"Are you suggesting that the Dark Bird is connected to the Gourd Mountain we're heading to?" Lin Shen understood what Ye meant.
"Think about it, although Bai Shenfei comes from the Sea Corn Base, she only studied and trained there. What her family background truly is, even we don't know, let alone the Qi and Wang Families. So why do they trust Bai Shenfei so much and take such a big risk to come here? Throughout our journey, they have almost been obedient to every word Bai Shenfei says, without a single complaint about the loss of their Alloy Mutators, just because Bai Shenfei claimed she knew where Gourd Mountain was? We are even questioning why the Qi and Wang Families trust her so much—this is too abnormal," Ye said.
"What do you think?" Lin Shen didn't show any intention to guess and signaled Ye to continue.
"I've been pondering, and there might be a possibility that Bai Shenfei indeed knows where Gourd Mountain is, but she can't enter it by herself. She must need some special items or strength to get inside," Ye spoke in a voice so low that Lin Shen, who was close at hand, could barely hear him.
"Dark Bird?" Lin Shen realized what Ye was referring to.
"Correct, the Dark Bird. If she told the truth that our fourth uncle ordered her to take you into Gourd Mountain, then she would only need to take you. Even if she needed help, she could have brought members from our Lin Family. Why insist on bringing the Qi and Wang Families?"
Ye sneered and continued, "I couldn't figure it out earlier, but today when I saw Wang Tian'er use the Dark Bird, I suddenly understood something. The only common point among our three families is that we all owned Dark Birds, which were obtained near this ravine. Maybe the key to entering Gourd Mountain lies with the Dark Bird. That's why she intended to have all three families come here. To gain the trust of the Qi and Wang Families, she probably told them that the Dark Bird is the key to entering Gourd Mountain. That's why Qi Shuheng and Wang Tian'er are so obedient to her—to find Gourd Mountain. Once they find Gourd Mountain, they can completely leave us behind and enjoy everything within, as they all have a Dark Bird. They are just using each other for their own calculations."
"Since Bai Shenfei knows the location of Gourd Mountain and the Qi and Wang Families have the Dark Bird, why would they want us to come along? We neither know where Gourd Mountain is nor have a Dark Bird," Lin Shen pondered.
"Maybe they're afraid that the third and fourth elders didn't die inside Gourd Mountain and something might go wrong, so they could use you as a hostage," Ye said, looking up into Lin Shen's eyes with a complex expression, before adding, "And there might be another possibility."
"What possibility?" Lin Shen felt that since Ye was looking at him in that way, what he was about to say must be related to him.
"They might suspect that you have a Dark Bird," Ye said, his gaze intensely fixed on Lin Shen, speaking slowly and deliberately.
Lin Shen was startled, "How could I possibly have a Dark Bird? Not to mention that the Lin Family's Dark Bird pet was lost a long time ago, even if it wasn't, it should have been passed on to my second brother. If he was ineligible, then it would be my third or fourth brothers, not me."
"It's true that the Lin Family's Dark Bird was lost, but that doesn't mean the Lin Family doesn't have a Dark Bird," Ye said in a low voice.
"Your words are very strange. If it's already lost, then it's definitely gone," Lin Shen fixed his gaze on Ye, not understanding what he was trying to say.
"Mr. Lin Shen, you might not be aware of this, but the Dark Bird eggs found back then weren't three but four. The ancestors of the Qi and Wang Families each got a Dark Bird egg, while the ancestor of the Lin Family got two Dark Bird eggs," Ye spoke.
"What?" Lin Shen couldn't believe it and his eyes widened in shock, his voice involuntarily raised a notch.
Ye quickly put his hand over Lin Shen's mouth, "Keep your voice down, the walls have ears."
"How come I've never heard about our Lin Family getting two Dark Bird eggs?" Lin Shen lowered his voice again after Ye released his hand.
"I heard about it from the old master before. Once, the old master asked Cang Yun and me to drink with him. In a moment of high spirits, he somehow brought up the topic of the Dark Birds," Ye reminisced. "The old master said that the ancestral Lin had discovered the Dark Bird nest and had made the most effort in acquiring the Dark Birds. So, when it was found that there were a total of four Dark Bird eggs in the nest, the Qi and Wang Families each took one, and the Lin ancestor took two for himself."
"Then why have I never heard about our family having two Dark Birds? Don't tell me both Dark Birds went missing together?" Lin Shen asked doubtfully.
"No, only one Dark Bird went missing. The other egg, after being brought back by the Lin ancestor, was never seen again because the Lin ancestor said that it did not hatch successfully and became a dead egg."
Lin Shen was momentarily stunned. "Then our Lin ancestor really had bad luck. Out of four Dark Bird eggs, three hatched into Dark Birds, and just that one became a dead egg."
"You don't believe it either, right? The Qi and Wang Families didn't quite believe it too. They always suspected that the other Dark Bird egg from the Lin Family wasn't a dead egg but was hidden as a secret weapon. That's why, even during the Lin Family's most difficult times, the Qi and Wang Families didn't completely destroy the Lin Family. They were afraid that the Lin Family still had another Dark Bird hidden, which gave Mr. Lin Zongzheng the opportunity to rise and secure the current status of the Lin Family," Ye said.
Continuing his recollection, Ye said, "During that time, the Qi and Wang Families were constantly probing the Lin Family, wanting to find out if the Lin Family was hiding another Dark Bird. If not, the best outcome for the Lin Family was to lose all interests in the Dark Bird Base, and it might even lead to the family's ruin. However, they did not expect Mr. Lin Zongzheng to be so formidable. Before they could uncover the truth, they realized that even without the Dark Bird, it would cost them dearly to deal with Mr. Lin Zongzheng, and by then, their chance was gone."
"Later, the growth of Mr. Lin Zongzheng became so fearsome to them that, along with the rise of Mr. Lin Shen and his brothers, they were as scared as grandchildren. They probably couldn't even sleep peacefully. A Lin Family without the Dark Bird, but with those three masters, was even more frightening to them than one with a Dark Bird." Ye chuckled smugly at this point.
"If it weren't for the disappearance of Mr. Lin Zongzheng, the Dark Bird Base would probably have been dominated by the Lin name by now," Ye said, his gaze once again fixed on Lin Shen's eyes. "Lin Shen, you ought to know the best, just what kind of people those three masters are. In a place like the Dark Bird Base, there is no need for a Dark Bird. If the Lin Family really still has one..."
"Then it could only be with me, the most useless fifth brother, right?" It wasn't that Lin Shen was a fool; he naturally understood what Ye meant and sighed helplessly. "Ye, I truly haven't seen any Dark Bird. When my second and third brothers were around, I could walk around the Dark Bird Base as I pleased, always protected by Alloy Mutators. I never needed that thing. Besides, do you think with my strength, even if I had a Dark Bird, I could survive under the hands of Qi Shuheng and Wang Tian'er? I'm afraid I would have been done for by them before I could even summon the Dark Bird."
"Lin Shen, I definitely believe you. But it's no use that I believe you. The Qi and Wang Families don't believe you, Bai Shenfei doesn't believe you, and that Wei Wufu, I reckon he is here for the Dark Bird too; otherwise, why would he cling to you," Ye said coldly.
"They don't believe me, and there's nothing I can do about it. I truly don't have it," Lin Shen thought for a moment and then added, "Moreover, no matter how powerful the Dark Bird is, it's just a Crystal-based Creature. Whether it's truly that useful is still debatable."
Ye wanted to say more but was interrupted by a commotion from outside, followed by screams.
Both of them felt a chill in their hearts and quickly crawled out of the tent to see what was happening.
Wufu, who was standing guard outside the tent, had already stood up, looking up at the night sky, and the others in the camp did the same, each of them gazing upward.
Lin Shen looked up in the direction everyone else was looking, and could not help but exclaim in amazement, "Ah!"