Chapter 2644 – Confirmed
News that Monarch Luo had invaded the Ziyou Realm and taken You Lele hostage sent waves of shock rippling throughout the entire Sixverse a.s.sociation.
No one had antic.i.p.ated such an incident.
Of the Sixverse a.s.sociation’s member universes, the Three Monarchs Universe ranked at the bottom, while the Cyclic Universe was unquestionably acknowledged as the strongest. Aside from those two, the other four universes were considered to have nearly identical strength.
Few in the Transcendent Universe could consider themselves superior to the You family. The family’s foundation was unfathomable. Monarch Luo’s action of forcing his way through the You family’s defenses and taking You Lele away had been nothing less than a slap in the You family’s face.
Even more concerning was the reason that Monarch Luo had given for his actions: the You family was connected to Monarch Mu"s disappearance. This was not a trivial matter. Why had the You family been implicated in Monarch Mu"s disappearance? What could they be after? Was the You family really guilty? Many people throughout the Sixverse a.s.sociation asked such questions, though they made sure to bury them deeply.
You Fang met He Ran, but Lu Yin did not know what they discussed during that conversation. All that Lu Yin knew was that, after returning to the Ziyou Realm, You Fang was furious, and he had dragged You Teng to the Three Monarchs Universe.
Very quickly, more information started to spread; several of the Sixverse a.s.sociation’s peak experts also made their way to the Three Monarchs Universe in order to mediate the conflict.
Wen Shi went to the Ziyou Realm, presumably to investigate the You family, and when he noticed Xuan Qi, the older man made a point to greet the youth.
Xu Leng also visited the Ziyou Realm, and she went to speak with Lu Yin.
"Senior Sister Leng? Why are you here?" Lu Yin was surprised.
Xu Leng said, "Obviously, I’m here because of you."
Lu Yin felt quite puzzled, but Xu Leng explained, "With everything that’s happening around the You family, aren’t you worried that you’ll end up in trouble if you remain here in the Ziyou Realm?"
Lu Yin said, "Everything that happened is between the You family and the Three Monarchs Universe. None of it has anything to do with me. I was merely invited here to help catch spies."
Xu Leng countered, "Any fight between peak powerhouses will affect a ma.s.sive area. Considering Monarch Luo"s strength, the You family might not be able to keep you safe if there’s another attack. You shouldn’t underestimate any of the three Monarchs, especially Monarch Luo. He is a legend."
Lu Yin felt touched by the woman’s concern. "Senior Sister Leng, I’ll be fine."
Xu Leng rolled her eyes. "Just wait until this matter blows over. The You family was just slapped in the face by Monarch Luo, and you might also suffer because you’re currently working with them. While the members of the You family are certainly smart, they don’t have the best reputation."
After several more days pa.s.sed, the entire matter came to a temporary close.
Monarch Luo had no evidence proving that the You family had any connection to Monarch Mu"s disappearance. All he could prove was that Luo Qian had appeared in the Ziyou Realm.
However, the Ziyou Realm was vast, and it was not unusual for many different people to visit or pa.s.s through the area. Luo Lao’er’s presence was not nearly enough to prove the You family’s guilt.
Monarch Luo remained convinced that the You family was involved, and not just because Luo Lao"er had visited the Ziyou Realm. There was also the Transcendent Universe’s internal conflicts. The Three Monarchs Universe was cooperating with He Ran, while the You family appeared to be positioned against He Ran. He Ran"s speculations ran parallel to Monarch Luo’s.
However, without evidence, the Sixverse a.s.sociation would not allow any internal conflicts, so Monarch Luo was ordered to release You Lele. The Sixverse a.s.sociation would not budge on this demand.
You Lele was able to return to the You family, but Monarch Luo issued a public statement: as soon as there was proof that the You family was connected to Monarch Mu’s disappearance, he would make the You family pay the price, even if it meant abandoning the Three Monarchs Universe.
The statement was not only made for the sake of the You family, but also for the rest of the Sixverse a.s.sociation. Monarch Luo was determined to find Monarch Mu, and if he learned that she was dead, he would avenge her.
You Fang also returned to the Ziyou Realm, though his face turned dark as soon as he learned that Wen Shi was probing about in the You family"s territory.
As soon as he learned of Xu Leng’s presence, the You family patriarch hurried over to greet her.
"Senior, how did it go? Is Lele back?" Lu Yin asked anxiously as soon as he saw You Fang.
You Fang nodded with a brief glance at Lu Yin. He then turned to Xu Leng and addressed her politely, "You must be the newly risen Void Suprema, Xu Leng."
Xu Leng respond with nothing more than a noncommittal sound and a faint smile. "I’ve long since heard of the You family"s reputation. I hope that my visit hasn’t disturbed anything."
You Fang laughed. "Not at all. We’re honored that you"ve chosen to grace our Ziyou Realm with your presence…"
After a round of small talk, Xu Leng left the Ziyou Realm. You Lele had returned, and Monarch Luo most likely would not cause any more trouble for the You family after the Sixverse a.s.sociation’s mediation. There was no longer any need for Xu Leng to protect Xuan Qi.
As soon as Xu Leng left, You Fang turned to Lu Yin. "Where is Luo Qian?"
Lu Yin blinked in confusion. "Luo Qian? What are you talking about, Senior?"
You Fang continued to stare at Lu Yin. "Who’s behind you? The one who attacked Monarch Mu?"
Lu Yin’s expression became somber. "Senior, I understand that Monarch Luo forced his way into your Ziyou Realm and captured You Lele, causing your family to suffer heavy losses. However, blaming me for everything is unfair. I, Xuan Qi, am a mere junior. How could I ever act against Monarch Mu?"
You Fang stared straight into Lu Yin’s eyes. "I know what I’m saying sounds unreasonable, but I don"t need any reason. If you were not here, none of this would have happened. You came here, and then all this happened… Luo Qian and you were good friends in the Sixverse Academy. You must have harbored hidden intentions when you specifically approached my You family. It"s hard for me to not connect things to you."
Lu Yin’s brow furrowed. Most people would never make any connections between him and Monarch Luo’s attack on the You family, as he had no connection to the Three Monarchs Universe. There was no logical way to link things to him, and yet You Fang seemed determined to do just that.
Lu Yin felt a headache coming on. He was always happy to encounter opponents who believed themselves smarter than everyone else, as they frequently a.n.a.lyzed details that ordinary people never noticed. Lu Yin understood how to exploit those details and mislead those people. However, You Fang was different. He saw nothing but the beginning and the end, completely cutting out the middle process of a.n.a.lysis. If he suspected someone, then he confirmed his suspicions as true in an instant. It was a simple and crude method, but it rendered Lu Yin without any recourse.
"It appears that the You family is certain that this matter is related to me. In that case, why didn"t you mention this in front of the others, Senior?" Lu Yin challenged.
You Fang indifferently replied, "I want to see what else you can do. My You family has nothing to do with whatever happened to Monarch Mu, so we are not afraid of being misjudged. If you truly have the ability to incite the other universes to come after my You family, then there"s simply nothing I can say. If not, then the person behind you will eventually be revealed."
With that, the man left.
Lu Yin stared at You Fang"s retreating figure. This was quite a th.o.r.n.y situation. It was no wonder why the You family had such a bad reputation in the Sixverse a.s.sociation; they came to conclusions not based on evidence, but rather on the results that they observed. Who could endure such unreasonable behavior? Even if their suspicions were accurate, baseless accusations would only make the family appear completely unreasonable.
The You family was clever and arrogant, and they often acted in ways that normal people could not accept. It was a family of eccentrics.
Once You Fang was out of Lu Yin"s sight, he ran into You Lele, who had been on her way to find Xuan Qi.
"Dad, out of the way. I need to go settle things with that Xuan Qi! He must be behind all this!" You Lele said through gritted teeth. Just like You Fang, she had become completely convinced that Xuan Qi was to blame for everything that had befallen their family, despite an utter and complete lack of any evidence. Both father and daughter were convinced the young man was up to nothing good.
You Fang replied, "I"ve already confronted him."
"How did it go?"
"What do you mean, "how did it go?’ He won"t admit to anything."
"Does our You family need him to admit to anything for us to act on our suspicions?"
"He is not from our Transcendent Universe. Even if we know that he is guilty, what of it?"
"Obviously, we capture him and interrogate him."
"Monarch Luo has no evidence linking Monarch Mu"s disappearance to our You family, which is why he was forced to retreat. We similarly have no evidence to prove that Xuan Qi has anything to do with what has happened."
"Does he even dare to stand up to us?"
You Fang frowned. "There are four peak powerhouses supporting him."
That caused You Lele to fall silent, and she scratched her head out of habit. Flakes of dandruff fell and drifted about, causing You Fang to take a step back. "You need to wash your hair."
"It’s annoying. I don"t want to." You Lele felt frustrated as she was unable to do anything. The You family had never needed evidence before taking action. They always simply captured whoever they grew suspicious of, which was one of the reasons why they controlled the Transcendent Universe’s Bureau branch. It was unusual for them to be in such a difficult situation.
"Are we really going to just allow Xuan Qi to continue plotting against us?" You Lele clenched her fists.
You Fang smiled. "Leave him be for now. I want to see what other tricks he is capable of using."
"What about He Ran? That woman made sure that Wen Shi was distracted and far away so that Monarch Luo could break into our Ziyou Realm." You Lele"s expression turned grim.
You Fang"s expression fell. "We will not forget what happened."
"Was Xuan Qi sent here by He Ran?" You Lele speculated.
This was something that both the father and daughter had suspected when Xuan Qi had first approached them. Now, You Lele had become even more convinced that that was the case after hearing Xuan Qi refer to He Ran as “Sister Ran.”
You Fang shook his head. "That"s extremely unlikely. While he does seem to have a close relationship to He Ran, she is no fool. She would never brazenly send one of her people to approach our You family. On top of that…" He hesitated for a moment before saying, "He Ran does not have the means to deal with Monarch Mu. She has been cooperating with the Three Monarchs Universe, but any attempts against a monarch could inadvertently make her a target, which would cause her to lose her current foothold in the Sixverse a.s.sociation. She would never take such a risk."
"Then how did Xuan Qi deal with Monarch Mu?" You Lele asked, troubled by this question.
You Fang’s brow furrowed, as this was the exact reason why he had not mentioned Xuan Qi"s connection to the matter to anyone else. Just who could be hiding behind the boy? The Voidforce Universe? No, and that shouldn"t be. Is he a spy? While it’s not impossible, it’s highly unlikely. Sacrificing all the spies in the Voidforce Universe for one person is too high a price for Aeternus to pay, and he is clearly not worth it.
Who could it be?
"Where does Xuan Qi come from?" You Fang asked.
You Lele was briefly stunned. "I don"t know."
This answer surprised You Fang. "You don"t know?"
"I thought you knew, Dad," You Lele replied, feeling wronged.
You Fang could not help but laugh at the ludicrousness of their situation. Despite all that had happened, their You family still did not know where Xuan Qi had come from. He had clearly entered the Sixverse Academy through the Transcendent Universe, but even the You family, with their lofty position in the Transcendent Universe, did not know where the young man had come from.
If others learned of this, they would be humiliated. What a joke it was that their family was known for their intelligence.
You Fang felt that he was onto something. There was clearly something off with Xuan Qi"s background.
"Uncle Teng must know," You Lele reminded.
You Fang immediately contacted You Teng, but the answer that was sent back was startling: the Origin Universe?
A time of peace came for the Ziyou Realm. During this time, Lu Yin quietly waited. After some time pa.s.sed, he would bring Luo Lao"er back to the Transcendent Universe so that he could make contact with the information broker again. That person had already betrayed Luo Lao’er once, but Lu Yin had failed to obtain any information about the information broker. The only option was to reach out to them.
Without any warning, You Fang arrived and gave Lu Yin a task. "Investigate the person who gave Monarch Luo his information."
Lu Yin felt puzzled. "The person who provided the information?"
You Fang replied, "That’s right. Someone told Monarch Luo that Luo Qian appeared in the Ziyou Realm, which is why he is so certain that Monarch Mu"s disappearance is connected to my You family. I want you to find out who gave that information to him."
Lu Yin replied with a chuckle, "Senior, you’re already convinced that I"m connected to this matter, and yet you still trust me to search for this person?"
You Fang responded, "You should already be desperately searching for this person. It’s possible that you planned out everything with them and then led Monarch Luo here, or maybe you exploited someone. You could have known ahead of time that the information would be sent to Monarch Luo and therefore intentionally let slip that Luo Qian was in the Ziyou realm. If you did take advantage of the person, then you definitely don’t want them to know that you’re behind what happened, and they also won’t want you to know who they are.”
"Now, I am giving you the opportunity to hunt the person down yourself. Go to the Three Monarchs Universe and find them. The Three Monarchs Universe will fully cooperate with you."