Chapter 2406: Farewell, Senior

This lively atmosphere lasted for a full three months, with numerous visitors gracing Green Bamboo Peak every single day. Those who were well-acquainted with Lu Ye would stay for the entire day, chatting and reminiscing. Others, less familiar with him, would simply drop by, offer gifts, exchange a few words, and then leave.

As guests arrived and departed, Lu Ye always felt something was missing. It wasn't until one particular day, when another visitor arrived on Green Bamboo Peak, that Lu Ye finally realized what it was.

Inside the bamboo house, Lu Ye and Chu Shen sat opposite each other. They had wine, drank heavily, and became completely drunk! Regarding their relationship, although he and Chu Shen weren't from the same sect and had no official ties, they had met shortly after Lu Ye arrived in the Myriad Forms Sea. For years, Chu Shen had called him 'Big Brother' and held him in immense respect. Thus, even without Jiu Yan as a factor, Chu Shen was an invaluable friend to him.

Logically speaking, he should have come to visit him much earlier. Yet, he only arrived today…

Chu Shen had already entered the Dao realm. A cultivator like him, if they didn't want to get drunk, couldn't possibly get drunk. Since he was drunk, there was naturally a reason for it. In fact, when Lu Ye saw Chu Shen that day, he knew that Chu Shen had, after all, learned certain things.

Jiu Yan had told him personally because she understood that a secret couldn't be kept forever. Rather than waiting for Chu Shen to discover it himself, it was better to confess, as such a concealment was unfair to him. On one side was his beloved mother, on the other, his respected Big Brother. Chu Shen was utterly dumbfounded when he heard the news, unable to comprehend how these two had gotten together.

Jiu Yan had held nothing back. It was only then that he learned that Ban Ci from back then was an avatar of Jiu Yan. Everything that had transpired between Lu Ye and Ban Ci had transferred to Jiu Yan, leading to all the subsequent events.

For a moment, Chu Shen didn't know how to face Lu Ye, which was also why he had delayed his visit. But avoidance was not a solution in the end, so he finally came.

“I’ve always hoped that Mother could find a good partner, but she never expressed any such desire. I trust Big Brother’s character…” Chu Shen's gaze seemed clear, but his tongue was starting to tie in knots as he spoke, clearly indicating he was truly drunk. “So now I understand. It’s a good thing, a great thing, for Mother to be with Big Brother. In the entire Starry Sky, there’s only one person like Big Brother. I’m very happy that Mother will have a home now.”

“I’m happy too!” Lu Ye nodded.

When he suddenly saw Chu Shen that day, Lu Ye was actually a little uneasy, because when he saw Chu Shen’s expression, he knew that Chu Shen had already learned some things. He had already mentally prepared himself for Chu Shen to confront him. But instead, he heard these words, and his suspended heart finally settled. This undoubtedly meant that he and Jiu Yan no longer had to be so secretive, like illicit lovers.

Chu Shen’s eyes widened as he looked at Lu Ye: “Big Brother, I’m speaking from the heart, don’t you believe me?”

“Of course I believe you!” Lu Ye replied with a sincere expression. Where had he shown any sign of disbelief?

“Big Brother thinks I’m drunk and talking nonsense!” Chu Shen tilted his head.

He kept calling Lu Ye 'Big Brother,' so he was clearly still drunk. Before Lu Ye could say anything more, Chu Shen suddenly stood up, stared at Lu Ye for three breaths, then cleanly and decisively knelt on the ground, knocking his head against it with a thud, and loudly declared: “Father, Mother is yours now!”

Cold sweat immediately broke out on Lu Ye’s forehead. He quickly stepped forward to help him up: “Let’s stick to our original relationships. Anyway, you and Jiu Yan aren’t blood-related.”

It was then that Lu Ye realized for the first time that Chu Shen wasn't a good drinker, as he would act wildly when drunk. Before he knew it, the fellow actually flew out of Green Bamboo Peak, and, channeling his Dao power, shouted loudly outside: “My Big Brother is my father, hahahaha!” Annoyingly, Lu Ye's cultivation wasn't sufficient at the moment. Seeing the situation escalate, he could only ask Little Nine for help, and only then was Chu Shen subdued.

Lu Ye had only one thought now: he only hoped Chu Shen wouldn’t remember any of this after he sobered up...

The bustling period eventually came to an end. Lu Ye began his travels across the Nine Provinces.

The Nine Provinces were already quite vast originally, and now, after the Realm Merging, their size had grown even larger. Although he had grown up in the Nine Provinces, truth be told, he didn't know the entire region very well, having mostly only been active in the Bing Province area. He had once had an idea: that when the Nine Provinces were peaceful and free of war, he would travel with Hua Ci, Yi Yi, and the others, enjoying the landscapes, free and unburdened. Unfortunately, ever since he embarked on the path of cultivation, it was as if an invisible hand was pushing him forward. After Divine Sea came Constellation, after Sunlit came Dao Entry. He went from the Nine Provinces to the Starry Sky, and from the Starry Sky to the Star Abyss. This path of cultivation was like an endless abyss. He also knew clearly that if he left the Nine Provinces this time, he might never have this opportunity again. Therefore, he wanted to take a good look at the Nine Provinces, to see the realm that had nurtured him.

There was nothing in the Starry Sky that he needed to worry about for now, and he didn't even need to focus on his cultivation because his cultivation was slowly recovering on its own. After the Realm Merging, the Nine Provinces underwent significant changes in their topography and landscape, but they still retained the division into the previous nine major provinces. They not only preserved many of the original Nine Provinces' sights but also incorporated many unique features from the Azure Dawn Dao Realm and the Jade Snail Realm. As Lu Ye traveled, he observed, immersing his body and mind in the experience, and truly appreciated many beautiful sights. Although incomparable to the grandeur and vastness of the Starry Sky, it possessed a unique charm of its own. This feeling of not being entangled by external affairs and merely needing to focus on oneself was something Lu Ye had never experienced before. He gradually became immersed in it.

Most of the time, he was alone, though sometimes Hua Ci and others would return to the Nine Provinces to accompany him for a period, including Yi Yi and Amber. However, each companionship typically lasted no more than a month. After their companionship, he would again set off alone, yet Lu Ye did not feel lonely.

Funnily enough, the one who visited him most frequently was not Hua Ci or the other women close to him, but Fei Mu! Ever since their stunning first encounter that day, Fei Mu had clearly taken a liking to Lu Ye. So, every time he returned from training in the Asura Illusion, he would come to find Lu Ye and ask for advice on cultivation matters. Lu Ye held nothing back.

Fei Mu was unsure why he held Lu Ye in such high regard, almost to the point of reverence. He had even considered more than once that if this renowned legend of the Starry Sky asked him to die, he probably wouldn't even bat an eyelid. But Lu Ye knew that Fei Mu was, after all, his Dao Body. However, this Dao Body was different from an ordinary clone; he was an independent entity. Even if Lu Ye were to suffer some misfortune one day, the Dao Body would still live on perfectly well. But he wasn't Lu Ye; he was Fei Mu, from the Four-Eared Race!

Fei Mu was now under thirty years old, but he had only truly begun cultivating for less than ten years. When Little Nine brought him out of the Four-Eared Realm, he was already nearly twenty. Before that, he had never encountered anything related to cultivation. What Little Nine had taught him in the Four-Eared Realm was mostly about how to conduct himself in life. Little Nine hadn't known how Lu Ye would arrange this Dao Body. She had taken it upon herself to bring him out of the Four-Eared Realm because after a major war, Fei Mu’s home country had been defeated and was on the brink of destruction. As a prince, he was in a dangerous situation. Additionally, since he had reached a certain age, Little Nine brought him to the Nine Provinces.

In merely less than ten years of cultivation, he had already reached the Divine Sea realm. This cultivation speed was no less impressive than Lu Ye’s own progress in his early days. One could say that Fei Mu was practically born for cultivation. This was thanks to Lu Ye’s choice back then. That drop of Dao Blood itself had inherited his powerful cultivation talent, and coupled with the exceptional innate talent of the mother who bore Fei Mu, it created his extraordinary aptitude, far surpassing ordinary people. In fact, if Fei Mu wished, he could ascend to the Constellation realm right now. But Little Nine didn't allow it, because she had seen from Lu Ye’s cultivation path that progressing too quickly was not beneficial. Therefore, even though Fei Mu was qualified, she had continuously tempered him using the Asura Illusion.

Each tempering session involved several life-or-death crises, which was why every time Lu Ye saw Fei Mu, he almost always appeared injured. On the most severe occasion, Fei Mu had to recuperate for a full month before he could get out of bed.

Lu Ye spared no effort in teaching Fei Mu. Since Lu Ye rarely had such time, nurturing his Dao Body was naturally justifiable. He knew he couldn't always be by his Dao Body’s side, so he gradually instilled all the insights and understandings he had gained from his cultivation journey into Fei Mu. Such experience was undoubtedly extremely valuable, enough to support Fei Mu's cultivation up to the Dao Fusion level. Fei Mu's way of addressing him also gradually changed to 'Master'! This Dao Body could tentatively be considered Lu Ye's chief disciple. He had high hopes for him and was very eager to know how far Fei Mu could go in the future.

Four years later, Lu Ye had traversed the entire Nine Provinces. His cultivation had been continuously recovering. Even though his pace during his travels through the Nine Provinces wasn't particularly fast, it still took him a full four years, which indicated the sheer vastness of the Nine Provinces now. Without much lingering sentiment, Lu Ye entered the Starry Sky.

Immediately, Lu Ye’s gaze turned towards the location of the Seventh Star Abyss Gate. Although it was very far away, and he didn't know the situation within the Star Abyss in that direction, Lu Ye had a subtle feeling. —Yun Shiwang, who had persisted for thirty years purely out of his unwavering conviction, was likely to depart at this very moment.

The time he had spent with Yun Shiwang was not actually long, but everything this senior had done was still admirable and deeply moving. Although he had indeed made a grave mistake thirty years ago, he was willing to use everything he had to atone for it. Furthermore, the last Star Abyss invasion crisis in the Starry Sky was resolved by their generation. Compared to his mistakes, Yun Shiwang's contributions to the Starry Sky were far greater.

Lu Ye bowed, offering a distant salute in that direction. Farewell, senior!

Once in the Starry Sky, Lu Ye didn't head to the major battle zones. Instead, he focused on exploring the various Starry Sky Wonders. Starry Sky Wonders came into existence with the birth of the Starry Sky itself. They harbored the world’s most ancient mysteries. Even the Dao patterns of Dao Fusion cultivators were originally comprehended by cultivators practicing within these Starry Sky Wonders.