The words fell.
A terrifying aura enveloped Bai Zihe.
Bai Zihe instantly felt like a lone boat in a vast ocean, tossed amidst tempestuous waves, on the verge of capsizing.
But.
Bai Zihe did not reply.
Instead, his actions provided the answer.
He stepped forward again!
"Whoosh!"
The old man moved in an instant.
Without any grand display of power, he appeared before Bai Zihe as silently as a gentle breeze entering the night.
He gently pushed his right hand forward.
Bai Zihe felt an irresistible force surge towards him.
"Bang!"
Bai Zihe instinctively countered with a palm strike.
"Pfft—"
His palm strike, with his full might, was no match. He was sent flying back, spitting blood.
However, at this moment, an unforeseen event occurred.
The mouthful of blood he spat out landed on the old man's retracted hand, staining it slightly.
"Sizzle..."
"Hiss..."
A violent corrosive sound emanated from it.
Bai Zihe's blood was actually corroding the skin of the seemingly invincible and inscrutable old man.
"This, this..."
"This is Dragon Blood, a Dragon Blood physique!"
The old man's expression changed drastically, his shock palpable.
His face flickered with a multitude of emotions.
A Dragon Blood physique, that was a physique possessed only by the family of his master!
Immediately.
He flashed before Bai Zihe, tightly gripping his arm with both hands, his eyes fixed on Bai Zihe, unmoving.
Shock, surprise, doubt, realization, excitement...
A hundred emotions intertwined, ultimately coalescing into overwhelming anticipation!
"Young friend, you, you..."
"Tell me, who is your mother, what is her name?"
Bai Zihe, seeing his earnest gaze and recalling the aura he had sensed earlier, couldn't help but say, "My mother... her name is Lin Wanzhen!"
"Master!"
"Hahaha..."
"It's the descendant of Master!"
"Hahaha... Hahaha..."
Upon hearing the name, the old man was overcome with excitement and fervor, bursting into laughter.
But as he laughed, tears welled up, tears of profound sorrow and overwhelming grief, flowing down his aged cheeks.
"Young Master, I..."
After a long while, he regained his composure and prostrated himself before Bai Zihe, bowing deeply. "This old servant, Lin Yan, I beg your forgiveness for my earlier transgressions!"
Bai Zihe quickly helped him up. "Please rise!"
"I never imagined, truly never imagined..."
Lin Yan, still immersed in joy, suddenly remembered something and asked, "Young Master, is Master still well?"
"Mother... passed away four years ago."
A flicker of sorrow crossed Bai Zihe's eyes as he replied in a low voice.
"What?"
Lin Yan swayed, nearly collapsing to the ground.
After a long pause, he absorbed the news, his aged face contorted with boundless rage. "Young Master, why did Master die?"
Bai Zihe sighed and recounted the events of his mother's murder.
Of course.
He did not conceal anything, including the hook-nosed individual.
"It was them, it must have been them!"
Upon hearing Bai Zihe's account, Lin Yan roared with rage, muttering to himself.
Them?
Bai Zihe immediately realized that Lin Yan must know something. Just as he was about to inquire, he heard Lin Yan say, "Young Master, step back."
As he spoke, all his power began to converge, his formidable aura unleashed to its fullest.
This was a power far beyond Bai Zihe's reach.
Bai Zihe did not know what he intended to do, but he complied and moved away decisively.
The next moment.
"Rumble..."
"Ding-dong..."
With a mighty effort, Lin Yan snapped the chains.
Then, without another word, he grabbed Bai Zihe's arm and led him away.
Along the way, Bai Zihe tried to ask questions, but Lin Yan interrupted him.
"Young Master, this is where Master's family stored their treasures. Obtaining these items is enough to make you a dominant force in this region!"
He said this as he strode towards a mountain wall.
Bai Zihe looked on in bewilderment.
But the next moment, he understood.
As they approached, a ripple emanated, blocking their path.
It was merely a protective formation!
"Young Master, you stand back!"
Lin Yan repeated his earlier instruction.
Bai Zihe obediently retreated a dozen paces.
"Pfft..."
To his utter surprise.
Lin Yan spewed a mouthful of blood and channeled all his power, striking the formation with a palm.
Instantly.
Lin Yan was sent flying back, collapsing onto the ground, utterly weakened.
The ripple of the formation shattered in response.
Bai Zihe rushed forward, embracing Lin Yan and offering him a handful of medicinal pills, attempting to heal him.
"No, it's useless..."
"Young Master, quickly... quickly retrieve, retrieve what belongs to you, the... treasures..."
Before he could finish speaking, Lin Yan's head lolled, and he breathed his last.