Chapter 3880: Who Are You Talking About?
Chapter 3880: Who Are You Talking About?
The old man sat on the side of the road, surrounded by several other cultivators who were running their own stalls. Countless illusions of the goods for sale were being projected into the air, and such scenes stretched down the length of the street.
There were many cultivators on the street, both coming and going. It was lined with shops, taverns, and more businesses. Each one appeared large, but they were still densely packed side by side.
At the moment, all the cultivators on the street were talking about the fall of the Cheng family. Skyveil City’s three great clans had ruled it for so long that no one had imagined that the Cheng family would be suddenly wiped out. Their destruction had caught everyone off guard.
“I luckily didn’t visit the Cheng family at that time,” a man who was leading a group down the street stated loudly, “Otherwise, I might have gotten dragged down with them. All of you should learn from this: always do your homework before visiting any regional clan or power.”
The people trailing behind the man quickly responded with agreement.
In the taverns that lined the street, some people were celebrating while others were mourning.
The Cheng family’s holdings in Skyveil City were already being seized. People who had pledged allegiance to the family were left with nowhere to turn to and no one to cry on.
Those with enough strength were able to continue holding on, while those without... were unable to even save their lives.
From time to time, sounds of fighting rang out. There had been a time when such violence was forbidden within Skyveil City, but at the moment, both the Yu and Jue families were too preoccupied to care, which caused the city to descend into chaos.
The old man kept his head down, his face pale and his eyes vacant.
A loud crash was heard in the distance, and it drew many eyes. It was followed by a shout. “Your Chen clan is despicable! When my Cheng family was at the peak, you groveled in order to build ties with us, but now you’re kicking us while we’re down. You’ll get what’s coming to you!”
The old man lifted his head, staring blankly into the distance. That voice... Old Nine?
“Hmph! Your Cheng family offended the wrong person, so it’s only right that they were destroyed. My Chen clan won’t dirty ourselves by associating with you! Take him away.”
“Even Mr. Lu never targeted us, and yet you dare to raise your hands against us? You’re disrespecting Mr. Lu himself!”
“Shut his mouth and quickly get him out of here.”
It did not take long for the commotion to quiet back down.
The old man looked away, gulping. Old Nine was already done for.
Someone on the balcony of a nearby tavern sighed. “How fickle the world is. There was a time when the Chen clan was doing their best to worm their way into the Cheng family’s favor, just because their surnames sounded similar. For years, they thrived beneath the Cheng family’s protection, but once the Cheng family fell, they immediately turned on them. How utterly ruthless. They’re even going after the Cheng’s retainers.”
“The Cheng family itself has already been wiped out. The Chen clan is really going too far with this... They must be trying to figure out what the Cheng family owned in Skyveil City so that they can snatch them.”
“Hmph! Do they really think that they’re worthy? In doing something like this, are they not afraid that the Yu and Jue families will see what is really going on?”
“Do you think that the Chen clan is the only one doing this? Look around Skyveil City—everyone’s capturing the Cheng family’s followers. There might be hundreds of thousands of them, but not one will be able to escape from the city. Even though Mr. Lu didn’t lay a hand on them, their fate will be even worse.”
“It’s not just for their properties... It’s probably also for...” The speaker did not finish speaking, though everyone fell silent. All of them understood.
The Cheng family had managed to maintain their position in Skyveil City solely because of their ability to carve spirit treasure formations. Everyone coveted that method, but with the family’s estate sealed off and all of its members dead, only the family’s followers remained.
It was even possible that those taking action were not doing so for themselves; they might actually be acting on behalf of the Yu or Jue families. That would be perfectly normal.
Skyveil City had been thrown into utter chaos. The hundreds of thousands of cultivators who had been loyal to the Cheng family had scattered like pebbles tossed into a river, though the momentary ripples that they created would soon be completely forgotten. No one would remember them, just as no one would remember the Cheng family.
On the street, the old man kept his head ducked down, but his eyes were darting about. The conversations he overheard, the fights, the screams—they were all testing his nerves.
A shadow fell upon the man, and a voice spoke to him. “Nice goods. How much?”
The old man slowly raised his head. “Which one?”
“You.”
The old man stared at the man before him in a daze, instantly overcome with terror. “M- Mr. L- Lu?”
Lu Yin lowered his head just enough to look down at the old man. “As a Dukkhan, you are the most powerful out of all the thousands of cultivators who served the Cheng family. Why are you so afraid? What are you afraid of?”
The old man’s face grew deathly pale, and he instinctively glanced around.
Everyone else on the street was going about their business as usual. It was as if no one could even see Lu Yin. The people in the taverns were still laughing and drinking, and the other hawkers on the street still looked worried. No one seemed to have noticed Lu Yin’s arrival.
“They can’t see me. And they can’t see you either,” Lu Yin calmly stated.
The old man trembled as he spoke, “I... I don’t want to die.”
Lu Yin chuckled softly. “No one wants to die. I simply didn’t expect that a dignified Dukkhan... would be so fearful.”
The old man’s lips were dry as he swallowed hard. “I... once offended the Yu and Jue families. If not for the Cheng family, I would have died long ago. For years, I’ve done many things in the Cheng family’s service, things that the Yu and Jue families will never forgive. If they find me... death would be the best ending I could hope for.”
Lu Yin then understood. Despite the agreement binding the three great clans, as long as it was not invoked, they had actually been hostile to each other. Everyone was aware of at least that much.
However, the truth was that their hostility was mostly a show put on for outsiders. The three clans had indeed competed with each other, but they had not been bitter rivals. However, the people below the families had not been aware of the truth, and they had been nothing more than pawns. Thus, when the families’ followers took action, they had shown no restraint. Judging by the old man’s behavior, he had caused the Yu and Jue families to suffer rather significant losses. There was no other reason for a powerful Dukkhan to lower himself to such a state.
The old man knelt down. “Please, Mr. Lu, help me find a way out! I’m willing to do anything for you!”
Lu Yin looked at the old man. “Do you know of the Cheng family’s secret manual?”
The old man looked stunned. “N- no, I don’t.”
Lu Yin frowned. “Did the Cheng family make a habit of recording their lockbreaking sessions?”
The old man was equally bewildered. “I... never heard of such a thing.”
Lu Yin asked several more questions, but the old man was completely ignorant.
Lu Yin believed that the man truly knew nothing. However, that was also quite strange. The man was a Dukkhan, which meant that he should have been allowed to handle all of the Cheng family’s tasks, unless they were matters that involved the clan’s deepest secrets.
Was it possible that the recordings of the sourcebox unlocking sessions in the family’s secret manual only featured the direct members of Cheng family’s bloodline?
“Did the Cheng family have any Dukkhans who were direct family members?”
The old man nodded. “Yes. In addition to Baisha Tiancheng himself, there was also the second master. However, he was also killed by Cheng Gong. Only Baisha Tiancheng would have known the details.
“The second master mostly kept to himself, so none of us knew what he was up to. What you’re asking about... is likely something he did.”
Lu Yin showed the old man a picture of the middle-aged man who had unlocked the sourcebox with the white bones.
When the old man saw the picture, he shouted, “The traitor?!”
“Traitor?”
“Yes! That man betrayed the Cheng family! He stole our secrets, and the Cheng family has been searching for him ever since, though they never found him. When I first joined the Cheng family, my very first assignment was to track that man down. That mission dragged on for many, many years. I heard that many retainers had dedicated their entire lives to searching for that man, but they never found even a single clue. Everyone says that he’s long gone.”
Lu Yin’s eyes gleamed. “How long has the family been searching for him?”
The old man thought for a moment. “A very long time. From what I know, two Ortusers and one Dukkhan died of old age while pursuing him. They spent their last years still searching.
“All of the Cheng family’s retainers were given this same mission. Some of us were sent across the other three domains, and some even infiltrated the Nine Odysseys just to find that man.” At this point, the old man shot a cautious glance at Lu Yin. Is this man really that important?
The Cheng family had never given up, despite searching for countless years. And now, after the family was destroyed, even Lu Yin had started looking for the man. Was this because of the Cheng family’s secret manual?
Is it possible that he stole the Cheng family’s secret manual?
Could that scroll contain the secret to their carving method?
The old man’s expression shifted. He did not dare to pursue that thought any further.
“Is there anything else that you can tell me about him?” Lu Yin asked calmly.
The old man carefully considered the question, recounting everything that he knew about the search that had been conducted for so many years without leaving out any details. He understood that, the more he offered Lu Yin, the greater his chances of surviving.
The man did not dare to even try bargaining.
The street was busy, bustling with people, but no one could see Lu Yin or the old man conversing.
Some time later, the scenery around the old man changed. He suddenly found himself surrounded by yellow sand, half of his body buried in a dune. Behind him loomed the massive Skyveil City.
He was out. He had been released outside of Skyveil City.
Overjoyed, he dove into the sand without a hint of hesitation. He just needed to escape. The farther he got away from Skyveil City, the better. Escape!
Still in Skyveil City, a young man appeared before Lu Yin.
He had not been a follower of the Cheng family. Instead, he was one of the youths from the Nine Odysseys Megaverse whom Lu Yin had captured atop the cliff in the Willbound Spire. This young man was from Loneswan Island.
He had been imprisoned in a Zenith Mountain for years, only to inexplicably be released. The moment the young man saw Lu Yin, he bowed. “Senior.”
Lu Yin nodded. “Did you fare well in there?”
The young man could not understand why Lu Yin had released him, and he was clueless as to how to respond to such a question.
Lu Yin gave a hint of a smile. “Look around. Can you tell where you are?”
The young man lifted his head and glanced around. We’re in... a city?
He did his best to find some recognizable landmark, but he could not see anything distinctive. However, the nearby people acted as if they could not see Lu Yin or the young man.
“This is Skyveil City.”
The young man cried out, “The West Domain’s Skyveil City?”
Lu Yin clasped his hands behind his back. “Get in touch with your Loneswan Island. Tell them that Lu Yin is looking for them.”
The young man was instantly thrilled. “I... I can contact Loneswan Island?”
With no answer from Lu Yin, the young man forcefully suppressed his excitement. He pulled out his communication device and immediately tried to get in touch with Loneswan Island.
He might not know what was going on, but if he could contact Loneswan Island, then there was hope that he might be able to leave alive.
After all, Luo Ning had already left. Still, the young man did not know if Luo Ning was alive or dead.
If this is really Skyveil City... then this man actually managed to enter the West Domain. Judging by what he just said, it sounds like he expects Loneswan Island to already know of him. Just what has he been doing in the Nine Odysseys Megaverse?
The young man had far too many questions, but it was already clear to him that Lu Yin was not the one to ask. His only option was to speak to Loneswan Island.
Grandfather, pick up! Please, pick up.
The communication device vibrated as an image appeared. An old man had answered the call, and strong emotion filled his eyes.
“Grandfather!”
“Yu Shu! You’re finally calling me. What happened in the Consciousness Megaverse? Where are you now?” The old man fired off multiple questions without taking a breath.
The young man was ready to cry. “Grandfather, I thought that I’d never see you again!”
The old man was equally moved. “I thought that I’d never see you either, grandson! Hurry, tell me where you are now!”
“I’m in Skyveil City.”
The answer startled the old man. “How did you end up in Skyveil City? You-”
The young man wanted to share everything that he had experienced, but he heard a soft cough from behind, and that small sound sent chills through his body. He quickly said, “Grandfather, um... I’m with a senior who wants to speak to you.”
The old man’s expression changed. He suppressed his excitement and asked in a more subdued tone, “Who is it?”
“Lu Yin.”
The old man’s pupils shrank sharply. “Who?”