Chapter 8: A New Beginning

Clang! Clang!

It was that series of knocking sounds that startled Li Luo from the darkness; he tried his best to slowly open his heavy eyelids, and what greeted his eyes was the familiar layout of his room.

"What... happened?"

He muttered to himself, and then he discovered that his voice was frighteningly weak, sounding like the thin, wispy breath of an old man flickering like a candle in the wind.

Li Luo struggled, wanting to climb up from the floor, but after trying for a long time, he discovered that his hands and feet had no strength at all.

In the end, he could only lie on the floor to recover for a long while before he finally had the strength to stagger to his feet, then plop down onto the chair nearby.

"Young Master, are you alright?" At this moment, a woman's voice came from outside the room; listening to the voice, it seemed to be Jiang Qing’s assistant, Cai Wei.

Li Luo coughed and replied, "I woke up late. What is it?"

"Qing’e asked me to inform you that the Pavilion Masters of the nine pavilions of the Luo Lan Mansion have all arrived. Please prepare yourself," came the soft, mellow voice of the mature woman, Cai Wei.

"Alright." Li Luo glanced outside the window crack; the daylight was already bright, clearly indicating he had been lying on the floor for the entire night.

Hearing Li Luo agree, Cai Wei outside the door, though finding his weak voice somewhat strange, still withdrew.

Li Luo turned his gaze to the spot where the crystal ball had been placed the previous night, only to be astonished to find that the black crystal ball had long since vanished, leaving behind only a pile of black ash.

Clearly, the self-destruct mechanism within the black crystal ball had activated, erasing everything.

Li Luo looked at the mirror to one side, which reflected his face; he only took one glance before his expression could not help but change.

Because the person in the mirror had a terrifyingly pale complexion, a feeling as if all the blood in his body had been completely drained away.

And the biggest change was his hair; his original head of black hair had now turned gray-white, clearly caused by the excessive loss of vital blood.

Li Luo stared blankly at the white-haired youth in the mirror, and only after a long while did he let out a breath: "Actually... I've become even more handsome."

After finding some humor in his misery, Li Luo smiled bitterly again: "Sure enough, after fusing with that acquired resonance, the vital blood I had stored for seventeen years has been mostly consumed..."

This state of excessive vital blood loss made him feel extremely weak; even walking a few steps gave him a dizzy sensation.

Moreover, besides this, he also felt an indescribable, inexplicable sense of emptiness in his body; that emptiness was not a void of the heart, but a lack of lifespan.

Li Luo pursed his bloodless lips; from now on, did he only have five years of life left?

It really makes one feel a sense of urgency.

Li Luo let out a breath, closed his eyes, and began to sense his body.

His perception sank directly into the resonance palaces within his body; before, the three resonance palaces had been completely empty, but now, within that first resonance palace, a brilliant azure light was blooming, and a nourishing, gentle power was constantly radiating from that resonance palace, simultaneously moistening his withered body.

Li Luo’s mind gazed at that azure resonance palace; at this moment, even though he had been mentally prepared, he still could not help but feel his heart surging.

Sure enough, the fusion of the acquired resonance was successful.

From today on, his problem of having an empty resonance was completely solved!

Moreover, this empty resonance that had once brought him so much trouble would also reveal its own unique and miraculous nature!

Li Luo opened his eyes; he could feel the wandering energy of heaven and earth around him, and among them, two types of energy were automatically drawing closer to him.

Those were the energies of water and light.

From now on, he would be able to absorb these two types of energy and subsequently convert them into his own true resonance power.

However, the prerequisite was that he still had to practice an energy guidance technique, but that was no issue at all; the Luo Lan Mansion had a fairly large foundation, and the guidance techniques collected within were not few.

Thinking this, Li Luo slowly stood up, washed up, and changed into a neat set of clothes.

After changing, he examined himself in the mirror, and the youth inside—though haggard in appearance and gray-haired—still revealed a brilliant smile on his handsome, well-defined features.

"Li Luo, welcome to your new life."

This old mansion in Nanfeng City had always been quite deserted in the past, but today the atmosphere was uncharacteristically heavy; the surroundings of the old mansion were filled with layers of sentries and guards.

In the main hall of the old mansion, the atmosphere was even more stifling, making it hard for people to breathe.

In the spacious hall, seats were arranged on both sides, and in the center were two seats; one was empty, while in the other sat Jiang Qing’e, her calm expression carrying a hint of coldness.

Her golden eyes stared indifferently into the hall, her gaze occasionally sweeping over the row on the left, where four figures were sitting, all radiating powerful energy fluctuations.

Especially the leader on the left.

That was a young man who looked to be about twenty-seven or twenty-eight; his appearance was actually not particularly outstanding, his eyes slightly sunken, his nose somewhat narrow and long, and hanging from his right earlobe was a sword-shaped earring, faintly revealing a cold glint.

He always wore a gentle smile on his face, which made it easy for people to develop a favorable impression.

However, Jiang Qing’e, who was familiar with him, understood that the person before her was no good sort; since she had taken charge of the Luo Lan Mansion, it was precisely this person who had caused her many obstacles.

This person was none other than the registered disciple taken in by Li Taixuan and Tantai Lan, the current power player within the Luo Lan Mansion, Pei Hao.

And the three figures below him were the three Pavilion Masters he had won over.

Opposite their row sat the other six Pavilion Masters of the Luo Lan Mansion; among these six, four supported Jiang Qing’e, while two remained neutral, not leaning toward either side.

And just from this point, one could see exactly how chaotic the current Luo Lan Mansion was.

Having lost the two pillars of support, Li Taixuan and Tantai Lan, the Luo Lan Mansion, with its shallow foundation, was indeed teetering in the wind and rain.

In the heavy, silent hall, the quiet persisted for a long time, with only the faint sounds of everyone sipping tea.

Until a certain moment, Pei Hao, the leader on the left, suddenly placed his teacup on the table with a sound that was neither light nor heavy; that crisp sound rang out in the hall, immediately causing the atmosphere to stagnate.

Pei Hao raised his head, cast his gaze toward Jiang Qing’e, and smiled: "Little Junior Sister, everyone has been waiting here for half a day; why hasn't the Young Master come out yet?"

"Although he is the Young Master, everyone has been working hard for the Luo Lan Mansion. You must know that even when Master and Mistress were here, they would always appear on time for such occasions; this also shows how much the two elders valued us."

As his voice fell, some of the nine Pavilion Masters in the hall remained expressionless, some frowned slightly, and some muttered to themselves.

Jiang Qing’e said with a cold expression: "When Master and Mistress were here before, why didn't I see you being so impatient?"

Pei Hao’s eyes narrowed slightly; he smiled as he looked at Jiang Qing’e and said: "Little Junior Sister, people must always look forward."

He paused, looked at the crowd, and said: "Since the Young Master has been slow to appear, I suggest that everyone need not wait any longer; let's just start the meeting directly. After all..."

Pei Hao smiled as if somewhat helpless: "Everyone knows the Young Master's situation; for the matters to be discussed today, it is actually better if he is not present, so let's just let him have some peace."

In the hall, everyone had different expressions; apart from Jiang Qing’e, no one spoke for a moment.

"Since everyone has no objections, then let's start directly." Seeing this, Pei Hao smiled, waved his hand, and was about to make the decision right then and there.

Jiang Qing’e’s expression turned cold, and just as she was about to speak, a laugh suddenly rang out from behind the beaded curtain of the hall.

"It's been a few years, and Senior Brother Pei Hao has truly become much more overbearing than before. If my father and mother knew that Senior Brother was so accomplished now, they would surely be gratified, right?"

As the laughter rang out, the beaded curtain of the hall was lifted, and then a tall, handsome youth walked out with a smile on his face.

And when the people in the hall suddenly saw that face, their bodies actually trembled involuntarily, and then, as if by reflex, they stood up.

Because that face was exceptionally similar to the two people they held in awe in their hearts.

Even Pei Hao’s smile stiffened for an instant; his body seemed to curl slightly as if out of control, but just as he was about to stand up out of habit, his heart suddenly became much clearer.

Because the person in front of him was no longer those two.

This was just a good-for-nothing with an empty resonance.

Thus, he stretched out his palm and suddenly slapped the teacup on the table beside him; a crisp sound rang out, and the entire teacup was smashed into powder by his slap.

This sound rang out, also startling the nine Pavilion Masters present, and then they suddenly came back to their senses.

Following that, expressions of embarrassment appeared on their faces, and the three Pavilion Masters beside Pei Hao immediately sat back down.

As for the six Pavilion Masters in the other row, they hesitated for a moment before cupping their hands and bowing to Li Luo, who had walked out.

"Greetings, Young Master."

Only when they looked closely at Li Luo now did they realize that although he was somewhat similar to Li Taixuan and Tantai Lan, he ultimately lacked that awe-inspiring aura, appearing much more immature and green.

The previous illusion was just a fleeting moment, and they hadn't been able to react in time.

And what surprised them most was Li Luo’s head of gray-white hair.

Even Jiang Qing’e had a look of surprise in her eyes as she paused on Li Luo’s head; this guy was clearly perfectly fine just yesterday...

Li Luo nodded to the six Pavilion Masters, then turned his gaze to Pei Hao, who was sitting motionless in his chair, and smiled: "It's been a few years, Senior Brother Pei Hao; you really are like a different person compared to the past."

The nine Pavilion Masters present flickered their eyes, having caught the implication in Li Luo’s words.

In those years before, when Li Taixuan and Tantai Lan were still around, every time Pei Hao saw Li Luo, he would always have a smile as gentle as a big brother, and he would even go to great lengths to bring him many gifts.

It’s just that, perhaps even Li Taixuan and Tantai Lan had not expected that this disciple, who was so respectful to them, would reveal such a true nature after they had been missing for many years.

Pei Hao wore a slight smile; he looked up at Li Luo and said: "It's been a long time, Little Luo has really grown up a lot."

His words suddenly paused, and he frowned, saying earnestly: "It's just, why is your complexion so pale, and your hair has turned white? You look like you don't have many years left to live."

(End of chapter)