Chapter 2140: Doing Something Terrible
On the other side of the conversation, a white cloud floated through space. While it was impossible to see into the cloud, at the center, Destina was frozen in shock. This was the first time someone had ever hung up on her without any warning. It was just too rude and too shocking that anyone would treat her in such a manner.
For a long time, Destina just stared at the wireless jincan in her hand.
As for Lu Yin, he did not even think about Destina’s reaction to him hanging up. He had already asked Progenitor Smoke to take him to the Neoverse so that he could speak with Xiao Shi and check the young man’s book.
…
In the Neoverse, at where Mt. Microcosms had once stood in the Honor Zone, it was now an open plain. Still, even with Mt. Microcosms gone, the Hall of Honor’s powerhouses had arranged the stars and planets around the area to create a beautiful landscape once again. The hidden worlds were also still in this location, though there were fewer to be found, and some had changed from the time when Mt. Microcosms had stood as the headquarters of the Hall of Honor.
Progenitor Smoke soon brought Lu Yin to the Honor Zone, and he only offered Qing Ping a brief greeting before rushing off to see Xiao Shi. Lu Yin did not even speak to anyone else.
When it came to the Books of Destiny, if Xiao Shi's book was truly one of the three, then the matter had to be kept completely hidden.
When Lu Yin arrived, Xiao Shi was sitting in a corner of one of the Hall of Honor’s libraries. There were books literally surrounding the young man, and his body was actually buried in them. As for the biggest book, that was the one that Xiao Shi was currently reading, and he was also shaking his head and muttering. He was clearly talking to himself, as there was no one else around.
Not everyone was allowed entry to the Hall of Honor’s library, but it was absolutely massive. Also, there were people with access to the first floor, but most were restricted from the second floor. As for Xiao Shi, he had free reign of the entire place.
His little nook was actually on the very top of the library. It was his favorite place to read his books, as no one ever bothered him there.
Lu Yin arrived next to Xiao Shi, and he quietly observed the man reading.
Progenitor Smoke appeared next to Lu Yin, and she stared at Xiao Shi in disbelief. What was with that hairstyle? She twitched and then returned to the pocket dimension within her mirror. Just seeing that hideous hairstyle made her want to punch someone. Who the hell would voluntarily look like that?
"What are you reading?" Lu Yin squatted down closer to Xiao Shi.
Xiao Shi did not even notice that someone was next to him, and he automatically answered, "History."
"What kind of history?"
"Lost History."
"From which era?"
"The Dao-" Xiao Shi suddenly stopped mid-sentence. His head slowly turned to the side to look at Lu Yin, and shock covered the young man’s face.
"Ah!" He was terrified, and his face paled as he stared at Lu Yin, his mouth wide open.
Lu Yin blinked. "Am I that scary?"
Xiao Shi continued to stare at Lu Yin, and he even pushed the mirror aside. "Bro- Brother Lu?"
Lu Yin smiled and nodded.
Xiao Shi swallowed dryly, and his face actually lost even more color as he slowly backed away. He forced a smile onto his face, but it was even uglier than if he had started crying. "Bro- Brother Lu, why did you come find me? I- I haven’t missed you."
Lu Yin was surprised by his strong reaction. "What's wrong with you?"
Xiao Shi started quivering. "Brother Lu, I didn't kill you, so why are you coming after me? Please, go haunt someone else! I- I- you’re scaring me!"
This reaction seemed very odd to Lu Yin, and when he saw Xiao Shi's genuine terror, it finally clicked for Lu Yin. "Do you think that I'm already dead? Wait, how long has it been since you’ve gone out?"
"Out where?" Xiao Shi was still trembling.
"Out of this library," Lu Yin said.
The question stumped Xiao Shi for a moment. "Um… I guess it’s been a while."
"At least a year!" Lu Yin could not believe this guy
Xiao Shi blinked, and then he glanced around at the mess of books surrounding him. "Actually, more than that."
Lu Yin laughed. "I'm not dead! I returned a year ago. There’s no reason to be so scared."
Xiao Shi's eyes grew larger. "You’re not dead? But, isn’t that what everyone said? Everyone was talking about it… Don’t lie to me! You’re really scaring me, and there’s no reason for you to haunt me! Right, why don’t you go chase after Arch-Elder Zen or the Chief Justice? Wait, you can go see Xiao Chi! He’s the one who asked you to get a mushroom head!"
Lu Yin gave the man a weird smile. "Wasn’t that you?"
"He thought of it first!" Xiao Shi was on the verge of tears.
Lu Yin suddenly set a hand on Xiao Shi’s shoulder, and the man went stiff. "Really, I’m not dead. You don’t need to be so scared. I already met with Arch-Elder Zen and the others a long time ago."
Xiao Shi stared blankly at Lu Yin. "Really? You’re really not dead?"
"Do you want me to be dead?" Lu Yin dead-panned.
Xiao Shi let out a long breath and patted his chest. He gave Lu Yin a rather accusatory glare. "Brother Lu, you scared me half to death! Why’d you sneak up on me?"
"I didn’t." Lu Yin rolled his eyes. His attention was suddenly drawn to the massive book that Xiao Shi had been reading. The book was half a meter thick, and it was the same book that Lu Yin had been thinking about. No one other than Xiao Shi could see anything written in the book, and it looked completely blank.
"Brother Lu, wasn’t everyone saying that you were dead? It’s been about twenty years since then, so why didn’t you show up sooner?" Xiao Shi was puzzled.
"I was in seclusion, that’s all. Enough with the questions. I actually wanted to ask you about something."
"What about?" Xiao Shi felt puzzled. He shifted the book that he had been reading and struggled to adjust it.
Lu Yin pointed at the book. "Open that book and let me see it."
Xiao Shi was surprised, but went ahead with Lu Yin’s request. "Brother Lu, I thought that you couldn’t see the writing, no?"
Right when Lu Yin was about to answer, the wireless jincan he kept in his hand twitched. He pulled it out and saw that it was a message from Hen Xin.
"We’ve arrived at the exit of the Extreme Path, but there’s no way for us to seize control of this place. Space is so fragile here that even an Explorer could shatter it, and if that happens, the Extreme Path will immediately connect to the Sixth Mainland, where the Aeternals will certainly notice it." Judging by his message, Hen Xin already felt rather helpless about what he had found.
For something like this, it was impossible to resolve the matter regardless of how weak or strong an individual might be. At least, not unless they had reached the level where they could simply freeze time and space like Mister Mu.
It was possible to stabilize space, but there was no way that the Astral Beast Domain was unprepared for such an attempt. They had spent twenty years observing the ancient powerhouses from the Heavens Sect era, and after so long, how could the astral beasts not have some degree of understanding of the gatemasters? If that were not the case, then Skymender would have never had the confidence to threaten Lu Yin.
"I understand. Wait there for the moment," Lu Yin replied.
Hen Xin hesitated, but he could only agree. "Understood."
Lu Yin lowered his wireless jincan and then addressed Xiao Shi, who was looking at Lu Yin in a rather confused manner. "Can no one else see what’s written in your book?"
Xiao Shi shook his head. "I’m the only one, but that doesn’t matter. The Chief Justice and Arch-Elder Zen both believe me, which is why I’m allowed to visit the library and read when I don’t have anything else to do. With this, I’m not stuck in the Historical Archives, bored all the time."
Xiao Shi then opened his book. Lu Yin carefully studied the book, but it was as blank as ever. He could not see a single word.
He had a sudden thought. "Xiao Shi, what battle techniques have you learned?"
Xiao Shi blinked. "Shangwu’s Technique."
This was a surprise. "The same technique that Yuan Shi's known for?"
Xiao Shi nodded. He clenched his fists as he excitedly explained, "Yuan Shi has taught many people, and I learned Shangwu’s Technique from him myself!"
As he spoke, Xiao Shi grew visibly depressed. "Unfortunately, it doesn’t matter what I try to learn, as I don’t seem to have any talent for cultivation."
"Have you ever practiced Heaven’s Enigma?" Lu Yin asked.
Xiao Shi shook his head, but then he abruptly remembered something with a start. "I read that name in the book!"
Lu Yin looked, but the book was still blank.
"Destiny’s cultivation art was a combination of Heaven’s Enigma and Inverse Enigma. She used these two methods to peer into the long river of time," Xiao Shi slowly read aloud.
Lu Yin asked, "Find what’s written about Destiny. I want to know everything that’s written about her."
Xiao Shi groaned, but he obediently bent his head down to read his book again. However, just as he did so, he suddenly let out a scream. He clutched his head as he collapsed to the floor.
Lu Yin was startled, but he quickly moved forward to help Xiao Shi. "Xiao Shi, what's wrong?"
Xiao Shi looked to be in absolute agony. "Bro- Brother Lu, my head’s about to explode."
Lu Yin quickly closed the book. He blamed himself for asking about something important so recklessly. If this book was really one of Destiny’s, then the consequences of trying to use it to investigate Destiny herself could only be imagined. How could a book written by Destiny be used to pry into her affairs?
After a while, Xiao Shi slowly came back to his senses. He asked, "What was that all about? Has that ever happened before?"
He continued speaking to himself. "Did I get sick? Maybe a brain tumor? No, I need to check what I just saw."
Xiao Shi immediately reopened his massive book, and Lu Yin watched carefully, only to be relieved when Xiao Shi showed no signs of unusual behavior.
"One, two, three… There are a bunch of potential brain issues. Alright, what are my specific symptoms?" Xiao Shi stared at the book and continued to study.
Lu Yin was forced to close the book to get Xiao Shi's attention. As the man stared at Lu Yin in confusion, Lu Yin asked, "Xiao Shi, where did you get this book?"
"I found it in the Historical Archives."
This was the same answer that Lu Yin had been given when he had first asked Xiao Shi about the book. "It’s not your innate gift or something like that?"
Xiao Shi shook his head. "Arch-Elder Zen and the Chief Justice both asked me that as well, but it’s really not. There are still texts in the Historical Archives that have never been read, and this book just sat there for years. It was just left on a table in a corner, and I just picked it up out of curiosity. Turns out, there’s a lot in it.”
Lu Yin looked at the half-meter-thick book. He could not be entirely certain that it was one of the three books written by Destiny.
Throughout the ages, humans had existed for countless years, and they had created untold numbers of bizarre things. A strange book with unique abilities was not guaranteed to be a Book of Destiny.
"Xiao Shi, do you want to go to the Heavens Sect with me?" Lu Yin asked. He wanted to keep Xiao Shi close by. Things would be different if Lu Yin was confident that Xiao Shi had a Book of Destiny, even if Lu Yin had no idea how to use it.
Xiao Shi shook his head. "I want to stay here. There’s this library, the Historical Archives, and Xiao Chi. I don't want to leave all of this."
Lu Yin let out a sigh. "I understand."
He then pulled out a wireless jincan and handed it over to Xiao Shi. "Send me a message if you ever need anything, and I also want you to promise me something."
Xiao Shi put the wireless jincan away. "Anything you need, Brother Lu."
"Don't say a word about this book to anyone anymore. Remember, not to anyone! Especially anyone you don't know, like, uh… a woman." Lu Yin made a point to specifically warn Xiao Shi not to say anything to Destina.
Xiao Shi nodded, though he actually felt quite confused. "A woman?"
He licked his lips, and he suddenly looked a bit excited and nervous. "A woman? How can I find a woman who wants to talk to me? None of the ladies around here will speak to me. They all think that I’m weird."
This was actually a very fair point. Given Xiao Shi’s hair and behavior, from Lu Yin’s perspective, it really did seem impossible for this guy to ever hook up with a girl.
He patted Xiao Shi on the shoulder and offered a bit of encouragement, "Don't worry. That’s just because the person you’re destined for hasn’t shown up yet. Brother Lu believes that it won’t be long before there’s a girl waiting for you. She’ll love both your knowledge and your kindness."
After a moment of silent struggle, Lu Yin reluctantly forced out, "And she’ll love your hair as well."
Xiao Shi's eyes lit up. These words were truly heartwarming to him. "Really? Do you really think so? Could there really be a woman who understands the glory of our mushroom-heads?"
"Absolutely," Lu Yin answered with conviction.
Xiao Shi nodded heavily. "Thank you, Brother Lu. I was actually thinking of changing my hairstyle, and Xiao Chi was also feeling discouraged. However, your words have rekindled our passion! Brother Lu, you’re the best!"
Lu Yin was dumbfounded. He felt like he had just done something terrible.
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