Apocalypse Circular-Chapter 532 - 530 Bai Yueguang

Gu Tianfeng shook his head. If Lu Luo had sought an audience with the Bai Family when he first arrived in the Imperial, Gu Tianfeng would have captured him immediately.

But the situation was different now. Lu Luo had joined Wu Yi's faction and had also established contact with Wu Ye Ji. Although their relationship was complex, and their interactions with Wu Ye Ji seemed to extend beyond mere cooperation, Gu Tianfeng considered these actions harmless. Publicly, Lu Luo had integrated himself into the Imperial Family's system, a development those in power were pleased to see.

"It's strange that he's only going now, after so much time. If he genuinely wanted to align with the Bai Family, he could have done so when he first entered the Imperial Capital; there was no need to wait until now. Let's observe him for a while. See what he's thinking, what he wants to do!"

"Yes, sir. Should we bring him in when he comes out?"

Gu Tianfeng pondered for a moment. "Alright."

「...」

Lu Luo knew his actions at the Bai Family's doorstep had attracted attention, but he had no choice. It was time to be candid. He did this hoping to catch the notice of some higher-ups, which would give him more opportunities to meet these so-called superiors—other Eighth Order top experts besides those in the Bai Family. Only by meeting them face-to-face could he explain the current situation. After all, he still possessed Nolan's token. This token was quite powerful; it could not only command the Seventh Prince but also grant him an audience with other Eighth Order experts, allowing him to reveal his allegiance.

Why won't they open the door!

Having waited for a long time, Lu Luo was growing impatient. He pressed the doorbell for the third time, steeling his patience as he continued to wait. If it were anywhere else, he definitely wouldn't waste so much time, but here, it was necessary.

Fortunately, he didn't have to wait too long this time. Soon, the little white-haired girl Lu Luo had seen before emerged, dressed in a warm pajama set. Her expression was somewhat puzzled, as if she couldn't quite understand why someone would come to her house. Upon seeing Lu Luo, the puzzlement on her face deepened.

"You? I've seen you before. You're that person from the other day, aren't you? Why are you at my house? Do you need something?" 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

The girl fired off several questions in a row. Lu Luo stood frozen, momentarily unsure how to answer. After a few seconds of silence, he finally spoke, "Hello, my name is Lu Luo. I've come today regarding an important matter and would like to request an audience with the head of your household. Please, could you inform them? Just say an old acquaintance of Bai Qingshuang has arrived."

"Bai Qingshuang? Is that also a Bai surname? But I've never heard that name before..." The girl frowned slightly, seemingly thinking Lu Luo was spouting nonsense. However, she also knew that at this time, probably no one wished to associate with their family. Lu Luo coming here now was already a great risk. If this man isn't harboring some extreme plot, then he must truly have something very important.

"Alright, wait here."

The girl understood priorities. After Lu Luo stated his purpose, she didn't give him much trouble. With a simple nod, she returned inside, apparently to report.

Lu Luo let out a slight sigh of relief. At least someone came. Now, I just hope everything goes smoothly.

Time ticked by. Lu Luo waited a long while, but the girl didn't reappear. He glanced at his watch again and was about to press the doorbell for the fourth time when the girl's voice suddenly called out, "Hey, stop pressing! I'm coming."

Lu Luo lifted his head in slight surprise, only then noticing that the dilapidated surveillance camera was emitting a faint red light. It looked as if a device, long gathering dust, had been reactivated.

Was she monitoring me just now? Does my behavior influence her judgment? Lu Luo mused, but he wasn't angry. This kind of probing was still within his range of acceptance.

Soon, the little girl arrived at the entrance and opened the iron gate for Lu Luo. It was just an ordinary iron gate; with Lu Luo's current strength, he could probably knock it down with a mere breath. However, he refrained from doing so.

Reverence, understanding true respect, is a vital quality—one that can help a Transcendent live much longer. Lu Luo knew the world was vast. Even if one becomes the strongest being, the number one master on the entire planet, so what? The universe's grandeur isn't confined to this single world; beyond it lies the cosmos. Beneath the starry sky, there are far too many things worthy of awe. He wouldn't become blindly arrogant; this was something he had learned since childhood.

"Lu Luo requests an audience with the senior!" Lu Luo said calmly, standing at the door. He didn't know if the other party could hear him, but he felt that an Eighth Order expert should have noticed him the moment he arrived. His words were essentially a greeting.

"What are you muttering about? How could the old man possibly hear you from out here?" The girl clearly understood Lu Luo's intention but was dismissive of his formality.

"Er, it seems more sincere this way," Lu Luo offered as an excuse.

However, the girl paid it no mind.

"You've got some nerve, visiting our family at a time like this. Nowadays, even the street sweepers wouldn't dare come to our gate." The girl's expression was indignant; she was clearly dissatisfied with their current situation. It was unclear whether her dissatisfaction stemmed from having to take out the trash herself or from being mistreated by others.

"Why is it like this? Is it due to coercion from the Imperial Family?" Lu Luo asked bluntly. It seemed there was no need to hide one's true feelings with the Bai Family, as they already appeared to be in opposition to the Imperial Family. In light of this, Lu Luo began to doubt whether he could persuade the Bai Family's leader to act.

"Yes and no, I suppose," the girl replied. "The Imperial Family has indeed done many things against the four major families. But in the past, it wasn't so excessive. However, in recent years, the Emperor has been consistently targeting us, even issuing extremely harsh decrees. Everyone has guessed they're going to make a move against our family, so no one comes here anymore. They all keep their distance, waiting for the Imperial Family's wrath to fall upon us. They're waiting for our family to be destroyed so they can carve up our assets, just like the other three families."

The young, white-haired girl spoke words that belied her age. It was evident that this girl, who bore a striking resemblance to Bai Yuetong, was well aware of everything her family was enduring and everything that might happen in the future. She knew what her family might face, yet she confronted it all with equanimity, though a touch of youthful temper was also present. But those emotions were inconsequential.

"You're very smart. Did you figure all this out yourself? If so, you must have a high IQ, and your understanding of the world is remarkably astute."

Lu Luo's praise was sincere; the girl's demonstrated ability and wisdom were almost comparable to Bai Yuetong's. Bai Yuetong was equally intelligent and perceptive, but she focused most of her energy on her research, so she generally had little interest in political matters.

"I figured it out myself, investigated and understood it all alone," she said. "But what does it matter? I'm not a Transcendent. No matter how intelligent a person is, without any power or the opportunity to access it, thinking about such things only brings more trouble. I can't even go to school anymore, so I just stay home and read all day. Those thoughts... *sigh*... they're just my own idle speculations."

Although the girl spoke modestly, Lu Luo knew very well these were not idle speculations but an accurate assessment of the situation. What an exceptional girl!

"What's your name?"

"My name is Bai Yueguang."

Bai Yueguang... Lu Luo's pupils contracted slightly. It seems the Judgment Chief's decision to rename Bai Yuetong wasn't meaningless. She probably wanted Bai Yuetong to return to the Imperial, to this place that belongs to her, and then inherit certain things or shoulder certain responsibilities.

"What's wrong? Is there a problem with the name?"

"No problem at all. It's a lovely name. And, I have a friend with a similar name."

"Hey, mister, that's a terrible way to hit on someone! So lame!"

Huh? Hitting on her? Lame? Lu Luo was rather speechless. How old is this little girl, anyway? She's probably about the same age as Lu Xiaotian. Do kids mature this early nowadays? So young, and already thinking about such things?

"You're overthinking it," Lu Luo said. "I wasn't trying to hit on you. I do have a friend, and her surname is also Bai. Her name is Bai Yuetong."

"Bai Yuetong?" Bai Yueguang hesitated noticeably. That name... it sounds like one from our family's genealogy! Normally, members of our family wouldn't just choose names at random. Looking at Lu Luo now, the purpose of his visit today...

"You didn't come to our house because of this Bai Yuetong, did you?"

Lu Luo nodded, then shook his head. "Yes and no."

"What kind of answer is that?"

"My visit today does have some connection to Bai Yuetong, but the primary reason concerns another person. She also has the surname Bai. I am here today at her specific request."

Lu Luo's words piqued Bai Yueguang's curiosity further. Another person with the surname Bai?

"What's her name?"

"Her name is Bai Qingshuang."

Bai Yuetong's pupils trembled slightly. Bai Qingshuang... that name is so similar to my father's...

"I think I've heard that name..." Bai Yueguang murmured. "My father's name is Bai Qingyun."

"Is that so? Then it seems the senior who entrusted this task to me really does have some connection with your family!" Lu Luo remarked.

"Hmph! Who knows if there's any connection? What you just said is merely your side of the story," Bai Yueguang retorted.

The sudden shift in Bai Yueguang's attitude puzzled Lu Luo. Everything was fine a moment ago. Why did her demeanor suddenly turn so hostile after a brief chat?

"We're almost there. Come on, follow me."

Lu Luo followed Bai Yueguang to a rather inconspicuous manor building. She entered first, activated a small mechanism, and retrieved a large key from a hidden compartment. It looked somewhat like a key for a main gate.

Lu Luo observed all of this; the girl didn't seem to intend to hide the mechanism.

"Stop staring. This is the key to our family's inner gate," she said. "It's useless for you to look. Without our family's bloodline, you can't open the gate."

"I see. Why didn't you ask me to look away then?" Lu Luo asked. "It's probably not good for me to know your family's secret like this."

After Lu Luo spoke, Bai Yueguang suddenly fell silent.

"It's better that you know," she said finally. "Lest the day comes when the Bai Family is no more, and no one else knows the secrets here."

The topic had suddenly taken a melancholic turn.

Lu Luo could sense her emotional pain and didn't blame Bai Yueguang for her volatile mood. She was only fourteen, in the prime of her youth, a time of limitless promise. Yet, because of her intelligence, she understood her family's plight. She even knew of their impending doom and had no means to resist it. Living under such circumstances must be incredibly despairing! Lu Luo couldn't truly fathom such despair, so he could only silently acknowledge her feelings.

"If you're not feeling well, you can rest here for a bit," Lu Luo suggested.

The manor was so vast that they had already been walking for quite some time. Bai Yueguang was just an ordinary person, much like Bai Yuekui. After such a long walk, she was already slightly winded.

"No need. We're almost there."

Rejecting Lu Luo's suggestion, Bai Yueguang quickened her pace towards the depths of the manor. Since she didn't need to rest, Lu Luo naturally didn't press the issue.

Upon reaching the central villa of the manor, Bai Yueguang raised the key. It seemed to insert itself into thin air, sinking into a screen of light before slowly turning, deactivating a special energy barrier.

Perhaps this barrier is the true main gate of the Bai Family! Lu Luo thought. "This is the true heritage of a War God family!" he exclaimed.

"Hah! What good is a War God family?" Bai Yueguang scoffed. "Now it's just a bunch of us, isolated and alone. Even if the old man wants to buy some wine, he has to ask someone else to get it. It's such a hassle! You have no idea what kind of life our family leads these days!"

Bai Yueguang grumbled about her family once more. Lu Luo merely smiled, offering no comment on her assessment. One shouldn't preach to others about virtue without understanding their suffering. He hadn't experienced Bai Yueguang's life, so he couldn't judge.

Nevertheless, the scene before him heightened his anticipation for this long-hidden War God family.

"I'd really love to witness how powerful your family once was!" Lu Luo said.

"Heh, you'll see soon enough!"

Although Bai Yueguang constantly disparaged her family, Lu Luo could still sense the deep-seated pride within her—the pride of a Bai.