Lu Yin knew that fishing civilizations used a variety of methods to fish, such as springboards, sourceboxes, scavengers, gates, Threads of Heaven, and many more methods. However, he had not expected something like pseudo-Immortals to be on that list as well.
The Mudwater Dominion specialized in fishing for civilizations with Immortals. Their civilization was utterly disgusting yet also extraordinarily powerful.
According to the information that Ba Se had provided, the strongest beings in the Mudwater Dominion were their eight elders. They were the Mudwater Dominion’s true Immortal beings, and moreover, they were stronger than most other Immortals, given that they were capable of storing other Immortals and using them as heavy weapons. They were not easy opponents.
Lu Yin mentally reviewed the information that he had seen. He stared at the mud doll as he spoke slowly, "Earlier, you told me you were traveling the Aevum Inch, searching for civilizations to add to your paintings as a means of self-preservation, right?"
The mud doll had been repeatedly cut by the Tri-Azure Sword Intent until only a small bit of its body remained. It was miserable beyond words. "Yes. Let me go. I pose no threat to you."
Lu Yin squatted down and stared at the pile of mud. "Mud doll."
The creature trembled. Despite having no eyes, it was obvious that it was staring at Lu Yin in shock. "How do you know?"
“Mudwater Dominion, mud dolls, the Eight Elders, karma designation, and civilizational weapons. Those are the pillars of your civilization.
“Using civilizations as vessels, your inheritance as weapons, conviction as the driving force, absolute designation. That is how your civilization operates.”
The mud writhed. Astonishment filled its voice. "You are part of a fishing civilization and have fought a war against our Mudwater Dominion. There is no other way for you to know so much."
Lu Yin stared at the pile of mud. "The war is about to restart, so I should thank you. It was likely your existence that drew the Mudwater Dominion over here, wasn’t it?"
The Mudwater Dominion used pseudo-Immortal mud dolls as bait, and he had captured one. With the war starting so suddenly, it was natural for Lu Yin to come to this conclusion.
Not even Obscura knew why the Mudwater Dominion had drawn near.
The mud doll said in a low voice, "I am not the only mud doll in this direction. It might have been me, or it might not have been."
"Tell me, if I completely erase you from existence, the Mudwater Dominion shouldn’t be able to find this place, right?" Lu Yin asked again.
The mud doll remained perfectly calm. "You are threatening me. What do you want to learn from me? I also want to learn about the Mudwater Dominion. You should know more than I do. A mud doll’s only task is to serve as bait. We are ignorant of everything concerning the Mudwater Dominion’s Immortals. Since your civilization has fought us before, you certainly have greater knowledge of the eight elders’ abilities than I do. It is unrealistic for you to learn anything useful through me."
Lu Yin waved a hand, and karma pierced the mud doll, continuously drawing out its past.
He watched the passing scenes as days passed by, one after another. In the blink of an eye, three months had gone by, and the war was only a few days away.
During those three months, karma had revealed nothing from the mud doll’s past that offered Lu Yin any help. Just as the mud doll had said, the Mudwater Dominion had sealed off all information regarding its Immortals. He could see the Mudwater Dominion’s cultivation methods and how mud dolls survived, but he learned absolutely nothing regarding the strength of the Mudwater Dominion’s Immortals.
How could a creature used as bait possibly offer any sort of valuable information? Ba Se had shared far, far more than what the mud doll itself knew.
Lu Yin casually tossed the mud doll back into a Zenith Mountain and sat down at a stone table.
Long Xi brewed a cup of tea and casually set it down in front of Lu Yin. He accepted it but did not drink. He held the cup in his hands, feeling the warmth rising from the teacup. It was warm and comfortable.
“Given a free but finite life or a perilous immortality, I would choose the former.” Lu Yin looked at Long Xi. In her eyes, he could clearly see his own reflection, and nothing else. “Sorry for making you worry.”
She gave him a faint smile. "Looking back, the days that I spent with Long Qi might have been my happiest."
Lu Yin looked at his teacup. "Many times, not knowing leads to far greater happiness than knowing. People are actually very simple: they want to be fed, warm, tended to, and healthy. That is enough. But the world is impermanent, and life will never be as smooth as you wish.
"The more you plan, the easier it is for accidents to happen. Some accidents strike like lightning from a clear sky, catching you completely off guard."
Long Xi looked at Lu Yin’s profile. “So you would rather know everything, and use that peace of mind to make up for the happiness you lose?”
Lu Yin smiled. “In a person’s life, all joy ultimately fades into loneliness. Only peace of mind endures.”
Long Xi murmured, “That peace of mind of yours... is it selfless, or selfish?”
Lu Yin’s body twitched. He stared at the ripples in his tea, unable to answer.
His peace of mind was for himself because he had protected the people he cared about. But those people that he cared about also cared about him; did they have peace of mind? Was he being selfless or selfish? He did not know himself.
As Long Xi left, her back looked bleak as Lu Yin stared at her. She had grown much thinner.
"I will try to not take risks," he called out to her.
Long Xi paused and then smiled. "Mhmm."
Lu Yin drained the tea in one gulp. He vanished, reappearing in the Spirit Nidus, standing in front of Master Qing Cao.
"Come with me. We’re going to war."
Master Qing Cao froze. "Me?"
"What do you think?"
"Do I have to fight too?"
Lu Yin said nothing and simply stared at the man.
Master Qing Cao refused. "I am not a member of Obscura. There is no need for me to fight, and my strength is insufficient to join one of Obscura’s wars. This is a war against a fishing civilization. Even a small mistake will mean death."
Lu Yin blandly replied, "I did not ask for your opinion."
He took out a Zenith Mountain. "Please go in, Senior."
Master Qing Cao frowned. "Mr. Lu, I cannot help you with anything. You could drag the Seven-Treasure Anuras’ Old Fourth and Old Fifth to fight with you, or you could ask Awe Gate and Blood Tower to go. Even your master could join this fight, so why choose me?"
"Obscura is only able to contact you."
"You do not need to worry about that. Since this is Obscura’s war, they will provide a way to communicate. Obscura’s methods surpass what you can imagine."
"I won’t entrust my life to others. Compared to Obscura, I trust you more."
Master Qing Cao mockingly asked, "You trust me?"
Lu Yin was very serious. "No matter what you did in the past, it was all for the Spirit Nidus. As long as I exist, the Human Trio will be safe. If I am not here, the Trio will once again become one of Obscura’s missions. Maybe it won’t be assigned to Lan Meng, but an even stronger enemy. No matter what, you won’t let anything happen to me, will you?"
Helpless, Master Qing Cao just stared at Lu Yin. "I truly find it hard to help you in a war."