Chapter 912: A Choice Without A Solution
Lu Yin’s arrival caused countless people’s imaginations to wander, especially since news of Mordo and Canopy Weaves joining the Great Eastern Alliance had only recently begun to spread. Everyone was guessing as to whether or not Lu Yin was trying to lure in Millions City as well.
Countless powers from the central region of the Outerverse tried to contact Millions City, and western region’s powers were even more frantic, as they were afraid that Millions City would agree to join the Great Eastern Alliance. That would give Lu Yin the ability to directly bypa.s.s the central region and use Millions City as a springboard to interfere with the weaves in the western region. If he launched a war similar to the one that he had conducted against Armament Weave, then Millions City would allow him to access territories that were a great distance away from the Great Eastern Alliance’s territory. The thought of Lu Yin being able to attack so freely was absolutely frightening.
Many recalled the two invasion plans that had been exposed before; could they have been real?
The city master’s residence’s imposing appearance had been restored, and every single part of it revealed its inhabitants’ wealth.
This was not Lu Yin’s first time visiting the city master’s home. Last time, he had been shown Phantom Sting’s corpse here, and he had had no time to take a tour. This time, he wanted to receive the full tour.
Qiong Xi"er was a girl, and many people had spread news that she hoped to marry Lu Yin, which made it improper for her to welcome him. However, she was still waiting within the city master’s residence, and she had even personally made some refreshments.
In the underground region, beneath the city master’s residence, Wei Rong silently read through some scrolls. He was even more nervous at the prospects of Lu Yin’s arrival, as this meant that Lu Yin knew that Wei Rong was hiding in this place. However, Wei Rong still wanted to see if Lu Yin had the ability to take him, the refugee, away!
Qiong Xi"er followed Qiong Shanhai into the family estate, where a maid served them the refreshments as she waited on Lu Yin.
“Brother Lu, why didn’t you send a message that you were coming? Then I could have prepared some better snacks.” Qiong Xi"er pretended to blame Lu Yin even as she personally offered a snack to him.
She was dressed exceptionally well this time, and her typical male clothing had been traded away for a more feminine dress. Her originally beautiful face had been meticulously made up, and she looked very alluring.
For some reason, when he saw Qiong Xi"er offer him snacks, Lu Yin suddenly felt that if he married this woman, Yan"er would be taken advantage of. After thinking about that, he quickly forced out a smile. “I’m not hungry, so I don’t want to eat too much. There’s no need to be so courteous, Miss Xi’er.”
Qiong Xi"er rolled her beautiful eyes and then looked over at Qiong Shanhai. “Father, you can go and take care of your own business. Brother Lu is my friend, so I’ll take him around on a tour.”
She then looked back at Lu Yin. “Brother Lu doesn’t mind, right?”
Lu Yin smiled. “That would actually be for the best. City master, please don’t inconvenience yourself.”
Qiong Shanhai then said, “Since that’s the case, then forgive my manners. Xi"er, please take Alliance Leader Lu on a good tour.”
Qiong Xi"er murmured her a.s.sent.
After her father left, Qiong Xi"er adjusted her expression and waved a hand to dismiss the other people in the room. She then looked at Lu Yin with a serene expression. “Brother Lu must have some reason to come here, so speak. What’s your objective?”
Lu Yin looked puzzled. “Everyone knows your personality, so why were you acting like that just now? And you’re even wearing a woman’s clothes at that.”
Qiong Xi"er smiled craftily. “If I don’t do at least this much, then how will outsiders be certain that I like Brother Lu?”
Lu Yin was curious about this. “Do those rumors give you any benefits?”
“Of course, much fewer flies,” Qiong Xi"er replied.
Lu Yin was amused. “Millions City’s son-in-law. This t.i.tle is quite attractive. It seems that you’re trying to make some new enemies for me.”
Qiong Xi"er smiled. “Brother Lu won’t mind. Right now, in the entire Outerverse, the only person at your age who you could care about is the Ten Arbiters’ Divine Fist.”
Lu Yin’s eyes narrowed. “Wrong, there’s someone else besides him. I am also concerned about you, w.a.n.g Wen, and the one who’s hiding here in your home.”
Qiong Xi"er’s expression changed. “The one in my home? Is Brother Lu certain about that?”
Lu Yin looked up at the sky. “Call him out. I want to talk with him. Relax, I won’t do anything—I just want to chat.”
Qiong Xi"er frowned. “Is Brother Lu going to threaten him with his family?”
Lu Yin shook his head. “I’m not that despicable, and this has nothing to do with his family. Alright, bring him out.”
Qiong Xi"er sent some orders through her gadget. Since Lu Yin had come, it showed that he was confident. Thus, there was indeed no need to keep hiding Wei Rong. Besides, she also wanted to see what Lu Yin would use to take Wei Rong away.
Lu Yin had initially wanted to use the rumors that Zhu San had spread, the ones about Wei Rong taking advantage of Lan Si, in order to coerce Wei Rong into revealing himself. Then, Lu Yin could find some excuse to capture Wei Rong. However, the gift that w.a.n.g Wen had sent to Lu Yin no longer required him to take such round-about methods, though Lu Yin still had to deal with certain complications. That was because he still needed to deal with Mt. Stacks Dojo, though that was a small matter in the grand scheme of things. Mt. Stacks Dojo was willing to cause trouble for Millions City, but they would not dare to cause trouble for Lu Yin.
Wei Rong calmly walked towards Lu Yin, his emotions seemingly completely calm and without any fluctuations.
After the battle in Armament Weave that had led to the ultimate defeat of the Wei family, this was the first time the two had met each other, and this would also be their first time talking to each other since then.
“I believe that you are confident in taking me away, so let’s hear it.” Wei Rong calmly stared at Lu Yin.
Lu Yin looked over at Qiong Xi"er.
She frowned, as she did not want to leave.
“There’s no benefit to you if she hears this,” Lu Yin told Wei Rong.
Wei Rong looked at Qiong Xi"er. “Sorry.”
Qiong Xi"er snorted, but she still turned to leave.
After she left, Lu Yin exchanged glances with Wei Rong. “w.a.n.g Wen has joined the Great Eastern Alliance.”
Wei Rong’s eyes flickered. “That’s not unexpected. It would appear that I’m the gift he sent you. What did he do?”
Lu Yin waved a hand, and Alan, who had been standing at a distance, walked over with a wary expression on his face. As he approached, his nervous breathing quickened.
Alan was just an ordinary cultivator who had been tossed to the border warfront, and he had never been anywhere like Millions City, let alone the city master’s residence.
Wei Rong did not know Alan, and he looked completely lost.
“Alan, introduce yourself,” Lu Yin said softly.
Alan swallowed his saliva, and under Wei Rong’s doubtful eyes, said, “I’m Alan. I was taken away from my home during a trial conducted by the Dark Phoenix family, and after that, I stepped onto the path of cultivation. I’m currently a Melder, and we’ve also met before.”
Wei Rong was still completely confused. “We’ve met?”
Alan nodded and quietly answered, “In the Dark Phoenix Lavazone. I was always there guarding the Dark Phoenix Lavazone.”
Wei Rong frowned, as he simply could not remember this person. Suddenly, his expression changed drastically, and he stared at Alan. Wei Rong’s face went horribly pale in just an instant.
Lu Yin"s lips curled up. “It looks like you’ve suddenly remembered.”
He looked appreciatively at Wei Rong. “Legends have it that the Wei family has spread a web throughout the Outerverse while producing geniuses for generations, and that part seems to be true enough. Others remain in their own weaves, but you guys have already set your focus on the wars between domains. To prevent me from eliminating your Wei family, you actually intentionally sent an attack against the Technocracy and triggered an invasion. The response of the Human Domain was very fierce.”
Wei Rong continued to stare at Alan. “What do you know?”
Alan did not reply, so Lu Yin cut in. “He knows quite a bit, and he also saw quite a bit. Do you know what his innate gift is? He can differentiate between the strong from the weak through hearing, and his innate gift also allows him to learn things that most can’t.”
Wei Rong looked at Lu Yin and then softly said, “I didn’t think that it would bring over the Sixth Mainland.”
Lu Yin nodded. “The Sixth Mainland’s invasion wasn’t triggered by you, as they had already wanted to invade the Outerverse. However, who will believe that?”
Wei Rong was unable to defend himself. True—who would believe him? The Human Domain and Technocracy had been fighting a war, and Wei Rong had been the fuse. If the Wei family had not attacked the Technocracy of their own accord, then the Technocracy would not have invaded. Of course, Wei Rong had merely hoped to use the battle at the border warfront to buy some time for the Wei family’s survival, but in retrospect, others would not think the same. They would only take the border war, as well as the countless deaths that had occurred, into account. They would also remember those powerhouses like the Dark Phoenix family’s ancestor and the Arrow Mountain Elder, whose deaths had seemingly been caused by Wei Rong’s actions. He had become a sinner against the entire Outerverse.
In fact, this single action would make Wei Rong a sinner known throughout history. Because of him, countless people from the Outerverse had died with the number of casualties being inestimable. As soon as this matter was exposed, countless people in the Outerverse would want to eat Wei Rong alive. The suffering that the war had brought to the Ourverse needed a scapegoat as an outlet, and he was the best candidate.
This had been w.a.n.g Wen’s gift to Lu Yin, a gift that was able to easily push Wei Rong into the abyss.
n.o.body would even listen to Wei Rong’s explanation. Even if he was able to avoid being judged by the Hall of Honor, he would never have a place in the Outerverse ever again. Everything that he had ever accomplished would be erased, and even Millions City would not be able to shelter him.
Wei Rong closed his eyes. He had failed, and he had been completely defeated. He had not lost to Lu Yin, but rather to w.a.n.g Wen.
Wei Rong, w.a.n.g Wen, and Qiong Xi"er were all equally famous in the Outerverse, and they also had a mutual understanding of each other’s abilities. Wei Rong had thought that he was on the same level as w.a.n.g Wen and that he might even be better than w.a.n.g Wen when it came to their connections. However, at this moment, Wei Rong realized that w.a.n.g Wen had simply never taken any action. The moment that w.a.n.g Wen had moved, it had been checkmate.
Lu Yin was also astounded at w.a.n.g Wen’s methods. This b.a.s.t.a.r.d had been keeping an eye on Wei Rong since who knows when. Then, in one fell swoop, he had become the final victor. No matter how smart Wei Rong was, no matter how many backup plans he had, it was all useless if he was rejected by the entire Fifth Domain. This move of w.a.n.g Wen could actually make Wei Rong the enemy of the entire Fifth Domain.
The battles in the Outerverse had been very lively, and w.a.n.g Wen had always seemed to be an outsider. However, at this moment, he had simply ended the game.
Wei Rong sighed. “I will join you and the Great Yu Empire.”
Lu Yin"s lips curled up. “Welcome. From today on, you are officially a member of the Great Yu Empire’s Lu Ministry of Defense, and you will also have the authority to command a portion of the Great Yu Empire and the Great Eastern Alliance’s military.”
Wei Rong looked up into the sky. Two years should have pa.s.sed since the Great Eastern Alliance had first declared war against Armament Weave. He had come up with all kinds of methods to protect the Wei family and save himself, but in the end, he had not been able to go against the tides.
Wei Rong was reluctant, as he had his own aspirations and dreams; he had wanted to become the pioneer of a new era. But in the end, he had been defeated and thrown to Lu Yin’s feet. Now, Wei Rong would need to open new frontiers for Lu Yin.
Although he was unwilling, Wei Rong still heaved a sigh of relief, as the mountain that had been constantly pressing down on him from above had disappeared.
He averted his eyes and looked at Lu Yin. He then bowed deeply. “Your subject pays his respects to the Royal Regent.”
Lu Yin reached out a hand to lift Wei Rong back up. “We’ll erase all the grievances between the two of us. Your Wei family can also return to Armament Weave now.”
“Thank you, Royal Regent,” Wei Rong acknowledged.
When Qiong Xi"er learned that Wei Rong had joined the Great Yu Empire, the expression on her face as she looked at Lu Yin was filled with apprehension and wariness. She understood Wei Rong quite well, and she could not understand how Lu Yin had accomplished such a thing. At this moment, her apprehension towards Lu Yin had become very strong.
Qiong Xi"er was quickly followed behind by Zhu San, as he had just arrived at the city master’s estate, where upon arrival, he had learned that Wei Rong had already joined the Great Yu Empire. His pupils constricted, as he could not comprehend this development.
Lu Yin did not linger in Millions City for now. Now that he had roped in Wei Rong, it meant that many matters in the future would no longer require Lu Yin’s direct attention. w.a.n.g Wen and Wei Rong would become Lu Yin’s tools while En Ya, Huan Sha, and the Imperial Cabinet would be responsible for supervision. Lu Yin’s existence would become nothing more than their spiritual leader.
Soon, the Outerverse erupted in a clamor, as the Wei family had announced that they would join the Great Yu Empire. News of Wei Rong formally joining the Great Yu Empire’s Lu Ministry of Defense also spread everywhere, shocking countless people.
In the past few years, the biggest event in the Outerverse had certainly been the border defenses in the east and west, but right below them was the war between Wei Rong and Lu Yin. And at this moment, it had finally ended with Wei Rong’s surrender.
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