Starting as a stray dog, I embarked on a journey of cultivation.

"What? The mountain god?"

He Dazhuang was stunned when he heard this. His mind couldn't process it for a moment, but his body went limp first, and he knelt down heavily in the mud with a "thump".

Gou An spoke slowly to comfort him: "Zhang Da deliberately harmed you first. You did nothing wrong in protecting yourself and fighting back."

He Dazhuang hurriedly looked up, his voice filled with fear and helplessness: "Grandpa Mountain God, what should I do now?"

"As I just told you, this is a remote and desolate place. If you find a secluded spot to bury and dispose of the body, it will be eaten up by wild animals in the forest within a few days, and no one will be able to trace it back to you."

Gou An spoke in a calm tone, but his words made He Dazhuang's heart pound and his back go cold.

Seeing He Dazhuang standing there motionless, Gou An urged again, "What are you still standing there for? Hurry up and deal with the body, it will be completely dark soon."

"Yes, yes, yes!"

He Dazhuang suddenly came to his senses, hurriedly got up, and dragged Zhang Da's body down the slope.

He found a steep slope covered with rocks and overgrown thorns, and forcefully pushed the body down. The corpse rolled deep among the rocks, completely hidden from view.

Having taken care of everything, He Dazhuang finally felt a little relieved. He quickly returned to the spot and knelt down before Gou An once more.

"Grandpa Mountain God, I didn't know your true form before, and only took care of you as an ordinary yellow dog. I have been very negligent, and I hope you will be magnanimous and forgive me!"

After saying this, he respectfully clasped his hands in a bow.

Gou An spoke calmly: "This dog's body is not the true form of the mountain god. I am merely temporarily possessing this body. I saw that you are honest and upright, and I couldn't bear to see a good person suffer an undeserved calamity, so I showed myself to help you. Now that the trouble is over, I should leave."

As soon as he finished speaking, Gou An's head drooped limply, and he remained motionless for a long time, as if he had lost his mind.

Kneeling on the ground, He Dazhuang dared not make a sound to disturb them, and could only hold his breath and wait quietly.

After a long while, Gou An slowly raised his head.

Although nothing has changed, Gou An's performance was still quite convincing, making He Dazhuang genuinely believe that the mountain god had left.

However, he still cautiously probed, "Grandpa Mountain God, are you still there?"

There was complete silence all around, without a single response.

"Grandpa Mountain God?" he called softly again.

Gou An remained motionless and made no move.

Seeing this, He Dazhuang finally relaxed and slowly stood up from the ground.

He looked down at the intact black bear skin beside him, then turned to look at the gentle and quiet big yellow dog beside him, feeling as if everything that had happened today was a dream, as if it were another world.

When He Dazhuang returned to the village carrying the heavy bear skin, it instantly caused an uproar throughout the village.

His previous solo hunt of a wild boar had already caused a sensation in the village, and now he had even killed a black bear with his bare hands. Such a feat was simply unbelievable to the villagers.

However, bear pelts are quite valuable, and ordinary farmers simply cannot afford them. Most people only dare to stand on the outer edge and watch the spectacle.

Such a rare item was a sight to behold, and everyone crowded around, reaching out to touch the thick, rough bear skin.

"Look at this bear paw! It's a whole size bigger than my head!"

"Of course, if that claw strikes solidly, a person's head will be shattered on the spot."

"This bear skin smells way too strongly!"

"The bear's fur is so stiff it's prickly!"

"I've heard that bear paws are a top-tier delicacy, with an exquisite taste!"

"Dazhuang has really made something of himself these days! This whole bear pelt can fetch at least twenty taels of silver if sold to a merchant in town!"

Faced with the crowd's admiration and praise, He Dazhuang was not stingy and allowed the villagers to take turns touching and playing with the objects, which was also a way for everyone to broaden their horizons.

After a long period of noise and commotion, the villagers' excitement gradually subsided.

Just as He Dazhuang was about to carry the bear skin home, a woman's figure came running from the village entrance, shouting his name incessantly, instantly attracting the attention of everyone present.

"He Dazhuang! He Dazhuang!"

He Dazhuang turned around upon hearing the voice and immediately recognized Liu, the wife of Zhang Da from the next village. His heart tightened and he couldn't help but panic.

"What do you want from me?" He Dazhuang asked, trying to appear calm.

Liu grabbed his sleeve tightly, pressing him urgently, "It's almost completely dark, and my husband still hasn't come home! People say you also came back from hunting in Da Wu Mountain today, have you seen my Zhang Da?"

He Dazhuang hurriedly shook his head and denied it: "I have never seen him."

"You're clearly lying!" Liu shouted loudly on the spot, "Wang Laoliu, who goes up the mountain to chop firewood in our village, saw you and Zhang Da talking on the mountain path to Dawu Mountain at noon. You still dare to say you didn't see it?"

His lie was exposed on the spot, and He Dazhuang could only hastily defend himself: "I did run into you once when we went into the mountains, but we didn't see each other again on the way back. Your husband's disappearance has nothing to do with me, so don't keep bothering me."

After saying that, he tried to break free from the other person's hand, but Liu's fingers were clenched tightly, and she refused to let go no matter what.

"Something must have happened to my husband!" Liu cried out in a fit of rage. "He never comes home this late! You two went into the mountains together, you came back safely, but he's nowhere to be seen. He must have met with some misfortune!"

"If you refuse to tell the truth, I'll drag you to the authorities and report you to the authorities!"

Seeing this, the surrounding villagers stepped forward to try and dissuade her, but Liu wouldn't listen to a word and instead became even more aggressive.

He then publicly and loudly questioned, "How could you possibly hunt a black bear all by yourself? This bear was clearly hunted by my Zhang Da. You were greedy for money and heartlessly murdered someone for it!"

He Dazhuang already harbored a secret of murder, and when Liu made such a public outburst and accusation, he was speechless and the scene descended into chaos.

On a distant earthen slope, Gou An lay quietly, watching the farce unfolding in the village with great interest, without the slightest intention of intervening.

He always found such lively scenes fascinating.

The two sides remained locked in a fierce struggle until night fell completely.

Many villagers lit torches and lanterns and continued to watch from the sidelines.

Liu continued her erratic crying and arguing, leaving everyone else helpless.

Just when the situation seemed to be spiraling out of control, a figure carrying a lantern came running at breakneck speed, panting and shouting, "Sister Liu, Sister Liu, stop making a scene!"

The visitor was a fellow villager from the same village as Liu.

As he ran closer, he clutched his knees, panting heavily, and quickly began to offer words of comfort.

"Zhang Da is fine. He just got back to the village and went home. He specifically asked me to come and call you back quickly!"