Star Odyssey

Chapter 3883: The Most Beautiful Sight

Jue Rou ducked her head, embarrassed, and her eyes started to dart about.

She was not nearly as gentle as she appeared to be. She was actually full of rebellious thoughts and was quite charming, but she was also strongly bound by her responsibilities to the Jue family.

That meant that she could not simply leave the Jue family, but she was also unable to find anyone to talk to.

Since childhood, only Jue Qing had understood Jue Rou.

The young woman herself did not know why she had said so much to Lu Yin. There was no doubt that it had been their first meeting, and yet she simply had not been able to hold herself back; she had become a complete chatterbox. Thinking back to the carriage ride, she suddenly felt completely embarrassed.

Jue Ling did not think much of Lu Yin’s comment and simply continued to exchange a few pleasantries with Lu Yin, casually inquiring about his visit with the Yu family.

“What about Jue Qing?” Lu Yin suddenly asked.

Jue Ling answered in a helpless tone, “That girl is staring at some scenery. Mr. Lu, you may not know this, but whenever she’s staring at scenery, no one can disturb her.”

Lu Yin asked curiously, “Why not?”

Jue Ling forced a bitter smile out, but she was not sure how to explain the situation, so Jue Rou whispered, “My sister loves staring at scenery more than anything. Once, Mother disturbed her, and my second sister had Greater Sancte Green Lotus write a note forbidding Mother from ever disturbing her while she’s looking at scenery.”

Lu Yin was left speechless. “Did that actually happen?”

Jue Ling sighed. “That girl is fine in every other way, but she has an incomprehensible obsession with scenery. Please don’t be offended, Mr. Lu. This is not intended to be a slight against you.”

Lu Yin waved the apology away, feeling rather sympathetic.

The Seven Fairies were supported by the Sea of Karma, being Greater Sancte Green Lotus’s nominal disciples. On the surface, it sounded absolutely glorious, but each one had a truly unique personality.

Lu Siyu had left her father, Lu Sizhan, completely helpless. Wan Lou had been scolded and bossed around by Ming Xiaolong to the point where the sect master had not dared to even talk back. The Qiunan family was not able to control Qiunan Hongye, and Lu Yin was learning that the Jue family was similarly unable to control Jue Qing.

“Then let’s wait for her to finish what she’s doing before talking.”

Jue Ling felt terribly confused. “Mr. Lu, do you know my daughter?”

Lu Yin countered, “Did Jue Qing not tell you?”

Jue Ling shook her head. While she knew that Jue Qing had thorough knowledge of Lu Yin, Jue Qing had simply said that Greater Sancte Green Lotus had used fate to form a connection between Lu Yin and the Seven Fairies. She even speculated that Lu Yin had most likely comprehended the power of karma.

As for exactly what had happened between Jue Qing and Lu Yin, Jue Ling did not know.

She had asked, but since Jue Qing had refused to say anything, the matriarch had been unable to do anything.

She simply felt incredibly lucky that Jue Qing understood Lu Yin quite well. Whether or not he had comprehended the power of karma, it was their fear of karma that had prevented the Jue family from helping the Cheng family, and that alone was an enormous blessing to them.

From the side, Jue Rou was watching with great curiosity. Sister never said anything about this...

“In that case, why didn’t you agree to fulfill the three-clan covenant?” Lu Yin asked, staring at Jue Ling.

The woman’s expression shifted slightly, and she turned to Jue Rou. “Child, leave us.”

Jue Rou did not want to leave, as she was eager to hear more, but Jue Ling’s stern expression gave the girl no choice but to go.

Once Jue Rou was gone, Jue Ling replied, “My second daughter believes that you may have comprehended the power of karma. That’s why my Jue family didn’t act.”

She did not try to hide anything. Before someone like Lu Yin, such acts were meaningless.

She was also very eager to know if this man really had comprehended karma.

Lu Yin calmly met the woman’s gaze. “If not for Jue Qing, your Jue family would have already disappeared.”

Jue Ling’s eye twitched. She did not argue, because this was true.

In the West Domain, Skyveil City was the strongest faction, but that was only true when the city’s three great clans united. Individually, they were not at that level.

If the three clans united, just how many peak Dukkhans could they mobilize? What sort of lockbreaking abilities would they have? Together, their strength would become terrifying, and that was what allowed them to stand equal to the Rift of Suffering and Dream Dominion.

Still, no matter how strong Skyveil City might be, there was still a limit, and Lu Yin had surpassed that limit.

“She guessed right. I have comprehended it.”

Jue Ling’s eyes narrowed in shock. “Sir... you’ve truly comprehended karma?”

Lu Yin smiled faintly. “That’s right.”

Jue Ling exhaled heavily, and her previous fear suddenly returned. He really has comprehended karma... Thank goodness we didn’t act against him. Thank goodness!

This meant that Lu Yin was the second known person in the entire Nine Odysseys Megaverse to have ever comprehended the power of karma. On top of that, he was so young. Even if Lu Yin’s combat strength was ignored, once the fact that he had comprehended karma became publicly known, no one in the entire megaverse would dare to lay a hand on him.

The Cheng family and even all of Skyveil City would not matter at all.

Greater Sancte Green Lotus was Lu Yin’s strongest support.

It was no wonder why the Greater Sancte held Lu Yin in such high regard. Saying that he had emerged from the Sea of Karma did not mean that he had simply left that place, but rather that he had the full power of the Sea of Karma at his back.

In Greater Sancte Green Lotus’s eyes, Lu Yin was worth far more than all Seven Fairies. Those seven women were not even close to standing on the same level as Lu Yin.

Not even all of Greater Sancte Green Lotus’s previous disciples combined could compare to Lu Yin’s value.

Baicha Tiancheng could only be ridiculed for trying to scheme against such a man. It was no wonder that the Cheng family had been destroyed.

With just one step different, just one step, the Jue family would have joined the Cheng family in ruin.

Yu Jing was clever and crafty. As soon as he saw that the Jue family had been hesitant to act, the Yu family had also refused to step forward. If their patriarch had chosen any differently, the Yu family would have also ceased to exist.

What a close call, and what a pity.

Jue Ling needed quite a bit of time to regain her composure. When she saw Lu Yin’s eyes betraying a small smile, she said in a bitter tone, “Mr. Lu, you are from the Tianyuan Megaverse, so you may not fully understand the implications of what comprehending karma means here in the Nine Odysseys Megaverse, which is why I lost my composure.”

Lu Yin sipped some of his tea. “There are many who have guessed this, but few are certain about it. In fact, you can count them on your fingers.”

Jue Ling replied, “Thank you for telling me, Mr. Lu.”

“Of those who know this for sure, some are dead, and others are my captives.”

Jue Ling froze. She did not know how to respond to that.

Lu Yin’s smile grew. “Would you care to know who they are?”

Jue Ling met the man’s eyes, but she could not understand his intentions. Beneath the pressure of his stare, her face slowly grew pale.

Lu Yin had never underestimated the Jue family. While he was confident that he had the strength to erase the family, so long as he did not attack them, anything remained possible. It was true that the Jue family was led by women, but that did not make the family inferior to the Cheng and Yu families in any way. If that were not the case, the Jue family would have never become one of the three powers that controlled Skyveil City.

It needed to be acknowledged that the shadow of the Jue family could be seen behind the current chaos in Skyveil City.

Who did not want to seize the Cheng family’s legacy?

Additionally, the Jue family had once been part of the efforts that had targeted Li Guo. The Jue family had never been soft-handed.

Lu Yin did not care about the clan’s past. It was normal for factions and cultivators to employ shady methods in the early stages of building their power. He was merely taking the opportunity to give the family a warning to not use those methods on him. For example, sending Jue Rou to pick him up in an enclosed carriage.

Lu Yin had initially believed that riding in an enclosed carriage alone with Jue Rou would damage the girl’s marriage prospects and tarnish her reputation, but in her innocence, Jue Rou had announced to Lu Yin that she would never marry. That meant that there had been a second intention behind sending her to collect Lu Yin: using his reputation to improve her own.

In the future, if someone wanted to target Jue Rou, they would first have to consider what sort of connection she might have with Lu Yin.

Had anything happened in that carriage? It would be best if there was nothing, but if anything had happened, then laying hands on Jue Rou would be nothing less than a slap in Lu Yin’s face.

Even if others were certain that nothing had happened, if the Jue family ever encountered a crisis, they could simply exaggerate that incident, force their enemies to hesitate, or even drag Lu Yin into the fray.

It had been such a simple little thing. Lu Yin could not even be sure if Jue Ling had done it with those intentions in mind, but it could still give the Jue family a reprieve.

As for Lu Yin, the fact that Jue Rou had greeted him on her own was indeed a demonstration of respect, and he really could not say anything against it.

It had been a small trick, and while there was nothing harmful about it, it had been very effective.

At that moment, a graceful silhouette approached, attracting Lu Yin’s attention.

A peerless figure that looked like a fairy stepping out of a flower garden—that was Lu Yin’s first impression of Jue Qing.

She was like a living landscape painting: at one moment as cold as winter’s snow, the next as fierce as the blazing sun. Sometimes there was the impression of flowing like a rippling stream, other times as steadfast as mountain ranges and rivers. Every glance revealed a wholly different aspect of her.

Once she drew close and Lu Yin could see her face clearly, he felt like he was looking at a goddess who was untouched by the mortal world, someone who had just stepped out of a painting.

The woman kept changing.

“Mr. Lu, it’s been a while,” she greeted in a soft, gentle voice.

Something stirred in Lu Yin’s heart. “It has been some time.”

Jue Ling let out a breath of relief. Finally, she’s here. This Lu Yin is not easy to deal with, and he can turn hostile at any moment.

“Mr. Lu, can you show me the most beautiful sight?” Jue Qing asked.

Jue Ling was taken aback. “The most beautiful sight? Girl, isn’t that the same thing that you request of all your suitors?”

She then turned to look at Lu Yin, her expression indescribably conflicted. She appeared to be both expectant and extremely anxious.

Lu Yin smiled. “It’s just a task, Senior. There’s no need to panic.”

Jue Ling looked back at Jue Qing, who just gave the slightest nod.

Jue Ling could not decide if she should feel relieved or regretful.

If Lu Yin became the Jue family’s son-in-law, they truly would not fear anyone. However, Lu Yin had proven to be completely unpredictable, and because he was from the Tianyuan, his status was unique. On top of that, he had acted far too willfully. Who knew if he might someday offend one of the Greater Sancti?

He might cause the Jue family to rise into the heavens on his back, or send them plummeting into the abyss.

Jue Ling preferred her family to maintain a steady position. She would rather have stability and monotony than take such an immense risk.

She had not intended anything to happen when Jue Rou had gone to invite Lu Yin on her own. The woman would inherit the Jue family, which meant that the best outcome had been to simply create a nice story to leave behind. That way, no matter what eventually became of Lu Yin, the Jue family would not be implicated by him, but as long as he lived, the Jue family would be able to borrow his prestige.

Meeting Jue Qing’s gaze, Lu Yin said, “Does the Cheng family’s destruction count as the most beautiful sight?”

Jue Qing froze, and Jue Ling’s expression changed drastically. “Mr. Lu, what do you mean by that?”

Lu Yin smiled. “I’ve heard that Skyveil City’s three great clans don’t get along well and that they’re even hostile to each other. In that case, the Cheng family’s destruction should count as the most beautiful sight for your Jue family, no?”

Jue Ling quickly replied, “The three great clans have not been at odds with each other. Sir, please don’t misunderstand the situation. Such things... cannot be spoken carelessly.”

She was terrified that Lu Yin’s comment would be heard by others and that people would start to claim that the Cheng family had been destroyed because of the task that Jue Qing had given Lu Yin. That would change the perception of the matter and make Cheng Gong no longer the sole motivator for Lu Yin’s actions. Instead, part of the responsibility for the Cheng family’s destruction would fall squarely on the Jue family’s shoulders. This would only be exacerbated by the fact that the Jue family had not honored the three-clan covenant. There would be no way for them to explain this away.

If the Jue family possessed sufficient strength, they would not have minded destroying the Cheng family, but they were too weak to carry such blame.

How would the Yu family perceive them?

Others would only become more guarded towards them.

On top of that, the Cheng family had had allies outside of Skyveil City. While those allies would not dare to go after Lu Yin, they would not hesitate to make trouble for the Jue family. Things could easily become very difficult for them.

Jue Qing shook her head. “The Cheng family’s destruction has nothing to do with me. That can’t be considered the most beautiful sight. No, that can’t even be called a sight at all.

“While I did promise Seventh Sister that I would try to help you fulfill my task, Mr. Lu, you shouldn’t be so casual about things.”

Jue Ling stared intently at Lu Yin, afraid that he would pin the blame for the Cheng family directly upon them.

Lu Yin had just been speaking casually. Since the Cheng family’s destruction did not count, it did not matter. He thought for a moment, and then took something out of his cosmic ring and handed it to Jue Qing. “This... is the sight that I will give you.”

Jue Ling and Jue Qing looked at what he was holding. “A fruit?”

Lu Yin said, “This is a Celestial Frost Fruit. It comes from the Celestial Frost Sect in the Perennial World in the Tianyuan Megaverse’s Fifth Mainland. For the first half of my life, the Celestial Frost Sect was my greatest enemy. They left me homeless and abandoned me in a foreign place. They forced me to recultivate from nothing, and they nearly killed me on multiple occasions. They forced me to become a different person from who I once was.

“I heard that during my Ortuser breakthrough, the character of vengeance (仇) appeared here in Skyveil City and allowed you to catch some glimpses of my past. Among the grudges that were shown was the one with the Celestial Frost Sect. When combined with this Celestial Frost Fruit... would you say that that is the most beautiful sight?”