One person: Lu family bodyguard, who shattered Longhu Mountain with a single palm strike.

After Lu Linglong's voice faded, the courtyard fell silent for a moment.

Zhang Chulan stood there, stunned.

The Eight Extraordinary Skills. Possessing a treasure is a crime. Pursuit and assassination. These words rolled around in his mind, but he couldn't piece them together into a complete picture.

He subconsciously turned his head, his gaze sweeping over the three old men beside the stone table.

Zhang Zhiwei held his teacup, his eyes lowered, and his lips tightly pressed together.

Tian Jinzhong sat in his wheelchair, turning his head to look at a clump of moss in the corner of the courtyard wall.

Lu Jin placed her hands on her knees and remained silent.

None of the three people denied it.

Zhang Chulan's heart sank.

He understood. Lu Linglong was right.

But he still didn't understand.

"Sister Lu." Zhang Chulan took half a step forward, her voice hoarse, "In that era... my grandfather's era was the most dangerous time of the War of Resistance against Japan. Besides fighting the Japanese, there were also internal conflicts."

"But what's the necessary connection between this and my grandfather's affairs? Is it just because they became sworn brothers?"

Lu Linglong sighed, put her hands on her hips, and shook her head in a pretentious manner.

"Sigh, I just can't do anything with you. Fine, then I'll give you some more pointers."

Lu Jin's face twitched twice.

My great-granddaughter is getting more and more adept at feigning maturity. Where did she learn that from?

Lu Linglong caught a glimpse of her grandfather looking at her out of the corner of her eye, chuckled, and winked at him.

Then, they caught a glimpse of the courtyard gate, where Canglong, Bai Shixue, and Xiao Xiao were all peering inside, and even Zhi Jinhua was keeping her ears perked up and hadn't gone far.

She coughed lightly twice, cleared her throat, and put away her playful expression.

"Zhang Chulan, what era do you think that was?"

"At the height of the War of Resistance against Japan, the Japanese invaders were invading from the outside, and there was also a civil war inside. The whole of China was bleeding."

"The same applies to the world of supernatural beings. All sects and factions put aside their grudges and unite to fight against external enemies."

"At that time, everyone was on edge, relying on a common bottom line to hold on."

Lu Linglong's tone gradually turned somber, no longer displaying the lightheartedness of a storyteller.

"But at this very moment, a group of righteous young geniuses went and became sworn brothers with the leader of the Quanxing demons. This move completely blurred the clear line between good and evil at the time."

"In such a critical situation of national survival, engaging in such actions that undermine one's stance is a grave taboo."

She recalled the words Lin Mo had said in the car, repeated them in her mind, and added her own reflections from the past few days, her voice gradually becoming solemn.

"It's not surprising that your grandfather was hunted down. The Eight Extraordinary Techniques aroused greed in many people, which is indeed one aspect."

"But the problem is, your grandfather and his family chose that path themselves."

"Everyone is fighting desperately on the front lines. Countless sects have been wiped out while fighting against foreign enemies, and countless teachers and seniors have died on the battlefield."

Those who survived managed to draw a clear line between good and evil.

"But what about your grandfather and his men? These young talents from prestigious and righteous families actually went and became sworn brothers with the heretics of the Quanxing Sect."

Lu Linglong looked into Zhang Chulan's eyes and asked a question seriously.

"What do you expect from those sects that have a blood feud with Quanxing and are also shedding blood and sacrificing their lives on the front lines?"

Zhang Chulan's lips moved, but no sound came out.

"Regardless of whether your grandfather's original intention was simply to make a friend, objectively speaking, it was undermining morale and confusing the military."

Lu Linglong paused, her tone not harsh, but very firm.

"So Zhang Chulan, the reason why your grandfather and your family have been forced to wander and targeted by the entire world of supernatural beings is all a normal outcome."

The courtyard was silent for several seconds.

Zhang Chulan's mouth was open, as if a stone was stuck in his throat.

From childhood to adulthood, his grandfather taught him to endure, to hide, and to pretend to be an ordinary person.

He always believed that his grandfather was wronged and innocently dragged into the mess.

But now, after hearing these words, he suddenly realized that perhaps his grandfather was never the one who was wronged.

He chose that path himself.

The words "serves him right" welled up from the bottom of my heart, carrying a bitter self-deprecating tone.

Xu San and Xu Si, who were standing to the side, also had a dark expression.

Xu Si took the nearly extinguished cigarette butt from his lips, his fingers unconsciously twirling the filter.

He is the successor head of the North China region and has extremely high authority to access confidential company files.

Those yellowed files contain a chilling set of figures—before the founding of the People's Republic of China, there were hundreds of sects of extraordinary individuals mentioned in the archives alone.

What happened after the founding of the People's Republic of China?

Leaving aside the newly established factions, there are less than a hundred old sects left that have been passed down through generations.

Behind those vanished names lies the rupture of an entire family and a lineage. Countless lives were lost in that era.

Thinking about it this way, Zhang Chulan's family's years of fleeing were indeed not unjust.

Xu San pushed up his glasses, looked away from Zhang Chulan, and said nothing.

Some things are better left unsaid by outsiders.

"So that's how it is."

Zhang Chulan's voice was very soft, as if squeezed out from between his teeth. He forced a bitter smile, lowered his head, and stared at the bluestone slabs beneath his feet.

"I understand. Thank you for clearing up my confusion, Sister Lu."

Just then, Tian Jinzhong, in his wheelchair, let out a long sigh.

"Chu Lan".

Zhang Chulan raised his head and looked at the Second Master, whom he had never met before.

Tian Jinzhong has an aged face and deep-set eyes, but his gaze is gentle.

He spoke slowly, his voice hoarse and calm, as if recalling a very, very distant past.

"Back then, your master and I went down the mountain together, hoping to find your grandfather."

"But we didn't find it."

He paused, a hint of regret in his voice.

"If we had brought him up the mountain back then...maybe things wouldn't have turned out this way."

As Tian Jinzhong finished speaking, he turned his head and glanced behind him.

"Xiaoyu, come here."

A young Taoist boy with freckles on his face walked out from behind, obediently pushed the wheelchair forward two steps, and came to Zhang Chulan.

Tian Jinzhong raised his left arm and nodded to the young Taoist boy.

The young Taoist boy bent down and gently rolled up the wide sleeves of Tian Jinzhong's Taoist robe.

Zhang Chulan's pupils suddenly contracted.

Beneath the sleeve lay a bare, severed arm. The wound had long since healed, the skin shrunken into a dark red, uneven, and gruesome scar.

Tian Jinzhong's voice was very calm, as if he were talking about someone else's business.

"I was ambushed while searching for your grandfather. My hands and feet were severed, and all the meridians in my body were destroyed."

Zhang Chulan froze, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down several times.

Tian Jinzhong looked up at him, a slight smile even appearing on his lips.

"But don't misunderstand. You don't need to feel that Longhu Mountain owes your grandfather anything. Your grandmaster and I have never blamed him either."

"We just want to bring him back."

He tilted his head slightly, as if looking at an era that could never be returned to.

"Unfortunately... we couldn't find it in the end."

The moment those words were spoken, Zhang Chulan's eyes reddened.

"Second Master!"

He knelt down in front of Tian Jinzhong's wheelchair with a thud, his forehead hitting the bluestone slab hard, his voice hoarse and trembling.

All the grievances, confusion, and resentment that had been weighing on his heart for over a decade surged up at this moment. He couldn't utter any coherent words; he simply knelt there, his shoulders trembling as he wept.

No one made a sound in the courtyard.

Even the young members of the Lu family gang who were peeking out from the doorway quietly withdrew their gazes.

Lu Linglong took two steps back and came to Lin Mo's side, who was leaning against a pillar.

She turned her head to the side, lowered her voice, and spoke with a hint of self-satisfaction.

"How was it? Did I do a good job?"

Lin Mo tilted his head and glanced at her, then nodded seriously.

"Not bad. Well-organized, highlights key points, above average."

Lu Linglong's eyes lit up, waiting for the second half of the praise.

Lin Mo continued, "It's just that it doesn't have the same eloquence and passion as my speeches; it lacks the persuasive power of a business presentation."

Lu Linglong's smile froze for a moment, and she muttered defiantly, "Then how about I tell it again? I can add some emotion!"

Lin Mo rolled his eyes, raised his hand, pressed her head down, and pushed her to the side.

"You've got to do this already. The person is crying right now, and if you do it again, this place won't be closing up today."

Lu Linglong pouted and didn't say anything more.

Lin Mo withdrew his hand, looked at Zhang Chulan kneeling in the courtyard and the silent old people, and slightly curled the corners of his mouth before resuming his lazy, indifferent demeanor.

However, a thought flashed through his mind.

If, at this point, someone were to casually reveal that Feng Baobao is Wu Gensheng's biological daughter...

I wonder what kind of expression that old man Lu Jin will have.

It's estimated that it could overturn this yard on the spot.

Thinking this, Lin Mo turned his head with a half-smile and his gaze fell on Feng Baobao by the courtyard gate.

Feng Baobao stood there, clutching a half-eaten bag of potato chips.

She seemed to sense something, stopped chewing, turned her head, and met Lin Mo's gaze for a moment with her clear and bright eyes.

Then she blinked.

His expression suddenly turned a little strange, as if he had been stung by something.

Feng Baobao didn't say anything, but silently turned around and walked quietly towards the courtyard gate.

This subtle change was noticed by both of them.

Xu San's hand, adjusting his glasses, froze in mid-air. Xu Si, clutching the extinguished cigarette butt, his pupils slightly contracted.

The two exchanged a glance.

Xu Si's heart skipped a beat.

The way Lin Mo looked at Feng Baobao just now wasn't a casual glance; it carried something.

It's like they're confirming something, or perhaps considering something.

Feng Baobao's reaction was also strange.

She's no ordinary person; her intuition is sharper than anyone else's.

The moment she turned to leave, she clearly sensed something that made her uncomfortable.

Xu Si recalled what Lin Mo had casually remarked in the second scene: "Your actual age is much older than you look."

At that time, he and Xu San were still trying to comfort themselves with a glimmer of hope.

It may just be speculation, without any concrete evidence.

But now?

This person knows everything about Zhang Chulan's grandfather's sworn brotherhood with Wugensheng, and is also very familiar with the origins of the Eight Extraordinary Techniques.

So, could he also know about Feng Baobao's situation?

Did you know that her situation wasn't just because she was "older"?

Did they know she was an immortal?

Xu Si pursed his lips into a thin line.

The Xu family has protected Feng Baobao for so many years.

The old man was willing to risk half his life for her. What if Lin Mo really knew this secret and then sold it as high-level intelligence to other forces…

Then everything would be over.

The entire world of supernatural beings will go mad in their pursuit of immortality.

Xu San leaned close to Xu Si's ear and spoke in a very low voice.

"Fourth brother, how much do you think he actually knows?"

Xu Si did not answer immediately. He turned his gaze away from Zhang Chulan in the courtyard and onto Lin Mo's back, who was chatting with Lu Linglong not far away.

That figure looked lazy and slouching, like an ordinary young person just drifting through life.

But Xu Si's back was covered in a thin layer of sweat.

"It's hard to say," he finally said, his voice very soft.

"But no matter how much he knows, he must find out the truth."

Xu Si rubbed the extinguished cigarette butt together and threw it on the ground.

"This matter cannot be delayed."

……