Chapter 5: Pei Hao

After leaving the Golden Dragon Treasury, Jiang Qing’e did not speak inside the carriage, and Li Luo remained silent as well, merely clutching the box, lost in his own thoughts.

They did not stop until the carriage arrived outside a grand estate, where rolling hills and rows of pavilions stood within, looking extremely imposing.

This was the location of the old residence where Li Luo’s parents had founded the House of Luolan.

The four lion-horse beasts came to a halt at the estate entrance, and both Li Luo and Jiang Qing’e stepped out of the carriage.

"It really is much more desolate here than before," Jiang Qing’e said with a sigh as she gazed at the estate.

Back when Li Luo’s parents were still around, this place had been the headquarters of the House of Luolan; the bustling crowds of that time stood in stark contrast to the current desolation.

"The headquarters of the House of Luolan was moved to the Royal City long ago; this is just an old residence, so it’s only natural for it to be quiet," Li Luo said with a smile.

As the two were speaking, someone from behind the main gate came up to greet them.

The leading elder wore a simple, gentle smile, and beside him followed a woman whose makeup was quite mature and whose features were lovely; most striking was her voluptuous, curvaceous figure, which swayed with a moving grace, much like a perfectly ripe peach.

"Uncle Liu."

Li Luo called out to the elder; this man was an old servant who had followed his parents in the early years, and he now managed this old residence while also looking after Li Luo’s daily life.

However, the unfamiliar, mature woman left Li Luo feeling somewhat puzzled.

"Uncle Liu, it has been a long time," Jiang Qing’e said with a slight nod to the elder, then introduced her to Li Luo: "This is Sister Cai Wei; she is my assistant in the Royal City and helps me manage the many affairs of the House of Luolan."

"Greetings, Young House Master," the mature beauty named Cai Wei said with a beaming smile, her eyes seemingly sizing Li Luo up.

Li Luo nodded and smiled: "Thank you for your hard work, Sister Cai Wei."

"For the next period of time, Sister Cai Wei will remain in Nanfeng City to manage some of the House of Luolan’s industries in Tianshu Prefecture, and she will report all matters to you," Jiang Qing’e continued.

Li Luo was startled. Since the House of Luolan moved its headquarters to the Royal City, the many industries here in Tianshu Prefecture had remained unchanged and very stable; why would Sister Qing’e suddenly send such a capable aide to take over?

"Has something happened?" Li Luo pondered for a moment before asking.

Jiang Qing’e’s sudden return this time was clearly not just because tomorrow was his seventeenth birthday.

Jiang Qing’e fell silent for a moment, her exquisite face turning a bit colder, and she immediately walked toward the interior of the estate, signaling for Li Luo to follow.

"Although you have remained in Nanfeng City, you must have heard some rumors about the House of Luolan, right? I didn't tell you about these things before because I was afraid it would affect you." Walking along the gravel path, with light spots falling through the foliage, Jiang Qing’e’s voice was cold and clear.

Li Luo nodded; although he had not interfered with the House of Luolan, he could guess that with his parents missing for several years, the House of Luolan could not possibly be peaceful.

In this Great Xia Kingdom, establishing a House was no simple matter, and one of the major hard requirements was that only those who had reached the Marquis Realm could do so.

Currently, there were five great Houses in the Great Xia Kingdom, and the House of Luolan was one of them.

Among these five Houses, the House of Luolan had the shortest history and the fastest rise, because Li Luo’s parents had both stepped into the Marquis Realm.

Marquis Yangxuan, Li Taixuan.

Marquis Lan, Tantai Lan.

Two Marquises in one House—this was the most important reason why the House of Luolan had quickly risen to become one of the five great Houses after its founding. Compared to the long-standing history of the other four Houses, the House of Luolan was undoubtedly extremely young, but this also meant that in terms of foundation, the House of Luolan was much weaker than the other four.

However, this was not originally a problem; with the talent and strength of Li Taixuan and Tantai Lan, they would have been able to bridge this gap in the time to come.

But unfortunately, they suddenly went missing.

Having lost these two pillars, the strength of the House of Luolan plummeted. At the very beginning, the lingering prestige of the two Marquises remained, and no one dared to stir up trouble. But as time passed and there was still no news of Li Taixuan and Tantai Lan, rumors even spread that they had fallen on the battlefield of Marquises.

As one of the five great Houses of the Great Xia Kingdom, the House of Luolan possessed countless industries. It was a piece of fat so incredibly rich that countless forces within the Great Xia Kingdom were eyeing it covetously, drooling with greed.

Therefore, as time passed and the prestige left behind by Li Taixuan and Tantai Lan gradually faded, some forces began to bare their fangs at the House of Luolan over the past year or two.

Under these circumstances, Jiang Qing’e, who was still studying at the Saint Xuanxing Academy, had to temporarily take over the House of Luolan. Although Jiang Qing’e’s reputation in the Great Xia Kingdom had grown stronger over the past two years, she had not yet stepped into the Marquis Realm, and in terms of deterrent strength, she was still lacking. Thus, facing the pack of wolves surrounding them, she decisively abandoned some of the House of Luolan’s industries, intending to gain some time to recover and grow stronger.

This constant act of giving up was also one of the main reasons why the outside world considered the House of Luolan to be in a precarious state.

But Li Luo approved of this; after all, without sufficient strength, continuing to occupy a mountain of gold would only invite greater trouble. Appropriate forbearance was the long-term strategy.

"Although the House of Luolan’s momentum has declined a lot over the past two years, the overall situation seems to have stabilized, right?" Li Luo asked with some confusion.

Jiang Qing’e pursed her red lips and said calmly: "The external pressure has temporarily eased, but this time, the problem lies within the House of Luolan."

Li Luo’s eyes narrowed instantly, and he said slowly: "It’s that Senior Brother Pei Hao, right?"

Jiang Qing’e and the mature woman, Cai Wei, both looked at Li Luo with some surprise.

"Although Sister Qing’e hasn't been in charge of the House of Luolan for very long, your charm is unmatched. Your prestige in the House of Luolan is quite high now, and looking across the House of Luolan, the only one who can still stand against you is this eldest nominal disciple taken in by my parents," Li Luo said, meeting their surprised gazes with a smile.

Pei Hao had been a wandering, destitute youth who was nearly killed after offending an enemy. Li Luo’s parents had happened to save him, and seeing how pitiful he was, they took him into the House of Luolan. After entering the House, he worked diligently and showed decent talent, eventually making a name for himself, so Li Luo’s parents finally took him in as a nominal disciple.

With this status, Pei Hao’s position in the House of Luolan rose steadily, and by the time Li Luo’s parents went missing, his power within the House was already quite significant.

When his parents were still around, this Senior Brother Pei Hao would occasionally come to contact him, but this contact had decreased significantly over the past two years, especially after the news of his empty resonance spread.

From this point of view, this Senior Brother Pei Hao was quite realistic.

"Pei Hao has always had objections to my management of the House of Luolan over the years, and he has acted arbitrarily regarding many of the House’s decisions. He has high prestige in the House, and nearly half of the pavilion masters are close to him, which has caused a very bad influence," Jiang Qing’e said indifferently.

"Actually, if he could contribute to the House of Luolan, I could endure all of this. Even this so-called position of leadership—if it weren't for the appointment made by Master and Mistress before they left, I wouldn't want to step forward either."

Li Luo nodded. Jiang Qing’e’s personality did not really like these House affairs; with her talent, focusing on cultivation was the most appropriate path.

Of course, in the end, it was because he, the Young House Master, was not up to the task. However, both he and Jiang Qing’e understood that in his current state, this so-called empty resonance talent could not convince the masses. If he, as the Young House Master, were really left to manage the House of Luolan, the foundation his parents built would likely fall apart very quickly.

After all, in this world, strength is the fundamental basis for convincing others.

"It really is hard on you, Sister Qing’e," Li Luo said with sincere gratitude.

Jiang Qing’e shook her head: "No need, after all, you and I have a marriage contract, and this House of Luolan has a share of mine as well."

So direct.

Li Luo was stunned, and Cai Wei on the side covered her mouth and chuckled, her demeanor moving and charming.

"Ever since Master and Mistress went missing, the hearts of the people in the House have been restless. Although I have tried my best to appease them, the situation of the House of Luolan is clear at a glance. That Pei Hao has taken the opportunity to win people over and is holding me back at every turn. I have investigated previously and suspect that there may be other forces secretly helping him from behind the scenes," Jiang Qing’e continued.

Li Luo reached out to catch a leaf falling in front of him and said: "This is... raising an ungrateful wretch."

"Tomorrow, Pei Hao will lead people to Nanfeng City to talk to me, but it is highly likely that we won't reach an agreement. And the worst result of failing to reach an agreement is that the House of Luolan might split directly, which would be a heavy blow to the current situation of the House of Luolan." Jiang Qing’e’s golden eyes appeared exceptionally cold at this moment, with even a hint of killing intent flowing through them.

Li Luo’s brows also furrowed tightly. The House of Luolan was already surrounded by a pack of wolves in the Great Xia Kingdom, eyeing them covetously. Once it really split, the strength of the House of Luolan would be greatly weakened, and things would become increasingly troublesome in the future.

Yet in the end, he could only sigh helplessly, because with his current strength and state, he could not cause the slightest impact on this situation. As for the so-called Young House Master, there were probably not many people in this House who would look at him squarely; perhaps many in the House had even forgotten about him, the Young House Master.

And all of this was because he lacked strength and a future of his own.

"Sorry, I can't give you any help," Li Luo said.

Jiang Qing’e shook her head and said softly: "Don't worry, even if the House of Luolan is unstable right now, I will make sure it is complete and intact when I finally hand it over to you."

Li Luo did not speak, because in truth, he did not care that much about it. No matter how strong the House of Luolan was, it was an external object; in this world, only one’s own strength was the foundation of everything.

If one day he could step into the Marquis Realm, all difficulties would be solved easily.

Afterward, the two returned to the old residence and had a meal together, then Jiang Qing’e went straight to work, clearly making some preparations for tomorrow.

Li Luo did not disturb her; he went to the training room to practice resonance arts for two hours before returning to his room to rest.

Li Luo did not sleep for a long time that night. It was not until after midnight that he rolled off the bed and opened the suitcase from under the bed.

The mysterious black crystal ball was also taken out. He held it carefully, and at this moment, Li Luo could feel his own heart beating violently.

"Dad, Mom, what exactly did you leave for me?"

Li Luo gently patted his pounding heart and then comforted himself with a joke.

"It shouldn't really just be a birthday cake that's been stored for a few years, right?"

(End of chapter)