Chapter 1400: You Have No Shame

The Wind Rises in Kyushu

The Wind Rises in Kyushu

When Little Nine showed Lu Ye how Kyushu had once been besieged by powerful cultivators from all sides, Lu Ye witnessed the shocking sight of various starships gathered near Kyushu’s airspace. Although he hadn’t been in the Myriad Manifestations Star System for long, he had already seen some starships streaking across the sky.

If he were merely blocked by a star skiff, Lu Ye could ignore it. They were all star skiffs, and even if his was the cheapest and most rudimentary, the other party wouldn't have the ability to forcibly intercept him. However, being intercepted by a starship was a different matter entirely. If he insisted on resisting, a single attack from them might be enough to destroy his star skiff.

After stopping his star skiff, Lu Ye immediately sensed divine sense spreading out. Three figures emerged from the opposing starship; two positioned themselves to the left and right, blocking any possible escape routes for his skiff, while the third headed directly towards it. Lu Ye wasn’t alarmed, because in the Myriad Manifestations Star System, strategic weapons like starships usually belonged to the major local powers. They wouldn't trouble an outsider like him, as it might tarnish their reputation. The most likely scenario was some kind of inquiry. As expected, the Late-stage Star Cluster Realm cultivator who landed on his star skiff clasped his fist and bowed to Lu Ye: "Fellow Daoist, we apologize for the intrusion!" His tone was very polite.

"What is it?" Lu Ye asked.

The man looked a bit embarrassed. "The young master of Myriad Hues Sect from Bell Chariot Realm has run away from home again. We’ve been ordered to assist in the search, so we need to inspect your star skiff for any hidden individuals."

Lu Ye gestured. "My star skiff is only this big. You can check it yourselves." The star skiff he bought was only worth thirty thousand spirit jades and could only carry two or three people in total. It was clear at a glance that nothing could be hidden.

The Late-stage Star Cluster Realm cultivator nodded. "We apologize for disturbing you, Fellow Daoist. Additionally, we’d like to inform you that the Myriad Hues Sect is offering a reward of twenty thousand spirit jades for any effective leads. If someone can bring the young master back, the reward is a hundred thousand spirit jades!"

It was a stark contrast: some were starving, while others were drowning in abundance. The Myriad Hues Sect had offered such a generous reward for a runaway, clearly indicating their immense wealth. This was undoubtedly a sect that didn't lack spirit jades. Besides, the local powers in the Myriad Manifestations Star System lived off the land, so to speak. With the vast Myriad Manifestations Sea attracting visitors from all directions, they likely never lacked money.

"This is a projection of the young master, along with some relevant physical characteristics," the Late-stage Star Cluster Realm cultivator said, handing Lu Ye a jade slip.

Lu Ye took it, glanced through it, and nodded slightly. "I understand."

He suddenly realized that the hurried cultivators he had encountered on his way back had probably all received this news and were searching for the young master of Myriad Hues Sect. For any Star Cluster Realm cultivator, the Myriad Hues Sect’s bounty was extremely generous; simply providing an effective lead was worth twenty thousand spirit jades, and bringing the young master back would net a hundred thousand. Compared to finding work on Recruitment Island, this was undoubtedly far more appealing.

"Excuse us!" The Late-stage Star Cluster Realm cultivator apologized and prepared to leave. After a slight pause, Lu Ye called out to him, "Fellow Daoist, please wait!" The man turned around. "Is there anything else?"

Lu Ye said, "Since this young master ran away from home, he probably won't be willing to return with someone, right? If he's truly found, won't there be a need to use force to subdue him? What if he gets injured...?"

The Late-stage Star Cluster Realm cultivator smiled faintly. "Please rest assured on that point, Fellow Daoist. Senior Jiu Yan has stated that as long as he's not killed, and no untreatable injuries are inflicted, any 'discipline' is acceptable. Oh, Senior Jiu Yan is the young master's birth mother and also a Sun-Illuminated Realm cultivator, so you don't need to have any psychological burden." He paused, then added, "However, if you do engage with the young master, you still need to be careful, as he possesses quite a few treasures. I heard he even has a red talisman gifted by Senior Jiu Yan for protection. If he activates it and kills you, your death would be in vain!"

Lu Ye nodded slightly. "Different people, different fates. With a Sun-Illuminated Realm cultivator as a mother, one can indeed act without restraint."

The Late-stage Star Cluster Realm cultivator smiled, said nothing further, and then vanished. Shortly after, he and his companions piloted their starship away.

Lu Ye paused in thought, then turned his star skiff around and headed back the way he came.

Although the young master’s projected image in the jade slip was different from what he had seen on the desolate planet earlier, some characteristics were the same. Especially his cultivation level: the jade slip recorded the young master as being in the Early Star Cluster Realm, and the young man Lu Ye had seen was also in the Early Star Cluster Realm. Originally, Lu Ye had only suspected that the other party might be the runaway, but he couldn't be sure. However, when the Late-stage Star Cluster Realm cultivator mentioned the red talisman, Lu Ye was almost certain that the person he had seen was indeed the young master of Myriad Hues Sect. As for his appearance... treasures that alter one’s looks were quite common; Lu Ye himself had bought some masks back when he was active in Kyushu. With a Sun-Illuminated Realm cultivator as a backer, what kind of treasure couldn’t the young master obtain?

He hadn't expected that a young man he'd encountered by chance would turn out to be a walking hundred thousand spirit jades! Since the young master's birth mother had given her word that he shouldn't be killed or suffer untreatable injuries, there was naturally nothing to hesitate about. Furthermore, Lu Ye had noticed that the man had mentioned the young master of Myriad Hues Sect had "run away from home *again*..." This indicated he had done it more than once. It was likely he had been disciplined and brought back before.

A day later, Lu Ye returned to the desolate planet.

He immediately saw signs of cultivators entering and leaving the desolate planet, clearly searching for the young master’s tracks, but their expressions indicated they had found nothing. Had he run off? Lu Ye frowned slightly.

Since the young master had run away, he clearly didn’t want to be found again. After accidentally encountering Lu Ye earlier, he likely feared his whereabouts would be exposed, so leaving quickly was a normal choice. However, at that time, Lu Ye had no idea about the situation and wouldn't have thought to apprehend him on the spot. He had indeed missed out on a windfall.

But since he was already there, Lu Ye decided to search anyway. He flew low over the desolate planet’s surface, his divine sense spread out, searching meticulously. He found nothing. The young master of Myriad Hues Sect, named Chu Shen, might have truly fled. The desolate planet wasn’t large; with Lu Ye's current Mid-stage Star Cluster Realm cultivation, exploring the entire planet would take at most two hours.

He had initially thought there was no hope. However, when passing a certain spot, he immediately noticed something amiss. This was where he had previously spoken with Ma Bin; there used to be a cave here. But now, passing by again, he found the cave was gone. There was no reason for such a large cave to disappear without a trace; even if it had been destroyed, some signs should have remained. Yet, in fact, there were no traces left.

Lu Ye hovered where the cave had once been, realizing that some kind of formation had likely been set up to conceal the area. The array-laying technique was quite sophisticated, otherwise, the Star Cluster Realm cultivators who searched here earlier wouldn't have been oblivious. This meant that Chu Shen was hiding right here. He was indeed a clever fellow, but unfortunately, his cleverness outsmarted him. He had presumably assumed Lu Ye wouldn't return after leaving, unaware that Lu Ye had no knowledge of the Myriad Hues Sect’s bounty when they first met.

He looked down, his eyes using insight spiritual patterns to carefully observe. A moment later, he spotted a flaw. Lu Ye spoke softly, "Are you coming out yourself, or should I drag you out?" There was no response. Lu Ye wasted no words. He drew his Mountain-Cleaving Blade, swooped downwards, and fiercely slashed!

Although there was nothing visible before him, as the long blade descended, a ripple suddenly spread, and a protective light screen blocked Lu Ye’s attack. An exasperated voice rang out, "You agreed nicely before, and now you’re back again? Have you no shame?" Evidently, he had seen Lu Ye's face.

Lu Ye ignored him and simply continued slashing. For him, breaking this formation wasn’t difficult. Although the array-laying technique was somewhat clever, it was still inferior compared to his. With the insight spiritual patterns, the array’s nodes were laid bare. After three slashes, accompanied by a cry of surprise, the formation collapsed. The opponent clearly hadn't expected his carefully arranged formation to be so vulnerable.

The original cave was revealed, and Lu Ye landed directly at its entrance. The exasperated voice grew even more frantic and somewhat blustering. "I'm warning you, don't come in, or I won't be polite!" As he spoke, a mystic light suddenly shot out from the cave. Caught off guard, Lu Ye was hit squarely, and his body abruptly stiffened, as if an inexplicable restraint had bound him.

"Hahaha!" A loud laugh echoed, and as the sound drew closer, the owner of the laughter gradually appeared in Lu Ye’s sight. It was the young man he had met before, holding a treasured mirror from which the mystic light emanated. This treasure clearly possessed the power to delay a person’s movements. He had first used words to trick Lu Ye into lowering his guard, then struck suddenly, which indeed worked. From this alone, he was a very shrewd and cunning fellow. This was normal; if he were a rigid individual, he wouldn't have run away from home.

He approached Lu Ye, looking triumphant. "You left, so why did you come back looking for trouble? Just for a small bounty? Tell me, should I kill you? After all, you found me, and if I let you go, you'll definitely go to my mother to claim the reward."

"Do you want to kill me?" Lu Ye gazed at him indifferently.

Chu Shen showed a conflicted expression. "We have no enmity, so I don’t really want to kill you. But letting you go isn’t an option. How about this: you become my subordinate and act according to my commands from now on!"

As he spoke, he took out a needle-shaped treasure and poked it towards Lu Ye’s glabella. "Just bear with it, it'll hurt a bit, but it'll be over soon." It was unclear what this long needle was, but from his words, it seemed this item could make Lu Ye obedient.

Just as the long needle was about to pierce Lu Ye’s glabella, Lu Ye suddenly raised his hand and seized Chu Shen’s wrist. Chu Shen’s expression turned to shock. "How could you..." It made no sense; after being struck by the mystic light from his treasured mirror, a Mid-stage Star Cluster Realm cultivator should be unable to move freely for at least ten breaths. How could Lu Ye have recovered so quickly?