Star Trace Gate

Chapter 908 The true colors are revealed, Big Shrimp and Crab

In the reception hall, the aura of the Void Mirror was soaring to its peak, making the surrounding void appear blurry and distorted, and even the mirror itself completely obscured the ceiling.

Sun Qingxue shouted in alarm, "Alright, take that mirror away, or it will shatter the roof beams!"

"Sister, don't be anxious. This isn't my limit yet." Li Xiaopang raised his sword finger to his brow and replied with utmost seriousness, "It's fine if outsiders think I'm a spoiled brat, but in front of Sister Sun, I must show my manly side...!"

"I am the strongest—show me!"

He roared and squealed like a boar that had been stabbed, his physique appearing extremely masculine, which attracted many members of the Sun family to come and investigate.

……

Inside the Sutra Pavilion.

Ren Ye immediately sensed Xiao Pang's aura because he was simply too unrestrained, making no attempt to conceal or restrain his aura. He was like Zhou Taozhi who had gone mad. Once he used his divine technique, it would be difficult for any cultivator in the entire Sun family compound not to sense it.

"His aura is so intense, as if he's about to fight someone to the death; his behavior is really strange," Aunt Tianwei murmured intelligently. "Do you think... he's just trying to get our attention? But how did he know we were at the Sun family's house?"

As the old saying goes, a guilty conscience needs no accuser, and this is especially evident in the Huang family aunt and nephew. Because they know that Little Fatty is their accomplice, when they see him causing such a commotion, they instinctively think that it is them.

However, the Sun family was unaware of Little Fatty's identity as an inside man, so naturally they couldn't think of it at this level.

“I also think he’s trying to get our attention, because he doesn’t usually have much contact with the Sun family. His sudden appearance and the way he’s exuding such an aura is indeed a bit strange.” After thinking for a moment, Ren Ye quickly walked towards the door.

"You can just use your voice," Aunt Tianwei reminded her.

"I moved closer and saw clearly that he was transmitting his voice," Ren replied very cautiously.

"Alright." Aunt Tianwei nodded slowly.

"Auntie, I can go by myself. You wait here for a moment."

As soon as he finished speaking, Ren Ye strode to the entrance of the Sutra Repository, reached out and pulled open the two large doors, and then hurried towards the courtyard gate.

Unexpectedly, just as he closed the door of the Sutra Repository and reached the center of the courtyard, he heard the sound of a door opening in the side room. A young expert from the Sun family then came out with a smile: "Brother Huang...!"

Ren heard the call and turned to look at him: "Brother Zhihai, are you reading classics in the side hall?"

This young expert from the Sun family was named Sun Ying, courtesy name Zhihai, and was Sun Qingxue's cousin. He had been taking care of Ren Ye and his aunt these past few days, so the little rascal was quite familiar with him.

“Yes, I just had some free time, so I browsed through some ancient books in the side hall.” Sun Zhihai walked over and asked with a smile, “Brother Huang, where are you headed?”

"Oh, I had nothing to do in the hall, and suddenly I sensed a tremor in the void of the front hall. I was a little curious, so I thought I'd go and see." Ren didn't hide his desire to watch the excitement, because everyone knew that Little Fatty was currently surging with energy, and if he made another excuse to leave the courtyard, it would seem too coincidental.

"Oh." Sun Zhihai nodded slightly, then replied in a low voice, "Brother Huang, you may not know this, but during the day, my Sun family compound receives quite a few visitors, and the people who come are quite diverse. People from the Dharma Hall, people visiting their elders, and people from the academy... they all come frequently. As the saying goes, too many eyes and too many people, and if you were recognized by someone, it would be a big problem. So... you should rest in the hall. If you're bored, I can recommend some ancient books for you to read...!"

"Hehe, I've disguised myself and am just blending into the crowd. I'll just go and take a look at the excitement. That shouldn't be a problem, right?" Ren replied with a smile.

"It's better to be cautious," Sun Zhihai insisted.

Ren and his aunt had been hiding at the Sun family's house for four days. During this time, to avoid causing trouble for the Sun family, they had hardly made any "risky" requests. Not to mention going out for a stroll, they even relieved themselves in the inner toilet of the Sutra Pavilion.

For four whole days, they didn't leave the main hall of the Sutra Repository. They didn't even light oil lamps at night, for fear that the servants would notice something amiss.

None of this was specifically instructed by the Sun family; it was simply Ren Ye and his aunt's conscious self-discipline. Therefore, they never had any conversation with the Sun family about this matter.

But at this moment, Ren felt that Sun Zhihai's attitude was somewhat veiled. He seemed to be advising him, but he used a firm and unquestionable tone.

I've already disguised myself, and with all this commotion, many people have been chased away. Can't I even watch the excitement from a distance?!

Ren Ye was a little puzzled, but his expression remained unchanged. He simply smiled and replied, "Brother Zhihai is right, then I won't watch the show. However, Auntie has been a bit feverish these past few days, so I'll go find Sister Sun and ask her to prepare some chilled fruits..."

"Is it really necessary for you to go personally to do such a small thing?" Sun Zhihai replied very politely, "I'll prepare it in a bit. From today onwards, I'll have the servants send over chilled fruits every noon, so don't worry...!"

"Hehe, I'm not just here to get the fruits, I also want to chat with Sister Sun about something else," Ren insisted in replying.

Sun Zhihai, with his hands behind his back, replied casually, "The road to leaving home is about to open. Qingxue has been cultivating diligently these past few days... Heh, perhaps we shouldn't disturb her?"

Upon hearing this, the entire courtyard of the Sutra Repository seemed to fall silent instantly.

Ren looked at the other person with clear eyes, and after a few breaths of silence, he smiled and replied, "Yes, yes, since Sister Sun is cultivating all night, I'd better not disturb her."

"Well, Brother Huang, don't worry. Since the patriarch invited you here, there must be arrangements to follow. Just relax and hide well," Sun Zhihai replied calmly.

"Yes." Ren Ye responded, then clasped his hands and said, "Then I won't disturb you any longer as you read the ancient books. I'll go back and rest now."

"Ah."

As soon as he finished speaking, Ren Ye turned and walked towards the Sutra Repository. Sun Zhihai watched him close the door and return to the hall before slowly stepping into the side hall.

Inside the side hall, four highly skilled members of the Sun family, along with an elder, were sitting cross-legged, meditating on the Dao.

“I persuaded him to go back,” Sun Zhihai said.

"Hmm...!" An elder snorted through his nose and then fell silent.

Inside the Sutra Repository, Ren Ye had just returned when he immediately released his senses, and his expression turned extremely ugly.

Aunt Tianwei frowned: "Why are you back again?!"

"I was stopped and brought back." Ren Ye turned to look at her: "The Sun family won't even let me leave this compound."

"Try it with telepathy," Aunt Tianwei quickly reminded her.

“I just sensed it, and there’s an array separating us here. Our souls… are probably trapped inside this courtyard.” Ren Ye said softly, “We can sense the situation outside, but we can’t send our divine senses out… I can’t communicate with Little Fatty.”

"you mean……?!"

Ren slowly turned around, looked directly at his aunt, and said with an extremely solemn expression, "Aunt, if nothing unexpected happens, we have been completely imprisoned by the Sun family."

Hearing his assessment, Aunt Tianwei instantly realized their predicament. However, unlike ordinary women who would lose their temper or rush out to confront the sycophantic Sun Michen, she simply frowned and said with a gloomy face, "If Sun Michen also harbors greed... then... then we're really in trouble."

Sun Zhihai's attitude was already very clear. He wouldn't even allow Sun Qingxue to see him if he wanted to be re-elected. This was tantamount to telling the aunt and niece that now that they were in the Sun family, their actions were no longer their own. They had to do whatever they were told.

At this moment, Ren also recalled Sun Michen's previous "favoritism" towards him, and his act of personally sending his daughter to the Divine Tomb to save him at the risk of being punished by the clan hall and besieged by other clans and elders. Was it really just because he admired his aunt?

This reason, given the wisdom and shrewdness of a great clan leader, is clearly somewhat far-fetched.

But didn't the little rascal realize this at all before?

No, he had long felt that Sun Michen's attitude towards him was overly enthusiastic, even unsettling. Therefore, during his first conversation with Sun Michen, he was cautious and did not tell him about the clues he had obtained from Zhou Taozhi, or that Zhao Mi was the real culprit, and that the Origin Eyes were most likely hidden in the Divine Tomb, etc.

If that's the case, then why did he follow Sun Qingxue without hesitation in the Tomb of the Gods?

Because he really had no choice. The storyteller had gone mad, which meant that the strongest member of the four-person criminal group was out of control; in addition, the five members of Jiu Han had been killed without exception and were in a precarious situation. Zhao Haochen could lead the patrolmen into the Divine Tomb to provide support at any time... Therefore, he couldn't afford to delay and had no choice but to follow Sun Qingxue's path to survive temporarily.

Otherwise, if the two of them, aunt and niece, fell into Zhao Haochen's hands, the result would inevitably be their destruction, with no chance of recovery.

However, their current situation confirms his earlier suspicions: after hiding them, the Sun family couldn't wait to reveal their true colors.

It's true that Sun Michen saved people, but it's also true that he wanted to seize the Origin Eyes.

This Dharma Hall leader, who was known for his benevolence and gentleness in the village of illusion, couldn't help but want to seize the opportunity to inherit the throne when faced with such an extraordinary chance.

If it were anyone else, after experiencing the tragic consequences of escaping from the jaws of death and then falling into a pack of wolves, their mental state would probably have collapsed long ago, and they would be completely bewildered and filled with despair at this moment. But the Little Bad King was different. He did not show any panic or fear at this moment, but simply walked around the hall, frowning and deep in thought.

A short while later, he slowly raised his head to look at his aunt and transmitted his voice, saying, "I think Sun Michen didn't just have a sudden urge to be greedy. He already had the idea of ​​imprisoning us when he asked Sun Qingxue to save us. Or rather, he had been planning to scheme against us for a long time. Think about it, he is the person in charge of the Law Hall. He can see all of Zhao Haochen's investigation results. He also knows exactly what the people patrolling the hall do all day long. Therefore, he was able to grasp the clues earlier than many people in the Clan Hall and thus take action."

"In other words, while Zhao Haochen was smugly playing the mantis, he didn't notice that there was Sun Michen, the oriole, behind him."

Aunt Tianwei nodded slightly as she listened to his words and said, "Was his insistence on inviting us to dinner at home earlier also a kind of test?"

“It’s not just a test, it might also be a subtle reminder.” Ren Ye carefully recalled everything that happened that day, and then turned to his aunt and said, “Do you remember? After dinner that day, I went back to Sun Qingxue’s boudoir with her. I accidentally saw the array on her meditation couch and we talked about how Zhao Mi’s cultivation had advanced rapidly, and that he might have mastered some kind of rule of the Divine Tomb.”

“At the time, I didn’t think much of it, but now it seems… Sun Qingxue may have deliberately shown me that strange formation, because it was indeed too strange. Then she used this formation as a pretext to remind me… Zhao Mi may have mastered that strange devouring power in the Divine Tomb, which may be related to my Origin Eyes, thus guiding me to investigate in this direction.”