Chapter 981: Drinking Tea

The advantages of a powerful spirit are manifold. For instance, at this very moment, Lu Ye had spent less than half an hour familiarizing himself with this clone. He could now multitask, allowing his main body and clone to perform different actions independently, without their respective visions interfering with each other.

It was only then that Lu Ye finally confirmed something: the activation of Twin Lotuses requires Shadow Clone as a prerequisite. Only when these two spirit patterns are combined can their true power be unleashed. This could be considered discovering the correct way to use them.

He was also extremely surprised, realizing that he too could now have a clone. Moreover, it was far more profound and mystical than his master's automaton-like creations. He just didn't know if the clone could be seen through by others.

After the initial novelty wore off, Lu Ye examined himself. His spiritual power consumption was significant, but that wasn't an issue; it could be easily replenished. His vital energy was also heavily depleted, but that was also fine. With his vibrant vitality, what did losing some vital energy matter?

The only thing that concerned Lu Ye was the severed root of the Talent Tree. For now, it seemed the Talent Tree hadn't suffered any adverse effects. However, that root was ultimately an extension of the Talent Tree, part of its very foundation. Losing it easily was not ideal. While losing one or two might not be a significant issue, if too many were lost, the Talent Tree's power might be affected. The Talent Tree was Lu Ye's most crucial foundation, and it couldn't afford any damage.

Therefore, even though the clone wasn't the main body, it still needed to be handled with care. If the clone were to be destroyed, that severed root of the Talent Tree would certainly not be recoverable. Lu Ye could feel that recovering the root of the Talent Tree was simple. He only needed his main body to activate a function of the Talent Tree, and everything related to the clone, including the root, could be reabsorbed.

Slowly, upon arriving at the main hall, the cultivator on duty, seeing Zhou Kui arrive, smiled and said, "Brother Lu, you're supposed to be recuperating; what brings you here?"

The incident a few days ago, where several Law Enforcement Hall teams were involved in a mass brawl, had spread throughout Haotian City. Such an event, rare in the city, was naturally a popular topic of discussion.

"I'm looking for the Lord Commander. Is he in?" Zhou Kui asked.

"The Lord is inside. Brother Lu, you can go right in." Zhou Kui used to need to announce himself when he first came here, but now he didn't.

Zhou Kui then controlled his clone to circle around and enter the main hall. Upon entering and seeing Gan Youdang, he clasped his fists and bowed, "Lord Commander!"

"Hmm," Gan Youdang replied, gesturing for him to sit down for a moment.

Zhou Kui had no objection. He had come this time precisely to see if Gan Youdang could discern the true nature of his clone. Although he had great confidence in his clone, such matters always required verification to be truly known. He then sat down at ease.

After Gan Youdang finished handling his immediate tasks, he looked at Zhou Kui and asked, "Is something the matter?"

As he spoke, he stood up, walked to the side, brewed a cup of tea, and brought it over.

Zhou Kui was flattered. He quickly stood up and took the cup, saying, "No, nothing specific. I just came to see if Your Lordship had any instructions." It was the first time the Lord Commander had personally served him tea!

However, judging by the current situation, Gan Youdang clearly hadn't detected any flaw in his clone. Otherwise, he would surely have pointed it out by now.

Gan Youdang listened, somewhat speechless, and gave him a meaningful glance, perhaps misunderstanding something. He sat back down and slowly began, "What you did last time was not wrong."

"What are you referring to?" Zhou Kui was wondering if there would be any issue if his clone drank the tea. The clone appeared to be a flesh-and-blood body, indistinguishable from his main body, but it was still just a clone... Regardless, he figured he would know by trying, so he picked up the tea and took a sip.

He could actually taste the tea, which was quite amazing. According to his perception, the tea entered his stomach without any issues. However, since the clone lacked the true structure of a physical body, the consumed tea was merely stored inside and could not be digested.

"Yinxiu has never suffered any hardships since she was young, and I'm very pleased that you're looking out for her," Gan Youdang said. "However, I've spoiled that girl, and sometimes she might have a bit of a temper. I hope you'll be more tolerant of her in the future."

Only then did Zhou Kui realize he was referring to the matter a few days ago when he took the punishment for Lin Yinxiu. It seemed that the Lord Commander personally serving him tea today was also due to this reason.

"Yinxiu is very well-behaved and obedient," Zhou Kui said casually. "What Your Lordship teaches is something this humble subordinate will bear in mind." Zhou Kui said this, but made no move. "However, since Your Lordship personally poured this tea, it would be a waste not to drink it. Your Lordship is busy, I'll drink my tea and leave!"

"Are you sure nothing is wrong?" Gan Youdang looked at him suspiciously, constantly feeling that Zhou Kui was acting strangely today.

"Absolutely nothing!" Zhou Kui replied seriously.

"Then do as you please." Gan Youdang couldn't be bothered with him. He wasn't his son-in-law, so why bother with so much? Although he thought highly of Zhou Kui, he wouldn't constantly nag him. If a young person lacked self-discipline, no amount of nagging from others would be effective.

Zhou Kui reluctantly put down the teacup, stood up, clasped his fists, and said, "This humble subordinate takes his leave!"

Zhou Kui concluded that the clone was perfect. Gan Youdang had not discerned any flaws whatsoever. Considering that Gan Youdang was a top-tier Divine Sea Realm master in the entire Nine Provinces, if even he couldn't see through it, Zhou Kui couldn't imagine who else could.

Zhou Kui then casually strolled out of the main hall of the Law Enforcement Department and prepared to pay a visit to the chubby old man in the Hunting Pavilion. Although the old man appeared unassuming, after several interactions, Zhou Kui had noticed something: the old man was certainly a Divine Sea Realm master, but Zhou Kui didn't know why he would guard a place like the Hunting Pavilion.

However, just as he reached the entrance of the Hunting Pavilion, someone walked out from inside. The two figures stopped at the doorway, gazing at each other from a foot apart.

"What a small world; enemies always seem to cross paths," Zhou Kui thought to himself. And sure enough, the person he encountered was none other than Ling Zhou, with whom he had fought just a few days prior.

Seeing Zhou Kui, Ling Zhou's eyes blazed with fury. Zhou Kui responded with composure.

Their gazes clashed for a moment, then Ling Zhou suppressed his anger. He said in a clear, deep voice, "Sooner or later, I'll make you pay." Then he raised a hand and pushed Zhou Kui aside, "Get lost!" Having suffered a loss last time, he was unwilling to get into another conflict with Zhou Kui in the city. The taste of the Dragon-Defying Thorn was not pleasant.

Zhou Kui turned his head, watching him leave. From beside him, the chubby old man's calm voice drifted into his ears: "Endure for a moment, and the storm will subside; take a step forward, and the world will broaden."

Only then did Zhou Kui retract his gaze and turn to enter the Hunting Pavilion.

The chubby old man looked at him, smiling, "Are your injuries healed?" Everyone seemed to ask about his injuries.

"Did he come to pick up a mission?" Zhou Kui asked.

"Otherwise, what else would he come for? This old man has nothing else here," he replied. "What about you, are you here to take a mission too?"

"Not for now. I just came to visit you, old man."

The chubby old man was a bit puzzled, "Visit me for what?"

Zhou Kui casually replied, "Just came to see you, nothing in particular."

"Then this junior will take his leave," Zhou Kui said, turning to walk away.

The chubby old man was left in thought, completely unable to figure out why Zhou Kui had come to visit.

While the clone leisurely drank tea, in the courtyard, Lu Ye, wearing a mask, soared into the sky and headed straight out of the city. Simultaneously, a flying ship took off from a certain part of Haotian City. At its bow, a cultivator was steering. Inside the ship's cabin, Ling Zhou was explaining the detailed information about the mission to his other team members.

Squad A-7 was not embarking on its first mission, so they were already very familiar with the mission procedures. Soon, Ling Zhou finished explaining, and his team members all had a clear understanding.

This mission was neither particularly difficult nor easy. There would likely be a battle, but the mission rewards should be quite good.

Two hundred li outside Haotian City, the cultivator steering the ship on the deck suddenly spoke, "Captain, someone has been following us."

Ling Zhou, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them. He strode onto the deck and looked in the direction the team member pointed. Sure enough, he saw a figure flying alongside them, several hundred zhang away.

Upon closer inspection, the person was wearing a mask, so their true face couldn't be seen. Ling Zhou frowned slightly but wasn't too concerned. The main reason was that the spiritual power emanating from the other party was only at the True Lake seventh-layer realm. He subconsciously felt that the other party was merely passing by, but to be safe, he still instructed, "Be careful."

"Captain, don't you think that person's figure looks a bit familiar?" the team member asked. Ling Zhou hadn't given it much thought, but hearing that, he suddenly realized that the other person's figure did indeed look very familiar. In that instant, a name popped into his mind: "Lu Yiye?"