"Yes," Liu Liu smiled faintly and said nothing, but Chu Feng's words caused a stir among the crowd. Could such a handsome young man be their楼主? He didn't look the part at all.
Although their master had been handsome before, wasn't the gap too large now? Chu Feng raised his hand, signaling everyone to enter the main hall, as there was an announcement to be made.
Duanmu raised his hand, signaling a subordinate to call everyone else back. There was an announcement to be made. The subordinate acknowledged and quickly darted away.
The crowd, surrounding Liu Liu, entered the main hall. It was the largest hall in the Seven Star Tower, resplendent and extremely luxurious, yet simple and elegant. Most striking were the dozens of luxurious and comfortable armchairs arranged on both sides of the hall.
In front of each armchair was a low table, laden with tea, fruits, and other refreshments. This was clearly a place for discussing matters, with no other clutter. The most prominent was a dragon and phoenix chair made of yellow nanmu, which was Liu Liu's seat. Even in her absence, no one dared to sit in her place.
Beside her chair were three other chairs, designated for Duanmu and the other two.
Dai Mei gracefully accompanied Liu Liu to the main seat and sat next to her. With every movement, the silver bells on her feet jingled with a clear and melodious sound, making her incredibly alluring. Liu Liu glanced over and saw that everyone's gaze was fixed on Dai Mei and their楼主, and they couldn't help but smile knowingly.
Could good news be approaching? Had their楼主 taken a liking to Chief Manager Dai? Liu Liu felt the strange gazes and withdrew her attention.
At this moment, those outside had also returned. Everyone stood together in the center of the hall, gazing at the few people on the main platform. The handsome man and beautiful women were exceptionally striking, a pleasure to behold, not to mention their skills were top-notch.
"Your subordinate(s) pays respects to the楼主."
Liu Liu waved her hand, and the hall fell silent. Chu Feng stepped forward and spoke with a cold, sharp tone.
"The楼主 has returned. Let the楼主 speak a few words, and everyone listen carefully. Don't let your ears be for show. If you break the rules, the tower's regulations dictate you'll be thrown into the lake to feed the fish. Don't blame me for being ruthless then."
"Yes, please address us,楼主."
Chu Feng heard the loud and orderly response from below and returned to his seat with satisfaction. Liu Liu stood up and walked to the elevated platform, looking down at the dozens of people, dozens of pairs of eyes fixed on her. These were all skilled martial artists from the Jianghu.
They could hold their own against ten ordinary people. Thus, the Seven Star Tower's strength lay not in numbers, but in quality. Her gaze swept across them chillingly, and her cold, decisive voice rang out.
"I, Qi Ye, have returned. Some may wonder why I am different from before. In truth, I was wearing a human skin mask. I do not wish to speak of the reasons. Furthermore, there is one more matter I do not wish to conceal from you all, for from now on, we are people who will live and die together. Honesty is paramount. Therefore, I am not only Qi Ye, but also a woman."
As Liu Liu finished speaking, the grand hall fell into a deathly silence. For a long time, there was no sound. Everyone seemed stunned by this revelation. The only sound was the rain outside, dripping onto the stone steps with a pattering noise. After a while, someone started to clap, and then applause erupted throughout the hall.
The crowd did not look down on Liu Liu because she was a woman. On the contrary, they felt even more respect. They were astonished that a young girl had founded the Seven Star Tower and achieved such great things. Following her, they felt they had no worries for the future.
Moreover, the environment on Wandering Island was beautiful, and they lived together like a family, as if they were living in paradise.
Seeing that no one ostracized her, Liu Liu breathed a sigh of relief. She had not intended to reveal it, but she felt there was no need to hide it, and she couldn't hide it forever. The sooner everyone knew, the better.
"Good, thank you all for your support. From now on, we will make the Seven Star Tower bigger and more renowned. Everyone, please be seated."
Liu Liu waved her hand, and the crowd sat down in their previous positions on both sides. Looking at their楼主, who was as beautiful as a celestial being, sitting on the main seat, they felt a sense of contentment. Many of them were old, while these few leaders were mere children. They were filial and respectful to the elders, and they were willing to follow their commands, even willing to stay on Wandering Island forever. With such a good place, none of them wanted to leave.
"Thank you,楼主," everyone said, cupping their fists in gratitude as they sat down. They were people of the Jianghu and did not stand on ceremony. Liu Liu smiled and nodded, then turned to look at Chu Feng, who had always been so cool: "Chu Feng, when I entered the island just now, I noticed Duanmu seemed to have something to say. Now, tell me, has anything happened on Wandering Island?"
As Liu Liu finished speaking, Chu Feng's expression stiffened for a moment. Beside him, Dai Mei's charming expression darkened, and she lowered her head slightly, a wisp of silk falling down.
The vast hall fell silent, not a sound to be heard, only the crisp and pleasant sound of raindrops outside, accompanied by the distant roar of waves crashing against the shore.
Chu Feng hesitated for a moment, scanned everyone, and his gaze finally settled on Liu Liu's face: "楼主, you've just returned. Perhaps these matters should be discussed another day."
"Speak," Liu Liu's fair and delicate face turned somewhat cold and stern, her displeasure evident in her eyes. Chu Feng and Dai Mei knew her temper; she always had the final say. Thus, Chu Feng quickly began: "The lake by our island is called Mirror Lake. Mirror Lake is directly connected to the Chu River, and many cargo ships pass through the Chu River. There was a gang of pirates in Mirror Lake. These pirates were wicked and cruel, specializing in robbery and murder. They plundered many passing ships, turning Mirror Lake into a chaotic and bloody mess.
Although we knew of the existence of these pirates, because the Seven Star Tower had just been established, we did not provoke them. However, the pirate leader saw Dai Mei while out at sea and was so struck by her beauty that he sent his subordinates to propose.
He wanted to take Dai Mei as his pirate wife. How could this be possible? The pirate leader then sent men to attack us. Although the people on our island are highly skilled in martial arts, our water skills are not good. Therefore, whenever we go out to sea, we are intercepted, which has prevented us from carrying out many tasks recently."
A cold aura enveloped Liu Liu's head, and her expression turned grim. Those detestable pirates were going too far. Let her deal with them. Her eyes, like glazed glass, shone with a chilling coldness. She swept her gaze over the dozens of subordinates in the hall and declared with arrogant bravado: "You don't need to worry. I, your楼主, do not fear a mere pirate. Everyone, go down and rest. When the rain stops, we will set sail tomorrow. I want to see what kind of pirates dare to be so presumptuous."
"Yes,楼主," seeing Liu Liu's domineering and flamboyant attitude, these people felt as if a stone had been lifted from their hearts. Although these individuals were skilled in martial arts, they were all landlubbers and could not fight on water, which was why the pirates could act with impunity. Moreover, Wandering Island was surrounded by reefs, making it difficult for large ships to enter or exit. The pirates used small boats that could navigate through the reefs, making them exceptionally agile in combat.
Liu Liu waved them away. When only a few of them remained in the hall, Duanmu, sitting on the side, quickly said, "Boss, do you really have a way?"