Chapter 14: Cai Wei

Cai Wei’s intense reaction startled Li Luo. Looking at the anger filling her oval face, he felt a bit awkward and quickly said, "Sister Cai Wei, what are you saying? Your capabilities are plain for all to see; how could I possibly not want you to handle this?"

Cai Wei stared at Li Luo with her beautiful eyes. After a long moment, she gradually calmed down and said, "Young Mansion Master, please forgive me. My words were too extreme just now."

She paused and added, "But... Young Mansion Master, you still want to purchase one hundred portions of Spirit Liquid and Radiant Light? This... this is no small matter."

"Moreover, Young Mansion Master should know that although Spirit Liquid and Radiant Light can improve the grade of one's Resonance, using them recklessly can instead cause the Resonance Palace to seal prematurely."

Cai Wei knew about Li Luo’s problem of being born with an Empty Resonance, so she found it difficult to be too blunt, lest she hurt Li Luo’s sensitive spot.

Cai Wei thought for a moment, her gaze suddenly sharpening. "Is someone secretly deceiving you, Young Mansion Master, wanting to use your status to obtain Spirit Liquid and Radiant Light?"

Although everyone remaining in the old residence had been thoroughly vetted, the two Mansion Masters had been missing for many years, and it was hard to guarantee that no one had developed ulterior motives. Since Spirit Liquid and Radiant Light were expensive items, it was not impossible that someone might want to deceive the Young Mansion Master to misappropriate them.

If such a thing were truly happening, Cai Wei would make that audacious person pay the price.

Li Luo shook his head and said earnestly, "Sister Cai Wei, don't let your imagination run wild. That Spirit Liquid and Radiant Light is indeed something I need for myself."

Cai Wei’s willow-leaf brows furrowed tightly. "Although it is overstepping, may I ask what the Young Mansion Master intends to do with so much Spirit Liquid and Radiant Light?"

"I am not interrogating you, Young Mansion Master; I am just worried that you might make a mistake out of impatience... If something were to happen to you, I wouldn't be able to answer to Jiang Qing."

She knew how much pressure that so-called Empty Resonance had brought upon Li Luo, and since he was at an age where young people were prone to impulsiveness, she feared he had obtained some folk remedy from somewhere and wanted to try to break his Empty Resonance.

Upon hearing this, Li Luo pondered for a moment before finally saying, "There is no harm in telling you, Sister Cai Wei. It is actually a secret technique left to me by my parents that can eventually allow me to manifest a Resonance, and those Spirit Liquid and Radiant Light are essential items for it. Sister Jiang Qing is also aware of this."

The fact that his Resonance had appeared would be revealed sooner or later, and it would inevitably attract curiosity. The secret technique left by his parents was a very good cover.

Furthermore, if he wanted to purchase more Spirit Liquid and Radiant Light in the future, he would ultimately have to go through Cai Wei, so it was better to resolve her doubts first.

Cai Wei was startled. "A secret technique left by the two Mansion Masters?"

She was still half-doubting, her gaze fixed on Li Luo’s eyes, but she saw that his expression was calm and did not seem to be faking it.

In the end, she could only nod.

"If that is the case, then I will help you purchase them, Young Mansion Master." Cai Wei sighed softly. One hundred portions of fourth-grade Spirit Liquid and Radiant Light would cost over a hundred thousand Heavenly Amount Gold. This would reduce the Luolan Mansion’s funds in Tianshu County by half, making it even more troublesome for her to deal with the aggressive encroachment of those three houses.

However, she could still distinguish what was important, knowing that if it could truly allow Li Luo to manifest a Resonance, it would be worth it even if they abandoned all of Luolan Mansion’s assets in Tianshu County.

Li Luo looked at the slightly furrowed brows on Cai Wei’s smooth, oval face and asked with some embarrassment, "Is it because I’m drawing too much capital that you’re having difficulties here, Sister Cai Wei?"

Cai Wei looked up at Li Luo’s handsome face—which, though still somewhat youthful, had inherited the excellent genes of his parents—and smiled softly, her mood improving. "It is indeed a bit restrictive, but it’s not too big a problem. Don't worry, Young Mansion Master, I will handle it."

Li Luo sighed inwardly. Right now, just one hundred portions of Spirit Liquid and Radiant Light had Cai Wei so overwhelmed; compared to what he would need in the future, this was merely a drop in the bucket.

"Is the Luolan Mansion headquarters unable to allocate funds for the time being?" Li Luo asked.

Cai Wei shook her head gently and said apologetically, "Young Mansion Master, you should know something about the situation of Luolan Mansion. Plus, the fact that Pei Hao previously swallowed up the three pavilions and the loss of their income has only made things worse for the headquarters."

The implication was clear: the headquarters could not allocate any more funds either.

Li Luo nodded, and not wanting to dwell on this any further, he chatted and laughed with Cai Wei for a while to build rapport before taking his leave.

Watching his departing figure, Cai Wei was lost in thought for a moment. She thought that the Young Mansion Master actually had a decent personality; he was gentle and lacked arrogance, and he was handsome and dashing. Surely, in the future, his appearance would not be inferior to his father, Li Taixuan, who had once caused countless noble ladies in the Great Xia Kingdom to pine for him.

From these perspectives, he and Jiang Qing were actually quite a good match.

The only flaw was the issue of his innate Empty Resonance. In this world, no matter the wealth or power, everything ultimately had to be built upon strength.

It was just like Luolan Mansion; when Li Taixuan and Tantai Lan were still around, it was one of the five great mansions in the Great Xia Kingdom, radiant and glorious, with no one daring to covet or provoke it.

But once those two pillars disappeared, the light of Luolan Mansion began to dim, becoming precarious.

With Jiang Qing’s talent, her future was bound to be limitless; she might even break the record for the youngest Marquis-realm expert in the Great Xia Kingdom. If that day truly came, this marriage contract with Li Luo would likely become a burden that dragged her down.

Cai Wei was a close friend of Jiang Qing and knew she might not be the type to be so cold-hearted, but she feared that when that time came, it would be Li Luo who couldn't bear the various pressures.

However, hearing Li Luo say earlier that the two Mansion Masters had left a secret technique, perhaps it could resolve his innate Empty Resonance defect. If that were true, it might bring the two of them a little closer.

Still, it remained a long and arduous road.

As a friend of Jiang Qing and someone who had spent years in the capital where winds and clouds gathered, Cai Wei knew all too well how much attention Jiang Qing received there and how many top geniuses admired her.

Compared to that place, Nanfeng City was truly just a small town.

With these thoughts swirling in her mind, Cai Wei finally suppressed them all, stood up, and summoned people to prepare the purchase Li Luo had requested.

The items Li Luo needed were all obtained within half a day. After praising Cai Wei’s efficiency, he carried the two boxes of Spirit Liquid and Radiant Light and headed straight for the attic.

During the remaining few days of his vacation, Li Luo spent all his time on Resonance Power cultivation and improving his Resonance grade.

Previously, it had only taken Li Luo two days to go from three seals to four seals in Resonance Power, mostly due to his past accumulation, so the improvement was very fast. The subsequent progress from four seals to five seals would be slower.

However, this "slow" was only relative to the former.

When there was only one day left in his vacation, Li Luo’s Resonance Power level finally made further progress, truly stepping into the five-seal level.

Besides the increase in Resonance Power, his own fourth-grade "Water Light Resonance," following the consumption and absorption of the last portion of fourth-grade Spirit Liquid and Radiant Light, completed its first advancement, becoming a fifth-grade.

With this, Li Luo’s one-week vacation ended.

In the early morning, Li Luo walked out of the old residence and smiled brightly at the sun.

This week was undoubtedly a transformative change for him; the boy who once had an Empty Resonance had begun to reverse his life.

He stood at the door, looking in the direction Jiang Qing had left a week ago, and took a deep breath.

"Saint Profound Star Academy."

"I will definitely go."

(A bit late, went to get a haircut. Almost as handsome as Li Luo, pity you can't see it.)

(End of chapter)