Chapter 0646: Accidental Meeting

House Jinque.

Singing and dancing could be heard from the courtyard. As the House Lord, Si Qing was currently sitting on a chair watching the performance with great gusto.

After which, a series of hurried footsteps could be heard.

"Father, House Luolan's Housemeet has started. I fear that the other houses have taken action. Are we not going to do anything about it?" The ones who spoke were Si Tianming and Si Qiuying. The two siblings had a trace of urgency in their faces.

"Yes, Father! If House Jiyan and House Duze were to enter the fray and defeat House Luolan, I'm afraid House Jinque would be next!" Si Qiuying hurriedly added.

Interrupted in the middle of his entertainment, Si Qing felt a hint of unhappiness. He replied, "The situation with House Luolan is complicated. Things are not as simple as what you might see on the surface—they are not black and white. House Jinque may be on good terms with House Luolan, but is it really to the extent of assisting them in a full blown conflict?"

He looked at Si Tianming. "You've chased Jiang Qing'e's skirt for so long that you've neglected your own cultivation. No wonder everyone looks down upon you. If you truly were able to win her hand, and Jiang Qing'e were to be a member of House Jinque, how could I not step in and assist them?"

Si Tianming helplessly shrugged. "Qing'e has the bearing of a goddess. Unfortunately, I'm simply not worthy of her."

"Tsk. Childish." Si Qing disdainfully shook his head and shifted his gaze towards another direction of Xia City. His unfathomable thoughts were reflected in his deep gaze as he pondered briefly. Afterwards, he waved his hand. "You guys can leave now. I will decide what to do as I have my own plans. These matters are beyond you. You're not allowed to leave House Jinque tonight for your own good." Hearing their father's command, the siblings could only leave with looks of worry.

As he watched the two leave, the shadow of the tree branch covered Si Qing's face and his eye's flickered.

"Li Taixuan..."

……

House Duze.

Duze Yan was also currently sitting atop a pavilion within his territory, admiring the beautifully lit-up Xia City.

"Father, House Luolan could be considered to have been grievously poisoned! When are we going to take action? The way I see it, will that brat Li Luo still dare to act unbridled within the college once House Luolan has been exterminated?!" Duze Beixuan said with glee.

On the other hand, Duze Honglian's lips were tightly pursed. Her expression seemed a little complicated as she hesitated.

Duze Yan placed his hands behind his back. No one was able to guess whether he was happy or frustrated at this sight.

Duze Beixuan, on the other hand, continued his tirade. "Father! House Luolan and House Duze are mortal enemies. You cannot let this chance go by! Once we swallow up House Luolan, our strength and influence will undoubtedly rise by another level! You've waited so long for this day!"

Duze Yan turned to face Duze Honglian. "What do you think, Honglian?"

She paused, clearly unable to sort out the countless thoughts in her mind. In the end, she blurted out, "I don't know."

Duze Beixuan shot her an unsatisfactory glance. "Sis! Jiang Qing'e has trampled over you for so many years. This is our best chance to finally repay our debts!"

"Quiet," Duze Yan commanded in an irritated voice.

Duze Yan waved his hand at this point. "Neither of you will leave the house tonight, and we will enact martial law. I will deal with any issues or repercussions. Some things will come to an end tonight."

When he finished speaking, he took a step out and vanished.

Seeing this, Duze Beixuan excitedly said, "Father is finally going to show his hand! That damned House Luolan doesn't even have a Duke. I'll see how that brat Li Luo escapes this time!"

Duze Honglian did not say a single word, and she turned to leave.

……

On a street not too far away from House Luolan.

The entire area surrounding House Luolan's Headquarters had been cleared out in advance. All of the shops had closed and the streets were barren of any activity. No one was around.

Si Qing appeared on this street at this time.

He walked forward with slow, steady steps before suddenly coming to a halt. His gaze shifted to the top of a stone platform by the side of a shop. An individual was currently sitting there, holding a gourd of wine.

Si Qing was a little taken aback, but he smiled as he walked over. "House Lord Duze, what a coincidence!"

He took a seat by Duze Yan to observe and make a decision over this new development.

Duze Yan had taken out a cup, which he filled full of wine before passing it to Si Qing. "Isn't it a little strange that House Lord Si Qing has turned up here? Aren't you the ones with the best relationship with House Luolan? Are you planning to enter their headquarters?"

Si Qing gave a wry smile. "Can one simply say that the relationship between two Great Houses is the best?"

Duze Yan quaffed a large mouthful of wine as he leered at Si Qing. "It looks like you are interested in House Luolan's secrets, House Lord Si Qing. I believe that the two brats of House Luolan might find this quite unexpected... After all, they have always thought that House Jinque was a friend of theirs. Your houses have become much closer over the past few years, but could it be that you feel that this is pointless moving forward? Perhaps it's time to change the path you take?"

Si Qing smiled at these incisive questions. "It seems like House Lord Duze is mocking me for my choices. To be fair, our aim is the same. There's nothing strange about it. If there's anyone to blame, it should be Li Taixuan for leaving behind an object that can move even the most stalwart of hearts. Which Duke wouldn't be tempted by the prospect of being able to understand the King Stage? How could one not feel a sense of greed for that heavenly treasure? Since we had the fortune of meeting here, why don’t we take a walk together?"

Duze Yan gulped down his wine and nodded.

Si Qing chuckled at the sight of this. But right at the moment the chortle left his lips, thunder could be heard booming in the sky. Immediately after, the vicinity began to rapidly rise in temperature, and a steel fist imbued with fire and thunder ripped through the void with tyrannical and vicious force, punching right towards Si Qing.

Golden light quickly shrouded Si Qing's body, and the manifestation of a Golden Sparrow appeared behind him. The bird's wings slashed downwards, imbued with an inscrutable sharpness, colliding directly with the fist.

Bang!

Terrifying amounts of resonant power washed across their surroundings when the attacks collided. Interestingly, the streets and houses were untouched by this raw display of force. Instead, only the constantly rippling and distortion of space that remained was testament to the alarming strength each party had displayed.

Si Qing's smile seemed to have receded slightly at this point. "House Lord Duze, why have you acted against me?"

Duze Yan's expression remained cold and silent.

"Are you so greedy that you want to monopolize all of House Luolan's treasures for yourself?" Si Qing's voice also gradually turned frosty.

This finally elicited a response. "If I were to tell you that my aim is to prevent you from dealing with House Luolan, would you believe me?"

Si Qing was taken aback by this statement, and he sarcastically replied, "Have you gone mad, sir? House Duze and House Luolan are mortal enemies! It's a common fact known to everyone! And now you tell me that you want to protect House Luolan? Were all those years of strife and battle just a farce?"

Duze Yan emotionlessly replied, "It was not an act. We were actually fighting."

"Then did you knock your head somewhere and go mad?" Si Qing felt that this situation was incongruous with his expectations. Their houses had often fought bitterly, and now he was being stopped by this damned House Lord after he had decided to act? He had to be a lunatic!

"I'm not crazy." Duze Yan's expression was a little dour as he icily scowled. "It's a promise I had with Li Taixuan."

Si Qing felt that he was the one going crazy now, and fury raged within his eyes. "You and Li Taixuan had a secret agreement? Didn't you despise him with every fiber of your being? He'd fly over to give you a beating whenever he was free. Has there been any Duke in the history of the Xia Kingdom who has been battered more times than you in open combat? Damn it, don't tell me that he pummeled the friendship into you?!" Even an esteemed House Lord was reduced to crude language at this outrageous sight.

"You talk a lot of crap. Do you know what our agreement was? I told him that if he, Li Taixuan, could trounce me twenty times in battle, I'd promise him a single favor," Duze Yan icily explained. This left Si Qing completely speechless. The reason he had been thumped so soundly in the past was because of this challenge?

"Duze Yan, do you really think that holding me back here can protect House Luolan? You should know better than me who is behind all this," Si Qing continued.

Duze Yan took a step forward, and the void behind him rippled. A world of fire and thunder manifested behind his back. Right in the middle of the realm was a massive Duke Bergfried.

"I don't care about anything else. My agreement was that I'd do something about it. Whether House Luolan can be protected is not my problem anymore."