《Star Odyssey》Chapter 904: What Is Beauty?
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After roaming about Skylush Planet for a while, Lu Yin eventually followed along the bank of a wide river that led to the Zi family’s ancestral home.
The Zi family’s ancestral home was not actually very large, though there were many cultivators patrolling the grounds that had barriers erected everywhere.
Zi Rong and Zi Xue were also residing in this place, along with some other relatives of the Zi family. Outsiders were not allowed in at this time, as the residence was actually quite small and was unable to fit that many people.
Lu Yin was blocked when he arrived. He had wanted to see Zi Xue, but he was refused entry.
But due to Lu Yin’s special status, he was received politely, and the guard notified the upper brass of his arrival.
It did not take long for Zi Xianxian to arrive at the entrance. She stood there and looked at Lu Yin warily. “I knew that you were going to create a scene. Lu Yin, what do you want? Let me tell you that our Zi family is not easy to push around. Don’t kidnap the bride!”
Lu Yin rolled his eyes. “I have nothing to do with Zi Xue. What kidnapping the bride? I just want to meet with her and talk.”
“I’m sorry, but Sister Zi Xue can’t meet with you right now. She’s about to be married to my second brother, so do you really think that it’s appropriate for her to meet you at this time?” Zi Xianxian was blunt in her refusal. She was certain that Lu Yin would cause trouble.
Lu Yin glanced past her towards the residence, silent.
Zi Xianxian became even more apprehensive. “Mr. Tradeo is here, so don’t even think of kidnapping anyone.”
Lu Yin was left speechless by Zi Xianxian’s stubbornness. “Alright, I’ll leave.”
He then immediately turned to leave.
Zi Xianxian stared at Lu Yin’s back doubtfully; had he really left that easily? Although she felt puzzled, Zi Xianxian could only hope that Lu Yin would not stir up any trouble. There was no one who dared to capture or detain Lu Yin, as not even Zi Tianchuan would attempt such a thing.
Zi Xianxian somewhat wanted to order someone to keep an eye on Lu Yin, but she then thought better of it. This person’s strength had reached the level where not just anyone could monitor him, and not even Mr. Tradeo could guarantee doing so without being discovered.
Lu Yin had not actually given up, as he had simply not found a way to proceed. He really could not just barge in. He did not know exactly what Bai Xue’s situation was, but Luo Shen was currently in the Zi family’s home, and he could not meet her for the moment.
It seemed that Lu Yin would only be able to wait until the wedding day itself. The truth was that Lu Yin had never had much of a connection with Bai Xue. He was mostly taking action due to a sense of familiarity since they had both come from Earth. He would naturally help if Bai Xue was in danger, but right now, he did not even know what danger there was. And additionally, it was not wise to become enemies with the Zi family just because of a few words from Luo Shen.
In the Outerverse, Lu Yin’s reputation was quite decent from the commoners’ point of view, as they all consumed the media’s propaganda to form their opinions. However, he was viewed extremely poorly by the various powerful organizations. Countless leaders saw him as an invader, and if he casually created more enemies, then not only would he suffer some public backlash, but the more important detail was that the Zi family also had access to too much intelligence, and they would be a rather troublesome opponent.
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Another two days passed peacefully.
On this day, the Zi family’s ancestral home was opened to a select few people, and Lu Yin was naturally one of them. However, he still was not able to meet Zi Xue or even Luo Shen. Those two women were staying in the inner courtyard that only females were allowed to enter.
Lu Yin did not even consider trying to enter the inner courtyard, as Zi Xianxian watched him like a hawk the moment he entered the residence. It was as if she was on guard against a legendary thief.
Zi Tianchuan’s attitude towards Lu Yin also seemed to have undergone some changes. It was possible that he might have heard something that made him more vigilant towards the youth.
Lu Yin also noticed Zi Fang, who was currently first in line to take over the Zi family. He seemed to be a normal person who had enjoyed a decent upbringing, but he also gave off a treacherous vibe.
This person did not have a good impression of Lu Yin. When the Great Eastern Alliance had first been targeted by Aegis, Zi Xianxian had given Lu Yin a few key pieces of intelligence, and in return, she had been berated by her brother. Later, Zi Fang had sent out some people to capture Deng Pu, but Lu Yin similarly had dispatched his subordinates to do the same, which had eventually ruined Zi Fang’s plans. Although indirectly, they could still be considered as enemies.
However, Lu Yin did not care about the other man. If this person truly dared to become enemies with him, then Lu Yin could simply have the Zi family change their successor. Zi Xianxian was actually a pretty decent choice even though that brat was always on guard against him.
While everyone was calmly drinking tea within the courtyard, they heard a commotion from nearby.
“Scram! I don’t want to see you! Get further away from me! How annoying.” Qiong Xi'er appeared, looking extremely short-tempered. But what emerged next made Lu Yin blink, completely taken aback. Right behind her was Zhu San, but he was dressed in female clothing. The juxtaposition initially seemed quite extreme, but the youth’s gestures and movement indeed contained its own feminine charm.
Lu Yin quickly covered his face, afraid of being recognized by the two new arrivals.
Originally, Lu Yin had been the one who had convinced Zhu San to try crossdressing in order to get closer to Qiong Xi'er. As a result, that advice had started a rather strange practice in Millions City: wherever Qiong Xi'er went, crossdressers would follow. Naturally, they were all men who wanted to marry Qiong Xi'er and become the son-in-law of Millions City’s reigning family.
Qiong Xi'er had initially been intrigued, but now, she only wanted to vomit at the sight. Zhu San had remained persistent, and he would be resilient until his death.
“Xi’er, don’t resist. I know that you like me. Come, let’s live happy lives. Right, Xi'er, what do you think of this foundation’s color?” Zhu San’s tone sounded quite strange as he tried to imitate a girl’s voice while shouting. He had completely lost all restraint.
Many were stumped and looked at the two youths with strange expressions.
Some people from the Zi family wanted to stop the two, but then they realized that the two had not actually done anything wrong, and in addition, the two also held significant statuses. Thus, it would be difficult and shameful for the Zi family’s personnel to interfere in such personal matters.
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Qiong Xi'er had just about reached the point of collapse when, who knew if it was a coincidence or not, her eyes landed on Lu Yin and lit up. She hurriedly ran over to pat Lu Yin’s shoulder. “Brother Lu, so you were here as well! I’ve been looking for you for several days.”
Lu Yin smiled drily, and then quickly glanced around the area. “That- I still have something I need to take care of. You guys have a good time.”
He just wanted to escape from this awkward situation.
Qiong Xi'er hurriedly stopped Lu Yin. “Brother Lu, what's the matter? You can tell me, and then we can solve it together. I’ll help you.”
At this moment, Zhu San had arrived as well and he stood behind Lu Yin, glaring at him with blazing eyes. “Don’t bully a friend’s wife, bro. You have to understand that unchanging rule.”
Lu Yin was rather speechless at this point. He looked at Zhu San, who was covered in heavy makeup and garbed in female clothing. Would people really do anything for love?
“Well, I’ll head out first.” Lu Yin did not want to ponder on this any longer.
However, Qiong Xi'er firmly grabbed Lu Yin’s clothing. She intended to handle the current situation together with Lu Yin. She whispered to him, “You’re the one who got this bastard to start dressing like a woman, so we’ll have to be disgusted together.”
“Who gave you such a strange personality?” Lu Yin blurted out.
Qiong Xi'er snorted. “That’s got nothing to do with why you disgust me.”
“Didn’t you enjoy it back then?”
“That was just for show.”
“More like indulging.”
“We’ll be nauseated together forever.”
“You can’t stop me.” Lu Yin stretched his hand out and flicked his middle finger against the back of Qiong Xi'er’s hand. The sudden pain caused Qiong Xi'er to reflexively let go, and Lu Yin quickly slipped away.
Qiong Xi'er grew angry and snorted. She was a stunning woman, but she only had eyes for other girls.
Zhu San watched as Lu Yin ran away and nodded in satisfaction. He quickly turned to continue flirting with Qiong Xi Er once again.
Before long, Lu Yin returned and sat down across from Qiong Xi'er with a calm expression.
Qiong Xi'er and Zhu San were both puzzled.
“Why did you come back?” Qiong Xi’er asked.
Zhu San kept a wary eye on Lu Yin.
Lu Yin replied, “It’s nothing important. I just heard something, so I wanted to share it.”
Qiong Xi'er and Zhu San both looked at Lu Yin.
Lu Yin continued, asking, “Do you know what the epitome of feminine beauty looks like?”
The two both shook their heads, though Qiong Xi'er’s eyes gleamed, and she looked very interested.
Lu Yin pointed at the sky. “They're like clouds, visible yet fleeting. Free from adornments and pure like a hibiscus growing from the clear waters of River Luo.”
Qiong Xi'er’s breath quickened. “Who did you see? Is she as pretty as Starsibyl?”
To many, no one was more beautiful than Starsibyl. Her beauty was just too famous.
Lu Yin nodded. “I saw the girl who’s about to wed Zi Rong. Her name is Zi Xue, and she’s simply too beautiful. In my opinion, she looks even better than Starsibyl.”
Qiong Xi'er did not believe him. “Impossible. How could a girl be that pretty?”
Lu Yin sighed. “Unfortunately, such a beauty is about to be wedded off to that crude Zi Rong. Then, there will be no one to show her tenderness.”
Qiong Xi'er’s eyes flitted about, and she quickly stood up and left.
“Where are you going?” Lu Yin was puzzled.
“To get a look at that cutie!” Qiong Xi'er said excitedly. She sounded quite eager, as she liked beautiful women.
Zhu San was stumped, and he turned to look at Lu Yin with a blank expression.
Lu Yin said, “Aren’t you going to chase after her?”
“No, that courtyard doesn’t allow any males to enter,” Zhu San said.
Lu Yin was amused. “Careful, as your dear Xi'er might be stolen away. I’ve heard that Zi Xue is fine with either gender.”
Zhu San’s eyes flushed red when he heard that. Qiong Xi'er was the same, and she was also very pretty. If she met another person who was just as beautiful as she was, then how could Zhu San compete? He would have a love rival, but they would be a girl.
Zhu San could not sit still, and he hurriedly chased after Qiong Xi’er.
Lu Yin watched the two people and his eyes flickered mischievously. Make a scene. The noisier, the better.
Sure enough, before much time passed, a commotion indeed broke out at the entrance to the inner courtyard. Zhu San had tried to sneak in, but his male sex had been quickly discovered, upon which he had begun screaming loudly. It sounded like he was making a confession, and he was even shouting about how Zi Xue was happy with either gender, which caused many people to look at the youth strangely.
The Zi family could not do much to Zhu San, as the Zhu family was not to be trifled with.
When Zi Tianchuan learned of this matter, he became so angry that his face turned green.
At the gate of the courtyard, Zi Rong, Zi Xianxian, and Zi Fang all showed up. Zi Rong looked rather sullen, and he grabbed Zhu San to toss him out.
Meanwhile, Zhu San hollered, "Xi'er, don’t go with that girl! You won’t be happy!”
Inside the courtyard, Qiong Xi'er covered her face while looking rather helpless. She had not managed to see Zi Xue. Instead, Luo Shen was standing in front of Qiong Xi’er with a rather nervous expression. Luo Shen had heard about what had happened earlier, and this girl in front of her did not seem to be quite right in the head.
Qiong Xi'er sighed and looked at Luo Shen. Suddenly, her eyes lit up. So there was another beautiful girl here, the Goddess, Luo Shen. She had heard of this name before. “Little one, I’ve heard that you dance quite well. I can also dance a bit, so shall we dance together?”
Luo Shen retreated several steps and hurriedly shook her head. “No, there’s no need.”
At the courtyard’s gate, Zi Rong had his men surround Zhu San. “Throw him off of Skylush Planet.”
“Second Bro, don’t be rash. He’s the Zhu family’s heir. We can’t be disrespectful,” Zi Fang said.
Zi Xianxian frowned. “I think that this person must have drunk too much wine. Take him somewhere to sober up.”
Zhu San was captured and prevented from speaking any longer. His face was also flushed bright red.
“Wait a moment.” Zi Rong suddenly seemed to think of something. He leaned closer to Zhu San and softly asked, “Who told you that Zi Xue is that kind of a person?”
Zhu San was released, and he instantly blurted out, “Brother Lu told me.”
“Which Brother Lu?” Zi Fang was puzzled.
Zi Xianxian and Zi Rong exchanged glances, as they already knew who it was. Zi Rong’s expression changed, and he rushed into the inner courtyard.
At that moment, in a certain room within the inner court, Lu Yin was meeting with Zi Xue.
“Do you really have nothing to say to me? If you say the word, I can save you.” Lu Yin stared at Zi Xue.
She remained indifferent. “Alliance Leader Lu, my wedding is almost here. You’re not behaving very appropriately.”
Lu Yin’s gaze sharpened. “I’ve already tried my best to treat you as I should, and I only went this far because we’re both from Earth. However, since you have nothing more to say, I’ll give up.”
Zi Xue looked away and remained silent.
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