Chapter 2668: Suspicion
He Shu had actually thought that his plan was perfect. It was unexpected, but he could only blame bad luck for this sudden turn of events. Still, he could not help but let out a sigh of relief over the fact that Bai Qian would not have to suffer as he had expected.
From a distance, Xie Wu silently watched everything play out, excitement flickering in the depths of his eyes. He did not know if Xuan Qis actions had anything to do with the two names that he had provided, but Xie Wu did know He Shu well. The man had to be feeling frustrated and awkward at this moment, and the worse He Shu felt, the happier Xie Wu felt. It was a petty sort of revenge.
Bai Qian eventually arrived, as she had agreed to visit Tu Ke on this particular day.
Everyone bowed to Bai Qian, including He Shu.
When he saw Bai Qian gently walk by, He Shu's eyes grew feverish. His heart should have broken on this day, but because of Xuan Qi, that plan had failed. He Shu could not say if this was good or bad; all he knew was that he felt relieved.
Bai Qian's arrival escalated the situation, and many important people started paying attention to Fortune Star.
While He Ran was irritated that Lu Yin had ruined her plan, she also wanted to see how Bai Qian would react.
Bai Qian had always been quite low-key in the Transcendent Universe, as her personality was almost the complete opposite of He Rans, who had been born in the Transcendent Universe and raised to rule the universe from childhood. Even people who could use black energy converters like Uncle Mo had to be respectful towards the woman. After all, He Ran had helped raise Uncle Mo up, and she was even the reason why he had managed to obtain a black energy converter.
On the other hand, Bai Qian came from a foreign universe. This was unprecedented, but while it stunned many, her origins were also regarded as a source of innovation and change. Even the Junior Sovereign was attracted to the woman.
He Ran was a perfect woman, and she seemed to be the epitome of femininity.
As for Bai Qian, she was a different kind of woman. She had the mien of a warrior queen who lived for herself and sought to endlessly improve herself. Her presence emanated a heroic aura, as well as peerless wisdom. She was both talented and fearless, and her qualities had won the support of many people. However, Bai Qians supporters had slowly disappeared after all the years of pressure from He Ran, and Bai Qian only had a few people left now, and those few who remained were slowly disappearing.
Bai Qian would not do anything to Tu Ke, but since Tu Ke was facing a Bureau investigation, which not even He Ran could interfere with, she wanted to see how Bai Qian would respond.
"This is the third time weve met, but each time we meet, you are completely different," Bai Qian commented indifferently to Lu Yin when she saw him.
Tu Ke emerged from his home and moved behind Bai Qian. He whispered to her, "Madam, there is no need to waste time speaking with him. I am no spy, and I do not fear any investigation from the Bureau."
Bai Qian calmly stared at Lu Yin, who slowly replied, "You always seem so emotionless. I really can't comprehend how someone like you can compete with Sister Ran. Why do you believe that you can stand equal to her?"
"Xuan Qi, the internal affairs of my universe have nothing to do with you! You are being too presumptuous!" Tu Ke shouted.
He Shus head rose, and he replied, "Tu Ke, Xuan Qi calls my sister Sister Ran, and she has also acknowledged him as her little brother. He is no outsider."
Tu Ke turned to stared at He Shu. "Youre also behind whats happening here. You want me to fall just like Tu Ying! Well, I'm different from that loser! No one can force me out from the Ruling Council!"
Lu Yin thought that this was too funny, as the mans confidence actually stemmed from He Ran. While the man appeared to support Bai Qian, he was secretly on He Rans side. Given the twos cooperation and secrets, even if everyone else was forced to step down from the Ruling Council, Tu Ke would remain.
Bai Qian looked over at He Shu and said, "Explain to me whats happening here."
He Shu shrugged helplessly. "We have nothing to do with any of this, as the Bureau is the one taking action."
Lu Yin interjected at this point, "Tu Ke is suspected of being a spy due to information that the Bureau has obtained. Of course, he is not the only one whos been implicated, and there are many others as well, but he has the highest position. Naturally, we need to keep an eye on him before going after any of the others so that he doesnt have an opportunity to escape."
"Are you saying that you are not certain that Tu Ke is a spy?" Bai Qian affirmed.
Lu Yin replied, "If we were, you wouldnt even be able to see him."
"How likely is it that he is a spy?" Bai Qian continued.
Lu Yin considered the question for a moment. "10%."
Bai Qian grew increasingly cold towards Lu Yin. "Do you realize how much negative influence your actions have on Tu Ke?"
Lu Yin retorted, "In that case, do you realize what will happen to humanity if he is a spy?"
The two stared at each other, neither willing to back down to the other.
Tu Ke was furious, but Xuan Qi was not an easy person to deal with either.
Bai Qian glanced around. Everyone was gazing at her with open respect. Regardless of if she won or lost to He Ran in their competition, it would not make any difference to most of the people in the Transcendent Universe. In fact, most people would not even know who won, so to most people, looking at Bai Qian was no different from looking at He Ran.
"Speaking of influence, don't you think you should be considering someone elses?" Bai Qian said suddenly.
Lu Yin was confused by the question. "Who are you talking about?"
Bai Qian stared at Lu Yin. "You."
Lu Yin was caught off guard. "Me?"
Bai Qian remained calm.
"What are you talking about, my influence?" Lu Yin could not understand the direction the conversation had gone in.
Bai Qian ridiculed him, "You don't know?"
Lu Yin glanced over at He Shu.
He Shu appeared rather unhappy, but he whispered to Xuan Qi, "There are rumors going around that the reason why Monarch Luo is so certain that Luo Qian was in the Ziyou Realm and that the You family is behind Monarch Mus disappearance is because he received the information from you."
Lu Yin's eyes went wide. What was going on? Was he being suspected as the one behind the information leak? Had someone been spying on him? No, that was impossible.
"From your reaction, you really didnt know. You should worry about the You family first, as if you anger them, youll be forced to return to the Voidforce Universe. Things are spiraling out of your control here," Bai Qian coldly stated.
He Shu and the others believed that the woman was mocking Lu Yin, but he knew that she was actually trying to help him think of a way out of his current situation. These rumors might prove to be a minor issue, but they could also become a major problem. Bai Qian was genuinely concerned about Lu Yin, as he was her greatest ally.
Lu Yin was rather confused. How could these rumors have started? Did someone genuinely suspect that he was behind the information that had been leaked to Monarch Luo? He refused to believe that. There was no way that someone had been spying on him.
Could the You family have started the rumors? They were the only ones who had been suspicious of him this whole time. Also, they were infamous for not using logic or evidence, but rather relied solely on their own suspicions and the final results to decide what was true.
When He Shu saw Xuan Qi fall silent and be genuinely caught off guard by the rumors, He Shu felt proud. He Ran was the mastermind behind the rumors, and she had instigated them to undermine and ruin Xuan Qi. It appeared that she was already succeeding.
He Shu whispered, "Don't worry too much about this. Theres just some rumors that there might be a spy who leaked the information, and your ability to capture spies is clear to all. Its only natural that the Aeternals dont want you to remain in the Transcendent Universe and hunt down their spies."
Lu Yin looked over at He Shu. Could He Ran be behind the rumors?
If no one had been spying on Lu Yin, and no one suspected that he was a spy either, then there was only one possibility behind these rumors: someone was trying to ruin Xuan Qis reputation. The people with the greatest motivation to do that were He Ran and the You family, but the You family most likely would not do anything like this. They had already decided that Xuan Qi was suspicious, so there was no reason for them to spread rumors. Rather, they would have simply dealt with Xuan Qi directly, long before these rumors had started to surface. After all, they had no explanation for Luo Laoers presence in the Ziyou Realm.
That meant that He Ran was the only possible suspect behind the rumors.
Could it really be her? It was certainly possible, but in that case, why?
His mind rapidly processing new information, Lu Yin looked over at Bai Qian and said, "You did this, didnt you?"
Bai Qian's eyes flickered, but she said nothing.
He Shu was not surprised to hear such an accusation, as the only person Xuan Qi could possibly suspect was Bai Qian. From He Shus perspective, in the entire Transcendent Universe, Bai Qian was the only one who did not want Xuan Qi to remain in the universe. He was the Acting Bureau Director and was taking over the You familys authority, which gave He Ran too much influence. The Bureau was simply too powerful.
Furthermore, the rumors had only surfaced after the Bureau moved against Tu Ke and surrounded his home, which made the timing of the rumors very suspicious.
"Tell me. You did this, didnt you?" Lu Yin glared at Bai Qian with cold eyes, revealing a flicker of killing intent.
Tu Ke quickly moved in front of Bai Qian. "Xuan Qi, what do you think you are doing? Dont overstep yourself! You are in the Transcendent Universe, not the Voidforce Universe!"
He Shu was also worried that Xuan Qi would attack Bai Qian. If it were possible to simply kill the woman, Uncle Mo would have taken her out long ago, but no one could attack Bai Qian in the Transcendent Universe. If Xuan Qi tried to attack her, the ruler would assume that the man was acting on He Ran's orders, and that would be extremely problematic.
Bai Qian showed no hint of fear. "What if I did? Even if I told you that I didnt do it, would you believe me?"
Lu Yin angrily shouted, "You must be behind this! You want to drive me away, so you used a trick like this! You cant beat Sister Ran directly, so youre resorting to these underhanded ploys!"
Bai Qian finally became upset. "Thats none of your business."
She then glanced to the side and commented, "Here comes some trouble for you now."
Lu Yin looked over and saw You Lele approaching.
He Shu and others all saw her as well.
The current gathering was a rare sight for the residents of Fortune Star. There were a large number of extremely important people gathering, which was thrilling for the locals to witness.
You Le looked upset, and her hair was in its typical messy state. She approached Xuan Qi, not even glancing at anyone else and softly stated, "Father is looking for you."
Lu Yin frowned. "I'm keeping an eye on Tu Ke, who is suspected of being a spy."
"Others can handle that. My father wants to see you." You Leles voice grew even colder, and she sounded as though she was suppressing her anger.
He Shu stepped forward and said, "Lele, theres no way that Xuan Qi could be responsible for Monarch Luo attacking your You family. Besides, how could he have anything to do with Monarch Mus disappearance?"
You Lele turned to glare at He Shu. "You have no business butting into my You familys affairs!"
Despite his irritation at being spoken to in such a tone, He Shu stopped talking. He Ran was not at odds with the You family. In fact, aside from You Teng alone, the You family did not bother to maintain the appearance of friendly relations with He Ran. You Lele could switch between friendly and cold on a whim, just like the rest of her family.
After lashing out at He Shu, You Lele looked back at Lu Yin. "Are you coming with me?"
Lu Yin had no choice but to leave some orders for Boss Guan and the rest of the Bureau members, essentially telling them not to leave Fortune Star and to keep an eye on Tu Ke so that he had no opportunity to flee.
These orders nearly caused Tu Ke to lose control, and they left He Shu feeling helpless.
Before leaving, Lu Yin looked back at Bai Qian one last time and said, "I certainly hope you arent a spy, but if you are, Ill catch you myself!"
Tu Ke let out a contemptuous snort. "You truly dont know how high the sky is! You have no right to point fingers in the Transcendent Universe, so get lost."
You Lele turned to glare at Tu Ke. "You better not be including me in that."
Tu Ke's expression instantly changed. "I'm talking to Xuan Qi. This has nothing to do with you."
You Lele rolled her eyes. "My family invited him here, and Im taking him to our Ziyou Realm. What are you insinuating by telling him to get lost?"
Tu Ke angrily averted his gaze angrily and stopped talking.
Lu Yin soon left with You Lele.
Bai Qian also prepared to leave. "If the Bureau wants to capture me, then let them arrest me. As soon as you are cleared and released, I will demand an explanation from Xuan Qi for you."
Tu Ke's expression greatly improved after hearing this. "Theres no need for you to worry, Ill be fine."
Bai Qian then left, never even glancing at He Shu.
He Shu and Tu Ke looked at each other, but neither said anything before they parted ways. In the distance, Shao Qingfeng was waiting.
"We cant proceed with this plan. The Junior Sovereign can only spare a single day, which means that, after today, it will take some time before this plan can be used again," Shao Qingfeng helplessly commented.
He Shu felt relieved, though he had no choice but to sound upset. "No one expected Xuan Qi to show up here and ruin things. We can just wait for the next opportunity. This was nothing more than a coincidence, and he wanted to redeem himself a bit in the eyes of my sister. Unfortunately, he made the mistake of obstructing us and helping Bai Qian."
OMA's Thoughts
Translated By: OMA
Edited By: Neshi/Nyxnox
TLC'ed By: OMA
The source of this c𝐨ntent is fre𝒆w(e)bn(o)vel