Something covered Lory's eyes. She could it was Zhao Li Xin's hand blocking her view as she could smell his familiar scent. Lory wasn't embarrassed by the scene as she had lived for twenty-seven years and in her world S** was not as taboo. She was only ten years old when she first caught someone doing it. The people she caught were Fargo and some girl she didn't know. Fargo was fast enough to stop and Fred covered her eyes like what Zhao Li Xin was doing. Fargo's action caused quite a commotion at the time and Fred was enraged. Lory was actually more shocked by Fred's anger than what Fargo and the girl were doing.
At fourteen, Lory caught her classmate and her boyfriend making out in the library. Lory was embarrassed at first but soon got immune and stopped blushing after she caught many people doing it in the library numerous times.
?
Things got worse when she runaway from Cestine palace. She frequented many sketchy places like private clubs and night bars to either get illegal information or to look for tipsters. She saw many things over the years that she stopped being shocked.
Chen Xi's actions were nothing to her but she didn't stop Zhao Li Xin from dragging her away from the dirty scene since he was worried.
"Who is Lao Min Na?" Chen Xi suddenly asked with a sultry voice.
Lory and Zhao Li Xin froze as it had been a while since they heard the name. Zhao Li Xin reluctantly decided to eavesdrop but it, unfortunately, meant he had to also hear the lewd voices and heavy panting tainting the air. Zhao Li Xin could barely hold in his disgust. Luckily the couple quickly finished.
The fornicating couple soon sat on the floor and leaned on a shelf in exhaustion. Chen Xi fixed her dress and hair and the man followed suit soon after.
"Lao Min Na is the master of the Immortal tower," the man answered. "The news says she saved the Imperial family of the Northern Kingdom and its Emperor became indebted to her thus he facilitated the growth of her sect in the northern region."
"That's amazing for a woman," Chen Xi gave a coy smile.
"She is. She's also the Third Prince of the Jiang Wei Kingdom's fiancée. It is also because of her that the Northern Kingdom, Liu Yan, gave his support and helped Jiang Wei's Kingdom financial problem. The Jiang Wei Kingdom's Emperor is now dotting on Lao Min Na and the Third Prince to the moon and back. There's a high chance Zhao Yi Chen would be the next Emperor of Jiang Wei."
"Is this why the Emperor asked Lao Min Na for assistance to counter the Hei Shen Sect? I thought the Heavenly Jade Pavilion would solve the problem?"
The young official shook his head, "I don't know what happened but there's tension between the Heavenly Jade Pavilion and the Emperor. They now have the same opponent, the Hei Shen Sect, but who knows what would happen after??"
"This political matter is exhausting. I don't know why you men like it so much," Chen Xi pursed her lips, held the young man's hand, and pressed her chest on him. She shot him a seductive smile which made the young man excited once again.
"This is why it is a man's job. It is not for a beautiful thing like you to be concerned," The young man lovingly pinched Cheng Xi's chin.
Chen Xi hid her face in the young man's arms before he spun her and locked her in his embrace. Chen Xi giggles made the young man's heart flutter.
"Do you think Lao Min Na would agree to the Emperor's request?" She pushed her back to the man's chest.
"I don't know… No one dares to go against the Hei Shen Sect but I heard the Emperor has something Lao Min Na wants."
"What is it?" Chen Xi was curious.
"I don't know but I know what I want right now!" He kissed Chen Xi's nape. She giggled softly and they soon started kissing before going for the second round.
Zhao Li Xin had seen and heard enough. He quickly dragged Lory out from the library. It took them a few minutes to return to the garden. The shadow guards had already disappeared but they left an amazingly clean and neat garden as even the stone lamp was brushed without a single speck of dirt. Lory slightly felt perplexed. Their work was an overkill. How could she explain it to others?
She decided to ignore it and focus on what was on her mind, "Do you know what Lao Min Na has been up to all this time?"
"Pretty much," Zhao Li Xin said with indifference. He was paying attention to Lao Min Na and Zhao Yi Chen for a while as they were the last real threat from his Kingdom. He kept an eye on them mostly due to Lao Min Na's insatiable greed and hunger for wealth and power. She would swallow the world if she could. Lao Min Na also had better talent and wits compared to Zhao Yi Chen. It was not weird for her to gain the opportunity to save the Northern Emperor and make him owe her.
Lao Min Na had gathered the alchemist society and created the immortal tower to compete with the White Dragon Palace. She made it seem like it was a righteous cause to rise against the power monopoly of the White Dragon Palace to control the price of drugs in the market. However, the truth was his Palace never intended to monopolize the alchemist in the world. It was a coincidence the pills and elixirs from his Palace were better and cheaper than the normal pills and elixirs in the market. This was why people painstakingly wanted to join the White Dragon Palace.
Jin Hao was a nerd whose hobby was mostly research and finding rare pill and elixir formulas. He never bothered with making profits, in fact, it was only Wu San Bo who really cared about making money. Jin Hao was a nerd, Bei Li Yan was a free spirit, Jiang Jin Wei was an upright General while Zhao Li Xin...he had the odd luck of always finding treasure… Zhao Li Xin's ring had more wealth than what could be spent in seven lifetimes but he never cared about it.
"You know what Lao Mi Na has been doing lately? About the Northern Kingdom…? What do you think about it?" Lory was rather anxious. There was something about Lao Min Na that always made her uneasy.
"She wants to make Zhao Yi Chen Jiang Wei Kingdom's next Emperor, but the condition of the Kingdom has not been well," Zhao Li Xin answered.
"Because of you…?" Lory guessed.
"More or less…" He did not admit or deny it. "To immediately relieve the problem, you first need a large amount of money. This means they would need a loan, a big one, and fast. But who would want to give them so much money without benefiting? Jiang Wei surely doesn't have much to offer."
"He said she saved the Emperor of Liu Yan... It's quite a remarkable coincidence," Lory rubbed her lips with deep thought.
"Is it?" Zhao Li Xin smirked. "The one Lao Min Na saved was Liu Yan's Emperor's favorite son who was bitten by a venomous snake when he was hunting. The young Prince fell into a coma and only had days to live. The alchemists and physicians in the Kingdom couldn't save him. They all gave up but then...Lao Min Na arrived."
"And the Prince was cured?" Lory's smile was cunning.
"Instantly…" Zhao Li Xin sneered. "She slapped the faces of the powerful Imperial alchemist and physicians in the Northern Kingdom and got the fame, power, and the money she needed."
"You think she planned this all?" Lory was stunned.
"Who knows…but I don't believe in coincidences."
"If she did…she's quite savvy…and cruel," Lory sighed.
"Indeed…"
"And now she has reached the Liangzu Kingdom. This is Ming Yue Yin's Kingdom. I wouldn't let Lao Min Na ruin this place," She clenched her fist as she was engulfed with anxiety. Lory didn't know what Lao Min Na wanted but she was certain it was nothing good.
"We won't," Zhao Li Xin embraced her. "She wants to fight against me… Let her try… Nothing would happen to you or anyone you care about as long as I live."
Lory wrapped her arms around his waist and inhaled his familiar scent of agarwood and pines. Her worries gradually subsided. She raised her head and looked at him. "Including you! I don't want anything bad to happen to you!"
Zhao Li Xin's eyes became gentle. Lory's heart still raced whenever he looked at her the way he did even when he was wearing a skin mask. Zhao Li Xin rested his chin on top of her head, "Nothing bad will happen to me. I promise!"
"I take your words," Lory smile widened as she pressed her face on Zhao Li Xin's strong chest. Her face became hot but her heart had never felt that warm.
Zhao Li Xin suddenly clicked his tongue with annoyance. He reluctantly pushed Lory from him, "She's coming…"
Lory's still had a dazed look which only made Zhao Li Xin more reluctant to push her away, but then she heard footsteps moving towards them. It was Chen Xi with two young maids behind her. Lory wondered why each of them looked arrogant.
Chen Xi thought Lory and Zhao Li Xin couldn't finish their job. This was a normal prank they played on new servants to intimidate them and make them more obedient to her and to bully them. The scene that greeted her when she returned stunned her as the garden was very clean. She had never seen the garden as clean before. She stared at Lory with a dubious look but she couldn't prove someone helped them and if there were any… Who would want to help lowly servants like them?
Lory looked down with a docile and timid look while Zhao Li Xin…well he looked…flat.
Chen Xi couldn't point out any mistake. She bit her lower lips and gritted her teeth, "It...looks clean."
Lory's face stiffened, 'I wish I could say the same about you!'
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