Chapter 86

After a heated confrontation, Ru Hongming did not linger any further but left without looking back.

There was an inexplicable strangeness. In the past six months, the timid and fearful Ru Hongming had become so assertive, even a bit tyrannical.

"Actually, he would initiate a family dispute over Li Meng's matter. If this had happened six months ago, it would have been absolutely impossible."

At that time, in Gu Xuyao's eyes, Ru Hongming was just a naive and timid young man. Whenever Ru Lymeng came to see him, Ru Hongming only dared to secretly watch from outside the house. After being frightened by Gu Xuyao, he didn't even dare to approach the house.

Thinking about this, Gu Xuyao decided to investigate and find out the reason. To do so, he needed to gather information from others about what had happened in the past six months.

Since he was going to gather information, he might as well start with the resident elders.

Apart from Gu Xuyao, the other five elders had varying degrees of gratitude towards the Ru family, but it was not to the extent of life-and-death friendship. It was evident that none of them were willing to enter the White Mist Cloud Marsh for the Ru family. Most of the time, they practiced their techniques in their own chambers. If they couldn't be found in their chambers, they must have gone to the Earth Resonance Marsh to look for the White Scabies Pond.

After asking around, it turned out that only one elder was in his chamber. Seeing Gu Xuyao, he looked surprised.

However, Gu Xuyao did not get any useful information from him. Seeing that it was already night, Gu Xuyao decided to ask the night patrol disciples.

The Earth Resonance Marsh was peaceful, but there were still some young people with sinister intentions. Therefore, even on a regular day, the Ru family had six-member night patrol teams patrolling the Foggy Residence. Since Ru Dongsheng's wife was confirmed to be poisoned, the night patrol teams had increased to three.

The night patrol teams operated on a shift system, and no family member could avoid the duty. In the past six months, Gu Xuyao calculated that it had been two full cycles.

Everyone saw different things, so even if Gu Xuyao asked, it would be like searching for a needle in a haystack. But if he didn't try, he would never know if the next search would yield anything.

"Little brother." In the courtyard, it was not hard to encounter a night patrol team. However, today, he had to see which team it was. After two rounds, Gu Xuyao finally met a night patrol team composed of Ru family cultivators.

These people were extremely grateful to Gu Xuyao, and seeing the "hero" who had returned from the White Mist Cloud Marsh, they were very willing to chat with him.

"Elder Gu, you just returned from the Cloud Marsh. Shouldn't you be resting? I heard that place is a deadly place that swallows people and never spits them out. How did you manage to come out, Elder Gu?" Six people gathered around, all very enthusiastic. Gu Xuyao didn't recognize any of them, but now he could use his "fame" to gather information.

The conversation always started with casual talk and gradually turned to the information Gu Xuyao wanted to know.

"By the way, little brother, have you encountered any interesting or scary things during your night patrols? I'm currently researching the ecology of the cultivation world, and these materials are very useful."

Though Gu Xuyao wasn't as skilled as some people who specialized in this, he wasn't unfamiliar with it.

"Alas, night patrols are the most boring. Elder Gu, you know, what can happen in the Earth Resonance Marsh? There are no interesting things, but you mentioned scary things. Mazi, didn't you see something scary during your last night patrol?"

The cultivator being asked had a face full of freckles and was nicknamed Mazi. Gu Xuyao could tell he was a very shy person. While the others were chatting with him, Mazi remained silent.

"Brother Mazi, what did you see? Can you share it with us?"

Seeing that Gu Xuyao was asking him directly, Mazi's eyes darted around nervously. After a while, he calmed down.

"Actually, I promised not to tell anyone, but since we're all family, it shouldn't matter, right?"

Hearing this, the other cultivators immediately agreed, and Gu Xuyao perked up his ears, sensing that this might be important.

"That night, I remember it was shortly after you left, Elder Gu. You all know that there's a cave not far from the Foggy Residence. We used to play there as children and called it the Black Bear Cave because there was a legend of a large black bear that would hurt people inside." Mazi's voice was low, but everyone was focused on him. "I remember it was after midnight. I was patrolling with the external clan members. Seeing nothing unusual, they all went back to practice. I was about to go back too, but I couldn't sleep that night. So, I went for a walk and ended up near the Black Bear Cave."

Though it was a night patrol, many cultivators would slack off. After midnight, it was almost dawn, so many cultivators would relax and return to practice, as their time was very precious.

"The mist in the marsh was very thick that night. The closer I got to the Black Bear Cave, the stronger the smell of blood in the air. I was scared and wanted to return to the Foggy Residence, but just as I turned back, I heard loud arguments from the Black Bear Cave. I heard them mention the Ru family. After much deliberation, I decided to go and see."

Mazi seemed to be reliving the scene, and sweat appeared on his forehead.

"But I didn't dare to walk too fast. Just as I saw the outline of the Black Bear Cave, the sound of a fight came from inside. I was terrified and turned to run, but someone faster than me caught me by the neck. When he realized it was me, he let me go."

"Why did that person let you go?" the other cultivators asked.

Mazi looked at the serious Gu Xuyao and continued, "Because that person was also a Ru family cultivator, Ru Changming, Ru Hongming's older brother."

Upon hearing this, Gu Xuyao felt that the night had not been in vain. He had always known little about Ru Hongming, as their interactions were minimal and unlikely to increase in the future. After returning from the Cloud Marsh, he noticed Ru Hongming's sudden change and decided to ask. It turned out that Ru Hongming's father, Ru Sanzhen, was the most powerful cultivator among the external clan members and had high prestige. Ru Sanzhen had two sons: the elder, Ru Changming, was engaged to the daughter of the second master of the Green Smoke Manor and was an outstanding figure among the peers in the Earth Resonance Marsh. The younger, Ru Hongming, was far inferior to his brother in character, cultivation, and courage.

"What was Ru Changming doing in the Black Bear Cave so late at night?"

Hunters are not only skilled at tracking prey but also at following clues.

"I was also curious and asked him. He changed his usual arrogant attitude, released me, and told me he was practicing techniques there. He said the arguments I heard were just my hallucinations, and he came out to see who was peeking."

"But I'm not stupid. I could feel the murderous intent from him. How could he not have any ill intentions? Moreover, I'm 100% sure there were other people in the Black Bear Cave that night. The mist was thick, but there was light inside the cave, and I saw several shadows under the light!"

This statement was heavy, and even the other clan members listening were shocked. If everything Mazi said was true, then Ru Changming was definitely hiding something.

"He also told me not to tell anyone what happened that night, saying he didn't want others to know he was practicing in the Black Bear Cave at night. He was afraid others would think he was strange." Mazi continued. "I was still shaken by the scare, and his words made sense. Later, seeing that I was easy to talk to, he let me go. But after careful thought, I noticed that Ru Changming's clothes had bloodstains that night!"

The rest of the conversation was just various speculations. Gu Xuyao listened, carefully analyzing Ru Changming's situation and learning more about the Green Smoke Manor.

The Green Smoke Manor, if one were to say which family in the Earth Resonance Marsh was the strongest, the Green Smoke Manor would definitely be in the top five. Since the cultivators in the Earth Resonance Marsh preferred peace, the strength of the families was only a guess. The Green Smoke Manor was undoubtedly powerful, but to what extent was unknown.

After obtaining the information he wanted, Gu Xuyao found an excuse to leave. However, he did not return to his chamber but left the Foggy Residence and headed towards the Black Bear Cave.

The Black Bear Cave, though very close to the Foggy Residence, seemed an unlikely place for any plots. But Gu Xuyao knew that the most dangerous place was often the safest. It was this psychology that made the Black Bear Cave an unexpected location.

Most cultivators in the Earth Resonance Marsh did not have such thoughts, so it was normal that they didn't think of it. But Gu Xuyao was different.

The distance from the Foggy Residence to the Black Bear Cave was only a short walk for Gu Xuyao. The cave entrance was low and slightly sunken, and the inside was pitch black and silent.

"If my secret place was discovered, I wouldn't continue to meet there. Ru Changming isn't stupid."

Taking out a flint from his treasure gourd and infusing it with yuan energy, it began to glow. Holding the light, Gu Xuyao entered the Black Bear Cave.