When You Were Born, I Was Already Old

It wasn't just Ning Rongrong.

A certain noblewoman in Heaven Dou Imperial City was in no good mood as well.

Madam Yue had unusually not gone to Moonlight Pavilion.

Inside the pavilion, all the servants had been dismissed.

Tang Yuehua stood on the terrace. As dusk gathered, it painted her figure in a hazy, lonely veil.

She wore a silver-gray brocade qipao, specially chosen for its smooth satin fabric that tightly outlined her slender waist, so slim it could be grasped in one hand.

The collar and cuffs were densely inlaid with lustrous mother-of-pearl, glimmering faintly in the fading daylight.

Like the subtle ripples hidden deep in her eyes, too difficult to put into words.

Her face remained like finely carved jade, yet beneath the lightly powdered skin was an unmistakable fatigue that would not fade.

Her red lips were pressed together, as though holding back endless sorrow.

Only a long sigh echoed through the pavilion.

Tang Yuehua did not know what was wrong with her.

The noble students at Moonlight Pavilion were enthusiastically discussing the marriage between Marquis White Robe Luo Li and Princess Xue Ke.

Those words felt like blades striking hard into Tang Yuehua's heart, sending a sudden twisting pain through her chest.

So, instead of going to Moonlight Pavilion as usual to teach music theory, she returned to her own small pavilion.

Having dismissed all her maids, she leaned quietly against the terrace railing alone, watching the sun sink in the west.

It hurt.

Tang Yuehua knew she should not be feeling this way.

Luo Li, now King Frost Extreme, and Princess Xue Ke were a match made in heaven.

They were close in age, both beautiful, and their statuses matched.

Unlike herself, who was older than that boy by who knew how many years.

Her slender fingers gently touched her face, whose beauty had not faded with time, but had instead gained a mature charm.

After Luo Li returned from the City of Slaughter, he had come to Moonlight Pavilion to study for a time, relying on Tang Yuehua's Noble Domain to control his chaotic killing aura.

That period lasted only a year, but it left an exceptionally deep impression on Tang Yuehua.

She had never seen such an outstanding student.

His looks were bewitching, his bearing ethereal, and he even possessed unique insights into music theory.

That time had been the most enjoyable period of Tang Yuehua's years in Heaven Dou City.

Every day, she could watch that youth, quietly admire him as he played the zither, and reach out to gently tuck back the strands of hair that fell loose.

Tang Yuehua did not know what that feeling was. Perhaps she simply did not want to understand it.

Because she felt inferior.

In Tang Yuehua's eyes, Luo Li was utterly flawless.

A seventeen-year-old Soul Douluo, the foremost figure in the military who had overwhelmed Marshal Ge Long, an unparalleled prodigy who had long surpassed the younger generation!

And what about her?

A useless Soul Master who could never break through level ten in her entire life—she and Luo Li were as far apart as heaven and earth!

And she was so much older than Luo Li...

Thus, Tang Yuehua was unwilling to accept her feelings.

She always avoided them, deliberately suppressing them.

After Luo Li graduated, he would sometimes come to visit her. That was also what Tang Yuehua looked forward to most.

Although suppressing her feelings was agonizing, being able to spend time with Luo Li, look at his face, and hear his voice was already enough to satisfy Tang Yuehua.

She was a woman unworthy of him. Even that small measure of satisfaction was an immense blessing.

Tang Yuehua also knew that someone as exceptional as Luo Li would surely have a wife in the end.

She had made many mental preparations.

But when she truly heard it, that painful feeling still made Tang Yuehua feel as though she were suffocating.

When I was born, you had yet to be born. When you were born, I was already old.

"Cruel man..."

In the silent pavilion, only a soft sigh lingered.

Luo Manor

At this moment, Luo Manor was decorated with lanterns and colorful banners, overflowing with joy inside and out.

Their Luo Family's young master, Luo Li, had now been granted the title of King, successfully entering the foremost ranks of power in this world, and had become engaged to Princess Xue Ke!

This meant that the Luo Family would once again welcome a new peak.

Every member of the Luo Family felt honored.

Because their Luo Family had produced a seventeen-year-old King!

The Luo Family of today, merely because it had Luo Li, was already enough to surpass the Seven Great Soul Master Families!

After dealing with the enthusiastic, admiring clansmen in Luo Manor, Luo Li returned to the main residence.

Though his fans were somewhat disappointed at the sight, they did not follow him.

They all knew that the young master should now be catching up with his parents and Ling'er.

"Father, Mother, Ling'er."

Luo Li smiled as he greeted the three of them. The usual distant air that kept others at arm's length was rarely absent from his face.

Luo Li had not begun with the classic orphan's life.

Both his parents were still alive, and he also had an adorable younger sister.

His father, Luo Nan, was not a stern father in the traditional sense, and Luo Li was not distant from him.

His mother, Chu Wan, had a gentle nature like water and was incomparably tender.

Although his younger sister, Luo Ling'er, was less gifted in cultivation than he was, she still possessed level-seven Innate Soul Power and could be considered a little genius.

She was only eight years old, yet she was already a Spirit Master above level ten with one soul ring, soon to reach two rings.

After some time, Luo Li planned to make a trip to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and get some Immortal Herbs from Old Poison for his family to consume.

This warm family was also another important reason, aside from Tang Yuehua's Noble Domain, why Luo Li had not lost himself to slaughter over the years.

"Big Brother!"

Eight-year-old Luo Ling'er trotted happily up to Luo Li and held out her little arms.

Luo Li crouched down, picked the little girl up in his arms, and sat down nearby.

"You brat..."

Luo Nan looked at his son, his expression rather complicated.

This son of his had always been his pride.

At such a young age, he had already surpassed him in strength.

Now, he had become the Empire's only Prince of Different Surname, his status even exceeding that of the entire Luo Family.

Luo Nan felt both gratified and melancholic.

After all, his seventeen-year-old son had utterly crushed him in every way. Did he not have any pride as a father?

Mother Chu Wan was not nearly as conflicted as he was.

Looking at Luo Li with a smile, she said, "Little Li, now that you're engaged to that girl Ke Ke, when are you bringing a child back for your mother?"

Her thoughts were simple.

She knew Xue Ke and was very satisfied with her. She was a suitable daughter-in-law, and Chu Wan had no objections to the engagement.

So when could she hold a grandson or granddaughter?

Sitting in Luo Li's arms, Luo Ling'er raised her little face as well, looking rather excited.

"Is Ling'er going to be an aunt?"

Even Luo Nan silently turned his gaze toward Luo Li.

Luo Li's expression stiffened, and he said helplessly, "Mom! It's not that soon."

They had only just gotten engaged. It was still far too early.

He had no plans to become a father at seventeen!

Though such things were commonplace on Douluo Continent, Luo Li truly could not do it.

For a while, he would stop his campaigns, digest the vitality he had gained during this period, and take some time to calm the somewhat restless killing intent within him.

And he would also try once more to awaken the inheritance in his hands, which had yet to show any reaction...