Qiu Bai's expression was far more varied than his voice.
Li Zhonglou's words seemed to herald the end of the world for him, and he was in a state of extreme tension.
Qiu Bai's hands and lips were visibly trembling.
What had this fellow been through?
Li Zhonglou narrowed his eyes slightly, though this was the effect he desired. He wasn't afraid of a strong reaction; what he feared was no reaction at all.
"What you don't want others to know, I already know. You told me yourself."
Li Zhonglou smiled faintly. Qiu Bai repeatedly shook his head, "Impossible, I would never say that. I don't even know you. How could I possibly say..."
Mid-sentence, Qiu Bai seemed to finally wake up and quickly contradicted himself, "No, I don't know anything. You should leave quickly, this is my home!"
As Qiu Bai said this, he wobbled off the bed. Li Zhonglou thought, 'So you finally realize this is your home,' but he still said politely, "Little brother, don't rush. I can help you with your troubles."
Qiu Bai shook his head repeatedly, "No, I don't need help. Did you hear something wrong? I'm just an ordinary civilian!"
Li Zhonglou clearly detected a trace of resentment in the words 'ordinary civilian.' Without hesitation, he instructed Wen Yi to proceed with the final soul fusion.
Wen Yi's soul power had long reached its limit. Previously, Li Zhonglou had been contemplating how to send him off on his final journey—whether through combat or allowing him to find a place he cherished.
However, Wen Yi had no lingering attachments and simply said to do as he pleased.
Since that was the case, Li Zhonglou intended to make the most of it. In fact, after hearing Qiu Bai's story, he had already made up his mind.
In less than a second, the familiar sensation within him was restored. However, he did not immediately display his aura, but turned to look outside the room.
Su Qi and Tian You had already disappeared.
Li Zhonglou then retracted his Heavenly Eye Perspective divine ability and smiled at Qiu Bai.
"Don't be so quick to refuse me."
As soon as he finished speaking, Li Zhonglou's figure vanished. By the time Qiu Bai reacted, he was already in a corner of the room.
"You, are you human or ghost!"
Qiu Bai pointed at Li Zhonglou with terror, backing himself into the corner of the wall.
Li Zhonglou's figure disappeared again, this time reappearing at the doorway, three meters away.
"This is just a cultivation technique. I am a real person."
Li Zhonglou stepped in, raised his hand, and put on a completely harmless expression.
Seeing the kind smile, Qiu Bai's nerves gradually relaxed, as Li Zhonglou had not shown any hostility towards him from beginning to end.
Observing Qiu Bai's change in expression, Li Zhonglou knew the time was right and spoke again, "Did you encounter someone like this before?"
A flicker of fear flashed in Qiu Bai's eyes, but he shook his head.
"Was it this kind of aura?"
A peculiar energy suddenly filled the entire room, and Qiu Bai's expression changed drastically.
"You!"
"Don't be afraid, I'm not one of them."
Li Zhonglou comforted him with a faint smile. Qiu Bai's eyes finally showed a change, a deep conflict.
As Li Zhonglou had suspected from the start, Qiu Bai's reaction was a normal person's instinctive defense mechanism. When encountering something beyond their comprehension, the mind instinctively rejects it, leading to such resistance.
He had experienced this himself long ago, so he understood.
As for the reason for this, it was naturally inseparable from Du Tian!
Su Qi and the other were unaware of the power of curses, so they knew nothing about Du Tian. But Li Zhonglou was different; he and Du Tian were of the same kind!
This kind of outward projection of curse power was something very few in this world could do. No, even Ma San could only achieve it after a soul fusion.
This meant that Qiu Bai's reaction also confirmed something for Li Zhonglou: this Du Tian truly possessed the ability to temporarily unseal, just like him!
However, there was no rush for this matter. Du Tian was right there and wouldn't escape. In comparison, Li Zhonglou was more interested in Su Qi and the other two at the moment.
Seeing Qiu Bai's change, Li Zhonglou seized the opportunity and educated him on the origin of this aura.
A moment later, Qiu Bai finally relented.
"You mean, he's also a normal person? Just that he learned some things we can't learn?"
Li Zhonglou nodded, "Of course. This world still operates on science."
Qiu Bai's fists clenched tightly, and his cloudy eyes erupted with intense hatred.
"Are the things you said earlier also true?"
Li Zhonglou smiled, "If they weren't true, I wouldn't have explained them to you. However."
"I need to know what exactly you saw. Du Tian is also my target."
Qiu Bai suddenly rushed down from the bed and grabbed Li Zhonglou's shoulder.
"Help me, please help me! Help me kill him, I'll say anything you want! Even if I die!"
Li Zhonglou was stunned because Qiu Bai's eyes were not only filled with tears but also a suicidal determination, as if he was prepared to die.
"Why do you want to die?"
This question was certainly not out of fear of Du Tian retaliating later. If a normal person were afraid of that, they wouldn't react like this!
Indeed, Qiu Bai gave a bitter smile and said, "He said he had placed a curse on me. If I leaked anything, not only I, but also those around me, would die instantly."
Li Zhonglou was taken aback and shook his head, "You've been tricked. There's no such curse in this world. If anything, it's only targeted at individuals. If he were truly that miraculous, would he be staying in such a desolate place?"
Qiu Bai was suddenly overjoyed, "Are you telling the truth?"
Li Zhonglou nodded seriously, but also asked with a bit of curiosity, "Aren't you alone? Why are you afraid of implicating those around you?"
Qiu Bai shook his head. "I have an uncle who also lives in town. However, after this incident, I haven't dared to contact him, fearing I would implicate them both."
Them both? And also surnamed Qiu? Li Zhonglou was stunned, "The uncle you're referring to, isn't it Uncle Qiu Wan?"
"Huh? You know my uncle?"
Li Zhonglou was speechless, feeling that this world was truly small; how could they be connected in such a way.
However, this also increased his favorability towards Qiu Bai.
"That's not important. You should tell me about yourself first. What exactly did you see?"
It was only then that Qiu Bai revealed a secret from three years ago for the first time.
As investigated by him and Su Qi earlier, his mother had been working at Du Tian's residence before she passed away. Although the location was a bit remote, the wages were several times that of the town.