Chapter 2682: Just Say It
Lu Yin soon heard about the murders in the Transcendent Universe, and he was stunned. Truthfully, he had not thought that He Ran was that ruthless.
It was said that an act of fury could cause a massacre to spread for miles, and when He Ran lashed out in rage, she had wiped out half of the Ruling Council, instilling fear in the surviving members and stabilizing the situation. No matter how the You family responded, and no matter how clever they might be, He Ran was currently the focus of the Ruling Council. As long as she maintained enough of the Ruling Council’s votes, she would be the ultimate winner.
Lu Yin had originally thought that the woman merely had perfect features and was extremely arrogant. He was surprised that she would be decisive and ruthless enough to order a shocking series of murders.
Xu Yue was similarly impressed. "He Ran is so cruel! Brother, do you think anything will happen to Lele?"
Xu Ji did not reassure his sister. "The Ruling Council consists of many powerful people from the Transcendent Universe, and they represent all of the nobility in that universe. Despite that, He Ran had the courage to wipe out half of the council. Isn’t she afraid that the nobles will rise up against her? That’s more than merely being ruthless."
"Brother, nothing can happen to Lele." Xu Yue grew increasingly worried.
Xu Ji shook his head. "I really can’t say. You could ask the Acting Bureau Director."
Xu Yue immediately glanced over at Xuan Qi, but Lu Yin just shrugged. "Lele’s basically the You family’s little princess. No matter how crazy He Ran might be, she will never target You Lele. Don't worry, she was fine even when Monarch Luo captured her.”
"However, why do you care so much about her? Do you like eating dandruff?"
Xu Yue suddenly felt sick. "Don't mention that to me."
Lu Yin looked outside. Had he been underestimating He Ran this entire time? After considering things for a bit, he headed out to learn more about He Ran.
It did not take long for Lu Yin to gather a great deal of information about He Ran’s activities, most of which were publicly known. Some of the information came from Xiao Hai, while the rest came from the You family. From these two sources, Lu Yin learned a great deal more about He Ran.
From this information, Lu Yin realized that he had completely underestimated the woman before. She had not relied solely on Lord Wei’s support to rise up, as her own abilities were quite formidable.
After He Ran had been confirmed as Lord Wei’s chosen representative, the very first thing that she had done had been to help Uncle Mo get stronger.
Lu Yin also learned that He Ran had not initially had to compete with Bai Qian. Over the years, there had been many instances of competitions where the winner had been determined from the very beginning. It was actually quite rare for a competitor to join in halfway through the process.
Even so, He Ran had first focused on strengthening Uncle Mo, and it was this decision that supported He Ran’s elevated status alongside Lord Wei’s support.
The intimidation that others felt from the threat of a true powerhouse like Uncle Mo could not be ignored.
This was also a key reason as to why He Ran had always enjoyed an advantage over Bai Qian in their competition.
However, He Ran had also become accustomed to fighting against fake competitors.
With this, Lu Yin finally understood what had happened. This was how You Fang had controlled He Ran’s mentality. The You patriarch understood the woman all too well and thus was very clear on the fact that she would never allow anyone to threaten her position in any way.
He Ran was thoughtful, decisive, and ruthless, but she also had a perfect face and an arrogant demeanor. Everything about her met Lord Wei’s standards.
Lu Yin let out a breath. If he had not gotten involved with the You family, then even if Bai Qian had not been captured by Tu Shuangshuang, she still would have never been able to defeat He Ran. The woman was not a mere showpiece.
Understanding He Ran better also made Lu Yin eager to see what she would do next.
The two sides openly opposed each other, and that meant that He Ran would surely use everything she had against the You family. Is this what the ruler of the Transcendent Universe wanted to see?
He Ran did not keep Lu Yin waiting for long, as she very quickly proposed an entire group of people to replace the dead members of the Ruling Council. It appeared that the people put forth by He Ran had been prepared far in advance, as they were perfectly qualified in every single way possible, which made it impossible for anyone to oppose their candidacy. At the same time that He Ran put forth her proposal, the Transcendent Universe was shocked by another series of murders. Each of the people targeted had been similarly qualified to join the Ruling Council.
He Ran did an impressive job. Of the people she killed, only a few had been in contact with the You family, and some had not had any. Even so, all of them had been killed. It was clear that He Ran viewed anyone who was not actively supporting her as her enemy.
The You family was not slow to respond, and various reasons emerged that prevented everyone who supported He Ran from joining the Ruling Council. The You family was too deeply rooted in the Transcendent Universe, and it was not difficult for them to find various excuses. This sort of influence was something that He Ran could never compare with.
After all, You Fang was able to monitor the entire universe.
What followed was a two month long competition for the available seats on the Ruling Council. While not much blood was shed, the blood that was spilled disrupted the entire universe, and the nobles and families proposed to join the Ruling Council changed time and time again.
Everyone was forced to choose a side.
Fear of Uncle Mo caused those who hated He Ran to lose the courage to speak out against her, as they feared being exterminated.
If things continued on in this manner, not only would the Ruling Council and those nominated to join it be affected, but every part of the Transcendent Universe would also be dragged into the skirmish.
Additionally, no one else from the Sixverse Association could interfere with this battle. As long as no peak powerhouses started fighting among themselves, even the Cyclic Universe would struggle to justify any interference.
Just as things reached the climax, Uncle Mo arrived outside the Red Zone and asked to see Xuan Qi.
"Sister Ran is looking for me?" Lu Yin was caught off guard, and he could not think of any reason for He Ran to seek him out at such a time.
Uncle Mo spoke politely, "Could you please accompany me to see her, Acting Bureau Director?"
Lu Yin nodded. "Of course! It’s my duty to attend Sister Ran when she calls for me."
"Thank you very much," Uncle Mo replied.
Lu Yin soon accompanied Uncle Mo to the Transcendent Universe, where he met with He Ran.
The few months that Lu Yin had not seen the woman had induced quite a change. He Ran looked exhausted, and her eyes that had once been as clear as the bright moon had dimmed a bit. However, this change did not detract from her perfection, but simply gave her the look of a lazy beauty.
"Sister Ran," Lu Yin called out the moment he arrived.
He Ran looked up at Xuan Qi, and forced out a smile. "You’ve come."
Lu Yin sounded quite concerned. "Sister Ran, you look so tired!"
He Ran wiped a hand across her forehead as she tiredly replied, "I'm just a bit tired. Little Brother, what do you think of the You family?"
Lu Yin's eyes flared. "I wish I could wipe them all out!"
He Ran stared at Lu Yin. "Because they drove you away?"
"Of course not! I don't care what the You family does to me, but they’re going after you, Sister Ran. Who is this Bai Qian? Why should she be allowed to compete with you, Sister Ran? The You family is openly supporting Bai Qian, but they’re going too far, and they’re forcing you to do too much. Sister Ran, I can’t forgive them for pushing you so hard.
"If you need, Sister Ran, I’ll call Senior Brother Xu Heng and Senior Sister Xu Leng to visit the You family and demand an explanation. Even Senior Xu Wuji can go with them. With all of them going together, even the You family will have a difficult time."
He Ran's heart was moved by the offer, though she knew that it would be useless. Let alone those three Void Supremas, even if Lord Xu himself stepped forward, it would accomplish nothing. This was an internal matter for the Transcendent Universe, and the people of the Voidforce Universe had no say in this matter at all. "There’s no need for that as favors are limited, so save the ones you have, Little Brother. This time, I call you here for your own help."
Lu Yin quickly replied, "Sister Ran, just tell me if there’s anything I can do for you. Your affairs are my affairs."
He Ran smiled, and it accentuated her beauty like nothing else. The more tired and exhausted she looked, the more fragile her smile appeared. For a moment, even Lu Yin felt an urge to protect this woman, and Bai Qian's words suddenly echoed unbidden in his mind: Desecrate her.
"Your Sister Ran wants you to confirm that this piece of evidence originated from the You family." As He Ran spoke, Uncle Mo stepped forward and handed a dark green lens to Lu Yin.
Lu Yin took the item and asked, "What is this?"
"That is Luo Qian’s," He Ran casually stated.
Lu Yin arched a brow. "Luo Lao’er’s?"[1]
He Ran smiled. "I heard that you have a good relationship with him."
Lu Yin said, "We fought together in the Cloudflow Universe, and we were also part of the same class in the Sixverse Academy. He’s a bit glib, but he always stays very well-informed of current events."
He Ran replied, "Your sister hopes that you can find a way to prove that this thing was in the You family’s possession. You will need to address every possible detail. Is this something that you can do?"
Lu Yin looked at the lens. It was clear that He Ran wanted to make the You family a more likely suspect in Monarch Mu’s disappearance. As long as Luo Qian’s presence in the You family was confirmed, they could be accused of being responsible. It was clear that He Ran was genuinely concerned about the You family, as her years of preparations meant nothing against what that family could do. Uncle Mo was a peak powerhouse, but even he was not enough to give the woman a sense of security. She needed to finish Bai Qian off and completely eliminate any possibility of defeat. At the same time, He Ran also needed to deal with the You family.
Xuan Qi’s reputation for being able to capture spies had become a weapon that He Ran wished to wield.
While some people did not believe the tales of Xuan Qi’s accomplishments, many others did. The fact that Lu Yin had captured so many spies had undoubtedly made him famous, regardless of what people actually believed.
"By the way, Tu Ke is also a spy. He has already been arrested and is currently being interrogated," He Ran suddenly said.
Lu Yin’s eyebrows rose high. "Tu Ke’s been arrested?"
He Ran smiled. "That’s right. Didn’t you say that he was a spy?"
Lu Yin replied, "I only said that I suspected him of being a spy. There was no conclusive proof."
As Lu Yin spoke, he suddenly remembered something, and his expression turned awkward. "Sister Ran, I heard that Tu Ke is also one of your people. Honestly, I was just making up an excuse to cause trouble for him before. I never thought he was one of yours-"
He Ran stopped Xuan Qi from continuing. "Little Brother, you are the Acting Bureau Director for both the Voidforce Universe and the Three Monarchs Universe. Once the You family is dealt with, you will once again be made the Acting Bureau Director for my Transcendent Universe’s Bureau. What are you saying? Whoever you say is a spy, is a spy. What you say can’t be wrong. Am I right?”
Lu Yin's eyes flickered. It was clear that He Ran was trying to build up some momentum for herself, as she wanted to dig up the story of Monarch Mu's disappearance and pin the blame on the You family, even if it cost her Tu Ke.
"You’re absolutely right, Sister Ran. I understand," Lu Yin replied.
He Ran smiled. "Then, are you willing to help me? The You family has gone too far, and while Monarch Luo and I are both certain that Monarch Mu's disappearance was caused by the You family, they are too cautious and have left no clues behind. This is the only thing that we can do now."
Lu Yin lifted his head high. "There are times when it’s necessary to skip over the details when things need to be done, as long as you achieve your goal. Sister Ran, tell me when you need this done."
He Ran was thrilled by this response and said, "Thank you for helping me."
Lu Yin replied, "There’s no need for thanks between us, though this won’t be easy to accomplish. If I want to truly nail the You family down with this, I need to make sure that I don’t leave any holes. I need to think this through carefully."
"Of course. The You family is very smart, so make sure you consider everything. After you’ve thought things through, tell me, and I will schedule things accordingly," He Ran said.
Lu Yin nodded and left.
Once Xuan Qi left, Uncle Mo said, "Madam, do you really believe that this kid will help us?"
He Ran said, "If he doesn’t help us, what will he do? Help the You family?"
Uncle Mo remained worried. "I don't know why, but I have a feeling that things are not nearly this simple."
He Ran's eyes flickered. Not so simple? That did not matter at all, as it was impossible for Xuan Qi to ever cooperate with the You family. While You Fang understood He Ran, she also understood You Fang. Given the man’s intelligence, he would never easily cooperate with others, especially someone like Xuan Qi, who was known to be close to He Ran. That made such an alliance completely impossible, as You Fang would never trust Xuan Qi.
It did not matter if things were simple or complicated; the competition was between He Ran and the You family. No matter what, there was nothing that Xuan Qi could do to harm He Ran.
After leaving He Ran, Lu Yin returned to the Red Zone and spoke to Luo Lao'er.
1. This nickname means second, as Luo Qian is the second son of Monarch Luo. ?
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