The Fourth Blackbird

"Are you saying that the Blackbird is related to Gourd Mountain, where we're heading?" Lin Shen understood what Lao Ye meant.

"Think about it carefully. Although Bai Shenfei is from Seahorn Base, she only studied and trained there. Even we don't know her family background, let alone the Qi Family and Wang Family. So why do they trust Bai Shenfei so much and are willing to take such a big risk to come here? Along the way, they've almost completely obeyed Bai Shenfei, not even complaining to her when their Alloy Gene Mutators were killed or injured. Is it just because Bai Shenfei said she knows where Gourd Mountain is? Even we are suspicious of why the Qi and Wang families trust her so much. It's too abnormal," Lao Ye said.

"What do you think?" Lin Shen didn't intend to guess and motioned for Lao Ye to continue.

"After thinking about it, there might be one possibility: that Bai Shenfei does know where Gourd Mountain is, but she can't get in by herself. She needs to rely on some special things or power to enter," Lao Ye's voice was extremely low, and Lin Shen, who was close by, could barely hear him.

"Blackbird?" Lin Shen heard what Lao Ye was saying.

"Exactly, the Blackbird. If, as she said, Fourth Master asked her to take you into Gourd Mountain, then she only needs to take you. Even if she needs help, she could bring people from our Lin Family. Why insist on bringing the Qi Family and Wang Family?"

Lao Ye snorted coldly as he spoke. "Before, I couldn't figure it out. Today, seeing Wang Tianer use the Blackbird, I suddenly understood some things. The only common point among the three families is that they all possess Blackbirds, and the Blackbirds were obtained near this canyon. Perhaps the key to entering Gourd Mountain lies in the Blackbird, which is why she insisted on having all three families come here. To gain the trust of the Qi and Wang families, she probably told them that the Blackbird is the key to entering Gourd Mountain. That's why Qi Shuheng and Wang Tianer are so obedient to her, all for the sake of finding Gourd Mountain. As long as they find Gourd Mountain, with their Blackbirds, they can completely ditch us and enjoy everything inside Gourd Mountain by themselves. They are just using and calculating against each other."

"Since Bai Shenfei knows the location of Gourd Mountain and the Qi and Wang families have Blackbirds, why do they want us to come? We don't know where Gourd Mountain is, and we don't have a Blackbird," Lin Shen mused.

"Perhaps they are afraid that Third Master and Fourth Master didn't die inside Gourd Mountain, and if something happens, they can use you as a hostage." At this point, Lao Ye looked up and stared into Lin Shen's eyes, his expression complex, and continued, "Perhaps there is another possibility."

"What possibility?" Lin Shen felt that with Lao Ye looking at him like this, what he was about to say would likely be related to him.

"Perhaps they suspect that you have a Blackbird." Lao Ye stared intently at Lin Shen, speaking slowly, word by word.

Lin Shen was stunned. "How could I possibly have a Blackbird? Not to mention that the Lin Family's Blackbird pet was lost a long time ago, even if it wasn't lost, it should have been inherited by Second Brother. If Second Brother couldn't, there's Third Brother and Fourth Brother. It would never be my turn."

"The Lin Family's Blackbird was indeed lost, but that doesn't mean the Lin Family doesn't have a Blackbird," Lao Ye said in a low voice.

"What you're saying is too strange. Since it's lost, it's definitely gone." Lin Shen stared at Lao Ye, not knowing what he was trying to say.

"Little Fifth Master, you might not know this, but actually, there weren't three Blackbird Eggs found back then, but four. The ancestors of the Qi and Wang families each got one Blackbird Egg, while the ancestor of the Lin Family got two Blackbird Eggs."

"What?" Lin Shen's eyes widened in disbelief, and his voice involuntarily rose.

Lao Ye quickly reached out and covered Lin Shen's mouth. "Lower your voice, be careful of eavesdroppers."

"Why have I never heard that our Lin Family got two Blackbird Eggs?" After Lao Ye released his hand, Lin Shen lowered his voice again and said.

"I also heard about this from the old master before. One time, the old master called Cang Yun and me to drink together. When we were happy from drinking, somehow we started talking about the Blackbird," Lao Ye recalled. "The old master said that the Blackbird nest at that time was discovered by the Lin Family ancestor, and he also contributed the most in the process of obtaining the Blackbird. So when they saw there were a total of four Blackbird Eggs in the nest, the Qi and Wang families each took one, and the Lin Family ancestor took two."

"Then why have I never heard that our family had two Blackbirds? Could it be that both Blackbirds were lost together?" Lin Shen asked doubtfully.

"No, only one Blackbird was lost. The other Blackbird Egg, after being brought back by the Lin Family ancestor, was never seen again, because the Lin Family ancestor said that the other Blackbird Egg didn't hatch successfully and became a Dead Egg."

Lin Shen was slightly taken aback. "Then our Lin Family ancestor's luck was really bad. Four Blackbird Eggs hatched into three Blackbirds, and only that one became a Dead Egg."

"You don't believe it either, right? The Qi and Wang families actually don't quite believe it either. They have always suspected that the Lin Family's other Blackbird Egg wasn't a Dead Egg, but was hidden as a trump card. So even during the most declined period of the Lin Family, the Qi and Wang families didn't go for the kill against the Lin Family, just in case the Lin Family was still hiding another Blackbird. This gave Second Master the opportunity to rise and allowed the Lin Family to maintain its current status."

Lao Ye continued to recall, "During that time, the Qi and Wang families were constantly probing the Lin Family, wanting to know if the Lin Family was really hiding another Blackbird. If not, the best outcome for the Lin Family would be to lose all their interests in Blackbird Base, and possibly even face ruin. However, they didn't expect Second Master to be so powerful. Before they could even probe for a result, they found that even without the Blackbird, dealing with Second Master would require a huge price, and there was no longer an opportunity."

"Later, Second Master's growth made them feel fear, and coupled with the gradual growth and rise of Third Master and Fourth Master, the Qi and Wang families were as scared as grandsons at that time. They probably couldn't even sleep soundly. The Lin Family without a Blackbird, with those three masters, made them even more fearful than having a Blackbird." Lao Ye also felt a bit proud at this point and chuckled twice.

"If Second Master hadn't disappeared without a trace, Blackbird Base would have probably only had the name Lin left long ago." Lao Ye said, his gaze once again fixed on Lin Shen's eyes. "Fifth Brother, you should know best what kind of people those three masters are. In a place like Blackbird Base, there's no need to use a Blackbird at all. If the Lin Family really still possesses a Blackbird..."

"Then it can only be on me, the most useless Fifth Master, right?" Lin Shen wasn't stupid, so he naturally understood what Lao Ye meant and sighed helplessly. "Lao Ye, I really haven't seen any Blackbird. When Second Brother and Third Brother were around, I could walk sideways in Blackbird Base, and I always had Alloy Gene Mutators protecting me. I didn't need that thing at all. Besides, do you think with my strength, even if I had a Blackbird, I could survive under Qi Shuheng and Wang Tianer? I'm afraid I'd be taken down by them before I could even summon the Blackbird."

"Fifth Brother, I definitely believe you. But my belief in you is useless. The Qi and Wang families don't believe you, Bai Shenfei doesn't believe you, and that Wei Wufu, I think he's probably also here for the Blackbird, otherwise why would he stick around you?" Lao Ye said coldly.

"There's nothing I can do if they don't believe me. I really don't have one." Lin Shen thought for a moment and added, "And no matter how powerful the Blackbird is, it's just a crystal-based creature. It's hard to say if it's really that useful."

Lao Ye was about to say something else, but he heard a noisy sound and screams from outside.

Their hearts tightened, and they quickly crawled out of the tent to see what was happening.

Wei Wufu, who was guarding outside the tent, had already stood up and was looking up at the night sky. Everyone else in the camp was doing the same, looking up at the sky.

Lin Shen looked up in the direction they were looking, and upon seeing it, he couldn't help but let out a cry of surprise. "Ah!"