Chapter 14: Cai Wei's Fury

Cai Wei's reaction was so intense that it startled Li Luo. He looked at the fury covering her oval face and felt a bit awkward, quickly saying, "What are you saying, Sister Cai Wei? Your abilities are plain for all to see—how could I possibly not want you handling this?"

Cai Wei's beautiful eyes stared at Li Luo, and only after quite a while did she gradually calm down, saying, "Please forgive me, Young Master, my words were too harsh earlier."

She paused, then said, "But…Young Master, you still want to purchase a hundred portions of Spirit Water Mirrors? This…this is no small matter."

"Moreover, Young Master should also know that although Spirit Water Mirrors can raise one's Affinity Rank, using them recklessly will instead cause the Phase Palace to seal prematurely."

Cai Wei knew about Li Luo's innate Empty Phase problem, so there were some things she couldn't say too bluntly, lest she wound his sensitive spot.

Cai Wei thought for a moment, her gaze suddenly sharpening, and said, "Is someone deceiving the Young Master behind the scenes, trying to use your status to obtain Spirit Water Mirrors?"

Although those who could remain in the old residence had all been screened through layer upon layer of checks, the two Palace Masters had after all been missing for many years now, so it was hard to guarantee that no one had developed ulterior motives. And Spirit Water Mirrors were an expensive item—if someone wanted to deceive the Young Master to swindle Spirit Water Mirrors out of him, it was by no means impossible.

If such a thing truly existed, Cai Wei would make that brazen fool pay the price.

Li Luo shook his head and said seriously, "Don't overthink it, Sister Cai Wei. Those Spirit Water Mirrors are genuinely something I need myself."

Cai Wei's willow-leaf brows knit tightly, and she said, "Although it may be overstepping, may I ask what exactly the Young Master needs so many Spirit Water Mirrors for?"

"I'm not trying to interrogate you, Young Master—I'm only worried that in your impatience you've made some mistake…If something truly happened to you, I wouldn't be able to face Jiang Jiang Qinge."

She knew how much pressure Li Luo's so-called innate Empty Phase had brought him, and a young man was precisely at the age of acting impulsively. She feared Li Luo had gotten hold of some folk remedy from somewhere and wanted to try breaking through this innate Empty Phase.

Li Luo heard this, deliberated for a moment, and finally said, "There's no harm in telling Sister Cai Wei. In truth, it's a Mi Fa left to me by my parents—one that can ultimately allow me to be born with an Affinity. Those Spirit Water Mirrors are an essential material, and Sister Jiang Jiang Qinge is also aware of this matter."

The matter of his Affinity appearing would inevitably come to light sooner or later, and when that happened it would surely attract some curiosity. The Mi Fa left by his parents, on the other hand, made for a fine cover story.

Furthermore, if he wanted to purchase more Spirit Water Mirrors later on, he would still have to go through Cai Wei in the end, so it was better to resolve her doubts first.

Cai Wei was startled. "A Mi Fa left by the two Palace Masters?"

But she was also half in doubt, her gaze fixed on Li Luo's eyes, and she saw that his expression was open and frank—it didn't seem like a pretense.

In the end, she could only nod.

"If that's the case, then I'll go arrange the purchase for the Young Master shortly." Cai Wei let out a soft sigh. A hundred portions of Fourth-Rank Tier Spirit Water Mirrors going out at once would cost another hundred-plus thousand Sky Coins, and this would cut the Luo Lan Mansion's funds in Sky Shu Prefecture by half. Her response to the three families' aggressive encroachment would become even more troublesome.

Still, she could tell what mattered most. She knew that if Li Luo could truly be born with an Affinity, then even abandoning all of Luo Lan Mansion's industries in Sky Shu Prefecture would be worth it.

Li Luo looked at the faintly furrowed brow on Cai Wei's smooth oval face and asked somewhat apologetically, "Did my drawing too much funds from here cause Sister Cai Wei some difficulties?"

Cai Wei raised her head. She looked at Li Luo's handsome face—which, though still a touch youthful, had inherited the fine genes of his parents—and laughed softly, her mood lifting a little. "It is indeed a bit constraining, but it's not too much trouble. Rest assured, Young Master—I'll handle it all."

Li Luo sighed inwardly. Right now, just a hundred portions of Spirit Water Mirrors were already giving Cai Wei such a headache, but compared to what would be needed later, all of this was nothing more than a drop in the bucket.

"Is the Luo Lan Mansion headquarters temporarily unable to move funds?" Li Luo asked.

Cai Wei gently shook her head, a touch apologetic. "Young Master, you should know some of the Luo Lan Mansion's situation. On top of that, Manager Pei Hao previously embezzled the Three Pavilions, and the loss of the Three Pavilions' income has made things even worse for headquarters."

The implication was clearly that headquarters couldn't move funds either.

Li Luo nodded, then said no more on the subject. After chatting and laughing with Cai Wei for a while to build rapport, he took his leave.

Cai Wei gazed at his departing figure and was rather lost in thought for a moment. She was thinking that the Young Master's temperament was actually quite decent—warm toward others, without any arrogance—and that he was also handsome and dashing. Surely, when it came to looks, he would be no inferior to his father Li Taixuan, who had once made countless noble maidens of the great Xia Kingdom yearn for him.

From these angles, he and Jiang Jiang Qinge were actually quite a good match.

The only flaw was that innate Empty Phase problem. In this world, no matter how much wealth or power one had, everything ultimately had to be built upon strength.

It was just like Luo Lan Mansion—when Li Taixuan and Dan Tai Lan were still around, it was one of the Five Great Mansions of the great Xia Kingdom, blazing with radiance, and no one dared covet or provoke it.

But once those two pillars disappeared, Luo Lan Mansion's radiance began to dim, and it became battered by wind and rain.

With Jiang Jiang Qinge's talent, her future would surely be boundless—she might very well break the record for the youngest to Reach Five-Seal Realm in the great Xia Kingdom. And if that day truly came, the engagement with Li Luo would probably become a burden weighing her down.

Cai Wei and Jiang Jiang Qinge were close friends with deep affection. She knew Jiang Jiang Qinge was probably not the cold and unfeeling sort, but she feared that when that time came, it would instead be Li Luo who couldn't bear the various pressures.

Still, from what Li Luo had said earlier, the two Palace Masters had left a Mi Fa that might be able to resolve the flaw of his innate Empty Phase. If that were truly the case, it could narrow the distance between the two of them a little.

However, the road ahead was still long and arduous.

As Jiang Jiang Qinge's friend, and having spent years in a place like Wang Cheng where winds and clouds gathered, Cai Wei knew all too well how dazzling Jiang Jiang Qinge was there, and how many top prodigies adored her.

Compared to that place, South Wind City really was just a small town.

Her thoughts churned within, and in the end Cai Wei suppressed them all. She rose, summoned someone, and went to prepare the purchases Li Luo had requested.

The items Li Luo needed were all in hand within half a day. After praising Cai Wei's efficiency, he picked up two cases of Spirit Water Mirrors and headed straight for the loft.

During the remaining days of the holiday, Li Luo devoted all his time to cultivating Phase Power and raising his Affinity Rank.

Previously, Li Luo's Phase Power had gone from the Third Seal to the Fourth Seal in just two days—mostly because of his accumulated foundation from before, so the progress was extremely fast. The next step, from the Fourth Seal to the Five-Seal Realm, would be slower.

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

When there was one day left in the holiday, Li Luo's Phase Power level finally advanced once more, truly stepping into the Fifth Seal.

And besides the improvement in Phase Power, his own A Fourth-Rank Technique "Water-Light Phase," after the last Fourth-Rank Spirit Water Mirror was consumed and absorbed, completed its first advancement, advancing to Fifth Rank.

With this, Li Luo's one-week holiday came to an end.

Early in the morning, Li Luo stepped out of the old residence and greeted the sunlight with a brilliant smile.

And for him, this week had undoubtedly been a transformation. The once Empty-Phase youth had begun to turn his life around.

He stood at the doorway, looked in the direction Jiang Jiang Qinge had left a week ago, and let out a long breath.

"Sacred Mystic Star Academy."

"I will definitely go there."

(A bit late today—I went to get a haircut. Pretty much as handsome as Li Luo, but sadly you can't see it.)

(End of chapter)