Chapter 724: Leaving the Great Xia

The moment of parting arrived quickly.

In the courtyard of the old residence.

Li Luo looked at Cai Wei, Yan Yan Lingqing, Yuan Qing, Lei Zhang, and other high-ranking members of the Luo An Mansion before him; at this moment, their expressions were somewhat dim, for they knew that today was the day Li Luo would leave, and that after this departure, if they were to meet again, it would likely be several years later.

The Luo An Mansion had just lost Jiang Jiang Qinge, its main pillar; if Li Luo also left, then the Luo An Mansion would undoubtedly lose its very spirit and vitality completely.

This blow to the morale of the Luo An Mansion was immense.

But they all knew this was an unavoidable matter; the Great Xia could no longer provide Li Luo with a better cultivation platform. He was a hidden dragon; it was impossible for him to remain in the abyss forever. Once the time was right, the dragon must return to the sea.

"Everyone, I leave the Luo An Mansion in your hands. Although I know it might be difficult, I hope you can persevere. This period of darkness is only temporary. When we return, I promise you, I will make the name of the Luo An Mansion resound throughout the entire Eastern Region of Outer Shenzhou." Li Luo looked at everyone and made a sincere promise.

Cai Wei's charming face was filled with sorrow, but she finally forced her spirits up and said, "Mansion Master, please go with peace of mind. We will take good care of the Luo An Mansion. Although it may not grow much, with fewer external enemies now, the survival of the Luo An Mansion should be no problem."

Yan Yan Lingqing, Yuan Qing, and others also nodded.

"Sister Cai Wei, you have worked hard." Li Luo said gratefully. Cai Wei, this chief steward, was truly too dedicated. Others said that the revival of the Luo An Mansion in these past few years was due to his and Jiang Jiang Qinge's presence, but in reality, the two of them were clear that without this capable chief steward like a virtuous wife managing all the mansion's affairs in an orderly manner, they probably wouldn't even have had time to cultivate in peace.

I still don't know where Sister Jiang Qinge dug up such a precious treasure.

Li Luo's gaze shifted, looking at Instructor Xi Chan standing beside Li Li Rouyun, and said, "Instructor, in the future, I hope you can keep an eye on the Luo An Mansion when you have time."

Although Xi Chan was temporarily residing in the Luo An Mansion, her heart ultimately belonged to the Academy. So, when the Academy is rebuilt later, she will also devote more of her mind and spirit to that side. Li Luo understood this very well; as long as she could occasionally pay attention to the Luo An Mansion, that would be enough.

Upon hearing this, Instructor Xi Chan nodded slightly and said, "You go to Tianyuan Shenzhou to cultivate with peace of mind. I will take care of the Luo An Mansion."

She gazed at the handsome and beautiful face of the youth before her, still remembering from a year ago, at the mentor selection competition of that Academy, when Li Luo was still full of naivety. But now, he had begun to mature. Perhaps when they met again next time, this student would truly be stunning.

Regarding this, she actually held a certain expectation.

After arranging everything properly, Li Luo took a deep breath, no longer lingering, but instead looked at Li Li Rouyun and Niu Niu Biaobiao.

"Aunt Yun, Uncle Biao, let's set off."

Yes, that's right. This time, when heading to Tianyuan Shenzhou, he had also brought Niu Niu Biaobiao along. The main reason was to find a cure for Niu Niu Biaobiao, to repair the shattered Marquis Platform that had been broken long ago, and restore his peak strength.

Years ago, Niu Niu Biaobiao had escorted his parents all the way to the Great Xia. Due to severe injuries to himself, he was forced to hide within the headquarters. Previously, it was because there were no conditions to treat him. Now that they were heading to Inner Shenzhou, naturally, he had to bring Niu Niu Biaobiao along; there should be a way to recover there.

Niu Niu Biaobiao had given so much for their entire family; this debt of gratitude was as heavy as a mountain. Therefore, Li Luo, no matter what, had to help Niu Niu Biaobiao resolve his own injuries.

Upon hearing this, Li Li Rouyun smiled and nodded. Then, a beam of light flew out from the spatial sphere on her wrist, hovering above the courtyard. Inside the beam of light, a small boat several zhang in length actually appeared. The small boat was forged from some unknown material, and countless ancient and peculiar light patterns were inscribed upon it.

"This object is called a Flying Boat, specifically used for long-distance travel. This place is extremely far from Inner Shenzhou. Although we will need to use teleportation arrays to cross some impassable peculiar regions along the way, we mainly have to rely on the Flying Boat to travel. Otherwise, even a Marquis-level powerhouse would find it difficult to travel without sleep or rest."

Listening to Li Li Rouyun's introduction, Li Luo also curiously examined this green Flying Boat. Such an object had never been seen in the Great Xia.

Li Li Rouyun raised her slender hand, and her figure darted forward first, landing on the green Flying Boat. Seeing this, Li Luo and Niu Niu Biaobiao also followed.

The interior of the Flying Boat was not considered very spacious, but it was more than enough to accommodate three people.

Cai Wei, Yuan Qing, and others watched as Li Luo boarded the Flying Boat, their eyes filled with an increasingly intense reluctance. Finally, they spoke in unison, "We respectfully see off the Mansion Master."

Li Luo gazed at the old residence below, finally waved his hand at them, hesitated no longer, and said, "Aunt Yun, let's go."

Li Li Rouyun nodded. She sat cross-legged at the front of the Flying Boat, where there seemed to be an object like a furnace, appearing to be the control hub of the Flying Boat. With a gesture of her slender jade fingers, the crisp sound of "hua la la" was heard, and countless quantities of Tianliang Gold surged out from the spatial sphere, pouring directly into that furnace.

The propulsion of this Flying Boat actually required Tianliang Gold as fuel; this was truly "burning money."

Buzz!

As the Tianliang Gold poured in, the light patterns on the surface of the Flying Boat became even brighter, and the energy of heaven and earth began to ripple. The next moment, a sound of breaking wind suddenly exploded, and the green Flying Boat transformed into a streak of green light, leaping into the high sky and breaking through the clouds to fly far away.

At the moment the Flying Boat broke through the air.

In a stone pavilion at the Golden Dragon Treasure Hall in Nanfeng City.

Lu Qing'er, as if sensing something, lifted her pretty face and gazed at the sky. Her exquisite and peerless small face was filled with sadness and dejection.

"He has left." Lu Qing'er's eyes were slightly red.

"This kid, not even saying goodbye before leaving. It was all for nothing helping him so much." Behind Lu Qing'er, an somewhat dissatisfied voice from Yu Yu Hongxi came.

Lu Qing'er forced a smile and said, "Dragging things out isn't his personality. Since he decided to leave, naturally, he would be decisive about it."

Yu Yu Hongxi came to the young girl's side, took her small hand, looked at the dejection on that small face, and helplessly sighed, saying, "What a bad kid, leaving without letting anyone rest easy."

"Previously, Jiang Jiang Qinge even told me that when she arrived in Nanfeng City, she would dissolve that engagement with Li Luo. But looking at it now, she didn't even enter Nanfeng City. I never expected that I, Yu Yu Hongxi, would one day make a losing deal."

Lu Qing'er was stunned and looked at Yu Yu Hongxi: "What engagement dissolution?"

Yu Yu Hongxi realized she had spoken out of turn and was about to find an excuse, but Lu Qing'er had already guessed: "Previously, when Li Luo came to ask for your help, you agreed so readily. Was it because Jiang Jiang Qinge came to find you first? Did you make some kind of deal?"

Seeing that she couldn't hide it, Yu Yu Hongxi had to say, "Jiang Jiang Qinge told me that if I was willing to step in and help, she would dissolve her engagement with Li Luo upon arriving in Nanfeng City."

Lu Qing'er's willow eyebrows furrowed tightly, and she said, "Mother, you are taking advantage of a desperate situation."

Yu Yu Hongxi said, "Jiang Jiang Qinge brought this up herself voluntarily. What does that have to do with me?"

Lu Qing'er shook her head and said, "Because she knows you are only interested in this." Yu Yu Hongxi waved her hand and said, "Forget it, talking about this now is useless. She is already gone. Could I go and settle the score with her?"

"The point I am making is that since Jiang Jiang Qinge voluntarily brought up the matter of breaking the engagement, this perhaps indicates that the engagement between her and Li Luo was not as important as imagined. Just as I have said before, this was something Li Taixuan stirred up while drunk back then; it was simply not the true feelings of those two children."

Lu Qing'er lowered her eyes slightly and said, "Senior Sister Jiang was really good to Li Luo. Anyone would be moved by what she did for Li Luo. In this regard, I am not as good as her."

"Before, I always felt that their engagement was not their true will. Their feelings were deep, but perhaps not romantic love. But after this, I feel that perhaps I was too short-sighted."

Upon hearing this, Yu Yu Hongxi was slightly surprised and said, "Are you saying that between them, there is romantic love?"

Lu Qing'er fell silent.

Before, she also only felt that between the two, it was more like a brother-sister relationship, and that engagement was not the will of both parties. But after experiencing so many events, she also began to waver on this point.

Yu Yu Hongxi also frowned, then retracted her usual domineering attitude and asked somewhat cautiously, "If it is truly so, then what do you plan to do?"

If that kid Li Luo and Jiang Jiang Qinge truly had mutual feelings, then Lu Qing'er's side would be a bit difficult to handle.

Although there were those in this world who had many wives and concubines, and even the well-traveled Yu Yu Hongxi had seen bold women with hundreds of male consorts, but when this fell upon her own daughter, she could not quite accept it. After all, she herself was domineering and decisive by nature. Years ago, when she was transferred by the headquarters to the Great Xia and met Li Taixuan, but later learned that this fellow had already consummated a relationship with Tantai Lan, she immediately cut off those thoughts.

If Li Luo truly had mutual feelings with Jiang Jiang Qinge, in Yu Yu Hongxi's view, even if that kid was excellent, the best method was still to cut it off decisively when the time came.

In Lu Qing'er's eyes, as clear as Binghu, a deep sense of sorrow passed through. She stared at a snow lotus flower in the courtyard, remained silent for a long time, and finally spoke with a somewhat hoarse voice, "From the very beginning, this was my own one-sided wish. Li Luo only regards me as a friend."

"He is also not clear about my feelings. After all, in such matters, boys are always much slower. Perhaps he thinks I just have some normal fondness for him."

"And if he and Senior Sister Jiang truly love each other, then naturally I do not want to interfere."

Lu Qing'er lifted her pretty face, gazing at the streak of green light flying away above Nanfeng City. The young girl's poetic sentiments, on this day of parting, appeared even more cold and desolate like late autumn and winter.

"Qing'er." Yu Yu Hongxi's heart ached as she took her daughter's hand and pulled her into her embrace.

Lv Qing'er lowered her eyes, wanting to show a smile, but ultimately failed. She could only bury her face in Yu Yu Hongxi's chest and said sulkily, "Mother, my one-sided romance may be about to fail."

Yu Yu Hongxi quickly soothed her: "The outstanding men in this world aren't only that Li Luo. With your conditions, what young hero couldn't you be matched with? You've simply seen too little right now. Once your horizons broaden in the future, you'll naturally know that such things are no great regret."

Lv Qing'er said nothing more, only quietly lying on Yu Yu Hongxi's shoulder. After a long while, a faint, melancholy voice sounded.

"Mother, I've thought clearly about the matter you mentioned to me before."

Upon hearing this, Yu Yu Hongxi's expression immediately shifted slightly, and she fell silent.

She knew what Lv Qing'er was referring to... it was a letter from Golden Dragon Mountain.

The letter's sender was Lv Qing'er's father.