Chapter 0638: House Lanling

"House Lanling?" This revelation caused Li Luo's heart to tremble, his expression turning solemn. House Lanling was one of the five Great Houses, but it was a little different from the rest. They tended to be a little secretive due to the nature of the only business they provided: assassinations.

Simply speaking, they were a group of professional assassins.

Within the Five Great Houses, House Lanling and House Luolan had the least contact with each other. At the same time, Li Luo had never really ignored their existence as they were a hidden threat in the dark. There wasn't any particular reason other than the fact that they were mercenaries.

House Lanling might never have acted against House Luolan, but based on his guesses, it was only because the price wasn't right. As a result, House Lanling had never taken a task on them. However, with the arrival of the Housemeet, the forces circling around House Luolan were beginning to take discrete action, and they had willingly jumped into the mix. This was undoubtedly a crippling blow to the situation.

Any price to be paid was worth it.

Although this had been expected, the delivery of this news from Xin Fu had also caused Li Luo's mood to sink.

House Luolan had another significant enemy to contend with.

This would force them to constantly have to watch their backs.

Li Luo felt his mood turn turbulent as he looked at Xin Fu. "So, how did you hear of it?"

Xin Fu helplessly smiled. "You should have guessed as much."

Li Luo nodded. Xin Fu was from House Lanling after all. His resonance fit their methods, but he just didn't know what sort of position he occupied within. Still, the fact that he had delivered such meaningful intel at this crucial time meant a lot to him. Nothing else was important. "Thank you, Xin Fu. Really." Li Luo patted Xin Fu's shoulder.

Xin Fu then heaved a sigh as he whispered another bombshell revelation. "House Lanling's Lord will be taking action personally during the Housemeet."

Yet Li Luo seemed to not be surprised at this. Since they had accepted the contract, they would use everything at their disposal. The feared house lord would thus make his presence felt.

This was a sticky situation indeed.

A Duke that specialized in assassination was a headscratching opponent to fend off.

"What a catastrophe." Li Luo smiled. However, it didn't matter, as there were too many other pressing matters. The forces that coveted House Luolan were numerous, and having House Lanling thrown into the mix wouldn't change things too much.

"Leader, you must remember to escape back to the college if the situation turns bad," Xin Fu said before he turned to leave.

Staring at Xin Fu's leaving silhouette, he clutched the glass of water in his hand tightly, deep in contemplation.

"Is there anything I can help you out with?" As Li Luo was lost in thought, a light, refreshing voice sounded out. Raising his head, he saw a familiar girl standing before him at the water point. Her enchanting, jade-like figure with crystal-clear eyes were peering at him with a sense of concern.

Li Luo could deeply feel the care she had towards him.

After a moment, he decided that there was no need to feign strength before her, only sighing deeply. "I do have one request, Qing'er. I hope that you can let Aunt Yu know that I do not require any help from the Golden Dragon Bank. However, on the day of the Housemeet, please keep the Golden Dragon Bank tightly controlled and become a true neutral party. She would have my endless gratitude, and I would owe her a favor for this."

There was another great enemy in the form of House Lanling, andso Li Luo had to make further considerations in light of this.

Vice Principal Su Xin had once reminded Li Luo to be wary of the Golden Dragon Bank. Yet based on Yu Hongxi's interaction and attitude, it was unlikely that they lusted after House Luolan's belongings. She was a proud individual after all. Still, the warnings did not go unheeded, and Li Luo would not deign to ignore Su Xin's words.

The fact was that even though Yu Hongxi did not crave for House Luolan's belongings, it didn't mean that no one else within the Golden Dragon Bank did not have these wayward thoughts.

The Golden Dragon Bank was a massive organization, and no one knew how deep it depths were. They were mighty, and if someone opted to sneakily trip him up, it would only add insult to injury.

Lu Qing'er listened attentively before her lips pursed tightly. "Do you really feel that someone with the Golden Dragon Bank is out to get House Luolan?"

Li Luo nodded. "There is no harm in being overly cautious. The Golden Dragon Bank is a titanic organization, and just a few black sheep can bring about massive trouble to me."

"I'll relay the news for you," Lu Qing'er replied lightly after pondering over his words.

"Thank you."

At this point, her eyes had a cunning look in them. "Still, my mother is not someone so good-hearted. Whenever she does business, she'll never be at a disadvantage. If you dare to say that you owe her one... Well, be careful if she doesn't take a good bite out of you instead."

Li Luo smiled. "Aunt Yu has hard words but a soft heart. I've remembered every occasion she's helped me, and if she ever needs any help I can provide, even if she wants me to jump into an inferno, I will not reject her."

Lu Qing'er gaily giggled. The two turned to leave and rejoined the gathering.

It was only when night had fallen that they heard someone knocking at the door. Bai Mengmeng opened it only to see Jiang Qing'e standing at the entrance.

She glazed over the group of individuals before looking directly at Li Luo. "I've come to take you home."

Li Luo smiled and nodded, waving to the rest of them. "I'll have to go now and won't be back for the next few days. Don't worry and wait for my good tidings." No one said any superfluous words, and even the usually wanton Yu Lang had suppressed the grin on his face.

"Li Luo, I truly wish that I was in the Four Star Hall right now. Wouldn't that have been great, huh?" Yu Lang bitterly smiled.

At that point, he would be grown up and would have the power to assist Li Luo, even in some small way.

Alas, the reality was not so simple. This was simply an idle dream right now.

They were merely tiny Resonant Master cultivators. In a battle between elite forces, not even their ashes would remain in a clash of resonant power.

"There's no need to say these useless words, much less cry over spilled milk. What challenges have I not seen this year? This is just another stepping stone," Li Luo said unceremoniously before striding out confidently, closing the door behind him with a casual back hand, never looking back.

Standing outside the dormitory, he sighed deeply before smiling at Qing'e. "Let's go, Sister Qing'e."

Her lustrous, golden eyes stared at him quietly before she reached out to him. He was a little astonished, but he very quickly recovered. Then he stretched out his hand and tightly held hers, their fingers interlocking closely.

"Li Luo, no matter what trials and tribulations await us, we'll face them together," Jiang Qing'e lightly said as she continued to gaze at Li Luo intently. Feeling the delicate touch of her palm being cradled by his brought a smirk to Li Luo's face.

The two walked out of the dormitory before pausing. Mentor Chi Chan was leaning against the wall, looking at the duo with her arms folded.

"If you don't mind me interrupting this moment of happiness, I'd be more than content to see you back," Mentor Chi Chan raised.

Li Luo was reminded of Xin Fu's news and thus did not reject her. "You have my thanks, Mentor."

She nodded but did not speak more, turning to lead the way as the duo scrambled behind her.

Night had blanketed the sky and the dim moonlight shone down upon the college like a thin veil.

They did not speak along the way, only passing through numerous familiar routes when Li Luo noticed that Mentor Chi Chan had paused in her steps. Water resonant power immediately surged around her, emanating a strong sense of oppression on anyone in the vicinity.

The duo turned to look and right in front of them. Below a large tree was a bench with a single individual sitting on it.

It was none other than Shen Jinxiao.