Chapter 2608: Spatial Traces
Lu Yin smiled. "Apologies for this disruption, Young Mistress."
"Big Brother Xuan Qi, please regard the Cloudview clan as your own home. How can returning home be a disruption?" Yun Yun spoke kindly, her eyes bright with joy.
Because of his relationship with Xu Xiangyin, the Cloudview clan would show every courtesy to Xuan Qi, though there was no need for them to go to Yun Yun’s extent. Her behavior was mostly because of her initial impression of Xuan Qi, which was him using Spiral Domain. The sight of that intricate grid had left an immense impact on the young woman, and it had agitated her heart. After all, she was young and impressionable towards certain emotions, which had led to her current, rather overt, behavior.
Ke Jian was not alone, as everyone from the Cloudview clan felt that their young mistress was being a bit too enthusiastic. Even so, no one dared to voice such thoughts. Their patriarch was fighting on the Endless Frontier, which meant that their young mistress, Yun Yun, was the one in charge of the Cloudview clan, though she was supported by Grand Elder Xu Xiangyin.
As for Xu Xiangyin, the old man treated Xuan Qi as though the youth was his own grandson. When Yun Yun had told Lu Yin to “regard the Cloudview clan as his own home,” it had not been idle words—it was heartfelt.
Lu Yin introduced Ke Jian to the members of the Cloudview clan, and Yun Yun smiled at the man. "Senior Ke Jian, the Cloudview clan welcomes the Transcendent Universe’s representative."
Ke Jian chuckled and then proceeded to exchange the expected social niceties.
The entire group entered the Cloudview clan’s territory.
The trade proceeded smoothly. This was not the first time that the Transcendent Universe had conducted a trade with the Cloudview clan, but all of their previous transactions had been terribly inefficient. This time, while the terms of the deal remained the same as before, everything was settled quite quickly, much to Ke Jian's great satisfaction.
After the transaction was completed, Ke Jian immediately left to report to his own universe. A date was agreed upon for the next trade before he left.
Lu Yin had led Ke Jian to the Cloudview clan for the first transaction, but there was no need for him to accompany the older man for future trades.
After Ke Jian left, Yun Yun quickly led Xuan Qi on a tour of the Cloudview clan’s territory.
The Cloudview clan’s territory was even larger than the combined territories of the Void Yang and Void Yin clans. While those two clans were descendents of the powerful Venerable Xuyi, they were nothing more than heirs to his power, not his biological descendants. On the other hand, the Cloudview clan was the descendant of a peak powerhouse. The resources that the Cloudview clan had inherited were incomparable to what the other two clans had received.
"Big Brother Xuan Qi, I heard that you helped the Void Yang and Void Yin clans retrieve their Yin Yang Sword. Is that right?" Yun Yun asked as she led Lu Yin around, abruptly changing the topic of their conversation.
Lu Yin nodded. "I see that news has already started to spread, though there’s nothing to hide."
Yun Yun looked at him with open admiration. "They are truly lucky to have received your help, Big Brother Xuan Qi!"
Lu Yin remained humble. "It was the least that I could do. If there is anything that I can do to help your Cloudview clan, I will do my best as well."
Yun Yun smiled. "I know."
"What’s over there in that direction?" Lu Yin inquired as he looked at a distant mountain range.
Yun Yun answered, "That's the garden where we cultivate our medicinal herbs. Would you like to see it, Big Brother Xuan Qi?"
"Medicinal herbs? Hmm. I wonder if the Voidforce Universe has any unique herbs. Yes, let's go take a look."
"Alright."
Before long, Lu Yin looked in a different direction. "What's over there?"
"Our Cloudview clan boasts 135 scenic locations, each of which offers a breathtakingly beautiful view, and they were all created by our ancestor himself. That place over there is one of them."
"How many of these locations have we visited so far?"
"Seventeen."
"Then let's go. We’ll visit that one as well."
"Of course."
"What’s over there?"
"That’s..."
Yun Wu's memories meant that Lu Yin was quite knowledgeable about the Cloudview clan, and he was deliberately leading Yun Yun closer and closer to Yun Wu’s residence. However, as far as Yun Yun could tell, they arrived at Lu Yin’s target through sheer coincidence.
"Big Brother Xuan Qi, we shouldn’t go over there. That's where Aunt Yun Wu lives," Yun Yun said.
Lu Yin asked curiously, "Your aunt?"
Yun Yun nodded. "Aunt Yun Wu has lived a difficult life. When she was young, she had many suitors, but because of my father's interference, she was forced to marry a man that she didn't love. However, my aunt is also stubborn, and she would rather cripple her own cultivation than marry that man, which left my father with no choice but to abandon the marriage and expel Aunt Yun Wu from the main family’s residence. It was then that she moved here..."
Yun Yun respected her aunt a great deal, and she spoke at length about the woman’s past. Lu Yin already knew about Yun Wu's past from her memories, and he was able to combine that with Yun Yun's story. Lu Yin tried to put together the image that Yun Wu presented of herself, as that would make it easier for him to decide how to proceed.
After a long time, Yun Yun was startled by her own behavior. "I'm sorry, Big Brother Xuan Qi! I've said too much."
Lu Yin was not bothered at all. "It's nothing, Yun Yun. Did you say that your aunt stays here all the time and never leaves?"
"That’s right. It’s why she didn’t join us in greeting you when you arrived, Big Brother Xuan Qi," Yun Yun replied.
Lu Yin smiled. "Well, even if she doesn't get out, she certainly moves around a lot within your family’s home. It looks like she's not content with remaining here."
Yun Yun was left puzzled. "Why would you say that, Big Brother Xuan Qi? My aunt has never returned to the family home after being expelled by my father. She even swore that she would never return."
Lu Yin looked at Yun Yun. "Never return? Then are there other members of the Cloudview clan who live in this place?"
"Of course not." Yun Yun's expression quickly changed. After all, if someone was secretly living together with Yun Wu, it would be shameful to their clan.
Lu Yin frowned. "But I can see a trail leading from your aunt's residence to the Cloudview clan’s main residence. The trail is very clear, which suggests that it’s used quite frequently. How could it exist if no one has passed through here?"
Yun Yun looked around. "A trail? Where?"
Yun Wu's home was in the middle of a field of flowers, and there were absolutely no signs of anyone passing through.
Lu Yin explained, "Because of my comprehension of Spiral Domain, I am able to observe spatial disturbances and traces left behind when people move, despite the fact that such things are invisible to ordinary eyes. Would you like to see?"
Yun Yun nodded.
Lu Yin lifted a hand and brought out his voidforce energy. Lines spread out from his hand, forming a grid around a particular line that twisted about. As Lu Yin withdrew his hand, all of the lines but one faded away, until there was only a single line that connected two distant locations. "That line shows the spatial trail that was left by someone traveling through the void. I'm certain that someone frequently goes between your aunt's residence and the Cloudview clan’s main residence, though I don’t know which part of the residence that might be."
Not too far away, Yun Wu saw the flash of the grid, and the sight caused her expression to immediately turn serious, and she immediately moved outside. She could see some distant, dim lines connecting her garden to the Cloudview clan’s main residence, and the sight caused her expression to change even more drastically. What was going on?
Many other members of the Cloudview clan had also noticed the brief appearance of the grid, and they flew through the sky towards where Yun Yun and Lu Yin were standing.
"Young Mistress? What is going on?" an old man asked while looking at Lu Yin in confusion.
Yun Yun's expression had already turned grim. While outsiders might not know what specific location in the clan’s main residence Xuan Qi’s line was pointing to, Yun Yun knew exactly what that place was: the library. The library was also where clan members sent and received messages, regardless of whether it was news from within the Voidforce Universe, the warfront, or even from the Endless Frontier. Any message that had to do with the Cloudview clan was received in the clan’s library.
Yun Yun stared at Yun Wu in confusion. Why would her aunt go to the library?
Lu Yin curiously asked, "What is that place?"
The people of the Cloudview clan looked at each other, unsure of what to say.
Yun Yun looked at Lu Yin with a grave expression. "Big Brother Xuan Qi, can you truly see the traces left by people traveling through the void?"
While Yun Yun had a good impression of Xuan Qi, this matter was too serious to not take any and all precautions. On top of that, she did not believe that it was possible for anyone to see the traces left behind by a person traveling through the void. That was simply too far-fetched. She had allowed Xuan Qi to perform a demonstration out of curiosity, but the result was beyond ludicrous. Yun Yun had even started to suspect Xuan Qi of having ulterior motives.
It was only natural for Yun Yun to believe in her aunt over Xuan Qi, even if the young man was favored by Grand Elder Xu Xiangyin.
Lu Yin replied, "It seems that that location holds something very important to your clan."
Yun Yun somberly answered, "Big Brother Xuan Qi, I won't lie to you. That is where my Cloudview clan receives messages from outside."
"I see." Lu Yin understood, and he fell deep into thought. He turned to locked eyes with Yun Yun. "I'm not sure how to explain this precisely, but the void is not actually formless. To most, space is something intangible and nothing more than a concept. However, for those of us who can interact with space, and even moreso for those of us who can actually touch it, the void is as solid as the ground beneath your feet."
Lu Yin stepped back. "In the same manner that we leave footprints when we walk across the ground, we also leave traces behind when we travel through the void."
"Much like intercepting a call made with a communication crystal?" a clan member asked.
Lu Yin nodded. "Yes, exactly like that."
Communication crystals were used extensively throughout the Sixverse Association, but anyone who managed to cultivate their domain to the void god level would be capable of intercepting conversations held through communication crystals. Knowing this, it was no surprise to learn that people also left traces when they traveled through the void.
Yun Yun glanced towards Yun Wu's house, her expression turning ugly.
For a person who had sworn to never step into the clan’s main residence to be frequently sneaking around, and even specifically targeting the library, it was clear that there was a problem.
"Why hasn't Yun Wu come out yet?" one elder asked.
Yun Yun's eyes grew hard, and she lifted a foot to make her way to Yun Wu's home. The other people who had gathered followed close behind their young mistress.
Soon, the group arrived just outside a simple courtyard.
When they arrived, they found Yun Wu watering some flowers. When she noticed that Yun Yun and the others had arrived, the woman looked quite surprised. "Little Yun, why are you here?"
Yun Yun took a deep breath before showing a smile. "Auntie, I've brought some guests to visit."
Yun Wu's eyes swept over the crowd before landing on Lu Yin's face. The woman quickly grew cold. "The Cloudview clan’s guests have nothing to do with me."
Yun Yun replied, "I'm already here. Won't you invite me in?"
Yun Wu did not even answer and simply continued watering her flowers.
The other members of the Cloudview clan remained silent. All of them were quite familiar with the relationship between Yun Wu and the rest of the family.
"Does that thread of energy truly mean nothing to you?" Lu Yin suddenly asked.
Yun Wu paused and turned to face Lu Yin. "Why should it?"
Lu Yin responded with another question, "Senior, you appear to be quite composed, which is admirable. However, why haven’t you visited the Cloudview clan in all these years, Senior?"
Yun Wu frowned. "Are you interrogating me?"
The woman then turned to Yun Yun. "Yun Yun, why did you bring an outsider here to question me?"
Yun Yun grew stern. "Auntie, he’s not an outsider, but a favored junior of Grand Elder Xu Xiangyin. On top of that, he is Xu Wuwei’s disciple. As far as many people are concerned, after mastering Spiral Domain, Xuan Qi should be regarded as Xu Wuwei's disciple, rather than someone who’s received guidance from him."
Yun Wu was stunned. "Xu Wuwei’s disciple?"
Lu Yin continued to stare at Yun Wu. "Senior, are you willing to answer my question?"
Yun Wu averted her eyes. "No matter if you are Xu Wuwei or even Lord Xu's disciple, I have not betrayed the Voidforce Universe, nor have I betrayed mankind. Why should I submit myself to being questioned by you?"
Yun Yun interjected, "Then I’ll ask the questions. Auntie, have you visited our clan’s main residence in recent years?"
Yun Wu calmly replied, "No."
Yun Yun turned to Lu Yin.
A smile spread across his face. "Space doesn't lie. That is what Xu Wuwei once said. Senior, you’ve visited the Cloudview clan’s residence, and more than once at that. That line of energy indicates the exact path that you took through the void to get there."
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