Gu Qingyan came back to reality and asked repeatedly,
“Uncle, that Gu Fengmian, Li Jingting — can he really remember everything he sees?”

The old village chief frowned, not understanding why he suddenly brought this up.
“Why do you ask about him? He’s gone already. Don’t mention him again.”

“That ungrateful bastard! How well the third uncle and his wife treated him — cherishing him like a treasure, afraid he’d melt if held in the mouth, afraid he’d fall if held in the palm. And what did he do? Just left, even tried to sell the ancestral home. What a white-eyed wolf.”

“Uncle, this is really important to me.”

Gu Qingyan pressed on, “Think carefully, can he really remember everything he sees?”

The village chief sighed. Although he didn’t understand why Gu Qingyan was so anxious, he answered truthfully:
“No way. That would make him a genius. He started studying at three and went to the county school at five, but after all these years, he never made it to the exams. He’s definitely not a genius.”

He thought to himself: Young people these days, so proud and arrogant. And now this drama about the real and fake young master — he must be trying to compare the two. So he added with a bit of exaggeration,
“Your father always thought he had talent and spent money and effort sending him to study in the county, but I think he’s just so-so.”

“He’s been at the private school for almost ten years, and the teacher has hardly praised him. Not to mention passing the exams. Your father was already a student at fifteen.”

The old village chief clearly didn’t think highly of Li Jingting.

Gu Qingyan frowned, “So he really can’t remember everything he sees?”

“Definitely not. If he could, how come your father never told me?” the chief replied.

Gu Qingyan nodded, “I understand.”

He fell silent and looked again at the ancestral resentment lingering there.

The village chief shook his head, “Young people, always comparing.”

Gu Qingyan’s face was solemn as he pondered that book.

The whole family was just cannon fodder in the story, barely mentioned, and with a tragic end. No wonder the ancestral graves emitted black smoke.

If it weren’t for the resentment of the ancestor sending the book, Gu Qingyan wouldn’t even know he was cannon fodder, only referenced in one sentence:

“The fake young master couldn’t accept the truth, jumped around in vain, and tried to force the Xu family by threatening suicide. Who knew the fake would become real?”

What nonsense! Gu Qingyan could never force death like that, nor would he accidentally turn fake into real.

That’s just not his character. No, no, no — that’s definitely Li Jingting’s slander.

He must be jealous of how smart and good-looking he is, so he’s trash-talking him to the death. Even history books are like this, and the novel might have been hired by Li Jingting himself!

Suddenly, a detail flashed in his mind.

Li Jingting passed six imperial exams in a row, becoming the top scorer — there’s no way he did it relying just on the Li family. If Li the minister really had that kind of power, the Xu family wouldn’t have been sent away from the capital.

But if Li Jingting was average talent, then how did he pass six exams in a row after leaving the Gu family?

Gu Qingyan frowned, utterly puzzled.

He walked distractedly, flipping through the novel again.

After reading back and forth twice, he still couldn’t find a clue.

“The real young master passing six imperial exams in a row” — it wasn’t so much a novel as Li Jingting’s self-praising autobiography, only depicting his glorious moments.

There were pages devoted to his twenty or thirty romantic affairs and twelve wives he married.

Gu Qingyan closed the book, suddenly recalling something, and reopened Gu Tongsheng’s obsession.

Finally, he found a special detail:

“Fengmian, this is the family heirloom of the Gu family, passed down from your great-grandfather, secretly passed to me by your grandfather. It is said to refresh the mind and make a person smarter.”

Gu Tongsheng hung a black, glossy bead around Gu Fengmian’s neck.

The black bead looked like low-quality jade, very plain.

Gu Fengmian clearly didn’t like it but didn’t refuse it.

Gu Tongsheng stroked his son’s hair with earnest words: “Fengmian, you must take good care of this bead. It will bring you good luck.”

Fool! A complete fool.

The cause of the black smoke from the ancestral graves — a big fool.

A family heirloom just handed to Gu Fengmian like that, no wonder the ancestor’s resentment is so intense. If he were the ancestor, he’d jump out of the coffin and punch Gu Tongsheng right in the nose twice.

Gu Qingyan keenly noticed the bead and was certain it was the culprit turning the mediocre Gu Fengmian into the eidetic Li Jingting.

Since it was given away, it’s impossible to get it back. The thought that Li Jingting relied on the Gu family heirloom to succeed smoothly to become a top official made Gu Qingyan uncomfortable.

No, he wasn’t willing to accept this.

Why should all the benefits go to Li Jingting?

In his heart, Gu Qingyan cursed angrily: “I curse you to eat buns with no filling, to find no toilet paper when you go to the bathroom, to choke on water, to fall when you walk, and to always get the worst exam results.”

After venting, Gu Qingyan kowtowed again,
“Ancestor, if you hear me from beyond the grave, remember to go to the King of Hell to seek justice, and try to get back the family heirloom.”

But as soon as he finished speaking, countless black smoke surged from the Gu ancestral graves and poured into Gu Qingyan’s body, wrapping around his mouth and nose, trying to suffocate him to death.

Gu Qingyan’s pupils dilated. He had never expected a casual curse to provoke such a powerful reaction.

He struggled, but the black smoke wrapped tightly around him, unable to move. The village chief was just a few steps away, busy weeding the grave, completely unaware of his nephew’s life-threatening danger.

Unreliable uncle — Gu Qingyan could only rely on himself. He opened his mouth, biting and tearing, his unwillingness and anger exploding into great energy.

At the critical moment of suffocation, a golden light flickered faintly —

It was the jade seal he got from the wild grave slope.

The jade seal of the wandering man shone brightly. Once it appeared, it countered the black smoke and quickly dispersed it.

Before it, the black smoke was no match.

Inside the Li mansion, Li Jingting wore splendid clothes, surrounded by attendants — there were a full twelve maids beside him.

“Mother,” Li Jingting stepped over the threshold and was about to bow, but suddenly tripped and fell flat on his face.

Madam Xu was stunned, and after a moment, she called out, “Jingting, get up quickly. No need for such a formal bow.”

Li Jingting was full of humiliation and glared fiercely at the maids attending him.

His anger distorted what was otherwise a rather handsome face.

Madam Xu sent everyone out, then pulled him aside and warned, “Tomorrow we’re setting off for the capital. Remember, you must behave well and flatter your father. That sickly man won’t live long — the Li family will all be yours after that.”

Li Jingting nodded in agreement. The mother and son then talked about how to scheme against Madam Li and seize control of the Li family estate.

They spoke until their mouths went dry. Li Jingting took a sip of water, but suddenly choked violently, coughing loudly.

Madam Xu patted his back and comforted him anxiously, more worried than if she were the one who had choked.

After he finally caught his breath, Madam Xu repeatedly advised, “Drink tea slowly from now on, no need to rush. The Li family is an official household with many rules — the women will gradually teach you.”

But inwardly, she frowned, feeling that Li Jingting lacked some refinement.

“Thank you, Mother,” Li Jingting said. “I’m causing you unnecessary worry.”

Madam Xu looked at him with motherly affection: “It’s not your fault, my son. Blame those damned couple who dared to steal you away, making you suffer for fifteen years.”

Li Jingting scowled. “If I had known they would do such things, I would never have called them mother and father.”

“If it weren’t for the fact they raised you for fifteen years and then died early, I would never let them off,” Madam Xu sneered.

“Fortunately, heaven blessed us to reunite, Jingting. Mother will never lose you again.”

The two embraced, pouring out their hearts like a scene of moving mother-son affection.

After Li Jingting left, Madam Xu wiped away tears and smiled: “Sure enough, a mother and son’s hearts are connected and can’t be broken. Even though you weren’t raised by me since childhood, seeing you fills me with joy — unlike that other one who’s always smirking and makes people disgusted.”

“That’s right, our Young Master Jingting clearly looks like a scholar. He will definitely top the imperial exam someday and earn our Madam a noble title.”

“Luckily, back then—otherwise, how could our Jingting have grown up safely?”

“Madam is truly brilliant, like a female Zhuge Liang.”

Hearing all the praise, Madam Xu smiled even more deeply, but a maid in the corner lowered her eyes, hiding the sarcasm in them.

Once again, Li Jingting took a nasty fall, his face darkening.

“Who’s responsible for cleaning the courtyard? Such carelessness deserves a beating and to be kicked out.”

Li Jingting vented his anger on the maids, who trembled and obediently agreed.

After sending the maids away, Li Jingting frowned, feeling uneasy for some unknown reason. Since that morning, he felt off.

His background was finally clear, and returning to the Li family everything should be going smoothly. He was confident he could pass the exams and have the Li family all to himself.

But starting from that morning, he choked on water, tripped while walking, and even misstepped while going to the latrine.

Though he was extra careful, bad luck followed him.

Picking up a book, Li Jingting found he couldn’t concentrate, losing the ability to read quickly as before, even forgetting things he had memorized.

This sudden change made him anxious and uneasy.

Unable to find a reason, he vented his frustration on those around him.

Instinctively, he reached to hold the black bead around his chest.

Li Jingting didn’t believe the Gu family from that mountain valley could have any family heirlooms, but ever since getting this bead, his studying had gone smoother.

Crack—

His heart raced as he looked down. The bead shattered.

He hurried to catch the fragments, but they turned into sand and slipped from his hands, impossible to retrieve.

An inexplicable fear rose inside him, as if his good fortune, originally his, had been forcibly taken away.

He paced nervously in the room. “Don’t scare yourself. The Gu family can’t have anything valuable — the bead must be worthless, weathered from being carried so long.”

Outside the room, several maids had red, swollen eyes. Hearing noises inside, they dared not enter.

“Sister Liu, I want to go back to the kitchen. I don’t want to serve the new Young Master anymore. He’s so fierce, always scolding us. Last time he even kicked me. He’s nothing like the previous Young Master who was kind.”

“Shh, you’re asking for trouble. If Madam finds out, she’ll punish you with twenty lashes.”

“If only I had learned from Sister Cuihong to buy my freedom. Sister Cuihong was the smartest.”

At that moment, a horrible scream came from inside.

The maids called out but received no response. They cautiously opened the door and gasped.

Li Jingting was lying face down on the desk, unlucky enough to have hit his face on a penholder, a streak of blood on his cheek.

Fate was beginning to turn.