Chapter 370: The Inside Story

Li Luo's cautious question left Yu Yu Hongxi momentarily stunned, then she shot him an exasperated look and said, "No need, consider it a gift."

Li Luo gave a thumbs-up: "President Yu is truly generous. No wonder the Daxia Golden Dragon Treasure House has been thriving under your leadership, growing stronger by the day."

"That mouth of yours."

Yu Yu Hongxi shook her head. This boy really was somewhat different from Li Taixuan. The latter was free-spirited and aloof, truly caring nothing for anything in the world; getting a kind word from him was harder than ascending to the heavens. This Li Luo, on the other hand, seemed much more down-to-earth.

Still, it was clear Yu Yu Hongxi was in a good mood at the moment. Although the matter with Lin Suo had been unexpected, the outcome was ultimately good. Not only had Lv Qing'er reclaimed the Golden Dragon Qi, she had also obtained the Golden Dragon Mountain-Worshiping Invitation. This could be considered a perfect fulfillment of all her previous demands.

"Mother, that Lin Suo was hiding his strength. He's at the third transformation of the Transformation Phase. The fact that we could defeat him this time and reclaim the Golden Dragon Qi, Li Luo was absolutely the main force." Lv Qing'er looped her arm through Yu Yu Hongxi's and said with a smile.

"So? My choice back then wasn't wrong, was it?"

Yu Yu Hongxi looked at the faint hint of smugness hidden behind Lv Qing'er's smile, feeling both annoyed and amused. Was this little girl still going head-to-head with her over this? She just wanted to prove her eye wasn't bad, that choosing Li Luo wasn't a momentary impulse.

However, regarding Li Luo's performance this time, Yu Yu Hongxi was genuinely surprised and satisfied. After all, just as Lv Qing'er said, the three of them at the Pattern Rearing Phase had joined forces to defeat Lin Suo at the third transformation of the Transformation Phase. This absolutely counted as an impressive feat.

Although she hadn't witnessed the battle herself, with the discerning eye of a Marquis-level powerhouse, she could still guess who had contributed the most.

This Li Luo truly was worthy of being Li Taixuan's son.

Even if he didn't possess Li Taixuan's dazzling brilliance, he still had a charm of his own.

"The fact that Qing'er was able to keep the Golden Dragon Qi this time and obtain the Golden Dragon Mountain-Worshiping Invitation, we truly do owe you both thanks." Yu Yu Hongxi looked at Li Luo and Qin Qin Zhulu, not sparing her gratitude.

Li Luo and Qin Qin Zhulu both shook their heads. The former smiled and said, "President Yu needn't be so polite. We gained quite a lot inside the Golden Dragon Dojo as well. Speaking of which, we should be thanking you for giving us this opportunity."

Yu Yu Hongxi nodded, and without further pleasantries, she exchanged a few more words before taking Lv Qing'er and seeing the two of them out of the Golden Dragon Treasure House.

"You've worked hard on this trip to the Golden Dragon Dojo. Now that matters have concluded, you two may return first. If you need any help in the future, feel free to come to the Golden Dragon Treasure House and find me. Within the limits of my ability, I won't refuse." Yu Yu Hongxi said to the two of them.

Li Luo and Qin Qin Zhulu both agreed, then after exchanging greetings with Lv Qing'er, they each departed. They had been inside the Golden Dragon Dojo for nearly a month. Although the environment inside the dojo was much better than the Dark Caverns, they were still somewhat weary, so heading home to rest was just the thing.

Lv Qing'er watched Li Luo's retreating figure, the smile on her fair cheeks gradually fading, then she turned to Yu Yu Hongxi and said, "Mother, what happened inside the Golden Dragon Dojo this time is rather unusual."

Yu Yu Hongxi said calmly, "That Lin Suo should have been a dead soldier planted inside our Daxia Golden Dragon Treasure House. His strength didn't come from genuine cultivation, but was squeezed out through some Mi Fa. However, the price was a massive expenditure of lifespan. This was my oversight; had I examined him earlier, I should have been able to detect something amiss."

When she had stepped in to suppress Lin Suo earlier, Yu Yu Hongxi had already conducted a preliminary probe, so she knew some of the information.

Lv Qing'er's eyes cooled slightly: "Who planted him?"

Yu Yu Hongxi was silent for a moment, then said, "That's hard to say. I'll strip the entire upper echelon of the Tianzang Prefecture branch later and cast them out of the Golden Dragon Treasure House."

"They might not even be aware of it." Lv Qing'er said.

"Knowing is a crime, not knowing is also a crime." Yu Yu Hongxi's tone was indifferent.

Lv Qing'er didn't dwell on this, but continued asking, "And that Golden Dragon Qi, how did it end up on me?"

Yu Yu Hongxi smiled and said, "The Golden Dragon Qi naturally descends upon those who resonate with the Golden Dragon Dojo. It's not unique to you, nothing strange about that, right?"

"Then why did this Lin Suo seem to know in advance that I would obtain the Golden Dragon Qi, and come to sabotage it?" Lv Qing'er pressed.

Yu Yu Hongxi shook her head, indicating she didn't know.

"Then does Mother know what consequences would follow if my Golden Dragon Qi were destroyed?"

Yu Yu Hongxi let out a soft breath and said, "It would affect your future prospects. Those who bear the Golden Dragon Qi, if they enter the Golden Dragon Mountain in the future, will naturally receive tremendous benefits. But if this Golden Dragon Qi is destroyed, you naturally lose this opportunity you can hardly imagine."

"So... someone doesn't want me to go to the Golden Dragon Mountain?" Lv Qing'er said slowly.

Yu Yu Hongxi said calmly, "It might be the work of some of my enemies. After all, holding steady in the position of President of the Daxia Golden Dragon Treasure House has drawn much hostility, whether from the Daxia Golden Dragon Treasure House or Golden Dragon Treasure Houses in other regions..."

Lv Qing'er smiled and said, "Mother, although you're the President of the Daxia Golden Dragon Treasure House, if you were really placed within the main branch of the Golden Dragon Treasure House, you actually wouldn't stand out that much. When I entered the Golden Dragon Dojo this time, I felt something was off the whole time."

"It felt as if someone was secretly helping me, and this kind of ability and method, I don't think it's something you could do, Mother, right? Additionally, during the final Dao Gold Empowerment, the phase force levels of me, Li Luo, and Qin Qin Zhulu all rose by two levels. But from what I know, that rate of increase is a bit too fast..."

"Moreover, to cultivate a dead soldier like Lin Suo and plot for so many years, hiding within the Daxia Golden Dragon Treasure House without even you, the President, noticing, I feel that those competitors of yours probably wouldn't have that kind of ability either."

Yu Yu Hongxi glared at Lv Qing'er in exasperation. With everything her daughter was implying, was she saying her mother wasn't qualified enough?

"Mother, I don't mean to look down on you, I'm just deducing and analyzing based on facts." Lv Qing'er said with a beaming smile.

"Then what have you deduced?" Yu Yu Hongxi said.

Lv Qing'er's smile faded slightly as she said slowly, "These matters should be related to my father, right?"

"Is the person who directed Lin Suo my father's enemy?"

Yu Yu Hongxi's eyes lowered slightly. She was silent for several breaths, and ultimately didn't answer, but continued walking forward.

Only, a soft sigh rose within her heart, and a low voice sounded.

"Why couldn't it be your father's own family?"