Chapter 229

Chapter 229: The Four Families

After more than half a month of recuperation and cultivation, the four had now adjusted their bodies to their optimal condition, all to prepare for the various possibilities that were about to arrive!

Seeing the four walking down the ship, the four people waiting on the island also immediately came over. The one with a constant smile directly cupped his hands at Lou Yun and said, “If I haven’t guessed wrong, you, sir, should be Clan Head Lou, the new leader of the Lou Family, Lou Yun!”

Now that they were closer, Lou Yun suddenly noticed this person’s appearance looked somewhat familiar, especially his beaming smile, but he didn’t dwell on it. Similarly, he returned the gesture, cupping his hands, and said, “You’re correct, I am Lou Yun. May I ask who you several might be?”

The smiling man said with a laugh, “Let me introduce everyone. My name is Xiao Tong. And these three are Jiang Wuyue, Han Tianfang, and Helian Tiebi!”

Jiang Wuyue was the only woman!

While Xiao Tong was introducing them, Chang Xiang was also giving Lou Yun a more detailed explanation: “These four are from the Xiao Family, Jiang Family, Han Family, and Helian Family of the Nine Families!”

“You’ve actually met a member of the Xiao Family before—Hai Yixiao, whom you encountered last time. Indeed, he is from the Xiao Family, but to conceal his true identity, he changed his surname to the end. His name should be Xiao Yihai!”

Hearing this, Lou Yun immediately understood. No wonder this Xiao Tong looked so familiar—he and Hai Yixiao, the sect master of the Silver Thread Sect, were from the same family. His smile was exactly like Hai Yixiao’s, and Lou Yun couldn’t help but wonder inwardly, did all members of the Xiao Family wear such smiles?

In fact, Lou Yun was right. Members of the Xiao Family, regardless of status, age, or gender, always had this kind of smile on their faces. The reason was probably only known by their founding ancestors!

Chang Xiang’s explanation continued: “The Xiao Family’s magical weapon is rather unique—feathers!”

Feathers!

Lou Yun couldn’t help but be startled. Feathers were so light and flimsy—how could they serve as magical weapons? They didn’t seem to pack any force at all!

Chang Xiang naturally guessed Lou Yun’s thoughts and sneered, “Don’t underestimate feathers. The more someone uses a magical weapon that seems completely powerless, the stronger their actual force must be. Have you forgotten? Last time, Hai Yixiao nearly took your life with just a few pine nuts from his hand. In the hands of a true master, feathers could be just as fatal. For the Xiao Family, using feathers makes every member an expert in concealed weapons!”

These words reminded Lou Yun of when he first met Hai Yixiao—or rather, even before meeting him, nearly losing his life to just one pine nut projected by Hai Yixiao. That was also the first time Lou Yun had ever felt fear!

Inwardly nodding to himself, Lou Yun immediately classified Xiao Tong as his top enemy!

“As for Han Tianfang, I don’t need to introduce him to you. You’ve dealt with people from the Han Family before. Last time, if it weren’t for your brother, Leng Cangqiong, showing up just in time, you would have been finished by now. And since they dared to come again, the people they sent this time must be far stronger than that previous group!”

For Lou Yun, the Han Family was always a painful topic, because his most respected and close teacher, Han Tianxiao, was from the Han Family. And it was Han Tianxiao’s betrayal that led to a series of events for Lou Yun’s entire family.

Regarding the magical weapons and attack styles of the Han Family, Lou Yun still had lingering fear. Using books as magical weapons meant unpredictable and varied attack methods, making them truly difficult to handle!

“As for the Jiang Family, you’ve actually met one of their clan members long ago. You just didn’t know it, and that Jiang Family member seems to have left the Jiang Family since childhood and truly meant you no harm, so I didn’t remind you.”

“I’ve met someone from the Jiang Family? Who? I don’t recall such a thing?” Lou Yun asked doubtfully.

“Granny Bai Cao!”

“Ah!” Lou Yun was stunned. That kind and caring Granny Bai Cao, who had always treated him so well, was actually a member of the Nine Families. But then he remembered—Granny Bai Cao’s full name was Jiang Qiuqin, but most people had grown used to calling her Granny Bai Cao, so her real name was mostly forgotten. That’s why he couldn’t recall it.

Although he now knew Granny Bai Cao was from the Jiang Family of the Nine Families, even Chang Xiang had said she meant him no harm. At least that brought Lou Yun a sigh of relief inwardly. No matter what, he didn’t want Granny Bai Cao to become an enemy!

“The Jiang Family’s magical weapon is also very unique—it’s a bottle. To be precise, that bottle is like the ring you wear, a spatial container of sorts. But it differs from ordinary spatial containers. How to put it? It can also be used for attacks because the bottle can contain anything at all. Well, you’ll understand when you see it.”

A spatial container bottle that could be used for attacks—Lou Yun really couldn’t imagine it, since he’d never encountered such a thing before. He would only grasp it once he witnessed it himself.

“Finally, the Helian Family. Remember that boy you once saved?”

“En, I remember! Helian Xingye!”

The very reason Lou Yun gave Han Tianxiao a chance to betray him was to save Helian Xingye, so he recalled it clearly. But honestly, he still had very positive impressions of Helian Xingye!

“I’ve already told you about the Helian Family’s magical weapon—the Helian sword and the Huangfu Qin. The sword and the lute work together to take lives. The reason they’re mentioned together is because among the Nine Families, those two families have the closest ties. So I find it odd—now that the Helian Family is here, why didn’t the Huangfu Family also come?”

“Didn’t Liu Feifan mention earlier? The Huangfu Family has already invited me to the Ghost Sea in advance, so they aren’t part of this Nine Families’ matter. Looking at things now, it seems only these four families are involved in the Black Invitation of the Nine Families!”

“En, the Huangfu Family, the Liu family, the Yu Family that controlled the sea and tried to deal with you before—seven of the Nine Families have already appeared. The remaining two families should show up soon too!”

“Which two others?”

“If they’re like the Xiao Family, changing their names and surnames, telling you now is pointless. All right, you basically grasp the situation with these four families. Just play it by ear!”

After saying this, Chang Xiang made no further sound.

At this point, Xiao Tong, still smiling, said, “Clan Head Lou, we’ve long heard of your reputation and always wanted a chance to pay our respects. But we could never find the opportunity. So after consulting together, our families decided to jointly invite Clan Head Lou here for a chat to catch up on old times!”

Lou Yun smiled lightly and replied, “Indeed, it’s time to catch up on the old times between the Lou Family and your Nine Families!”

“Haha!” Xiao Tong burst out laughing. “Rest assured, since we especially invited Clan Head Lou to this island, we’re well-prepared to do just that. But you’ve come a long way; the journey must have been exhausting. Do you need to rest first?”

While Xiao Tong was speaking, Lou Yun was quietly examining the island behind them. He saw no signs of any buildings and vaguely realized this must be just a temporary island they had chosen, not a stronghold of any of their four families.

Thinking this, Lou Yun cut straight to the point. “Thanks for the concern; we’re not tired. I urgently need answers to three questions. Can you oblige?”

“Of course!” Xiao Tong nodded with a smile.

“First, your real purpose in inviting me here. Second, whose hair did you send with the Black Invitation? Third, since it’s the Black Invitation of the Nine Families, shouldn’t all Nine Families be present? Why do I only see you four now?”

Xiao Tong beamed while he waited for Lou Yun to finish, then said, “Clan Head Lou is indeed formidable, posing such sharp questions. Well, you’re a guest from afar; since you’ve asked, as your hosts, we must answer each one!”

“First, the purpose of inviting you here, as I just said, is to catch up on old times and also get something from you. Second, we don’t know who the owner of the hair is, but I’ll show you something later that should clarify her identity for you. Third, Clan Head Lou’s eyes are quite sharp—even though we sent you a Black Invitation of the Nine Families, not all nine families actually attended. Just as you see, only our four families are here. I trust Clan Head Lou doesn’t think we four are insignificant?”

After hearing Xiao Tong’s answers, Lou Yun frowned slightly. “Get something from me? What do you want to get? And, what do you plan to show me?”

“Clan Head Lou, don’t be impatient. Since you’re here, we have all the time in the world. Rest assured, we’ll resolve these issues one by one. All right, starting step by step, I’ll show you something first.”

After speaking, Xiao Tong flicked his wrist, and a long silver ribbon appeared in his hand. Smiling broadly, he presented it to Lou Yun. “Clan Head Lou, I think you should recognize this magical weapon. So you must know its owner.”

When Lou Yun saw this ribbon, he jolted as if struck by lightning and froze stiffly. But in an instant, he snapped back. At that moment, Lou Yun seemed like a changed person—his handsome face filled with rage, flickering flames dancing in his eyes. Unrestrained, he radiated intense killing intent, glaring fixedly at Xiao Tong, gritting his teeth as he asked word by word, “Where—is—the—magical weapon’s—owner?”

Whether it was Wen Hou and Tie Sha or Shui Lingluo, in all their time knowing Lou Yun, they had never seen him like this—so furious and enraged. But they could likely guess that Lou Yun recognized this magical weapon’s owner, and that person had a deep connection with Lou Yu!

Exactly right, because this magical weapon’s owner was Xia Zhilan, the fiancée Lou Yun had inwardly acknowledged!