Chapter 27

"WHAT? You want to join the Guest Hall? Become a guest scholar?"

Just as she had brought her sister and brother back to the Liu family courtyard, Miss Yi received a shocking piece of news.

Lu Li said very firmly, "Yes, I want to join the Guest Hall. As long as the Liu family agrees, I will do anything for the Liu family in the future!"

Lu Ling had already made it very clear to him: he could join any family, but he must only be a guest scholar and absolutely could not join the Outer Hall. The Inner Hall, of course, was out of the question; usually, only the family's own children could join the Inner Hall.

Lu Li rarely went against his sister's wishes from childhood to adulthood. After hearing about his sister's predicament, how could he possibly go against her?

"Wait!"

Miss Yi took a sip of tea and said seriously, "Lu Li, you may not understand large families, or the differences between the Outer Hall and the Guest Hall. If..."

"I understand everything!"

Lu Li interrupted Miss Yi, saying apologetically, "I know that joining the Guest Hall will give me a very low status in the family, and the resources and power will be very limited. But I have my reasons. I can only promise that as long as the Liu family accepts me into the Guest Hall, I will do anything for the Liu family..."

"Don't say any more. What you're saying is meaningless."

Miss Yi saw Lu Li making all sorts of promises and shook her head, "Rules are rules. The family is not run by me. Even my father doesn't have the authority to give a guest scholar the treatment of the Outer Hall. Moreover... you have offended Di Ba. Now Di Ba is an elder of the Outer Hall of the Zhao family. Inside the city, it's still manageable, but if you leave the city, the family definitely won't be able to protect you!"

"I know!" Lu Li nodded again, "But I still insist!"

After Lu Li finished speaking, he could clearly feel Miss Yi's face turning gloomy. The few guards outside the hall also had poor expressions, with a hint of mockery in their eyes, as if... silently blaming Lu Li for not knowing his place.

Lu Ling stood beside Lu Li and had not spoken a word from start to finish. Her face was covered with a veil, and she had her eyes lowered, making it impossible to tell what she was thinking.

"Alright!"

Miss Yi was too lazy to persuade him further. She stood up and said, "To join the Guest Hall, you need to complete a task, which may require you to leave the city. You'd better be careful. Once you complete the task, you will be a guest scholar of the Liu family. I hope you practice well. If... you change your mind, you can find me anytime. Liu Yu, take them to the Guest Hall and tell the elder my intentions."

Miss Yi stood up and left with her people, leaving the guard Liu Yu to face the siblings with a blank expression, saying, "Follow me."

Liu Yu's attitude changed drastically, which Lu Li and Lu Ling could understand. Guest scholars were not well-received in any family. Unless Lu Li had extremely powerful combat abilities, no family would want to support someone who might later join an opposing family...

...

The Liu family was very large, with buildings and pavilions densely packed, and candles lit everywhere, luxurious yet elegant. The siblings, seeing such a novel sight for the first time, felt overwhelmed.

"In the Liu family, it's not like your tribe. There are many rules here. You cannot wander around freely; you can only move within the Guest Hall. To leave Liu Castle, you must use the West Gate, and your sister cannot enter or leave at will. The elder of the Guest Hall will give you a detailed map and tell you the various rules."

As Liu Yu walked, he explained to Lu Li, who nodded slightly. Lu Ling lowered her head and stopped looking around.

After walking for a while, Liu Yu led the two to a large courtyard, which contained over a dozen separate small courtyards. Many of the small courtyards had candles lit, indicating that the Liu family had some guest scholars.

"Cheng Elder, this is the new guest scholar, Lu Li. Miss Yi asked you to arrange the subsequent matters."

Upon reaching a small courtyard, Liu Yu left the siblings with a white-bearded old man and walked away without another glance. The white-bearded old man, however, had a kind smile and pointed to a small courtyard in the corner, saying, "I am Cheng Qu, an elder of the Guest Hall. You can stay there for now. We'll discuss other matters tomorrow."

The white-bearded old man handed Lu Li a wooden slip, saying, "This is the rules of the Guest Hall. Read it first, and if you have any questions, ask me tomorrow."

The siblings bowed and retreated, entering the small courtyard in the corner. This courtyard was slightly larger than the one they had lived in in their tribe, with four rooms. The interior decoration was simple but much better than the courtyard they had lived in in the Di Long tribe.

After putting down their bags, Lu Ling walked around the courtyard and nodded, "Not bad. It's quiet and safe here, suitable for cultivation. If nothing unexpected happens, we should live here for one or two years."

Lu Li was reading the map given by Cheng Qu, trying to understand the rules of the Liu family's Guest Hall. Hearing this, he looked up and asked, "Sister, live for one or two years? Where are we going?"

"South!"

Lu Ling pointed south and said, "The small Wuling City is not suitable for you to stay in. You have more important things to do. Within three years, you must go to Tianwu City, Tianhan City, or Tianliang City, and join one of the three major fifth-rank royal families in the Northern Desert, becoming a guest scholar of one of these families!"

"Tianwu City, Tianhan City, Tianliang City? Royal families?"

Lu Li was once again shocked by Lu Ling. These three cities were the capitals of the three major countries in the Northern Desert: Tianwu, Tianhan, and Tianliang.

Lu Ling actually wanted him to go to one of the three royal cities and join one of the three royal families? Who was he? A commoner from a small tribe, it was already a great fortune to join a family like the Liu family, which dominated a county.

Royal families?

They were the supreme rulers of the Northern Desert. The head of the Liu family might not even be qualified to guard the door of a royal family. What merit did he have to join a royal family and become a guest scholar?

"Lu Li, don't underestimate yourself. I've told you that your identity is extraordinary, and your future achievements are limitless. As long as you work hard, one day you will stand at the pinnacle of the Northern Desert, making the entire Northern Desert tremble under your feet. You have the blood of the Lu family in your veins, and you are destined not to be ordinary."

Lu Ling said seriously, paused, and then added, "Joining a fifth-rank royal family is your first goal. The road ahead is still long. For now... don't think about anything else, just focus on cultivation. Wait until your bloodline awakens."

A black line appeared on Lu Li's forehead. Lu Ling always kept many things hidden, making him feel lost. Her stubborn personality meant that even if he asked, she wouldn't tell him.

He could only take the map back to his room. Lu Ling would stay in the courtyard from now on, so he didn't need the map. He had to carefully study the rules of the Liu family's Guest Hall to avoid being expelled.

After reading the map several times, Lu Li understood some of the rules of the Guest Hall. The Liu family imposed few restrictions on guest scholars, as long as they didn't act recklessly under the Liu family's name or cause trouble within the family, there was generally no problem.

The Liu family provided a monthly salary and some resources, and usually did not mobilize guest scholars unless the family faced a crisis of extinction.

This was essentially... supporting a group of idle people.

However, each guest scholar had to pass an assessment before joining the Guest Hall, proving their abilities or potential. The Liu family definitely wouldn't support a group of useless people.

"Assessment?"

Miss Yi had also mentioned the assessment. Lu Li frowned, hoping the assessment wouldn't require him to leave the city. Otherwise, Di Ba and others would definitely try every means to ambush and kill him. If he died on a mission, Lu Ling would lose her right to stay, and her fate would be extremely tragic...