After leaving the Golden Dragon Bank, Jiang Qing'e said nothing in the carriage, so Li Luo kept silent as well, merely hugging the box while wondering what might be inside.
It wasn't until the carriage arrived outside a magnificent estate that things changed. Inside the grounds stood rolling hills and pavilions lined up in rows, exuding an air of utmost grandeur.
This was the old residence where Li Luo's parents had founded Luolan Manor years ago.
Four lion-steed beasts came to a halt at the estate gates, and both Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e stepped down from the carriage.
"Compared to the past, this place has truly grown much more desolate," Jiang Qing'e said, looking at the estate with a hint of emotion.
Back when Li Luo's parents were still around, this place served as the headquarters of Luolan Manor. The bustling crowds of those days formed a stark contrast to today's desolation.
"The headquarters of Luolan Manor was long ago transferred to the royal capital. This is just an old residence, so desolation is only natural," Li Luo said with a smile.
As the two of them spoke, someone emerged from behind the grand gates to welcome them.
Leading the group was an elderly man with a rustic, gentle smile. Beside him walked a woman whose makeup was rather mature and whose features were quite pleasing. Most distinctive of all was her plump and exquisitely curved figure, swaying with captivating grace like a fully ripened peach.
"Uncle Liu."
Li Luo greeted the elderly man. This man had followed his parents from their early years, and now he managed the old estate while taking care of Li Luo's daily life.
However, the unfamiliar, mature woman left Li Luo somewhat puzzled.
"Uncle Liu, it has been a long time." Jiang Qing'e gave a slight nod to the elderly man, and then introduced the woman to Li Luo. "This is Sister Cai Wei. She is my assistant in the royal capital, helping me manage many of Luolan Manor's affairs."
"Greetings, Young Mansion Master." The mature beauty named Cai Wei flashed a gentle smile at Li Luo, her eyes seemingly appraising him.
Li Luo nodded and smiled. "Hard work for you, Sister Cai Wei."
"For the next period of time, Sister Cai Wei will stay in Nanfeng City to manage some of Luolan Manor's businesses here in Tianshu Prefecture, and she will report all matters directly to you," Jiang Qing'e continued.
Li Luo was momentarily stunned. Ever since Luolan Manor shifted its headquarters to the royal capital, the various industries in Tianshu Prefecture had remained completely unchanged and ran quite smoothly. Why would Sister Qing'e suddenly dispatch such a capable general to take over?
"Has something happened?" Li Luo pondered for a moment before voicing the question.
Jiang Qing'e's sudden return this time clearly wasn't just because tomorrow happened to be his seventeenth birthday.
Jiang Qing'e fell silent for a moment, her delicate face growing somewhat stern. She then strode into the estate, signaling for Li Luo to follow.
"Although you stayed in Nanfeng City, you must have heard some rumors about Luolan Manor, right? I didn't mention these things to you before because I was afraid it would affect you." Walking along the gravel path with light dapples filtering through the tree shade, Jiang Qing'e's voice was clear and cool.
Li Luo nodded. Although he hadn't interfered with Luolan Manor, he could well guess that with his parents missing for several years, Luolan Manor couldn't possibly remain entirely peaceful.
In the Great Xia Kingdom, establishing a manor was no simple matter, and one of the hard requirements was that only those at the Duke Stage could do so.
Currently, there were five major manors in the Great Xia Kingdom, and Luolan Manor was one of them.
Among these five, Luolan Manor had been founded the most recently and had risen the fastest, because Li Luo's parents had both stepped into the Duke Stage.
The Yangxuan Duke, Li Taixuan.
The Lan Duke, Dantai Lan.
A single manor with two dukes—this was the most crucial reason why Luolan Manor rapidly secured a place among the five major manors shortly after its founding. Compared to the long histories of the other four, Luolan Manor was undoubtedly extremely young, which also meant that in terms of foundation, it was considerably weaker than the other four.
Normally, this wouldn't have been a problem; the talent and strength of Li Taixuan and Dantai Lan were sufficient to bridge this gap in the days to come.
Unfortunately, they had suddenly vanished.
Losing these two pillars, Luolan Manor's strength could be said to have plummeted. In the very beginning, the lingering prestige of the two dukes kept anyone from daring to stir up trouble. But as time passed with no news of Li Taixuan and Dantai Lan, rumors eventually spread that they had perished in the Wanghou battlefield.
As one of the five major manors of the Great Xia Kingdom, Luolan Manor possessed an untold number of businesses—a lump of fat so immensely rich it defied description. Countless factions within the Great Xia Kingdom were eyeing it with covetous greed.
Therefore, as time wore on and the prestige left behind by Li Taixuan and Dantai Lan gradually faded, various factions had begun baring their fangs at Luolan Manor over the past year or two.
Under these circumstances, Jiang Qing'e, who was still cultivating at the Saint Xuanxing Academy, had no choice but to temporarily take charge of Luolan Manor. Although her reputation within the Great Xia Kingdom had grown stronger day by day over the past two years, she had yet to step into the Duke Stage, falling somewhat short in terms of deterrent power. Facing a pack of surrounding wolves, she had decisively abandoned some of Luolan Manor's industries in order to buy time to recover and grow stronger.
This constant relinquishment was also considered one of the main reasons why outsiders believed Luolan Manor was in a precarious state.
Yet Li Luo thoroughly approved of this approach. After all, without sufficient strength, clinging forcefully to a mountain of gold would only invite even greater trouble. Appropriate forbearance was the path to longevity.
"Although Luolan Manor's momentum has dropped quite a bit over the past two years, overall, it seems to have started stabilizing, hasn't it?" Li Luo asked with some confusion.
Jiang Qing'e pressed her red lips together and said calmly, "The external pressure has eased for the time being, but this time, the problem has arisen from within Luolan Manor."
Li Luo's gaze immediately narrowed as he slowly said, "You mean Senior Brother Pei Hao?"
Both Jiang Qing'e and the mature beauty Cai Wei gave Li Luo a somewhat surprised look.
"Though Sister Qing'e hasn't been in charge of Luolan Manor for very long, your charm is second to none, and your prestige within the manor is by no means low. Looking across the entire manor, the only person still capable of standing toe-to-toe with you is this senior registered disciple taken in by my parents." Li Luo met their surprised gazes and smiled.
Pei Hao had been a destitute wanderer in his youth, almost killed after offending a powerful enemy. Li Luo's parents happened to rescue him by chance, and seeing how pitiful he was, they took him into Luolan Manor. After entering the manor, he worked diligently and displayed fine talent, gradually making a name for himself. Eventually, Li Luo's parents accepted him as a registered disciple.
With this status, Pei Hao's position within Luolan Manor rose steadily. By the time Li Luo's parents disappeared, his authority inside the manor was already quite formidable.
Back when his parents were still around, this Senior Brother Pei Hao would occasionally come to see him, but such visits had dwindled over the past two years—especially after the news about his empty resonance spread.
Judged by this, Senior Brother Pei Hao was certainly a thoroughly realistic person.
"Over the years, Pei Hao has always harbored objections regarding my management of Luolan Manor, and he has acted arbitrarily on many of the manor's decisions. His prestige in the manor is not low; nearly half of the pavilion masters across the nine pavilions are close to him, which has caused a very bad influence," Jiang Qing'e said indifferently.
"Actually, if he were willing to put in effort for Luolan Manor, I could endure all of this. Even this so-called position of leadership—if Master and Mistress hadn't made appointments before they left, I wouldn't want to step forward either."
Li Luo nodded. Jiang Qing'e's personality didn't really incline her toward these internal manor affairs; with her talent, focusing solely on cultivation was the most appropriate path.
Of course, when it all came down to it, it was because he, the Young Mansion Master, wasn't quite up to the task. However, both he and Jiang Qing'e understood that with his current condition, this so-called empty resonance talent simply couldn't command respect. If he were truly allowed to run Luolan Manor as Young Mansion Master, the foundation his parents built would likely fall apart in no time.
After all, in this world, strength was the fundamental basis for convincing others.
"It really has been hard on Sister Qing'e," Li Luo said with sincere gratitude.
Jiang Qing'e shook her head. "There's no need for that. After all, you and I had a betrothal, and Luolan Manor has a share that belongs to me as well."
So direct.
Li Luo was momentarily speechless, while Cai Wei at the side covered her mouth and smiled softly, exuding charming allure.
"Ever since Master and Mistress disappeared, hearts within the manor have been unsettled. Although I have done my best to pacify them, Luolan Manor's situation is clear at a glance, and Pei Hao has taken the opportunity to win people over and check me at every turn. From investigations I conducted previously, I suspect there may be other factions secretly assisting him from behind the scenes," Jiang Qing'e continued.
Li Luo reached out and caught a falling leaf from before him. "Looks like we've raised an ungrateful wolf."
"Tomorrow, Pei Hao will lead people to Nanfeng City to negotiate with me, but there is a high probability that negotiations will break down. And the worst-case scenario of a breakdown is that Luolan Manor might split directly, which would be a severe blow to its current plight." Jiang Qing'e's golden pupils looked exceptionally cold at that moment, with a hint of murder faintly swirling within them.
Li Luo's brow also tightly furrowed. Right now, Luolan Manor was already surrounded by a pack of wolves eyeing it covetously within the Great Xia Kingdom. Once it truly split, the manor's strength would be drastically weakened, leading to endless trouble in the future.
Ultimately, however, he could only let out a helpless sigh, because with his current strength and state, he couldn't exert the slightest influence over this situation. In this Luolan Manor, probably very few people would look at the so-called Young Mansion Master straight in the eye, and quite a few within the manor likely wished to forget about him entirely.
And all of this stemmed from his own lack of strength and future.
"I'm sorry I can't offer you any help," Li Luo said.
Jiang Qing'e shook her head and said softly, "Don't worry. Even if Luolan Manor is unstable right now, when it is eventually handed over to you, I will make sure it is completely intact."
Li Luo didn't speak. In truth, he didn't care particularly much about this, because no matter how strong Luolan Manor was, it was still an external thing. In this world, only one's own strength was the fundamental foundation of everything.
If he could step into the Duke Stage one day, all his difficulties would be easily resolved.
Following that, the two returned to the old estate and had a meal together. Jiang Qing'e then went straight to work, evidently making some preparations for the morrow.
Li Luo didn't disturb her either. After going to the training room to practice Resonance Art for two hours, he returned to his room to rest.
That night, Li Luo remained awake for a long time. Past midnight, he rolled straight out of bed and pulled the briefcase out from beneath it.
The mysterious black crystal ball was also retrieved. He held it carefully in his hands, and at that moment, Li Luo could feel his own heartbeat pounding violently.
"Dad, Mom, just what kind of thing have you left behind for me?"
Li Luo gently patted his violently beating heart and chuckled in self-consolation.
"It shouldn't really just be a birthday cake that's been kept for a few years, right...?"
Chapter Six: Acquired Resonance
The black crystal ball, its surface as smooth as a mirror, reflected Li Luo's face, upon which flickered undisguised anticipation and nervousness.
He, too, was eager to know what on earth his parents had gone to such great lengths to leave behind for him...
"How should I open it?"
Li Luo forced down the nervousness in his heart, examined the pitch-black and mysterious crystal ball from left to right, and then tentatively pressed both palms gently against its surface.
Hum!
The moment his palms touched the crystal ball, it emitted a subtle vibration. The originally hard and smooth surface seemed to turn into liquid, gradually enveloping Li Luo's hands.
Simultaneously, Li Luo faintly felt something like a needle prick piercing into his palms, and a trace of fresh blood was extracted as a result.
The black liquid slowly receded from his palms while light began to radiate from within it. Under Li Luo's astonished gaze, the light gradually intertwined into two figures above.
Looking at those two infinitely familiar figures, Li Luo instantly felt a sour sensation rush to the bridge of his nose.
"Dad, Mom..."
The two figures were a man and a woman. The man was exceptionally handsome, his physique straight and tall like a spear, dressed entirely in white and breathtakingly dashing. He wore a gentle smile, his aura as steady as an abyss or a towering mountain, giving an indescribable sense of security.
The woman wore a purple overcoat with her long hair coiled up, her hands casually tucked into her coat pockets. Her features were breathtakingly beautiful, dignified and elegant.
They were precisely Li Luo's parents, Li Taixuan and Dantai Lan.
"Haha, Xiao Luo, when you see this recording of us, you should already be seventeen years old, right? In all likelihood, we won't be by your side at this time."