General Fu's group was too shocked and scared to leave their hiding. There were more scared of what they saw than they were of the beasts and monsters. The man in front of them was not normal. They wondered if he was even human or if it was possible for a human to be that powerful.
General Fu's hand trembled. He knew the man was strong but the word strong was not enough to describe him. He wondered about the man's real identity and why he was in the tomb.
?
"LI XIN!" Lory ran towards him and embraced him without any hesitation. Her reckless behavior frightened everyone. They all heaved with relief when she seemed alright. Zhao Li Xin's mouth curved unconsciously when her small hands wrap around his neck.
"Are you alright?" Lory's heart started to race when she saw him standing in the fire alone. It was like a bad premonition to her.
Zhao Li Xin wrapped her wrists tightly with his hands and pulled her up slightly until her feet dangled above the ground. He buried his face in her neck and inhaled her unique scent, "I'm fine. You worry too much."
"Aww… Look at that...dog food," Bei Li Yan smiled yet his expression was half happy and half annoyed.
"Get used to it," Mong Ki said indifferently.
"Really?" Bei Li Yan was stupefied.
"And more will come!" Mong Yi added.
"What have I missed? I need to stay at Xinjing manor!" Bei Li Yan asked eagerly.
"We both need to," Jin Hao agreed. He was also curious to see their lord's new side as he interacted with Luo Ri Yi.
General Fu saw the intimacy between Zhao Li Xin and Luo Ri Yi and quickly concluded their relationship wasn't shallow. Then again, Zhao Li Xin seemed to be the type of person who would not waste his time with insignificant people, especially if they were women. Such a powerful man could choose any woman he desired yet he chose a woman like Lory. He won't be surprised if his Emperor threw one of his daughters at the man if he got to know there was such a powerful man like him in the Kingdom.
Ming Ru Yi eyes twinkled like stars when she gazed at Zhao Li Xin. Her feeling for Zhao Li Xin grew from a simple crush. She now wanted more than his attention. She wanted his heart and his power mostly. No one, not even the Emperor, would dare go against her if she had him by her side. Everyone would have to kneel by her feet and it would be a marvelous sight.
The only problem with Ming Ru Yi achieving her dream lay with the woman in his embrace. The woman was ugly with no cultivation or background. The weak woman must have played some tricks to gain the love of the attractive man. Ming Ru Yi decided she needed to get rid of the woman as she couldn't let her stand in her way.
Ming Ru Yi's eyes were filled with malice as she glared viciously at Lory. Zhao Li Xin was quick to realize her glare. He was raised inside the imperial palace and could easily tell what Ming Ru Yi's look conveyed. He turned to look at Ming Ru Yi and she suddenly felt like her chest was hit by a mountain. She staggered a few steps and fell on her knees while vomiting blood.
"Princess!" The young master beside her caught her before she fell face-first on the ground.
General Fu was bewildered as the Princess who was fine before now looked faint. He unconsciously shifted his gaze to Zhao Li Xin. The man was still embracing his woman. Half of Zhao Li Xin's face was hidden by Lory's shoulder but his eyes looked at General Fu viciously.
General Fu's back was covered by cold sweat. The air in his lungs became cold as he understood Zhao Li Xin's warning to him and Ming Ru Yi. Zhao Li Xin won't hesitate to kill Ming Ru Yi if she hurt his woman. General Fu nodded slightly to show he would make sure the princess stayed away from Lory. He knew Zhao Li Xin was not bluffing. The man wouldn't have a problem slaughtering him if you were to judge him from his eyes.
"What's wrong with her?" Lory was confused when Ming Ru Yi kneeled on the floor with a dreadful look. No one answered her question. Zhao Li Xin only smiled gently to convince her to trust him. Lory understood what he meant and didn't ask further.
"Let's go," Zhao Li Xin said calmly as he held Lory's hand to guide her.
Bei Li Yan and the others followed their lord but not before Bei Li Yan smirked at Ming Ru Yi like she was a fool. He thought the woman was a moron to think she could easily be Zhao Li Xin's woman.
Although Ming Ru Yi was half-conscious, she was able to see Bei Li Yan smile at her with ridicule. She didn't understand why Zhao Li Xin and his people hated her. Zhao Li Xin almost killed her because she glared at the weak woman. She gritted her teeth and pressed her hand to her tight chest. It was the first time for her to hurt and it was all because of the weak woman.
Lory, on the other hand, didn't realize the immense hatred that Ming Ru Yi directed her way as she quickly forgot the princess. Her head was occupied with finding the brat inside the tomb, what Arthea planned and the role Lory had to play in this world.
"Are you worried?" Zhao Li Xin thought she was still anxious about the beasts' fight. She had seen so many gruesome scenes in a short period of time.
Lory playfully swung their hands and joked, "I'm having fun. You are such a worrywart."
"If I don't worry about you then who should I worry about?" Zhao Li Xin smiled at her.
Lory blushed a little and said shyly, "Well… Thank you!"
"Do you know where the person you need to find is?" Zhao Li Xin wondered why Lory insisted on finding the brat, as he called her. He knew Lory was not troublesome and was also quite sensible, so her insistence on visiting the ancient tomb came as a surprise to him.
Lory tilted her head and thought seriously, "My guess is she is near the tree General Fu was talking about."
"The treasure tree…?" Zhao Li Xin was startled by her answer.
"Is that what it is called?" Lory giggled softly. The name was too…profound.
"That's how I call it…" Zhao Li Xin answered casually.
It was not like she had a better name for the tree. Zhao Li Xin and his group walked for about an hour and the cave was getting wider and larger with stalactite hanging from the ceiling. They could hear the water dripping from the ceiling with a monotone sound. The inside of the cave was quite chilly than they initially thought. Mong Ki led the group with a torch in his hand and Mong Yi guarded the rear with another torch.
"Something is happening ahead," Zhao Li Xin halted his steps and listened in.
"I think someone is fighting," Jin Hao said.
"Put out the torch!" Zhao Li Xin commanded the Mong brothers and they did with one hand swing.
Zhao Li Xin pulled Lory close to him as he didn't want to lose her in the darkness. Lory was not like other cultivators whose five senses were enhanced by cultivation. The Mong brothers, Jin Hao and Bei Li Yan moved ahead to see the situation with Zhao Li Xin and Lory at the back.
They hid behind the big stones. The Heavenly Jade Pavilion and other sect members were fighting below them with a pack wolves. The wolves were three-times bigger than normal wolves with short black fur.
The Heavenly Jade Pavilion members' number had reduced significantly since entering the tomb. Their clothes were not as clean and neat as before. You could tell they had a tough time from the stained torn clothes. The other sect also looked exhausted and wounded.
"Should we help?" Lory asked Zhao Li Xin.
"No. They would not help us either if we were in their position," Zhao Li Xin said with indifference as he watched them desperately fight the wolf pack.
"And they all come for the treasure inside the tomb. Do you think they would want to share it with us once they find it? It is better it is for us if the number of people looking for it is reduced."
Lory sighed deeply. Although it sounded cruel, she knew he was not wrong. Her biggest flaw was that she was too soft. Fred and the others always reprimanded her about this trait in the past. She could never comprehend how far people were willing to go to satisfy their greed or to accumulate more power.
The reason why she easily got away from trouble was because Lucas and everyone else protected her well. Her father and his Archknight Commander Zargan had to protect her behind her back many times and would use their connections to keep her safe. She only got to learn the depth of their protection when the war came and the protection stopped.
Lory was ashamed when she thought of it. It seemed like she had yet to learn anything after all these years. She had to change or she would trouble Zhao Li Xin like she troubled her family and friends. Fredhard's words came to mind, 'It is good to look at the best in people, but as a leader, you can't ignore what lies deep inside a human's heart'.
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