Young Emperor Qing had told the Prince about Impermanence's existence, but he had not told him that the Second Nightking had come as well.
He did not plan to deal with Lu Yin openly either, as there were too many people supporting Lu Yin from behind the scenes.
If that was the case for Lu Yin, then there was no need to mention the Second Nightking, who was wanted by the Galactic Arbitration Center. Once news of the Second Nightking's presence in Gu King City spread, then Young Emperor Qing would no longer be facing the power behind Lu Yin, but rather the entire Hall of Honor.
Young Emperor Qing had been hesitant, but the slap to Eunuch Yi's face had strengthened his resolve. Lu Yin had not slapped Eunuch Yi, but Young Emperor Qing himself. This was still in Gu King City, which showed just how arrogant Lu Yin was. He did not even consider the Divine Gu Dynasty worthy of his attention. Perhaps it was just as the Sword Sect had said: once Lu Yin unified the Innerverse, the Divine Gu Dynasty would not be an exception.
Unfortunately, Grand Tutor Yuan and the others were too stubborn and conservative.
The Divine Gu Dynasty sent out invitations, and people continuously entered Gu King City. There was still some time before the banquet to celebrate Young Emperor Qing's breakthrough.
Lu Yin stayed in Young Emperor Qing's palace for two days before leaving again. This time, he went to see Elder Lianxin.
He was not sure what sort of strange surveillance methods the Divine Gu Dynasty had, so he did not leave in secret. Instead, he went to see Elder Lianxin openly.
Lu Yin's whereabouts had always been under Young Emperor Qing's control, as the Divine Gu Dynasty's surveillance methods came from underground. On the Divine Gu Continent, every piece of land was poisonous, and every drop of poison could record a creature's daily activities.
The moment Lu Yin stepped out of the palace, Young Emperor Qing would definitely see him.
Elder Lianxin lived in a residence not far from Young Emperor Qing's palace, and when Lu Yin arrived, she immediately avoided meeting him.
Lu Yin frowned. The Sword Sect had already secretly pledged their allegiance, but Elder Lianxin still maintained this attitude. Either she was apprehensive of the Divine Gu Dynasty, or she was unwilling to join the Great Eastern Alliance. Regardless of the situation, Lu Yin had to enter. Whether or not he could meet Elder Lianxin, he had to at least meet Li Zimo. Only then would he know Elder Lianxin's true attitude.
There was a bang as the residence's door was smashed open, and the Divine Gu Dynasty's guards fell to the ground. Lu Yin easily entered the residence.
The commotion alerted the nearby palace, as well as Young Empress Qing. She was furious, as Lu Yin was too arrogant. This was Gu King's City, not the Great Eastern Alliance's territory, and yet he dared to act so recklessly.
The commotion also alarmed the other people in Gu King City, and they all stared at Lu Yin's actions. He was simply too brazen.
Li Zimo stared at Lu Yin. "Alliance Leader Lu, what are you trying to do?"
"I heard that Elder Lianxin is here. I'd like to meet her."
Li Zimo raised his sword in an attempt to block Lu Yin, but Lu Yin didn't even move. Li Zimo's sword shattered, and in the next moment, the void distorted as Shaohuang Qing walked out and blocked Lu Yin's path.
This was the first time Lu Yin had seen Young Master Qing in person, but he had seen images of her many times.
"Alliance Lord Lu, if there's anything you want to say, I can convey it on your behalf. You and Elder Lianxin are both honored guests of my Divine Gu Dynasty, so please stop fighting," Young Empress Qing said indifferently. Her expression was calm, and she didn't show any hostility towards Lu Yin, even though she was exceptionally angry.
Lu Yin was flabbergasted. "I didn't expect Her Majesty to come out of seclusion."
Logically speaking, with Lu Yin's status, he could have been welcomed by Prince Bei or Qing Longlong. However, as soon as he entered Gu King City, Young Empress Qing would have to meet him out of courtesy. However, Young Empress Qing had always used seclusion as an excuse to not meet with Lu Yin or anyone else.
"I just came out of seclusion.
You're the master, "Young Empress Qing said with a smile.
Lu Yin smiled. "Since Her Majesty has spoken, then let's forget about it."
"Many thanks. The banquet will be held in a few days, so Alliance Lord Lu can rest for a few days. Although Gu King City isn't considered a bustling place, it still has its unique characteristics. All of Alliance Lord Lu's expenses will be covered by me, Young Empress Qing." Young Empress Qing smiled.
Lu Yin's eyes lit up, as these words sounded familiar. Right, the Sea King's Dome. Back then, the Sea King's Dome had rewarded everyone who had participated in the son-in-law selection, and all of the expenses had been covered by the Sea King.
"Are you sure?" Lu Yin's lips curled up.
Young Empress Qing was stumped, as she had a bad premonition. However, Lu Yin was still the Great Eastern Alliance's Alliance Lord, so how could Young Empress Qing be so shameless as to blame the Great Eastern Alliance's expenses? Thus, she did not think too much about it. "Have fun, Alliance Lord Lu."
Lu Yin smiled. "Continue your seclusion, Your Majesty. Right, congratulations on your breakthrough." He then turned to leave.
After watching Lu Yin leave, Li Zimo stepped forward and bowed to Young Empress Qing.
At this moment, Elder Lianxin also stepped forward. "Thank you, Your Majesty, for stopping this person."
Young Empress Qing nodded. "Both Elder and Alliance Lord Lu are honored guests, so it's best if there is no conflict. I'll have to trouble Elder to stay in the residence for the next few days."
Elder Lianxin had a complicated look in her eyes. Young Empress Qing had assumed that Lu Yin had come to cause trouble because the Sword Sect had sent her to ask for reinforcements from the Divine Gu Dynasty. Little did she know that the Sword Sect had secretly sided with Lu Yin. She was a calm person, but the calmer a person was, the more stubborn they would be. Regardless of whether it was inheritance or life and death, they would always be indifferent to things like right and wrong.
Li Zimo had left Shenwu Continent because of Lu Yin, and Lu Yin had done him a favor by sending him to the Sword Sect. Thus, he would not betray Lu Yin. This was his understanding. Elder Lianxin was also unwilling to see the Sword Sect submit to the Great Eastern Alliance.
Thus, she did not want to see Lu Yin. Even if Liu Qianjue had submitted to the Great Eastern Alliance, she would not be willing. At worst, she would just live in seclusion.
However, although she was unwilling to submit to Lu Yin, she would not expose him, and she would not tell Young Empress Qing about the Sword Sect.
Young Empress Qing left, and Elder Lianxin sighed.
"Master, is this your decision?" Li Zimo asked in a low voice.
Elder Lianxin looked at Li Zimo. "Remember, only by maintaining your original heart can you be calm. Master is unwilling to join the Great Eastern Alliance and will not help Lu Yin. This is Master's path."
"This disciple understands," Li Zimo replied.
Elder Lianxin nodded.
Li Zimo looked at Elder Lianxin's departing figure and sighed to himself. Master, you have your own path, and this disciple has his own path as well.
That night, Elder Lianxin suddenly collapsed to the ground and fell into a deep sleep. Young Empress Qing came to check on her, and she was surprised to find that Elder Lianxin had been poisoned.
"The poison is ordinary, but its effects are very strong. It can perfectly display the poison's characteristics, and it can even be said to be extremely perfect. Every bit of the poison's medicinal strength has been amplified by ten or even a hundred times." Young Empress Qing frowned and looked at Li Zimo. "Who has Elder Lianxin been in contact with during this time?"
Li Zimo respectfully replied, "Master has always been in the residence, and she has not come into contact with anyone other than this disciple."
Young Empress Qing was puzzled. This poison was very ordinary, but its toxicity was quite strong. It had actually caused an Emissary like Elder Lianxin to fall into a deep sleep. Who had poisoned her?
Could it have been Lu Yin?
But when?
She then looked at Li Zimo and shook her head. It could not have been this person, as Li Zimo was Elder Lianxin's disciple and had been in the Sword Sect for many years. Elder Lianxin had even mentioned this person when she had spoken with him. Elder Lianxin trusted this disciple more than anyone else, and it was unlikely that this person would possess such a poison.
It was clearly an ordinary poison, but its effects were terrifyingly strong. Where had it come from?
"Your Majesty, how is my master?" Li Zimo asked with an anxious expression.
Young Empress Qing replied, "Don't worry, Elder Lianxin is only unconscious. She's fine, and she'll wake up after a while."
Li Zimo relaxed and clenched his fists. "Who poisoned my master?"
Young Empress Qing did not understand either, but this matter had to be investigated thoroughly. This was Gu King City, and someone had poisoned Elder Lianxin in a way that he could not immediately neutralize. This was not a simple matter. Was there such a poison expert in Gu King City?
Li Zimo suddenly thought of the Grand Preceptor. That old man had never approved of dealing with the Great Eastern Alliance, so it was normal for him to have poisoned the Sword Sect.
If it was this old man, then it was not impossible. Young Empress Qing suppressed her suspicions and comforted Li Zimo once more before leaving.
Li Zimo bowed deeply to Elder Lianxin. "I'm sorry, Master." He was the one who had poisoned Elder Lianxin. Lu Yin had barged into the residence and passed the poison to Li Zimo when they had brushed past each other. He had also told Li Zimo that if Elder Lianxin was unwilling to join the Great Eastern Alliance, then he could poison her. He had also told Li Zimo about the effects of the poison, which was why Li Zimo had agreed.
Lu Yin knew about the relationship between Li Zimo and Elder Lianxin, which was why he had not planned to poison her to death. She had simply fallen into a coma. This poison had come from Elder Wu, and it was a very ordinary poison. However, when Lu Yin had upgraded it, he had used it all up. He still had three vials left, and they were the ones that were not as poisonous. Now, he only had two vials left.
Elder Lianxin was dissatisfied with the Great Eastern Alliance, and even though the Sword Sect had submitted, she was not willing to join. She was an unstable factor, so Lu Yin had no choice but to put her to sleep for now.
Lu Yin had originally planned to have a heart-to-heart talk with the Wen family after leaving Elder Lianxin's residence. He wanted to threaten them and make Wen Zizai realize the importance of the inheritance. However, Shaohuang Qing had given him a special privilege that allowed him to spend money to offset the damage. This made Lu Yin excited, and he decided to go shopping.
The first thing he did was to find the shop that he had visited before.
He had not looked at it carefully before, but on his second visit, Lu Yin deliberately looked at the shop's name. "Poison Comes, Poison Returns." It was a good name.
When he entered the shop, the owner was greeting a group of customers. When Lu Yin entered, the owner and the group of customers saw him, and they all went limp at the same time. The five people in the shop almost collapsed. "My Lord." "Alliance Master Lu."
Lu Yin looked at the group of customers strangely. "You know me?"
The man at the front respectfully replied, "Who in the universe doesn't know Alliance Master Lu? To be able to meet Alliance Master Lu here, this lowly one is willing to die."
Lu Yin smiled. "I have some matters to discuss with the owner."
"Please take your time, Alliance Master Lu. This lowly one will take his leave." He then quickly led the others away.
The owner of the shop lowered his head in fear and bowed respectfully. "My Lord, this lowly one was in the wrong and should not have schemed against your friends. Please forgive this lowly one, and this lowly one swears that this lowly one will never do it again …"
Lu Yin rubbed his ears. "Alright, that's enough nonsense."
The shop owner was even more terrified, and he immediately prostrated himself.
Lu Yin glanced at him. "Let me ask you, where is the most expensive place in Gu King City?"
The shop owner was confused. "The most expensive place?"
Lu Yin squatted down and beamed at him. "Your shop's location is very good, and it's quite large. You must be quite wealthy, so you must be very familiar with the cost of living in Gu King City."
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In the new year, Windswept will work even harder to bring even more exciting stories to everyone. Thank you for your support, brothers! Thank you!