Chapter 3937: Serving Tea
Chapter 3937: Serving Tea
Lu Yin swept the entire area with his consciousness and then slowly smiled. Much like he imagined, the Five-Palm Sect was even more hated than expected. Interesting.
With that thought, he took a step forward and disappeared.
There were many people at the foot of Five-Palm Mountain, while only a few were on the mountain range. Only the members of the Five-Palm Sect were on the mountain.
“Ha! Look, that’s the guy! I punched him once some time ago, and here he is, still holding a grudge. He actually came all the way here.”
“Seventh Junior Brother, you’re as mighty as ever.”
“Sixth Senior Brother, you’re also here. So? Is there anyone stirring up trouble?”
“Hmph, just a defeated wretch. After losing, you still want to fight me when we’re in the same realm? Ridiculous! Do you think that I’m so free?”
“Exactly. If they’re not an entire realm above us, they’re not even qualified to make a move.”
“Look at Martial-Aunt Liu, so graceful and heroic.”
“She’s more than just beautiful. Martial-Aunt Liu is ruthless. She spent half a year investigating her opponent’s secret mistress just to force him into a duel. Her condition was that, win or lose, no one would leak a word.”
“The results?”
“Martial-Aunt Liu won, of course.”
“Wait, I passed by a group on my way back and overheard them talking about that exact situation. How did the story get leaked?”
“Shh! That was Martial-Aunt Liu herself! She said that the man was shameless, broke his vow to his wife, and lacked morals, so...”
“So Martial-Aunt Liu broke the agreement.”
“That’s just how Martial-Aunt Liu is. Now that guy’s family keeps watch here and attacks whenever she leaves.”
“Huh? Isn’t that Martial Granduncle? When did he return?”
A short distance away, Si Jiushi was sitting inside a beast-drawn carriage. The curtain was pulled back, and he occasionally directed a smile outside. Everywhere, the disciples of the Five-Palm Sect bowed to him, including even Martial-Aunt Liu. Normally, the woman looked aloof, but she was incredibly respectful towards Si Jiushi.
The fat man was a third-generation elder of the Five-Palm Sect, as well as a peak powerhouse. Very few in the sect could outrank him.
While he had kept his identity a secret outside, upon returning to the sect, he became the center of attention. It was extremely uncomfortable for him.
Soon, the carriage was out of sight.
“Martial Granduncle is so impressive! I’ve heard he’s a close friend of that Mr. Lu.”
“I heard the same thing. Just because of Mr. Lu’s reputation, Martial Granduncle was allowed to go to the Orchid Megaverse with the Seventh Night Pillar to watch it be reset. His strength must have improved from that.”
“Rumor has it that Martial Granduncle even fought against the Scion Spire’s Luo Ning while on the Seventh Night Pillar! He may have lost, but it was still an honorable defeat.”
“I heard that he got beat up pretty badly, though.”
“I heard Martial Granduncle was tricked by the Dream Dominion’s Wu Jie.”
“Nonsense! With Mr. Lu around, who would dare to mess with Martial Granduncle?”
"That’s true. He really is ruthless..."
From a distance, Lu Yin was also watching the carriage speed away. He smiled. Fate truly worked in mysterious ways. No matter where he went, it always seemed that certain people would be brought back together.
The carriage was headed straight for the base of Five-Palm Mountain.
Although Five-Palm Mountain looked like a hand, everyone in the Five-Palm Sect knew that it was not just a shape, but rather an actual hand. The mountain range was the hand of the first sect master.
The palm faced downward, with the rest of the hand rising high into the sky. Beneath the palm, there was a terrifying hidden power that constantly released enough pressure to peel space itself apart. That was the Five-Palm Art.
Everyone in the Five-Palm Sect trained beneath the palm, enduring the agony of the constant pressure. Day after day, year after year, they honed their strength while nurturing their ambition to overturn the very hand that pressed down on them. They refused to live under anyone’s weight. This mentality had continuously shaped the sect’s unique culture.
There were certain things that did not need to be spoken, and a unique environment would naturally foster a unique atmosphere.
Inside the carriage, Si Jiushi dropped the curtain and looked forward. “I’m back again.”
He really had not wanted to return. Who knew if some of his enemies were still outside, waiting to cause him trouble? Unfortunately, he had no choice.
No matter where he went—the East Domain, the North Domain, or even the Seventh Night Pillar—he had kept running into Lu Yin. He had no idea where else he could go. Strangely, returning to the Five-Palm Sect had felt like the safest option.
His uncle-master had also run out of luck. There were rumors that he had been dragged off to the Fifth Night Pillar by that madwoman from the Rift of Suffering. And who was the Odyssey Commander of that Night Pillar? Lu Yin, of course.
While the Night Pillars returned, Si Jiushi had no idea if Lu Yin had stayed behind in the Allsense Megaverse or not. He also had no idea how that war had gone. He could only hope that Lu Yin stayed away for a bit longer. As for Si Jiushi’s uncle-master, well, given his character, it was no wonder that he had run into trouble.
That thought prompted a laugh that the fat man could not hold back.
There was a sweet sense of revenge to what had happened.
“What’s so funny?” a voice asked from right beside him. It was a very familiar voice.
Si Jiushi instinctively replied, “Uncle-Master Lang Ruyu was dragged off to the Fifth Night Pillar, and Lu Yin’s there too. Poor guy.”
“Is that so?”
Si Jiushi’s expression then suddenly changed. He slowly turned his head and froze. His mouth dropped open in horror, and he let out a scream, as if he had just seen a ghost.
The carriage screeched to a halt and the driver rushed inside, where he saw Lu Yin. The driver instantly turned deathly pale and quickly bowed low. “Mr. Lu.”
Lu Yin nodded. “We meet again. Carry on.”
“Yes, sir.”
The carriage door closed, and Lu Yin turned to grin at Si Jiushi. “You don’t seem very happy to see me.”
Si Jiushi stared at Lu Yin in disbelief. “Why are you... why are you here?”
“At Five-Palm Mountain? Surprised to see me?” Lu Yin asked in return.
Si Jiushi was dumbfounded. His mind still had not caught up to the current situation yet. Surprised? How could I not be surprised? Of course I am! This is Five-Palm Mountain, not a Night Pillar, nor the Frightened Sparrow Terrace! Why is Lu Yin everywhere? Could he be following me?
The carriage started moving again, resuming its journey to the bottom of Five-Palm Mountain.
Lu Yin pulled the curtain back. “The scenery here at Five-Palm Mountain is nice. The disciples are lively, and the atmosphere is good. I like this place.”
Si Jiushi forcefully suppressed his shock and directed a bitter stare at Lu Yin. “Mr. Lu, why have you come to my Five-Palm Mountain? Weren’t you in the Allsense Megaverse? What happened to my uncle-master?”
“The war against the Allsense Megaverse is over. Your uncle-master stayed behind to handle some of the aftermath, and I returned first.”
“Then why are you here at Five-Palm Mountain?”
“I’d like to ask your Five-Palm Sect for a favor.”
The moment those words left Lu Yin’s mouth, Si Jiushi felt as though the sky had gone dark. Something terrifying was crashing down upon Five-Palm Mountain.
No! Absolutely not. We can’t agree to anything!
But... could Si Jiushi even say no?
Lu Yin looked at the fat man and frowned. “You don’t seem very happy to see me.”
“No, that’s not it at all. My Five-Palm Mountain absolutely welcomes you, Mr. Lu. Please don’t misunderstand,” Si Jiushi quickly replied.
Lu Yin nodded. “Good. I’m a self-aware person. If I’m not welcome somewhere, I’ll simply leave. I don’t like imposing on others. Isn’t that right?”
Si Jiushi forced a smile. Right, as if that’s true. If Lu Yin really feels unwelcome, he’ll probably just tear the entire mountain range down.
Do you think that I didn’t see how the Brocade clan did nothing, and yet they still received a slap out of nowhere, just to shift blame? This guy is completely lawless.
The world says the Five-Palm Sect is lawless, but compared to this man, we’re completely innocent.
It was not long before the carriage stopped again, and the driver announced, “Sir, this is as far as the carriage can go.”
Lu Yin stepped out of the carriage and looked ahead.
In front of them lay the base of Five-Palm Mountain. The void warped, and Lu Yin instantly recognized the phenomenon as the Five-Palm Art. Before visiting the sect, he would not have imagined the Five-Palm Art being displayed so openly.
However, if someone wanted to learn the Five-Palm Art just by looking at it, they would simply be dreaming.
The secret of the Five-Palm Art lay in how it severed and banished the void. No matter how one tried to escape, they would always remain within the range of a single palm. It was a technique that contained endless variations and constant confinement. Such a thing could not be learned through mere observation.
The Five-Palm Art that Lu Yin had used in the past had not been the authentic technique, but rather a copy produced through pure power. If he and Si Jiushi had been of equal strength and clashed with palm strikes, the difference would have immediately been made clear.
Still, even if Lu Yin had used a fake technique, few were capable of seeing through it. So what if it was a fake technique? Even without any hidden mysteries, very few in the entire Nine Odysseys Megaverse could block one of Lu Yin’s palm strikes that was powered solely by physical strength.
Si Jiushi stood just a bit behind Lu Yin as disciples of the Five-Palm Sect appeared around them. Everyone bowed when they saw Si Jiushi.
“Mr. Lu, I’ll go inform the sect master that you’ve arrived.”
“There’s no need,” Lu Yin replied, clasping his hands behind his back as he stared forward.
The next moment, the void parted. The disciples who were supposed to emerge from the opening were all relocated, and instead, just one person stepped forward.
Si Jiushi saw who it was and exclaimed in surprise, “Sect Master?”
The man was none other than the current master of the Five-Palm Sect, known to outsiders as Lord Ting Chao.
Historically, all of the Five-Palm Sect’s masters had been burly and muscular, but the current generation’s Lord Ting Chao radiated a scholarly elegance and gave off a frail mien.
Even so, no one would dare underestimate him.
Lord Ting Chao had once been a frail scholar who had accidentally joined the Five-Palm Sect. Within a few short years, he had transformed from a bullied weakling into a genius who was skilled with both the pen and the sword. While the sect focused on challenging stronger opponents, he had focused on defeating his fellow disciples, rising up through underhanded victories. During his era, he had beaten everyone in the sect into submission until no one had dared to oppose him.
After the third-generation sect master challenged Yue Ya, was defeated, and then disappeared, Lord Ting Chao had taken up the mantle and become the fourth-generation sect master of the Five-Palm Sect.
Many believed that Lord Ting Chao had only become the sect master because the Five-Palm Sect needed to change. Sure enough, under his leadership, the sect had changed, just as predicted. It was no longer as lawless as before, and while the sect members still challenged outsiders and defied those above them, they did so in a quieter manner than in the past. Even disciples from the third generation, like Si Jiushi, kept their identities hidden.
Only those within the Five-Palm Sect knew the truth: Lord Ting Chao had earned his position through sheer power. In fact, he had never even needed to lift a hand, as there was simply no one capable of competing with him.
As for the sect’s lower profile under Lord Ting Chao’s leadership, that was simply because their numbers were too few. Additionally, several experts from Lord Ting Chao’s generation had died aboard the Sixth Night Pillar during its return trip.
When the Sixth Odyssey Pillar had been cut apart, several of the sect’s experts had perished, which was an unfortunate loss.
“The Five-Palm Sect welcomes your visit, Mr. Lu,” Lord Ting Chao said warmly. As he stood in front of Lu Yin, the man’s smile was like a spring breeze.
Lu Yin replied politely, “Pardon the interruption, Senior.”
Lord Ting Chao smiled. “We are honored to have you visit our Five-Palm Mountain. Please.”
“Please.”
There was nothing more that Si Jiushi could do. Lu Yin followed Lord Ting Chao into Five-Palm Mountain, gradually vanishing from the fat man’s sight.
Si Jiushi released a breath of relief. Since he had not been summoned, there was no need for him to follow. He looked out from the mountain range, debating whether or not he should leave again.
Leave. I have to leave. Lu Yin’s arrival definitely means trouble.
Right as that thought occurred to the fat man, he heard Lord Ting Chao’s voice call out from behind, “Jiushi, serve the tea.”