Chapter 38: The Battle of the Century, The Leng Family

Luo Mo had specifically arranged to host this man today because informants had reported two days ago that he possessed vital intelligence, seemingly related to the Youth-Preserving Pill.

Luo Mo had been thinking that her Young Mistress already harbored designs on the Youth-Preserving Pill. Now that news had surfaced, if she could identify the person capable of refining it, it would significantly increase the Young Mistress's chances of success. Thus, she began setting a trap for the man before her.

He was Leng Zimo, the son of the Minister of Rites, Leng Yanzhi. His younger sister was the once-renowned Leng Qing'er, the most beautiful and talented woman in the Fengyue Kingdom.

Despite his current appearance as a playboy, he was actually calculating and precise. It had taken considerable effort for Luo Mo to extract the whereabouts of the Youth-Preserving Pill from him.

A woman, a small village... who could this be?

Luo Mo had assumed that anyone capable of refining high-level pills must be an elderly master, but now it seemed...

"Could there really be a woman in this world more outstanding than the Young Mistress?" Luo Mo whispered to herself, then shook her head.

"No, impossible. The Young Mistress is a rare, once-in-a-generation genius. That person must be a monster! Just thinking about it is terrifying."

The usually glamorous and aloof Pavilion Master Luo Mo was currently undergoing a profound internal struggle.

"Pavilion Master, the Young Mistress is here!" the manager hurried in, whispering in a voice that only the two of them could hear.

Luo Mo was still lost in her own world and completely failed to notice the manager's words.

"Eh? Why did I just hear someone say the Young Mistress is here? W-what? The Young Mistress is here?" Luo Mo jumped up in joy.

"You just said..." Luo Mo glanced at Leng Zimo beside her, forcibly suppressing the excitement in her heart.

Seeing Luo Mo's ecstatic expression, the manager nodded heavily.

Upon receiving confirmation, Luo Mo felt her heart leap into her throat.

The Young Mistress had finally arrived!

She couldn't care less about anything else and smiled at Leng Zimo, "Young Master Leng, I apologize, but I have an urgent matter to attend to. May I take my leave first?" Despite her words, she could barely stand still.

"Pavilion Master Luo, please do as you wish. I have been out for a while myself; let us meet again another time."

As shrewd as Leng Zimo was, he naturally sensed the change in Luo Mo’s demeanor, so he left quite tactfully, though he wondered to himself: who could it be that commanded such importance from Lady Luo Mo?

Leng Zimo quietly sent two tails to follow Luo Mo.

"Pavilion Master, it seems there are tails behind us."

"Hmph, have someone shake them off." Luo Mo was anxious to see Luo Qianfan, so she merely ordered them to be blocked. Under normal circumstances, these people would certainly not have survived.

Ruthlessness is a fundamental virtue for an assassin. Luo Mo had reached her current position only after experiencing much bloodshed.

"Young Master, come on, play with me..." Behind them, the men sent by Leng Zimo were all dragged away.

With the tails gone, Luo Mo arrived at the VIP quarters in excitement. A figure flashed by, and she felt a dagger pressed against her neck. Upon seeing it was Star-Edge, Luo Mo knew who it was.

"Young Mistress, look, Luo Yi is bullying me again! You won't even intervene." Ignoring the dagger at her neck, Luo Mo walked straight toward Luo Qianfan.

Luo Yi emerged from behind, sheathing Star-Edge, and scoffed coldly, "If you aren't skilled enough, don't blame others for complaining."

Hearing Luo Yi belittle her in front of the Young Mistress, Luo Mo was instantly incensed and prepared for a battle of the century.

"Alright, why do you two start firing the moment you meet? If you keep this up, I won't play with you next time."

As someone close to Luo Qianfan, Luo Yi already understood some of the peculiar vocabulary the Young Mistress used; the "firing" she mentioned simply meant fighting.

"Young Mistress, I was wrong. At worst, I'll avoid Luo Yi whenever I see her from now on, alright?" Luo Mo wore a fawning expression, her smile as bright as a spring breeze. As a recognized beauty, Luo Mo had the capital to do so.

At this moment, all killing intent and malice had vanished from her, and her purple robes added a mysterious charm that made her unforgettable.

Such a Luo Mo left Luo Qianfan both amused and exasperated, unsure of what to do.

"You two, I really don't know what to do with you!" Luo Qianfan looked at them with indulgence.

Luo Mo seemed to recall something, her face filled with excitement as she leaned closer to Luo Qianfan.

"Young Mistress, the Qianying Pavilion has received news about the Youth-Preserving Pill." At these words, Luo Yi couldn't help but frown, then suddenly realized something and chuckled.

Luo Qianfan was also startled, her face showing surprise.

"News about the Youth-Preserving Pill?" She had refined the pill herself, so what news could there be? The black market shouldn't have leaked the information so quickly.

Therefore, aside from herself, only Luo Yi and the top brass of the black market should know about the successful refinement. Luo Mo and the others shouldn't know yet, right?

"..." Luo Qianfan was puzzled.

Luo Mo assumed Luo Yi was laughing because she didn't believe her. She rolled her eyes at Luo Yi and continued proudly.

"Young Mistress, I learned today that the Youth-Preserving Pill was refined by a woman, and she shouldn't be very old." After speaking, whether out of fear of worrying Luo Qianfan or otherwise, she added, "Though, I suspect she must be a monster!"

A monster?

Luo Qianfan laughed inwardly. She hadn't expected Luo Mo, in order to preserve her own pride, to label someone else a monster.

If she knew that she herself had refined the pill, she would probably be mortified.

Hearing the word "monster," Luo Yi also burst into uncontrollable laughter, the words tumbling out of her throat: "Luo Mo, are you serious? Are you sure that person is a 'monster'?"

It was truly hilarious. She hadn't expected the Young Mistress's lifelong reputation to be reduced to that of a "monster" in Luo Mo's eyes!

Luo Mo couldn't grasp the point of Luo Yi's laughter. She felt that Luo Yi was acting strangely today, always going against her. Impatiently, she said:

"Of course! In this world, besides the Young Mistress, what other woman could possess such talent to surpass her? Therefore, that person must be a monster, and a ten-thousand-year-old one at that. Young Mistress, you must be careful."

A monster!

A ten-thousand-year-old monster!

"Hahahaha!"

Hearing Luo Mo's words, Luo Yi simply couldn't hold back her laughter. Fearing she might hear more absurd things from Luo Mo, she revealed the truth: "Do you know that the 'monster' you're talking about is the Young Mistress!"

'Monster'! And a ten-thousand-year-old one at that! Luo Mo must have spent too much time in these pleasure houses; her brain must have changed. Luo Yi sighed inwardly.

"Wh-what? That person is the... the Young Mistress?" Luo Mo looked at Luo Qianfan, completely bewildered, unable to react for a long time.

How could it be the Young Mistress?

Where had it gone wrong?

Seeing Luo Mo still in a daze, Luo Qianfan finally told her about her alchemy. Upon hearing this, Luo Mo’s expression shifted from disbelief to adoration and pride. So, it really was the Young Mistress.

So that young girl was the Young Mistress!

The Young Mistress had truly succeeded!

Watching the people around her happy because of her own success, Luo Qianfan felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction.

"By the way, you just said you heard about the whereabouts of the Youth-Preserving Pill from someone else. Who was it?"

She had to ask. When she refined the pill, logically no one should have known. How did the news leak?

"Oh, it was Leng Zimo, the son of the Minister of Rites," Luo Mo replied.

Luo Yi suddenly spoke up: "Leng Zimo? Leng Qing'er's brother?"

"Yes, that's him."

"So it was him." When Luo Qianfan had caused an uproar in the capital, she had clashed with these two from the Leng family more than once. Leng Qing'er was the true queen of self-destruction; characters like Luo Yuhuan were insignificant in front of her.

As for Leng Zimo, he was young but treacherous and cunning, not a benevolent soul.

Two geniuses in one Leng family—truly formidable!

"This matter must be investigated. I want to know who is pulling the strings behind the scenes."

"Yes," Luo Mo answered crisply, without a hint of hesitation.

"Young Mistress, now that you've returned, will you be staying at the Prime Minister's residence?"

Aside from a few people within the household, almost no one knew that Luo Qianfan had severed ties with the Prime Minister's residence. Therefore, the Qianying Pavilion had not received any news, and Luo Mo still considered the Luo estate to be Luo Qianfan's home.

Luo Yi sneered, her tone filled with sarcasm.

"Hmph, those people at the Prime Minister's residence are not the Young Mistress's family at all. The Young Mistress has already severed ties with them; she has nothing to do with that residence anymore. We are currently staying at the Yizui Tower."

"Not family? Then should this subordinate arrange a place for you? A place like the Yizui Tower is ultimately not safe," Luo Mo said with concern.

"Not for now. It's not yet convenient for the Qianying Pavilion to be exposed, and besides, with Luo Yi by my side, what is there to worry about?"

Luo Mo looked at Luo Yi suspiciously and shook her head, "It's precisely because of her that I'm worried."

Seeing Luo Yi cast an unfriendly glance, Luo Mo changed the subject: "Wait, isn't that girl Bai Yu supposed to have followed you this time?"

Bai Yu was Luo Qianfan's personal shadow, always following her wherever she went. Since she wasn't by Luo Qianfan's side this time, Luo Mo couldn't help but ask.

Meanwhile, far away in the Medicine Valley, Bai Yu was likely about to laugh; after being missing for so long, someone had finally remembered her.

Thinking of the little girl Bai Yu, a smile bloomed in Luo Qianfan's eyes.

"I had planned to bring her over in a few days, but it seems there's no need to wait. Since that's the case, send someone to pick her up and let her come to the capital to play, so she doesn't get bored in the valley alone."

Now that Luo Qianfan knew her background, she truly had no ties to the Luo family, so there was no need to force herself to put on an act in front of them.

"Yes, Young Mistress."

...

...

Night fell, but the Leng household was quiet and cold.

Leng Zimo sat at his desk in the study, his expression devoid of the flippant laziness he wore during the day, replaced by cold malice. Several people knelt below him, glancing at each other, their heads bowed low and their expressions tense.

"You're telling me you lost the trail!" Leng Zimo said, his face dark as he barked the order.

Earlier at the Qianying Pavilion, Leng Zimo had clearly sensed Luo Mo fishing for information; he hadn't expected it to be for the Youth-Preserving Pill.

It seemed the Qianying Pavilion was also interested in the pill! He just didn't know if their goal was the pill itself or the person behind its refinement.

A high-level pill must be backed by a high-level alchemist!

However, what truly concerned Leng Zimo was why Luo Mo had left in such a hurry?