Jiang Qing’e’s simple statement was like a slap across Duze Honglian’s face.
She quietly sniffed and then dropped the topic. After all, she was the one who taunted Jiang Qing’e first, and now it had backfired.
Besides, she would never do such a thing as seduce Li Luo.
So what if Jiang Qing’e cooed and fawned over his dual resonances like a precious baby? She wasn’t so keen.
Compared to truly stellar men like Gong Shenjun, Li Luo was merely a commoner.
Duze Honglian rose and draped a shirt over her gorgeous body, hiding the curves. Her face was still a little wan, but she was moving with a lot more health now.
“Best use what time we have to recover. The Heavenly Disaster Class Other is coming. I hope that you can be of use when it does. And not a waste of our efforts,” Jiang Qing’e said as she headed for the door.
Duze Honglian scowled. The prickliness between them had not faded at all. “Jiang Qing’e,” she called out grudgingly, “I owe you two for this.
“But don’t think that will change my attitude towards you. We stand at opposites because of our houses. As a House Duze representative, I will continue to move to crush House Luolan without mercy.”
Jiang Qing’e paused and tilted her head back. “Don’t overthink this. We saved you not because of your status, we just didn’t want you to become a problem later.
“As for how you treat House Luolan, it does not matter at all. All these years, none of what you have plotted has mattered at all. So don’t overestimate yourself, or underestimate House Luolan.”
She pushed open the door and left.
Duze Honglian scowled as the door swung shut. So all that she had done was nothing, was it?
As if House Luolan hadn’t been limping for all these years!
If not for Li Luo’s resurrection of the Suncreek Villa, House Luolan would still be dirt poor.
Li Luo. Her scowl softened, then it hardened again. The little brat had seen her naked on the bed already.
Damn Jiang Qing’e! She had definitely done it on purpose!
“Ah, shit,” Duze Honglian swore before sitting down in the lotus position on the bed to recover her strength.
…
Jiang Qing’e descended the stone tower and saw Li Luo waiting for her at the bottom.
“Is she going to be okay?”
Jiang Qing’e nodded.
“Ah, to think that we would end up helping her…” Li Luo sighed. Duze Honglian had caused House Luolan trouble multiple times in the past. They were as immiscible as oil and water, but now water had saved oil.
“Even without Duze Honglian, House Duze would still continue their war on House Luolan. It’s a question of house stance. Besides, we’re in an emergency. We’re saving her to save ourselves.”
Li Luo nodded. Best deal with the small problems underfoot before the big problem came knocking.
“Well, any gratitude, reflection, repentance, and all that?” He grinned.
“She says she intends to seduce you until you’re head over heels for her, and then you’ll divorce me,” Jiang Qing’e said sweetly.
Li Luo’s grin froze on his face. “Damn, what a treacherous woman,” he said, trying to keep his face indignant. “We saved her, and she’s trying to wreck us?!”
“Very vexed, are you?” She cocked an eye at him. “Very vexing figure she has as well, hmm?”
Li Luo hastily shook his head. “The only thing that vexed me in that room was how to deal with the grin.”
“The grin on her back, and not your face, I trust?”
“Hey now,” Li Luo whined. “That’s very unreasonable of you. The one that got me in there was you. And now the one complaining about it is also you??”
Jiang Qing’e relented. “Well, if Duze Honglian wants to do that, you could seduce her right back. Then we could have a spy in House Duze.”
Li Luo was speechless. How seductive would he have to be to get her to betray her own father? Then again, he knew Jiang Qing’e was joking, trying to blow off some stress in the midst of a very stressful day.
“Duze Honglian’s corruption won’t come back, will it?” he asked, trying to bring the conversation back to a straighter track.
“I think she’s clean now. Corruption is always weakened the moment it is exposed. In fact, it’s Ye Qiuding and the others that I’m worried about now.”
Li Luo frowned. These seeds of corruption were a troublesome business. They could be hiding anywhere, and there was nothing they could do against an invisible enemy.
They couldn’t very well ignore them either, waiting for these landmines to blow up under their feet. They had to ferret them out.
Jiang Qing’e’s face darkened as she checked the map. “The closest purification tower has turned corrupted again now.”
Li Luo’s eyes widened. The tower was a mere half-day away. Which meant that the Heavenly Disaster Class Other would be here in that time.
Contact imminent.
“Can we really deal with it?” Li Luo asked.
A Heavenly Dipper General, and a very strong one at that. Even Gong Shenjun or the First Princess would have a hard time taking it on alone.
“Who knows? In another half-year, I might be able to take a good crack at it. At that time, I would welcome the challenge.”
Li Luo’s eyebrows flew up. Which meant that she believed she would make another giant breakthrough in half a year?
Was a ninth-grade light resonance really that awesome?
“Let’s go. Get the word out, have people stand ready.” Jiang Qing’e cut through his thoughts.
Li Luo swallowed and nodded.
As word spread of the Other’s imminent arrival, the atmosphere of fear thickened another notch. Preparations were carried out with stiff hands and whispered words, although they could not explain why they were whispering.
Nervous glances were directed in the northwest direction, where the previously purified air was hazing over with a waxy, grey mist again.
The whispering was back now, and they could hear it pressing up against the barrier.
Half a day later, the grey mist was completely black again. It was like the first day they had entered the Umbra Cave.
An ear-splitting shriek rang out, and they stared in its direction. A black wave was roiling its way through the mist.
It looked like the end of the world, and many students felt a prickling of fear on their scalps.
The Heavenly Disaster Class Other was finally here.