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"Uncle Biao, what are you trying to say?" Li Luo asked in astonishment.

Ox Biaobiao continued to smile sweetly. "Wasn\'t I obvious enough? Just who told you that Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan broke into the Duke Stage in the Xia Kingdom?"

Li Luo piped up. "Well, everyone in the Xia Kingdom said so!"

"And does that mean that they are right?" Ox Biaobiao asked.

Li Luo and Jiang Qing\'e faced each other in a daze, and the two were left in deep thought. At this point, Jiang Qing\'e clarified the thoughts in her head. "Uncle Biao, are you saying that the Master and Mistress were already Dukes long before they arrived at the Xia Kingdom? If that is the case, why did they only reveal that they were at the Duke Stage after they had arrived? What were they trying to conceal?"

Ox Biaobiao smiled. "Well, they didn\'t do so on purpose. In a way, what the people have said isn\'t wrong either. Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan both reached the Duke Stage in the Xia Kingdom. The difference is that they did not make a new breakthrough, but instead managed to regain their powers. Indeed, they managed to reach the Duke Stage again after they arrived in the Xia Kingdom."

Li Luo and Jiang Qing\'e looked at each other in surprise. Restoring their strength to that of a Duke compared to breaking through into the Duke Stage meant completely separate things\\. They were well aware of what this meant.

Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan\'s record of breaking into the Duke Stage had to be brought forward by a few years!

They were maddening geniuses! The entire Xia Kingdom had underestimated his parents.

Li Luo had originally held his parents in high esteem, but it was clear that the reality was even more frightening.

"Uncle Biao, you said that the Master and Mistress recovered their Duke Stage cultivation in the Xia Kingdom... Why did their cultivation stage fall, then?" Jiang Qing\'e asked the most important question. Li Luo\'s gaze also flashed with curiosity.

His parents had come from the inner divine continent, and his dad even possessed the Veins of Heavenly Emperor Li. This must have been an absolutely powerful ability in the inner divine continent, and yet he had to find refuge in this destitute land?

What exactly had happened?

Ox Biaobiao fell silent for a bit. "Something forced them to leave the inner divine continent. I\'ll tell you more about it after the Housemeet. That is what is important now."

Li Luo and Jiang Qing\'e demonstrated their agreement as well. Whatever happened tomorrow would determine their future direction.

“Pei Hao honestly isn\'t much of a threat. What is more concerning are the Dukes that will take action," Li Luo mused.

Jiang Qing\'e nodded slightly. "From our intel, of the Five Great Houses, House Jiyan, House Duze, and House Lanling all have shown overt hostility towards us. House Jinque is still treating us with goodwill, but that doesn\'t mean that they won\'t turn on us tomorrow. Li Luo has gained the assistance of the First Princess, and she will provide a single Duke to assist us, generous and timely reinforcement. Other than that, we don\'t have any more allies."

Ox Biaobiao continued to sharpen his knife. "The ones that covet House Luolan may not be limited to the Great Houses. In fact, the ones controlling Pei Hao may not be any of them."

Li Luo\'s gaze flashed. "Uncle Biao, could you care to explain a bit more?"

"Weren\'t you asking about who had manipulated the death lottery, forcing Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan into the Noble\'s Battlefield? Simply put, the Great Houses don\'t have the clout nor influence to control the death lottery," Ox Biaobiao unenthusiastically murmured.

Li Luo felt his heart sink. The death lottery was organized by the Astral Sage College, the royal court, and the Golden Dragon Bank. Could it be that all three of them had their tendrils in this crisis as well?

Would they be forced to take additional precautions against the three top tier factions of the Xia Kingdom?

That would be a troublesome situation.

"I\'m not saying that we have to guard against all three of these factions. The power they can bring to bear is colossal, but their internal politics are also chaotic. It\'s not impossible to imagine that some of their inner factions have other thoughts despite them being neutral as a whole. We shouldn\'t treat them as enemies or lessen our vigilance against them," Ox Biaobiao explained.

The duo acknowledged this as well.

"Thus, the number of Dukes that will appear tomorrow will not be small. Young Lord, you should prepare yourself," Ox Biaobiao continued.

This was a catastrophe.

"There is no need to be overly worried. House Luolan still has the defensive ward. Even if it is weakened, it\'s still a force to be reckoned with. Those greedy Dukes may not necessarily dare to barge in openly. I think that their plan is to spur Pei Hao forward, to have him struggle and attain the position of House Lord. With the House Lord succession settled, they will naturally be able to control the defensive ward. With a thought, Pei Hao could simply dissipate it and open the gates for the wolves to enter. However, if he fails in his struggle, the defensive ward will preserve its ability to weaken Duke experts. And if any of them dare to take so much as a step within these grounds, even if there are a significant number of them, my pig-butchering knife will give them a taste of pain."

Ox Biaobiao grinned at Li Luo. "Thus, Young Lord, you need not be overly worried. The battle for the position of House Lord is the pivotal battle. If you can overcome him, our situation will improve. Of course, you shouldn\'t underestimate Pei Hao. He is a white-eyed wolf that bites the hand that feeds it. The hidden hand behind him must have made ample preparations for this day."

Ox Biaobiao\'s consoling words helped lift the heavy weight on Li Luo\'s heart, and he nodded vigorously. "Uncle Biao, you can relax. I\'ve done what needs to be done. I have full confidence I can deal with this damned beast."

Although Li Luo was only at the Fiend Palace Tier, while Pei Hao had long entered the Fiend Finisher Tier and was therefore several tiers above him, neither Ox Biaobiao nor Jiang Qing\'e had any doubts in his ability to deal with the traitor. In their hearts, how could some pitiful creature like Pei Hao be comparable to Li Luo?

A smile floated on Jiang Qing\'e\'s face. "I hope to see Pei Hao get completely crushed before the eyes of the entirety of House Luolan. He\'s all yours."

Li Luo smirked in response. "Well, if something strange crops up, I\'m not one to hog the spotlight. Sister Qing\'e, please move decisively and destroy him in body and spirit. After all, we are going to get married, so you becoming the House Lord wouldn\'t change anything."

A trace of happiness could be seen in Jiang Qing\'e\'s golden eyes as she responded lightly, "Relax."

...

Night had blanketed Xia City. The previously bustling city had turned silent, and only the whistling of the cool night wind could be heard.

Royal Palace.

Atop a pavilion, the First Princess was staring at the well lit city in front of her, then she turned to face the western part of it specifically, where House Luolan was situated.

"The Housemeet begins tomorrow," she mused to herself.

The atmosphere within Xia City was like a pressure cooker, rising immensely over the past two months, all in preparation for the monumental changes that would come.

House Luolan\'s Housemeet was just the first of many.

The Housemeet would definitely involve all of the top factions in the city. The end of peace was nigh.

"Li Luo, Qing\'e, I\'ve done all that I can... the rest is up to you."

......

Golden Dragon Bank

After all of the day\'s work was completed, Yu Hongxi stretched lazily, showing off her alluring curves. She then stood up and walked towards the window, the numerous lights of the city filling her gaze. After pausing to think briefly, she said to a nearby maid, "Inform everyone of my decision. The Golden Dragon Bank will be closed tomorrow and our monthly meeting will be held. Ensure that every single elder is present and on time. No one can be missing!"

……

Astral Sage College

At a specific pavilion…

Mentor Chi Chan was warming a cup of tea. On the table in front of her was a letter. A single word was emblazoned atop it.

Resignation.