Star Odyssey

Chapter 1940: Lu Yin’s Visit

Zhu San spat out blood and looked up at the sky.

Ce Jiu's eyes fell onto the injured youth, and he frowned. "Are you Zhu San?"

Zhu San struggled to his feet and slowly bowed. "Zhu San greets the young master."

Ce Jiu indifferently responded, "You have half an hour to wash up and prepare to see the patriarch with me."

He then dropped a pill, and the scent that emanated from it made it clear that it was not some common bit of medicine.

Qian Ye's mouth fell open, and his mind was shaken by this sight. He recognized the pill that had just been tossed out; it was the Ce family’s best medicine, and only direct descendants of the Ce family were able to use it when they were seriously injured. How could Zhu San have been given such a treasure? Even though Zhu San looked to be in terrible shape, he was not actually that badly injured, and this sort of medicine was completely unnecessary.

Zhu San was also taken aback, and he looked up at Ce Jiu in confusion.

Ce Jiu just said, "Hurry up."

Zhu San’s surprise did not abate. "Understood."

Half an hour later, as Qian Ye and his companions watched with anxious confusion, Zhu San followed Ce Jiu to leave the planet. The two quickly made their way towards the center of the Starpiece Region to meet with the patriarch, Ce Laoyan.

Still on the same street as before, many people looked at Qian Ye and his companions with gloating eyes. The three young men had repeatedly beaten and bullied Zhu San, but based on what they had all just seen, it appeared that Zhu San may have turned over a new leaf. If this was true, then the lives of the three young men might become quite difficult in the future.

While the three young men had accomplished some things for the Ce family, their contributions still left them far behind the statuses of the Ce family’s direct descendants, and Zhu San had just been taken away by young master Ce Jiu himself. They had all watched Ce Jiu be quite polite to Zhu San, which meant that the situation was not simple.

Qian Ye and his two friends all looked at each other, weakness overcoming their bodies. They could feel an imminent disaster on the horizon. They knew of the rumors that claimed that young master Ce Jiu treated the three of them with courtesy when he saw them because of their high social status. However, the young master of the Ce family had just personally come to pick up Zhu San and even given him a precious pill.

Who could have imagined that Zhu San, who had remained silent for many years, would suddenly start to rise once more?

Some distance away, in space, Ce Jiu used his domain to form a ruler as he led Zhu San towards the center of the Starpiece Region.

Zhu San nervously asked, "Young master, might I ask what the patriarch wants me for?"

He did not believe that he qualified to meet with the patriarch, nor that he possessed sufficient value to the family.

Ce Jiu glanced over. "You… know Lu Yin."

Zhu San was caught off guard. "Lu Yin?"

Seeing that Ce Jiu continued to stare at him, Zhu San thought for a bit before saying, "I failed in my attempt to take control of Millions City because of Lu Yin's meddling…"

Zhu San shared most of the details of what had happened.

The truth was that he had submitted a detailed report with all of this information when he had first returned to the Ce family, as they required such things regardless of the failure or success of a mission.

Looking forward, Zhu San saw a massive and impressive planet up ahead. This planet was the center of the Starpiece Region, and it was where Patriarch Ce Laoyan lived.

"Lu Yin wishes to visit my Ce family, and the reason that he’s given is that he wants to see a friend whom he hasn’t seen for a long time. So, we need to get ready," Ce Jiu casually stated as he moved towards the planet.

As for Zhu San, he remained where he was, stunned. Lu Yin? Lu Yin? This was actually because of him?

It was no wonder why Ce Jiu had personally gone to pick up Zhu San, Lu Yin was the one who wanted to see him.

But when had Zhu San become friends with Lu Yin? Why did he want to visit a friend after a long time?

…

Outside the Starpiece Region, Lu Yin and the Second Nightking were standing still in outer space, and in front of them was the Ce family’s patriarch, Ce Laoyan.

"I did not expect Alliance Leader Lu to visit my Ce family. You truly honor the Starpiece Region," Ce Laoyan said very politely with a smile on his face, but no enthusiasm could be felt in his words at all. Instead, the man seemed rather indifferent.

Ce Laoyan greeted Lu Yin with many members of the Ce family in a show of respect for Lu Yin's status, but this did not mean that they were welcoming him. At the very least, Ce Yue, who was the Ce family’s elder, was not present.

Lu Yin stepped forward and smiled. "I've taken the liberty to pay you a visit, so I ask that you not be offended by my actions, Patriarch Ce."

Ce Laoyan smiled back. "After the tribunal held for the Yōu clan, I actually wanted to invite you to be a guest of our Ce family, but I was afraid that you would be too busy, so I said nothing. Naturally, if Alliance Leader Lu is able to pay us a visit, my Ce family will welcome you. Why would we be offended?"

"That's wonderful," Lu Yin answered with a smile. As he spoke, he glanced at the group of people gathered behind Ce Laoyan. There was one person who stood there with his head bowed, clearly nervous and uncomfortable. He was Zhu San.

"Zhu San, Alliance Leader Lu came here specifically to see you. Why don’t you step forward?" Ce Laoyan asked.

Zhu San was still standing next to Ce Jiu within the gathered crowd of members of the Ce family, and these words caused the young man’s heart to tremble. He stepped forward. He had no idea why Lu Yin had sought him out specifically. The two of them were clearly not friends, but Lu Yin would not visit the Ce family just to make trouble for Zhu San, would he? No, that should be impossible.

Ce Jiu was riddled with conflicting emotions as he looked at Lu Yin in front of him. In the past, the two of them had been considered competitors, and Lu Yin had been nothing more than a random youth to the Ce family. However, after such a short while, Lu Yin had climbed so high that the entire Ce family needed to step out to welcome him.

Zhu San stepped forward until he was just behind Ce Laoyan, and he nervously looked up at Lu Yin. He had no idea what to say.

Lu Yin let out a loud laugh. "Brother Zhu, when we said our goodbyes in Burial Garden, you invited me to the Starpiece Region to be your guest. Why haven’t I heard from you since then?"

Everyone turned to stare at Zhu San.

Zhu San’s mouth fell open. It did not seem that Lu Yin had come to make trouble for Zhu San, but why was he acting like they were so close?

Despite Lu Yin’s bright smile and friendly demeanor, Zhu San was quite familiar with Lu Yin. It was impossible for Lu Yin to visit him without some ulterior motive. On top of that, Lu Yin was acting overly friendly despite the two of them not really knowing each other.

"I forgot, I’m sorry," Zhu San let out a dry laugh.

Lu Yin smiled. "Well, I took it upon myself to come find you so that you didn’t need to call me over."

Despite Zhu San’s nervousness and wariness, he had still been the Zhu family’s young master in the past, and he had even been bold enough to plot to steal control of Millions City. Even though he could not figure out Lu Yin’s goal in this visit, Zhu San was still able to quickly recover and paste a smile on his face. "Of course you’re welcome here, but given your little brother’s status here in the Starpiece Region, I'm afraid that I won’t be able to be your host, Brother Lu."

Ce Laoyan spoke up, "Alliance Leader Lu is our guest here in the Starpiece Region, so why would you not be able to act as his host? Come, let’s stop chatting here at the entrance. Alliance Leader Lu, please come in."

Lu Yin nodded with a smile before following the Ce family into the Starpiece Region.

Ce Laoyan gestured for Zhu San to stay close to Lu Yin.

The layout of the Starpiece Region reminded Lu Yin of the Starsibyl Sect, as the stars and planets in both places had been arranged in a very deliberate manner.

As they moved along, he asked a great number of questions about the Starpiece Region. He acted as though he was merely very curious. No one could see through his words to determine his motivation for this unexpected visit or if he really was just stopping by to visit them.

After welcoming Lu Yin, Ce Laoyan quickly contacted Hui Zhi and Ku Pu in an attempt to uncover the reason behind Lu Yin’s unexpected visit, but the patriarch was unable to determine anything at all.

Lu Yin could no longer be considered a member of the younger generation, and the Ce family was suffering from a great deal of pressure due to him. If not for the fact that the Seven Courts had Semi-Progenitor Xia Ji, Lu Yin’s status and influence would have been enough to pressure the entire Seven Courts.

Despite being the patriarch of the Ce family, Ce Laoyan had personally stepped out to welcome Lu Yin and escort him into the Starpiece Region. Along with him, Zhu San, Ce Jiu, and other members of the family followed behind. Only after an entire day passed did Ce Laoyan ask Zhu San to take over hosting Lu Yin. After all, Lu Yin had said that he had come to visit Zhu San.

The Second Nightking continued to follow behind Lu Yin. The Ce family was wary of Lu Yin's status and influence, but his personal strength could not move them. Only the Second Nightking was strong enough to trigger the Ce family's vigilance, but fortunately, the Second Nightking had kept his strength suppressed the entire time and appeared to be a completely ordinary human.

"Father, why haven’t you asked Lu Yin about how he learned the Ce Secret Art?" Ce Jiu could not hold back from asking this question after they separated from Lu Yin.

Ce Laoyan replied indifferently, "What do you think of the relationship between Lu Yin and Zhu San?"

Ce Jiu considered the matter for a while. "They don’t seem to be too familiar with each other."

"Then why did he come here to visit Zhu San?" Ce Laoyan pressed.

Ce Jiu answered, "Your child has been considering this. Could it be that he is using Zhu San as an excuse to visit my Ce family?"

Ce Lao Yan grew solemn. "Lu Yin is someone who plans ahead and who always has some sort of scheme behind his actions. He’s clearly using Zhu San as an excuse to enter our Ce family’s territory, and he’s definitely prepared to do something."

"So, you don’t want to take any rash actions before you’re able to clearly understand his reason for coming here?" Ce Jiu suddenly understood.

Ce Laoyan turned his head to stare in the direction Lu Yin had gone. "There’s no time limit to this game of chess that we play in this universe, and it all comes down to who can endure the longest. It’s impossible for Lu Yin to stay here for very long, so he will soon reveal his reason for coming here, and then we’ll know how to respond.”

The patriarch then ordered, “Go retrieve everything we have on Zhu San."

"Yes, Father."

After Ce Laoyan and the others left, Lu Yin was left with only the Second Nightking and Zhu San.

Lu Yin stared at Zhu San. "Did you think that I wouldn’t come see you?"

Zhu San felt confused, and his nervousness and wariness spiked. "Lu-, Alliance Leader Lu, there’s really nothing between us, so why did you come to see me?"

Lu Yin stretched out a hand and slowly set it onto Zhu San's shoulder, patting him. "Let’s talk as we move. Show me around this Starpiece Region and the planet you live on."

Zhu San did not understand, but he did as Lu Yin asked and took Lu Yin to the planet where he lived.

Zhu San’s home was not very far from the street with the brothel that he had been drinking in recently. When Zhu San saw the bustling street and all the beautiful women decked out in colorful clothes outside the brothel, his eyes flickered, and he landed in the middle of the street along with Lu Yin. "Alliance Leader Lu, my home is nearby, but going straight there might attract too much attention, so let’s walk from here."

Lu Yin nodded. "Sure."

Zhu San breathed in deeply and then led Lu Yin down the street where he was often picked on and bullied. This particular planet was for people from the Ce family, but mainly those with outside surnames to live and play in. There were only a few capable people on this planet, and the most noticeable ones were Qian Ye and his friends.

Although Zhu San had failed to seize control of Millions City, he had still managed to accumulate a great deal of resources during his years in Millions City. Thus, he frequently visited this particular street and spent his money there, so most of the people knew him.

His purpose in bringing Lu Yin to this particular street was quite simple: It was a classic example of a fox that borrowed the majesty of a tiger.

Despite not knowing Lu Yin’s purpose in visiting him, Zhu San did not particularly care. Even if he was going to be used by Lu Yin, Zhu San was determined to charge some interest up front and take advantage of Lu Yin’s presence right away.

People were not stupid, and Zhu San was quite intelligent and skilled at seizing the moment.

Long ago, he had even been willing to dress up as a woman in order to take control of Millions City, so there was nothing that Zhu San would not dare to try.

The street was bustling, and the people in it were talking loudly, many of them accompanied by beautiful women. There were also people occasionally making expensive purchases, causing others to let out loud exclamations.

As Zhu San led Lu Yin and the Second Nightking down the street, their presence instantly drew many people’s attention.

At this moment, Qian Ye and his two friends were upset and drinking on the fifth floor of the brothel. They had stayed here overnight, not leaving since the day before. All of them were upset as they had a bad premonition.

"Brothers, what should we do if Zhu San really does try to rely on the young master?" Ming Tai asked quietly.

Zi Shu frowned. "Ever since Zhu San returned here from the Outerverse, we’ve picked on him relentlessly. We might not be able to make amends with him."

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