Xiaoxiao.

Chapter 150 The Painful Truth

Noguchi Pass is very large, its vastness far exceeding Zhu Lu's imagination.

It should be noted that the core area of ​​the entire wilderness is nominally controlled by the three major powers.

This region is so vast that even the all-powerful Zhu Xian would find it difficult to accurately describe its boundaries.

Therefore, this is sufficient to illustrate its vastness...

But Noguchi Ridge is very small! The Zhuguo people have lived in an area of ​​thousands of miles around the Zhuguo Garden for generations.

As for the fruit spirits that have already awakened their intelligence, they are mostly distributed within an area of ​​about a hundred miles around the main hall.

Because they need Zhu Xian and the seven elders to guide their cultivation, and also to assist them in managing the vast Noguchi Ridge.

Zhu Lu knew this area so well that he could navigate it with ease, even with his eyes closed, without ever getting lost.

Back in the day, I had at least a hundred childhood friends!

In such a small space, as long as everyone is not in seclusion, they are bound to run into each other no matter what.

However, time flies by, and more than a hundred years have passed. Not to mention one or two former companions, I haven't even seen their shadows once.

It's truly unbelievable that over a hundred fruit spirits could simultaneously go into seclusion for cultivation!

In the Zhuguo Garden and its surrounding area, which Zhu Shou was familiar with, there was simply no space large enough to accommodate so many people in seclusion at the same time.

You should know that going into seclusion is not simply about taking a nap; it's about cultivating oneself.

Even the distance between practitioners is strictly regulated and required!

To avoid being affected, each person should maintain a distance of at least ten meters.

How big would it take to put a hundred people in seclusion at the same time? It's terrifying to even think about.

Even if you searched the entire Zhuguo Garden, you couldn't find a single place that met the requirements.

The largest building in Noguchi Pass is the Zhuguo Hall, where Zhu Xian lived.

However, even this magnificent palace could not provide enough space to accommodate the hundred fruit spirits who were simultaneously in seclusion for cultivation.

As for places like caves, that's even more impossible!

Regardless of whether its internal environment is suitable for seclusion, its size alone falls far short of the required standards.

Even assuming, hypothetically, that there truly is some unknown, mysterious place that perfectly fits all the criteria.

But there is another crucial issue that cannot be ignored – these more than one hundred people in seclusion still need to meet their basic living needs such as food and shelter, right?

With so many people, the amount of excrement they produce every day must be considerable!

Although the body's physiological cycle is greatly suppressed and compressed during seclusion, it does not completely stop!

Therefore, finding an ideal place that can accommodate a hundred people in seclusion and also properly handle these daily life matters is harder than climbing to heaven!

One or two years might be acceptable, but over a hundred years!

Zhu Lu then realized that he had never heard of such a huge amount of excrement being transported away anywhere, which alone made it highly suspicious.

Some people may wonder why everyone needs to gather together for a period of seclusion.

Can't we separate?

of course can!

However, if the more than one hundred fruit spirits are in seclusion in different places, the most likely location is their residence.

Zhu Lu had visited these places countless times, but each time the servants there said that their master had gone out into seclusion.

Isn't it suspicious that over a hundred fruit spirits didn't cultivate at their own residences but went out at the same time?

Even though they had all gone out into seclusion, and were scattered throughout various parts of Zhu Guo Garden.

There must be energy fluctuations caused by breakthroughs, right?

In the beginning, Zhu Lu could occasionally sense the energy fluctuations of the fruit spirits breaking through their shackles, but later these fluctuations became less and less frequent.

Nearly ten years later, only the three brothers remained.

Isn't it really suspicious?

Another point: Noguchi Ridge has countless people, but Zhu Guo is not a common commodity.

Even those Vermilion Fruits that have not yet awakened their intelligence are limited in number.

If the Vermilion Fruit were truly inexhaustible, it would probably be found everywhere by now, so how could it enjoy such a prestigious title as "the most extraordinary treasure under heaven"?

As for those fruit spirits that have already awakened their intelligence, they are extremely rare.

They are all the most treasured items in Noguchi Ridge, belonging to the very top-level core group.

Therefore, each fruit spirit is equipped with a large number of servants who are specifically responsible for taking care of its food and daily life.

Firstly, it reflects their prestigious status, and secondly, it facilitates their management of daily affairs.

They are the core members of Noguchi Ridge, and they have a lot of trivial matters to deal with every day.

You can't do everything yourself. Even if you're made of iron, how many nails can one person hammer? A commander without an army will ultimately affect efficiency.

Therefore, each of the fruit spirits is basically surrounded by servants. Zhu Lu himself has more than a hundred servants serving him on a daily basis.

The other fruit spirits, while not quite as good as him, are not far behind.

But strangely enough, he always managed to run into these servants who were tending to the vermilion fruit.

Conversely, their master, who was also their childhood playmate of over a hundred years, never encountered them once in all those long years.

Moreover, these servants always avoided him whenever they encountered him, which he initially thought was because they were afraid of him.

Looking back now, their eyes were clearly filled with helplessness and pleading.

Zhu Lu originally had endless worship for Zhu Xian, whose words were more authoritative than the heavenly laws.

Therefore, he completely ignored and turned a deaf ear to this series of strange events.

But looking back now, everything seems to be filled with an indescribable eerie atmosphere, which is truly chilling and makes me feel increasingly fearful!

As Zhu Lu continued his in-depth exploration and investigation, more and more perplexing doubts began to emerge like a tide.

Each newly discovered clue is like a key, unlocking the door to the truth layer by layer.

But as the view behind the door gradually became clearer, Zhu Lu hesitated.

Because all the evidence and signs pointed, without exception, to the Zhu Xian whom he had always respected and regarded as a god!

All those mysteriously vanished fruit spirits were inextricably linked to Zhu Xian in their disappearances.

On an emotional level, Zhu Lu simply cannot accept the idea that Zhu Xian might consume his own kind.

After all, in his heart, Zhu Xian had always been such a noble, selfless, and loving being.

However, reason, like a bucket of icy water, mercilessly roused him—all signs indicated that this terrible possibility was becoming increasingly likely.

Faced with such a perplexing situation, Zhu Lu felt as if his heart had been torn in two.

On the one hand, there is a deep emotional bond, and on the other hand, there is irrefutable factual evidence.

This contradictory state of mind caused him great pain, and he desperately needed to find someone who could listen to his heart and vent his inner turmoil.

However, when Zhu Lu looked around and cast his gaze across the entire Noguchi Pass, a deep sorrow welled up in his heart.

He was saddened to discover that he couldn't find even one suitable person to confide in here.

His first thought was Zhu Fu, but upon closer examination, he realized that Zhu Fu was definitely not a good candidate.

From childhood to adulthood, their relationship was rather distant, and they had almost never had any real communication.

Moreover, Zhu Fu clearly lacked sufficient trust and the capacity to handle such a top-secret and shocking matter; he was by no means an ideal insider.

What about the remaining Zhu Shou?

That's not suitable either!

Zhu Shou was exactly the same as his former self; his admiration for Zhu Xian was deeply rooted in his heart and even ingrained in his blood.

If he were to rashly tell Zhu Shou his bold guesses, even a child could imagine what would happen next: in no time, he would probably be dragged to Zhu Xian's presence by Zhu Shou without any mercy and interrogated!

It wasn't because the brotherly bond between the two wasn't strong enough; rather, their blind worship of Zhu Xian had taken root in their hearts since childhood and had long since become a deeply ingrained belief.

As for Ling Qi and his group, there's nothing more to say about them.

They are usually aloof and their whereabouts are unpredictable.

The emotional connection with oneself is limited to a few words of encouragement in daily life; beyond that, there is no possibility of any further communication.

Zhu Lu thought about it over and over again, and finally realized with great sorrow that at this moment, the only person who might share this earth-shattering secret with him was Wu Ren, who had mysteriously disappeared more than a year ago.

Although the ancestor claimed with absolute certainty that Wu Ren and the female human had met with misfortune and died, only Zhu Lu knew very well that Wu Ren was definitely still alive and well, and was hiding in this vast wilderness.

It's just that everyone hasn't found it yet!

Why are you so sure?

Zhu Lu himself couldn't explain it clearly, but he genuinely believed in his own judgment.

On the one hand, this is his native ancestral home, which should be the warmest and most welcoming place in the world.

But because of the filth he gradually exposed, this land that he once knew and loved gradually became unfamiliar.

On the other hand, there is Wu Ren, who is on the opposing side.

But it was precisely because certain truths were being uncovered one after another that his goodwill towards this adversary grew day by day, and he became increasingly eager to tell him the truths he had discovered since these events.