Walker Of The Worlds

Chapter 3348: Seeing The Infant

Unfortunately for the Binggan Clan, Lin Mu did not acknowledge the ceremony with anything more than a polite nod. He stepped inside with calm grace, and the monks behind him stood respectfully at the threshold rather than entering. They knew this was Lin Mu’s moment, not theirs.

He looked over the carefully arranged tables. He looked at the incense, the glowing tea, the ritual offerings. His expression did not change, but it became clear that none of this mattered to him.

He raised his hand slightly.

”I appreciate your effort,” Lin Mu said quietly, ”but I wish to see the infant immediately.”

The words were soft, but they struck the elders like a hammer. Their faces froze. Their backs straightened.

One elder, who had rehearsed a long speech in his mind, visibly deflated. Another who had been preparing to explain their offerings slowly lowered the tray in embarrassment. They had expected praise for their efforts. Instead, they were told that everything was meaningless before Lin Mu’s true purpose.

But they did not dare to feel resentment. Not even slightly.

The patriarch swallowed hard and forced a strained smile. ”Of course. Of course, honored senior. Forgive us for delaying. We merely wished to show the respect that is due.”

Lin Mu looked at him. It was not a glare. It was not anger. It was simply a calm, steady gaze.

Yet it was enough.

Enough to send a cold sweat down the backs of the clan.

”Take me to the child,” Lin Mu said.

The patriarch bowed deeply and signaled to the elders.

They immediately took formation behind him and began guiding Lin Mu as if they were a row of ducklings being led by their mother. Daoist Chu snorted quietly, and Meng Bai had to bite the inside of his cheek to avoid laughing. Even Elyon smirked at the sight.

As they moved deeper into the clan estate, the patriarch spoke nervously.

”The child... has been confined in a sealing array beneath the clan grounds for the past month. We... we believed it was for the best.”

Lin Mu’s eyes narrowed. ”And you subject an infant to such conditions.”

His aura remained calm, but his tone held a weight that caused the elders’ knees to shake. It sounded exactly like the tone an abbot used when disciplining errant monks.

The patriarch clasped his hands and bowed repeatedly while walking. ”Please forgive us. We are mere lay people. We do not understand the workings of fate or karma. We believed this was necessary to prevent disaster.”

Lin Mu let out a soft, humorless laugh. ”One does not need knowledge of fate to know how to treat an infant properly.”

Every elder flinched.

Lin Mu closed his eyes for a moment and decided not to continue. If he spoke any further with irritation, they might collapse entirely. Their cultivation was far too low to withstand even a sliver of his true emotions.

They descended a set of stone steps that spiraled beneath the clan estate. The deeper they went, the colder the air became. Ancient runes glowed faintly on the walls, forming a sealed chamber that felt heavy with spiritual restrictions.

They arrived before a thick stone gate covered in layers of talismans, seals, and runic chains glowing in dim blue light. The patriarch stepped forward, his hands trembling, and pressed his palm against the sealing plate.

He forced a smile and whispered, ”Honored Senior, beyond this gate lies the child. We shall remain here. Please examine the child as you see fit.”

Lin Mu nodded once.

”Very well. I will go in alone.”

His companions remained silent. They knew this needed to be done without interference.

The patriarch bowed deeply again, then activated the final array. The runes on the gate shifted, the chains loosened, talismans peeled off, and the massive stone door rumbled open.

A faint gust of cold air drifted out, unusually dry and silent.

Lin Mu stepped forward, entering the chamber where the rumored baby awaited him.

The stone door slowly closed behind him.

Lin Mu stepped into the sealed chamber and the heavy stone door slid shut behind him with a lingering grind. The interior was dim, lit only by faint teal runes embedded in the walls. The air was cold and unnaturally still, as if the space itself was holding its breath.

At the center of the chamber lay the child.

No cradle.No blankets.No warmth.No clothes.

Just a naked infant on bare stone, tiny limbs curled slightly inward, chest rising and falling with slow breaths. The sight tightened something in Lin Mu’s chest. His fingers curled slightly as his Buddhist aura stirred with quiet irritation.

He inhaled once and knelt beside the baby.

The infant looked peaceful, almost serene in its deep slumber. Despite being starved of warmth, touch, and nurturing for weeks, the child’s body showed no signs of damage.

No bruises. No cuts. No marks from the cold stone.

Only the faint glow of naturally circulating spirit Qi.

Lin Mu placed his palm above the infant without touching, letting his immortal sense sweep through its body. He expected malnourishment or lingering spiritual damage, but instead...

The babe was in perfect health.

Better than perfect. The spirit core in its tiny dantian thrummed with a stable rhythm. It was already at Core Condensation. A year-old child with such stable innate cultivation would shock even high clans.

The spirit Qi absorbed through each breath was steady and refined, something no infant should be capable of even if they were born at the Core Condensation Realm. Lin Mu probed deeper and detected the faint signature of a cultivation technique.

Not instinctive. Not natural. Not primordial.

A technique.A technique that required learning.

Lin Mu frowned. That alone was enough to confirm Xukong’s suspicion.

He lifted his hand, channeling a gentle wave of Buddhist vitality mixed with warm spiritual energy. He let it flow and lightly nudge the infant consciousness.

The baby’s eyes slowly fluttered open.

Clear, round, and dark like polished obsidian.