When Li Luo reached the Golden Dragon Bank, he spotted a familiar, hulking figure amidst the crowd of people.
He stood there like a pillar, his expression stony.
"What are you doing?" Li Luo asked him.
He looked extremely relieved to see Li Luo, and melted back down from pillar to hulking human-beast.
"Why wouldn't you go in to find Qing'er..."
A female staff member hurried over and bowed. "Young Lord Li Luo, the Young Lord asked me to wait for all of you here. Please come with me." She turned to regard Qin Zhulu apprehensively. "This gentleman arrived earlier, but he ignored me whenever I spoke to him."
Li Luo laughed. No wonder he was standing here like a pillar. He was afraid of her.
"You walk in front," Qin Zhulu said tersely.
Li Luo chuckled, then he gestured the girl on. He followed a step behind, and Qin Zhulu a few more steps behind him.
The chatter of the bank's patrons faded away when they entered the back hall.
Li Luo saw two more people ahead. One of them was not at all unfamiliar. Zhu Xuan, who had also won the right to enter the Golden Dragon Dao Fields. The last person was a stranger to him. He was rather skinny, with a plain face that was smiling slightly.
Zhu Xuan turned to Li Luo when he entered.
He put on a thin smile that was quite obviously forced as he walked up to Li Luo and Qin Zhulu.
"Junior Li Luo has been making waves at school recently," Zhu Xuan said politely.
"You praise me too much," Li Luo said modestly. "It was only 100,000 points. I'm sure that after close to two years, Senior Zhu Xuan has earned that small sum ages ago."
Cheeky bugger. Of course Zhu Xuan had not accumulated that many points yet.
He swore inwardly, but he kept his face neutral.
"Oh, is Senior Ye Qiuding not here yet?" Li Luo asked.
"He was seriously corrupted in the Umbra Cave, and he also suffered other serious injuries, so he is still recovering. I'm afraid he won't be able to enter the Golden Dragon Dao Fields," Zhu Xuan said.
"That's too bad," Li Luo said sadly.
Zhu Xuan chuckled. "I heard half of those wounds were delivered by Junior Li Luo personally," he challenged.
"Please do not slander me, Senior Zhu Xuan. Why would I attack Senior Ye Qiuding? I attacked an Other, not a human," Li Luo explained with a serious face.
Zhu Xuan sniffed but did not reply. Li Luo had indeed been justified.
"Oh, and this is?" Li Luo turned to look at the last unknown youth.
The skinny boy smiled at him again.
"This is Lin Suo. Since Ye Qiuding couldn't come, he's replacing him," Zhu Xuan said simply.
He was not interested in speaking more with Li Luo, so he turned and walked away. Lin Suo went with him.
Li Luo watched them go, especially that youth Lin Suo. He sensed that Lin Suo was a dangerous person.
"His killing intent is very strong. A savage one," Qin Zhulu suddenly said.
Li Luo looked at him. Qin Zhulu had followed his military father through battlefields uncountable, so he was extremely attuned to such things. His read was probably accurate.
He wondered who had recommended Lin Suo.
Frowning, he let the staff member usher him onwards to a beautifully decorated hall.
Zhu Xuan and Lin Suo were there.
Also, Li Luo spotted Yu Hongxi and the vice president of the Golden Dragon Bank, Ning Que.
By their respective sides, Lu Qing'er and Ning Zhao.
Lu Qing'er's features lit up with true pleasure upon seeing Li Luo, and her beauty bloomed even more radiantly than before.
Yu Hongxi noted this transformation out of the corner of her eye. It was a real pain to deal with. Her daughter made eyes at Li Luo at every turn but never admitted her feelings.
She had planned for two bright peers to accompany Lu Qing'er to the Golden Dragon Dao Fields, hoping that she would forget Li Luo after spending some time making memories with other suitors. But against all expectations, Li Luo had passed her test and made it into the placings.
A difficult child to keep down.
Still, she was too shrewd and seasoned to show this displeasure openly. She nodded in acknowledgment towards Li Luo and Qin Zhulu.
"Thank you for taking the time today," she said to the four of them.
Yu Hongxi might not have the youthful, sugary voice of her daughter, but she had her own brand of lush, mature beauty. Her voice was as rich as molasses.
"I wanted to gather you here today to talk about the Golden Dragon Dao Fields. They should be opening in a few days' time. As per the rules of the Dao Fields, all who enter form squads of three. Including Qing'er and Ning Zhao, you will be six, which nicely forms two squads."
"These two squads will be centered around Qing'er and Ning Zhao, who are part of the Golden Dragon Bank group that the Dao Fields were built for. The four of you will play supporting roles.
"Of course, even supporting roles will benefit you more than you can imagine. Besides the Golden Dragon Mountain writ, which you cannot obtain, there is no other difference for the rest of you."
"Golden Dragon Mountain writ? What's that?" Li Luo asked.
Yu Hongxi looked at him. "At the heart of the Golden Dragon Bank's headquarters is a place called the Golden Dragon Mountain, a sacred place of cultivation for our members to train. The Golden Dragon Mountain occasionally sends out these writs to the branches. These writs allow entry. Put simply, you are here to support either Qing'er or Ning Zhao on their mission to obtain one.
Li Luo and Qin Zhulu shared a sour look.
It sure was good being part of a rich conglomerate.
A super-exclusive premium cultivation place?
Given how rich and powerful the Golden Dragon Bank was, it was surely an awesome place. Probably even more awesome than the best that the Astral Sage College could provide.
Life was a bed of roses, and if you were rich enough, the roses didn't even have thorns.
"Any questions?" Yu Hongxi asked.
Li Luo raised his hand earnestly. "President Yu, I would like to make a sincere inquiry. Is it too late for me to join the Golden Dragon Bank?"
[Author's Note: I put a picture of Yu Hongxi up on my Weixin today. Go take a look, President Yu's very pretty.]