Star Odyssey

Lu Yin suddenly barked, “Stop!” and Gavin paused right when he was about to switch to another picture.

Lu Yin stared at the screen. The image displayed was still that of Luo Shen, but this time, it was a group photo of her with some other people. 

Lu Yin stared closely at a corner of the picture, where he could see a figure that left him in disbelief, but also very happy. There was only a side profile of a face, but that person was clearly another girl. Despite only seeing a partial profile, the girl’s beauty could not be hidden, and Lu Yin was drawn to the girl in an instant. That was—Bai Xue. 

“Where was this picture of Luo Shen taken?” Lu Yin asked, his tone sounding rather urgent.

Gavin smiled. “Your Highness, there’s no rush. Let this subject arrange things.” 

Lu Yin looked at the minister rather sharply. “Speak.” 

Gavin trembled, and he felt that something was off with Lu Yin. “In Amethyst Exchange. Goddess Luo Shen has been the jade goddess of Amethyst Exchange for almost the whole past five years, and she has also been a spokesperson for Amethyst Exchange. She will be performing at Amethyst Exchange during her trip to Zenyu Star in order to promote the company.” 

Lu Yin instantly vanished as he headed towards Amethyst Exchange.

Amethyst Exchange was packed with people at the moment, as Luo Shen was famous throughout the Outerverse. Even someone like Lu Yin was astounded by her beauty, let alone others who were attracted to beautiful women. 

With Luo Shen’s arrival, Amethyst Exchange was overflowing with impassioned crowds of fans, and the security had been raised to the maximum. But even then, they still could not stop the raging crowds. Many carried the celebrity’s pictures in raised hands as they shouted frantically. Luo Shen’s fans filled every corner of the trade center. Even Amethyst Exchange’s employees were looking upwards with expectant faces, hoping that she would appear and that they might be lucky enough to end up getting closer to her. 

In Zi Xianxian’s office on the top level of Amethyst Exchange’s mall on Zenyu Star, Luo Shen was sitting on the pink sofa, lazily indulging in its comfort. “How comfortable. Xianxian, you’re still the only one relaxing. I’m about to be worked to death.” 

Across from her, Zi Xianxian sat behind the desk as she casually responded, “What relaxing? Eldest Bro is creating trouble for me every day. I’m frustrated as well.” 

Luo Shen giggled. “Brother Zi Fang has a soft heart despite his hard exterior. At worst, he’ll just scold you a bit more, but he hasn’t made any real moves against you.” 

Zi Xianxian proudly stated, “If he dares to try, then Second Bro will pull off his skin.” At that moment, Zi Xianxian frowned and looked over at a beautiful woman standing beside the window. “Where is Second Bro?” 

The woman turned around, her looks brightening the office a little bit more. “I don't know.”

Luo Shen looked over at the woman as well. “Sis Zi Xue, Brother Zi Rong tells you wherever he goes, but you’re saying that he didn’t tell you this time?” 

That girl called Zi Xue indifferently answered, “I have no relationships with him.”

Zi Xianxian rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Wherever you go, my Second Bro follows, and you can’t shake him off. Sis Zi Xue, just get used to it. When should I start calling you Second Sister-in-law? Hehe.” 

Zi Xue did not respond. Instead, she silently stared out the window with a complex light in her eyes that she did not let the two girls behind her see. 

At this moment, there was a knock on the door, causing Zi Xianxian to frown. “Strange, who could it be? We already said that we weren’t receiving any guests today.”

“It’s me,” Lu Yin’s voice was heard through the door. 

At that moment, Zi Xue’s body trembled where she stood beside the window, but nobody noticed. 

Zi Xianxian was stunned. “Lu Yin? What are you doing here?”

Luo Shen stood up and looked over curiously. Lu Yin: this was a name that had spread throughout the Outerverse and become a legend. She had heard it countless times, and she had also seen this person’s picture as well. This was one of the most influential figures in the entire Outerverse: the Alliance Leader of the Great Eastern Alliance. 

“May I enter?” Lu Yin asked.

Zi Xianxian rolled her eyes. “Come on in.”

When the door opened, Lu Yin first looked at Zi Xianxian, followed by Luo Shen, who was sitting on the pink sofa. She gave off a different feeling in person compared to her photos. Luo Shen was sitting upright in a still position, but her appearance still took Lu Yin’s breath away. However, he had not come for Luo Shen today, and his eyes moved past her to look over at the last person beside the window. Even with her back to him, this beautiful woman was very familiar. Despite the two not seeing each other for many years, Lu Yin would never forget this person: Bai Xue. She was someone who had left Earth with him, but she had been taken away by the Hidden Earth Society and had gone missing. 

Lu Yin and Bai Xue were not too well acquainted with each other, and there had been no tangled emotions between them either. However, ever since Bai Xue had left Earth together with him, Lu Yin had not been able to rest easy with her disappearance. He had discovered that Zhang Dingtian was in the Starfall Sea, but there had been no news about Xu San or Seruzen. But right now, Bai Xue was right in front of him. 

Lu Yin stepped into the office and stared towards the window. 

In front of the window, the girl called Zi Xue turned around and calmly looked back at Lu Yin. 

Lu Yin said, “Bai Xue, it’s been a very long time.” 

The office fell into an awkward silence before Zi Xianxian asked, “Bai Xue? Lu Yin, who are you talking to?” 

Lu Yin continued to stare straight ahead. Bai Xue’s appearance hadn’t changed in the slightest, and as he looked at her, Lu Yin was reminded of a moment back on Earth, when Zhou Shan had described Bai Xue as a cloud in the sky. 

Luo Shen blinked curiously and looked at Lu Yin before shifting her gaze over to the window.

“Alliance Leader Lu has mistaken me for someone else. My name is Zi Xue, not Bai Xue,” the girl beside the window said coldly. There was an atmosphere to her that made people feel like strangers should not approach her. 

Lu Yin brows furrowed. “Zi Xue? Aren’t you Bai Xue?” 

Zi Xue coldly answered, “No.”

Zi Xianxian’s eyes flashed, and she said, “Lu Yin, you are mistaken. She’s Zi Xue, my Second Brother’s fiancée.” 

Luo Shen was very interested in this development. Could there be some melodramatic story behind this? Could Brother Zi Rong’s fiancée have some kind of relationship with this legend, Lu Yin? Was Sister Zi Xue actually this Bai Xue that he had mentioned? Could she have lost her memory and been saved by Brother Zi Rong? Suddenly, Luo Shen’s mind was filled with countless convoluted stories, and she looked at Lu Yin sympathetically. 

Lu Yin could not believe Zi Xue, as this woman was the splitting image of Bai Xue. “Did you lose your memory?” 

Zi Xue’s brows furrowed. “No, I’m Zi Xue. This is the name I’ve had since I was little.”

“Aren’t you from Earth?” Lu Yin still was in disbelief.

Zi Xue started to get a little impatient. “Alliance Leader Lu, for the last time, I’m Zi Xue, not this Bai Xue you speak of. And I didn’t lose my memory.”

Lu Yin stared closely at Zi Xue’s appearance, still in complete disbelief at her denial. 

Zi Xianxian walked over and blocked Lu Yin’s view. “Lu Yin, I can testify that Sister Zi Xue did not lose her memory. Do you have any other matters to talk about? If not, please leave.” 

Lu Yin averted his gaze. How was it possible for there to be two absolutely identical people, and furthermore, both of their names were Xue. 

She hadn’t lost her memory? Could her memory have been tampered with? Impossible.

He looked at Zi Xue. “Could we speak alone?”

Zi Xianxian became furious. “Lu Yin, you’re going too far! Sister Zi Xue is my Second Bro’s fiancée. Do you think meeting to speak with her alone is appropriate?”

Lu Yin’s gaze grew cold, and an enormous pressure descended that stifled Zi Xianxian slightly. “I was talking to her.” 

Suddenly, a second tremendous pressure descended before converging onto a square meter of space that blasted down upon Lu Yin. 

Lu Yin’s gaze trembled, and he shook his body to resolve the pressure as Zi Rong’s figure appeared before him. As he appeared, he glared furiously at Lu Yin. “Alliance Leader Lu, what are you trying to do?” 

Lu Yin took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, I forgot myself.”

Zi Rong stared closely at Lu Yin, and his eyes narrowed before he looked at Zi Xianxian. “What’s going on here?”

Zi Xianxian quickly recounted what had just happened.

Zi Rong was surprised, and he said to Lu Yin, “Alliance Leader Lu, I can promise you that Zi Xue is Zi Xue and not Bai Xue. You must be mistaken, as she has neither lost her memory nor has it been tampered with.” 

Lu Yin turned to face Zi Rong, and then Zi Xue, before apologizing. “I suppose that I must truly be mistaken. I’m sorry, Brother Zi.”

He then left with his scattered thoughts. 

Zi Xianxian resentfully commented, “What kind of person is he? I thought that he was decent, but it turns out that he just tries to strike up a conversation with anyone beautiful, and he even wants to use force.” 

Zi Rong said, “Don’t spout nonsense. Alliance Leader Lu is not that kind of person.”

“Huh? Are you that familiar with him?” Zi Xianxian rolled her eyes.

Zi Rong sighed. "This person is a son of the heavens. I drank with him yesterday, and I believe my ability to judge character to be rather decent. It should truly be that he was mistaken. Xianxian, don’t take offense.”

Zi Xianxian snorted. 

Zi Rong nodded at Luo Shen and then walked over to Zi Xue. “Sorry to have startled you.” 

Zi Xue calmly answered, “It’s alright.” 

“Don’t mind him. Alliance Leader Lu was mistaken,” Zi Rong said.

Zi Xue remained indifferent. “It’s nothing.”

Zi Rong stared at Zi Xue’s beautiful face, and his eyes suddenly grew heated. He had liked this girl for several years, and he had been completely smitten the moment he first saw her. “Zi Xue, we-”

He was interrupted by Zi Xianxian, “Second Bro, we’re still here, so watch what you say and don’t gross us out.” 

Zi Rong turned around to stare at Zi Xianxian, but he stopped speaking. 

After leaving Amethyst Exchange, Lu Yin was deep in thought all the way back home. Huo Qingshan had admitted that the Hidden Earth Society had taken Zhang Dingtian and the others into the Innerverse, but that meant that Bai Xue should be in the Innerverse right now.

Lu Yin had just looked up some information about Zi Xue, and he quickly found that, a few years ago, she had been adopted by Amethyst Exchange’s Chairman Zi Tianchuan. This meant that she had been in the Outerverse for several years. However, nobody knew any details about her past before that.  

Lu Yin still believed that this woman was Bai Xue, and he intended to investigate this carefully. How could there be two people with identical appearances? Right, there was also Luo Shen and the Sage of Aqua, though they were not the same person. In the past, Bai Xue had been known as the Sage of Aqua, which sounded rather similar to Goddess Luo Shen’s name,1 though the title of Goddess may not have necessarily been suggested by Bai Xue. 

Zi Rong had come to Zenyu Star since he was protecting Zi Xue and Luo Shen. After another two days, Amethyst Exchange would finish preparing the stage where Luo Shen would perform. 

Amethyst Exchange's typical method was to prepare an outdoor stage and hold a performance within one of their malls. 

As for advertising, they had already been doing so for a month. Quite a lot of people had arrived at Zenyu Star during this month, all of them to see Luo Shen. 

Lu Yin did not disturb Zi Xue during these two days, as he was still investigating information concerning Amethyst Exchange. 

One night, Luo Shen began her performance before the crowd’s eyes. 

Lu Yin was sitting in the foremost row, and beside him sat some important characters from the Great Eastern Alliance. There were some merchants who had associations with Amethyst Exchange in the second row. 

The Goddess, Luo Shen, was famous throughout the Outerverse, and aside from her mesmerizing appearance, her dancing was also able to enthrall countless people, and it would leave countless people spellbound. 

Lu Yin had come to the performance to observe Zi Xue, but when Luo Shen began dancing, he also became engrossed. 

A heavenly palace reverberated with the music, and Luo Shen turned around with a smile. There was only one person on the stage, and with her jade flute, white clothes, and golden hair, she danced in a fairy-like performance. It felt like nothing else existed at this moment besides a single beam of light illuminating Luo Shen and Lu Yin. At that moment, Lu Yin felt like only Luo Shen and he existed in this place, no one else. He was no longer seated in a mall, but rather in a palace in the heavens. 

All the stars in the sky seemed to sway along to the rhythm of that beautiful head of hair that was dancing like a dragon. 

A pair of bright eyes could be seen through the white clothes, and just seeing them sent a gentle shock coursing through the beholder’s body that resonated with the soul.

1 This is referring to the Chinese names and pronunciation.