Chapter 5

After leaving Jinlong Treasure House, Jiang Qing'e remained silent in the carriage, and Li Luo continued to keep quiet, just holding the box, lost in thought.

It wasn't until the carriage arrived at a grand estate that the silence was broken. The estate was surrounded by undulating hills and pavilions, exuding an air of grandeur.

This was the old residence where Li Luo's parents had founded Luolan Manor.

Four lion-horse beasts stopped at the gate of the estate, and both Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e got out of the carriage.

"This place has really become much quieter than before," Jiang Qing'e said, gazing at the estate with a touch of nostalgia.

When Li Luo's parents were still alive, this place had been the headquarters of Luolan Manor. The bustling scene of those days contrasted sharply with the current quietness.

"The headquarters of Xuanluo Manor has long been moved to the capital city. This is just an old residence, so it's natural for it to be quiet," Li Luo said with a smile.

As they were talking, someone came out from behind the gate.

A senior man led the way, his face bearing a simple and warm smile. Beside him was a woman, who had a mature and beautiful appearance, with a particularly well-proportioned and curvaceous figure, like a ripe peach, swaying gracefully.

"Uncle Liu."

Li Luo called out to the old man, who had been with his parents for many years and now managed the old residence and took care of Li Luo's daily life.

However, the unfamiliar mature woman made Li Luo a bit puzzled.

"Uncle Liu, it's been a long time," Jiang Qing'e nodded slightly to the old man and then introduced the woman to Li Luo, "This is Sister Cai Wei. She is my assistant in the capital city, helping me manage the affairs of Luolan Manor."

"Nice to meet you, Young Master," the mature beauty named Cai Wei smiled at Li Luo, her eyes sizing him up.

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

"For the next period, Sister Cai Wei will stay in Nanfeng City to manage some of Luolan Manor's assets in Tianshu Prefecture, and all matters will be reported to you," Jiang Qing'e continued.

Li Luo was taken aback. With the headquarters of Luolan Manor moved to the capital city, the assets in Tianshu Prefecture had remained stable. Why would Qing'e suddenly send a capable assistant to take over?

"Is something wrong?" Li Luo pondered for a moment and then asked.

Jiang Qing'e's sudden return clearly wasn't just because of his upcoming 17th birthday.

Jiang Qing'e fell silent for a moment, her delicate face becoming more serious. Then she walked into the estate, gesturing for Li Luo to follow.

"Even though you stayed in Nanfeng City, I'm sure you've heard some rumors about Luolan Manor, right? I didn't tell you about these things before, fearing they might affect you," Jiang Qing'e said, her voice cold and clear as they walked along the gravel path, with patches of light filtering through the trees.

Li Luo nodded. Although he hadn't been involved in Luolan Manor's affairs, he could guess that with his parents missing for several years, Luolan Manor would not have remained peaceful.

In the Great Xia Kingdom, establishing a manor was not a simple matter. One of the key conditions was that only those who had been ennobled could establish a manor.

Currently, there were five major manors in the Great Xia Kingdom, and Luolan Manor was one of them.

Among these five major manors, Luolan Manor was the youngest, having risen the fastest, because both of Li Luo's parents had reached the Marquis rank.

Marquis Yangxuan, Li Taixuan.

Marquis Lan, Dantai Lan.

A manor with two marquises was the most important reason for Luolan Manor's rapid rise to become one of the five major manors. Compared to the other four manors, which had a long history, Luolan Manor was undoubtedly very young, which also meant that in terms of foundation, it was weaker than the other four manors.

However, this wasn't originally a problem. With Li Taixuan and Dantai Lan's talent and strength, they could have made up for this gap over time.

Unfortunately, they suddenly disappeared.

Without these two pillars, Luolan Manor's strength declined rapidly. Initially, the lingering influence of the two marquises kept others from causing trouble, but as time passed and there was no news of Li Taixuan and Dantai Lan, rumors even spread that they had perished on the battlefield.

As one of the five major manors in the Great Xia Kingdom, Luolan Manor had countless assets, a piece of meat so rich that many forces in the kingdom were eyeing it greedily.

Thus, as the influence of Li Taixuan and Dantai Lan waned, some forces began to show their fangs against Luolan Manor.

In this situation, Jiang Qing'e, who was still studying at the Holy Xuan Star Academy, had to temporarily take over Luolan Manor. Although her reputation in the Great Xia Kingdom had grown over the past two years, she had not yet reached the Marquis rank, so her influence in terms of strength was limited. Faced with the surrounding threats, she had to abandon some of Luolan Manor's assets to gain time for recovery and growth.

This constant abandonment was one of the main reasons why people saw Luolan Manor as being in a precarious position.

But Li Luo understood this. Without sufficient strength, holding onto a gold mine would only invite more trouble. Appropriate restraint was the long-term strategy.

"Although Luolan Manor's influence has declined over the past two years, it seems to have stabilized overall, right?" Li Luo asked, puzzled.

Jiang Qing'e pursed her red lips and said calmly, "External pressure has temporarily eased, but this time, the problem is internal."

Li Luo's eyes narrowed, 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 surprise.

"Although Sister Qing'e has only been in charge of Luolan Manor for a short time, your charisma is unmatched. Your prestige in Luolan Manor is not low. The only person who can rival you is this Senior Brother Pei Hao, the named disciple of my parents," Li Luo smiled, meeting their surprised gazes.

Pei Hao, a destitute youth, had once narrowly escaped death from an enemy. Li Luo's parents had saved him by chance and, seeing his pitiful state, took him into Luolan Manor. After entering Luolan Manor, he worked hard and showed good talent, gradually rising in the manor. Eventually, Li Luo's parents took him as a named disciple.

With this identity, Pei Hao's status in Luolan Manor rose rapidly. By the time Li Luo's parents disappeared, he had considerable power within the manor.

When Li Luo's parents were still around, Senior Brother Pei Hao would occasionally come to see him, but these visits had decreased significantly over the past two years, especially after the news of his empty phase talent spread...

From this, it seemed that Senior Brother Pei Hao was quite genuine.

"Pei Hao has always had objections to my leadership of Luolan Manor and has acted on his own in many decisions. He has considerable influence in the manor, and nearly half of the nine pavilion leaders are close to him, causing a lot of problems," Jiang Qing'e said coolly.

"Actually, if he could contribute to Luolan Manor, I could tolerate all of this. I wouldn't even have taken on this leadership role if it hadn't been for the appointment by my teachers before they left."

Li Luo nodded. Jiang Qing'e's personality was not suited to these manor affairs. With her talent, focusing on cultivation would be the best choice.

Of course, it all came down to his own lack of strength... But both he and Jiang Qing'e understood that in his current state, his so-called empty phase talent would not command respect. If he were to take over Luolan Manor, his parents' legacy would likely fall apart quickly.

After all, in this world, strength was the foundation of respect.

"Thank you, Sister Qing'e, for all your hard work," Li Luo said sincerely.

Jiang Qing'e shook her head, "No need. After all, we have a marriage agreement, and this Luolan Manor is also part of my share."

So direct.

Li Luo was speechless, and Cai Wei beside him covered her mouth with a light, charming laugh.

"Since my teachers disappeared, the morale in the manor has been unstable. Although I've tried to calm things down, the situation in Luolan Manor is clear. Pei Hao has taken advantage of this to win people's hearts and has been restraining me in various ways. I've investigated and suspect that there might be other forces secretly supporting him," Jiang Qing'e continued.

Li Luo caught a leaf that fell in front of him and said, "This... is like raising a white-eyed wolf."

"Tomorrow, Pei Hao will lead people to Nanfeng City to talk with me. But it's likely that we won't reach an agreement. The worst-case scenario is that Luolan Manor will split, which would be a severe blow to its current situation," Jiang Qing'e's golden eyes were particularly cold at this moment, even with a hint of killing intent.

Li Luo's brows furrowed. With Luolan Manor already surrounded by threats in the Great Xia Kingdom, a split would greatly weaken its strength and cause even more trouble.

But in the end, he could only sigh helplessly. With his current strength, he could not influence the situation at all. As the young master, he probably wouldn't be taken seriously by many in the manor, and some might have even forgotten about him.

All of this was because he lacked strength and a future.

"Sorry, I can't offer you much help," Li Luo said.

Jiang Qing'e shook her head and said softly, "Don't worry. Even if Luolan Manor is unstable now, I will make sure to hand it over to you intact."

Li Luo didn't respond, as he wasn't particularly concerned about this. After all, no matter how strong Luolan Manor was, it was still an external matter. In this world, only personal strength was the foundation of everything.

If he could one day reach the Marquis rank, all problems would be solved.

The two returned to the old residence and had dinner together. Jiang Qing'e then went straight to work, clearly preparing for the next day.

Li Luo didn't disturb her and went to the training room to practice his phase art for two hours before returning to his room to rest.

That night, Li Luo lay awake for a long time. After midnight, he got out of bed and opened the suitcase he had brought today from under the bed.

He carefully took out the mysterious black crystal ball, and at that moment, Li Luo could feel his heart pounding fiercely.

"Father, Mother, what have you left me?"

Li Luo gently patted his heart, trying to calm himself.

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

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