Chapter 42: No One
Pusro laughed heartily. "Since you, Bebe, have agreed to meet this friend of mine, then just go with my two servants. They will take you there." Pusro looked at Bebe, who seemed somewhat startled. "Right now?"
"Of course. That friend of mine is waiting for you," Pusro said.
"Boss, I'll be off then." Bebe turned to look at Linley.
Linley was curious about who this mysterious person was, but since the meeting place was within the city, he felt reassured. He nodded with a smile. "Go and come back quickly. Pusro is deliberately hiding that person's identity from me. I'm waiting for you to come back and tell me."
"Mm." Bebe nodded emphatically, deliberately glancing at Pusro. "I'm not like some people, acting all mysterious."
"You little rascal." Pusro couldn't help but laugh.
Bebe strode out, saying as he went, "You two, hurry up and lead the way. I have no idea where this mysterious person who wants to see me lives." Pusro's two servants quickly stepped forward to guide Bebe.
Linley watched Bebe leave, his confusion growing stronger.
"Pusro." Delia smiled sweetly at Pusro. "Bebe has already gone. Can't you stop keeping secrets now? Who exactly is this mysterious friend of yours?" Linley also turned to look at Pusro, waiting for his answer.
Pusro smiled but didn't reply.
"Do I know this person?" Linley pressed.
Pusro considered for a moment before saying, "This person... you probably don't know him."
Linley looked at Pusro with confusion. Probably don't know him? Either you know someone or you don't. Pusro was being so hesitant.
"Linley, have you lived for ten thousand years since your birth?" Pusro asked.
"Ten thousand years?" Linley couldn't help but laugh. "I've been cultivating for just over a thousand years. I'm far from even two thousand years."
"That short?" Pusro was somewhat surprised, then said, "Then I'm certain. Whether or not you've heard of this friend's name, at least you've never met him in person. Because... ten thousand years ago, he left your Yulan Continent and came to the Infernal Realm."
Linley and Delia exchanged a startled glance.
"He's from the Yulan Continent?" Talos, Dilin, and Xise, who were standing behind, were also surprised.
Seeing the shocked and puzzled expressions of the group before him, Pusro smiled smugly. "Haha, you all can guess all you want. I won't say... wait until Bebe comes back, and you'll find out. But I doubt you'll be able to guess."
Linley shook his head with a wry smile. This Pusro really did enjoy teasing people.
"Linley, how long are you staying here?" Pusro suddenly asked.
"About a month," Linley replied.
"Oh, that long? Then I'll stay here for two days. When you have time, you must tell me about the internal affairs of the Four Divine Beasts clan. I'm very curious about them," Pusro said with a chuckle.
And so, Pusro stayed overnight that day as well. Fortunately, the mansion Talos and the others had bought was large enough to have plenty of rooms. In the dead of night, the couple discussed the mysterious person.
"I thought Bebe would be back the same day, but I didn't expect it to take this long," Linley said, stroking Delia's hair with a smile.
"Maybe after meeting this mysterious person, Bebe not only had things to discuss but also had some other matters to attend to," Delia said. "This mysterious person came to the Yulan Continent ten thousand years ago, and we've never met him once. I really have no idea who it could be."
"Originally, I thought it was Lord Beirut. But after hearing Pusro say I've never seen him, I can't think of anyone else," Linley said, also puzzled.
Then Linley smiled and looked down at Delia.
"What are you doing?" Delia felt that Linley's gaze was a bit off.
"We only have two children. Although the Four Divine Beasts clan has very few offspring, I don't believe we can't have a third," Linley said with a low laugh, lowering his head to kiss Delia.
"Mmm..."
Delia's face flushed slightly, and she deliberately glared at Linley. Then she extended her jade-like arms, wrapped them around Linley's neck, and the two rolled over, entwining together...
Who would have thought that Bebe, once gone, still hadn't returned by the day Pusro was leaving. Linley began to feel a bit anxious. How could meeting someone take a full three days? When Linley asked Pusro, Pusro just told him not to worry.
On the fifth day...
"This floating shadow is quite good. The fighting styles of the experts from the Life Supreme Plane are also somewhat unique. Their movements and attack postures look so beautiful and captivating," Delia said with an admiring laugh.
Linley nodded. "Most people in the Life Supreme Plane cultivate the Laws of Life. Those attacks look pleasing to the eye, but their power is astonishing."
During their time in Mier City, Linley and Delia also visited some interesting places. They had to admit... the bustling Mier City was indeed much more interesting than the Celestial Sacrifice Mountains.
Laughing and chatting, Linley and Delia soon arrived at their residence.
Looking at the mansion's gate, Delia sighed. "I wonder if Bebe is back yet. It's already the fifth day." Although she was concerned about this matter, Delia was still at ease. First, because Bebe was in the city and wouldn't be in danger. Second, because Linley and Bebe were connected by soul and could sense each other's location.
Linley just smiled without speaking, simply looking at the mansion's gate.
His soul had already sensed that Bebe was inside the mansion. Just then, a cheer rang out: "Boss!" The mansion's gate opened, and Bebe, wearing his straw hat, stood at the entrance, smiling at Linley and Delia.
"Bebe is back?" Delia was startled, then turned back and glared at Linley. Since Bebe was back, Linley must have sensed it. But Linley hadn't said a word the whole way.
Linley laughed heartily.
"Bebe, you're really something. Going to meet that mysterious person, and a single meeting took this long. It's already the fifth day," Linley said with a smile, stepping into the mansion with Delia.
Inside the mansion, Talos, Dilin, Xise, O'Brien, Kamina, and others were all there. When they saw Linley and Delia enter, Talos laughed heartily. "Linley, you're finally here. We just asked Bebe who he went to see, but he refused to say. He insisted on waiting for you to come back before telling everyone."
Bebe wrinkled his nose and snorted.
Linley and Delia walked over with smiles and sat down. Linley looked at Bebe and said, "Bebe, stop keeping everyone in suspense. Just say it directly. If you don't say it today, Talos and Dilin will be getting anxious."
Talos and Dilin both laughed. It was just a small matter; they were only curious, not truly anxious.
"Alright, I'll say it." Bebe lifted his head. "This person was originally from our Yulan Continent."
"We know that. That's why we're curious," Talos said quickly.
Bebe looked around at everyone before saying smugly, "This mysterious person is... my grandfather Beirut's wife. My grandmother, Karelona!"
"Karelona?" Linley immediately recalled. Back then, Bebe had indeed told him about Beirut's wife, Karelona.
When he was on the Yulan Continent, Linley had also met the three brothers Harry, Hart, and Harvey, but he had never seen Karelona. When chatting with Harry and the others back then, Linley had heard that Karelona had long left the Yulan Continent.
"It's her?" Talos exclaimed in surprise, then laughed heartily. "I should have guessed it was her. Lady Karelona is Lord Beirut's wife, so it's only natural for her to come see Bebe."
"This Lady Karelona is Lord Beirut's wife?" Olivia was also somewhat surprised.
Olivia and Xise were born long after Karelona had left the Yulan Continent, so naturally, they had never heard of her. They didn't even know that Karelona was Beirut's wife.
"My grandmother Karelona is very powerful," Bebe said smugly.
"Bebe, what did your grandmother Karelona want with you this time? It took so long," Linley asked, still puzzled.
"She was helping my grandfather deliver something to me," Bebe said with a sly grin. "It's the fifth soul fragment."
Dilin, Talos, and O'Brien all looked confused.
Linley and Delia, however, were somewhat surprised. Bebe had told them about the fragmented soul pieces. Back then, Bebe had been able to master four types of Law insights without spending time on them because he had fused four soul fragments containing the memories of those insights.
"Over the years, my grandfather finally found this one for me," Bebe said smugly. "Boss, you better step it up. Maybe I'll reach Highgod before you do."
Linley smiled. He had already mastered five of the six insights of the Laws of the Earth, leaving only one. His progress in the Water Laws was also fast, with four insights already mastered.
"Haha, who reaches Highgod first is still uncertain," Linley said with a laugh.
"What are you talking about? And what are these soul fragments?" Dilin, Xise, and the others looked utterly confused. Once a soul was shattered, it was destroyed. How could there be soul fragments? What were they for?
They had no idea.
Time passed quickly. Life in Mier City was relaxed, and a month flew by in the blink of an eye. On the day of departure, the members of the Azure Dragon clan had already begun gathering outside the city. Everyone had arrived early.
"Sir, the Azure Dragon clan members are all over there."
"Have you seen Linley and his family?"
"No. They'll probably arrive later. The Azure Dragon clan members are currently assembling."
"Hurry and notify the eight elders. Have them prepare."
"Rest assured, sir. The eight elders are already aware. Once the Azure Dragon clan members set out, the eight elders can launch the attack at any time."
"Very good. This time, killing Linley is of great importance to the eight clan leaders. There must be no mistakes."
At that moment, intelligence agents from the eight major clans were watching the gathering of the Azure Dragon clan members. Because these Azure Dragon clan members had been spotted at the city gate when they first arrived, the agents had memorized the appearances of some of them.
The ordinary clan members hadn't changed their appearances, so when they gathered now, they were immediately recognized.
Elder Tevila, who had changed his appearance, was waiting anxiously, occasionally glancing toward the city gate. "What's wrong with Linley? He still hasn't arrived."
"Elder Tevila," one of the Highgod warriors under Tevila's command transmitted mentally, "all the other clan members have arrived. Only Elder Linley and his two companions are missing. What should we do now? Wait here?"
Tevila frowned.
"Forget it. Since Elder Linley and the others haven't come, they'll probably return next time or go back on their own. We don't need to worry about them." Tevila immediately gave the order. "Prepare to depart."
With that, Tevila released a giant black tiger-shaped metallic lifeform. The Azure Dragon clan members began filing into it...
"Sir, the Azure Dragon clan members are about to depart. But Linley, his wife, and his brother haven't appeared."
"Still not here? Wait a little longer. That metallic lifeform will probably wait a while before departing."
However, outside the city, the black tiger-shaped metallic lifeform, once all the clan members were inside, didn't hesitate. It immediately took off and disappeared into the sky. This scene left many intelligence agents dumbfounded.
"Sir... what do we do now? The three of them, Linley, definitely didn't come. The number of people who entered the metallic lifeform is three fewer than when they arrived."
"Three fewer? It seems Linley and his two companions really didn't leave. Hurry and inform the eight elders... Tell the elders to rest first and wait patiently."