Chapter 92: A Special Connection
Since they were already very close to Xia City, the convoy slowed its speed and blended in with the flow of traffic. The thoroughfare was starting to get lively as well, with foot and vehicular traffic both swelling. Xia City was truly a large metropolis.
In the carriage.
Li Luo recounted his story of the College Final Examinations in a moderate tone. âI just wanted to slip into the top 10 and get an entrance slot, but those people forced my hand.â
Jiang Qingâe was sprawled on the table, one hand propping up her chin. âLu Qingâer seems quite interested in you.â She smiled.
Li Luo almost choked. Was that the point of his story?
âWeâre just platonic. Classmates,â he clarified.
âThat doesnât mean anything. I always thought that she was quite good. If you can win her favor, that means youâre quite attractive,â she said sweetly. Li Luo looked at her lovely face, deep into her golden eyes. He could sense that she was truly not very bothered.
But her not being bothered made him bothered. It meant that Jiang Qingâe hadnât really started to think of the two of them as a pair.
She had her own feelings, and there was no doubt that they were complex. Perhaps she thought of him more as a childhood sweetheart, or an older sister and her younger brother.
Perhaps she didnât know herself.
But there was one thing he was sure of: Jiang Qingâe might be his fiance in name, she might trust him unconditionally and do many things for him, but in truth, she had yet to think of them as lovers.
Still, not even lovers were as trusting of each other as this complex relationship that she shared with Li Luo.
He sighed. He knew that such things could not be rushed. He just had to go at his own pace. If he wanted to sort this mess out, then the one necessary step was to cancel the engagement between them.
Only then could Jiang Qingâe be free of her complex feelings, and truly begin to consider what they were to each other.
Making a move on Jiang Qingâe was not to be taken lightly and could not be done prematurely.
âStill, I have to congratulate you. Your results in the exams were outstanding,â Jiang Qingâe said appreciatively, oblivious to the internal struggle that Li Luo was going through.
âDoes this mean Iâve reached your expectations for the first goal?â he joked.
âExceeded expectations, I must say.â
She had truly not expected him to do so well. Two months ago, he was a blank palace cultivator. Surpassing all of his peers in this time was testament to his talent and effort.
âAny additional rewards?â Li Luo asked.
She thought about it. âWell, Iâll let you spar with me.â
Her lip twitched. âIf you win, there really will be a reward.â
Li Luo paled. âFight with you? Do you think Iâm so keen on receiving a thrashing? If I could beat you, would I still be here talking crap with you? I would beat you up and take vengeance for all these tough years!â
âBut Iâm more surprised that you actually turned House Luolanâs profits in the Tianshu Province around. Itâs at a historical high, and Cai Wei has told me that itâs all thanks to your contributions at the Suncreek Villa,â Jiang Qingâe said with real feeling.
âI had no choice. If I hadnât found a way to increase our profits, Iâm afraid I wouldnât even be able to feed myself,â Li Luo grumbled.
âDid Cai Wei tell you I need a ton of spirit liquids and purifying lights? Iâve used a lot of them in the past two months.â
Li Luo stretched out his palm, showing her his blue water resonance power. The purity made her eyes widen.
âWhen you first solved your blank palace problem at the old manor, your resonance grade was not this high,â she said.
From the purity, she would believe him even if he said he had a 7th-grade water resonance.
But she clearly remembered that his resonance was far from this when she saw it back at the old manor.
This had to be the result of the huge quantity of spirit liquids and purifying lights that he had consumed.
Still, she was doubtful. Had he truly consumed so many liquids and lights in a mere two months?
âItâs because of the acquired resonances. My palaces can take a lot more impurity than others. Thatâs why I can use spirit liquids and purifying lights without care to increase my resonance quality.â Li Luo grinned. This was the only person he could trust fully. There was no need to hold secrets around her.
âI see.â
She was still shocked. So this was the power of acquired resonances. No wonder he had improved so quickly.
âMy resonance is already at the sixth grade, so I need a lot of sixth-grade liquids and lights. House Luolanâs profits in Tianshu are already insufficient to feed me, you know.â
It was his turn now to act cute with Jiang Qingâe. âSo⊠Sister Qingâe, please feed me~â
She laughed and ignored the teasing. âHow many sixth-grade liquids and lights to advance?â
âAbout 200. Conservative estimate,â Li Luo quickly said. Sister Qingâe was the best. Cai Wei was too soft, she couldnât be depended on.
âTwo hundred??â
Jiang Qingâe did some quick calculations. Sixth-grade liquids and lights went for 30,000 skygold apiece. 200 meant⊠six million skygold?
She shook her head. âForget it. I canât afford you. I think Iâll get someone to take you back to the City of Southwind.â
Li Luo was devastated. âJiang Qingâe! House Luolan has businesses across the land. Have you been embezzling the money? Itâs just a mere six million, why canât we afford it?â
She glared at him. âBusinesses across the land? The great roof of Luolan has been leaking non-stop. Iâve been desperately trying to fix it, but itâs like plugging a flood with a pacifier. The savings have been dwindling these past few years.
âAnd Pei Hao. Heâs taken three pavilions, finances, and the human resources divisions too. You heard him as well. His three pavilions wonât send another penny to headquarters. How on earth would you think House Luolan is rich?â
Li Luo was aghast. He had looked forward to coming to Xia City so he could tap on House Luolanâs headquartersâ resources. But they were poor here too?
Then what was the point of being a young lord?!
âTwo hundred sixth-grade spirit liquids and purifying lights. I canât get them immediately, but donât worry. Iâll purchase them for you here and there. It will take some time though,â Jiang Qingâe said.
Li Luo breathed out. Well, that was to be expected.
âBut thanks to your great work at the Suncreek Villa, I intend to involve you in the Suncreek Villaâs headquarters. Pei Hao has been vying hard to take control there. If you can have it firmly in hand and grow it to a top-10 villa in the Xia Kingdom, then I think a mere 200 liquids and lights will be chump change for you.â She gave him an encouraging fist pump with her dainty, little hand.
âWow, thank you very much for your kindness,â Li Luo said tonelessly.
Make the Suncreek Villa a top-10 villa⊠Jiang Qingâe, you blackhearted maggot.
Listening to the sounds outside, she opened a window, and a majestic view of the city rolled into view.
Turning her golden eyes back to Li Luo, his youthful and almost childish features were reflected in her wide eyes.
She reached out a hand and placed it on the back of his. It was cool, firm, perfect.
She leaned in and spoke softly, her words clear as a cold ray of moonlight despite the din outside. They reached deep within him and calmed him.
âLi Luo, welcome to Xia City.
âAnd, Iâm really happy you could come here,â she said with a knowing smile and a glint in her eye. She was truly happy.
A beautyâs smile was a weapon in itself, and Jiang Qingâeâs smile was a godly weapon. Li Luo was sunk.
He suddenly felt a strong urge to fight someone for her.
Speak, Sister Qingâe! Who shall we cut down today?
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