Chapter 227: The Ripples Subside

The long-closed main gate of Xiyangwu headquarters opened under the astonished gazes of many, and immediately another wave of people surged out.

Then, numerous exclamations of surprise rose from the crowd.

For they all recognized this group as the refining masters from Xiyangwu's branch offices, and the two leading figures were Tang Yun and Lu Lu Xiaofeng.

Didn't these branch refining masters suffer any harm?

Many exchanged bewildered glances—this seemed very different from the rumors they'd heard.

Although the faces of these branch refining masters appeared somewhat pale, they were clearly far from the so-called poisoning.

As murmurs spread, Li Luo and Jiang Jiang Qinge also stepped out, their gazes sweeping the surroundings; they could feel countless eyes fixed upon them.

Those gazes carried malice, goodwill, but mostly mere curiosity.

Li Luo ignored the hidden stares and nodded to Tang Yun, who, receiving his signal, drew a deep breath, determination flashing in his eyes.

He stepped forward, bowing to all directions, and said: "Ladies and gentlemen, starting today, we refining masters from the Xiling Commandery branch will officially join the Xiyangwu headquarters, and sever all ties with the Xiling Commandery branch."

His firm voice spread, causing many eyes to widen slightly.

No one expected the long-awaited drama to end this way.

These Xiling Commandery refining masters had not been poisoned by Li Luo as rumors claimed; instead, they now chose to fully join the Xiyangwu headquarters and completely cut ties with the Xiling Commandery branch.

Such decisive action made their underlying stance impossible to miss.

Clearly, something must have happened during this period to make these Xiling Commandery refining masters so resolute, so unhesitating in abandoning Pei Hao...

Then what was it?

Combined with the earlier rumors, this became deeply intriguing.

Although Tang Yun did not explicitly state what occurred, this deliberate ambiguity only encouraged deeper speculation... So who was the real poisoner?

At this moment, the answer had already surfaced in many minds.

Unrest spread before the Xiyangwu headquarters, murmurs swelling continuously.

After announcing this news, Tang Yun, Lu Lu Xiaofeng, and the others retreated into the headquarters; Li Luo smiled at the crowd and said: "Thank you all for your concern for Xiyangwu, but matters are now resolved—please disperse."

The bustling crowd before the headquarters, seeing no more spectacle, reluctantly dispersed.

Li Luo was about to turn away when he suddenly spotted a group of teenagers; his eyes lit up, and he hurried forward.

Seeing Li Luo approaching, the teenagers—among them, Seeing Yu Lang—smiled broadly and said: "Although Li Luo is the young master of House Luolan Mansion, his sincerity toward friends is truly touching."

Then he opened his arms to embrace him.

Li Luo stepped forward, gave Seeing Yu Lang a strange look, and said: "Move aside, please."

Seeing Yu Lang glared at him: "You've wounded my feelings!"

Li Luo rolled his eyes, ignoring this fool's antics, and beamed as he greeted Bai Bai Doudou and Bai Bai Mengmeng: "Captain Bai, Bai Mengmeng, you've come to Daya City too? Ha, welcome!"

"Come on, let's go inside Xiyangwu and sit down."

He extended a warm invitation.

Bai Bai Doudou was slightly uncomfortable with Li Luo's enthusiasm; she sensed that although he claimed to welcome her, his eager gaze was fixed far more on Bai Bai Mengmeng.

"Sure."

Bai Bai Mengmeng didn't overthink it—after all, Li Luo was her captain, and she held deep respect for him, so she immediately accepted his invitation.

The girl wore light-colored clothing and a flowery skirt; her slender, fair calves peeked beneath the hem, and her delicate, sweet face bore a smile as honeyed as tasting pure nectar.

Li Luo also greeted Zhao Kuo and the others nearby, then warmly led them into Xiyangwu, introducing them to Jiang Jiang Qinge, who waited inside.

"Sister Qing, this is Bai Bai Doudou—she's the strongest female captain in the First Star Academy; you've already met Bai Bai Mengmeng..."

Jiang Jiang Qinge offered a faint smile to all, her gaze lingering slightly longer on Bai Bai Doudou and Bai Bai Mengmeng; she had heard of Bai Bai Doudou, but what truly drew her attention was Bai Bai Mengmeng.

For Li Luo had told her this girl excelled at researching Spirit Water Light formulas, and her achievements in this field had nearly crushed decades of Xiyangwu's research lab results.

She also knew Li Luo was deeply covetous of Bai Bai Mengmeng's ability.

If Xiyangwu wished to compete among the Top Ten Spirit Water Light Houses of Daya City, Li Luo's Mi Fa Source Water alone would not suffice—Spirit Water Light formulas were equally Top Priority, so it was no wonder Li Luo coveted her so intensely.

"Senior Sister Jiang."

Bai Bai Doudou felt a surge of excitement upon seeing Jiang Jiang Qinge, for from a certain perspective, Jiang Jiang Qinge was the very goal she aspired to reach at Shengxuan Star Academy.

Bai Bai Mengmeng had seen Jiang Jiang Qinge several times before, but she still felt a slight fear of her aura, so she hid half her body behind Bai Bai Doudou.

"Welcome to Xiyangwu as guests. Today has been hectic—please forgive any lack of hospitality," Jiang Jiang Qinge smiled at them, then said no more, simply guiding them inside.

"So it's just... over?"

As the crowd before Xiyangwu headquarters began to disperse, Si Si Qiuying couldn't help but widen her eyes in bewilderment.

Beside her, Seeing Si Si Tianming also paused, then chuckled softly: "It seems we all underestimated Jiang Jiang Qinge and Li Luo—they resolved this trouble with ease."

"It must have been Sister Qing's intervention," Si Si Qiuying declared confidently, for she was Jiang Jiang Qinge's devoted fan, and although Li Luo had grown increasingly impressive lately, he still paled beside Jiang Jiang Qinge.

"Maybe."

Seeing Si Si Tianming remained noncommittal; Jiang Jiang Qinge was indeed outstanding, but such a shift didn't necessarily hinge on raw strength.

He didn't know the inner details, so he couldn't offer a more precise assessment.

Yet based on instinct, he sensed the young master's role in this matter was far from negligible, as Si Si Qiuying imagined.

But regardless, the perfect resolution of this incident was the best outcome for House Luolan Mansion, and Jin Quefu—still on decent terms with House Luolan Mansion—was pleased to see it.

"What the hell was Pei Hao thinking? Was it really this easy to dismantle?"

Du Ze Duze Beixuan's slender face darkened with anger; he had anticipated this drama so eagerly, only to be met with this result—he felt as if Li Luo had tricked him.

Du Ze Duze Honglian also frowned; the whole affair had been staged with such fanfare, yet ended so anticlimactically—it was thunder without rain.

"The problem likely wasn't with Pei Hao at all, but within Xiyangwu itself..." Du Ze Duze Honglian shook her head; she didn't believe Pei Hao had held back—yet even he probably hadn't anticipated Li Luo and Jiang Jiang Qinge would ultimately neutralize this assault.

"This Pei Hao didn't just fail to destroy Xiyangwu—he delivered a whole batch of refining masters to them! Is he trying to ruin Li Luo... or help him?" Du Ze Duze Beixuan fumed.

Xiyangwu had already begun rising thanks to the emergence of Mi Fa Source Water, and fortunately, our Du Ze Mansion spent great effort to prevent Xiyangwu from recruiting more refining masters in the short term, thus limiting its scale—but now, Pei Hao has delivered a generous gift from afar, shattering our entire scheme.

And now, with a surge in refining master numbers, Xiyangwu will inevitably experience a massive expansion.

Du Ze Duze Honglian was not as furious as he was, but she also appeared somewhat disappointed.

"Let's go. Since things have come to this, there is no use saying more. Go back and notify the Great Ze House; the suppression of Xi Yang House must be intensified from now on. I have a premonition: if Xi Yang House truly rises, then our Great Ze House will inevitably be the first to bear the brunt."

She shook her head and turned decisively to leave.

If in other places most people felt disappointment, then in the private room where Manager Pei Hao was, the atmosphere had been stagnant from the very beginning.

Pang Pang Qianchi's expression shifted uneasily; he dared not utter a single word, for he could feel how oppressive the low pressure radiating from Manager Pei Hao was.

The latter had originally intended to reap the fruits of victory, only to discover that what flew toward him was not fruit, but an iron ball covered in sharp spikes.

To have that slapped onto one's face truly hurts.

The frozen atmosphere lasted for a while, finally broken by Manager Pei Hao's long exhale.

Pang Pang Qianchi let out a dry laugh and said, "Manager Pei Hao need not be angry; this was merely a practice run. There will be opportunities in the future."

"Jiang Jiang Qinge is indeed difficult to deal with."

"No."

Manager Pei Hao shook his head, cutting off Pang Pang Qianchi's words. He turned his head, looked at the latter, and said calmly, "I feel that this time, I did not lose to Jiang Jiang Qinge's hand, but to Li Luo's hand."

Pang Pang Qianchi was stunned and said, "How could that be... Although Li Luo has some ability, there is still a considerable gap between him and Jiang Jiang Qinge."

"Just intuition," Manager Pei Hao said calmly.

"Then, then what should we do next?" Pang Pang Qianchi asked.

Manager Pei Hao's eyes were deep; he shook his head and turned to leave.

"No rush. All of this now is merely the prelude. The Prefecture Sacrifice in half a year will be the true main event."

"I hope that by then, Li Luo can truly hold onto the foundation left by his master and mistress. Otherwise... the Luo Lan Prefecture will be due for a change of regime."