Chapter 210

Chapter 210: Eastern Master

Lou Yun finally understood why the Heavenly Decree Leader had been so confident. It turned out he had already thoroughly investigated Ma Ziwei’s background. He knew Ma Ziwei was the disciple of a skilled weapon maker, and that Lou Yun, holding the ice crystal jade weapon, was the leader of the entire forging community. Any skilled weapon maker must kneel upon seeing the ice crystal jade weapon. But since Ma Ziwei wasn’t a full-fledged skilled weapon maker… whether he needed to kneel or not, Lou Yun truly wasn’t sure!

This was also the reason for the faint smile that had appeared on the Heavenly Decree Leader’s face earlier. He had already been well-prepared!

Right then, Qiu Ruomei, who had been sitting on the ground crying, suddenly stood up and walked to her husband’s side. Deep resentment shone in her eyes as she glared fixedly at Lou Yun. "That’s ridiculous!" she spat. "My husband isn’t a skilled weapon maker! Why should he kneel to you!"

She then turned to her husband. "Ziwei! They know they have no way to escape today, so they’re deliberately finding excuses to stall! Don’t fall for their tricks! Hurry up and give the order! Kill them!"

Ma Ziwei was genuinely hesitating. After all, since ancient times, a disciple should never defy their master’s command. And if even his own master would have to kneel and worship this person…

As a disciple, not kneeling himself was already disrespectful enough, but now he was considering giving the order to kill them? If his master found out about this, he might personally kill him!

Worse, what if they actually killed the leader of the forging community? His master would become a cripple. His cultivation and forging skills would be completely nullified, and he would be forbidden from forging weapons ever again.

The Heavenly Decree Leader coldly stared at Qiu Ruomei. "No way to escape? Do you honestly think we were ever afraid of you? Do you think you actually outnumber us? Humph! I’ll make you give up completely!"

As his voice fell, the Heavenly Decree Leader suddenly thrust his hand upward. A streak of white light shot straight into the sky. Like firework, it exploded, bursting into a bright blossom of light.

Simultaneously, he sent a mental message to Lou Yun. "Reporting to the Alliance Leader, Binhai City falls under the jurisdiction of our alliance’s Eastern Division of Divine Soldiers. On the very first day you arrived in this city, I took the liberty of informing the Eastern Master and instructed him to summon disciples of the Eastern Division to come as reinforcements. They are already distributed throughout the city. Seeing my signal, they will arrive immediately!"

Besides the four elite forces of Heaven, Earth, Mysterious, and Yellow, the Divine Weapon Alliance was also divided into five divisions: East, South, West, North, and Center.

Binhai City was near the eastern region, thus under the Eastern Division’s jurisdiction. Naturally, there were already a few Eastern Division disciples in the city. But the Heavenly Decree Leader, incredibly thoughtful, had secretly notified the Eastern Master himself.

Lou Yun was naturally extremely satisfied with the Heavenly Decree Leader’s arrangements and felt a deep gratitude towards him. He also became genuinely curious about the Divine Weapon Alliance. Just how many talented individuals had his Second brother, Beichen Ming, gathered into this organization? They truly filled this alliance with talents of every kind!

In mere moments, the sounds of multiple objects tearing through the air came once more. Clearly, these were the members of the Eastern Division, responding to the signal and rushing in from all corners of Binhai City to aid him.

The newcomers numbered over fifty or sixty people. They densely encircled the group of lackeys Ma Ziwei had summoned, forming another tight ring around them.

Leading them was a middle-aged scholar, standing atop a calligraphy brush. His gaze swept downward, spotting Lou Yun holding the ice crystal jade weapon. He immediately bowed deeply. "This subordinate pays his respects to the Alliance Leader! As the situation is… peculiar, I am currently unable to offer formal courtesies. I humbly ask the Alliance Leader to be generous and forgive this breach!"

Following his gesture, the surrounding fifty-plus people bowed in unison. "Subordinates pay their respects to the Alliance Leader!" Their combined voices were thunderous, resounding throughout the entire sky over Binhai City.

Seeing these fifty-plus figures suddenly appear, Qiu Ruomei, who had been high-handed and domineering mere moments ago, instantly lost her voice. Whether in numbers, strength, or sheer backing, Ma Ziwei could no longer compare to Lou Yun!

At this moment, Ma Ziwei’s knees suddenly gave way. He knelt on the ground towards Lou Yun. "Ma Ziwei pays his respects to the Alliance Leader!"

To be honest, Ma Ziwei still didn’t know exactly which alliance Lou Yun led. He also wasn’t a skilled weapon maker himself, so he didn’t know the proper form of address for the leader of the forging community. He could only follow what the others called him.

But his use of this address brought a smile to the face of the middle-aged scholar in the air. He sent a covert mental message to Lou Yun. "Alliance Leader, I humbly submit a bold proposal: I wish to recruit him into our alliance. What do you think?"

The middle-aged scholar was the Eastern Master of the Divine Weapon Alliance. As a Master of the Divine Soldiers, one of his duties was to recruit suitable members to strengthen the alliance’s power – a requirement set by Beichen Ming.

Now, witnessing Ma Ziwei, the City Lord of Binhai, voluntarily addressing Lou Yun as "Alliance Leader," he saw an opportunity. Why not bring him into the Divine Weapon Alliance? This would potentially allow Binhai City to serve as a future base for the Eastern Division.

Beichen Ming, having founded the Divine Weapon Alliance, naturally gathered truly capable individuals for key positions. Whether the Eastern Master or the Heavenly Decree Leader, each was an exceptional talent. Their thinking and foresight always considered the long-term perspective.

Lou Yun was somewhat unsure how to respond to the Eastern Master’s request. He thought for a moment before replying mentally. "I’ve heard Ma Ziwei’s reputation is not good, and he has character flaws. If he can reform, you may recruit him. But if he does not correct his ways, then such a person absolutely must not be allowed to join!"

"I obey. Your subordinate understands!"

Now, Lou Yun suddenly had over fifty extra subordinates, each a capable warrior. The entire situation had completely overturned.

Moreover, Qiu Ruohai was already dead, so matters in Binhai City were essentially concluded. Eager to reach Biko Island, Lou Yun addressed the Eastern Master. "I leave the remaining affairs here to you. Thank you all for your timely assistance. I have urgent business elsewhere. Once I return, we shall acquaint ourselves properly!"

"You honor us too much, Alliance Leader," the Eastern Master and the others quickly responded. "Protecting your safety is our duty!" However, Lou Yun’s words fostered a deep sense of goodwill towards him in their hearts.

Lou Yun cupped his hands towards the group in the air. He then turned to the four leaders. "You four should attend to your own duties as well. For this sea voyage, we few will be sufficient. There’s no need for you to follow me further."

The four leaders exchanged glances. The Heavenly Decree Leader nodded. "As the Alliance Leader commands, we shall obey immediately. We sincerely hope you travel safely and return unharmed soon!”

So, Lou Yun and the other two turned and walked towards Cai San Gong. They didn’t spare another glance for Ma Ziwei, still kneeling on the ground. Naturally, they completely failed to notice a gaze of the utmost resentment fixed fiercely upon them. The owner of that gaze was Qiu Ruomei.

Reaching Cai San Gong, Lou Yun looked at him and Shui Lingluo with a broad smile. "It’s settled. Let’s go!"

Cai San Gong’s gaze towards Lou Yun was now utterly different. In truth, it wasn’t just him. Everyone currently at the harbor viewed Lou Yun with new respect.

A leader of a mysterious alliance, commanding so many elite warriors – even the esteemed City Lord of Binhai kneeling before him – all this elevated Lou Yun’s image into someone exalted and formidable, deeply imprinted in everyone’s minds.

Lou Yun naturally perceived the faint trace of fear Cai San Gong was now showing. He smiled slightly. "Third Uncle, I am still your nephew. If we tarry any longer, we’ll surely miss the ship!"

Hearing "Third Uncle" helped Cai San Gong see the familiar Lou Yun he knew. His expression gradually returned to normal, even breaking into a small smile. "Right! Let’s go quickly!"

Cai San Gong then led Lou Yun and the others towards a large ship docked at the wharf. Everywhere the five of them walked, people spontaneously parted to make a path.

As they walked, Cai San Gong kept introducing things, seemingly using constant chatter to ease the lingering awkwardness.

"This merchant fleet we’re traveling with is called the Tongyuan Trade Fleet. They have five ships total. See? Those five ships tied up over there. The captain is named Zhao Zhanpeng. He’s not a magical weapons master, but he’s spent decades braving the seas. He’s extremely familiar with all sorts of situations that can happen at sea. He’s absolutely a top-notch captain. You’ll meet him shortly."

"This merchant fleet sails a route encircling the maritime region, passing by many islands along the way. Some islands are inhabited, even hosting countries. They trade our local goods for profit there on those islands."

"They stop in Binhai City for supplies each time. I happened to meet Zhao Zhanpeng once by coincidence. Over time, we became friends. He’s a very straightforward man. You’ll see once you spend some time with him!"

Amid Cai San Gong’s introductions, the group of five arrived beside the flagship vessel of the Tongyuan Trade Fleet.

For Lou Yun and the others, this was their first time seeing such a massive ocean vessel up close. Every one of them craned their necks looking up, expressions full of amazement.

The ship’s hull was over a hundred meters long and about twenty meters wide. The mast stood roughly thirty meters tall. In a word—this vessel could only be described as magnificent!

At that moment, they heard footsteps descending from the ship. Following the sound, they saw a swarthy, middle-aged man weathered by toil step into view.

When Cai San Gong saw him, he immediately greeted him with a wide smile. "Zhanpeng! I must trouble you this time! Here, let me introduce them. They are the lifesavers of our entire Xinghai Village!"

Originally, Cai San Gong had intended to present Lou Yun and the other three as his nephews and nieces. However, the events earlier had been witnessed by almost everyone. If Cai San Gong had claimed they were simply relatives, he would have been lying outright—right in front of Captain Zhao, which would likely offend him. Therefore, he decided simply to tell the truth.

After years of traversing the seas, Zhao Zhanpeng looked particularly aged, but his body was exceptionally robust. His bronze skin covered well-defined, bulging muscles.

Though just an ordinary man, his eyes were piercingly sharp. His gaze swept over Lou Yun and the other three, then he spoke expressionlessly.

"I don’t care whose lifesavers you are. I don’t care your status or titles. If you want to board my ship, you must obey my orders. If you fail to comply, leave now!"