Chapter 121

Chapter 121: Staying in Yulu Mountain Manor

Beichen Ming straightforwardly resolved all of Lou Yun’s concerns to make him stay at the manor, and Lou Yun was extremely surprised. But Lou Yun’s doubts grew deeper; what was Beichen Ming’s intention in having him participate in the forging conference?

However, even so, Lou Yun was not fully willing to stay. After all, those were his own matters, and he did not want to rely on others’ help.

Just then, Chang Xiang spoke up to persuade him, "Kid, just stay. I want to see what this guy is really up to!"

Actually, Chang Xiang asked Lou Yun to stay for another purpose. First, he wanted to know what special value the ice crystal jade weapon truly held. Second, he wanted to clearly understand how vast Beichen Ming’s family wealth was, because the enemies Lou Yun would face in the future were too formidable. They needed to start helping him build influence and accumulate strength as much as possible now.

Seeing Lou Yun still hesitating, Chang Xiang said, "Your strength is indeed weak now. Use this time to cultivate diligently and improve your power. You can think about other things later."

After Chang Xiang said this, Lou Yun found it reasonable. So he nodded and agreed to Beichen Ming, "Then I’ll trouble you, senior. I’ll impose on you here for a while."

As soon as Beichen Ming saw Lou Yun agree, he laughed heartily and waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "No trouble at all, no trouble! Ha ha, you’ve been traveling nonstop and must be tired. I’ll have someone take you to your quarters now. Rest well first. We can discuss anything else after you’ve rested enough. Dai Rong!"

Following Beichen Ming’s shout, Dai Rong quickly appeared at the hall entrance, bowed, and said, "Manor Lord, what is it?"

"Take Lou Yun to rest immediately. Also, tell everyone that from now on, Lou Yun is like a master of this manor. Anyone who sees him must treat him as they would see me. If anyone dares not to obey him, it’s like disobeying me. Understood?"

"Yes!" Dai Rong nodded respectfully.

Lou Yun felt very uncomfortable hearing this and was about to refuse such treatment, but Dai Rong preempted him, "Lou Yun, please follow me."

By this point, Lou Yun couldn’t say anything. He nodded helplessly, bowed farewell to Beichen Ming, and followed Dai Rong away.

Led by Dai Rong, Lou Yun arrived at a secluded small courtyard, where two guards stood at the gate. Dai Rong shouted at them, "Hurry and open the door to welcome Lou Yun! From today, Lou Yun is the master here!"

"Greetings, Lou Yun!" The two guards immediately bowed in salute to Lou Yun.

Although Lou Yun was indeed a young master in his family, he had never enjoyed such treatment. He hurriedly waved his hands, saying, "No need to be so polite. I’m Lou Yun. Just call me by my name from now on; don’t call me young master!"

But the two guards ignored him, standing there with heads bowed and backs bent, completely still.

Once Lou Yun entered the small courtyard, he felt overwhelmed. Besides the guards at the gate, there were eight servants inside dedicated solely to serving him.

Lou Yun had never been served by so many people throughout his life, so his head throbbed now.

After Dai Rong briefed the servants on specific duties, he bowed to Lou Yun and turned to leave.

As soon as Dai Rong left, the courtyard became noisy. The group of servants surged toward Lou Yun, offering wash water, serving tea, and fanning him. Lou Yun stood there feeling like a puppet being manipulated.

Lou Yun finally lost his patience and shouted loudly, "Alright, all of you stop!"

The eight servants collectively froze in fright, stopping their tasks and staring at Lou Yun with fearful faces, unsure how they had offended their new master.

Lou Yun saw their fear and felt some remorse. He lowered his voice and spoke gently, "You don’t have to serve me like this. All of you leave. I can manage alone!"

The group exchanged glances. A young man about twenty years old stepped forward bravely, saying, "Lou Yun, you are the master of this courtyard. We are your servants; serving you is natural. Besides, if you send us away, Manor Lord will surely think we neglected you, and then we’ll be punished!"

As soon as those words ended, led by him, the eight servants suddenly knelt in front of Lou Yun and begged in unison, "We implore Lou Yun to keep us!"

Lou Yun rubbed his aching temples. He understood the young man’s meaning—big families and sects all had many rules, especially for servants. If servants served a guest poorly and were dismissed, they faced harsh punishment. He couldn’t let these people be punished because of him. So, resigned, he nodded, "Alright, all of you rise quickly. You can stay. But from now on, let me handle my own affairs. Do as you please and don’t be so formal with me. I’m not fussy!"

"We understand, Lou Yun!" everyone replied in unison.

Lou Yun sighed, knowing he had spoken in vain. Now he had to accept this reality.

Thinking this, Lou Yun waved to the young man who had spoken earlier and said, "What’s your name?"

"Reply to Master, this servant is Fang Tong!"

"Hmm, I’ll put them under your charge. I’ll come to you first whenever I need anything!"

"Young Master!" Fang Tong’s face instantly beamed with joy. Lou Yun’s words effectively promoted him a rank—how could he not be thrilled!

"Alright, dismiss everyone. You follow me inside; I’ve some questions for you!"

"Yes!"

…

After leaving Lou Yun’s courtyard, Dai Rong immediately returned to the main hall. Beichen Ming was there, holding a teacup, legs crossed, and humming a little tune—he appeared utterly delighted.

"Manor Lord, I’ve returned."

Beichen Ming nodded. "All settled?"

"Yes, everything’s arranged. Though it seems Young Master Lou isn’t accustomed to having so many attendants."

Beichen Ming chuckled. "I expected as much. That boy doesn’t crave luxury. Hah! But since I intend for him to inherit my estate someday, naturally, his grooming must start now."

Dai Rong nodded. "Young Master Lou clearly has a good heart. Manor Lord’s judgment is always sound."

"Hmm!" Beichen Ming sighed regretfully. "A pity, though, that I couldn’t take him as a disciple… All because I acted too late!"

Dai Rong smiled. "Wouldn’t a son be far better than a disciple?"

"Haha, well said! Dai Rong, you must support Lou Yun tirelessly from now on. Plenty covet what I’ve built."

Dai Rong’s smile remained, but a cold gleam flashed in his eyes. "Set your mind at ease, Manor Lord. Even if this old life of mine is forfeit, I’ll ensure Young Master Lou ascends to his rightful place."

Beichen Ming nodded approvingly. "You are my most trusted person; my faith in you is absolute. By the way, Granny Bai Cao mentioned Lou Yun likely has formidable enemies. Any precautions taken?"

"I’ve dispatched twelve Earth-ranked experts. They guard the courtyard day and night."

"Well done. Deploy a few Heaven-level experts too if needed!"

"Understood, Manor Lord! Though only six Heaven-levels remain stationed in the manor—they protect your safety. I’ll make arrangements once the others return."

Beichen Ming nodded, fell silent, and gazed distantly into the sky, lost in thought. After a long while, he spoke again. "Dai Rong, when Granny Bai Cao relayed her message, she claimed Lou Yun’s enemies are not just numerous, but powerful beyond our imagining. Could that be true?"

"This…" Dai Rong hesitated. "Manor Lord, it seems highly possible. Recall those mysterious individuals we encountered during our sea voyage years ago? Any one of them would rank among the absolute top experts on today’s Spirit Weapon Star. Yet, we’d never even heard of their existence… Thus, I believe Spirit Weapon Star likely conceals many such formidable figures. Young Master Lou’s foes might well be among them."

"Exactly my thoughts. Moreover, I’ve found the greater one’s strength, the more unknowns one discovers. This small Spirit Weapon Star truly hides dragons and tigers—its secrets run deep. For years, I’ve secretly built the Divine Weapon Alliance. It has now achieved modest success. Once this Forging Conference concludes, I shall reveal it to the world!"

Dai Rong smiled faintly. "You humble yourself, Manor Lord. The Divine Weapon Alliance, built with the late master’s entire lifeblood, surely surpasses ‘modest success.’ In my humble view, discounting hidden factions, while our numbers are few, our collective strength rivals any major sect!"

Hearing this, a trace of pride touched Beichen Ming’s smile. He knew the Alliance’s true power. Indeed, its reveal would shock the world!

"By the way, Dai Rong, what is the Alliance’s current strength?"

"Manor Lord, we now have five branches: Eastern Arms, Southern Arms, Western Arms, Northern Arms, and Central Arms. Each branch commands roughly a hundred disciples. Additionally, we possess four elite squads: Heaven, Earth, Mysterious, and Yellow. Total forces number six hundred."

"Six hundred… slightly few, hah! But no matter. I trust Lou Yun will surely elevate the Divine Weapon Alliance to greatness!"

"Manor Lord, forgive my bluntness… Do you intend, taking advantage of the Forging Conference, not just to surface the Alliance, but also to propel Young Master Lou into its leadership?"

"Haha!" Beichen Ming nodded at Dai Rong. "Dai Rong… after all these years by my side, you truly grasp my mind. Correct! I conceived this plan over a year ago. In fact, I’ve already bestowed upon Lou Yun the ice crystal jade weapon—token of the Alliance Leader!"