Chapter 516

"So, that person was Granny Long?"

Hearing Lou Ji say this, Xu Yuan felt they were finally getting to the point, but after a moment's thought, he wondered if it might be his father, "Or... my father?"

"They really are otherworldly."

Lou Ji extended a slender finger and gently tapped Xu Yuan's forehead. "The Green Snake Society too small. Even back then, if your father wanted to destroy it, he only needed to slightly frown when his subordinates reported it, and someone would have done it for him that very night. How could such a trivial matter possibly disturb a high-ranking figure like your father?"

Xu Yuan's expression was strange:

"After their first encounter, didn't he send anyone to keep an eye on him?"

"As far as we know, he did indeed do that back then."

"The Green Snake Society may be small, but it was wiped out by a ten-year-old girl. Isn't this something that deserves our attention?"

"Of course it's worth it."

"That"

"Changtian, do you know what that person in Wanxiang City who changed his name to Bai Jingtian is doing right now?" Lou Ji interrupted.

"."

After some thought, Xu Yuan hesitated slightly before saying, "It seems... he works as a supervisor in Wanxiang City, overseeing all the business in that area."

Lou Ji smiled softly:

"He was poached a long time ago. He's now the manager of Willow Source Cloth Shop, which is under the Tian'an Chamber of Commerce. He even came to the Prime Minister's Mansion to report on his work the night before last."

Xu Yuan remained silent.

"You see."

Lou Ji revealed a frivolous expression that she had expected:

"Your father was much busier back then than you are now. He did things on a whim and then forgot about them. I was just one of the seeds he casually sowed back then."

Xu Yuan smacked his lips:

"Who noticed you?"

"The King of the Black Alley."

"Pfft!" Xu Yuan couldn't hold back.

As the snow fell softly, Lou Ji murmured with a smile, "It does sound like he lacks self-awareness, but that's actually what people in the Black Alley call him in fear."

Xu Yuan asked softly:

"But you just said you'd be going through a peaceful period. So, does that mean the King of the Black Alley has good intentions towards you?"

"No," Lou Ji denied.

"Malice?" Xu Yuan's expression was strange.

The younger one gets beaten up, then the older one shows up – a classic scenario.

"No, not either."

Lou Ji denied it again, saying softly, "He is a very complicated person. He helped me a lot. My exposure to cultivation started with that old man, but he also caused me a lot of trouble."

"Trouble?"

"He wants to tie me to his Lineage."

"A marriage alliance?" Xu Yuan's expression was strange.

"Yes." Lou Ji nodded gently. "That old man had a son late in life, and he hopes that after he passes away, I can help his son."

Xu Yuan exclaimed "Whoa!"

"That old man has a good eye."

"Yes."

Lou Ji strongly agreed with this statement, "Some people's limit is not their own, but the limit of the platform they occupy. That old man, however, controlled the Black Alley for over thirty years in a place like Di'an City, despite being just an ordinary person."

"A mortal?" Xu Yuan raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, mortals." Lou Ji nodded.

"That's really impressive." Xu Yuan exhaled.

The nature of Di'an City, the capital of the Great Yan Dynasty, dictates that places like the Black Alley will be infiltrated by many with ulterior motives, and also dictates that the imperial court must maintain absolute control over it.

A verbal battle in the imperial court might lead to a crackdown on organized crime in the Black Alley. The old man Lou Ji spoke of, who could stand firm for more than thirty years with a mortal body, was quite a god.

Lou Ji waved her hand and whispered:

"Forget about that old man, that period was actually quite boring overall."

"No way." Xu Yuan was curious about the mysterious old man, and also a bit gossipy.

Lou Ji smiled helplessly and said softly:

"There's really nothing to say. After the Green Snake Society destroyed, I got a lot of money and moved, while that old man moved to the courtyard next to mine."

At this point, Lou Ji chuckled softly, "In that dilapidated place, she would wear an expensive, luxurious dress and sit at the courtyard gate every day, playing chess with herself."

"Fishing?"

"Yes," Lou Ji explained, "It was to lure me in."

Xu Yuan understood what was going on after hearing this.

Lou Ji wanted to climb the social ladder, and the old man was willing to give her that opportunity, so everything that followed was a natural progression.

but

"Someone like that wouldn't do something as stupid as forcing you, would he?"

"."

After a moment of silence, Lou Ji simply said softly:

"That old man was very shrewd; he never forced anything. Although I was working for him at the time, it was more of a transactional relationship than a vassal. He assigned me tasks, and I received corresponding compensation."

Xu Yuan's eyes flickered:

"Given your status at the time, the way he treated you was truly remarkable; he was quite the character."

Lou Ji smiled Wan'er:

"Yes, if he were alive today, even though he caused me so much trouble back then, I would have no reason to lay a hand on him."

After a brief silence, Xu Yuan suppressed his curiosity about the old man and whispered:

"Then how can we even begin to discuss a marriage alliance?"

Lou Ji smiled and said softly:

He created an environment for me.

"The environment in which he lived with his offspring?"

"You could say that."

"So he's not a spoiled brat after all?"

Xu Yuan murmured softly upon hearing this.

He had initially thought the old man wanted to force this woman into marriage as a child bride, hoping she would be a good helpmate to his son. But judging from what he said, the old man seemed quite confident in his son's abilities and charm.

Lou Ji glanced in one direction of the Prime Minister's Prime Minister's Mansion, a hint of regret in her voice. "Of course not. That old man's desire to bind me to his son wasn't about maintaining the status quo, but about breaking free from the constraints of his current platform. He knew very well that while he was a king revered by thousands in the Black Alley, in the eyes of the truly powerful figures in Di'an City, he wasn't even worthy of being called a human being."

"It seems the old man succeeded."

Xu Yuan noticed Lou Ji's gaze.

That place is where the male retainers of the Prime Minister's Mansion's residence reside.

"Yes, that old man underestimated his son."

In the winter night, Lou Ji exhaled a fleeting wisp of white mist from her red lips, her eyes filled with amusement. "After that incident, I parted ways with them, and that old man's son climbed out of that abyss of the Black Alley step by step on his own."

"That matter?" Xu Yuan asked.

Lou Ji considered for a moment, then said in a low voice:

"After destroying the Green Snake Society, I spent more than three years in the Black Alley. Because of the environment he deliberately created, I spent most of that time with that guy, carrying out missions together, going through hardships together, and experiencing life and death together."

"During this time, didn't you fall in love at first sight, sis?" Xu Yuan suddenly interrupted with a smile.

"Of course not," Lou Ji replied without hesitation.

Xu Yuan looked puzzled. "But you seem to have a high opinion of that person, after spending so much time together."

"Oh, you mean this?"

Lou Ji blinked, pursed her red lips, and exuded captivating charm.

"Because he's ugly."

"." Xu Yuan.

Lou Ji exhaled without a care and said softly:

"However, after spending so much time together, some feelings had indeed developed, and under these circumstances, the old man created a predicament for me."

"A predicament?" Xu Yuan chimed in, playing the straight man.

Lou Ji slightly raised her jade hand, gently touched her chest, and tilted her head as she said:

"The process was complicated, but to put it simply, the old man used several missions as bait to make me injure a lecherous playboy in Di'an City outside of the missions. After several twists and turns, the playboy came to the Black Alley to demand my return."

"And coincidentally, although the young master's family was much more powerful than the old man's, they still had to give him some face."

Xu Yuan's eye twitched:

"So, he forced you to marry one of his own children to protect yourself?"

Lou Ji nodded:

"Yes, he tried to persuade me, but I refused, and then he handed the person over."

"."

"Sister, are we going to kill that old man's son tonight too?"

Xu Yuan suddenly asked.

Lou Ji glanced at Xu Yuan with slight surprise and asked:

Why would you think someone who crawled out of Black Alley would betray your father?

As she spoke, she smiled softly:

"That guy is one of the most radical high-ranking officials in the Prime Minister's Mansion. If your father wanted to become emperor tonight, he could find him an imperial robe to wear right now."

Xu Yuan was speechless.

Lou Ji finished speaking and gave a soft hum, then whispered:

"But actually, I really wanted to settle a personal score. That was the only time I was in a deadly situation where I had no chance to fight back."

"If Long Xinling hadn't happened to be wandering in the Black Alley and saved me, Changtian, you probably wouldn't be seeing your sister now."

Happy Valentine's Day!