yasinovel Chapter 58 The Truth
Chapter 58 The Truth
Captain Lan was silent for a while, looking somewhat tired. He said in a low voice, "You two and the other brothers wait here for now. Come with me to escort the wounded and take care of some aftermath before heading home."
"yes!"
Liu Zhengshan and Wang Lan immediately said, and Captain Lan nodded, then turned to Chen Luo, "Thank you for your help earlier."
"It's my duty," Chen Luo said.
"It is not my duty. The responsibility of protecting the mountain lies with my Mountain Guard Division. If it weren't for you, I might not be able to stand here and speak right now."
Captain Lan said solemnly, "You killed all those wild boars along the way, didn't you? The brothers all told me. If it weren't for you tonight, the casualties of the Mountain Guard would have been much higher. I thank you on behalf of the brothers. Tomorrow I will report to the county government and award you a first-class merit."
"You're too kind." Chen Luo smiled. He didn't care much about the official title given to him by the county government; it was just a matter of sending some money.
Liu Zhengshan and Wang Lan, who were still standing nearby, looked at each other in bewilderment, not understanding what was happening.
Judging from this, Xiao Chen not only saved Captain Lan tonight, but also killed many wild boars along the way, and was thus credited with the greatest merit?
As they looked at each other, they could see the surprise in each other's eyes.
It should be noted that the highest merit of the Mountain Guard is usually recorded only by the person who has made the greatest contribution, apart from the commander who fought against the demons.
In other words, this means that Chen Luo is the person who contributed the most to this monster tide besides Commander Luo!
Did they mishear? Liu Zhengshan and Wang Lan looked at Captain Lan blankly, wanting to ask but not daring to speak.
Captain Lan didn't offer any further explanation, but simply said to Chen Luo, "Also, Commander Luo is at the front-line mountain pass, and he and Mr. Xu from the Qingyun Martial Arts School want to see you."
"Mr. Xu from Qingyun Martial Arts School..." Chen Luo paused, then asked, "Is that Pharmacist Xu?"
"Yes." Captain Lan nodded in surprise, not expecting that he knew Pharmacist Xu.
So that car from Qingyun Martial Arts School belonged to Pharmacist Xu! Chen Luo felt a sense of relief; he had been worried that the person who came was Lin Zhou's father.
He also felt that this scene was somewhat familiar. It was the same last time. He was suspicious when he saw the carriage of Qingyun Martial Arts School at Licheng Martial Arts School, only to find that it was also Pharmacist Xu.
"What brings you two gentlemen to see me?" Chen Luo asked again.
"I don't know, these are Commander Luo's exact words," Captain Lan shook his head.
"Understood."
Chen Luo nodded, wondering why Commander Luo wanted to see him and what his purpose was.
Because of the Linzhou incident.
He secretly pondered that the strength he had displayed tonight far exceeded the level of the fifth level of power. If someone with a keen eye investigated further, they would inevitably connect him with the death of Lin Zhou.
However, he does not regret it.
Instructor Li often told him that a martial artist must have a clear mind and be free from constraints. But tonight, with the monster tide approaching, he already had a lot of pent-up emotions in his heart. If he were to hesitate and not dare to fight because of fear of being exposed, or retreat in the face of battle, wouldn't that be going against his true nature? The pent-up emotions in his heart today would surely become a shackle on his martial arts path in the future.
Moreover, upon careful consideration, Chen Luo realized that Commander Luo's desire to see him couldn't possibly be because of the Linzhou matter.
Firstly, the person who came was Pharmacist Xu, not Linzhou's father.
Secondly, based solely on the strength he displayed tonight, it is not enough to solidify the suspicion; more time is needed to verify the facts, and it is impossible to summon him so quickly.
Thirdly, if Commander Luo truly intended to harm him because of this, he could have acted secretly; there was no need for such a public summons, which would have alerted him.
Moreover, if he refuses to be summoned and runs away now, it would be tantamount to confirming the suspicion, and the situation would be even more unfavorable.
After quickly understanding the key points, Chen Luo showed no resistance and followed the Lanzhou commander to Shanguan.
Wild boar carcasses littered the mountain pass, turning the snow-covered ground almost entirely crimson. Many mountain guards were being helped to the rear, some even on stretchers. In a clearing, a piece of white cloth was lifted by the wind, vaguely revealing the bloodied face of a fallen mountain guard. Chen Luo felt a pang of sadness.
"You think it's cruel?" Captain Lan looked around. "Actually, we're very lucky tonight. Only one mountain guard was killed and no civilians were injured. In previous monster tides, the number of casualties has almost never been less than ten."
"Was it because of that beast's roar?" Chen Luo asked.
"Yes." Captain Lan looked at the outline of the deep mountains under the night sky. "No one knows what caused that beast roar. Although this beast tide may have been caused by this roar, it was thanks to the roar that we were able to take precautions in advance and greatly reduce casualties."
As they spoke, the two had already passed the mountain pass. Luo Yi was waiting on a seat ahead, but he did not see Pharmacist Xu. Beside Luo Yi lay the huge crimson demon boar.
Chen Luo looked closely and found that the demonic pig was not dead, but extremely weak, with its eyelids tightly closed, its limbs trembling slightly, and it was completely unable to get up.
Captain Lan bowed and took his leave.
"Commander Luo summoned me, what important matter do you have to discuss with me?" Chen Luo stepped forward and asked.
Commander Luo looked at him. "You've been watching me fight this demon from afar not long ago. Now that you're here, don't you have anything you want to ask?"
Chen Luo was taken aback. It was a dark night, and Commander Luo was quite far away and still fighting the pig demon. But judging from his words, he had noticed Chen Luo's presence.
Even with the enhancement of his vertical pupils, it would be extremely difficult for him to achieve this.
Chen Luo was immediately surprised. What exactly did the so-called inner landscape and the so-called hibernation realm represent?
Luo Yi glanced at him but ignored his surprise and said to himself, "I've heard of you. They say you're another genius after Song Ruokui. I called you here to introduce you to this demonic pig, which is also a reward for your bravery tonight."
Chen Luo was stunned again. He never expected that Luo Yi had called him here to introduce this crimson pig demon.
Why is this considered a reward?
Before he could say anything, Luo Yi continued, "This demon is called 'Red Raven.' It hasn't taken human form yet, has low intelligence, and doesn't understand speech. The roar in the mountains didn't come from it. It originally stayed deep in the mountains, but it was probably because of that roar that it led its tribe down the mountain. We don't know the source of that roar yet. In the past, the demon beast tides in Qingshan County have never come without warning. This is the first time."
He paused, then continued, "If I remember correctly, you were the one who encountered that beast last time?"
"Yes." Chen Luo nodded.
Commander Luo continued calmly, "That Huan beast is similar to this Red Naan, both of them have low intelligence. However, the Huan beast you encountered was a juvenile and very weak. Another difference is that the Huan beast possesses an innate supernatural ability that allows it to feign death and come back to life, which is the situation where the Huan beast's corpse revived before you encountered it."
"Then why did the two Huan beasts appear in the foothills one after the other in a state of feigned death?" Chen Luo couldn't help but ask.
"The Mountain Guard is also investigating, but there have been no results. It can only be attributed to chance," Commander Luo said.
His explanation was perfunctory, showing no intention of going into detail. Chen Luo felt that he seemed only interested in introducing the demonic beasts to him, and had no intention of discussing anything unrelated to the main topic.
Sure enough, Commander Luo continued, "There are countless demons in the world, some of them are truly bizarre and monstrous. Many demons are born with supernatural powers, like the Huan beast that can be resurrected from the dead."
"Many demonic beasts, once they reach a certain level of power, also develop greater intelligence and can transform into primate forms. However, a few demonic beasts are exceptionally gifted, possessing intelligence from birth that is no less than that of humans. That's all about demons. I've finished speaking. Do you have any other questions?"
Chen Luo looked at Luo Yi, feeling that Luo Yi hadn't called him over just to explain some things about demons.
After all, even without explanation, he already knew a fair share of what these demons were like through various experiences and readings.
For example, the so-called primate form. He had read in a book that the primate form has feet on the ground and arms raised to the sky, which is the form closest to the natural world. Many demons need to cultivate to a certain level to transform into the primate form, but humans are born in this form. The book said that this is a symbol of the human race's nobility over the filthy demons.
However, since Luo Yi was giving him the opportunity to ask questions, he naturally couldn't miss it.
He already had too many questions, and now he simply stopped thinking about why Luo Yi had summoned him. He asked, "Commander Luo, I've heard that the Great Lin Dynasty has existed for over a thousand years, but its territory is filled with hundreds of thousands of deep mountains, where demons and monsters roam. Is that true?"
"It's true." Commander Luo nodded, looking at him. "How did you know?"
"I've heard others say that," Chen Luo said, not revealing Li Jiangwei's identity, but pressing further, "If that's the case, how has Da Lin been able to stand for over a thousand years?"
"I don't know," Commander Luo shook his head, but said nothing more.
His silence was clearly a way of leaving him open to conversation, and Chen Luo understood, continuing to ask, "What is it like outside the Great Lin territory?"
He had asked Li Jiangwei this question, along with the previous one, but she didn't know. He had also asked Principal Huang, but Principal Huang was vague and unwilling to explain further.
Then he remembered that Instructor Li never seemed to say much about this issue to his disciples, and he vaguely felt that this question must have violated some taboo and could not be answered easily.
Could it be that Luo Yi deliberately prompted him to ask questions at this moment to guide him to ask these questions?
Sure enough, Luo Yi's eyes flickered. "Are you sure you want to know?"
Since Chen Luo asked, he naturally wanted to know.
So Luo Yi wasn't asking him if he wanted to know, but rather if he dared to bear the consequences of knowing the truth.
"I want to," Chen Luo said firmly. He had been deceived too much, and there were too many unclear things around him. He felt like he was trapped in a fog, which was very uncomfortable. He was eager to uncover some truths.
"it is good."
A hint of approval flashed in Luo Yi's eyes at this answer.
He took the torch from the nearby torch, then drew the long knife from his waist, casually picked up a patch of snow from the ground, revealing a small snow hole.
"This hole represents the arrival of the Great Arrival."
After saying that, he casually drew a circle on the left side of the snow cave with the blade. The circle was three or four times the size of the snow cave. "This circle represents the Heavenly Dog Demon Tribe in the west of Da Lin."
"The Tengu Demon Tribe is a demon tribe. Just like the difference between a circle and a hole, they are three or four times stronger than my Great Lin in terms of both strength and territory."
Chen Luo was surprised. From what Commander Luo said, it turned out that the demons not only lived in the deep mountains, but also existed in the form of tribes. Moreover, the territory controlled by these tribes was larger than the territory of the entire country of Da Lin, and their strength was also greater. Most importantly, they were adjacent to Da Lin.
Before he could say anything, Commander Luo drew a circle of the same size on the north side of the snow cave and said calmly, "This is the Mengji Demon Tribe in northern Dalin. Similar to the Tiangou Demon Tribe, it is also a demon tribe. In terms of territory and strength, it far surpasses Dalin."
Chen Luo was taken aback, but then he saw Commander Luo draw a large circle below the snow cave. "This is the Linghu Demon Tribe, to our south."
After finishing the drawing, two large circles were drawn in succession outside the two circles in the left front. "To the northwest of the Mengji Demon Tribe and the Tiangou Demon Tribe, there are two other major demon tribes, namely the Wanze Demon Tribe and the Liangqu Demon Tribe."
The five circles he drew were all far larger than the small snow cave. With each circle he drew, Chen Luo's heart sank even deeper. He hadn't expected that the strength of the Great Lin, and the strength of the human race, would be so insignificant compared to the surrounding snow circles.
Commander Luo finally stopped when he finished drawing the fifth circle.
Chen Luo thought it was over and was about to say something when he saw Commander Luo take another step forward.
He stepped out of the circles he had drawn, and used the blade to draw a large circle as he walked. This large circle quickly connected end to end, encompassing the five small circles he had just drawn and the small snow cave.
"This largest circle represents the Zhujian Demon Court, the largest demon force I know of." Luo Yi's voice was cold. "The five major demon tribes I just drew, plus our Great Lin, are all within the territory of the Zhujian Demon Court, and can be understood as its vassals."
"..."
Chen Luo's breath hitched. He struggled to process the information, then looked at Luo Yi incredulously. "Commander Luo, are you saying that our Great Lin is actually a subordinate tribe of a demon clan?"
"That's right. In other words, you can think of our Dalin as a demon tribe under the Zhujian Demon Court." Luo Yi's voice was cold. "It's just that our demon tribe is somewhat special compared to other demon tribes."
"What's so special about it?" Chen Luo blurted out.
Luo Yi did not answer directly, but said, "With the strength of our Great Lin, we are actually not worthy of becoming a vassal of the Zhujian Demon Court."
He pointed with the blade at the circles representing the demon tribes, "You see, each of these vassal demon tribes is far superior to my Great Lin."
Chen Luo took a deep breath. "So, the special thing about Da Lin is that we're not even considered vassals of the Zhujian Demon Court?"
"more than."
Luo Yi sneered, "Back to the question you just asked me: how did Da Lin manage to establish itself as a nation for over a thousand years amidst the deep mountains and demon-infested areas? No one knows the specific reason, but there's a widely circulated theory. Would you like to hear it?"
At this point, the question isn't whether he wants to hear it or not. Chen Luo knows that what Luo Yi really wants to ask isn't whether he wants to hear it, but whether he dares to listen.
Chen Luo looked at him and said, "Commander Luo, please speak freely."
Luo Yi retorted, "Do you think my strength is considered strong in Qingshan County?"
"Strong," Chen Luo said. The Inner Realm Martial Artists were undoubtedly the strongest fighting force in Qingshan County.
Luo Yi continued, "Our Qingshan County is surrounded by mountains on three sides, and each mountain is divided into deep mountain areas and shallow mountain areas. You think I am strong and an Inner Realm Martial Artist, but if you throw me into the depths of those mountains, I won't survive more than three days."
Chen Luo was taken aback.
"That's right."
Luo Yi said, "The demons deep within the three mountains in the northwest and south of Qingshan County are far more terrifying than you think. And there are more than 100,000 such deep mountains in the entire Dalin. Not to mention all of them, if just half of the demons come down from the mountains, Dalin will be destroyed in an instant."
"How is this possible?" Chen Luo was shocked. "If that's the case, how could those demons in the deep mountains have allowed Da Lin to rule for a thousand years in the depths of the mountains?"
Luo Yi said, "It is true that the Great Lin Dynasty has been established for over a thousand years, but what you do not know is that during these thousand years, the territories of the surrounding demon tribes have either expanded or shrunk, but the territory of our Great Lin has never changed in the slightest from a thousand years ago until now."
Upon hearing this, Chen Luo vaguely sensed a possibility, and his breathing quickened. "Commander Luo means..."
"That's right. That territory is less of a territory and more of a cage, imprisoning our human race within the boundaries of the Great Lin Dynasty."
Commander Luo sneered, "The reason why our Great Lin has been able to establish a dynasty for a thousand years is not because Great Lin is so powerful, but because the demons in these deep mountains allowed Great Lin to establish a dynasty."
"The demons in the deep mountains obey the orders of the Zhujian Demon Court. In other words, it is only with the permission of the Zhujian Demon Court that our Great Lin can survive, and only with the permission of our human race can we survive."
"Why?" Chen Luo's throat was dry.
"No one knows why, but the Zhujian Demon Court allowed us to establish a dynasty for some reason, yet it will not sit idly by and watch us grow stronger. Our territory has never changed from beginning to end, as if we have been imprisoned in one place."
"Let's look at the monster tide we encountered today."
Commander Luo's voice grew increasingly cold, "As my population grows and my strength increases, hordes of demonic beasts will emerge in every county and town to control my population and weaken my power. Tell me, what does this resemble?"
What else can it be like to imprison people in one place, control the population, and manage power?
Chen Luo gritted his teeth and squeezed out two words: "Captive".
"That's right!"
Commander Luo sneered, "Our Great Lin, our human race, are less a vassal of the Zhujian Demon Court and more like domesticated poultry raised by them!"