📖 Chapter 996 - Li Wan’er!
“Oh?” Wang Baole’s expression didn’t change. When he heard the giant tree’s words, he swept his gaze across the wedding hall, nodding politely to everyone offering respects. He saw that in the middle of a distant crowd, Lin You was looking at him.
Wang Baole smiled slightly and nodded toward Lin You. Compared to before, Lin You’s appearance hadn’t changed much. After all, once a person’s cultivation base reached a certain level, time would leave far fewer traces on their body. It would be difficult to judge their age based purely on appearance.
Lin You had been paying attention to Wang Baole the entire time. When he noticed the latter’s gaze fall on him, Lin You’s expression turned solemn, and he gave Wang Baole a deep bow. After straightening up, hesitation flashed through his eyes, but that quickly disappeared, replaced by determination. He extricated himself from the crowd and walked over to where Wang Baole was standing.
The giant tree didn’t flinch when he saw Lin You coming over, but his words suddenly changed into a report on his recent work on Mars. His voice wasn’t loud, just enough for Lin You to hear a little as he walked over. When Lin You arrived next to the two, the giant tree turned his head and cupped his fists at Lin You with a smile.
“Fellow Daoist Osmanthus, I hope I’m not interrupting you. Do you mind giving me a moment of Baole’s time?” Lin You said with a good-natured laugh.
“Vice-Chairman Lin must be joking. This humble manager has already finished my report. You’re not interrupting anything at all.” The giant tree smiled and cupped his fists again before respectfully taking his leave.
As he watched the giant tree leave, Lin You casually swept his gaze across the surroundings. When he finally turned his head to look at Wang Baole, his eyes were full of emotion. Although he hadn’t said anything yet, his expression alone hinted clearly at his next words.
Without opening his mouth, with just his facial expression alone, Lin You was able to convey meaning and even cause people to reminisce on the past. Among the Federation’s cadre, Wang Baole had only seen this ability on Duanmu Que and Li Xingwen.
“In the blink of an eye, it’s been so many years…” Lin You sighed softly. His expression then turned solemn, and taking a step backward, he bowed deeply to Wang Baole.
“In-name disciple of the Moon Star Sect, Lin You, greets Senior!”
Wang Baole raised his eyebrows slightly. Looking at Lin You with a faint smile, he opened his mouth with an inquiring tone.
“Moon Star Sect? When did such a sect appear in my Federation? Fellow Daoist Lin, what are you trying to say here?”
"Baole, stop teasing me." Lin You smiled wryly and cupped his fists again.
“Baole, I don’t know if Fellow Daoist Osmanthus has said anything to you, but in order to not cause unnecessary misunderstandings, I’m going to explain things myself.
“I visited a ruin on Earth back then and went missing, only to return many years later. Although I reported most of the events of my disappearance to the Federation, there are still some secrets that I didn’t reveal…” Lin You fell silent for a moment before speaking again in a soft voice.
“The place I disappeared to is called the Moon Star Sect. This sect is most likely related to the ancient civilization of Earth. I am not the first to be teleported there, nor will I be the last. After a series of tests, I became an in-name disciple and was taught a cultivation technique… In the end, they teleported me back to Earth with a certain mission.”
"What mission?" Wang Baole narrowed his eyes.
“My mission was to… record the development of Earth in the Spirit Inception Era, and participate in it. And if the Federation ever fell into a life and death crisis, I was to send people who could become seeds of the Federation into the ruins.” Lin You’s eyes were clear, with nothing to hide.
“I don’t know what the Moon Star Sect is trying to do, but what I do know is that the Federation is my home. Thus, after coming back, I didn’t send anyone to the ruins. Instead, I took the initiative to make a report. Thanks to that, over the years, the number of people disappearing into ruins has decreased.
“However… Baole, if the Federation really falls into an unresolvable life and death crisis, I may still carry out that mission and try to leave a spark of life for the Federation.
“The reason why I’m telling you all this is because I, Lin You, have a completely clear conscience!” After he finished speaking, Lin You bowed deeply once again. Raising his head, he stared deep into Wang Baole’s eyes, as if trying to express his sincerity.
After staring at Lin You for a long time, Wang Baole slowly nodded. His eyes flickered with thought, and he suddenly opened his mouth to speak.
"Tell me more about this Moon Star Sect."
“I don’t know where the Moon Star Sect is located, nor do I know how powerful it is. But I do know that… the sect has no less than a few hundred cultivators who are in the Planet Realm just like you.
“As for Eternal Stars[1]… just looking up into the Moon Star Sect’s sky, I could see dozens of stars! Also, this sect must have a deep connection with the ancient civilization of Earth, and it’s even possible that their ancestors are made up of the ancient peoples who left the solar system for some reason or another. Moreover… when I was there, I saw many osmanthus trees, the same kind of tree as Fellow Daoist Osmanthus…” Lin You seemed to be recalling some terrifying memories. Suddenly, he seemed to remember something else and continued speaking.
“By the way, in the Moon Star Sect, those whose identities have reached a certain level will all wear masks… The masks come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, and almost no two masks are the same.”
“Masks?” Wang Baole was taken aback. He fell into deep thought for a while. As for Lin You, after confessing everything, he felt a weight lifted from his heart. He hadn’t spoken a single lie. Lin You didn’t want to cause any misunderstandings with Wang Baole, and he especially didn’t want them to fall out with each other over such a thing.
After all, the Federation was his home. Everything he was, everything he had, all came from the Federation. Now, his son was even getting married here, so the feelings he had toward this place only deepened. Thus, when he saw the giant tree talking with Wang Baole, he had a feeling that it was time to expose his secrets. Although he hesitated, he eventually came over with determination. He believed that someone with Wang Baole’s wit and experience would be able to tell that everything he said was the truth.
Now that he’d said everything, Lin You felt relief wash over him. When he saw Wang Baole’s ponderous expression, he didn’t continue to impose, but cupped his fists and left respectfully.
Many people noticed that Wang Baole was thinking deeply about something. Most of the people at this wedding were in the upper echelon of the Federation and knew how to conduct themselves, so no one disturbed Wang Baole as he pondered.
Just like that, after half an incense stick’s worth of time, Wang Baole suddenly muttered under his breath.
“I seem to have overlooked something…” Wang Baole narrowed his eyes. When he heard the word “mask”, a light bulb seemed to flicker in his mind. After thinking it through, he suddenly recalled… the masked woman from the Starfall Realm!
This figure wasn’t something he could forget. As he stared at that figure engraved deeply into his mind, he finally focused in on the beautiful woman’s mask. His thoughts churned, and the eyes behind that mask grew clearer and clearer.
In the end, Wang Baole took out the jade slip that the Flame Patriarch had left behind to contact him. After a moment of hesitation, he respectfully sent a sound transmission.
“Master, are you there? Do you happen to have the list of those who reached the Planet Realm in the recent opening of the Starfall Realm?”
Wang Baole knew that this list wasn’t available to just anyone. Only those of a certain status in the Never-Ending Dao Domain could receive it. When he was in the Starfall Realm, he was only allowed to view his own entry, not the entire list. At first, he didn’t care too much, but now that he had grown suspicious of the masked woman, Wang Baole decided that he had to see the full list.
Soon, he received a response from the Flame Patriarch. The Flame Patriarch had sent the complete Starfall List, and he also left another message for Wang Baole.
“My dear disciple, your master has arranged for someone to pick you up. Once you settle your affairs there, Master will be waiting for you in the Raging Flame Galaxy!”
“I accept Master’s orders!” After Wang Baole sent a respectful response, he immediately opened the Starfall List that the Flame Patriarch had sent. After looking it over, his breathing grew rapid and his pupils contracted as he stared at a certain name!
Li Wan'er, Moon Star Sect!
“Li Wan’er… is it just a coincidence?” In Wang Baole’s mind, Li Wan’er’s silhouette overlapped with the figure of the masked woman. His heart suddenly exploded with disbelief. He quickly sent Lin Tianhao a sound transmission before hastily leaving the wedding venue. After walking out of the wedding hall, he took a step forward and disappeared in an instant.
When he reappeared, he was no longer on Mars, but out in the starry sky. A moment later, he touched down on Earth, appearing… just outside the Senate Chairman’s mansion!
Outside the mansion, Wang Baole took a deep breath. He cupped his fists and bowed.
“Junior Wang Baole requests to see Uncle Li!”
Although the Senate Chairman’s cultivation base had fallen to the level of a mortal, his contributions to the Federation and his identity as Li Wan’er’s father meant that Wang Baole had to refer to himself as a junior!