Star Odyssey

Chapter 3886: Don’t Move

Qiunan Zhen turned his gaze to Zhang Hongyun and the others from Loneswan Island.

The old man sighed, nodded to Qiunan Zhen, and turned to leave.

Qiunan Zhen’s eyes then fell upon Cheng Gong’s corpse. Just as he was about to collect it, a voice descended from the mountain. “Don’t move.”

Qiunan Zhen froze, and then looked up. Far away from the bottom of Whither Peak, close to the peak, lay a drunk man.

The sight of the drunk caused Qiunan Zhen’s eyes to flicker, though he continued to reach for the corpse.

Zhang Hongyun and the others had not gone far yet, and they turned to watch with curiosity. Someone actually dared to tell Qiunan Zhen not to move? Despite how long they had been fighting, no one had noticed the drunkard lying on the mountain.

Just as Qiunan Zhen’s hand was about to make contact with the corpse, he suddenly froze again. Behind him, the Stormmaws’ heads were all lowered, and they let out mournful howls as they dropped to the ground. Every single beast crouched so low that the members of the Qiunan family riding them nearly fell off.

Qiunan Zhen’s hand was less than an inch away from Cheng Gong, but he could not move any closer. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.

Zhang Hongyun and the others could not understand, as none of them could feel anything. Still, it was obvious that Qiunan Zhen was enduring something. Had the drunkard done something?

Who was he? Not only did he dare to actually take action against the Qiunan family, but he had also rendered Qiunan Zhen immobile.

Quite a while later, Qiunan Zhen finally managed to straighten his body, producing a faint sound of cracking joints. He then turned to face the drunk man up the mountain and slowly bowed. “Greetings, Senior.”

The drunk completely ignored the greeting. His eyes remained closed, and he simply casually lay on the mountain.

The people from the Qiunan family, Loneswan Island, and everywhere else watched curiously.

The people who had originally been near Whither Peak were also watching. Some of them had antagonized the drunk in the past, and because of that, they had learned a harsh lesson. That was why they had all started referring to him as the star of misfortune.

As for the drunkard’s real name, or even how long he had been on Whither Peak, no one knew.

Whither Peak was a place where people went for their past to die. The people who went to the mountain were either preparing to die or were already on their way there. It was not a place where history could endure.

That was why no one knew exactly how long the drunkard had stayed on the mountain.

However, Qiunan Zhen’s expression suggested that he knew him.

“Junior Qiunan Zhen offers his greetings, Senior,” Qiunan Zhen again respectfully greeted the drunk man, only to again be ignored. The drunkard continued to casually lounge on the mountain, sipping on his drink.

Qiunan Zhen then spoke a third time. “Junior Qiunan Zhen once accompanied my elder, Qiunan Ming, to visit you, Senior.”

Many of the people watching let out gasps when they heard Qiunan Zhen’s comment.

“Qiunan Ming? That Qiunan Ming?”

“The Qiunan family’s ancestor who fought in three different expeditions while serving on seven different Night Pillars? The legendary Qiunan Ming?”

“Countless people throughout the Nine Odysseys greatly respect Senior Qiunan Ming. His drumming saved many lives. To think that he once met that star of misfortune.”

“From how Qiunan Zhen is addressing the man, it sounds like even Senior Qiunan Ming only paid this man a visit.”

Loneswan Island’s Zhang Hongyun was just as stunned as everyone else. Even he regarded Qiunan Ming as a legend. Long before Zhang Hongyun was born, Qiunan Ming had already been famous, having served on the Night Pillars during multiple expeditions to foreign megaverses. It was not until after Zhang Hongyun had broken through to the Origin realm that Qiunan Ming had finally passed away of old age. If not for Qiunan Zhen mentioning the man, many would have forgotten his name.

The drunkard slowly opened his hazy eyes to look down at Qiunan Zhen. “If you want that corpse, then have the swordsman who cut him down come himself.”

Qiunan Zhen’s eyes flickered. “Senior, are you guarding this corpse for the one who slew him?”

“I’m not that laidback.” The drunkard turned his head to look towards the West Domain. “That man’s sword slash was absolutely terrifying. It was more powerful than any other attack beneath the Immortal realm. I am eager to meet that man and see just how wide the gap between us is.”

Qiunan Zhen was astonished. “Senior, you wish to fight that man?”

The drunkard stopped speaking, and no matter what Qiunan Zhen said afterwards, everything was completely ignored. The drunkard acted as if Qiunan Zhen did not even exist. Qiunan Zhen could only helplessly offer another bow and then wave his hand to order his Qiunan family to retreat.

Very few in the Nine Odysseys Megaverse knew who the drunk man was, but Qiunan Zhen was one of them. In fact, that was why Qiunan Zhen had traveled to Whither Peak. If the drunkard was genuinely interested in fighting against Lu Yin, it would be quite interesting. After all, the man had once been known as the most powerful individual beneath the Immortal realm.

Despite that, he had not sounded confident about facing Lu Yin. If he wanted to see how big the gap between them was, that would only make sense if he had already sensed a gap.

Lu Yin’s sword strike must have contained a terror that most had been unable to perceive.

The Qiunan family had failed to take the corpse, and Zhang Hongyun had simply given up. His Loneswan Island had absolutely no chance of taking the corpse.

Right as the old man was about to leave, Qiunan Zhen’s voice reached his ears. “Pass a message along to Mr. Lu for me: if he wants Cheng Gong’s corpse, he will need to come to Whither Peak in person. The senior drinking here is very strong.”

Zhang Hongyun was caught off guard, and he stared across the distance at Qiunan Zhen’s departing back. Had Mr. Lu also asked the Qiunan family to help? That explained things. Zhang Hongyu had thought that their presence was rather odd. The Qiunan family had always avoided getting involved in the Temporal Heavens’s affairs, instead focusing on the Nine Odysseys. Why had they suddenly decided to get involved in Cheng Gong’s corpse?

Mr. Lu had put a backup plan into play, clearly knowing that Loneswan Island alone would encounter trouble.

Zhang Hongyun released a long breath. Even before Lu Yin had stepped foot in the South Domain, he was already able to mobilize two of the domain’s factions and have them carry out tasks for him. His influence was absolutely terrifying. After all, this was only the South Domain. What sort of influence did he have in the East Domain, which he had already visited? What of the West Domain, where he currently was? Mr. Lu was influencing the entire Nine Odysseys Megaverse.

In the West Domain, at the foot of the Thoughtless Mountain of the Jue family, Lu Yin lowered his communication device. A powerful drunkard? Given that he had forced the Qiunan family to retreat, his strength had to be extraordinary.

Still, as long as that man was guarding Cheng Gong’s corpse, there was no risk of anyone else taking it. Lu Yin would make the trip when he had time.

There was no question that he would visit the South Domain.

It was unfortunate that he was unable to retrieve Cheng Gong’s corpse, but good news soon arrived. Just two days later, Long Yin contacted Lu Yin, reporting that she had spoken with Li Guo, and Lu Yin was able to visit the man.

Lu Yin immediately rose and left Thoughtless Mountain. It was time to bid the Jue family farewell.

The person who was the most reluctant to see Lu Yin leave was Jue Rou. She stood behind Jue Ling, looking pitiful as she blinked while staring at Lu Yin, hoping that he would stay even just a little longer. He had not even eaten her fruit yet, and it was no longer sour.

“If Mr. Lu visits Skyveil City again, you will need to stay with our Jue family for a time. We will always welcome you, Mr. Lu,” Jue Ling said with a smile.

Lu Yin exchanged a few more polite words, and then he looked at the nearby Jue Qing and Jue Rou. Even Jue Qing was present at this time, and she was standing with her sister. The two women were striking to look at; one was cold and aloof, constantly giving a different impression to people as they looked at her, while the other was delicate and overflowing with a vivacious beauty.

“If I return to Skyveil City, I will definitely visit your Jue family,” Lu Yin replied. He then left, but before disappearing, he turned back to look at Jue Rou. “I hope that you keep your word.”

With that, he vanished.

Everyone present from the Jue family turned to stare at Jue Rou. What had Lu Yin meant by those words?

Jue Rou was completely bewildered. What had she said to Mr. Lu? It was not that she did not remember, but rather that she had said too much to him during his visit. Could she have said something that had particularly stood out to Mr. Lu? What could it have been?

“Girl, what did you say to Mr. Lu? Did you promise him something?” Jue Ling asked sternly.

“I... I didn’t,” Jue Rou replied in an innocent tone.

“You didn’t? It was only during this time that you were so eager to visit Thoughtless Mountain.”

“I went there before...”

“But you were never as eager as you’ve been lately. Exactly what did you say to Mr. Lu? This is a very serious matter. Sometimes, even a single sentence can lead to disaster.”

Jue Rou felt like crying. “I... I don’t remember.”

Jue Ling frowned. “You spoke to Mr. Lu at length? And you don’t remember what you said?”

Jue Rou opened her mouth, but she did not know how to explain herself. She had said a great deal to Lu Yin, which was why she could not remember clearly. But how was she supposed to explain that to her mother?

What had she mentioned to Lu Yin that he had wanted to remind her about? What had she said that had stood out to him?

Confronted with Jue Ling’s pressing questions, Jue Rou could only hide behind Jue Qing.

Jue Qing said, “Mother, let me speak with her. I’ll definitely get the answer from her.”

Jue Ling took a deep breath. “Make sure to write down every word she said. There can’t be any mistakes. Our Jue family cannot allow that man to gain any leverage on us, or else...”

She did not finish her sentence, as everyone already understood.

Even so, many members of the Jue family were not at all concerned. Even if Lu Yin’s strength was terrifying, Jue Qing was a member of their family. What could Lu Yin do to one of the Seven Fairies, given that they were backed by the Sea of Karma?

Only Jue Ling was aware that Lu Yin carried far, far greater importance to the Sea of Karma than Jue Qing. If the Sea of Karma was really forced to choose between the two, then forget Jue Qing—all Seven Fairies combined would not be able to measure up to Lu Yin alone, not even if all of Greater Sancte Green Lotus’s disciples were included with the Seven Fairies.

Disciples were easy to find, but someone who had comprehended karma? Throughout the entire history of the megaverse, there had only ever been Greater Sancte Green Lotus himself and Lu Yin.

Lu Yin could be regarded as being similar to Qing Yun, in some ways. They both enjoyed the strongest support that was possible in the Nine Odysseys Megaverse, even if one of them was from the Tianyuan Megaverse.

Far away, Lu Yin was in quite a good mood.

After being annoyed by Jue Rou for more than two months, he had finally been able to vent his frustrations with his small act of revenge.

Still, he was sincere in his hopes that Jue Rou would be able to change the Jue family.

At their core, the Jue family was no different from the Cheng or Yu families. If they were, they would not have been a part of the persecution that had forced Li Guo to leave the West Domain and develop a blood feud with all three great clans. The Jue family only cared about comprehension techniques, and they had no concern for those who supplied them. Whether the people were good or evil was not even considered. Such indifference was a common failing of powerful factions.

Jue Rou was different. She had managed to maintain a sense of good and evil. If she could hold onto that, it might be possible for her to change things once she took over as the Jue family’s matriarch.

Of course, it was far more likely that she would eventually become the exact same as Jue Ling. It was possible that, in her youth, Jue Ling had also enjoyed a sense of right and wrong, but being burdened with the Jue family had changed her.

Lu Yin’s comment had been both a small act of revenge as well as a warning for Jue Rou. He hoped that she would be able to remember her original heart as much as possible. At the same time, he had offered her a way out in the future when she took over the Jue family. It was a path that would not leave her at Jue Ling’s mercy.

Similar to how the Sea of Karma ensured that Jue Qing could not be forced to do anything by Jue Ling, as long as Jue Rou was smart enough, she would also obtain the same level of protection, provided that Lu Yin himself did not die.

The Jue family had their little tricks, but so did he. All that remained to be seen was whose methods would prove to be more effective.