Chapter 193: The Whole Life Is Fake

Zhuo Qingfeng’s sudden sword strike caught everyone by surprise, leaving them all aghast. No one had anticipated him suddenly attacking Bai Qiliao.

However, Master Jingkong was standing directly in front of Bai Qiliao. He quickly retreated, shielding Bai Qiliao with his back to evade Zhuo Qingfeng’s sword.

But the moment he stepped back, he suddenly felt a surge of intense heat from behind. Gu Chudong had also made her move, swinging her Gouchen Demonic Blade directly at Bai Qiliao. This sudden strike was no less surprising than Zhuo Qingfeng’s, but what truly mattered was their perfectly synchronized, pincer-like attack. Master Jingkong had no time left to dodge with Bai Qiliao and could only watch, helplessly anxious.

However, what happened next astonished everyone even more: Bai Qiliao, seemingly on his last breath, suddenly broke free from Master Jingkong’s back the instant Gu Chudong’s blade was about to fall. He transformed into a streak of light, darting away and narrowly avoiding the attack. Gu Chudong’s blade nearly struck Master Jingkong’s back, but she managed to stop it within half an inch.

For a moment, everyone in the cave stood frozen, utterly bewildered. While Zhuo Qingfeng and Gu Chudong’s sudden attack had caught everyone off guard, Bai Qiliao’s abrupt "full recovery" left them even more stunned. For a moment, no one knew how to react, their eyes darting back and forth between Gu Chudong, Zhuo Qingfeng, and Bai Qiliao.

Bai Qiliao now stood in a corner of the cave, displaying no trace of his previous weakness. His spirit and demeanor were completely transformed as he looked at Zhuo Qingfeng with confusion and asked, "I don't understand. Where did I expose myself? I was confident I made no mistakes."

Zhuo Qingfeng didn't reply. Instead, he turned to Gu Mo and asked, "Brother Gu, I'm equally puzzled. How did you detect the problem?"

All eyes turned to Gu Mo.

Gu Mo calmly replied, "Intuition."

Bai Qiliao paused for a moment, then chuckled. "What remarkable intuition! Truly worthy of the Great Hero of Yunzhou, the world's youngest internal energy grandmaster. I'd heard that deep internal cultivation could grant a connection with heaven and earth, allowing one to perceive the workings of destiny. I never believed it before, but now I do."

Gu Mo was speechless.

It was true that internal energy, when cultivated to a certain level, could indeed grant a connection to the celestial realm, and he often experienced such intuitions himself. For example, when he gifted the Nineteenth Fish Sword at Hanjia Ferry. While his admiration for Yu Shijiu was part of it, an inexplicable feeling that the sword belonged in Yu Shijiu's hands also played a role. As expected, that sword proved instrumental in Yu Shijiu's hands, ultimately saving Master Jingkong. Similarly, in Qingzhou City, Master Dingchan had insisted on entrusting the ancient Buddhist relic to Gu Mo. Gu Mo later speculated that a significant reason for this was Master Dingchan's own celestial perception, which indicated the bead was destined to be in his possession.

However, this time was different. His ability to detect Bai Qiliao's deception this time was primarily due to the system. The five-star mission from the system, "Hunt Down the 'Zombie'," was not an invalid one, which implied the zombie was still alive. Previously, he had fallen into a mental trap, subconsciously believing the zombie to be He Changqing.

It wasn't until just now, when Lin Duanyun mentioned he had guided Ke WenShui to believe a fabricated background, that Gu Mo suddenly realized that the system's target had always been "the Zombie," not specifically He Changqing. This meant the zombie didn't have to be He Changqing; even if everyone believed it was him back then, the true zombie might have been someone else entirely. Subsequently, upon hearing Master Jingkong's solemn declaration that He Changqing was dead, Gu Mo became almost certain that, like Ke WenShui, He Changqing had likely died as a stand-in for someone else, and the true zombie was still at large. If this speculation was correct, it implied that Lin Duanyun was also a decoy. The most likely person to subtly manipulate Lin Duanyun into becoming such a figure would be Bai Qiliao.

Immediately, Gu Mo decided to test Bai Qiliao. He sent a telepathic message to Zhuo Qingfeng and Gu Chudong, instructing them to strike. Their positions were ideal for a sudden attack, leaving Bai Qiliao no time to react.

"Great Hero Gu, weren't you afraid your intuition might be wrong?" Bai Qiliao inquired.

Gu Mo shook his head slightly. "My sister's blade technique is excellent; she can control it precisely. The truth is, Old Sect Leader Bai, you simply wouldn't dare to gamble."

Bai Qiliao replied, "I'd dare to gamble against Sir Zhuo's sword, but Lady Gu's blade? I truly wouldn't. That blade could genuinely kill me. Alas, it's a shame. My meticulously planned scheme was unraveled by nothing but intuition!"

At this point, the bound Lin Duanyun stared blankly, exclaiming, "What on earth are you talking about? Bai Qiliao, what... what's happening to you?"

It wasn't just Lin Duanyun who was confused; everyone present, including Yang Tingyun and Master Jingkong, shared the same bewildered expression.

Zhuo Qingfeng spoke gravely, "Sect Leader Lin, I must reveal a tragic truth: everything you've done has been under Bai Qiliao's control. Indeed, just as you manipulated Ke WenShui, all your actions were guided by Bai Qiliao, for the very same purpose. You guided Ke WenShui to perfectly conceal your cultivation of the Zombie Art, and Bai Qiliao did precisely the same with you."

"Impossible!" Lin Duanyun roared. "How could he have cultivated the Zombie Art? Once someone cultivates it, their Eight Extraordinary Meridians vanish, and even attaining the Golden Body perfection can't restore them. Bai Qiliao has been imprisoned here by me for so long; he has his Eight Extraordinary Meridians, he has blood. How could he possibly have cultivated the Zombie Art?"

"It's quite simple," Zhuo Qingfeng said. "The Zombie Art you practice was actually passed to you by Bai Qiliao. From beginning to end, He Changqing never taught you any techniques; everything was orchestrated by Bai Qiliao. That's why your Zombie Art is incomplete, and why you're unaware that a perfected Zombie Art can restore a normal body." He then turned to Bai Qiliao. "Old Sect Leader Bai, am I correct in my assumption?"

"Yes, and no," Bai Qiliao slowly stated, "He Changqing was indeed a phenomenal genius. He once explored the Blazing Ruin, which manifests only once every forty years, and there he acquired a martial arts manual that seemed impossible to cultivate. That manual was created by another individual of extraordinary talent, who, regrettably, remained nameless. It was an unconventional martial art that discarded the Eight Extraordinary Meridians. Strangely, however, the technique itself was uncultivable.

"He Changqing, being a genius, couldn't cultivate that art directly, but he leveraged its core philosophy. He adapted the Flower School's traditional Ice Soul Art, transforming it into the Zombie Art based on those principles. This is the version of Zombie Art that Lin Duanyun practices.

"However, I am not inferior to He Changqing. I further refined the Zombie Art based on his foundation. My version, upon mastery, can reconstruct the Eight Extraordinary Meridians and allow the cultivation of fire-attributed internal energy, thereby re-circulating the frozen blood. This achieves a state of yin-yang balance, eliminating the need to consume blood to counteract the cold poison."

Lin Duanyun looked at Bai Qiliao and scoffed, "You have nothing to be proud of. If my father hadn't died, he would have accomplished anything you did, and far better. You compare yourself to him? That's a joke! When he was alive, what were you, Bai Qiliao? Do you even have the right to claim you're not inferior to my father?"

Bai Qiliao looked at Lin Duanyun, a soft chuckle escaping him. "Ah, I hadn't intended to crush your spirit, but since you're on the verge of death, I suppose I should let you know the truth. Lin Duanyun, you are not He Changqing's son. The lineage you take such pride in is entirely false!"

Lin Duanyun's eyes widened in disbelief, and he roared, "What utter nonsense are you spouting?"

Bai Qiliao shook his head slightly. "I'm not talking nonsense. You pity Ke WenShui, believing he lives a pathetic life based on a lie. In truth, he is not pathetic; the truly pitiable one is you. Ke WenShui truly is He Changqing's son. Everything he did, though manipulated, at least had meaning; he was genuinely avenging his father. You, however, are the real wretch!"

"You lie!" Lin Duanyun's eyes were bloodshot, and he seemed on the verge of exploding. He roared, "Don't you dare try to deceive me! I fabricated Ke WenShui's background based on my own. Don't I know whether it's true or false?"

Bai Qiliao smiled and shook his head. "You once said something quite insightful: the best decoy is one whose actions are all made by their own free will. The same logic applies to lies: the most unassailable lie is one that is fundamentally true. Consider this: you haven't been with Ke WenShui for an extended period. What makes you believe the background you fabricated for him was flawless? Ke WenShui isn't foolish; how could he have noticed absolutely nothing from start to finish? The reason he never doubted the background he 'discovered' is because it was real. No matter how he verified it, the results would always confirm it. He truly is He Changqing's son, and his childhood experiences were also authentic; you simply made him recall them."

Lin Duanyun staggered, nearly collapsing, his breathing becoming ragged. He stammered, "Then... what about me? Why do I have these memories? Why have I never doubted them?"

Bai Qiliao explained, "My original plan was to bring Ke WenShui to Qiongshan Sect, but his talent was too mediocre to execute my scheme. You were my meticulously chosen alternative. A child's memory is inherently poor, and their mind and will are very fragile. I used mental secret arts to control and guide you day after day, gradually altering your memories. Then I disrupted Ke WenShui's memories, causing him to forget and sealing them away. Otherwise, do you truly believe a five or six-year-old child could hide their desire for revenge from me? Could you have fooled so many people in Qiongshan Sect? I was constantly providing cover for you, nurturing and guiding you both deliberately and subtly. Even your decision to find Ke WenShui and manipulate him into becoming your decoy was all part of my plan for you. Lin Duanyun, you are the truly pathetic one. You have never had a life of your own."