After the Innerverse and Outerverse had been separated, Lu Yin had sent people to search for Old Gu De, but they had not been able to find him. The Astral River Ark had separated the Innerverse and Outerverse, and many people had been refused entry into the ark. The cultivators on the ark had insulted many Outerverse cultivators, and they had become the Outerverse's public enemy.
Many people wanted to cause trouble for them. Unfortunately, with Old Gu De's strength as a Hunter and the cultivators on the Astral River Ark, it was not easy to find them when they were hidden. They had not expected Hai Qiqi to run into them.
He would not let Old Gu De die so easily. This man had to taste the taste of despair.
"How's the search in the Astral River going?"
Hai Qiqi rolled her eyes. "Nonsense."
What a familiar feeling. It seemed that Hai Qiqi's mood had improved a lot, and her venomous tongue had returned. But then again, it made sense. It had been almost a year and a half, and her mood was gradually recovering.
Hai Qiqi wasn't in the mood to continue chatting with Lu Yin, and she urged him to quickly deal with Old Gu De before leaving.
"Wait, have you heard of imprints?" Lu Yin asked as he stared at Hai Qiqi.
Hai Qiqi shook her head in confusion. "I've never heard of it. Why are you asking me?"
Lu Yin replied, "It's nothing. Go and rest."
Hai Qiqi left.
The Sea King was an Emissary with a power level of over 500,000, and he was at least equivalent to an Imprinter in the Sixth Mainland. If the Sea King's Dome did not cultivate the imprint, then the Fifth Mainland must have truly lost this cultivation method. Lu Yin pondered for a moment.
He recalled the conversation between White Knight and Blood Looney in the cauldron. One of them believed that the cultivation methods of imprints, bloodlines, and martial seals were stronger, while the other believed that those cultivation methods were too rigid and had no future.
He did not know who was right, but based on the results alone, the Sixth Mainland had won. However, Lu Yin still felt that White Knight was right. If one's cultivation method was too monotonous, then many possibilities would be lost.
Moreover, since he was using the imprint to borrow the imprinter's power, then wouldn't he be discovered by the imprinter?
If he became an enemy of that Imprinter, would he still be able to fight?
Rather than saying that this cultivation method could increase one's combat strength, it was more like a method used by the upper class to rule the lower class.
Yes, rule. This was the rule of cultivation. Lu Yin abruptly stood up and walked out of the king's residence, heading towards the fifth princess' residence. He wanted to have a chat with Wendy Yushan and see what she thought.
However, when he arrived at the Fifth Princess' residence, he learned that Wendy Yushan had been in seclusion for several days.
Lu Yin's heart skipped a beat. He had covered the area with his domain, but he could not find any trace of Wendy Yushan. Not good, she must have gone to the Daosource Sect's ruins.
The ruins of the Daosource Sect had already been turned into a battlefield, and the slightest carelessness could result in death. He had already warned her, but she had still gone.
He regretted giving her his futon.
"Inform me immediately when the princess returns," Lu Yin instructed before leaving the residence. He could only wait and hope that her identity would not be exposed.
Clouds floated quietly in the sky, and Lu Yin's figure flashed as he appeared within the clouds. He looked down at Zenyu Star and saw a very distant place. The scenery was beautiful.
Raising his hand, the clouds swept past. They were like water vapor, and there was a slight chill to them.
"Seventh Bro, it's time to write your autobiography," the monkey suddenly said.
Lu Yin was puzzled. "Why would you say that?"
"With Seventh Bro's experiences, it wouldn't be too much for you to write an autobiography. Once the book is published, it'll probably sell like crazy. However, most powerhouses don't publish their autobiographies to the public, and they'll be buried with them after they die," the monkey said.
Lu Yin frowned. "You can shut up."
"You humans are all like this. You don't want to hear the truth. You'd rather hear good words."
"I'm not dead yet, and I don't plan on dying anytime soon."
"How much longer do you want to live?"
"If I die, you won't be able to live either. Alright, I don't want to talk about this topic with you. If you keep talking nonsense, I'll block you," Lu Yin said unhappily. Anyone would feel uncomfortable if they were suddenly told that they were going to die, even if it was the truth.
The monkey remained silent.
Lu Yin looked down and was about to leave when he suddenly felt like he had seen something. He stood in the clouds and looked down at the city below. What had he just seen?
At that moment, a gust of wind blew past and scattered the clouds. Lu Yin looked up and saw a transport ship with a symbol on it: the Nalan family.
Right, the Nalan family. Lu Yin scanned the entire city. The shopping malls, the roads, the sky, the public facilities, the snack shops, and even some of the empire's institutions had the symbol of the Nalan family. The entire city didn't look like it belonged to the Great Yu Empire, but rather the Nalan family.
Lu Yin's expression changed, and his body suddenly disappeared before reappearing in the same transport ship.
"How much longer until we arrive?"
"Soon. The space station needs to be registered, and there are three more transport ships ahead. They all belong to the Great Yu Empire's military."
"Tell them to move aside. We're leaving first."
"That's not a good idea. After all, it's a transport ship belonging to the Great Yu Empire's military."
"What's not good about it? The military rations they eat are all provided by the Nalan family. Their pay, uniforms, and spaceships are all provided by the Nalan family. It's one thing to pay for them, but can't we even give them some privileges?
Go, tell them to complain to their Royal Regent if they have any complaints. "
"Understood."
…
In a corner of the transport ship, Lu Yin leaned against the window, his eyes flashing.
That night, Lu Yin met with Gavin.
"Gavin greets Your Highness."
Lu Yin looked at him and nodded, "Sit."
Gavin didn't understand why Lu Yin had called him over so late at night, but his instincts told him that something was up. He was nervous and couldn't sit properly, so he only managed to sit halfway down.
"How's the cooperation with the Nalan family going?" Lu Yin asked casually as he flipped through his gadget.
Gavin answered carefully, "The Nalan family is cooperating fully with the empire, and the empire's economy is expected to recover soon."
"We still owe them money, right?"
"Yes, we owe them quite a bit."
"What are the areas of cooperation?
Speaking of which, I was the one who facilitated the cooperation with the Nalan family, but I still don't know the specifics. "
Gavin coughed, "The scope of the cooperation is quite large. If Your Highness needs it, I can send you a copy of the cooperation."
"No need, I don't have time to look at it. Just give me a general overview."
Gavin nodded, and at that moment, Zhao Ran brought two cups of tea over. Lu Yin had brought her to Zenyu Star with the intention of arranging for her to live in the princess' residence, but she had insisted on following Lu Yin, so he had no choice but to let her stay in King Zishan's palace as a maid.
Gavin picked up his teacup and took a sip to suppress his shock. "The Nalan family has a wide range of businesses, ranging from technological resources and battle techniques to clothing, food, alcohol, and cigarettes. They have a wide range of businesses, and our Great Yu Empire is cooperating with them because of these considerations. We are cooperating with them on a comprehensive basis …"
Gavin spoke a lot and even drank a few sips of tea, causing Zhao Ran to pour him another cup.
"So, all the businesses that cooperate with the Nalan family are making money?" Lu Yin asked.
Gavin nodded, "These businesses are all backed by the empire, and a portion of their profits are handed over to the treasury."
Lu Yin tapped his finger on the table, "Technological resources, clothing, food, and battle techniques. This covers all of the commoners, soldiers, and cultivators. Lord Gavin, have you ever considered that the economic lifeline of the empire would be completely in the hands of the Nalan family?"
Gavin was shocked and quickly stood up, "Your Highness —" Lu Yin raised a hand to interrupt him before he could finish, "I'm not blaming you. After all, I was the one who agreed to cooperate with the Nalan family, but I didn't expect them to be involved in such a wide range of businesses. It's my fault for not thinking things through, and it has nothing to do with you."
Gavin sighed, "Your Highness, I've actually considered this issue as well, but the Nalan family has no ill intentions towards the empire and the empire's economy is recovering. Once the empire's economy returns to normal, I will cancel all of these agreements."
"I'm afraid it won't be that easy," Lu Yin said sternly as he stared at Gavin.
Gavin's heart skipped a beat, and his face paled.
"Canceling the agreements means that some businesses in the empire won't be able to make any money. You said it yourself that these businesses are backed by the empire, and those who can cooperate with the Nalan family are definitely backed by the empire's upper echelons. Even if you don't want to cooperate, they'll still force you, right?"
Gavin trembled and slowly bowed, "Your Highness is wise."
Lu Yin pondered this for a moment. Cooperating with the Nalan family had indeed boosted the Great Yu Empire's economy, but there were also pros and cons. Many people in the empire were making money, and if he canceled the agreements with the Nalan family, these people would come looking for trouble. Cutting off someone's source of income was like killing their parents, and many people were not afraid of death for their own benefits.
If the Nalan family canceled the agreements, they would offend another group of people in the empire, which would not be good for future cooperation.
This was a bit troublesome.
Who would have thought that the Nalan family's business scope was so wide? Gavin had always enjoyed the benefits of the Nalan family, but the empire's economy was slowly being controlled by them.
The Nalan family might not have any ill intentions, but it did not feel good to hand over his own lifeline to others.
Gavin remained bowed, not daring to move as beads of sweat dripped from his forehead.
Not long after, Lu Yin spoke to Gavin, "List out the names of the merchants with powerful connections."
Gavin's face paled, and he had a premonition that someone was about to be unlucky. He did not dare to disobey, so he quickly listed out the names.
Gavin quickly left, and the next person to appear was Xueshan Auna.
Xueshan Auna had not expected Lu Yin to come looking for him so late at night, and he was excited. Lu Yin had either come looking for trouble or to show his trust. Recently, there had been nothing in the Auna family that could cause Lu Yin any trouble, which meant that Lu Yin was preparing to use the Auna family.
Xueshan Auna grew excited at the thought of this.
"This old subject, Xueshan Auna, greets Your Highness."
Lu Yin smiled, "Please have a seat, Patriarch."
Xueshan Auna sat down, and Zhao Ran poured him a cup of tea. She looked at him curiously, as many people had come tonight.
Lu Yin's attitude towards Xueshan Auna was very good, and they chatted for more than half an hour. The more they talked, the more enthusiastic he became.
Xueshan Auna had been rather excited at first, but the more they talked, the more he felt that something was amiss. He understood the person in front of him, and the more enthusiastic Lu Yin was, the more trouble he would cause. Of course, Lu Yin was not looking for trouble, but he would definitely cause trouble for Xueshan Auna.
Xueshan Auna panicked.