Bang!
Before Lou Xingyao could even wonder about the noise, the door slammed open. A little maid in a goose-yellow ruqun burst in, twin buns bobbing as she rushed inside.
“Fifth Young Master, the Patriarch wants you immediately!”
Her words were respectful in name only. Though she called him Young Master, her tone carried not a shred of respect. Worse, her gaze as it swept over him was filled with blatant disdain.
Lou Xingyao had already pieced together from Lou Xiaowu’s memories that the original owner’s position in the family was shaky at best.
But only now, being personally treated with such rudeness, did he feel the truth of it sink into his bones.
Suppressing the unease in his heart, he lowered his gaze. In a voice soft and timid, perfectly mimicking Lou Xiaowu’s usual cowardice, he asked:
“The Patriarch… is looking for me?”
With the memories fully merged, Lou Xingyao’s act was flawless. To this maid, he looked like the same pitiful “Little Fifth” as always.
Not only she even the bullies who used to torment Lou Xiaowu wouldn’t notice anything amiss.
“Hurry up, don’t keep the Patriarch waiting.” The maid sniffed, turning on her heel as if certain he would follow.
Xingyao forced himself to remain calm, hurried after her with two quick steps, and asked softly, “Elder sister, do you know why the Patriarch has summoned me?”
“How would I know? I’m just a messenger.” Her tone was still impatient, but perhaps his humble act worked, her voice had softened slightly.
Realizing she truly knew nothing, Lou Xingyao fell silent and instead sifted through Lou Xiaowu’s memories.
The Lou family’s current Patriarch, Lou Shaohui, was none other than Lou Xiaowu’s maternal uncle. Lou Xiaowu’s mother, Lou Yiyi, had been his younger sister.
But uncle and sister had never been close. Cold, even. The way Lou Xiaowu had been treated since childhood was proof enough.
As Patriarch, Lou Shaohui’s word was law. If he truly cared for his sister, would he have allowed her only son to be treated as useless trash?
No! ever since the clan alchemist declared him “fated with no path to immortality,” Lou Xiaowu had never once seen this uncle again.
And now, suddenly, after more than a decade of silence, the Patriarch wanted to see him? Out of kindness?
Heh.
If a long-lost classmate suddenly called, you’d assume they wanted to borrow money. If an elder who ignored you for ten years suddenly summoned you… well, it was unlikely to be out of goodwill.
But what did he even have that was worth scheming over? He didn’t have a copper coin to his name.
As he was still mulling this over, a voice rang out ahead, gentle but faintly reproachful.
“Why did it take you so long?”
Xingyao raised his eyes. The speaker was Lou Shi, the Lou residence’s chief steward.
The maid who had been strutting arrogantly just moments ago instantly bowed her head, her tone deferential as she explained:
“The Fifth Young Master lives far from the main hall, Steward. The road delayed us. Please don’t blame him.”
Her attitude was worlds apart from the contempt she had shown earlier.
Lou Shi waved a hand lightly. “It is rather far. You may leave.”
Then, with a polite cup of his hands, he addressed Xingyao: “Fifth Young Master, this way, please.”
From just this brief encounter, Lou Xingyao could see why Lou Shi had risen to steward. Unlike the maid, who let her feelings show, Lou Shi wore a flawless mask of respect. Not a crack to be found.
People like him were dangerous. Smooth as oil, hard to grasp, easy to slip into a trap if one wasn’t careful.
Knowing this, Lou Xingyao didn’t attempt needless chatter. He simply followed quietly.
Before long, he stood before the Lou family Patriarch, his so-called cheap uncle.
Lou Shaohui was one of the clan’s only two Foundation Establishment cultivators. Even just sitting there, his presence pressed down like a mountain.
The faint pressure radiating from him made it difficult to breathe, as if Xingyao were being crushed.
Just when Xingyao thought he might suffocate, the oppressive aura vanished. He gasped in relief, his lungs greedily drawing in air.
Was this deliberate, a show of power? Whatever it was, it worked.
He dared not move recklessly. Following Lou Xiaowu’s memories, he bowed properly.
“Xingyao greets the Patriarch. May the Patriarch enjoy peace.”
“You child! Last time you called me ‘Uncle.’ How did you grow so distant in just a short while?” Lou Shaohui stepped forward with apparent warmth, personally helping him up.
To outsiders, it would look like he cherished his nephew dearly.
Lowering his gaze, Xingyao played along obediently. “U… Uncle.”
“That’s better! Sit, sit.” Lou Shaohui beamed, gesturing to a seat beside a richly dressed woman.
One look at her and Xingyao’s heart jolted.
Her face was icy, her presence sharp as a blade. Yet what unsettled him most was the fact that, despite his constant vigilance, he hadn’t noticed her until now.
There was only one explanation, her cultivation far surpassed Lou Shaohui’s.
One Foundation Establishment aura had nearly crushed him. Now, sitting beside an even more terrifying figure, he had to fight to keep his breathing steady.
Lou Shaohui’s syrupy voice broke the tension.
“Ah, I almost forgot introductions. This is Madam He of Canglan City.”
The name hit Xingyao like thunder.
Every Lou family member knew of the He clan. After all, Lou Shaohui’s own wife, the current clan matriarch was a daughter of the He family.
Don’t be fooled by the Lou family’s two Foundation Establishment cultivators. In Pingyang County, they might seem powerful. But in Canglan City? Without a Golden Core ancestor, they wouldn’t even make the list.
And the He family? Naturally, they had one.
Back then, Lou Shaohui’s marriage to a He daughter, even a concubine-born one had rocked Pingyang. With that backing, he broke through to Foundation Establishment and seized the Patriarch’s seat, crushing the county’s rival clans in short order.
So it was no wonder this woman’s aura eclipsed even his uncle’s.
And if Lou Shaohui had ignored him for over a decade, yet now dragged him out to meet Madam He, then clearly, she was the one who wanted to see him.
Bowing carefully, Xingyao greeted her. “Greetings to Madam He.”
“How old are you?” Her eyes swept over him once, her tone cool and indifferent.
“Fifteen.”
Asking his age? Hardly sounded hostile.
But Lou Shaohui immediately corrected him, laughing. “Sixteen! Child, how could you forget your own age?”
On this continent, no one counted by “nominal years.” Lou Xiaowu had just celebrated his fifteenth birthday last month, he was certain. But with the crushing pressure radiating beside him, how could he argue?
He lowered his head. “…Yes. I must have remembered wrong.”
“I hear you have dual spiritual roots?” Madam He’s tone didn’t change.
“Yes.”
Another question whose intent he couldn’t grasp.
“Test it.”
Her palm swept lightly. A jade plate the size of a bowl materialized before him.
Even though he already knew storage pouches existed here, Xingyao was still stunned to see her casually conjure an item from thin air.
After all, that was a storage pouch! The dream of every fantasy nerd in his past life!
Sadly, without spiritual energy, he couldn’t even activate one. For now, he could only watch enviously.
Suppressing his longing, he focused on the jade plate. He recognized it instantly, a spirit-testing stone.
Lou Shaohui frowned. “Madam He, what do you mean? Everyone in Pingyang knows our Xingyao has dual spiritual roots.. ”
“One-tenth.”
Madam He cut him off with just two words, calm as still water.
Lou Shaohui froze, then immediately changed his tune, smiling deferentially. “Since it’s such an important matter, caution is only natural. Xingyao, go on.”
…So quick to fold. Truly shameless.
Under such eyes, Xingyao had no choice. He placed his hand on the jade plate.
Two rays of light, one red, one green rose from its center, twining together in perfect balance.
The mark of dual spiritual roots.
Madam He gave a faint nod. At last, her lips curved into a smile. With a wave, she reclaimed the plate.
“He’ll do. We leave tomorrow.”
She rose without hesitation, already striding for the door.
“Madam! He is the Lou clan’s only dual-root talent in this generation, the son of my sister, my dearest nephew!” Lou Shaohui hurried after her, words heavy with meaning, reminding her of something unspoken.
“Thirty percent.”
She barely paused, throwing the words over her shoulder.
Lou Shaohui’s face lit up like a chrysanthemum in full bloom. “As Madam says!”
Xingyao’s heart sank. The two had just concluded a trade.
One-tenth. Thirty percent. Though he couldn’t grasp the exact numbers, one thing was obvious: he was nothing but a bargaining chip.
And what could he do? Lou Shaohui’s aura alone had nearly suffocated him. Before such absolute power, resistance was meaningless.
Bitterness welled up in his chest. He had just promised Lou Xiaowu to live a good life. Yet so soon, was he already about to break that promise?
✦ ✧ ✦
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
This is your completely normal and non-suspicious request to buy coffee.
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
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← PreviousNext →
ChaptersChapter 1 · Crossing OverChapter 2 · Lu XioaWuChapter 3 · UncleChapter 4 · Substitute MarriageChapter 5 · Travelling Through BookChapter 6 · SpaceChapter 7 · InheritanceChapter 8 · ExplanationChapter 9 · He familyChapter 10 · CompensateChapter 11 · WeddingChapter 12 · LeavingChapter 13 · SuspicionChapter 14 · Change SurnameChapter 14 · Change SurnameChapter 15 · SummaryChapter 16 · Family BusinessChapter 17 · ResettlementChapter 18 · DeterminationChapter 19 · TreatChapter 20 · Enter the TaoChapter 21 · Private TrainingChapter 22 · BreakthroughChapter 23 · ExperienceChapter 24 Part 1 · Questions and AnswersChapter 24 Part 2 · Questions and answersChapter 25 · GiftChapter 25 Part 1 · GiftChapter 26 Part 1 · Sword IntentChapter 26 Part 2 · Sword IntentChapter 27 Part 1 · SelectChapter 27 Part 2 · SelectChapter 28 Part 1 · PastChapter 28 Part 2 · PastChapter 29 Part 1 · ConfessionChapter 29 Part 2 · ConfessionChapter 30 Part 1 · TradeChapter 30 Part 2 · TradeChapter 31 Part 1 · Male LeadChapter 31 Part 2 · Male LeadChapter 32 Part 1 · LuckChapter 32 Part 2 · LuckChapter 33 Part 1 · GuessingChapter 33 Part 2 · GuessingChapter 34 Part 1 · SystemChapter 34 Part 2 · SystemChapter 35 · OpportunityChapter 36 Part 1 · LingquanChapter 36 Part 2 · LingquanChapter 37 Part 1 · Hundred Flowers PartChapter 37 Part 2 · Hundred Flowers PartChapter 38 · Worth itChapter 39 · SaintessChapter 40 · ExperimentChapter 41 · Vampire SystemChapter 42 · NotesChapter 43 · WarningChapter 44 · PlanChapter 45 · Fellow VillagersChapter 46 · AssimilationChapter 47 · IlliterateChapter 48 · Pak WahChapter 49 · Sudden EnlightenmentChapter 50 · Wen ZhiChapter 51 · CarrierChapter 52 · LeavingChapter 53 · Follow UpChapter 54 · OutrageousChapter 55 · OnceChapter 56 · TeasingChapter 57 · Playing aroundChapter 58 · Beast fireChapter 59 · Watching a PlayChapter 60 · Extermination of the entire clanChapter 61 · ChoiceChapter 62 · PossessionChapter 63 · CalculationChapter 64 · GuaranteedChapter 65 · Grand OpeningChapter 66 · Grand OpeningChapter 67 · Protecting one’s ownChapter 68 · Secret RealmChapter 69 · BetrayalChapter 70 · DetailsChapter 71 · FramedChapter 72 · MeetingChapter 73 · KillChapter 74 · MapChapter 75 · FoundationChapter 76 · Strange Phenomenon!Chapter 77 · ExchangeChapter 78 · LetterChapter 79 · ShortcutChapter 80 · God of Slaughter!Chapter 81 · Poison PillChapter 82 · Lou ShuChapter 83 · ProgressChapter 84 · An attemptChapter 85 · Movement and StillnessChapter 86 · Good intentionsChapter 87 · ChangeChapter 88 · Childhood friendChapter 89 · ThoughtsChapter 90 · Old storiesChapter 91 · HeritageChapter 92 · TestChapter 93 · LoverChapter 94 · Heartfelt wishesChapter 95 · MasterChapter 96 · TeachingChapter 97 · IllusionChapter 98 · Mutual RestraintChapter 99 · ObstructionChapter 100 · PalaceChapter 101 · Core TechniqueChapter 102 · OathChapter 103 · Dual cultivationChapter 104 · AccessChapter 105 · VulnerabilityChapter 106 · DensityChapter 107 · WantedChapter 108 · EntrustChapter 109 · RevisitChapter 110 · MonitoringChapter 111 · Secret RealmChapter 112 · NourishChapter 113 · InventoryChapter 114 · Get Rich QuicklyChapter 115 · ElderChapter 116 · Grand FormationChapter 117 · Heaven’s WillChapter 118 · BountyChapter 119 · GainChapter 120 · BlameChapter 121 · ChattingChapter 122 · GuessChapter 123 · Zheng TianChapter 124 · SparringChapter 125 · Sword intentChapter 126 · KenshinChapter 127 · Auditing a classChapter 128 · CoincidenceChapter 129 · ContradictionChapter 130 · RouteChapter 131 · CostChapter 132 · ConfiscatedChapter 133 · Holding a grudgeChapter 134 · SupportChapter 135 · DeteriorationChapter 136 · Unable toChapter 137 · PriceChapter 138 · VariantChapter 139 · Start AnewChapter 140 · ShamelessChapter 141 · Black PotChapter 142 · Benefiting fromChapter 143 · PieChapter 144 · DifferencesChapter 145 · DetoxificationChapter 146 · Current situationChapter 147 · TeasingChapter 148 · IntelligenceChapter 149 · Returned GiftChapter 150 · Old debtChapter 151 · FleshChapter 152 · OpeningChapter 153 · GrudgesChapter 154 · RegretChapter 155 · Gang fightChapter 156 · GentleChapter 157 · ComplaintChapter 158 · ScreamsChapter 159 · GeniusChapter 160 · ConcernChapter 161 · Hidden StoryChapter 162 · StingyChapter 163 · Guilty conscienceChapter 164 Part 1 · StruggleChapter 164 Part 2 · StruggleChapter 165 · Win or LoseChapter 166 · TasteChapter 167 · Shifting The BlameChapter 168 · MoonlightChapter 169 · Past EventChapter 170 · RegretChapter 171 · RetributionChapter 172 · Cause and EffectChapter 173 · BackgroundChapter 174 · FlatteryChapter 175 · HonestChapter 176 · BookkeepingChapter 177 · FarewellChapter 178 · GuidelineChapter 179 · BottleneckChapter 180 · HabitChapter 181 · Casual ChatChapter 182 · Flowing WaterChapter 183 · RumoursChapter 184 · Seeking AdviceChapter 185 · PityChapter 186 · FormationChapter 187 · BasicChapter 188 · Fake TombChapter 189 · BewareChapter 190 · TraceChapter 191 · DiscussChapter 192 · Ancestral preceptsChapter 193 · Loose CultivatorChapter 194 · AllocationChapter 195 · Thank you for your kindnessChapter 196 · ExplanationChapter 197 · ErrorChapter 198 · Culinary skillsChapter 199 · Starry SeaChapter 200 · ComparisonChapter 201 · FrustratedChapter 202 · Don’t watchChapter 203 · LonelinessChapter 204 · NoChapter 205 · Exposing ShortcutsChapter 206 · CraftsmanshipChapter 207 · Bottom LineChapter 208 · StrikeChapter 209 · Ten GoldChapter 210 · Pretentious