Chapter 190: Truth Revealed?

The moment Zhuo Qingfeng's voice fell, the hall erupted in an uproar.

“Didn't the zombie case already get solved?”

“Exactly, wasn't that announced by your Six Doors? Why are you still investigating it now? What does it have to do with Sect Leader Lin?”

“Lord Zhuo, Ke Wenhui has already been executed. Today, Grandmaster Gu is also present. That villain Ke Wenhui was killed by Grandmaster Gu himself. Previously, your Six Doors were able to solve the vampirism case thanks to Sect Leader Lin's help. Why are you investigating again now? And why are you implicating Sect Leader Lin? What sense does that make?”

Immediately, numerous martial arts veterans began to question him.

Zhuo Qingfeng declared loudly, “Indeed, Ke Wenhui was found and killed in Camel Bell Town. But how can you be so sure that Ke Wenhui was the true mastermind?”

As Zhuo Qingfeng spoke, he scanned the crowd, then looked at Lin Duanyun and asked in a grave voice, “He Changqing’s son is not Ke Wenhui. Ke Wenhui was merely a scapegoat put forth by others, a puppet controlled mentally, just like Yin Jiuniang and the Crying Daoist. He Changqing’s true son is you, Lin Duanyun!”

Lin Duanyun chuckled faintly and said, “Lord Zhuo, do you have any evidence? Also, that day in Camel Bell Town, Ke Wenhui was killed by Grandmaster Gu. Who is Grandmaster Gu? He is the Grandmaster of Yunzhou, one of the Ten Grandmasters of the Qian Kingdom, and the foremost bounty hunter in the land. If Ke Wenhui were a mentally controlled puppet, could he have deceived Grandmaster Gu?”

“Lord Zhuo, I now have reason to suspect you are too eager for merit and trying to frame me. Are you arresting me to the Six Doors to coerce a confession through torture? If you operate this way, all of us martial artists in the Northern Desert will become pawns for your achievements, to be arrested or killed at your whim?”

“Exactly, Lord Zhuo, you’ve taken this joke too far!”

“Ke Wenhui was executed before many of us fellow martial artists in the Northern Desert. He was exposed in plain sight, and Grandmaster Gu personally acted. Now you claim Ke Wenhui was a puppet and Sect Leader Lin is the mastermind? Without any proof, how can anyone believe that?”

Immediately, the hall became noisy, with everyone questioning Zhuo Qingfeng.

Evidently, in the Northern Desert martial arts community, all factions were highly wary of the Six Doors. Even a minor incident could easily spark conflict between the Six Doors and the martial world. This was due to their inherent antagonism: the Six Doors sought to suppress the Northern Desert martial arts, while the Northern Desert martial artists aimed to prevent the Six Doors from operating effectively in their region.

As a leading figure in the Northern Desert martial arts world and the sect leader of Qiongshan, the largest faction, Lin Duanyun being targeted by the Six Doors made all the already wary martial arts factions even more tense. They feared this was the beginning of the Six Doors' violent suppression of the Northern Desert martial arts, with Qiongshan Sect being the first to be targeted.

Amidst the clamor, someone suddenly shouted, “Grandmaster Gu, please tell us, that day in Camel Bell Town, did you find any signs of Ke Wenhui being controlled?”

At these words, the hall instantly fell silent. Everyone simultaneously turned to look at Gu Mo.

At this moment, Gu Mo and Gu Chuwinter were enjoying their meal. The siblings had long anticipated this scene, so they had no interest in the current dispute. They preferred to eat their fill, ensuring they would have the strength to fight if He Changqing appeared later.

However, with everyone looking at him, Gu Mo couldn't remain indifferent. He took a sip of wine and slowly said, “Brother Zhuo, there’s no need for all this back-and-forth. If you have evidence, present it. If not, don’t waste everyone’s time. Everyone here is a respected martial arts veteran, a prominent figure in the jianghu. They won’t believe you just because of a few words. Your prestige in the Northern Desert hasn’t reached that level yet.”

“Exactly, Grandmaster Gu is right. If you have evidence, show it. If not, leave!”

Zhuo Qingfeng nodded and said, “Brother Gu is right. Few in the Northern Desert jianghu would trust words spoken under my name. So, I will ask someone whom the Northern Desert martial arts community trusts to speak!”

Amidst everyone’s confusion, from the crowd gathered at the hall entrance to watch the spectacle, a figure wearing a bamboo hat that obscured their face slowly emerged. As he entered the hall and slowly removed his hat, the expressions of those inside varied instantly, while outside the hall, an uproar broke out.

“Master Jingkong!”

“How can it be Master Jingkong? Could what Zhuo Qingfeng said be true? Otherwise, why would Master Jingkong come forward to testify for Zhuo Qingfeng?”

Master Jingkong put down his hat, pressed his palms together in a respectful gesture, and calmly said, “Amitabha, this humble monk Jingkong greets all fellow martial artists.”

As Master Jingkong performed his bow, the martial arts veterans in the hall hurriedly returned the greeting, each calling him “Master” with great respect.

Only Lin Duanyun, usually the most diplomatic and impeccable in etiquette, remained unmoved. Instead, he slowly retreated a few steps and sat down on a chair.

“Master, what exactly is going on?”

“Yes, Master, why would you be with the Six Doors?”

Amidst everyone’s questions, Master Jingkong slowly began, “What Lord Zhuo just said is entirely true. He Changqing’s son is not Ke Wenhui, but Lin Duanyun. This matter was known only to this humble monk and old Sect Leader Bai Qiliao.”

At these words, the hall erupted in an uproar. Everyone looked at Lin Duanyun in disbelief.

However, Lin Duanyun remained calmly seated in his chair, slowly took a sip of tea, and said, “Master Jingkong, please continue.”

Master Jingkong bowed slightly and continued, “Years ago, He Changqing cultivated the Zombie Art, harming the martial arts world, and was besieged by our Northern Desert martial artists. However, what was not known was that He Changqing had an illegitimate son, whom he entrusted to old Sect Leader Bai Qiliao during a crisis before he began cultivating the Zombie Art.

Later, although He Changqing was killed for endangering the martial arts world, old Sect Leader Bai still honored the past trust. He brought the illegitimate son to Qiongshan Sect for training, valuing him greatly. Not only did he teach him all his profound arts, he even betrothed his daughter to him, and eventually passed on the position of sect leader to him. Little did he know, he was inviting a wolf into the fold.

This person is precisely Lin Duanyun. In fact, verifying the truth is quite simple. Whether it was He Changqing in the past or Ke Wenhui more recently, the reason they could ensure the loyalty of their subordinates was because those with higher levels of Zombie Art cultivation possessed special means to control lower-level practitioners of the art.

Another major characteristic of the Zombie Art is that, once initiated, it slowly refines the Eight Extraordinary Meridians, shifting cultivation entirely to the physical body. Therefore, to verify if Lin Duanyun is the mastermind, it’s very simple: just check if his Eight Extraordinary Meridians are still intact.”

Immediately, everyone once again looked in unison at Lin Duanyun.

Lin Duanyun, still calm and composed, sat in his chair, drinking tea with a smile on his face, as if none of it concerned him.

The burly, bearded man who had first defended Lin Duanyun said anxiously, “Sect Leader Lin, say something! If you’ve been wronged, I, Old Niu, will risk my life to get justice for you!”

Lin Duanyun chuckled softly, shook his head slightly, and said, “My apologies, Brother Niu.” He slowly stood up and continued, “Master Jingkong has never harmed anyone in his life, and naturally, he wouldn’t frame me in his old age. You are right, my father – He Changqing!”

Lin Duanyun admitted it just like that, causing an instant uproar in the hall. Many who had firmly believed in him were now utterly incredulous.

“Amitabha,” Master Jingkong uttered a Buddhist chant and said, “Benefactor Lin, why persist in repeating mistakes? Your father cultivated the Zombie Art back then, endangering the jianghu and committing a grave error. Your master, old Sect Leader Bai, overlooked past grievances and treated you as his own son. Why must you cling to a despicable person who committed such a great wrong?”

Lin Duanyun looked at Master Jingkong and said, “Master, in the entire Northern Desert jianghu, only you, venerable sir, have the right to say my father was wrong. Because you truly have been compassionate your entire life, never harming anyone, and always striving to save others. Although you are my enemy and I intend to kill you, I deeply admire you.”

After speaking, Lin Duanyun cupped his hands towards Master Jingkong and continued, “However, in the entire Northern Desert jianghu, besides you, who else has the right to say my father was wrong? Who else has the right to kill my father under the banner of upholding justice?

I ask, among those present, who does not have blood on their hands? Who dares to say they have no innocent blood on their hands?”

Lin Duanyun said in a deep voice, “Besides Master Jingkong, among everyone here, who dares to claim that everything they have done in their lives is without guilt, and that every person they killed deserved to die? Who dares to say? Who?”

A silence fell over the hall.

Lin Duanyun then said to Master Jingkong, “Master, my father’s death back then was not a matter of right or wrong, but of the victor and the vanquished. Today, my exposure is also about the victor and the vanquished. I have nothing more to say. I merely did my duty as a son. I am just an ordinary person seeking to avenge his father and fulfill his father’s dying wish. Today I lost; it is because my capabilities were insufficient, and I could not conceal the past. I accept my defeat wholeheartedly!”

Zhuo Qingfeng asked, “In that case, Sect Leader Lin, will you willingly submit to arrest and accept punishment, or will you resist to the bitter end?”

“Hahahahahahaha…”

Lin Duanyun suddenly burst into laughter, saying, “With so many experts gathered today, and a Grandmaster like Gu here, there’s little point in resisting to the bitter end. So, I’ll just take you all down with me!”

The moment Lin Duanyun’s words fell, the hall suddenly shook, and an explosion echoed from below.

However, there was only one blast before it ceased. Lin Duanyun’s expression instantly changed slightly.

Then, a head was thrown into the hall from outside—it was his private mansion's butler. Yu Shijiu, covered in dust, walked in and cupped his hands towards Zhuo Qingfeng, saying, “We almost didn’t make it!”