Chapter 325

Above the shattered earth, a stench-laden wind howled, and the shrieks of the demonic seeds rose and fell in chaotic clamor.

But on the only remaining half-wall of Lin Yuan City's eastern side, Lin You's sudden question plunged the atmosphere into sudden silence.

After a few breaths, Bai Rulong visibly flustered, opening his mouth: "I have no secrets, Brother Ji—what are you referring to?"

"I'm asking you. Why are you asking me?"

"Because I don't know what secret you mean—your consort? Or your matchmaking match...?"

Lin You saw the Shitan in Bai Rulong's eyes—he was probing—and spoke softly: "I mean why you lied to me. You were locked in, not hiding."

At those words, Bai Rulong's pupils trembled instantly.

Yet the next instant, he hastily denied: "I don't know what you mean—I hid myself inside."

Lin You hummed: "Then explain the pots, pans, bowls, and ladles in the corner."

"What pots and pans...?"

"There were leftover meals in those vessels inside the secret chamber—already stale. That means you stayed there for more than a day, several days. But the corpse tide only erupted today—did you foresee it and hide early?"

Bai Rulong fell silent, mouth opening but unable to respond.

Lin You had noticed the pots and pans in the corner the moment he entered the chamber—he'd already suspected Bai Rulong was lying.

Cultivators can fast without food; for Bai Rulong's cultivation base, enduring three or five days was no issue.

The demonic seeds hadn't come yet—why would he hide underground prematurely?

If he'd hidden today, he shouldn't have had so many stale leftovers.

Lin You had weighed these contradictions repeatedly before finally confronting him.

Yet Bai Rulong held his tongue tightly; after a moment of silence, he clung to his original story: "I hid myself—I'm my own master. How could I be locked up...?"

"When I entered and asked why you were there, you said you hid out of fear?"

"With so many demonic seeds—I was terrified..."

"No. Don't you remember you asked me, upon emerging, why there were so many demonic seeds?"

Lin You turned to him: "I suspect you didn't even know the corpse tide was coming. Whether you were imprisoned or hid early, both make sense—because what you feared wasn't the demonic seeds. But you said it was your home—what in your own home terrified you?"

With this simple question, Bai Rulong sank back into silence.

The leftovers were real. If he insisted he hid, he must explain why he hid so early.

If he admitted he was imprisoned, he must have seen the Bai family leave.

According to Lin You's deduction, if Bai Rulong was truly imprisoned, he must have known what his father planned—perhaps even resisted, leading to his confinement underground.

If he hid, then what he feared becomes far more troubling to unravel.

Either way, as the Bai family's eldest heir—and now the sole bloodline after his brother Bai Shihu's death—he must know something others don't.

Lin You gazed into the distance: "I didn't ask below because I wanted to bring you here first—to show you. There's an old saying in Qingyun: 'Stand high, see far.' I want you to see what they've turned this world into."

Bai Rulong involuntarily pressed his lips shut, no longer arguing as before, now utterly silent.

Because he knew—the timeline simply didn't add up.

Whether hiding or imprisoned, both explanations were riddled with holes.

At that moment, Lin You reached into his robe and pulled out a letter, handing it to him.

Bai Rulong's expression turned puzzled, but he took it, hesitated a moment, then unfolded it in the stench-laden wind.

Dear Brother Rulong, have you been well lately? I passed through Lin Yuan City today and thought of our long separation—I miss you dearly.

I've traveled the realm for half a year and met two ladies with splendid, rounded buttocks. Brother Rulong, would you care to join me for a drink?

Bai Rulong looked up: "You deliberately lured me out to meet you?"

"Correct. Before I met you, I already uncovered problems in your Bai family. Your clan is deeply tied to the demonic corpses appearing these past years. In fact, I now suspect everything we face today was caused by you."

No sooner had he spoken than Bai Rulong clenched his lips—yet at that very moment, Lin You heard a piercing roar rush toward them.

In the distance, demonic seeds, having scented human qi, surged toward them in a frenzied stampede.

From above, it looked like a conscious tidal wave, crashing to drown them.

Lin You's face darkened instantly; his longsword let out a clear, ringing cry.

Rulong, lost in thought, felt his neck seized—two figures shot northward, parallel to the front of the corpse tide.

The rope tied around their waists remained unbroken, still binding them together.

As they ran, with the corpse tide gathering, they continued as before—one drawing attention, the other striking with the sword.

Yet throughout, neither spoke another word.

Lin You understood Bai Rulong's withdrawn mindset.

The Bai family was his clan. Though his father openly favored his younger brother due to his second wife, treating him poorly, he was still his father.

In Qingyun's inheritance tradition, countless scions of noble houses grew up gazing at their fathers' towering figures.

Thus, for the current Rulong, revealing what he knew felt like a profound betrayal.

But this also proved the knowledge he held was deadly.

From south to north, Lin You and Bai Rulong rode on, breaching three minor corpse tides, and encountered a group of cultivators from immortal sects also fleeing—some from Ling Jian Mountain, others from Tian Shu Academy, and a few from the Chen Clan, roughly thirty to forty people.

These cultivators were sharp judges of circumstance; upon seeing the magnificent sword qi tear a gaping hole through the corpse tide, they instantly decided to follow them.

Thus, over barely ten li, Lin You had been given multiple rides.

But these rides came at a price...

High in the heavens, Lin You, carving a bloody path through the corpse tide atop Xiao Chongshan, muttered under his breath.

But with danger everywhere, now wasn't the time to charge—so he planned to demand payment once they returned to Shengjing.

The Ling Jian Mountain disciples—whether from Xuan Jian Peak or Tian Jian Peak—would get a discount if from Xuan Jian; the Chen Clan and Tian Shu Academy? Full price.

At dusk, the blazing clouds glowed magnificent and grand, yet the corpse tide below surpassed them in horror.

After fleeing and charging through the night, Lin You's group crossed another massive corpse tide, finally reaching a mountainous region.

The demonic seeds were guided, targeting noble clans—so remote villages suffered far fewer attacks, making them ideal hidden spots to rest and recover.

The demonic seeds are manipulated by others and deliberately attack various aristocratic families, so remote, backwater areas have fewer demonic seeds causing havoc, making them suitable for hiding and resting in secret corners.

Huh—huh—

As night deepened and darkness swallowed the world, Bai Rulong sat atop a low hill, his breathing gradually steadying.

The demonic seeds' main target was noble clans, yes—but their movements were driven by scent of human qi, so villages near cities were inevitably caught.

Now, directly below his gaze, several villages strung together had been destroyed—limbs and corpses littered everywhere, turning the stream that ran through them pink.

Blood flowed steadily down the river, and floating fragments of limbs drifted downstream.

Staring blankly for a long while, Rulong rose and walked toward the dense woods halfway up the hill.

Because demonic swarms raged across the land, they dared not light a fire.

Now, dozens of cultivators sat in a circle along the hillside, meditating, while Lin You sat quietly in the western woods nearby.

Some secrets had been buried too long—even he felt suffocated, plagued by nightmares he couldn't escape.

So when Lin You asked, his heart felt not just fear and dread—but also a strange relief.

He knew Lin You had stopped pressing because he wanted him to see, to understand.

After long hesitation, Bai Rulong gripped his sleeve, then walked toward Lin You, who looked up as if sensing him.

Their eyes met for a long while; Bai Rulong finally spoke softly.

"Do you remember when we attended the Tian Dao Assembly? I returned home and didn't come back for a long time. When I did, I said my younger brother Bai Shihu and my second mother had vanished."

"Do you remember when we were with the Heavenly Dao Society? When I returned home and didn't come back for a long time, I told you my younger brother Bai Shihu and my second mother had gone missing."

Bai Rulong sat slowly beside a dead tree stump: "Actually, Bai Shihu didn't vanish—he became a monster."

Lin You's gaze darkened instantly: "What exactly happened?"

"It starts over two years ago."

Bai Rulong stared at the heavy night above, speaking slowly.

Before the Tian Dao Assembly two years ago, he returned home for a visit and learned Bai Shihu and his second mother had vanished.

But two living people couldn't just disappear—so he began asking, searching.

But two healthy adults couldn't just vanish without a trace, so he began asking around and searching.