Chapter 214: A Helping Hand

"Li Luo, are you alright?" Lü Qing'er stepped forward with some worry to meet the pale-faced Li Luo and asked with concern.

Looking at her worried gaze, Li Luo waved his hand and said with a bitter smile, "I just exhausted my phase force trying to treat His Majesty, that's all."

Lü Qing'er was puzzled. She had experienced the feeling of phase force depletion before, but it had never left her looking as though she had just fought off a serious illness like Li Luo did.

But it seemed Li Luo didn't have any major problems, so she set her worry aside.

"President Yu, Li Luo has expended quite a bit today, so we'll be taking our leave." Jiang Jiang Qinge, meanwhile, took her leave of Yu Yu Hongxi. After all, the treatment was now over, and there was no reason to stay any longer.

Yu Yu Hongxi smiled and nodded. "Thank you for your hard work."

After that, Jiang Jiang Qinge supported Li Luo, and under Lü Qing'er's gaze, they walked straight out of the back courtyard.

Not long after the two of them left, the Eldest Princess and the young Emperor also finished packing up, came out of the room, and exchanged a few pleasantries with Yu Yu Hongxi.

In the end, they too took their leave.

With the departure of the Eldest Princess and the young Emperor, in the darkness of the courtyard, there seemed to be a fluctuation of phase force emanating, and some obscure auras vanished along with it.

Yu Yu Hongxi gazed in the direction the Eldest Princess's group had left, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"Mother, do you think Li Luo's treatment had any effect?" Lü Qing'er asked softly from the side.

"What are you thinking... His Majesty's congenital defect leaves even many Marquis-level experts skilled in healing helpless. Li Luo is just a small Phase Master Realm cultivator. Even though he possesses dual phases, compared to a true dual-phase Marquis, that kind of dual phase is still far, far too inferior."

Yu Yu Hongxi habitually shook her head, dismissing her daughter's fanciful notion. But as she reached the end of her words, her slender brows suddenly furrowed, because she keenly noticed that although the Eldest Princess's earlier demeanor showed nothing on the surface, as a Marquis-level expert, Yu Yu Hongxi still perceived that her departing footsteps were somewhat lighter.

The young Emperor, moreover, was in noticeably high spirits, utterly unlike the way he had been when he arrived.

And as the head of the Golden Dragon Bank, Yu Yu Hongxi was clearly extremely perceptive, so she felt that during these past few hours, something rather significant must have happened inside that room.

Yet, even with her perceptiveness, it was hard for her to guess that Li Luo, who had originally come merely to go through the motions, might actually have the possibility of successfully treating His Majesty's congenital defect...

A massive golden-yellow convoy raced along the broad streets of Daxia City. The stern guards had long since cleared the road, leaving it wide open.

Inside the spacious carriage, the young Emperor's fair little face was full of excitement and joy. He grabbed the Eldest Princess's hand and said excitedly, "Sister, can my illness really be cured?!"

"Can he really heal me?"

Even now, the young Emperor still felt his head buzzing. This sudden, unexpected joy had struck him so hard that he simply couldn't maintain his usual composure.

No one had expected that a congenital defect that even those Marquis-level experts skilled in healing were powerless against might actually be treatable by Li Luo, a mere Phase Master Realm cultivator.

Originally, he had come out this time merely with the attitude of playing around, never truly expecting anything from that Li Luo. Yet the final result was this... At this moment, the young Emperor experienced what it meant for a pie to fall from the sky.

The Eldest Princess looked at the overjoyed young Emperor, a smile also surfacing on her cheeks. She gently stroked his head and said softly, "Hasn't it already been confirmed?"

Previously, Li Luo had once given the young Emperor a vial of energy liquid condensed from his own phase force, which happened to alleviate some of the young Emperor's symptoms during an episode. At the time, the Eldest Princess hadn't thought much of it. After all, although it was a little strange that Li Luo's energy liquid could have the same effect as some of the medicines the young Emperor took, she had simply attributed it to some healing property of the water phase. But looking at it now, she had indeed been careless back then.

"But, but how could he do it?" the young Emperor couldn't help asking.

The Eldest Princess's hand, which had been stroking the young Emperor's head, paused for a moment. She said, a touch helplessly, "Actually... I also find it incredible right now. Just how exactly did he manage it?"

The last sentence was directed at the gray-robed old man in one corner of the carriage.

Upon hearing this, the gray-robed old man deliberated and said, "This young Palace Master Li Luo's phase force should be somewhat special... His Majesty's congenital defect should be difficult to resolve with normal dual-phase power, yet his phase force was able to do exactly that. This indicates that his phase force possesses a special quality we haven't been able to discover."

"If Your Highness has any doubts about this, next time I can probe his phase force in depth to see exactly what is strange about it."

The Eldest Princess thought for a moment, then shook her head and said, "There's no need. Li Luo's parents are no ordinary Marquises, and their origins are extremely mysterious. Given their methods, it would be normal for them to have left behind some Te Shu Zhi Fa that caused Li Luo's phase force to undergo some mutation. After all, there are indeed some rare heavenly materials and earthly treasures that possess this kind of ability."

"Moreover, our current relationship with Jiang Jiang Qinge and Li Luo is quite amicable, and in the future we will still need to rely on Li Luo's phase force to resolve His Majesty's congenital defect. So there's no need to destroy the hard-won relationship between both sides just to figure out some secrets."

The Eldest Princess said calmly, "What exactly is special about Li Luo's phase force doesn't really concern us much. We only need to know that he has a high chance of curing His Majesty, and that is what matters most."

The gray-robed old man heard this and nodded in agreement.

"Additionally, does the Eldest Princess intend to draw closer to House Luolan Mansion?" the gray-robed old man asked again.

The Eldest Princess said softly, "I value Jiang Jiang Qinge's potential... According to my prediction, in less than three years, she will very likely step into the Marquis rank. At that time, she will become the youngest Marquis-level expert in Daxia."

"That was my original thought, but after tonight, I've discovered that House Luolan Mansion seems to have more than just Jiang Jiang Qinge who is Zhi De Wo Zhong. This Li Luo, in the past, was somewhat overlooked by me under Jiang Jiang Qinge's radiance."

The Eldest Princess's red lips curved slightly, and a hint of interest surfaced in her phoenix-like eyes. "I truly didn't expect this Li Luo to give me such a big surprise."

"Although House Luolan Mansion is currently in a precarious situation, the situation is actually being gradually stabilized by Jiang Jiang Qinge and Li Luo. If we really give them a bit more time, they may not be unable to resolve House Luolan Mansion's crisis."

"Therefore, the current House Luolan Mansion is worth me drawing closer to them."

The gray-robed old man deliberated and said, "But there are quite a few top forces eyeing House Luolan Mansion... The secret of the King rank left behind by Li Taixuan and Dantai Lan within House Luolan Mansion is of great interest to many Marquis-level experts in Daxia."

"And House Luolan Mansion's 'Ruguodian' has been continuously weakening over the years. A few days ago during the Mid-Moon Festival, a mysterious Marquis-level expert broke in with an energy avatar..."

"All of this shows that the forces eyeing House Luolan Mansion are stirring. For Your Highness to get too close to them at this time is somewhat risky. Moreover, if they make a move against House Luolan Mansion in the future, does Your Highness truly intend to, as previously stated, extend a helping hand to them?"

The Eldest Princess's gaze looked out the carriage window. Night shrouded the city, and the bright moon was reflected in her pupils. She said lightly, "Everything requires making trade-offs. Being timid and indecisive will only bring greater trouble."

"If they can truly display a power that surprises me when the time comes, then I will naturally give them genuine help, because they are worth it."

The gray-robed old man paused and said, "What if, when the time comes, Your Highness discovers that they haven't displayed the power you wished to see?"

The Eldest Princess fell silent for several breaths, and finally let out a soft sigh.

"In that case, House Luolan Mansion probably can't be saved..."

"My helping hand can only be the icing on the cake. To withstand the storm, they still have to rely on themselves..."