Chapter 226

Outside the Xiyangwu headquarters.

Crowds surged, countless eyes fixed upon this place.

On various taverns not far from the street, many gazes waited with keen interest for a result to emerge.

They all understood that this result might plunge House Luolan Mansion into another violent upheaval.

"The rumors spreading in Daxia City are becoming increasingly absurd—do they really have no brains? Even if Li Luo were stupid, he wouldn't poison these branch alchemists at Xiyangwu's headquarters."

By a window in a tavern, a tall, slender green-haired girl with a graceful figure gazed at the bustling crowd outside Xiyangwu and sneered.

It was Si Si Qiuying of Jin Quefu.

Beside her stood her brother, Si Si Tianming; the incident at Xiyangwu had spread too wildly in Daxia City, so they had come here themselves—after all, Jin Quefu and House Luolan Mansion still had some ties, and if House Luolan Mansion truly suffered heavy damage from today's affair, it would not bode well for many of Jin Quefu's strategies.

"Rumors are terrifying precisely because they strip people of their reason," Si Si Tianming smiled, though his gaze toward Xiyangwu was filled with concern.

"Pei Hao's move this time is truly ruthless—he excels at patience; he doesn't strike unless he must, and when he does, it's always a fatal blow."

"I wonder if Jiang Jiang Qinge and Li Luo can withstand it..."

Si Si Qiuying muttered: "It's all Li Luo's fault for being greedy. Those branch alchemists clearly came to cause trouble, yet he still let them into House Luolan Mansion's headquarters—if he'd ignored them, none of this would've happened."

Si Si Tianming shook his head with a smile: "You're thinking too naively. If Li Luo had refused them, they'd still have found grounds to attack him. He's a man with no shortage of courage or ambition—he clearly intended to devour these alchemists and strengthen Xiyangwu's headquarters."

"Now he's swallowed a poisoned pie and fears he'll choke on it himself," Si Si Qiuying said.

Si Si Tianming glanced at her, puzzled: "You seem a bit worried?"

Si Si Qiuying froze, then flashed her small tiger teeth in retort: "I'm only worried about Sister Qing'e!"

"Is that so? Lately I've heard you mention Li Luo several times—before, you wouldn't even bother saying his name," Si Si Tianming chuckled.

Si Si Qiuying scoffed, then admitted frankly: "I just admit he's got real ability—I underestimated him before."

She didn't hide it: when Li Luo first arrived in Daxia City, she indeed looked down on this young lord from Nanfeng City, but after spending time at Shengxuan Star Academy, Li Luo gradually revealed his own brilliance—today, among the new generation at Shengxuan Star Academy, he was second only to Qin Qin Zhulu.

Though proud, Si Si Qiuying wasn't unreasonable—she couldn't deny Li Luo's excellence.

Si Si Tianming laughed: "You're just making things hard for yourself—who told you to look down on him in the first place?"

Si Si Qiuying's cheeks flushed red; she pinched Si Si Tianming hard and snapped: "What's it to you?"

"Besides, why are you so happy? The more outstanding Li Luo becomes, the less chance you have."

Si Si Tianming sighed, melancholy: "I never had a chance to begin with."

Seeing his melancholy expression, Si Si Qiuying sighed too—she'd once hoped Li Luo was just a pretty shell, giving her brother a shot, but now...

That Li Luo...

Is also outstanding.

However, Si Si Tianming was rather open-minded about it, or rather, although he liked Jiang Jiang Qinge, he had never really thought he would have a chance, so he quickly reined in his emotions. His gaze swept across the surrounding restaurants, and behind those windows, who knew how many meaningful eyes were watching the headquarters of Xi Yang House.

Yet Si Si Tianming took it more lightly—or rather, though he liked Jiang Jiang Qinge, he never truly believed he had a chance, so he quickly calmed himself, glancing at the surrounding taverns where countless hidden gazes peered from behind the windows at Xiyangwu's headquarters.

"I hope Li Luo and the others can survive this ordeal..." he sighed. Such troubles were beyond even their help—Pei Hao's tactics were simply too cruel.

"Say, isn't Xiyangwu done for this time?" Douze Duze Beixuan crossed his arms, smiling as he watched Xiyangwu's headquarters.

"Didn't expect Pei Hao to strike so viciously... Indeed, the white-eyed wolf is the most detestable creature." Douze Duze Honglian's red lips parted slightly.

"But an enemy's white-eyed wolf is a rather lovely thing," Douze Duze Beixuan chuckled.

"For this scheme, Pei Hao went to great lengths to relocate Daxia City's top healers—this move is truly massive..."

A cheerful smile also rose on Duze Duze Beixuan's face. Xi Yang House had recently shown signs of rising, and if he were to beat it down with one stick at this moment, it would definitely be a heavy blow to Luo Lan Mansion. Presumably, after returning to the Holy Zhu Xuan Star Academy, this Li Luo would no longer be as smug as before.

Douze Duze Beixuan's face lit up with glee—Xiyangwu had shown signs of rising; if they crushed it now, it would be a devastating blow to House Luolan Mansion. Once back at Shengxuan Star Academy, Li Luo wouldn't be nearly so smug.

"Damn it, these bastards dared to strike my blood brothers while I was away—Li Luo, my brother!"

Near the Xiyangwu headquarters, several figures gathered—mostly youths and maidens—and one of them was angrily cursing.

The unmistakable aura could belong to no one but Seeing Yu Lang.

Beside Yu Lang stood Zhao Kuo and others, yet surprisingly, the Bai Bai Doudou and Bai Bai Mengmeng sisters were also present.

They'd come to Daxia City for a trip, only to hear the rumors immediately—Yu Lang and Zhao Kuo, worried about Li Luo's situation, rushed over.

Yu Lang sighed: "My brother Li Luo is still too green. If it were me, knowing those branch Quasi-Phase Masters were coming to Daxia City, I would have directly called a group of people dressed in Duze Mansion's attire and beaten them back at the city gate. Afterwards, Li Luo could step forward and fiercely denounce Duze Mansion, occupying the moral high ground while also saving all this trouble."

Yu Lang sighed: "My brother Li Luo is still too naive. If it were me, knowing those branch alchemists were coming to Daxia City, I'd send a group dressed as Douze Mansion troops to beat them back at the city gates—then Li Luo could publicly denounce Douze Mansion, claim moral high ground, and avoid all this trouble."

"..." Zhao Kuo and the others stared blankly—damn, this guy was truly a genius. This plan reeked of Yu Lang's signature style.

Bai Bai Doudou grumbled: "That's just hindsight. Why would Douze Mansion people attack branch alchemists? Do you think everyone's an idiot? Who are you fooling?"

Yu Lang grinned: "Who cares if they're idiots? As long as no one catches me red-handed, Douze Mansion can scream till they're hoarse—I won't admit a thing."

Everyone chuckled; Yu Lang's antics had eased the tense atmosphere considerably.

Bai Bai Mengmeng's soft, peach-blossom eyes gazed at the sealed gates of Xiyangwu's headquarters, thinking: "No wonder the captain is so desperate for the Lingshui Qiguang formula—Xiyangwu's situation must be this dire..."

Bai Bai Mengmeng's long eyelashes fluttered slightly; during this holiday, she'd been immersed in studying the Lingshui Qiguang formula and had gained some inspiration—perhaps her long-prepared formula would finally reach a breakthrough. If it succeeded, she could help the captain.

Of course, she also hoped the captain would notice her efforts and pay more attention to restoring her sense of taste...

"It's getting more lively by the minute."

Pang Pang Qianchi smiled as he watched the bustling scene before Xiyangwu's headquarters, then turned to Pei Hao: "It seems Xiyangwu's destruction is entering its final countdown."

Pei Hao smiled—he'd prepared meticulously for this scheme, even planting moles among the healers Li Luo had summoned. He truly couldn't imagine how Li Luo could possibly turn things around.

Without Xiyangwu, House Luolan Mansion's future would be a nightmare for Li Luo and Jiang Jiang Qinge.

He rose and walked to the window, gazing at the distant gates of House Luolan Mansion's headquarters. As the mastermind behind this scheme, it was time to savor the fruits of victory.

"The headquarters gates are opening!" Pang Pang Qianchi suddenly exclaimed excitedly.

Pei Hao turned his gaze—and saw the gates slowly swing open; a slow smile spread across his lips.

Finally, a result is emerging.

Has Li Luo and Jiang Jiang Qinge finally been overwhelmed?

As he thought this, he saw figures steadily emerging from the opened gates—the two leading them were...

Is... Tang Yun?

Lu Lu Xiaofeng?

Damn it, is this a daytime resurrection?

Looking at the two leading the way, the smile on Manager Pei Hao's mouth stiffened little by little.