Towards Eternity
Ch 549's. Decisions

"Hmmm they all seemed to still remain silent even though several hours had passed. Are they waiting for someone?" Weng Lou muttered alone as he saw the woman called by the name Nuan sitting reading in his inn room through the room window.

It was already afternoon, and Weng Lou did not stop to watch over the group from the Jade Bamboo Sect as well as the surroundings around the harbor.

Its high location allowed him to easily keep an eye on the entire harbor, he could even keep an eye on Du Zhe as well as his crew who were still living in this port. That's why he wasn't too worried about something happening to his student that was temporary for the Black Ape Fighter, though, Weng Lou had already sent some of his crew to bring him plenty of food that was enough for him for a few days so he shouldn't have done anything.

During that time, Weng Lou also saw a ship belonging to the Border Island Guard Corps anchored on the island, and searched for herself by handing out a sheet containing a picture of her face wearing a mask. But of course they did not get any results at all because no one knew the true identity of the young man with the mask other than his crew and the Black Ape Fighters.

The group inevitably had to leave empty-handed, while Weng Lou was just watching them from above without doing anything.

As Weng Lou was daydreaming about the plan, suddenly Weng Lou's eyes caught a suspicious movement from Nuan who was approached by a figure wearing a dark black coat on his doorstep. This figure was the same person that Weng Lou had seen before as he walked out of the restaurant.

This figure was seen speaking some things to Nuan and then giving him a paper roll that looked still very new. After giving the scroll away, he just left. Nuan did not mind him at all and immediately read the paper roll given to him.

His face slowly changed as he read the contents, until he finally closed the paper roll and immediately changed the clothes he used and then went out. The members of his group then began to be gathered and after giving some important information he had just obtained, Nuan and his group went to head out of the harbor.

Weng Lou immediately moved following them silently from the top of the building, by jumping from one building to another. He continued to follow them until he reached an area of swamp overgrown by tall grass.

In the middle of the swamp, another group was seen building a tent set up on a rather awkward ground. It seemed like someone had used the earth element change technique to make dry land that was used as the cornerstone of the tent.

By riding on top of a tree high enough, Weng Lou could see this new group was a group of criminals. It is seen from several weapons filled with tara stains that exist with the people in the tent, as well as several people who were tied together in the middle of the tent.

The group of the Jade Bamboo Sect who seemed to have known of the existence of this group moved sneaking towards them. Led by Nuan, they could pass through the tall grasses in the swamp without making any noise.

They kept moving until then they had all surrounded the group. With the direction from Nuan, one of the biggest-bodied men from the Jade Bamboo Sect group moved closer towards the camp. One of the men tied up in the middle of the tent of the band of criminals saw the arrival of a large man from among the grass.

His eyes moved to look at the man, then then pretended not to look at him while whispering about the arrival of the man to his friends who were tied up with him.

When the big man had reached the limit of development, he formed a hand seal and water balls were formed on the tent of the group. None of the people in the group were aware of this other than those who were taken as captives in the middle of the tent. Weng Lou who was watching in the distance stared with interest at the water balls as then the water balls formed sharp blades that slid down and hit the people in the tent except for the prisoners.

"Groans!!! We're under attack!!!" A man holding a large mace in his hand exclaimed in panic as water blades shot out from the sky and rained down on his group.

He saw one of his colleagues who had not had time to react to the attack, killed instantly when a water blade cut his neck while he was sleeping. His own fate was quite lucky as the water blade only managed to slash his left shoulder while he was going around.

However, his lucky fate did not last long as an even greater attack came upon them all.

Nuan and the members of the Jade Bamboo Sect group that had surrounded the group's camp, immediately went out of hiding and launched an attack on the group at the camp. Nuan threw small knives from behind his sleeves and stuck them on the heads and necks of the people in the camp.

"Agh!!! Jade Bamboo Sect!! That Jade Bamboo Sect!!! Let go of the fireworks!!" Cries and screams of pain rang out from the camp as the people one by one died from the surprise attack by the group of the Jade Bamboo Sect.

When almost everyone in the camp was dead, a man with a much larger body came out from inside a tent that stood alone among the larger Nyang tents. The man had a face with a long scar on his chest and had a very thick killing aura on him.

When the man appeared, Nuan immediately ordered that his group members stay away from the man, while he quickly darted towards the man.

"Based on the lice of the Jade Bamboo Sect! This is the last time I'm kind enough to let your people live! Die here, and become fertilizer for the grasses here!"

In the man's hand, a large and long sword swung towards Nuan who was moving towards him. Nuan's eyes reflected a flash of light as the great sword was about to hit him. A golden-coloured blade was pulled out by him from under his clothes, and it was easy to cut the great sword.

"Ti-No way?! How can a little flea like you!" The big man exclaimed in disbelief.

The Inner Force on him surged out and immediately formed a harness to protect him from Nuan's blade that was still moving towards his chest.

*crack! Tskkk!* The knife easily penetrated the man's Inner Force, and pierced right into the man's heart.

"Urghs! Impossible....."

"Stop whining, and die. This is the reward you get for daring to mess with our Jade Bamboo Sect members," Nuan said in a cold voice. He pulled out a little knife in his hand, before then piercing deeper into the man's heart to make him take his last breath.

"The...." The man's huge body fell to the ground, and Nuan pulled his knife from the man's body. He wiped the blood on his knife with a white cloth from behind his shirt, then put the knife back in his sleeve.

"Thank you, Senior Nuan! If not for the help of your group, we would definitely end up being sold into slavery!" The man who had previously been aware of the arrival of Nuan's group paid his respects to Nuan while thanking him for releasing them from the group that had captured them.

Nuan simply nodded in return. He then told them to inspect the belongings of the group they had destroyed, then bring their group back to port after healing their new members who had previously been taken captive.

"The "knife used by him was at least a low level 3 Weapon. A sect member with a high-level weapon like this. It seemed like this Senior Nuan had some sort of relationship with the higher-ups of the Jade Bamboo Sect, he said, or perhaps he was the son of one of the high-level elders of the sect. Interesting...very interesting, this makes me want to follow them even more." Weng Lou smiled from a distance while observing the group of Jade Bamboo Sect that had come out of the swamp.

He calmly leaped from the top of the tree and went back to the harbor quietly following the group of the Jade Bamboo Sect from the back.

***

Above the forest that led to the harbor where Weng Lou's group docked, two figures wearing hooded black clothes darted flying swiftly.

The two were the same two figures as the one facing off against Emperor Chizi Ryuan. With direct direction from the Emperor, the two knew the location where the person their emperor wanted was.

"Hey, how strong do you think that guy is?" One of them spoke to his other partner. From her voice she is a woman.

The other figure was silent for a while before replying to his companion, "It is likely that he is in the realm of Soul Unification stage 3 or 4, or perhaps even higher. But the Emperor sent us both, which means that person cannot possibly be at stage 5. Most powerful he was at the peak 4th stage. The Emperor is well aware of the combined strength of the two of us, and it is impossible for him to send us if that person has power that exceeds the strength of the two of us.

The explanation from his partner made the woman nod in understanding. Both are subordinates of trust from the Emperor who has completed many missions given directly by him. Having been in pairs for over ten years, it has made them form a special bond that only the two can understand.

They were able to support each other to complete their mission and made the name of both very famous among the subordinates of the Ryuan Emperor. Therefore, by obtaining this particular mission, both of them seemed excited because if they could complete it, then their rank would definitely rise by a high. Of course, the two had the confidence to capture and bring Weng Lou alive, although in fact Weng Lou would laugh at both of them because it was impossible for both of them to find Weng Lou.

It's currently inside Weng Lou's steamer. The Black Ape Fighter was sitting while thinking hard. In front of him, Weng Lou stood up and waited for what the Black Ape Fighter would say.

Previously, he had informed her of his plan to go to the Jade Bamboo Sect confident that he would find an answer to the problem of her not being able to use Soul Power. The Black Ape Fighter would basically reject this plan outright, as all the responsibilities of the crew and Du Zhe would definitely be given to him. While he could not get out of this ship at all because it would attract the attention of the crowd.

Therefore, Weng Lou gave him the advice to take the ship and its crew along with Du Zhe, going to a point that had been determined by Weng Lou. The point he gave off was a very hidden location, yet it was suitable as a long-term hiding place. He did not know how long he would be gone, therefore in order to avoid trouble, it was better for them all to go to a place far from the detection of their enemies.

His suggestion was immediately rejected by Weng Lou without the need for him to think first, "No. From the information I obtained, a member of the Jade Bamboo Sect would be bound to the sect to become part of the family. What if someone desperately came out of the sect, then he would get the death penalty. If it was only me alone, I was very confident of being able to get out of the sect alive, but with Du Zhe, I doubt that I could bring him in one piece."

The Black Ape Fighter was silent to hear him and he let out a long sigh.

"Alright, but you better tell them the plan yourself. It'll be hard to control them if I tell him."

"Just calm down, they'll understand." Weng walked away and headed over to the ship, where he had gathered all of his crew who had chosen to stay with him, there was also Du Zhe at that place and was waiting for Weng Lou.

They all stood up straight as soon as Weng Lou came and waited with attention what Weng Lou would tell them.

"Alright, everybody. There is no need to be too tense like that, just relax, I will not eat you guys," Weng Lou said as he waved his hand.

"Before I say the reason I gathered you, first tell me the reason you want to stay together on this ship. No need to hide it, just tell me the truth."

All the crew looked at each other and finally one of them ventured to speak first.

"Emm. I will be honest with you, captain. Actually I chose to stay here is because I hope to find luck so that I can have martial techniques from seeing your fight all this time," he said with a bit of embarrassment. But Weng Lou just nodded listening to him and then let the other crew to tell him why.

"I want to see the world even further! If I part with you, maybe I'll only survive a few months out there, but with you on this ship, maybe, I can definitely see the wider world out there!"

"I love to sail the great seas!"

"I'm happy with the bloody battle!!"

"Me! I love it when this ship is cruising in the ocean! His speed made my heart feel like it was flying in space!"

"I just want to go on an adventure, and maybe find some luck to move up to a level I never imagined...."

After a while, they all expressed all the reasons they chose to stay together as the crew of Weng Lou. Weng Lou nodded in satisfaction at hearing all of their excuses. He then went into the control room, and told them to come in but in turn.

The man who said the reason first, went in first and after a few minutes later he came out with a radiant face while holding a book in both hands. He stared at the book with a beaming face and then immediately put it under his shirt afraid that the book would disappear.

The rest of the crew immediately went into the control room, and before long he came out too but did not bring anything, but his face was very happy and satisfied. One by one the crew went into the control room and after that they came out with the same face as the others.

As the last crewman came out of the control room, he clasped a small wooden box in his hand. He looked at the wooden box with sparkling eyes and a single tear fell from his eyes upon seeing the wooden box.

Arrived when it was his turn for Du Zhe. Inside the control room, he saw Weng Lou had been sitting quietly waiting for him. He then asked Du Zhe to approach him.

"Du Zhe, you are my first student and I am most proud of you. I know you have a lot of respect for me, but I can't teach you a lesson in the future." Weng Lou immediately opened the conversation.

"What do you mean, Master? Are you leaving again like that?" Du Zhe who had above average intelligence immediately understood when Weng Lou spoke like that to him.

"really. You must have realized it. My strength is very different from the first time we met, I was no longer able to fly or issue martial techniques as large as before. Therefore, I will go for a while and find a way to overcome this. I want you and the Black Ape to leave this harbor with the rest of the crew, to go to a place I've decided. Later I will come back and when it comes, we will go back to adventure, and I will also teach you a lesson again" explained Weng Lou slowly to be easily digested by Du Zhe.

"How long?" Du Zhe asked quickly. He knew he could not stop Weng Lou's departure, so he could only ask how long he would be gone.

"See, the longest is a year-"

"No, Teacher! Please take me! There's no way I can wait for you that long!" Du Zhe immediately whined when he heard Weng Lou's words.

How could he wait for a year? Even when Weng Lou disappeared back then, he could only wait in a worried heart, fearing that Weng Lou would not return.

"Calm down, listen to me first. I will go to a place of great danger, and it will be the gathering place of our enemies. A year is the longest time I need, and there's a good chance I'll be home much sooner than that." Weng Lou tried to let go of Du Zhe who hugged him tightly.

"But what if Master doesn't come back? Master must have left me!" Du Zhe's eyes were reddened and like he would cry at any moment.

Weng Lou could only scratch the back of his head. He seemed to think hard, and then an idea popped into his head.

"Let's just say, I'll bring you something as a gift when I get home. Tell me what do you want? Master will definitely bring it for you."

Hearing that, Du Zhe wiped his tears and seemed to think for a moment before then saying what he wanted, "I.I just want Master to be able to return safely and return to teach me."

Weng Lou was surprised by Du Zhe's reply. He recognized her breathing and smiled faintly then hugged Du Zhe's small body slowly.

"Just calm down, I'll be back. You just need to keep practicing hard as long as your teacher is gone. If when I come back and you can already use your Deep Power to drain certain parts of your body, I'll make you a special weapon for you, I promise."

After talking for a while, Weng Lou allowed Du Zhe to go out, while he was silent for a few moments in the control room while staring at the harbor that began to be crowded because the day had begun to night. Some of the ships that had sailed this morning have now returned. There is also a new sail at night and Weng Lou knows exactly who wants to sail at night like that. They are pirates, pirates who like to rob and kill in the ocean.

"It's time to pack."

Standing up from his place, Weng Lou immediately went out of the ship. He went back to the port to buy everything he needed, including supplies and some simple weapons. He could not use his new weapon if he was willing to enter the Jade Bamboo Sect, he would definitely be immediately suspected if he brought it.

Meanwhile, at the port entrance gate, two black-clothed figures were seen walking leisurely into the harbor. The eyes of the two of them stared meticulously at the people in the harbor, while scanning the strength of all of them.

"It will be quite difficult to find the man in this blood-stained place" said the woman, who wore a black hood to cover her face.

His other comrades, covering his head in black robes stood still as they entered the harbor. "From what I know, there should be a pirate head in this harbor. He controls the entry and exit of the ships that are here, so he should know about the person we are looking for" he replied calmly.

"Pirate head? Don't tell me"

"Yes, he is Governor Haidao, the Governor who controls the swamp and forest area around here. He built this port so that he could easily bring in weapons from outside secretly."

"If it's him, it should be pretty easy."

The two of them walked quietly into a dark alley, and their figures fused together in the darkness and simply disappeared.