Han Yue realized that he had not introduced his friend, and quickly explained, "This is a good friend of mine, Luo Shi, a famous expert on Dankwood planet." He turned to Luo Shi and said, "The Old Mistress is an honored guest of the Han Family." His introduction for the old mistress was vague, but Luo Shi was also smart enough not to question. He bowed to the old mistress smoothly, giving off a friendly vibe.
"Ah!" Ying’er, who stood beside the old mistress, gasped, and immediately felt embarrassed. She quickly covered her mouth with her hands, but could not help asking, "Are you the Luo Shi who participated in the last Congregation?"
Luo Shi smiled and acknowledged humbly, "I didn’t think my lady would remember a nobody like me."
Ying’er blushed again and said, "You’re too modest, Mr Luo. If someone like you is not famous, then there won’t be too many famous people out there." This was no exaggeration. Every participant of the Congregation were true experts. Many young experts were uncovered in each Congregation, and these young experts would usually become famous due to their participation. To many, joining the Congregation was the route to fame.
"Mr Luo must be really impressive, to participate in the Congregation at such a young age," the old mistress commended.
Luo Shi said humbly, "Old Mistress, you’re too kind."
Ye Chong studied the man called Luo Shi coldly. The fact that his face looked familiar bothered him.
"And this is?" Luo Shi looked to Ye Chong with seemingly unperturbed eyes, but Ye Chong could sense that he was wary of him.
"Er …" Han Yue was troubled, not knowing how to introduce the mysterious alchemist. The alchemist had quite literally fell out of the sky, and until now, he still could not figure out what that bird-like mechanical device was.
Han Yue realized suddenly that he knew nothing about the alchemist, not his name and age, nor where he came from and where he was going to. He knew nothing at all about this man.
"This is …" Han Yue was about to make something up when suddenly, he heard a shout, "Careful!" In front of him, Luo Shi vanished in a blur.
A terrifying cry came from behind him!
Han Yue quickly turned around, and saw an ambusher with a lance pierced through his body. The lance was thrown with enough force to go straight through the ambusher’s body, pinning him to the ground.
Luo Shi stood before Han Yue with a calm expression. Han Yue finally realized what had happened, and looked to Luo Shi with gratitude.
Ye Chong saw exactly what had happened. The ambusher had thrown a lance towards them, probably aiming for the old mistress. However, the knockout agent must still be in effect, and the lance strayed from its target towards Han Yue.
Luo Shi moved quickly, appearing behind Han Yua and caught the lance easily. His powerful and explosive motion surprised Ye Chong. Luo Shi then threw the lance, which struck the heart of the ambusher.
This series of events unfolded in a flash.
When Luo Shi moved, Ye Chong’s eyes widened! However, he quickly resumed his calm composure, and his abrupt change in expression was not noticed by anyone around him.
However, what he saw was like dropping a bombshell for Ye Chong!
Luo Shi was strong, as he could tell that from the man’s reaction just now. His movements were powerful, and he could control his strength with precision. The bodyguards of the old mistress all felt wary against Luo Shi.
However, Ye Chong was not thinking about that. Luo Shi was strong, but that was not enough to surprise Ye Chong that much. He had noticed something else.
Luo Shi was from the Ye Family!
It was not hard to imagine what a shock this would be for Ye Chong. Ye Chong saw every detail of Luo Shi’s movement just now, and they were typical of the Ye Family’s techniques. Of the Three Aristocratic Families, Xue Lai Clan specialized in machinery, while Xi Feng Tribe in the secret arts. For the Ye Family, their forte was combat, and Ye Chong was most familiar with their ways.
Ye Chong may have learned only the basics from Black Cove, but Black Cove’s style, which was also the Ye Family’s style, had deeply influenced him. As he learned more about combat, he developed a better understanding of the Ye Family’s combat style. He could recognize it anywhere. Tried as Luo Shi had to disguise himself, he could not escape Ye Chong’s eyes!
The man’s name must be Ye Luo, or Ye something, and not Luo Shi.
No wonder he looked familiar. The Ye Family might be related to him in some way, but that was not at the top of his mind at the moment. As he studied Luo Shi closer, Ye Chong found that the man was similar to him in many respects.
Luo Shi’s physique was similar to him in many ways. His body was lean and slender, and people find it hard to imagine the sheer amount of power residing in that body. Ye Chong recalled his time on the trash planet, where his muscles would not grow larger like normal people no matter how rigorous his training was. He remembered that Mu was puzzled by this as well, and had in the end attributed it to his unique physical condition.
The fact was, his body was also different in many other ways.
For example, the silver liquid’s negative side effects on his body faded over time. The silver liquid, Black Cove, and the Ye Family … Ye Chong thought about all of them and their relation to each other. Many of his earlier confusions arose in his mind.
Could this really be due to the unique physical conditions of members of the Ye Family? He remembered that all the strong characters from the Ye Family had never looked particularly muscular, while other combat experts would usually look huge and imposing.
The Ye Family was in the free space zone!
He quickly realized the implications behind this fact. His heart beat furiously despite his forced calmness. If the Ye Family was here, they must also know how to return to the He Yue Galaxy!
Xi Feng Tribe and Ye Family, two of the Three Aristocratic Families were here now in the free space zone. What about the Xue Lai Clan?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
In the Clan Leader’s office of the Xue Lai Clan, a beautiful middle aged woman was absorbed in the display on her holographic screen. She wore no makeup, but her skin was fair. Her long, narrow eyes were filled with inexpressible emotions. She bit her lips together, deep in thought. This beautiful woman was the current Clan Leader of the Xue Lai Clan.
It was interesting to note that, of the Three Aristocratic Families, two were led by women, and only the Ye Family had a man as their leader.
However, people would not underestimate them just because they were of the fairer sex. The Xue Lai Clan and the Xi Feng Tribe had more female members than male, and the Ye Family was in the exact opposite situation. The Ye Family had more male than female newborns in their family, and this had always been a vexing matter for the reigning Patriarch.
The Clan Leader was also troubled by something now. Too many problems had arisen lately. Suddenly, the peace in the He Yue Galaxy and the Five Galaxies was challenged.
The Shi Family had been active, spreading their power quickly. Intel from various sources suggested that they had a very powerful ally, However, no matter how deep they dug, they could not uncover any information on this mysterious ally. This raised the alarm for the traditional powers that were the Three Aristocratic Families.
Another issue was that in many of the latest models of mechs and weapons, traces of Xue Lai Clan’s technology could be found. This caused a disturbance within the clan, with suggestions of possible traitors. However, the origin of these mechs and weapons could not be uncovered, and this troubled her greatly. Matter like these that could disrupt the harmony of the clan worried her the most.
The Five Galaxies was also problematic. Fortunately, the Xue Lai Clan was not the only one having issues. This was a problem that the Three Aristocratic Families would have to face together, and with the Freedom Alliance.
Some unknown force was trying to devour the Five Galaxies, and the beginnings of this force could be traced back to that primary planet back then. From her intel, the starships from all the Four Families had never returned. They had deployed many more starships there, but all of them were never heard from again. That place was like a black hole, swallowing anything that came its way.
The most terrifying thing, however, was that the force was spreading. This created a pressure on the Three Aristocratic Families and the Freedom Alliance. However, no one could do anything about it. Xi Feng Tribe’s forces in the Five Galaxies were now in an unprecedented state of alarm.
Perhaps she should send out some experts to investigate the matter. The Five Galaxies were indispensible for the Three Aristocratic Families. The He Yue Galaxy was rich in resources, but they were still limited in supply. The Five Galaxies was larger than the He Yue Galaxy, and had more unexplored territory. In some way, the Five Galaxies was the future of the Three Aristocratic Families, where each Family would fight to expand their grounds of influence, and the strategic focus of the Families’ futures.
Now, however, she had another problem at hand.
The foolish boy had found his way to the free space zone!
She could not understand how that could have happened. There were only three extremely hidden routes from the He Yue Galaxy to the free space zone, and each of them was under the control of one of the Three Aristocratic Families.
Unlike the Xi Feng Tribe and the Ye Family, the Xue Lai Clan had always preferred machinery. The free space zone was not that important to the Clan. Hence, while the Xue Lai Clan also had forces in the free space zone, they had the weakest influence in the free space zone among the Three Aristocratic Families. Now that the foolish boy had found his way to the free space zone, she was very worried for his safety.
He was her son. She knew his significance to the Xue Lai Clan! She could not afford to see him harmed, no matter what.
After some pondering, she made her decision. The woman activated her comms and summoned, "Siva!"