likely, the Pei family sent you to infiltrate the Bi family, and now you've finally come in handy."
Clearly, Bi Linglong was not the only one who suspected Pei You.
Pei You's expression changed several times: "It's normal for a family to have different factions. Even if the father and son belong to different political parties, it's not uncommon in history. What's so strange about that?"
"That alone is not surprising, but considering that you forced Zu'an to leave and deliberately led us into a trap with ferocious beasts, are all these coincidences really just coincidences?" Gu Heng sneered.
Noticing the suspicious looks from everyone, Pei You smiled sadly: "I didn't expect that all of you would harbor resentment towards our Pei family. It seems that my father's decision back then was indeed wrong, terribly wrong!"
As soon as he finished speaking, his longsword was drawn, and a dazzling sword light seemed to attack everyone.
"Protect the Crown Prince and Crown Princess!" The group immediately panicked, feeling as if the sword was aimed at them, and hurriedly became extremely vigilant.
Little did they know that the other party was merely feinting and had not actually attacked, but instead took the opportunity to quickly flee into the distance.
He moved with incredible speed, disappearing into the woods in just a few leaps.
"Damn it, this guy actually hid his strength, he really is a wolf in sheep's clothing!" Zhao Xi chased after him for a few steps but failed to catch up, and then spat and yelled angrily.
"Don't chase after them. The mountains are fraught with danger. If he deliberately leads us into the territory of some ferocious beast, it will be dangerous," Bi Linglong ordered. "Lock up the Pei family members first."
The remaining warriors of the Pei family were filled with fear and dread. When warriors from several other families surrounded them, they all wore expressions of desperation and a willingness to fight to the death.
Fortunately, Bi Linglong came out at this moment and said, "I believe you are unaware of Pei You's affairs. As long as you lay down your weapons, I will guarantee your safety with my reputation. The court will interrogate you after you leave the secret realm."
The Pei family warriors looked at each other, and in the end, because of the Crown Princess's usual prestige, they all gave up resisting. After all, their young master had run away and they were leaderless. If they really fought, they would definitely die. At most, they could only take a few people down with them.
Now that the Crown Princess has made such a promise, they also want to save their lives.
After the Pei family members were properly detained, the other young masters also came to the Crown Prince's tent to discuss the matter.
"Now it's just adding insult to injury," Liu Xian sighed, shaking his somewhat tattered fan.
Gao Ying frowned and said, "Another problem is even more serious. Among our group, only Pei You knows how to track the Heavenly Azure Moon Dragon technique. We can't find it in these vast mountains at all, so how can we complete the mission?"
Gu Heng said, "Why don't we bring Lord Zu back? Since he was able to accurately avoid the lairs of these ferocious beasts, it proves that he is very familiar with this mountain. He should have a solution."
Upon hearing his words, everyone turned to look at him, even Bi Linglong glanced at him a few more times.
Gu Heng blushed: "I did have some dissatisfaction with Lord Zu before, and I was jealous that he could gain the Crown Princess's trust. But now I know that he is indeed capable, and this trip is related to the Crown Prince's examination. How can I let my personal grudges affect the overall situation?"
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