Chapter 401: This Is Not a Biography!

"Honest and kind? Your father?"

Even when defending one's own father, one shouldn't be shameless; you really have the nerve to use that word to describe your father. If he were honest and kind, he wouldn't be able to serve as the Sect Leader of the Baicao Sect.

In this day and age, who among those who rise to power is truly a down-to-earth, honest person!

Perhaps noticing Shen Yu's disdain, Bai Jincong hurriedly said, "My Lord, my father was absolutely not like this before. He held a reputation for chivalry in the Jianghu, and he was well-regarded both inside and outside the sect."

"The Baicao Sect of the past was also dedicated to treating the sick and wounded of the Jianghu, practicing medicine to save people, and helping the world!"

"But ever since my father returned from that place, he has become ruthless. He killed the few Elders who opposed his arbitrary actions without hesitation, and anyone who showed the slightest bit of disobedience was also executed by him."

"Now, the entire Baicao Sect is his personal fiefdom. Only those willing to submit to him completely can survive, and even then, their days are precarious."

"And those Jianghu experts who came to the Baicao Sect for treatment were also detained and had Seeds planted in them. Once they bloomed and bore Fruit, these Jianghu experts turned into piles of white bones."

"Outsiders all think they died at the Baicao Sect because their injuries were too severe to treat, but in reality, they all died by his hand."

With his head lowered, Bai Jincong recounted the inside story of the Baicao Sect. Outsiders were unaware of these matters; only those within the Baicao Sect understood what kind of life they were living.

On the surface, they had already controlled Chengzhou and become a regional hegemon. But in reality, every one of them was trembling with fear, walking on thin ice.

After all, the Sect Leader was a madman who might kill at any moment. It wasn't as if you could rest easy just by submitting to him completely; no one knew who he would strike at next, or when he might suddenly find someone displeasing.

Being killed would be one thing, but the fear was being planted with those Seeds. The Baicao Sect disciples had seen many times the scenes of those Seeds taking root, sprouting, blooming, and bearing fruit, quickly draining a person dry.

The wails and struggles of those people before they died, and the bloody claw marks they gouged into the stone floor with their fingers—the agony can be imagined.

"My Lord, my Baicao Sect was actually forced into this."

"Bai Jincong, you don't need to tell me these things; I will see for myself. Also, tell me, what are those Seeds planted in people? And what are those Fruits?"

"This... I don't know where these Seeds came from. Ever since my father came out of that secret place, he has had these Seeds in his possession."

"I think these Seeds must have been obtained from there. Moreover, the Fruit obtained after these Seeds take root and sprout can greatly increase one's internal energy after being consumed."

"Can greatly increase one's internal energy? That makes sense. After blooming and bearing fruit, it drains all of a person's Qi and blood, concentrating all the essence within; it is no surprise it has such an effect!"

Raising an eyebrow, this temptation was not small for the average person. In order to increase their strength, let alone killing others, there were plenty of people who would harden their hearts and turn on themselves.

Take the Sunflower Manual, for example; even though it has flaws, aren't there still plenty of people flocking to it?

The human heart—perhaps people are kind at first, but how many can resist when faced with temptation?

"Lord Shen, the more powerful the expert the Seed is planted in, the better the effect of the resulting Fruit. Consuming it not only greatly increases internal energy but also boosts blood and Qi, heals injuries, and can even extend one's lifespan."

"I once saw someone who was severely injured; after eating a few Fruits, not only did they fully recover, but their strength also increased significantly."

With his head lowered, Bai Jincong continued in a low voice, "The reason my Baicao Sect's strength has increased so much, allowing us to crush the major factions of Chengzhou, is also thanks to this!"

"However, even the Seeds planted in ordinary people, while one or two might not have the same effect as those from experts, can still trigger a qualitative change if the quantity is accumulated enough!"

"Heh, I see. Experts in this world are hard to find, but ordinary commoners are everywhere!"

A cold glint flashed in his eyes as Shen Yu said indifferently, "So that is why your Baicao Sect has been trying every possible way to farm so many commoners, using their flesh and blood to bear fruit, and keeping the Fruit for your own enjoyment!"

"Thousands of commoners turning into white bones every day means thousands of Fruits are harvested. Heh, such temptation—who among ordinary people could resist it!"

"Perhaps the disciples of the Baicao Sect were coerced before, but now, that may not be the case!"

"My Lord!" Shen Yu's words made Bai Jincong break out in a cold sweat, and he immediately defended, "My Lord, my Baicao Sect has been passed down for many years and has always been about practicing medicine to save people."

"It is said that a doctor has the heart of a parent; they all have benevolent hearts. They are only being coerced for the time being; as long as things are set right, they will return to the right path!"

"Is that so? Do you really think they can turn back?" Shaking his head, Bai Jincong's words were perhaps something even he himself did not believe.

"Once you've walked the shortcut too many times, are you really willing to go back to the bitter, hard work of cultivation?"

"This, this... My Lord, among so many disciples, there must still be some who harbor compassion and are unwilling to be completely complicit!"

"Furthermore, there is a group of disciples imprisoned within the Baicao Sect. They were taken down because they refused to obey my father's orders, but because of the complex affairs involved in invading Chengzhou, my father hasn't dealt with them yet."

"They have never participated in the affairs of Chengzhou, nor have their hands been stained with the blood of innocent people; they are innocent!"

Kneeling beside Shen Yu, Bai Jincong bowed deeply, his posture as humble as it could possibly be.

Rumor had it that Shen Yu never showed mercy to those villains; for the things their Baicao Sect had done during this period, being slaughtered ten or eight times over would not be an overstatement.

He was terrified that the other party would fly into a rage and wipe out the entire Baicao Sect, fearing that the Baicao Sect would be completely erased from history; no matter what, he wanted to leave some Seeds for the Baicao Sect.

"Fine, I will verify these matters. Instead of worrying about whether I will pull the Baicao Sect up by the roots, you should think about the outside."

"I can choose to execute only the evildoers and spare the innocent, but can those people outside spare you?"

"Lord Shen, as long as you can treat my Baicao Sect fairly and only execute the evildoers, that is enough. As for those people outside, I will apologize to them one by one!"

Shen Yu's words also made Bai Jincong breathe a sigh of relief; at the very least, this Lord was not as difficult to talk to as the rumors suggested, and he wouldn't really kill those who hadn't done evil.

As for the people from the major factions outside, dealing with them ultimately came down to strength.

Although he was far from being a match for Shen Yu, he was still much stronger than the average person. He had the confidence that if it really came to a life-or-death struggle, those experts outside might not be able to hold their own.

Moreover, he had already made up his mind: at worst, he would give up all the interests of the Baicao Sect and compensate the major factions outside, as long as the inheritance of the Baicao Sect could be preserved.

"Apologize? Bai Jincong, you are thinking too simply. If nothing goes wrong, those people outside are probably about to be planted with Seeds."

"Tsk tsk, your father is quite the schemer!" Gently shaking his head, Shen Yu couldn't help but sigh.

"A single marriage alliance easily lured all the notable experts of Chengzhou here. That's right, the Ning Family is, after all, the number one noble family in Chengzhou, with deep roots and complex connections."

"All the prominent factions in Chengzhou have to give them some face; with the Ning Family's eldest daughter getting married, they naturally have to attend in full force."

"Otherwise, relying solely on your Baicao Sect's threats and inducements, how many experts could you have lured here?"

"In this way, with so many top experts gathered here, what a perfect opportunity to catch them all in one net. Once these experts are planted with Seeds, the Fruit obtained after they bloom and bear fruit will be a thousand times better than that from ordinary people!"

"What? This..." For a moment, Bai Jincong's eyes widened; he had never imagined it would be like this.

But thinking about it again, given the level of madness his father had reached, it seemed he really could do such a thing.

Once the people here were planted with Seeds and someone died because of it, what awaited the Baicao Sect would be an endless, irreconcilable situation.

By then, if you still wanted to negotiate with them, negotiate my foot; they would fight until they were at each other's throats.

"My dear father, you really have offended people to the point of no return; how on earth am I supposed to clean up this mess!"