Chapter 229: Elder Protector

"Mo Chen..."

In the ruined courtyard, Li Luo looked at the gray-robed old man. He truly hadn't expected that the latter would be one of the three Elder Protectors of the House of Luolan.

Within the House of Luolan, these three Elder Protectors held high status. Although they did not participate in the daily operations or affairs of the House of Luolan, they carried significant weight within the house.

These three Elder Protectors did not usually stay in the Great Xia City, so even though Li Luo had been at the House of Luolan headquarters for half a year, he had never met them.

"Elder Mo Chen, I am quite curious: why would someone like you, who eats the offerings of my House of Luolan, appear to protect Pei Hao?"

Li Luo looked at the gray-robed old man with calm eyes and said indifferently, "Or is it that you are being driven by him? But as far as I know, the three Elder Protectors have a special status; in this House of Luolan, they are only subject to the control and orders of the House Master."

A smile appeared on Mo Chen's withered face as he said, "Young House Master, this old man is not being driven by Pei Hao. I simply do not wish to see internal strife in the House of Luolan that leads to trouble and makes the various forces of Great Xia laugh at us."

Li Luo sneered, "When Pei Hao poisoned the resonance crafters at Xiyang House earlier and caused the various forces of Great Xia City to laugh at us, I didn't see you, Elder, appear to stop him."

The smile on Mo Chen's face remained as he said, "Pei Hao is one of the contenders for the future House Master of the House of Luolan. As an Elder Protector, I have a responsibility to protect his safety."

Li Luo shook his head. When Pei Hao came to the old residence earlier, he was holding this Elder Mo's token. Now that the other party had appeared to protect Pei Hao again, it was clear that the relationship between the two was extremely close.

"If we are really talking about candidates for the future House Master, I'm afraid it wouldn't be Pei Hao's turn. After all, this is the foundation left behind by my father and mother," Li Luo said indifferently.

"Young House Master, that is where you are mistaken. In my eyes, you are the Young House Master, but Pei Hao can also be considered a Young House Master... After all, he is a disciple of the two House Masters. Furthermore, the two House Masters once said that anyone who obtains the approval of the two Elder Protectors and the four Pavilion Masters has the qualifications to compete for the position of House Master. Therefore, Pei Hao is legitimate," Mo Chen said earnestly.

"Elder Mo, that was a registered disciple. My father and mother's personal disciple is only Sister Qing'e," Li Luo corrected him.

Elder Mo smiled slightly and said, "Whether registered or personal, it doesn't actually matter. As long as you know that Pei Hao has this qualification, that is enough. In fact, when it comes down to it, you can't blame others. If the Young House Master had revealed your dual resonances and potential earlier, how could the hearts of the people within the House of Luolan be so unsettled?"

Li Luo sighed and said, "I am very curious as to who exactly is behind this Pei Hao, having the ability to make two of my House of Luolan's protectors bow down to protect him."

"However... aren't you all afraid that if you play like this, my old man and old lady might come running back one day?"

Elder Mo's eyes narrowed slightly, and the smile on his withered face gradually faded. He was silent for a moment before slowly saying, "Our actions have not violated the rules originally set by the two House Masters."

Li Luo laughed, "But you look a bit guilty."

Elder Mo did not speak again, only sighing, "Young House Master, saying these things now has no meaning. In half a year, at the House of Luolan House Festival, everything will have a result."

"And according to the rules set by the two House Masters, the only people in the House of Luolan who truly have the qualifications to compete for the House Master position are Pei Hao and you."

His gaze glanced at Jiang Qing'e beside him, and he smiled, "Of course, Miss Jiang is also very outstanding, but strictly speaking, her status as a House Master contender is not complete because... she has not obtained the support of the two Elder Protectors."

Li Luo nodded and said, "I understand. Do you mean that you want me to compete with Pei Hao at the House Festival? And that Sister Qing'e cannot take action?"

Elder Mo nodded with a smile, "After all, this is the way the House Master is elected. Young House Master, if you stand out at the House Festival, you will become the official House Master. At that time, all the scattered hearts will gather upon you, and the House of Luolan will become whole once again."

"Even those who support Pei Hao will have no reason to support him anymore."

"Your calculations are truly shrewd," Li Luo sighed.

"I am at the second stage of the Resonance Master realm, and you want me to compete with him, a late-stage Earth Fiend General? Do you think your brain is broken, or mine is?"

Elder Mo smiled, "Although it seems a bit unfair, the rules are indeed so."

"Or, Young House Master, you could let Pei Hao become the House Master of the House of Luolan first, and wait until your strength is sufficient in the future to conduct this competition."

Li Luo laughed, "Saying so much, isn't it just because Pei Hao is afraid of Sister Qing'e?"

Pei Hao, who had not spoken until now, said in a calm voice, "A ninth-grade Light Resonance is enough to make anyone wary. I am, of course, no exception."

Li Luo shook his head and said, "Elder Mo, let's not mention such foolish words. Perhaps according to the rules of the House of Luolan, Sister Qing'e's status as a House Master contender is not the most complete, but you also know that she has a marriage contract with me. We are one, so she naturally has the qualifications to compete for this House Master position on my behalf."

"So..."

He flashed a brilliant smile at Mo Chen and Pei Hao: "If you want to compete with me, get past Sister Qing'e first."

Elder Mo's eyes narrowed. He hadn't expected that the son born to Li Taixuan and Tantai Lan, those two proud talents whose ambitions were higher than the heavens, would be so... shameless.

"Is the Young House Master trying to evade this... Even if Miss Jiang wins the position of House Master on your behalf, it would be neither legitimate nor honorable. Perhaps some people will be convinced by her, but no one will be convinced by you."

"And how will other forces in Great Xia view the House of Luolan? A House Master who has to rely on his fiancée even for the struggle for the House Master position? It really makes people laugh."

Li Luo rubbed his ears and muttered, "Being able to live off a woman is a skill in itself."

Seeing that Li Luo was impervious to reason and lacked any pride, Mo Chen's mouth twitched involuntarily, and he felt a bit of frustration in his heart, because all of this was slightly different from what he had envisioned.

In his view, as the son of Li Taixuan and Tantai Lan, as long as Li Luo had even a shred of pride, he would definitely compete with Pei Hao to the end. Of course, whether he could win or not was another matter, but at the very least, he should show the right attitude.

But Li Luo was fine; he directly laid his cards on the table: if you want to compete with me, beat Jiang Qing'e first, otherwise, there's nothing to talk about!

He didn't care at all about relying on his fiancée or living off a woman!

He shook his head and stopped talking nonsense, only smiling, "Young House Master, I think when the House Festival arrives, you might change your mind."

Jiang Qing'e's cold voice came, "Elder Mo, wanting to just take people away like this, I'm afraid it won't be that easy, right?"

When Li Luo was talking to Mo Chen earlier, Jiang Qing'e had not interrupted, clearly leaving the dominance of the situation to Li Luo.

Elder Mo smiled at Jiang Qing'e and said, "Miss Jiang, although a ninth-grade Light Resonance is rare, at this moment, you should not be able to pose any threat to me."

"Of course, I know that outside this courtyard, you have gathered almost all the power of the House of Luolan in Great Xia. If we really fight by force, it will indeed bring us a lot of trouble."

"But..."

"Do you really want to make it like that?"

Elder Mo smiled, "Although your actions are secretive, there are too many eyes in this Great Xia City. At this moment, I'm afraid there are already many gazes watching this place from the shadows..."

"Xiyang House made such a big joke during the day, and now at night, it's exposed that the Young House Master of the House of Luolan led people to fight with an Elder Protector of the House of Luolan... This is too ugly, isn't it?"

Jiang Qing'e said coldly, "The house is already this broken, are we still afraid of others laughing at us?"

"If you insist, then do as you please."

Elder Mo smiled and shook his head, not saying anything more, but stepped out. Pei Hao also descended from the rockery and stood side by side with Elder Mo, and the two walked straight toward the outside of the courtyard.

Jiang Qing'e's eyes gradually became sharp, and she slowly gripped the heavy sword in her hand, but in the end, Li Luo waved his hand at her.

There was indeed no need to take action now, because even if they did, there was no absolute certainty of keeping the two of them. Since the result was not what they wanted, there was no need to increase casualties in vain.

Pei Hao brushed past Li Luo, paused his steps, and smiled faintly, "Li Luo, remember, you still have half a year."

Li Luo turned his head and smiled at him.

"Thanks for the reminder. Also..."

"The gift package you sent this time..."

He licked his lips, nodded vigorously, and gave his affirmation.

"It's delicious."