Chapter 245: CH. 245 | Hao Family Mansion

Three days later.

A middle-aged man dressed in the distinctive uniform of the Hao Family arrived in Xiayu Village. The reason behind his visit to Lin’s Blacksmith was simple: word had spread about Hao Bao’s disappearance.

The last anyone had heard, Hao Bao had announced he intended to head to that very village to kill someone and claim a beautiful wife for himself. Exactly one day after he’d said as much, no one had heard from him since.

The man came to a stop right in front of Lin’s Blacksmith, accompanied by two others dressed in white and blue robes, the distinctive colors of the Yunlan Sect.

"Lin Yuxu!"

"Get out here and face me!"

The man shouted from outside the shop, his voice loud and booming, sending several customers scrambling out in fear.

Wei Hutong, manning the front counter that day, was startled and hurried straight back to the forging room to warn Lin Tian about their arrival.

Lin Tian paused what he was doing, letting out a short breath before rising to his feet.

Part of him genuinely wanted to avoid making the situation worse, but after what he’d done to Hao Bao a few days ago, there was no realistic way to sidestep this confrontation any longer.

Once the last of the customers had cleared out, Lin Tian stepped outside the shop alone. He looked ahead and found three cultivators standing there, all three at the Core Formation stage.

One wore the Hao Family’s crest, while the other two were clearly Yunlan Sect cultivators judging by their robes.

Lin Tian raised both hands together and bowed his head respectfully, playing the part of an ordinary mortal exactly as he always had.

"Welcome," Lin Tian greeted them. "Tell me, is there something you need from me?"

"There is. Where is Young Master Hao Bao?" the man asked, an elder of the Hao Family.

Lin Tian gave a brief smile. "I’m sorry, but I don’t know anything at all about the Hao Family’s young master."

"Don’t try lying to me, Lin Yuxu!"

"I’ve brought cultivators from the Yunlan Sect with me. They can use their abilities to look through your memories."

"If you’re hiding anything from us, both you and your wife will face severe punishment!"

He glanced at them briefly, then closed his eyes for a moment. He used the time to work through a quick memory manipulation, sealing away every trace of Hao Bao so the two cultivators wouldn’t notice a thing.

Once ready, Lin Tian stepped forward and invited them to scan his memories with their technique.

The female cultivator approached him, her hands forming a seal as she pointed the tip of her right index finger toward his forehead.

A pulse of blue qi energy flared outward, thrumming with steady, controlled power. Her eyes closed as she began scanning through the entirety of Lin Tian’s memories.

He was fortunate. Lin Tian had already sealed away several layers of his past, leaving only the memories of his life as an ordinary mortal visible to her search.

But her focus was narrow, she was specifically looking for any trace of Hao Bao within his memories. She simply didn’t have the time or the energy to comb through the whole of Lin Tian’s mind in detail.

Fifteen minutes passed before her eyes finally opened, and she turned toward Lin Tian with a narrowed, searching gaze. Then she looked back toward the Hao Family elder.

"What did you find?"

"There’s no trace of Hao Bao anywhere in his memories," the woman said.

"Wait! That can’t be right," the elder said, visibly stunned. "He must have done something. I’m certain Hao Bao came to this poor village specifically to meet with him."

"We can’t accuse him of anything without evidence. If you want him punished, you’ll need concrete proof of his involvement in Hao Bao’s disappearance."

The two Yunlan Sect cultivators clasped their hands together and took their leave without another word. The elder tried calling after them, but they paid him no mind.

Lin Tian smiled with quiet relief. For someone at the Soul Formation stage, manipulating and sealing memories wasn’t difficult in the slightest, especially against a Core Formation cultivator’s inspection.

He stepped forward, bowing his head respectfully. "I believe this matter is settled, then. If you’ll excuse me."

Just as Lin Tian turned to head back to the shop, his steps suddenly halted as he felt a fairly powerful wave of cultivation pressure bear down on him, equivalent to Core Formation.

Lin Tian only feigned surprise, since pressure of that level wouldn’t actually affect him in any meaningful way.

"You think this matter is over that easily? Of course it isn’t!"

"I won’t leave until I get a clear answer about where Young Master Hao Bao is!"

"Please, I truly don’t know anything about him."

The man stepped forward with unwavering confidence, closing the distance to Lin Tian with a face twisted in frustration.

He was furious that he hadn’t found any evidence linking Lin Tian to Hao Bao’s disappearance, but he wasn’t willing to let the matter go so easily.

"The Yunlan Sect cultivators weren’t much help," the man said. "If that’s how it’s going to be, then I’ll make sure the Head of the Hao Family decides your fate personally!"

"Y-You’re taking me to the Hao Family residence?" Lin Tian asked.

"That’s right. Consider yourself fortunate, you’ll get to meet the Head of the Hao Family in person."

"Pray that he decides to spare your life!"

With a manipulation of his own qi energy, the man boldly carried Lin Tian off, flying away from Xiayu Village.

Wei Hutong, having witnessed the confrontation, rushed to inform An Yue about what had happened to Lin Tian.

Elsewhere, they soared across the skies above Yanzhe City until they arrived in front of the Hao Family’s residential compound. The gate swung open, and Lin Tian was dragged inside alongside the elder.

"Elder Hao Yun has brought someone who may know about Hao Bao’s disappearance!"

A fresh wave of cultivation pressure crashed down, far stronger than the elder’s had been, though still nowhere near enough to intimidate Lin Tian.

He could sense with total certainty that the head of the Hao Family stood at the Nascent Soul stage.

"Bring him before me!"