Chapter 4049: Cannot Be Discussed In Public

This time, even the people who had never heard of the Hopeful Star Pavilion reacted.

"What?"

Daoist Bone Ruler’s head snapped upward. "The Great Ancestor, was a member?"

High Elder Palm Saber looked equally surprised and the Sword Peak Head’s expression changed as well.

Lin Mu watched the Grand Elder. ’No surprise.’

Then the Clarity Peak Head, and there was no surprise there either.

’There you are.’ Lin Mu knew he had found the right point to press.

All this had confirmed at least one thing. Both of them already knew Deng Siqi’s connection to the Hopeful Star Pavilion.

Zhenyu chuckled. "Interesting."

The Grand Elder immediately focused upon him. "What is?"

Zhenyu’s eyes moved slowly between him and the Clarity Peak Head. "Almost everyone here looked surprised."

The Clarity Peak Head’s expression stiffened while the Grand Elder remained silent.

Zhenyu’s smile widened. "But you two didn’t."

A strange silence settled over the gathering. Daoist Bone Ruler slowly looked toward the Grand Elder, then toward the Clarity Peak Head. The Sword Peak Head did the same. Lin Mu stroked his long beard, allowing Mengli Zhenyu’s arrogant smile to return.

"Now," Zhenyu said, "I think this conversation has finally become interesting."

The Grand Elder’s expression grew unreadable, but Lin Mu could practically feel the man’s thoughts moving behind those ancient eyes. He had learned very little in terms of concrete information so far, yet, that hardly mattered. He had confirmed something far more valuable.

The Hopeful Star Pavilion was remembered and its existence had not simply faded into history. And among the highest authorities currently standing before him, at least two people knew more about it than they were willing to admit.

Zhenyu’s smile grew wider. "Well?"

He looked between them. "Which one of you children wants to explain why an ancient clique that supposedly vanished long ago has suddenly made both of you so careful with your words?"

The Grand Elder’s expression finally changed when Zhenyu pointed out that he and the Clarity Peak Head had already known about the Hopeful Star Pavilion’s connection to the Heavenly Stream Immortal.

The ancient man grew noticeably more serious, while the woman beside him lost the last traces of irritation that had appeared during their earlier exchanges. Neither spoke immediately, though their silence was enough to draw the attention of everyone present.

The two exchanged a glance.

It lasted barely a moment, yet Lin Mu noticed the subtle communication passing between them. The Grand Elder’s eyes narrowed slightly, while the Clarity Peak Head pursed her lips. A faint crease appeared between her eyebrows as she considered something, and the Grand Elder eventually let out a long sigh.

Their reactions were different, but Lin Mu could tell that the intent behind them was the same.

’They don’t wish to talk about it.’ That much was obvious.

The question was why.

The Hopeful Star Pavilion had existed over a hundred thousand years ago, and from everything Lin Mu had learned, it had been a gathering of talented cultivators who had shared certain ambitions and interests. Deng Siqi had been associated with it, and the Virtuous Calamity Daoist had some connection to the group as well.

There were still many gaps in Lin Mu’s understanding of its history, especially concerning what had happened after the Virtuous Calamity Daoist disappeared.

Yet the reactions of the two experts suggested that the Hopeful Star Pavilion had left behind something that the current generation of the Heavenly Stream Guardian Sect considered sensitive.

’Perhaps it has something to do with the Virtuous Calamity Daoist,’ Lin Mu wondered.

He certainly hoped so.

The Grand Elder finally broke the silence.

"Senior Mengli Zhenyu," he said in a measured tone, "I am willing to discuss the Hopeful Star Pavilion with you. However, I would prefer that we do so in private."

Zhenyu raised his thick white eyebrows. "In private?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

The Grand Elder paused.

Zhenyu did not give him much time to think. "What’s so shameful about discussing an old group of cultivators?" he asked. "You lot are making it sound as though the Hopeful Star Pavilion was some forbidden demonic organization."

The Grand Elder’s expression tightened.

Zhenyu continued, "Deng Siqi was associated with that pavilion, wasn’t he? And from what you’ve told me, he’s now the Great Ancestor of your Heavenly Stream Guardian Sect."

"That is correct," the Grand Elder answered.

"Then what’s the problem?" Zhenyu spread his enormous arms. "Shouldn’t the younger generations know more about the Great Ancestor’s past? His achievements, his companions, the people he cultivated alongside? Isn’t that the sort of history a sect should preserve and take pride in?"

Several elders standing nearby nodded unconsciously. The Sword Peak Head, who had previously been irritated by nearly everything Zhenyu said, found himself unable to immediately object.

The Great Ancestor’s history was naturally something every member of the Heavenly Stream Guardian Sect respected. There were entire halls dedicated to recording his achievements, though most concerned the later stages of his life.

Zhenyu’s argument sounded perfectly reasonable, and that was precisely what made it troublesome.

"Or are you telling me," Zhenyu continued, his voice growing louder, "that the current generation has become so secretive that even the Great Ancestor’s old friendships must be hidden?"

The Grand Elder’s eyelid twitched and he could already see where the conversation was heading.

If he continued refusing to answer, Zhenyu would simply keep asking questions. Worse, the old man was framing the matter as a question of respect toward the Heavenly Stream Immortal.

Anyone who tried to suppress the conversation could end up appearing as though they were ashamed of the Great Ancestor’s past.

’Even the way he schemes is like an old monster,’ the Grand Elder thought.

He had spent a considerable amount of time testing Zhenyu’s identity, and the answers he had received were already difficult to explain through ordinary deception. The man knew ancient incidents, obscure personal details, and contradictions within historical records that few people could possibly have discovered.

Now he was displaying the kind of cunning one would expect from someone who had survived the sect’s turbulent early eras. The Grand Elder’s final doubts concerning Zhenyu’s identity faded.

At least as far as he was concerned, the man standing before him was indeed Mengli Zhenyu.

That realization brought him little comfort.

He had heard stories about the Earth Sea Tyrant before, though many had seemed exaggerated. An arrogant body cultivator who regularly offended powerful elders, challenged people above his station, and caused trouble wherever he went.

The Grand Elder had originally assumed that those stories had grown increasingly absurd through repeated retellings. Now he was beginning to suspect that the historical accounts had actually been rather restrained.

The Clarity Peak Head looked toward him again and this time, the Grand Elder gave a faint nod.

"Senior," he finally said, "I understand your reasoning. However, the history of the Hopeful Star Pavilion involves certain matters that would be difficult to explain properly in front of so many people."

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