《Romance Of Flame And Ice》 Chapter 1 - The Night Shift "Hey, Yu Yan" An Ke shouts trying to wake yu yan up from her deep sleep. "What is it, I haven''t slept for twenty good hours so please just let me be," Yu Yan mumbled as she shifted from one position to another on the bunk bed. "I really hate having to wake you up every time, why is it so bloody hard to wake you ?" An Ke complained sighing in annoyance. "I don''t know, just let me sleep in peace please, I am very tired," Yu Yan mumbled in response, still half asleep. "There is an emergency patient in the emergency department and you are the surgeon in-charge today, you have to wake up," An Ke insisted Yu yan quickly sprung up from the bed, she grabbed her white coat and packed her hair into a ponytail as fast as she could. "Why didn''t you say that sooner?" she ran downstairs as quickly as she could with her best friend An Ke running behind her. She arrived at the emergency department after taking the elevator to the first floor and running into the emergency department with An Ke still struggling to catch up with her. When she got to the emergency department, she scanned around for a patient who was still left unattended to, then her eyes caught a patient who was being examined by one of the nurses, she quickly rushes towards him. "Give me his update", Yu Yan said to the nurse she saw examining the patient. "The patient is a 40-year-old man, he was brought in by his wife, he passed out due to liver cirrhosis caused by excess drinking" Song Yi a nurse in her 40''s replied. "What of his blood pressure and pulse rate," Yu Yan asked as she tore apart his shirt and applied pressure to his abdomen, she figured out that the swelling in his abdomen was severe, from the feeling and the swelling in his abdomen, she had already made a diagnosis. "His blood pressure has just increased from 129 mmHg to 135 mmHg, his pulse rate is above 150" Nurse Song Yi answered "Schedule him for immediate surgery, we will have to perform laparoscopy and paracentesis on him and then wait for a liver donor, where is his wife?" Yu Yan asked while scanning the surrounding for his wife. "She is at the reception" she replied as she prepared the patient for surgery. Yu yan rushes to the reception to inform the patient guardian about the surgery when she got to the reception, she only saw one woman in the reception so she assumed that she is the patient''s wife. She was pacing about frantically while rubbing her palms together and ruffling her hair anxiously. She walks up to the woman with a smile to reassure the patient''s guardian. "Ma''am your husband has liver cirrhosis which has led to ascites in the abdominal cavity, we would need to carry out a liver laparoscopy and paracentesis, to do that you need to give us your permission," Yu Yan informed as soon as she got her, the woman was quite startled when she suddenly appeared in front of her. "Are there any risk involved with the surgery?" the patient''s wife who was now confused not knowing how to decide asked. "There is some risk such as infection, damage to internal organs and blood clot but don''t worry ma''am you can trust me I will try my best, there are no major or serious risk associated with the surgery" Yu Yan replied She knew that she had no other choice but to trust this doctor who has promised to do her best for her husband, so she decided to trust her. "Ok, I agree " she replied Yu Yan signalled to the nurse at the reception to give her the document the guardian needed to sign for the surgery to the place, the nurse passed it to her then she gave them to the patient''s guardian to the documents to sign. After confirming the guardian''s permission, she hurried into the changing room to change into her surgical gown, then she scrubbed her hands and she proceeded into the surgery room. Before she could enter the operation, she was held back by An Ke, she turned back to see who it was that was holding her gown. "You don''t have an assisting surgeon how are you going to perform the surgery all by yourself, you are a general surgeon, not a hepatologist," An Ke said with concerned written on her face. "Don''t worry it is a simple procedure for even a general surgeon, I can still do this with my eyes closed, if only you were not suspended from surgeries you could have assisted me but now that you can''t there is nothing else we can do about it" Yu Yan replied and smiled confidently "Alright but be careful," An Ke who was putting on a worried face said, then Yu Yan nodded her head and entered the operation room with her hands raised upward. With only nurse Song Yi there to assist her she began the surgery, she made an incision below the belly button and inserts the cannula to inflate the abdomen. "It seems like his ascites is far worse than we thought, are you okay Yu Yan," Nurse Song Yi asked with her eyes fixed on Yu Yan who was still examining the area of surgery. "I am okay, I will move on to perform the paracentesis, pass me the paracentesis catheter," Yu Yan said, then she stretched her hand forward. Nurse Song Yi passed the catheter to her then Yu Yan connects it to the drainage bag after draining the fluids in the peritoneal cavity, she proceeds with the remaining steps of the surgery. After two hours, she completed the main part of the surgery, then she left nurse Song Yi to stitch the cut and transfer the patient to the intensive care unit. As soon as she exited the operation room after washing her hand, she saw the patient''s wife who was pacing frantically in front of the operation room, she walked up to her even before she noticed that she was already out. "The surgery went well, however, all we did was fix the temporary problem your husband still needs a liver transplant," Yu Yan said with a reassuring smile on her face. "Liver transplant! when can his surgery be scheduled?" She was expecting that her husband''s condition might escalate to that point but she still prayed it wouldn''t reach that point. "Ma''am it depends on when we find a donor for him, although his condition has gotten better without an immediate liver transplant the paracentesis will have to go on for a while and the worst situation could end up happening, so if you have any connection in this hospital or other ones it is time for you to use it because it takes a long time to find a liver donor," Yu Yan advised "Ok doctor, thanks for your effort," she said as she bowed her head to thank yu yan "There is no need to thank me it is my pleasure and my duty ma''am," Yu Yan responded, then she walked away. She went back to the reception where she found An Ke already asleep, she taps her shoulder in an attempt to wake her up. An Ke wakes up and is surprised to see yu yan standing in front of her. "Are you done?" An Ke asked as she fully opens her eyes reluctantly. "As you can see" Yu Yan replied, then she took her seat next to An Ke. "I don''t how it is possible that you are the only working general surgeon in our team at this time, my presence here is basically just for decoration," An Ke complained with annoyance echoing in her voice. "Although it isn''t fair to me, they are only helping me become better, if Chen Kai was here, he would have helped me even if he is not on a night shift," Yu Yan said with a hint of longing in her tone. "Well this is indeed the perfect time to miss that boyfriend of yours," she remarked "What I need right now is sleep, I am off to bed," she yawned then she stood up from her seat to leave the reception. "I am coming with you" An Ke shouted behind her On their way, they met the patient''s wife who was about to leave the hospital, she thanked both of them and walks away. Nurse Song Yi who has already transferred the patient passed her night shift to another nurse and made her way upstairs to sleep. Chapter 2 - Yu Yan Yu yan opened her eyes and stretched her hands, that was definitely the most satisfying sleep she has gotten for the past three days, she went downstairs and looked around, as usual, the hospital was once again filled with patients and of course, she wasn''t surprised by the rowdiness in the emergency department. She had been working in the hospital for seven years and she has never attended to less than twenty patients in a day. It requires lots of competition to get a job in Chen Affiliated hospital. Most of the doctors and surgeons got their positions due to their connections but for people like her, they have to climb up to their position using their skills. Yu yan graduated from Peking University as one of the top students, this made her qualified to become a doctor in the hospital, she is known for her speed in performing surgeries and her ability in diagnosing patients quickly. In the general surgery department, she is known to be the best surgeon following her boyfriend Chen Kai, who is the son of the CEO of Chen affiliated company. Her best friend An Ke is a general surgeon who attended the same university with her, she could have had a higher position in the hospital using her parent''s connection but like Yu Yan, she wanted to enter the hospital using her own abilities. Yu yan heard a voice behind her and looked back, her face immediately turned downcast mixed with a surprised expression when she saw the person calling her. "Yu Yan, come to my office now," Mrs Nanjing ordered, she was surprised to see her team leader in the hospital by that time. She went with her team leader into the office and closed the door behind her, she was hoping that she hasn''t made any mistake that would make the team leader suspend her from performing surgeries or make her work overtime. "I was reading the log but I noticed that you performed an abdominal surgery yesterday," Mrs Nanjing said with a serious expression on her face which made Yu Yan feel uneasy. "Yes, team leader, it was an emergency patient so I had to perform the surgery alone along with nurse Song Yi assisting me, I would have performed the surgery with An Ke as my assisting surgeon since the surgical crew were all busy but you had already suspended her from performing surgeries" Yu Yan replied "That shouldn''t be, Xiaomeng was also on a night shift yesterday, didn''t she stay for her night shift, how is it possible that you were left alone to deal with the emergency patients," her team leader who was now enraged asked her, Mrs Nanjing is known for her strict rules when it comes to punctuality and attendance, so everyone under her leadership was always careful not to violate her rules. "I don''t think she was aware of that" Yu Yan said in an attempt to save Xiaomeng from the fury of their team leader. "I understand you may leave," she said, she placed her elbow on the table in front of her and rubbed her forehead. Yu yan was about to leave when she called her back and asked her to call Xiaomeng on her way out. Yu yan entered into the office shared by her, An Ke, Xiaomeng and Li Chen. "The team leader wants you in her office," Yu Yan said as she took her seat in front of her desk. Xiaomeng didn''t bother to look at her when she entered, she just stood up from her seat and left the office. She knocked on the door, then after receiving the permission to enter, she entered the office and shut the door behind her. "Team Leader" Xiaomeng greeted but Mrs Nanjing didn''t reciprocate the greeting which made Xiaomeng realize that she was probably in trouble or Yu Yan had complained about her. "Why were you not present for the night shift yesterday," Mrs Nanjing asked with a frown on her face. "Team leader I left a note on your table to inform you that I have an important appointment with my family yesterday so I thought you might have replaced me with someone else" Xiaomeng replied "So, you think a note is enough to ask for an excuse are you not supposed to tell me yourself, how can you be sure that I saw the note" Mrs Nanjing said raising her voice, everyone outside the office shifted their attention to what was happening inside the office, they were wondering who had triggered the angry side of the team leader. "I am sorry " Xiaomeng who was now in an awkward position said with her head slightly cowered. "You may leave, " Mrs Nanjing said then she picked up some charts on the table and focused her eyes on them making Xiaomeng seem insignificant, she wasn''t happy with the way the team leader treated her after all. she is someone with connections but she knew that she was lucky that she wasn''t going to pursue the matter anymore which seemed like a miracle to her. Xiaomeng went back into the office looking angry, they all looked at her knowing that she must have been scolded by the team leader. "What was that all about," An Ke asked Yu Yan with curiosity written on her face. "I just knew you were going to ask, she was supposed to be on a night shift yesterday but she didn''t stay behind so I guess she got scolded by the team leader" Yu Yan whispered to An Ke; "Ooh seems typical of her well I guess she is going to hold another grudge against you" An Ke whispered back While they were still talking a nurse came in. "Doctor Yu Yan a woman is here to see you" the nurse announced "Did she tell you her name or the reason she wants to see me?" Yu Yan asked as she was not expecting anyone, at least not so early. "She says she is the guardian of the patient you performed an operation on last night" the nurse replied "ooh, I will be out in a minute " Yu Yan replied, then the nurse left the office, she organised her table and left the office. "Who is she talking about?," Li Chen asked "There is a woman who came in yesterday with her husband who had liver cirrhosis" An Ke answered. "I don''t think she has gone home for the past three days now, she must be feeling really tired by now". "Like she is the only one who performs all the surgeries in this department," Xiaomeng who was now irritated by Li Chen comment said sarcastically "We all know she is the best general surgeon in this hospital, not to talk of specialists surgeons" Li Chen replied "She might be the best but what use is it when she will never get acknowledged" Xiaomeng replied "We all know you have been jealous of her since you started working here since you came here using your mother''s influence as one of the board of directors you wouldn''t know what it is to work hard in order to achieve great things," An Ke said with mockery echoing in her voice. Angered by An Ke words, she stormed out of the office. At the reception, Yu Yan finds the woman, she takes her into her husband''s room. "I will put you on the waiting list for a liver donor but you will do yourself a favour by making extra effort, the number of people we have on the waiting list is far too much and I don''t think you husband can wait until then," Yu Yan said "How long do we have to find a donor," she asked with worry etched on every area of her face. "Within three months he needs liver transplant" Yu Yan replied "Thank you, doctor," the woman said as she held both of Yu yan''s hands. They both went out of the room and yu yan escorted her to the hospital entrance, then she returned to her office. "How did your discussion go?," Li Chen asked, "Her husband needs a liver transplant as soon as possible without the transplant he would have to continue undergoing paracentesis until the transplant" Yu Yan replied then she sighed heavily. "I think you should transfer the patient case to the hepatology department," Li Chen said "I was just about to ask nurse Song to send his chart to the hepatology department" Yu Yan replied. She looked around then she noticed that Xiaomeng was not in the office. "Where did Xiaomeng go?" she asked. "There was a little argument between her and An Ke" Li Chen replied then he turned to look at An Ke with an accusing glare. "Why are you looking at me? she just got angry for no reason and left," An Ke defended knowing that Li Chen was looking at her to make her feel guilty. "Obviously I am the one she doesn''t like but the both of you argue more than we do," Yu Yan said. "ooh, so that makes me the villain for getting into an argument with her by defending you" An Ke replied sarcastically. Chapter 3 - Coming Home "It is lunchtime, are you guys not eating, " Li Chen asks as he stood up from his seat and grabbed his meal card from his wallet, then he pulled off his white coat and hanged it on the hanger. "I don''t think there is a day you have ever skipped lunch Li Chen, " An Ke says as she grabs her phone and stands up after putting the patient''s chart she was examining on the table inside her drawer and put off her white coat. "I wonder how he keeps himself in shape when he eats so much," Yu Yan said in support of An Ke statement, the two of them have always enjoyed teasing Li Chen with his habit of eating constantly. "There are some days when I skip lunch, if I don''t eat on time I won''t feel energetic and I won''t be able to think about anything so please let me eat in peace, " Li Chen said in defence. "When ?" both An Ke and Yu Yan chorused "When I am operating or attending to patients, I always skip my lunch but right now I am free so why shouldn''t I eat, we need to grab the opportunity when we find it, not every day can be like this," Li Chen responded, as soon as he answered they both roll their eyes at him. "That is when you have no choice," Yu yan said and they all walk out of the office. They entered the canteen then they walked to the counter to make their orders, then they waited at the end of the counter for their food which is served in plates and arranged inside a tray, after picking up their food, they walked to a table with four chairs surrounding it. "I am getting four days leave from tomorrow, " An Ke said to break the silence ten minutes after they started eating. "That''s great since Jia yu, Ji Chen and Meng Yao are coming back from the training why don''t we all take the day off when they come back, then we can throw a party at Jia Yu''s villa just like old times," Li Chen said, he seemed excited at the idea he just brought forward. "That is great it''s been years since we saw each other last" Yu Yan said as she finished her food and pushed the tray aside to focus her attention on the conversation they were having. "We all graduated from the same university, even if we haven''t seen each for a long time, I am glad we are still very close," An Ke remarked sentimentally "So, when are they coming back," Yu Yan asked with a quizzical look on her face. "Next tomorrow which is on Friday " Li Chen answered as he finishes the last bit of his lunch. "that''s great, I don''t think I have a night shift on that day," Yu Yan said "We should better hope there is no emergency situation that will require our presence on that day or else, our dream of partying would be crushed," An Ke added. "Let''s just hope that doesn''t happen, we should inform Jia Yu about the party since we have to use her villa," Li Chen said, after discussing for a while, they stood up and left the canteen. On their way back to the office Yu Yan asked a nurse to follow her to her office, as soon as they entered, Yu Yan sat down on her chair and brought out a chart from her drawer. "Please help me pass this to surgeon Ding Ying in the hepatology department," Yu Yan asked in a very polite manner unlike other surgeons as she always does, then she handed the chart to the nurse. "Alright," the nurse replied then she left the office. "I really hope she finds a donor as quickly as she can," An Ke remarked with a concerned look on her face. "I hope so too, all I can do is help her check with the donation committee constantly in case there is a chance of getting a liver donor but I don''t think that option is feasible for now, there are many patients in this hospital who are in need of a liver donor," Yu Yan said. -------------------------- After she got off work in the evening, she returns home on a bus due to her car breakdown, she entered the elevator bringing her to her apartment, as soon as she entered the house, she sniffed her nose when she smelt the delicious aroma of her mom''s food. She entered the kitchen but she couldn''t see her mom there then she entered the dining room where she saw her mum setting the table, she stood at the entrance of the dining room for her while she watched her mom setting the table, her mother was too busy setting the table to realize that she had already entered the house. She was about to return to the kitchen when she saw Huo Ying standing at the entrance of the dining room, she screamed when she saw Huo Ying since she wasn''t expecting to see her there. "Mom, it''s me," Yu Yan said when she saw her mom scared out of her wits "Why didn''t you make a sound or tell me that you had returned, do you know how scared I was just now?" her mother complained, she walked up to her and hugged her tightly. "Why didn''t you tell me you were coming home tonight, you haven''t been home for three to four days now and you weren''t picking my calls," her mom asked with a frown on her face, then Yu Yan released her. "Mom, I am sorry I was too preoccupied to see your calls, I had many surgeries to perform this week and many patients to check on," Yu Yan replied with an apologetic expression on her face. "Alright, go get changed," her mom said She entered into her room and dropped her bag on her bed, she took a shower and came out in her pyjamas. "Where is dad?" she asks as she comes out of her room, "Your dad is sleeping, he came back thirty minutes before you did looking very tired " her mom answered with worry written on her face. "So, is there any food for me since I didn''t call before coming home?" she asked hoping her mother cooked enough food for the three of them. "You are lucky I cooked more than enough food or else you would have to go to bed with only instant noodles since you won''t want to cook" she replied "Thank God you cooked more than you needed to," Yu Yan said, then she sat on her seat. "Let me wake your dad up," her mum said as she removes her apron and walks to her room. The dining table is oval-shaped with five chairs, which was enough for the five of them, she is the only girl among three children. Both of her brothers were married, her eldest brother already had a set of twins, a boy and a girl while her second brother who had been married for only one year had no kids. Her mother returned with her dad who was surprised to see her. "You didn''t say you were coming home," her father said as he took his seat at the head of the table. "Well I was preoccupied so I forgot to tell you in advance, seems you both do not want me at home," she said wondering why they had asked the same question, "Of course I do, you haven''t come home for three days sweetie and I really miss you these days," her father said "You don''t know how many times you father called you yesterday to ask how you were doing, but I am sure you didn''t even check your phone so you wouldn''t know," her mother said in support of her father "You are right mum, I actually didn''t check my phone" Yu Yan replied Her mother removed the bones in the fish and puts it in her rice bowl, she looks at her mother and smiled, her father also followed suit and uses his chopstick to add Chinese cabbage to her rice. "You need to eat more you hardly come home," her dad said "Don''t worry dad, I rest in the hospital when I don''t have anyone to attend to," Yu Yan said with a broad smile on her face. "By the way, when is Chen Kai coming back from abroad," her mother asks "I think he should be back in the next two months" she replied as she stuffs her mouth with rice. "So, you are not sure," her mother asked looking concerned "Mum don''t worry about it he will be back soon," Yu Yan said to reassure her mother "I am not worried about him, I am worried about you if you two don''t communicate you might find it hard to be as close as you used to," her mother responded "Mum we just talked last week, I am sure he will call when he has the chance, it is not easy to contact others when you go for training abroad," she said to reassure her mum. "Your mum is just worried about your relationship," her dad said. "I know but I am sure everything is fine when he has the time he will call or text me," Yu Yan reassured, they finished eating and her mum stood up to pack the dishes. "Don''t worry mum I will do the dishes," she says as she tried to collect the plates from her mum. "You are going to work tomorrow so I will do the dishes why don''t you go to sleep," her mum said smiling. "Thanks, mum," she said as she and her dad retreated to their rooms, she went into the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face then she retired to her bed. Reminded by her mother''s statement she checked her phone for any messages or missed calls from Chen Kai, she was disappointed to see that there was none, she messaged him to call or text her when he is free then she dropped her phone on a small table close to her bed where her lamp was, then she switched off the light and slept. Chapter 4 - Emergency Patients She opened the door to Yu Yan room and switched on the light, she moved closer to her bedside, then she removed the duvet from her body. " Yu Yan are you not going to work today," her mum said as she tapped her shoulder?? " What is the time mum?" Yu Yan mumbled as she turned around on the bed and ruffled her hair, her mother looked at her and nodded her head, she becomes a totally different person when she is asleep but no one would have guessed that she would be like this when she is asleep. "This is 8''o clock, if you don''t wake up now, I will make sure you don''t eat anything before you go to work" her mum answered with a firm tone. "Mom, I still have two hours before I go to work, can''t you just leave me be," Yu Yan muttered, then she removed the sat up on her bed with her face scrunched together and her hair in a messy state. "No, I can''t, if you don''t stand up now and come to the dining in five minutes, don''t blame me if you have to go to work on an empty stomach," her mom said, then she walked out of the room. "You are just bullying me, I will leave this house and buy my own apartment, by then, you will be the ones begging me to live with you" Yu Yan shouted in frustration after her mother left her room. She reluctantly stood up from her bed and entered the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth then she left her room and entered the dining room, she wasn''t surprised to see the simple Chinese breakfast on the dining which is her mom usual style, she sat on her seat next to her dad and pushed her hair back with the bunny band on her hair. "How was your night sweetie," her dad asked with a doting smile on his face, "It would have been perfect if mom didn''t come to wake me up like a student who has to go to school" Yu Yan complained with her mouth pouted. "Why did you do that honey, she has a sense of time now that she is a surgeon, you shouldn''t have disturbed her, what if she doesn''t have any chance to sleep today" her dad replied. "But...wait, you are an adult but you are complaining to your dad, what kind of surgeon are you?" her mother replied "Mom, you always say I am an adult but you won''t let me move out, you are still treating me as the last born," Yu Yan complained then she stuffs her mouth with a fried dough stick. "Why do you want to move out, if you move out then who should your mum and I stay with?" her dad replied with a sad look on his face "But I can still visit you frequently or you can ask my brother to send your grandchildren here since he is busy with his company anyway," Yu Yan said "Alright, you can move out but not now," her dad said "Really!" Yu Yan screamed with excitement written on her face. "Of course but we have to prepare first," her dad responded "Are you two going to keep talking or eat your food silently?" her mother said in a strict voice , the both of them stopped talking for a while then Yu Yan suddenly broke the silence again. "That reminds me, dad are you having much work to do at work," she asked with a worried look on her face "No, why do you ask," her dad asked "Last night, mum told me you came back looking very tired" Yu Yan replied "ooh, last night, I had too many cases to handle so it was quite hectic for me," her dad said "You have to take care of yourself dad," she said looking deeply concerned "Don''t worry, I will look after myself," he said with a smile on his face to ease her worries. "The both of you are busy caring about each other but who is worried about me," her mum said in an envious manner "But you don''t go to work," Yu Yan replied "Do you think it is easy to stay at home alone, don''t you know what boredom is?" her mother answered. "If you say so then I guess you are right, you also have to be careful," she said with a fake worried look on her face, her mother knew that she was just teasing her but she couldn''t be bothered by her. "I have to leave for work now," her dad said then he stood up from the table leaving his leftover food on the table, then he picked up his bag from the floor beside him and walked towards the door. "Bye dad," she said waving at him. As soon as he left she also went back into her room to take her bath and dress up for work, she came out minutes later to find her mom washing the dishes, she stopped by to bid her goodbye. "I am leaving mom," she said, then her mom nodded her head in response. --------------------------- Before going to the hospital, she took a bus to the car repair centre where she left her car, she had a little discussion with the person she left in charge of her car, then she left the centre and drove to the hospital in her car. As she entered the hospital, she was greeted by few nurses and doctors she met on her way to her office, she was about to enter into her office when she was stopped by surgeon Ding Ying whom she had transferred the liver cirrhosis patient to. "I need speak with you" surgeon Ding Ying said to her "Alright, I have a few minutes to spare" "The patient you transferred to me yesterday is getting worse I don''t think he can last two months without a liver transplant," surgeon Ding Ying said with concern plastered on her face. " I thought he would be able to last that long, so I told the patient''s wife that he would be able to last until then, do you perhaps know anything you can do about his condition," Yu Yan asked, although she was no longer in charge of him, she still felt empathy towards his wife, she seemed hopeful when she told her that her husband still has some time before his condition worsens. "I wish i do but I don''t know how else I can sustain him, we have other VIP to take care of so I need his wife to get a liver donor as soon as possible or else, he won''t be able to last for long and I have tried calling his guardian but she isn''t picking" surgeon Ding Ying responded "I will try to contact her, she came here to see me yesterday so she might be back very soon," yu yan said, she knew that it wasn''t just about his condition but about the VIP patients, their hospital always gives more priority to the VIP patients and disregards the ordinary patients. "Please do that, I will leave you now" Surgeon Ding Ying said then she walked away. Yu Yan entered into the office and was surprised to see that she was the only one in the office, she dropped her bag on the table and replaced the jacket she was putting on with her white coat, then she glanced at her watch. "This is just ten past ten where are they," Yu Yan said, then she sat on her seat and was preparing to look at her patient''s chart but she was interrupted by nurse Song Yi who came running into the office. "There is a patient in the emergency department''s hospital needs your attention," the nurse said trying to catch her breath. "Why are you breathing heavily and where are the rest?'''' she asked with a puzzled look on her face "As early as 8''o clock in the morning we already had lots of patients swarming in and as a result, most of the surgeons and doctors are attending to the patients in the emergency department and intensive care unit, I have also been running around since I came to work" she answered in a perpetually tired voice. "Lead the way" Yu Yan said, she followed behind nurse Song Yi, they were about to enter the elevator but it was filled so they had to use the stairs after they arrived at the emergency department, nurse Song lead her to a patient who seemed to have difficulty breathing. " What happened to him," Yu Yan asked, she placed her stethoscope on his chest and listened to his heartbeat, then she removed it from his chest, she quickly wore an oxygen mask on him to aid his breathing. "He is a twelve-year-old child who was brought in by his parents, he complained of serious pain in his abdomen" she answered "Carry out an abdominal X-ray immediately" Yu Yan ordered, then nurse Song Yi immediately left to do as she said, she came back a few minutes later with the Xray result in her hand. "What does it say?" she asked as she collected the X-ray report from her and reads it. "He has few grains of rice in his appendix" the nurse answered "The grains have caused his appendix to burst and form an appendix mass, it has also caused peritonitis in the abdomen, we would need to perform an appendectomy and laparotomy immediately, prepare him for surgery" She instructed as she goes to inform the patient mother. She updates his mother on the cause of the pain and the surgery, as soon as she was done with this she goes into the dressing room to put on her scrub and proceeds to the operating room after washing her hands, she glanced around the operating room to confirm that everyone who was needed for the surgery was present. Other surgeons were busy so she had to perform the surgery without an assisting surgeon, she explained the surgery to those that were present then she announced the commencement of the surgery. After the patient was put under general anaesthesia, she began the surgery. She made a large cut in the lower right-hand side of the abdomen to remove the appendix, she goes on to perform the laparotomy, as soon as she was done with the laparotomy she stitches up the patient to conclude the surgery which lasted for one hour and thirty minutes. She came out of the operating room and met the patient''s mother who was waiting outside the operation room, she immediately sprung up from the chair she was sitting in as soon as she saw Yu Yan come out of the operating room. " How is he, surgeon?" she asked with an anxious look on her face even though she knew that the surgery was not a complicated and lengthy surgery. "The operation was successful, however, he would need to stay in the hospital for some days in order to allow us to follow his recovery and make sure there are no other complications, the removed appendix will be taken to the lab to check for cancer cells, as long as there isn''t then I don''t think we have anything to worry about," She said with a reassuring smile in order to give the patient mother a sense of security as she as always done. "Thank you, doctor," she said, "you are welcome" Yu Yan replied, then she walked away while the patient mother waited until the nurses brought her son out of the operation room and carried him into the recovery room. Yu yan went into the changing room and saw An Ke who has also just finished performing a surgery. "I thought I would have the opportunity to rest today but today turned out to be the exact opposite of how I thought it was going to be," An ke said as she changed into her white coat "I also feel the same way, I just entered the office and I was greeted with an appendectomy surgery," yu yan said as she put on her white coat, then both of them left the changing room at the same time. Chapter 5 - The Dream They went back into the emergency department and were relieved to see that most of the patients have been attended to and the only ones remaining only had minor injuries which could easily be taken care of by the nurses and first-year residents, they both retreated into their office after confirming that their attention wasn''t needed. "I am so tired," An Ke said as she sank into her chair and opened the bottle of water she had on her table and gulped it down noisily. "I haven''t gone home since yesterday and yet I haven''t sat down for a rest since yesterday night, there were so many patients, I have operated on five people within the time I stayed in the hospital" She continued, she walked up to where the water dispenser stood and poured more water into her bottle than she drank from it again. "Although this is my first surgery today I wasn''t expecting to perform surgery as soon as I arrive in the hospital, no one can really know what is waiting for them when they, arrive," Yu yan said as she laid her head on her table to sleep, she still wasn''t satisfied with the little sleep that she had gotten while she was at home, so she could only grasp this opportunity before someone bursts into the office for an emergency. An Ke sat down to look at the charts of her patients who are still in the middle of recovering, she smiled with satisfaction when she saw that most of the patients that had been under her care for some months now were finally getting discharged while the few that were remaining were still in the recovery phase, thankfully, she has been banned from performing surgeries for a week now so she didn''t have any new patients to look after, except for the one she just operated on after he suspension was lifted. She was about to share her week schedule with Yu Yan when she realized that she seemed to be asleep, she turned her chair to face her and gently poked her cheeks but she didn''t receive any response. "Are you seriously sleeping?" An Ke asked rhetorically, she hasn''t even gone home throughout for four days now and Yu Yan who had gotten the chance to rest at home yesterday was sleeping while she is still busy working. "I should be the one sleeping not you," she remarked as she continued with her work. . . . . . . . . She could see a girl whose face and appearance looked like hers, there was a glass separating the both of them ... Seemed like her but definitely not her "Who are you?" she asked as she couldn''t comprehend the facts of what she was seeing She seemed to be in a wide space and the floor had a glass-like appearance, she looked around to see where she was but she couldn''t recognise where she stood, she walked forward a little then she saw a huge and tall glass in front of her with a girl on the other side. On her side, there was nothing but white space and a white glass-like floor while on the girl side, it seemed like she is inside a cave and she was also talking to someone with pretty smiles on her face, she had a goddess-like an appearance as she was dressed in a red gown with wide sleeves and her pretty red hair fell on her shoulders and her back, she also a red sash decorated with eagle embroideries on her waist, When she turned to look at her, she noticed her red eyeballs, they were as red as her hair and her lips also had the same colour, but she looked very pretty. The girl seemed lively and happy but in the next minutes, everything changed.... She seemed terrified and full of fear, her eyes were widened as she turned back to the direction where she heard some footsteps. . . . . . . . . She was in tears and the terror on her face was too evident for anyone to ignore " Don''t come near me, Don''t...Don''t" the girl continually cried out This made Yu Yan even more confused, the girl seemed to be looking towards her direction but she was very sure that the girl wasn''t referring to her but to someone else "What do you mean?" she shouted " Don''t, it is too painful, please don''t use them on me?" the girl continued crying out When the footsteps also became evident to Yu Yan, she realized that someone was coming into the cave, she looked at the girl with pity but the glass separating them gave her no chance to help the girl The girl inside the cave looked towards the glass separating them, but the look on her eyes seemed like she had hope, she ran to the glass and started banging the glass but strangely she wasn''t feeling the impact on the other side as they girl banged the glass even though she was resting on the glass. "Please save me" she repeated as she banged the glass harder, she tried to calm the girl down but she just kept looking back and banging the glass separating them, She stretched her hands to the girl, she was even more bewildered seeing her hand penetrating through the glass, as the girl was about to touch her hand, she disappeared and everything on the other side of the glass disappeared leaving only darkness behind. "Come back, come back" yu yan shouted in her dream. She woke up from her sleep when she felt a tap on her shoulder, she looked up to realize who it was then she saw An Ke in front of her "Yu Yan who are you talking to," An Ke asked with a quizzical look on her face, She looked around to see everyone in the office staring at her strangely including Xiaomeng, she brushed the strands of hair that were scattered on the side of her face behind her ear. "It was just a dream " she answered, she rubbed her hands together and wiped her face to erase the traces of drowsiness that remained. "It must have been a weird one then considering the gibberish you were spewing in your sleep". Li Chen said playfully. "Well....it was indeed weird "Yu yan replied as she stood up from her seat to leave the office. She went to the intensive care unit and recovery room to check on the patients she was in charge of, she went to the intensive care unit first and then proceeded to the recovery room, the boy whom she had operated on was already awake, she checked his vital signs and when she was sure he was okay she went out of the recovery room. She just couldn''t stop thinking about the dream she had just had, it seemed too vivid for her to dismiss, she has had several dreams but this particular dream was realistic and disturbing... CRASH! She turned to look at the person she had just hit and alas it was the one person she would never wish to meet, the annoying managing director, Alan Chen. Alan Chen is the assistant director of the cardiology department and his father is the one of the most influential people in the board of directors, which is the reason why he was given such a high position at the age of thirty, he is also well known for his arrogant attitude but there is no one who despises him more than Yu Yan. "I am sorry I didn''t mean to hit you," Yu Yan hurriedly apologised, they both bent down to pick his phone which had fallen on the floor, she looked up to see his face almost touching hers. She looked away quickly then she stood up hurriedly and gave him his phone. "Thanks," he said smiling with his eyes fixed on her face. The smile he always gave her was what she hated the most about him, he always smiled at her in a seductive and yet displeasing way, he had been trying to woo her ever since she started working at the hospital but she had always ignored his feelings for her. "I need to go now," she hurried away without waiting for him to reply to her. ----------------------- An Ke decided to go to the cafe to grab a drink after doing her inpatient rounds, she ordered a cup of iced americano and looked around for a table to seat, she noticed a table which was at the corner of the cafe then she decided to sit there. She sips her drink with relish as she looks out of the glass walls of the cafe, she looked away when she noticed that there was nothing interesting to see, as soon as she looks away, she noticed a tall and handsome guy walking towards her, she couldn''t help but fixate her eyes on the guy. She felt like she was in a comic at that moment and a yellow bright glow was following him the male lead of the comic book as he walked towards her, he finally settled down on the seat opposite her holding a cup of iced americano, she felt paralysed the moment he sat beside her, she just kept staring at him until the guy decided to speak first... "Hi, I hope I am not disturbing your peace," he said smiling. She could see the two deep dimples etched on his cheeks as he smiled broadly, she finally got a grip of herself and snapped out of her fantasies. "ooh, no problem" She replied, she was giving it all her effort to hide the excitement she was feeling at that moment but she could hardly hold it in. "You have a beautiful name," he said then his eyes trailed to the ID card dangling on her chest, she was wondering how he knew her name so she looked at him strangely, when she saw him looking at her ID card, she realized where he had gotten her name from. "oh thanks," she responded shyly. "My name is Wang Li Wei, nice to meet you," he said as he extended his hand to her. She was delighted at the thought of touching his hands so she hurriedly stretched her hands and shakes him but she didn''t make her excitement too obvious. "Are you a staff or a patient?" she asked not sure if that was the right question to ask because he didn''t seem like a doctor. "I am not staff or a patient but I will soon become a surgeon here" he answered with a smile on his face. Really charming! "Really," she said smiling delightfully at the prospect of working in the same hospital with this prince seating in front of her. "Then what department will you be working in," she asked hurriedly. "I will be working in the department of neurosurgery " he replied, hearing his answer An Ke was disappointed, she was hoping he would be working in the department of general surgery, her disappointment was so obvious that he could see it written on her face. "What department do you belong to?" he asked softly. "If you already saw my name on my ID card then you should know I am a general surgeon," she lifted her ID card and answered. "What a pity, I was hoping we would be in the same department," he said softly with sadness echoing in his voice but she knew that it didn''t sound sincere. "Why would you want that, after all, we are just meeting for the first time," she asked giving him a quizzical look. "Well I just thought you seem interesting so it will be fun working with you" He replied She wasn''t sure of how to interpret his answer but her instinct told her it is a good thing that he thought of her in that way, she looked at her watch and realised it was past her break and she needed to return to the office. "I need to go now, I think we will be meeting very soon, bye," she said as she stood up taking her remaining americano with her, he smiled at her as she left and his eye followed her until she left the cafe. "She is quite interesting," he remarked as he also stood up to leave the cafe. Chapter 6 - Unrequited Love An Ke returns to the office smiling, she took her seat and started humming as she rolled her seat back and forth, the remaining three in the office looked at her wondering what good stuff had happened to her. "An Ke are you alright?" Yu Yan inquired with a quizzical look on her face as she watched her friend who seems like she had travelled to a fairyland. "Of course I am, I am more than alright," she answered still smiling, they were now convinced that something good must have happened to her, but the only thing that can make An Ke react like this is seeing guys that she can only dream of which they didn''t consider an option at that moment. "Where are you coming from," yu yan asked wanting to know the reason why her friend was smiling so delightfully but she knew that whatever the reason was for her happiness, it would definitely be something stupid. "I just went to the cafe to grab a drink," An Ke answered then she sat up in her chair. "Did something special happen while you were at the cafe," Li Chen asked curiously, An Ke couldn''t help but blush when she heard his question. "Since you guys are so curious about it, I will tell you. I met this unbelievably handsome guy in the cafe just now and he sat on my table" An Ke said with a broad smile on her face, as soon as they heard what she said, they all regretted the fact that they were so curious about it, what else can make An Ke seem like she is in fairyland when she is still very well awake. "So you are smiling this way just because of a guy you just met," Li Chen asked looking at her intensely with a slight frown on his face and a hint of jealousy in his voice. "You can''t understand, he just walked towards my table and started a conversation with me, his smile was so princely, I could hardly control myself in front of him," An Ke said, this time, they were wondering if she really controlled her self back there judging from how she was speaking. Hearing An Ke praise a guy she had just met made Li Chen jealous, he had a crush on An Ke since they were in university but she had never noticed his feelings for her and he couldn''t confess to her because he was afraid that if she doesn''t feel the same way then they would no longer be friends. "Guys like that are jerks you had better be careful," Li Chen said but he couldn''t hide his jealously from Yu Yan and Xiaomeng, they could see it from the look on his face that he was feeling extremely jealous at that moment. "Even if he is a jerk I still like him, as long as he is handsome," An Ke said, Yu Yan and Xiaoemgn were both at lost for words at how clueless An Ke was, it was really obvious that Li Chen is jealous but she wasn''t even taking the hint., she immediately decided to take action before Li Chen gets hurt than he already is. "An Ke, what Li Chen said is true you have to be extremely careful of guys like that, especially those with handsome faces," Yu Yan said with a concerned look on her face. "So are you saying that Li Chen is also a jerk since he is handsome too?, after all, his looks are not very inferior to the guy I just met," An Ke said bluntly, Yu Yan stared at her in disbelief, she was praising Li Chen but she wasn''t even flinching or being shy about it. "Then why don''t you like Li Chen?" Yu Yan asked, hoping that this question would bring them together. "Who said I don''t like him? of course I like him," An Ke replied with a straight face. "You...you like me" Li Chen stuttered "What are you guys talking about, of course, haven''t we been friends for a long time, if I don''t like you then who should like" An Ke replied. Xiaomeng kissed her teeth at her answer while Yu Yan tapped her forehead, they didn''t know that An Ke was talking about friendship so they were thinking that she really had feelings for Li Chen, He also had a disappointed expression on his face after hearing her answer but he still couldn''t yell at her and tell her the truth. "He also told me that he is going to start working in this hospital very soon but it is a pity that he would be working in the neurology department, " An Ke said with a downcast expression on her face. "WHAT!!! Li Chen exclaimed, he was dismayed at the thought of seeing this guy and An Ke in the hospital together. "Whatever you are thinking is just your imagination, even if he works here it doesn''t mean that he will take a liking to you, he might just be playing around with you, what kind of guy will fall in love with someone like you," Xiaomeng said to make An Ke angry after she saw the bitter expression on Li Chen''s face. " you...what is wrong with me? I am at least more pretty than you are," An Ke said, pointing her fingers at Xiaomeng as she stood up to confront her but was stopped by yu yan. "Is it worth it fighting because of a guy you barely know?" yu yan asked with a serious expression on her face, she felt that An Ke had gone too far, she wasn''t even concerned about Li Chen''s feelings, she herself knew how much he was hurt but she is totally clueless about it Li Chen was annoyed just seeing An Ke reacting that way over this unknown guy, she had always kept him in the friend zone and had never reacted that way because of him when he couldn''t stand it anymore, he stood up to leave the office in annoyance, Yu yan who was still trying to stop An Ke from fighting with Xiaomeng over her remark realised that Li Chen has already left the office, she knew that An Ke indifference to him must have made him angry She went after him to make him feel better, she saw him leaving the hospital so she quickly ran after him, when she arrived outside the building, she saw him sitting outside the hospital in the park. "Li Chen, what are you doing out here? " she asked, as she took her seat beside him. "Nothing I just felt stuffy in the office so I came out for fresh air," he said trying to hide his anger and the sadness he is feeling at the moment. "I know you are angry at An Ke," she said "Even you know how I feel about her but she doesn''t, I don''t realise why she can''t recognise my feelings for her all this time we have been together despite my effort to show it," Li Chen said with despair etched in his voice. "Li Chen I think you should try confessing to her maybe she will start seeing you as someone who is more than a friend," she said "I have tried telling her indirectly but she just dismisses as a joke, I am afraid to tell her directly because if she rejects me then we can''t be friends anymore," Li Chen said trying to hold back his emotions. " I know how you feel but if you don''t she will never be able to recognise the fact that you want to be more than a best buddy to her, and now that this unknown prince charming guy is going to work here then you might be having a competitor very soon so you need to summon the courage and just tell her how you feel," she said as she gently put her hand on his shoulder. "I will, thanks for your advice but don''t tell her anything about it until I am ready to tell her myself," he said. " Then let''s return to the office, hopefully, those two are not still arguing by the time we enter the office," she said with a smile to cheer him up. On their way back into the hospital, they met Alan Chen, the assistant director of the cardiology department. They both greeted him as they went past him but as soon as they went a step past him he stopped them and walked to their front. "Yu yan do you have free time this week, " Alan asked as he pocketed his phone, he is known for his habit of always using his phone while walking so it wasn''t new to them. "Assistant director, I don''t think I will be free anytime this week, " Yu yan said hoping to end the conversation. "How about I help you to create free time in this week schedule, I will like you to go on a date with me," he said hoping that she will respond positively, which she has never done. Hearing the assistant director''s request Li Chen scoffed, Alan Chen turned to face him with a dark expression on his face. "Did I just say something funny " Alan Chen asked with a serious look on his face. "Assistant Director, I am sure you know Yu yan already has a boyfriend even if he is abroad, for now, he will be returning soon, I don''t think it is right that you are asking a lady who has a boyfriend on a date," Li Chen said looking boldly into his face. "When you say boyfriend if you mean Chen Kai then you must be kidding, they are just temporary couples, after all, we both know that his parent will never allow them to be together, but as for me, I have the freedom to decide whoever I want to be with, so I am the real deal here not Chen Kai," Alan Chen said facing Yu yan, knowing that what he said was true Yu yan''s face turned downcast, she has always ignored that fact but know that he has mentioned it, the reality of her relationship with Chen Kai struck her again. "Thanks for your thoughtfulness but I have a lot to do this week I don''t think I will be able to go on a date with you," she said as she walked away with Li Chen walking behind her while Alan Chen stood on a spot as he watched her leave. Li Chen knew that she was bothered by what Alan Chen had said, what Alan said cant be considered as a lie because in reality the both of them loved each other very much but they have made every effort to make sure that Chen Kai''s parents never fins out about their relationship because his parent would never approve of her dating their son. "Yu yan don''t be bothered by what that asshole said," Li Chen said in an attempt to comfort her. "I know you are trying to comfort me but I am alright so don''t worry about me, think about what I said to you in the park and take actions as soon as possible," she said as they entered the office. "Where did the both go to," An Ke asked. " and why do you care?" Li Chen said in a hostile tone. "Why are you speaking like that I was only asking a question," An Ke. "Do you both have to argue the moment you see each other?" yu yan said to stop them from starting an argument. "Do you have to ask that is what An Ke is good at, starting an argument for no reason? " Xiaomeng said as she stood up to leave the office, Li Chen and Yu Yan were shocked, for the first time, they were both agreeing on the same thing. "Did you hear what she just said, that bitch is so annoying?" An Ke said in annoyance but was ignored by yu yan and Li Chen, she was angry at their reaction and stood up to leave the office. "Having a best friend who is hot-tempered is definitely not easy?" Yu yan said nodding her head, "That is definitely true and that is what I like about her," Li Chen said with a smile on his face. Chapter 7 - Unsecured Love The Chen family were very prominent, they had a wide range of connection in China, because of their influence most of the V.I.P patients in the hospital were high ranking military officers, politicians and prominent businessmen. They had always had high expectations for Chen Kai, he had to keep his relationship from his parents knowing that once they find out that he is dating a girl with an ordinary background they will make sure she disappears from his life. Yu yan was also aware of this fact but she loved Chen Kai so much that she didn''t want to think of what the future holds until it comes, while they were both in university they were competitors, they never met each other for a long time until they were both summoned to their lecturer''s office. The first time Chen Kai met Yu yan, he was infatuated with her beauty, he turned to look at the girl who had been competing with him for the first position, he was instantly mesmerised at the sight of her. She had an impeccable glossy skin and a decanter shaped figure, her crescent-shaped eyebrows looked down on her velvety eyelashes, she also possessed a dainty nose and shiny halo white teeth, her crescent-shaped eyebrow slightly inclined as she saw him staring at her, he quickly turned his face away. After the meeting with the lecturer he asked her for her name and WeChat, at first she was reluctant to tell him her name but he later succeeded in getting her contact and name, two months after their meeting he asked her out, by then she had already developed feeling for him so she accepted him. She found out about his family background one year after they started dating which caused them to break up for two months, she realised that her feelings for Chen Kai was stronger than she thought, so they got back together. After they graduated, they had both planned to work in the same hospital but Chen Kai parents made him go for medical training abroad for two years, even though he didn''t want to leave Yu Yan, he still had to go because of the pressure from his parent. Xiaomeng parents were just as influential as Chen Kai parents which made her a perfect match for him, they had known each other since they were young since their family had a close relationship, their parents had planned for them to get married to each other while they were in high school, they both attended the same school all through their childhood years, she also had feelings for Chen Kai but to him, she was like a younger sister and nothing more when she found out that Chen Kai has feelings for Yu yan while they were in university, she tried all she could to stop him from dating yu yan. Chen Kai warned her not to tell his parents of their relationship, he threatened to hate her forever if she told his parents. She was afraid of his threat which made her keep their relationship a secret, she knew that his parents will find out eventually so their relationship was hopeless. Her parents were politicians, they were also business allies with the Chen family, so their marriage was something Chen Kai could never avoid. She was also jealous of yu yan medical skills, although yu yan is a general surgeon she was skilled in performing all types of surgery, including ones that could only be performed by specialist surgeons. Unless the situation was urgent, yu yan was hardly ever allowed to operate on V.I.P patients, those who operated on V.I.P parents had a wealthy background, even when she did, they were the ones who received all the credits. An Ke and Li Chen also came from a wealthy background but they decided to use their own abilities in making their achievement. . . . . . . . Yu yan was bothered by the fact that Chen Kai has not called or texted her for some months now, she checked her phone every day for his text and also sent him texts, but she hasn''t received any reply for a long time, she sat down on her bed and rested her head on the headboard, her room was decorated with purple items since purple was her best colour, she thought about the different excuse that could make Chen Kai unable to contact her but the excuse feared the most was that Chen Kai had forgotten her, while they were in university most people thought that Chen Kai only loved her for her beauty, the reason they concluded that her beauty was the reason he loved her was because after she won the title of the university beauty Chen Kai asked her out. She thought of their times together and decided that if Chen Kai loved her only for her beauty, he would have broken up with her long ago, she texted him again telling him to call her as soon as possible. She stood up from her bed and went into the bathroom to take a shower, as soon as she was done with showering, she put on her pyjamas and sat at her dressing table to put on her facial treatments, she suddenly heard her phone ringing so she stood up from the dressing chair walked to her bed to get her phone then she just picked the call without checking who was calling but she was hoping that the one calling her would be Chen Kai but it turned out to be An Ke. "hello Yu Yan," An Ke said in an excited tone "is it you An Ke," she asked with a hint of disappointment in her voice. "Of course, didn''t you check who it was before you picked the call and why do you sound so disappointed," An Ke asked wondering what was wrong with Yu Yan, she knows that the only reason why she might sound like that is if she was expecting something or someone. "Its nothing, I thought it was someone else," Yu yan answered. "Anyways, I called to inform you that our remaining friends are coming back on Thursday so we have to celebrate their return this Saturday," An Ke said with a delighted tone. "Ok, thanks for the information," Yu Yan replied, from her tone, An Ke could feel that she had little or no interest in what she had just told her but she didn''t want to ask her. "Yu Yan, I don''t know what has been bugging you these days but you need to take care of yourself alright," An Ke said in a concerned tone, she wanted to ask her te reason why she was sounding moody but from what she knows about Yu Yan, if she wanted to tell her, she would have said it even before she asks. "I will, goodnight" yu yan answered then she ended the call and dropped her phone on the stool beside her bed. She was about to return to the dressing table when she received another phone call, this time she checked who was calling, she couldn''t recognise the number but it seemed like an international number. "Hello," she said to the unknown person on the phone. "Yu Yan, it is me, Chen Kai," the caller said in a soft tone but the voice sounded familiar to her, but hearing the person say he was Chen Kai was too good for her to believe, she sat on the bed as tears trickled down her cheek, Chen Kai was wondering why she didn''t say anything after hearing his voice so he was worried. "Are you okay Yu Yan?" Chen Kai asked in a worried tone but instead of answering him, she started crying loudly. "Why didn''t you contact me all this while I was worried about you," she said while crying. "Are you crying, I am sorry, we went to volunteer in a military zone without mobile services, I am sorry please stop crying," he said, she had missed this part of him, he has always dreaded the sight of her crying so every time she cried in front of him, he would make every effort to cheer her up. "I thought you had forgotten me, I was...I was scared that you no longer loved me," she said as she cleaned her tears. "Of course not, how could I forget you, I missed you so much every day and I wished I could see you but I just couldn''t," Chen Kai said to reassure her "Then when are you coming back, you have been abroad for so long that I almost can''t remember your face," she asked, then she sniffed her nose to stop herself from crying. "Don''t worry I am coming back very soon, although I am not sure of the certain date and month, I am very sure that in three to four months time, I will be back," Chen Kai answered. "That''s good then, when you are sure of when you are returning, you have to tell me first," she said smiling broadly. "Alright, Yu Yan I have to go now I will call you when next I have the chance," he said then he ended the call without waiting for her reply. " I wonder when next time will be, I just want him to be by my side," she said in a soft voice then she dropped her phone on the table and returned to the dressing table to continue her facial treatment. That one phone call has definitely brought her back to life, just hearing his voice once has reassured her that he still loves her. Chapter 8 - The Other World In the battle of ever night, the whole world was shaken and non was unaffected by the battle between the flame sect and the three righteous sects. The wind sect, the thunder sect, the talisman sect and other minor sects joined hands to fight against the flame sect sixteen years ago, the four-sect suffered huge casualties as a result of the war. The flame sect was alienated from the other sect because of their cultivation, they were the most powerful sect which made them a threat to the world, they began to accuse them of using demonic cultivation which requires the blood of children due to the numerous missing children cases at that time. No one knew who was responsible for the kidnapping of the missing children so the righteous sects saw it as a chance to get rid of the flame sect, the former clan leader of the flame sect died seventeen years ago and was replaced by his only son whose name is Huo Jing, he became the clan leader after the death of his father.?? One year later, his wife gave birth to twin girls, the both of them were powerful right from the time they were born when they came out of their mother womb, they had a fire in the hand. One of them had brown eyes, long black hair and rosy lips, while the other girl had red eyes, her hair was extremely long and red, her lips had a deep red colour. It was normal for new-born babies in flame sect to have fire in their hand, but the twin with the red eyes had a fire on not only her hands but all over her body, it was extremely hot that it burnt the hand of the midwife who assisted their mother in giving birth. The people from flame sect could withstand any fire regardless of how hot it was but the fire from the twin body was unbearable, when the news spread out of the sect, everyone was curious about the twins. One month after their birth they were given names, the one with the normal eyes was named Huo Ying while the one with the red eyes was named Huo Lan. Except for their mother, no one could withstand the hotness of Huo Lan fire, so she was the only one who was allowed to take care of her, her hands were covered with a malleable metal glove. The other clans took advantage of the death of the former sect leader and the inexperience of the Huo Jing in being a sect leader to declare war on the flame sect. They weren''t expecting the war and they were also celebrating the birth of the twins. After the war on flame sect was declared, the sect leader knew that they were afraid of the power of the flame sect and also Huo Lan, her powers were far above any that had been seen, even her father couldn''t stand her fire. At that time, the government were not allowed to interfere in the affairs of Jianghu, the royal family governed the country, the Tang empire was governed by the emperor and the ministers, but the sect controlled four counties, Suzhou, Lanzhou, Henan Fu and Guangzhou were governed by the sects. The flame sect represented Suzhou while the wind, thunder and talisman sect represented the other counties respectively. Five months after the twins'' birth, the war began. Since the flame sect was caught unawares, they suffered the most causality. However, they killed many people from each sect, the casualties they caused in all the sect together were more than what they suffered. Huo Jing considered the lives of the people in his sect and decided to settle for a truce with the other sects. The other sects were not satisfied with the truce, they wanted to take the twins from the flame sect in order to strengthen their power. However, Huo Jing refused to hand over his daughters to the other sects, they threatened to annihilate the whole of the flame sect, then he agreed to give them only one of the twins not because he was afraid of them but because he didn''t want to see more of his disciples die as a result of the enmity of the other sects. The righteous sect demanded Huo Lan who was the most powerful of the twins. Huo Jing realised that their purpose was to use Huo Lan for their own benefits, but he knew that unlike the other sects, the martial art of the flame sect couldn''t be absorbed or learned by anyone who doesn''t belong to the flame sect and they only knew that she was powerful than everyone in the flame sect but they didn''t know that anyone who came in contact with her except for her mother will be burned, he finally decided to give Huo Lan to them. The following day after the concession of the flame sect, the wind sect which was the head of the other three sects sent twenty disciples to retrieve Huo Lan, to avoid her flames burning them The sect leader of the flame sect wrapped her in clothing''s and hood that was made of soft metal without warning the disciples of her power, he also instructed that they shouldn''t try to enter the carriage or bring her out of the carriage she was kept in. On their way back, they were curious to see the strange twin of the flame sect who was five-month-old at that time, they brought her out of the carriage lifted the hood and the clothing and immediately fire came out of her eyes and hand, the carriage exploded. Nineteen of the disciples were burnt to death, the only one who survived ran to the wind sect with a burnt face, the disciples from the flame sect who had been secretly following them carried her back to the flame sect. They covered her body back with the hood and clothing in order to avoid being burnt. The news of what had happened to the disciples spread around the four counties, a meeting was held to determine what should be done to Huo Lan, the royal family ordered that she should be killed because she was seen as a dangerous monster that shouldn''t exist. The flame sect leader begged the Emperor to keep her alive, the emperor agreed but he commanded that she should be raised by her mother until she reaches the age of five, on her fifth birthday she should be taken to the wind sect and kept there until her powers can be controlled, on the eighteenth birthday she should be tested, but if she couldn''t pass the test then she would have to remain in the flame sect. Although Sect leader Huo wasn''t happy with the order, he still thought that they at least had a chance to save her so he agreed to the order. . . . . . . Three years later The flame sect had already recovered all that they had lost from the war, before the war they used to have one thousand disciples, after the war they had only three hundred disciples. The flame sect leader recruited eight hundred disciples after the war and they were trained in the sect. Out of this eight hundred four hundred were from the flames sect but they had never been trained while the other four hundred were not from the sect, those who did not belong to the flame sect could not practise the flame skill but they could practice the whip skill which was the other skill of the flame sect that doesn''t require one to be from the flame sect. Huo Ying was trained by her father to practice the flame skill while her mother taught her the whip skill at the age of three, her flame skill had already reached level ten from the moment she was born, although she was not as powerful as Huo Lan she was also an extraordinary child, Huo Lan was trained by her mother. Even though her flame skill didn''t need much training, her mother tried to teach her how to control her flame skill, she was also taught how to use the whip skill but she wasn''t as good as Huo Ying when it comes to using the whip skill. She was taught the whip skill so that she won''t have to use the flame skill when she has learnt to control it, but all her mother''s effort in teaching her failed, she still couldn''t control her flame power. Anyone who wanted to see Huo Lan apart from her mother was only allowed to speak to her with her body and hands covered in clothing''s made of soft metals, she was not allowed to touch anyone except her mother and they could only see her from the gate separating her room from outside. The two sisters loved each other very much, when they reached the age of four, they understood that they had to leave each other soon. . . . . . On their fifth birthday, Huo Lan was taken to the Wind sect, she was locked in the sect underground cell. No one was allowed to go in except for the sect elders and she wasn''t allowed to go out, she was allowed to cultivate her skill in order to control it but the wind sect leader was uneasy while she stayed at the underground cell so she was moved to the Wind sect seclusion mountain and was locked there with her another child who followed her to the wind sect as her guardian, she continued cultivating to control her flame skill and also practice her whip skill but she was also tortured by the wind sect. Chapter 9 - The Surgery Yu yan mood had changed ever since the night she received a call from Chen Kai, she kept daydreaming about the day she and Chen Kai will be reunited, she went to the hospital on the day she was going to celebrate her friends who had just returned from their training, as soon as she arrived at the hospital, she went to the reception first to write her name on the logbook. "wow you are looking more beautiful today," the nurse at the reception said to yu yan with a broad smile on her face. " Thanks, I have an outing after work today," Yu Yan replied as she dropped the pen and left the reception, Yu Yan always had a normal simple appearance whenever she was at work unlike An Ke and Xiaomengwho always loved to dress extravagantly, but today she was dressed in an unusual manner. She wore a berry coloured satin wide neck oversized blouse and a button embellished stretch-crepe pencil skirt, her brown hair was silky and well straightened, her hair laid on her right shoulder, her lipstick colour was also deeper than usual, she was wearing a deep red lipstick, she carried a black mauve Moda handbag and berry coloured wedge, she also wore her white coat over her blouse and skirt As she walked into the office, they were all surprised to see her looking beautiful than usual. Although they were all dressed elegantly to prepare for their outing later in the evening they had long forgotten how she looked like when she is dressed elegantly, as she walked over to her seat Li Chen took a photo of her, she noticed his flash and smiled at him as she dropped her bag in the table and sat down. "Yu Yan even though we are dressed more extravagant than you, we still cannot beat your beauty," An Ke said as she examined Yu Yan''s body from the top of her head to the sole of her feet. " of course, she is not the university beauty for nothing, without her dressing up she is beautiful but when she is dressed up like this the word beautiful is even an understatement for her, " Li Chen added then he drops his phone after saving her pictures. "You all are exaggerating what is so pretty about her," Xiaomeng said then she scoffed at yu yan, they weren''t surprised to hear her comment when it comes to Yu Yan, she always says the opposite of what she is, if she had commended yu yan then it would have been strange. " well, no one expected anything good to come out of your mouth, " An Ke said to Xiaomeng and turned to yu yan. " yu yan it has been long since we last practised karate, I remembered that you were also the best in our university club if you didn''t become a doctor you would have become a karate champion," An Ke said, Yu Yan nodded her head as she watched her speak, she knows that An Ke would never bring up any random topic if she isn''t getting at something. "What is your point, cause I can see that you are getting at something?" Yu Yan asked with her arms folded on her chest. "I really liked it back then, why don''t we go to the karate club close to my house on Saturday," An Ke said then she fluttered her lashes to make Yu Yan agree to go with her. "Ok, let''s go together with Li Chen," Yu Yan answered then she turned to look at Li Chen. " since you want me to come along then I will," Li Chen replied. They chatted in the office for a while and afterwards the team leader of the cardiology department came into the office, they didn''t notice her for because they were busy laughing as they were reminiscing their university days, she coughed in order to gain her attention and they all turned towards the door to see who was standing there, at the sight of their team leader they stood up immediately. "Team leader" they chorused. "Were you all not informed of the meeting the chief surgeon called," she said as she took some steps into the office with her face frowned and a deadly glare while they cowered their head to avoid her glare. "We are sorry, we were not informed of the meeting" Yu Yan said on their behalf as they all came out of their seating position. "We will talk about this later, for now, I need you in the general meeting room in two minutes," she said as she walked out of their office, as soon as she left their office, they ran out of their office and sprinted to the meeting hall. When they entered the hall, they were surprised to see most of the specialist surgeons from the cardiology department already in the meeting room, they were the last to arrive so all eyes were on them as they took their seat at the round large meeting table, the chief surgeon who was sitting at the centre of the table cleared his throat with a frown on his face as he watched them walk into the hall. "In this meeting, only the skilled surgeons from the general surgery department and the cardiology department, as well as the anesthesiology department, are present, the agenda of this meeting is to discuss the total artificial heart surgery which will be performed on Mr Li Zhang Wei, he is the top investor in the Beijing hospital and V.V.I.P patients, so we have to select the best surgical team for his operation and discuss the risk associated with this, everyone is welcome to give their opinions regarding this operation," The chief surgeon said "Of course such meetings can only be held for V.I.P patients" Yu Yan whispered to An Ke. "You had better be careful, if anyone hears you then you will be in trouble," An Ke whispered back to her, Alan Chen who was also present in the meeting noticed them whispering to each other then he smiled evilly as though he was about to do something she wouldn''t like. "Chief surgeon it seems like surgeon Yu and surgeon An Ke have something to contribute to this meeting. Yu Yan glared at him with a helpless look on her face and bit her lower lip but she couldn''t say anything at that moment. "Do you two have anything to say," their team leader asked frowning at them. "No, team leader" An Ye and Yu Yan answered at the same time. "Chief surgeon, this surgery has a low success rate and it also has lots of risks attached to the surgery," the team leader of the cardiology department said. "Would you please elaborate," the chief surgeon said with his eyes fixed on her. "I have never personally performed this surgery, but it has some possible complications such as stroke, liver failure, blood transfusion and kidney failure amongst many other complications," the team leader of the cardiology department said. "I am aware that this surgery has been performed once in this hospital by the late surgeon Wang Wei, was anyone here involved in the surgery," the chief surgeon asked as his eyes shifted from one person to the other. "Chief surgeon, the last surgery that was performed was an emergency, so back then Wang Wei just formed a surgical team out of the staffs that were present on that night and the assisting surgeon was Yu yan from the general surgery department," the team leader of the general surgery department said. "Yu Yan should have been a first-year resident then how is it possible that she was the assisting surgeon," the chief surgeon said with shock written all over his face, all the staffs present in the meeting were also surprised by Yu Yan''s involvement in the surgery which was a complex surgery, the surgery that was performed back then wasn''t given much attention since the patient was not important to the hospital but surgeon Wang Wei never cared about the social status of his patients, he treated them equally and that was why such a major surgery was performed with a first-year resident like Yu Yan. "Chief director, although Yu Yan is just a second-year resident in the general surgery department, her surgery skills are far above any that I have ever seen including her speed," her team leader said in support of yu yan. The chief director looked at yu yan with a look that indicated that he was waiting for her to speak for herself, her eyes met his gaze by mistake then she realized what he meant... "Chief director, although I am working in the general surgery department, I am very confident that I can perform the surgery without any complication" yu yan said hoping that the chief director will appoint her as the surgeon in charge of the surgery, which is quite an unusual thing, such a complex surgery is supposed to be performed by a specialist surgeon but if she really performs the surgery then it would be a shock to them. "I don''t think it is appropriate to let a general surgeon perform such a major heart surgery," Yue Ling said, she is also one of the surgeons in the hospital with high social status, like Xiaomeng she also dislikes yu yan and she has a crush on Alan Chen which makes Yu Yan her enemy. "Are there are any other cardiologists who are experienced in performing this surgery or have witnessed a similar surgery?" the chief surgeon asked as he looked around, shifting his gaze from one person to another. "Yue ling is the most skilled surgeon amongst the young surgeons in the cardiology department, I recommend her as the surgeon in charge," the director of the cardiology department said. "Since the director of the cardiology department has said so, Yue ling is the surgeon in charge while yu yan will be the first assisting surgeon, the second assisting surgeon is Surgeon Xiao Qi from the cardiology department, I will put together the rest of the surgical team later, I will hold another meeting next week but, your positions are temporary, if there are any better options than the three of you, your positions will be changed, in the meanwhile, you should find more resources on this condition, " the chief director said as he stood up to leave the meeting room. "That Yue Ling is so annoying, who does she think she is, even if she is the best surgeon in the cardiology department she is still not as good as you, " An Ke said with her lips pouted "If not for that useless Alan she would have no reason to dislike me, I don''t really care about people like her and her so-called crush because I can''t understand why she would fall in love with someone like that, she is too good for him but she doesn''t realize it," Yu yan said with her hands in her pocket. "That son of a bitch is so relentless, even though he knows you have a boyfriend he is still bugging you, these days you are so gentle, I guess that is why he is still messing with you," An Ke said then she balled her hand into a fist and punched into the air. "If not because I was thinking of Chen kai all the time he was disturbing me and the fact that he is my senior at work, I would have beaten the hell out of him," Yu Yan said, they had almost entered the elevator when they heard a voice behind them. "Yu Yan" Xiaoqi who had just been appointed as the second assisting surgeon shouted. They both looked back to see who had just shouted yu yan''s name, they both smiled after seeing that it was Xiaoqi. "It has been so long since we last operated together I am so happy that we are together in this surgery and you are looking extremely beautiful today," Xiaoqi said as she smiled cheerfully displaying her white set of teeth. "Thanks, it has really been a long time, if you have time this evening why don''t you join us to celebrate our friends who are coming back from their training, we were in the same class back then too," Yu Yan said. "Wow, are they really back, of course, I am coming along, so if I hadn''t come to talk to you, you wouldn''t have informed me, no wonder you are so elegantly dressed today," Xiao Qi said with a slightly angry look on her face. "I am sorry, it really skipped our mind since we don''t see you every day," An Ke said. "Apology accepted, so where is the celebration taking place," Xiaoqi asked. "The party will take place at Jia Yu''s villa, you can just come with me in my car after our shift is over," Yu Yan said. "Okay then, I will meet you by six pm, I have emergency outing clothes in my office so I don''t need to go back home," Xiaoqi said then she waved her hands at them and walked away while they entered the elevator. Chapter 10 - The Welcome Party After they were done attending to the patients they were supposed to check on and completing other works they needed to do, they packed up and left the office. Although Xiaomeng wasn''t close to An Ke and Yu Yan, she was still friends with Li Chen and the other three so she was also going out with them, the party was supposed to be held in a villa that was owned by Jia yu''s parents so many of their friends were coming for the party including some of the staffs at the hospital. Li Chen went with An Ke and Xiaomeng went in her own car, An Ke would never have agreed to enter the same car with Xiaomeng but she didn''t know about it until it was time for them to leave for the party, he knew that they were going to bicker throughout the journey but he couldn''t refuse Xiaomeng request to go with him when she said she was too tired to drive.?? Yu Yan went to the reception and waited for Xiao Qi after finishing her shift, thirty minutes later, Xiao Qi arrived at the reception then they both went to the parking lot where Yu Yan parked her car, she was about to enter the car when she met heard someone calling her name, she just knew that that voice belonged to someone she wouldn''t want to see and her suspicion was confirmed. She turned back to see who it was then her face immediately turned black when she saw Alan Chen walking towards her, she sighed and rolled her eyes knowing that seeing him has never meant anything good for her. " it seems like you girls are also going to the party," Alan Chen said with a mischievous look on his face, the both of them couldn''t help but scoff at his stupidity, Yu Yan and the other three were clearly the ones who arranged for the party and he is speaking as if they were the ones who are being invited to the party. "yeah and it seems like you are also attending for the party," Xiao qi said with a malicious look on her face as she folded her arms on her chest, he pursed his lips and frowned at her then he looked away from her and focused his gaze on Yu Yan, she was immediately disgusted at the lecherous look he was giving her. "I must say, Yu Yan, you are looking very dazzling today," Alan Chen said with his eyes fixed on her body, she immediately recognised that look on his face, he had that same shrewd look on his face the first time she met him, she was going for a party at An Ke''s house when she met him, he tried to harass her even though he saw her with Chen Kai before Chen Kai could even defend yu yan, she had already given him a round horse kick which sent him flying, when he landed he couldn''t stand up by himself, he was carried to the hospital the next day and recovered two days later, she wanted to do the same thing she did back then when she saw the look on his face but she felt like it wasn''t an appropriate place for her to beat him up. "Thank you, assistant director, we will take our leave now," yu yan said with a halfhearted smile on her lips then she quickly changed it into a frown as she entered the driver seat while Xiao Qi sat next to her, he watched as she entered the car thinking that she would turn back to look at him at least once but to his dismay, she didn''t. "I really wished we met outside if we did I would have given him the beating of his life," Yu Yan said as she gave the steering wheel a slight hit in anger then she bit her lower lips in regret. " that bastard is so useless, I wonder what Yue ling sees in him," Xiao Qi said. " I am just hoping he would do something wrong at the party, I won''t miss the opportunity to remind him that I am not the kind of girl he should be messing with," Yu Yan said then she spun the steering wheel aggressively. They both chatted until they reached the villa, the gate opened automatically and Yu Yan parked her car in the parking lot, they both went into the villa at the same time. As soon as Yu Yan entered, all eyes were on her, they all admired her beauty as she walked into the villa, some of their friends who graduated the same university as they were also at the party. Although Yu yan wasn''t the best dressed at the party, her beauty was still unmatched among all the guest present. Yu yan and Xiaoqi walked up to Jia yu and Meng Yao, on seeing her they both hugged her at the same time, while they were still in university Jia yu and Meng Yao was the best in the karate club after Yu Yan, the three girls went for several competitions to represent their university and they never lost any of the competitions, if they weren''t obstinate on pursuing their dreams to become surgeons, they would have won many championships. " Yu Yan it has been so long since we saw you, I missed you so much," Jia Yu said with a bubbly smile on her face as she hugged Yu Yan tightly. "I missed you guys too, ever since you both left, karate had become boring for me," yu yan said after she was released from Jia Yu''s tight grip, while she was still talking to the both of them, Ji Chen appeared looking very charming, he was wearing a skinny tuxedo blazer in navy velvet, with a black roll neck jumper and a black vattal leather derby shoes, he styled his medium length hair in a thick brush up, he was also one of the many guys that had a crush on yu yan while they were in university but he got together with Jia Yu who also had a crush on him while they were abroad. he hugged yu yan as soon as he saw her. "as expected you are still looking so beautiful," he said with a radiant smile, he moved on to his girlfriend and kissed her on her cheek. "It seems like our Ji Chen still sees Yu Yan as his goddess," Xiao Qi said to tease him seeing how he hugged Yu Yan first before moving on to his girlfriend. "I don''t even know if I am the one he loves or Yu Yan," Jia Yu said jokingly, Ji Chen put his hand around her waist and pulled her closer to him. "you are the one I love but she is the goddess I admire," he said and gave her a light kiss on her lips. "oooooooohhh!" they all shouted in excitement. Yu yan went to the wine table to get herself a glass of wine, she picked up a glass of champagne and sipped a little from her champagne, she folded one of her arms across her chest as she turned around to look at everyone in the party, she noticed some of her university friends that she had lost contact with but she didn''t want to approach them, she was still looking around when she saw Alan approaching her, she rolled her eyes at the sight of him and was about to walk away before he reached where she was standing but he realised what she was about to do and quickly caught up with her. He held her wrist to stop her from walking away, she pushed his hand away from her wrist and turned to face him. " Alan Chen we are not at work so I don''t have any reason to speak to you with respect, can you please say what you have to say, I need to speak to my friends," she said with a deep frown on her face, he picked up a glass of red wine for himself from the waiter that passed him by and took a sip from his wine. "Yu Yan I just want to be close to you but why do you keep rejecting me each time I make an effort to be good to you," he said in a sentimental tone. "Alan you and I know that getting close to me is not what you want if that was your only motive we would have long been friends," Yu Yan said with a serious look on his face, after hearing what she had just said, he shook his head to admit her statement. "yes what you said is true but why can''t I just get a chance with you, no girl has ever rejected me as you have always done, I have focused all my attention on you but you are just unwilling to give me a chance, why?" " Listen to yourself, you don''t love me at all, all you want is to make me yours just because of your pride, then once you get what you want you will move to another girl who has proved herself difficult for you to get" yu yan said as she dropped her glass on the wine table and walked out on him, he went after and grabbed both of her shoulders. "Yu Yan no girl has ever frustrated me as you have, I must get you no matter what it takes," he said while breathing heavily in anger, she looked around to make sure that the people present at the party weren''t watching them, then when she confirmed that no one was looking, she brushed his hands off her shoulder and moved closer to him, she tilted her head close to his ears. "You son of a bitch, if you dare harass me again you will be doing so at the expense of getting hurt, you seem to have forgotten our first encounter", she said then she moved away from him and walked away, he stood in the same spot watching her leave with anger and frustration burning inside him. She walked back to where he and her friends were chatting, she saw them seated and laughing out loudly. "It seems like I have missed a lot," she said as she took her seat close to Li Chen wondering what they had been discussing. " you did miss a lot, we were talking about our days in university, An Ke just mentioned when Ji Chen just met you and asked you out, you treated him like a small boy who was just playing around and rejected him," Jia Yu said while trying to stop herself from laughing. "oh, back then Ji Chen was just so cute and handsome that I thought he was a high school student who came to see someone in the university, so I kept asking him for the person he was coming there to see, when he showed me his student card I was shocked, I almost fell for him but he was just looking too cute that I couldn''t help but think of him as a small boy," she said as she joined them laughing. " I was so frustrated back then, she just kept calling me cutie since that day, it was so annoying," Ji Chen said, then he took a sip from the glass of champagne he held in his hand. "do you guys remember when he first saw Chen Kai with Yu Yan and found out that they were dating, he almost sat on the floor in tears, he was about to make a scene in the canteen, but I quickly dragged him out, I am sure he still hates Chen Kai till now" Meng Yao added " you are definitely exaggerating, I admit that I was almost in tears but not to the extent of sitting on the floor, the reason why I disliked Chen kai back then was that when I confronted him after finding out that he was dating Yu Yan, he treated me like a small boy who was throwing tantrums and ignored me," Ji Chen said, they all burst into laughter after hearing what he had just said. "Why don''t we talk about someone else now, you are all bullying him," Jia Yu said. " We can talk about you, do you remember when you fought with yu yan because of Ji Chen and you even followed him to the training abroad," Meng Yao said, they all turned to look at Jia yu as they were anticipating her reply, she cleared her throat and smiled awkwardly. "It wasn''t a fight, it was just a little argument, Afterall all my effort paid off," Jia Yu said then she linked her arms with Ji Chen''s arms " oooooooooh!!!" "By the way where did you go to before," Xiao Qi asked facing Yu Yan. " I just went to get a glass of wine but I was stopped by Alan Chen after getting my glass of wine," yu yan said as her face turned black. " through the expression on your face I can see that you guys had a little bit of argument," An Ke said. " you mean that guy is still chasing after you," Li Chen said with annoyance written all over his face, " Seems like that guy is really relentless," he added then he scoffed, the other three just watched them in confusion since they didn''t know who Alan Chen is. "If Chen kai was here, he definitely wouldn''t dare to bother you," Xiaoqi said " When is he coming back anyways, he went for medical training abroad the same time they went although it wasn''t the same country" Xiao Qi continued. " he told me he is coming back soon in about two to three months'' time", " seems like we will be throwing another party soon," Jia Yu said. They all discussed for some time after the party ended, they all stayed in the villa while the rest of the guests left, the girls all slept in the same room while the guys slept together too even though there was more than enough bedrooms. Before Yu Yan slept, she called her parents to tell them that she will be spending the night at Jia Yu''s place, they were happy that she had called, after speaking to her parents for a while, she dropped her phone and slept. Chapter 11 - The Other World 2 Sixteen years later... The flame sect became the most powerful sect once again with the best disciples, the other sect was once again becoming uneasy as they watched the flame sect growing back into what it used to be, although they had managed to reduce the number of disciples in the flame sect who could practice the flame skill, the flame sect still had more power than the rest of the sect and they were still isolated by the rest of the sects.?? The wind sect was the only sect that could compete with the flame sect in terms of their cultivation, their sword skills were the best in the jianghu world, they were also well respected and they had a good reputation in the jianghu world compared to the flame sect who was regarded as a cult. The first disciple of the wind sect Lin Bohai was regarded as a martial art prodigy, he had completed his early stage cultivation at the age of ten and had already entered the second stage of his cultivation was rarely seen in the young generation, the early stage of cultivation was considered as the hardest stage to breakthrough for a beginner in cultivation, he was also good at poems and his looks made him very popular among the females. Lin Bohai is a handsome teenager from the depth of his eyes to the gentle expression of his voice, he was taller than most of his peers and he had a trim build, not overly muscular and he is extremely talented both in cultivation and music, he was the dream future husband for most of the females in every sect to the dissatisfaction of many young masters. The disciples from the flame sect were hardly seen in the public, they never interfered with any issue that was going on in the jianghu world unless it concerned their sect, there were many rumours about the disciples of the flame sect, most of the rumours were based on the young mistress of the flame sect Huo Ying, some said she was very ugly and looked like a beast just like her twin sister, others said that she was very weak, ugly and extremely strong, some even said that she was a monster who enjoyed burning people to death. However, none of these rumours was confirmed because she had never appeared in public as the young mistress of the flame sect. Huo Ying trained every day in hopes of becoming stronger so that one day she will take her twin sister away from the wind sect forcefully, her powers grew stronger day by day. She broke through the early stage cultivation at the age of eight and was already in the third stage of the middle stage cultivation. Her whip skills are also unrivalled among the disciples of the flame sect, her mother Huo Jingyu is well known for her whip skills, she is regarded as the best when at using the nine section flame whip but now Huo Ying has surpassed her mother''s whip skills, the level of her martial was concealed from the rest of the world. At the age of sixteen, she had already been given the responsibility of handling the sect affairs, she was also responsible for training the sect disciples, apart from Huo Ying, there are three other disciples who are also outstanding. Huo Lian, Huo Mei and Huo Qiang are the most outstanding disciples of the flame sect, they were given the title of guardians at the age of fifteen, they were also in charge of training the disciples with Huo Ying. Huo lian and Huo Mei are fraternal female twins, their father and mother died during the battle years ago while Huo Qiang was adopted by the flame sect leader, he is also the most attractive male disciple in the flame sect. The four of them became sworn siblings at the age of fifteen. Huo Ying stood in the middle of the training ground in the sect uniform, she was practising her whip skill using her mother''s nine section whip, as her whip plunged into the air, it created a sound that seemed like huge waves on the sea, her speed increased each time she hit the air using her whip and it was almost impossible to dodge her attack, she focused all her attention on her training which made her unable to notice her father who had just entered into the training ground, she turned around as she released her whip into the air, she noticed her father standing on the training ground but it was too late, her whip had almost hit her father. He quickly dodged her whip while she retracted the whip and rolled it into a small circle. "Father why didn''t you tell me when you arrived I almost hurt you, are you alright," she said panting, sweat trickled down her face from her forehead and slicking the hair on her face. "I am alright, I just wanted to watch your practice to know how much you have improved," her father said, he put his hand into his robe and brought a blue coloured handkerchief, he wiped the sweat on her forehead and arranged her hair that was stuck on her face because of the sweat. "You have been working hard these days now that you are in charge of the sect affairs, don''t overwork yourself," he said holding both of her hands. "It is nothing dad I have always wanted to help you in managing the sect, moreover I have my sworn siblings to help me," she said with a cheerful smile on her face, she has always enjoyed the love of her father and he only gave her the right to manage the sect affairs only because she kept asking him for it, given her father''s character towards her, he would never have given it to her if she didn''t ask for it. "Although the whip skill doesn''t require your cultivation to be high, it still depends on a person''s strength, if you exert too much energy while training and something bad happens to you I and your mother would be worried about you," her father said as he held her hand and rubbed it in between his palms. "Father, you are worrying too much, I have been training for years and nothing bad has ever happened, rest assured" Huo Ying replied with a reassuring smile on her face. "I regard all of you as my children so nothing bad must happen to any of you, where the other three go? I haven''t seen them today," her father asked. "They went out to have fun, they wanted me to go with them but I wanted to finish my practice before joining them," she said, she flicked her wrist then the whip vanished. "Make sure no one finds out that you are from flame sect when you go out and be careful, ", "Father, you worry too much, I have left the sect countless times under guise and no one has ever recognised me, moreover, I have already given my order to the disciples that they are allowed to go down the mountain after training but they shouldn''t reveal their identities once they are outside the sect," Huo Ying said "Good, you can go now, I won''t disturb you anymore," he said "then I will take my leave now, we will come back before evening," she said then and ran out of the training ground, her father smiled as he watched her run off without taking his eyes off her. She went back into her room and changed out of the flame sect uniform then changed into another set of clothing of the same red and black colour but she wore male clothing this time. She looked around the street and looked around for things to buy, as soon as she arrived at Nangong street, which is the rowdiest and crowdy street in the city, she had planned to meet the guardians at a restaurant but she had forgotten about it, her eyes lit up at the sight of the delicious-looking street snacks by the side of the road, she licked her lips and swallowed her saliva then she moved closer to the stall. "Give me ten deep-fried durians," Huo Ying said with a bubbly smile on her face as she swallowed her saliva, the foodseller immediately wrapped it up for her and handed the wrap to her, she collected them with both hands and reached out for her money pouch then she paid him and left the stall. As soon as she walked away from the stall, she opened the wrap and started eating the durians, she closed her eyes and moved her filled mouth left and right as she chewed the snack. "As expected..." Huo Ying said then she placed another mouthful into her mouth, she turned to look around when she saw a by seeling hawthorn candy, she immediately ran to him. "how much is your sugar candy," she asked a little boy. " ten-cent for each" the boy replied, she took out ten coins from her pouch and handed it to the boy who in turn gave her three stick of sugar candy. "brother, you are very handsome," the little boy said smiling at her. "you have good eye little boy," she replied to his compliment then she gave him two more coins to reward him for his compliment and continued walking around the street, she noticed a large crowd gathering around a group of people, she was curious so she ventured into the crowd to see what had attracted so many people. She made her way to the front and realised that they had gathered around to watch a circus performance, she loved watching such performances every time she came down the mountain and it has been long since she last had the opportunity to watch a circus performance. She was always excited whenever she watched their magic shows and tricks, the moment she anticipated the most was the rope walk part, she just couldn''t understand how they managed to walk on the rope without using their Kung fu. She had tried doing the same thing several times but she always ended up with injuries, but the last time she tried she finally got it right. This time she was just anticipating the moment when a person will be called to volunteer for the rope waking performance, at this moment, she has completely forgotten her arrangement with the guardians. Chapter 12 - The Bruise In Her Mind The moment she had been waiting for had just arrived, the performer had just asked someone to volunteer for the tightrope walk. she raised her hands and shouted eagerly hoping that she would be the chosen one, she was quite confident that she could make it. The performer looked around for who to choose, he noticed a young guy shouting enthusiastically at the front then he decided to pick him for the tightrope walking. she climbed onto the rope and tried to steady herself, she balanced herself and started walking on the rope, the audience were all cheering for her in excitement. she looked down to see the audience reactions then she got excited herself and then began to walk faster on the rope, everyone that gathered to watch the performance couldn''t help putting on an expression that read danger on their faces.?? She suddenly felt like she couldn''t keep her balance on the rope then she tried to slow down in hopes of regaining her balance on the rope, Huo lian, Huo mei and Huo Qiang arrived at the scene, they went into the crowd to find out what had made everyone in the crowd wear such a white expression on their face, at the sight of their young mistress tightrope walking, they all sucked in a breath of cold air. Their eyes widened when they finally grasped the situation... "YOUNG MISTRESS!!!!" they shouted She looked down to see who had just shouted but it was too late, she had lost her balance on the rope, she struggled to keep her balance but her effort was useless, she missed her step and screamed as she fell praying in her mind for someone to catch her before she landed, she fell so suddenly that she couldn''t use her martial art. Huo Qiang rushed forward to catch her but suddenly, a black shadow flew past him swiftly and quickly grabbed Huo Ying by her waist, she turned to see who had just saved her and was flabbergasted at the sight of a guy that didn''t look seem like a commoner but he was so attractive and fit, he finally brought her to land and let go of her waist. The three of them ran to her side, they were looking as if their heart had jumped out of their chest but she wasn''t paying them any attention, instead, her eyes were fixed on the young man who had just saved her. The guy who had just saved her was about to walk away so she quickly stopped him by holding his wrist, he turned to look at her hand holding his wrist then he raised his head. "Thank you for saving me," she said with a smile etched on her lips then she cupped her palm and fist together and bowed her head to thank him, he dusted his black cloth and looked at her face coldly. "you are welcome" he replied and turned to leave but was stopped by her once again, he turned back to face her and sighed, " what again " he said in an impatient tone. " I would like to know your name so i can repay you one day for saving me" she said as she smiled awkwardly not knowing what is reaction will be to her question He sighed once again and replied in a rather cold manner " i don''t think you will be able to repay me, so there is no need to know my name", he walked away afterwards without waiting for her reply, she looked at him with a downcast expression as he walked away, she was hoping she could be friends with him but he didn''t seem willing to be friends with her. She went back to meet her friends who had been watching her as she talked with the stranger, " young mistress why did you do such a dangerous thing again" Huo lian asked looking worried, " i thought i had already perfected it the last time but you guys caused it if you hadn''t shouted I wouldn''t have fallen" Huo yin said as she arranged her cloth and hair, " young mistress who was that young man" Huo mei asked, " i don''t know him he just saved me and left" Huo ying said, the disappointment in her voice was obvious that they all looked at her with curiosity written on their faces, " young mistress why do you sound disappointed" Huo lian asked " i asked him for his name so i could repay him for saving me, but he replied me in a cold manner and left without telling me his name" " seems like his deeds doesn''t resemble his personality" Huo mei said and the three girls all nodded in agreement to her statement, Huo ying suddenly noticed that Huo qiang hasn''t said anything for a while, she glanced at the remaining two to inform them of his silence. whenever Huo qiang was silent on most occasions it means he is angry about something, " qiang are you angry about something" she asked knowing it was an obvious question, " isn''t it obvious, i am sure even the stranger who saved you must have thought you were silly to have tried something as dangerous as this" He said looking furious. " qiang you don''t have to take it so serious at least i am fine now" she said as she turned her body for him to confirm that she was alright, he looked away and said " let''s go ", she held his wrist and smiled nervously " you are not going to tell my dad, are you?" " is that even a question, of course i will" " but this matter is so trivial you don''t need to inform him of this" she said and gave him a cute look while blinking her eyes, " this issue is heavier than mount Tai, if something had happened to you what will happen to the sect" he said and moved his eyes from her face and brushed her hands away from his wrist. She gave Huo mei and Huo lian a look which indicated that they should help her convince Huo qiang, Huo mei quickly rushed forward and held his sleeve "qiang please, if you tell sect leader we would be banned from going out I am sure you don''t want that, do you? ", the rest nodded in agreement and fixed their eyes on him, " just this once then but young mistress please don''t do something as dangerous as this again" he said, she promised not to do it again and they all continued shopping together. They went into a restaurant and ordered their food, " boss, give me one bowl of noodles, stir fired pork and wonton soup" Huo ying said, they stared at her as she made her order and nodded their head, she turned to face them and realised that they had been staring at her the whole time, " is there something on my face" she said as she used her hands to wipe her face, " are you going to finish all of that, you ate breakfast before practicing this morning" Huo mei said, " I know I am nagging but as a martial artist you need to keep fit" Huo qiang said and the other two nodded in agreement. " okay i get the point but why did you all nod when you are ganging up on me" Huo ying complained " you just did the same thing for me with them on the street, I guess you don''t like it any lesser than i do" Huo qiang said, " you...." Huo ying who was about to argue with Huo qiang was interrupted by the waiter who brought her orders, she immediately forgot that she was arguing with him and started eating. the waiter was about to leave but was called back by Huo mei, " give us three bowl of noodles with scallions in two of them" she said, " what of the third one" the waiter asked, " don''t put scallions in the third one" she replied. " who owns the third bowl of noodles" Huo ying asked as she used her chopstick to force a chunk of twirled noodles into her mouth, " have you forgotten that Huo qiang doesn''t like scallion" Huo mei replied, the waiter brought the bowls and arranged it on the table, " thanks Huo mei said as she passed one bowl to Huo lian and the other to Huo qianq " you are so good at remembering things, i had already forgotten that he doesn''t like scallion, did you remember?" Huo ying said facing Huo lian, " of course i didn''t, she always remembers things like this" Huo lian said as she twirled her noodles and slurped it gently while drawing it into her mouth, "thanks" Huo qiang said as he began eating his noodles. " i wonder when we can see the young mistress of the flame sect" a rugged looking man said in a discussion with three other rugged looking men, they all turned to look at the table where the men were seated " I heard that the young mistress of the flame sect has very powerful flame skills and she uses the sect disciples to enhance her skills, why do you think none of their disciples have been seen for years now" the second man said " that means they don''t have any disciples left, such cult should have been wiped out a long time ago" the third man said and they all commented in agreement to his statement. this fools who do they think they are to make such comments about our sect" Huo mei said as she slammed her hand on the table, " I will go and confront them now" Huo ying said as she stood up in anger, Huo qiang held her arm and pulled her back to sit, " remember sect leader ordered that we are not to disclose our identities as people from the flame sect", " yes young mistress, you should listen to Qiang they are not worth you anger" Huo lian said in an attempt to calm her down, she finally sat down and took a deep breath. " did you hear of what happened sixteen years ago" the first man continued, " what do you mean" one them asked, " while they were taking her twin sister to the wind sect sixteen years ago, she burned all the disciples of the wind sect that were transporting her" the first man said as he gulped down a cup of wine. " really, they are both witches, they should have burned them to death while they were still young" the second man said, Huo ying clenched her fist upon hearing what the men had said, tears trickled down her face as she was reminded of her sister, no one in the sect ever talked about her sister because when they did she would train crazily for days without stopping until she falls sick whenever she is reminded of her sister. Chapter 13 - Fiery Anger She clenched her fist tighter than it was before as she tried very hard to withhold her anger, they could see that she could no longer contain her anger towards the men, the only thing that could make Huo ying so angry and ruthless was her sister. The first time they had seen her so that angry was when they went out together at the age of ten, they asked a drunkard for directions but he just insulted them and walked away staggering, as he went past them he met another man who was also drunk like him, they started a discussion regarding the issues of the jianghu world. Huo qiang then asked them to wait there while he went to ask for directions. As soon as he left the men mentioned Huo lan, they began to curse her and say bad things about her. Huo ying couldn''t control herself so she used her flame power on the man, the man''s body began to burn slowly without fire, he just kept shouting and insisting that he was hot but no one knew what was wrong with him, seeing what Huo ying and done, the twins dragged her away from the scene. When Huo qiang found out what she had done, he reported to the sect leader and Huo ying was banned from going out throughout the year. Seeing her reaction now they could feel her murderous aura, Huo qiang quickly held her hand to calm her down, " young mistress why don''t we go back to the sect now" Huo mei said anxiously, " He must die, i will never forgive anyone who talks of my sister in that manner" Huo ying said breathing heavily, her eyes burned with anger and her jaw clenched. "Huo ying you must not, if you kill him here they will blame the flame sect" Huo qiang pleaded, " yes, young mistress you have to control your anger " Huo lian added, she pushed Huo qiang hand away from her wrist and said " i don''t care where he dies but he has to die today", she stood up and left the restaurant, Huo qiang went to pay the waiter and followed behind her with the other two, " young mistress where are you going" Huo mei asked, she turned around to answer her question " i saw that man before when i went past the mountain pathway we are going to wait for him there since you don''t want me to kill him in the restaurant" she said and continued walking, they looked at each other knowing that there is nothing they could to stop her.?? They arrived at the mountain pathway and waited there for the man, " young mistress please just let the man go you promised not to kill anyone again unless it is to protect yourself" Huo mei said , upon hearing what Huo mei had just said, she became more furious, flames emerged from her hand and her eye balls changed to a red colour, they moved away from her seeing how she had, her murderous aura had increased. Just then the man staggered through the pathway, upon seeing him she smiled in satisfaction. she ordered Huo qiang to grab the man and bring him before her, he had no choice so he did as she had ordered. The man who was still not aware of the situation began to curse at her as he was forced to get on his knees, she knelt down on one knee in front of him and used her index finger to raise his jaw, " it seems like you do not know who i am" she said smiling, " who are you? " the man asked sounding confused and scared, she conjured fire using her hand, the man immediately became terrified and started shivering. " seems like you now realise who I am, how dare you curse my sister" she said as she stood up from her position, the man immediately clasped his hands together and pleaded " please spare my life I was ignorant, I promise to never say such things about the flame sect again, please spare my life", she laughed hysterically in an evil manner and immediately set the man on fire, the man continued to scream in pain but they couldn''t do anything to help him, she walked away in satisfaction along with the others. When they reached the sect, the disciples greeted her as she entered but she inored them and walked briskly to her room while Huo qiang and the twins stayed back with the disciples, they were surprised at her reaction to their greetings, normally she would stay and chat with them a little before she went back to her room, they knew that for some days she would be unapproachable whenever she acted that way, " senior disciples, what happened to the young mistress" shang cheng who is also a disciple of flame sect asked, " someone just cursed Huo lan, I am sure you know what to do from now on, no one must go close to her or talk to her unless she speaks to you first" he said, " YES!! " they all chorused. The three of them went to meet her but they found the sect leader at her room entrance, " sect leader" they greeted as they bowed their head, " what happened to Huo ying when she left the sect this morning she was alright" he asked looking worried, " we went to a restaurant to eat but two men started talking about the flame sect, they said so many bad things about the flame sect but the young mistress was still alright, then.... " Huo qiang hesitated, the sect leader already knew what he wanted to say " then the men cursed Huo lan, is that it" he completed " yes, sect leader" Huo qiang said, "then what did she do later on" the sect leader asked with fear clearly written on his face, they were all scared to tell the sect leader what she did to the man so they kept quiet, " TALK!!! " the sect leader shouted, " she burned the man to death using the flame of torture" Huo mei quickly answered, hearing what she had just said the sect leader felt like his legs could no longer support the weight of his body, he staggered and almost fell but Huo qiang held his arm quickly, the flame of torture is the most brutal flame skill in their sect, the person cannot die even though he is burning until all his bones have been burned to ashes without his head burning and no one can put out the fire not even the wind sect, he removed his arm from Huo qiang hand and screamed " WHY DIDN''T YOU STOP HER!!! ", they realised that the sect leader was angry so they immediately knelt down. " we tried to stop her but she wouldn''t listen, her murderous aura grew increasingly as she waited to kill him and her eye balls turned red" Huo lian said, " do you realise that if any one sees his body... oh there is no body in fact, if anyone sees the ashes and the head they will realise that someone from the flame sect did it and then we would have no chance to bring Huo lan back from the wind sect, how could you leave his remains and come back" he said while breathing heavily, " we would go and destroy it " Huo qiang said, the three of them stood up and left them sect to destroy the remains, they found out that the man was still burning, in order to ease his pain Huo qiang used a piece of bamboo stick to stab him. They buried the body afterwards and returned to the sect. Aggravated by what she had done, her father knocked down the door to her room with his spiritual energy and walked up to her bed, " how dare you commit such an act " he said in anger, she stood up aggressively and said " father do you expect me to spare that animal who cursed my sister to be burned i don''t care if he had said that to me but not my sister " she said aloud " you just proved to them that we are a cult, back then when you killed someone because of this same reason I warned you not to do it again but you still did and this time you used the flame of torture" " I will not forgive anyone who speaks about my sister in such manner not even a disciple of the flame sect, they deserve to die, if there was something worse than the flame of torture i would have used it on him" she said and turned her back " if anyone finds the remains of the man or if they see if burning, they would definitely find out that it was done the flame sect and by then we would have lost the chance to bring back Huo lan" " I see no reason why we cannot just attack the wind sect and bring back my sister it has been sixteen years now and we are more powerful than the forces of all the sect joined together" she said as she turned to face him again " this doesn''t concern only the jianghu world but also the emperor, do you plan to attack the imperial palace too, are you willing to see your fellow disciples die just to get your sister back", she realised that her father was right, she definitely cannot see her fellow disciples die because of her selfishness, she slumped as she sat on her bed helplessly, she started crying when she realised that she was wrong " I am sorry father i just couldn''t watch them talk about my sister like that when she is suffering in the wind sect and being labelled as a monster" she said as she started crying loudly. Her father knelt by her bedside and hugged her, " in two years'' time your sister would be back, we have all endured the feeling of missing her but being unable to see her for the past sixteen years, although your mother looks okay and smiles every day, she is crying in her heart ", he let go of her and wiped the tears on her face. " next time I will control my anger father, i will never let something like this happen again" she said and hugged her dad once again. Chapter 14 - Your Pain, My Pain. " seems like everyone has gone" yu yan said as she came out of the bedroom, she had just woken up just to find out that the girls are all gone, she yawned as she made her way to the main room that was lavishly decorated with expensive chairs, antiques and huge plants. It has been long since she came to Jia yu villa, she loved the feeling of nature she got whenever they came to the villa for their vacation. She returned to the room, as she opened the door a note fell from the door. She bent down to pick the note and read it aloud " We went all went to the hospital today, to present our training certificate and the rest are on duty, when you wake up ask the servants to prepare your meal, check the white drawer for extra cloth, underwear and a bath kit", she smiled and dropped the note on the small stool in the room.?? She opened the drawer and searched for the items that were written in the paper, she took out the bath kit and a bath robe from the drawer and closed it, she just realised that she was completely dressed form head to toe, she sighed and said " I was wondering why I was feeling uncomfortable after I woke up, I really hate when I am fully dressed to sleep". She undressed and wore her bath robe as she came out of the room, she had forgotten where the bathrooms were because it had been long since she came to the villa. She tapped her forehead slightly in frustration, she looked around for a worker to ask, she finally saw someone she could ask "excuse me, please where is the bathroom" he asked holding the wrist of a female worker in the villa "just go down the hall, there are two bathrooms there you can use anyone you want" she replied with a smile on her face, the worker was in her twenties but she couldn''t help but admire and beauty and the smoothness of Yu yan skin "thank you" yu yan said and they both went their separate ways. The villa was given to yu yan after she graduated high school but she had always used it for personal purposes, the workers were only there to make sure the villa is neat and ready for use at any time. She entered into the first bathroom she saw and removed her bath robe as she entered into the bathtub, she scattered the rose petals in the bathtub which was already filled with scented soapy water. The bathrooms in the villa are all very large and neatly decorated, all the water outlets all have sensors. She entered into the bathtub and sat in the bathtub, she closed her eyes and rested her head on the bathtub pillow. she felt like she was washing away all the stress she had been through throughout the week, she also felt like the smell of the rose petals was helping her sooth her mind. She had almost fell asleep in the bathtub when she heard someone come in. She was stretched to look at the person who had entered into the bathroom and relaxed when she saw the worker she had asked for direction to the bathroom "is there any problem" she asked the worker "I just wanted to ask if you would like anything to drink, the young mistress told us to ask if you would like to drink any wine since you like drinking wine in the bathtub" she said "ooh, she still remembers, I would like a glass or red wine, thank you" The work nodded and left the bathroom to get the win, Yu yan smiled as she remembered what the worker said "she actually remembers even though it has been long since we came here together. Although Yu yan regards An ke as her best friend since they were in high school, in her heart Jia yu is more than a best friend to her. They first met at the age of three when she was in the car with her mother on the way back home from her nursery school. That day there was a traffic jam when they arrived on the highway, her mother had a surgery to perform so she wanted to drop her at home and then drive to the hospital, she was impatient so she decided to come out of the car with Yu yan to see what had caused the traffic jam at the front. As they arrived at the source of the traffic jam they were shocked to see a woman in her forties bleed profusely on the scene, "what happened here" her mother asked an onlooker "her car collided with a truck, she and her three-year-old daughter are both seriously injured" the onlooker replied, after hearing how the accident happened her mother immediately rushed over to the mother and daughter. She put her head on their chest to listen to their heartbeat in order to check if they were still alive, she listened for some seconds and she raised her head when she confirmed that they were still alive, " are you a doctor" a man who was crying on the scene asked, " yes and who are you" she asked in an impatient tone. "I am her husband" please save my wife and child he pleaded She gave him a positive nod and ran back to her car to get her medical kit, she returned and started examining the daughter first. She used her pen torch to examine her eyes, her pupils were normal and reactive, she tore her cloth and took off her jacket to compress the girl''s chest which was bleeding, she applied pressure until the bleeding stopped and then she cleaned the wound and bandaged it. She laid her head on the girl''s chest to check her heartbeat and was finally relieved when she confirmed the girl''s condition to be stable, she immediately intubated the girl, they people on the scene were surprised at the speed she treated the girl. The ambulance arrived as soon as she intubated the girl, "are you a doctor" a paramedic asked as they got off the ambulance and brought out a stretcher "I am a cardiologist in Peking university people''s hospital, I have already stabilised the young girl''s condition, she needs immediate surgery, the nearest hospital is PKUPH please take her there and send another ambulance for the woman" she said as she proceeded to treat the woman. Although the paramedics weren''t sure whether to do as she had said, judging from how she had managed to stabilise the girl in a short time, they decided to do as she had said. She tore apart the woman''s cloth and used applied pressure on her wound to stop the bleeding in her abdomen, she carried out a series of treatment afterwards, after her condition was stabilised, she was immediately carried into the ambulance on a stretcher. Her mother whose hands was hands was now covered in blood was being cheered and praised by everyone on the scene, the woman''s husband went with his wife in the ambulance while she drove her car to the hospital, she changed her plans of driving Yu yan home and carried her to the hospital. Her mother personally operated on Jia yu while another surgeon was in charge of operating on Jia yu''s mother, after her mother came out of the operating room, she told Jia yu''s dad who has been pacing up and down in front of the operating room that the operation had been successful. Her father was shocked and happy at the same time because when he asked the other surgeons who were present about the possible outcome of the surgery, he was told that considering Jia yu''s age even though her mother had managed to stabilise Jia yu''s condition before she was operated on her, she had already bled to much which had increased the chances of the operation failing. When he heard that he had already lost all hope, the sudden announcement of the operation success shocked them but those who were aware how skilful her mother was were not surprised t the success of the operation. "thank you so much doctor for saving my daughter" he said as he held both of her hands in tears. "it is my duty sir, moreover my daughter and your daughter are the same age, I couldn''t watch her die" she said smiling "thank you so much for your effort" he said as he dropped her hands, she smiled and said "you are welcome, I have another surgery to perform in an hour time please excuse me". Since that day both families became close, in her heart Jia yu was not someone she could call a friend, she was a sister to her. When she saw her lying on the floor half dead on that day as young as she was, she could feel the pain Jia yu felt, she felt like she was the one lying there since that day she decided to become a surgeon to cure little friend even though she didn''t know exactly what it means to become a surgeon. The worker came in with a bottle of red wine and a glass cup on a tray, she placed the wine and the glass cup on the retractable bathtub tray and poured the red wine into the cup. "should I leave the remaining wine here" the worker asked "no, I am okay with just this" she said as she picked the glass cup which was now filled with wine from the tray. The worker picked up the tray with the bottle of wine on it and left the bathroom. Yu yan sipped the wine gently and placed the cup on the bathtub tray, she reached out to her phone and played the song make you feel my love on her phone, she plugged in er EarPods and laid her head on the bathtub pillow. She suddenly remembered something¡­. "yeah I had that dream again, I was wondering what I had forgotten" she thought to herself as she closed her eyes as she listened to the music, she tried to avoid thinking of the dream but she couldn''t, the images she saw once again replayed itself in her mind. The girl she saw before...her eyes and her hair had changed to a red colour, she could feel the connection of emotions between the both of them¡­.her pain¡­a little flame of hope the girl had in her heart, she could see them once again. This time the girl''s eyes were more sorrowful than it had been before, she was chained and looked weak. She suddenly heard the girls voice in her head even "save me", she wanted to reach out to her but she couldn''t, the glass barrier was still there and that was the only thing that didn''t change in the last dream she had. Chapter 15 - First Meeting "this dream is so disturbing," she thought to herself as she picked the glass of wine from the bathtub tray and sipped t gently, she laid her head back on the pillow and changed the music to ordinary people by john legend. She had always preferred western songs to Chinese songs, she felt that they were more suitable when it comes to relieving her stress. "Young Master, you are back," the worker who had just attended to Yu yan said to a guy who had just entered the villa,?? "I will soon be going back so don''t bother to tell my sister and my parent I came back," he said "your sister has missed you these days you were gone, she kept asking me if you came by, are you sure you don''t want her to know you are around," she asked "I have to go back very soon and if she sees me, she would definitely stop me from going, the last time I came by she deflated my car tyre and locked me inside a room, you don''t know how much I suffered because of her last time" "she just had a party here yesterday and she slept over with her friends, they just left this morning" the lady said smiling. "that is more like her, I would buy her a welcome back gift and leave it with you before I go, I need to take a shower and rest before going back" he said and walked away. "young master is still as handsome and gentle as ever, If I had the chance I would definitely marry him, there are not many men like him this days" she said and was about to leave the villa when she suddenly felt like she had forgotten something, she scratched her head in an attempt to remember what she had forgotten, she suddenly remembered and clasped her hands together " I told young master that they were all gone but that young lady is still here" she was about to go to his personal room in the villa to tell him but she suddenly stopped " I don''t think anything bad could happen anyway" she said and walked away. He entered into the room and dropped his medium sized bag on the bed as he threw himself on the bed, he lied down facing the ceiling and said in his mind "if my little sister comes back to find me this time I definitely wouldn''t escape, I had better rest a little and leave before she comes back" . He stood and took off his cloths, he took out his bathrobe which is one of the few clothing''s he had in his wardrobe and put it on. He made his way to the bathroom and opened the door which was unlocked, he entered the bathroom and took out his bath gel and a sponge from the little drawer in the bathroom. He went to where the bathtub was and was shocked at the sight of a woman in the bathtub, he came a little bit close to the door separating the bathtub from the remaining part of the bathroom, his neutral expression changed as he stared at the lady in the bathtub, she definitely resembled someone he knows and longs for, he noticed her long hair dangling in the bath and her smooth skin, he looked closer at her face as she seemed to be drowning in whatever music she was listening to, "it''s her" he said in a whispering voice. Yu yan opened her eyes and removed the EarPods from her ear, she gulped down the remaining wine in the glass and dropped it on the tray. He realised that she was about to come out of the bathtub and he quickly turned his face away, she took her bathrobe which was hanging on the bath hanger and put it on as she came out of the bathtub, she opened the door and was shocked at the sight of a man standing outside with his back turned, she screamed and lost her balance as she slipped, he quickly turned and grabbed her waist. They looked into each other eyes as he held her waist, she quickly pushed him away, "I didn''t look when you came out" he said to calm her down, "who are you" she asked as she looked into this face intensely, his look definitely didn''t remind her of someone she had met before, his long hair was packed in a ponytail, he is very tall and he looked really handsome, he didn''t seem like Jia yu''s brother and she definitely doesn''t have a brother. "I am someone who can enter and leave as I want and who are you?" he asked and smiled at her, "since you won''t tell me who you are why should I identify myself?" she said and walked out of the bathroom in embarrassment. "She is still so beautiful and feisty as before but she...she doesn''t recognise me". She entered into her room and locked the door behind her in case the strange guy enters her room, she dropped the bath kit and sat on the dressing table she looked into the mirror and frowned, she couldn''t help wonder if he had seen her body when she came out of the bathtub, she picked up her phone and called Jia yu. "hello" Jia yu said, "why didn''t you tell me that someone was coming to the villa today?" she said in a taut tone. "what do you mean, no one was supposed to be at the villa today" she replied. "there was this young looking guy I saw, when I asked him who he was he said he was someone who could go and come in as he wants" she replied "what does he look like" "he has a tall build and slightly long hair in a ponytail and he..he is handsome" she replied, "oh my gosh! that is my brother " she exclaimed in an excited voice. "I have never heard that you had a brother where did this brother of yours fall from?" she asked, "I will explain when I come back, just do me a favour" "what favour" she asked knowing that what she wanted her to do is definitely not something good, "please ask any of the workers you find in the villa for the key to the private room and lock the room" "I don''t even know where this private room is and who it belongs to" yu yan said, "just ask anyone where it is but don''t knock before locking the door" Jia yu replied, "alright, I need to dress up now" she said and ended the call. She changed into the spare cloth Jia yu left for her and came out of the room, she went to the workers quarters and asked one of them for the key and the direction to the private room, the worker went Into the room and handed the key over to her, he also told her where it was then she thanked him and left. He finished taking his bath and entered his room, he stood in front of the standing mirror as he let down his hair and dried it with a little towel, he turned at the sound of a clicking sound on the door "who is there?" he asked as he walked to the door. "Sorry! I was asked to lock the door," she said and ran back to her room, "hey!! open the door, open the door" he shouted and banged the door in frustration. He went over to the bed and searched for his phone in his bag, as soon as he found it, he called Jia yu. "you have finally called me, why didn''t you tell me you were coming", "I knew you were going to do this, tell that person to open the door now, I have to report for duty or else I will be punished," he said in a frustrated manner. "I don''t care if you get punished or not, I haven''t seen you for two years now and you want to leave just like that, I am coming back in thirty minutes time," she said and ended the call without waiting for him to reply. "that girl must have told her," he said and dropped his phone, he changed his cloth and slept while waiting for her to come back. Jia Yu arrived at the villa and entered the villa, she ordered one of the workers to open his room door and she made her way to Yu Yan''s room, thirty minutes later the three of them were seated in the main room of the villa. "Jia Yu you still haven''t told me who he is," yu yan said, " and I still don''t know who she is," he said, "seems like the both of you didn''t meet on good terms, Yu Yan this is my cousin Han Chen and this is my sister I told you about, brother," she introduced. "your sister....since when did you have such a beautiful sister, even though I am not always around I am sure you are the only child," he said sarcastically. "Brother, why are you acting like this to someone you just met, she is like a sister to me," Jia yu said. "It just seems interesting teasing the both of you," he said and smiled while fixing his eyes on yu yan. "Jia Yu, did you know your cousin is a pervert," Yu yan said, he smiled after hearing her call him a pervert knowing that she was referring to their meeting in the bathroom, "what do you mean Yu Yan," Jia Yu asked in confusion. "Your so-called cousin entered the bathroom while I was in the bath knowing fully well that I was inside and when I saw him, he turned his face to pretend he wasn''t watching me," Yu Yan said in anger. " brother is this true?" Jia yu asked facing Han Chen with a quizzical look on her face. "I can''t believe I have to go through this mess today when I came here just to rest and leave, I was told that there was no one in the villa and I turned my face when she was coming out," he said and folded his arms. "I hope what you said is true even though I don''t believe you," she said as she folded her arms too. "Yu yan, you misunderstood my brother he would never do such a thing; do you know how many girls are after him but he never gives them any attention" Jia yu said, she looked at her watch and said. "I almost forgot, the others will soon arrive at the karate centre, we are supposed to meet them there". Chapter 16 - Rude MVP "I almost forgot we were supposed to go to the karate centre today, and I didn''t bring my uniform" yu yan said, "I knew you didn''t bring yours so I brought one for you on my way back" Jia yu replied. "seems like the friendship between the both of you is so strong" he said to gain their attention, "what else do you expect and point of correction it is sisterhood not friendship" Jia yu snapped back at him, "then do you mind me coming along, I have never seen you practicing karate before" Han chen said.?? "OF COURSE, WE DO!!!" they both shouted at the same time, " didn''t you say you needed to go just a while ago why are you still here anyway" Jia yu asked, " did you think I would wait till you come and then get punished, I had already called to tell the boss that my sister had an emergency so I couldn''t report to duty today", "that is quite like you brother, if you both are ready let''s leave now" she said and they both left the villa in Jia yu''s car. ------- They arrived at the karate centre and met the others there except Xiao Meng and Xiao qi, "you guy arrived really late we have been waiting for an hour now" Ji chen said in a slightly angry tone, "sorry I had to go back to the villa to get Yu yan and I also got an extra gift unexpectedly" Jia yu replied, they all turned to look at Han chen whom Jia yu had referred to as an extra gift, " are you not planning to introduce this handsome young man to us Jia yu "An ke said, they all nodded in agreement with An ke statement. "hmmmn this is my cousin Han chen, Han chen this are my friends An ke and Meng yao" Jia yu said, "why didn''t you introduce Ji chen or are you denying him in front of your cousin" Yu yan said, "of course not I was just about to introduce him", she turned to face Han chen and said "brother this is my boyfriend Ji chen we went to the training together with Meng yao" she said in coquettish manner. "ooh so this is the guy you told me about, he is quite handsome but not handsome than I am" Han chen said sarcastically and stretched out his hands to shake Ji chen with a smile on his face, Ji chen returned the gesture and said " please take care of me brother in law", they all laughed at his statement. Those who arrived late proceeded to the changing room to change into their karate uniform, by the time they came out the two guys were already chatting and getting along well with each other. Both girls came closer to the guys and Yu yan said "seems like you both are getting along well with each other", "of course we are I have to make my brother in law like me, if he disagrees with our relationship then that would be a big trouble for us, isn''t it Jia yu" Ji chen said. "what you just said is true, if my brother doesn''t approve of you then my parents wouldn''t either, brother you have to put in good word for him when we meet my parent since they always listen to whatever you say" "it depends on your performance" Han chen replied and moved on to Yu yan "why don''t you teach me karate Yu yan, I heard from my sister that you are the best among them". "I don''t teach just anyone for free you have to pay me" she said coolly, "he moved three steps closer to her and said "how much is your lesson worth" he said in a quiet tone, "I will think about it later" yu yan replied. "brother, why do you need to learn that you are a soldi¡­." Jia yu was just about to complete her sentence when he ran over to her and covered her mouth using his hand, he puled her away from yu yan and Ji chen, "don''t tell them I am a soldier" "why, oooh are you ashamed of being a soldier" Jia yu said and smiled, "of course not I am a proud soldier, if they find out that I am a soldier then they won''t feel comfortable around me anymore they might get sacred of me". "ok then for the sake of my boyfriend I will keep it a secret but why do I feel like that isn''t your reason for wanting to keep it a secret, you are not perhaps interested in yu yan are you?" Jia yu said with her hands pointed at him, "of course not, I just want them to be free around me" he snapped back quickly, "in case you are, she has a boyfriend even though you are handsome and attractive than him she would never date you so quit early in case you get hurt" "I know, moreover I don''t have time for dating, I think you know that too" he said, "of course¡­wait what do you mean by you knew I have never told you that" Jia yu with doubts written all over her face, " I mean she is so beautiful it would be weird if she doesn''t have a boyfriend. "what are you both talking about, lets get on with the training", "coming" Han chen shouted back, he turned to face Jia yu and said "we have agreed right", she nodded her head positively and they both returned to the other two. "by the way where is Meng yao I haven''t seen her since we came out" she said and looked around to find Meng yao, "she just hooked up with a guy who walked up to her while the both of you were changing, look at her, they are on the fighting ground flirting with each other, Yu yan looked in the direction where An ke had pointed "not surprised though" she said and pulled Han chen by his hand to the training ground. "I pity your brother, he doesn''t how fierce Yu yan is when training others, I remember when we were still in university I wanted to get closer to yu yan so I joined her karate club, the sufferings she put me through is something I can never forget" Ji chen said, he and Jia yu moved to the sparring ground, the both of them sparred and ended up with a tie, they finally sat down after thirty minutes of sparring and hydrated themselves. They watched Yu Yan as she thought Han chen the basic karate steps. Yu yan held his legs in a kicking position and told him to remain in the kicking position for thirty minutes, she straightened his leg in a slant position to the standing punching bag, that was the first thing she told me to do back then too, I didn''t last for ten minutes I wonder if your brother can" Ji chen said as she gulped down the water and passed Jia yu the remaining bottle of water, "don''t underestimate my brother he is capable of lasting for an hour" Jia yu said and poured the water down her throat which was already dry by the time she had finished sparring with Ji chen, "even yu yan who was the school champion then can only last forty five minutes in a kick position how can your brother last foe an hour when he doesn''t even have the basic training yet" Ji chen said, " since you don''t believe me then let''s watch and see" Jia yu said and folded her arm over her chest as she watched the both of them training. Thirty minutes passed and Han chen was still in the kick position, he didn''t seem tired but sweat still trickled down his face unto his chest "seems like you are quite fit no one has ever passed the first step of my training before you can stop now" she said. He came closer to her and said "I am stronger than you think now what do we do next" "cant you talk without coming close to me, next you have to kick the punching bag fifty time while concentrating your effort on one spot" she said and moved to another punching back close to the one he was using and demonstrated how he should kick the bag, they were both practicing until a tall and well-built guy walked up to them, "can I speak to you privately "he said "sorry but I am busy right now say whatever you need to say here" she said without even looking at the face of the person who was talking to her. The guy waited for a while hoping that she would give him attention or at least look at his face, frustrated by her indifference to him as she was about to land another kick on the bag, he held her leg and drew her closer to him with her leg under his arms, "hey what are you doing, let me go" she said, she struggled to free herself from his grip but to no avail, "now I have your attention" the guy said smiling. The others rushed up to where they were practicing, "aren''t you the winner of the national MVP, Zhang wei" Meng Yao said with her mouth wide agape, He smiled in response to her statement and released Yu yan, "is that why you are acting rude just because you are someone popular" Yu yan said in an angry tone, she attempted to walk out on him but he grabbed her hands tightly to stop her from moving. "let me go" she said with her eyes burning with anger, "I said I needed to talk to you but you keep ignoring me" "I don''t want to talk to you so let go of me" she snapped back as she continued pulling her hand away from his grip, Han chen who had been watching without doing anything before suddenly gripped the guys hand and brushed his hand away from Yu yan''s hand. Annoyed by his sudden intervention, the guy turned to look at Han chen with a non-friendly look, the others realised that they were about to fight when Han chen returned the look with an expression that seemed to undermine the strength of the other guy, "Zhang wei or whatever your name is, is that how you treat a lady you just met" Han said with his eyes fixed on his face. Chapter 17 - The Knock Down "What is your business with that is she your girlfriend or what" Zhang Wei replied, Han Chen laughed and said "so you treat girls who do not have boyfriends in that way, that makes you an animal", "say that again," Zhang Wei said with his eyes burning in anger, his expression showed that he was ready for a fight, "Mr MVP, you are the one at fault why don''t you apologise to yu yan and just leave instead of getting into a fight here," Jia yu said "I think you are mistaken I am the one who needs an apology here for being called an animal not her" He replied, "since you refuse to apologise and my brother will definitely not apologise to you why don''t you end this with a fight then between the two men since you are both ready to fight" Jia yu suggested?? "Jia yu have you forgotten that he is an MVP champion how can you ask him to compete with your brother, I don''t think you like your brother," Ji Chen said, "trust my brother this guy doesn''t stand a chance against my brother, he will be the one to suffer" "ok I agree, the fight will be videoed and whoever loses will have to apologise," Han Chen said, "do you think you stand a chance against me when a girl is training you, it seems like you don''t treasure that face of yours, whoever loses will have to kowtow to the other person ten times," Zhang Wei said with confidence written over his face "ok let''s do it," Han Chen said, they were about to move on to the fighting ground when Yu yan said "it seems like you are all forgetting I am the victim here, I will fight for myself, I don''t need a beginner to fight for me", "I don''t want to hurt the beauty so you just stay and watch the fight," Zhang Wei said with a mischievous smile on his face, "yu yan don''t worry I can defeat him," Han Chen said with an expression that is telling her to trust him "don''t bother, I can fight him on my own but if I win, I want to add another condition," Yu yan said, "what condition" Zhang Wei asked. "the winner also gets to slap the loser as much as you want until the winner is satisfied," Yu yan said "Yu yan isn''t that too much, what if you lose," Meng Yao said with her face full of worry, "don''t worry have you ever seen me lose a fight," She said and moved to the fighting ground. They all surrounded the fighting ground along with other spectators who were at the club, those who didn''t know what had happened began to murmur, "is she mad how can she compete with Zhang Wei" a girl said to a guy who was standing beside her, "she is really overestimating herself" the guy said. "hey how can you say that you haven''t even watched the fight yet" Meng Yao said to them, "does anyone even need to watch the fight before knowing the outcome" the girl said. "you can''t be reasoned with," Meng Yao said and moved away from them, "Jia yu you need to video the fight, I am sure you yan is going to win," Ji Chen said and gave Jia yu his phone to video the fight, Han Chen also brought out his phone to video the fight. "don''t worry when I win I won''t slap you since I wouldn''t want to destroy that beautiful face of yours," Zhang Wei said in an arrogant tone, Yu Yan ignored him as she focused on putting on her head guard and hand gloves while Zhang Wei also did the same and they both got into the fighting stance. Li Chen acted as the referee and instructed them to begin fighting. Yu yan started first by striking her first kick which he managed to dodge in time, others began cheering for Zhang Wei while Yu yan friends cheered for her. She struck another kick which landed on his shoulder almost bringing his knee to the ground, he was surprised at her attack, he didn''t expect her to be that fast and rough. He retaliated by striking her a sidekick on her ribs which she dodged, the cheering became louder as soon as Zhang Wei took actions, yu yan spun around and attempted to land him a flying roundhouse kick but he blocked with both of his hands, the force she put into kick almost brought him to the ground, he regained his balance quickly to avoid falling down, he realised that she was not an easy opponent then he decided to attack without giving her a chance to attack, he gave her eight continuous kick at a fast pace, she dodged all of his kicks which infuriated him, "is that you have got for an MVP champion, what a joke" she said and scoffed at him. Her statement hurt his pride then he began to throw punches and kicks at her continuously in an aggressive manner, when she could no longer dodge it she decided to land him the final strike, she spun around him and use wrapped one leg around his head and used the other to bring him down, he landed on the floor with a loud thud, her friends began to cheer louder than they cheered before, Han Chen smiled as he continued to video the fight, the other spectators were surprised at her attack and the speed she used to land him on the ground, they almost didn''t see how she brought him to the ground. Li Chen counted to ten before the match would be ended, Zhang Wei struggled to stand up, the force and strength she used to throw him down were so much that he couldn''t stand up until Li Chen counted to eight, he finally gathered his strength to stand up, Lichen left the stage and the fight continued. This time Zhang wei became more aggressive he stuck a stomp down kick on Yu yan but she struck his leg down and held his shoulder to elevate herself in order to doge his next kick, she have him a front kick on his chest but he blocked it and slipped back, they gave each other a flying kick and they both dodged each other kicks, Yu yan gave him eight continuous kicks which made him slip back continuously without having the chance to attack her, she sprung up and while in air she gave him two front push kick which he dodged while he was about to retaliate by striking her down in air, she increased her height and struck him down at a fast speed with a tornado kick landing on his shoulder, this brought him to the ground making him unable to move, the spectators where all surprised at her speed and the height at which she made her attack, they all sucked in a breath of cold air as Zhang wei fell to the ground without having the chance to land a kick on yu yan, Yu yan friends shouted louder as they watched yu yan land on her right foot. Li Chen stood in the middle of the fighting ground and counted to ten, Zhang Wei struggled to stand up but he couldn''t, Lichen counted to ten and declared Yu yan as the winner. He pulled the Zhang Wei up, he couldn''t stand straight so he had to support him, "why don''t you do as you promised now after all you brought the idea of kowtowing, everyone should capture this moment that can rarely be seen, you never know when next you will have the chance to see your MVP champion will kowtowing" Han Chen said with his hands on yu yan shoulder, they all brought out their phone to video Zhang Wei kowtowing, yu yan looked at Han Chen hands on her shoulder and said "I don''t think we are close to the extent of placing your hands on my shoulder", "are we not?" he said, she gave him a killer look and he immediately removed his hand from her shoulder then she turned to face Zhang Wei who was now kneeling in front of her "don''t you think it is time you do as you proposed while I do mine" Chapter 18 - Han Chen Zhang Wei looked around and saw that everyone was videoing him, he was very embarrassed but he couldn''t do anything about it since he was the one who brought the idea of kowtowing, he turned his face from the camera to avoid his face being captured even though he knew it was a useless attempt, "you are not planning to go back on your word, are you?" Jia yu said to incite the spectators who had already begun murmuring on what Zhang Wei would choose to do, Zhang Wei realized that he had no choice but to kowtow, he bowed his head until it hit the ground ten times and apologized each time he kowtowed. He was about to leave after he kowtowed but she pulled him back and slapped him, he held his face in shock while the audience gasped, the slap was so loud that they could all feel the impact of the slap on his right cheek, "how dare you to slap me, you are going too far, do you think I won''t slap you back because you are a girl" He said with his index finger pointed at her, "have you forgotten the last condition, that slap is for myself" she said and slapped him on the left cheek, "this slap is for him, now you can leave if you don''t have anything to say".?? She turned to leave the fighting ground and Han chen followed behind her, as she left the fighting ground Zhang Wei rushed up to her and puled her wrist, he raised his hands and folded his palm into a fist in an attempt to hit her, he tried to move his hand but he couldn''t then he realised that Han chen had already held his hand before he could land a blow on Yu yan''s face, "let me go" he shouted, he tried to free his hand from Han chen hold but he couldn''t, he clenched his jaws and his face burned with anger as he was frustrated with his helplessness. His heart began beating faster and his eyes with cold with contempt as Han chen held his hand, he hated the feeling of weakness Yu yan and Han chen made him feel, he felt like his heart was going to burst if he doesn''t pour out his anger on her, he decided to forsake his career his exchange for venting his anger. They spectators watched as he struggled to free himself from Han chen, they were shocked at how violent he had become and they all turned against him, "you really cant judge a person''s character by his appearance, how can he raise his hands at a lady" a lady in her twenties said to her friend, "right and the guy holding his hand is so cool and handsome". "you have lost and you are not willing to bear the consequence, you were confident before the fight started and now you are acting like a cornered cat" Han said, he scoffed as he let go of his hand, Zhang Wei felt like he could no longer lift his hand, the strength Han chen used in holding his hand has made his hand weak and numb. Han chen held yu yan hand and they both walked away from where Zhang wei and the other spectators were. He dropped her hands when they reached a corner where no one was, they both sat on the bench as they watched Zhang wei being crowded and photographed as he stood helplessly, he was so embarrassed that he rushed out of the karate club in his uniform without changing, everyone who had videoed the whole scene began posting the videos as they left the gym. They came to where Yu yan and Han chen sat and took their seat on an opposite bench beside them, Ji chen handed Yu yan a bottle of water and a hand towel to wipe her sweat and said "wow, yu yan you were so cool back there", "yeah, this is what we call the return of the champion, it has been so long since we so you fight that war compete with anyone" Jia yu said. "I used to admire and crush on him but now you have made me lose all my fantasies about him, but I must say you are the coolest person I have ever known" Meng yao said, "I think this is when we say someone has the face of a angel but the heart of a devil, I didn''t believe that she was really going to slap him, she didn''t seem like someone who was capable of doing that" Han chen added, they all laughed at his comment, he didn''t know why they were laughing so he looked at them with a confused expression on his face, "why are you all laughing" he asked, "you just got it right, that is the famous quote everyone used on yu yan while we were still in university, though she looks gentle you wouldn''t believe how many people she has beaten up both in competition and outside competitions while we were still in university" Jia yu said. "you are all making me sound like a witch, I only beat them up for self-defence, you don''t know how many animals like that tried to harass me back then if I don''t defend myself then should I just leave them alone" Yu yan said as she dabbed her face with the hand towel, "that is the price you have to pay for being to beautiful and perfect or else it wouldn''t be fair to the rest of us don''t you guys think so" An ke said, they all nodded in agreement to what An ke said, "brother in law you were so cool back then, he looked like he was going to explode how did you manage to make him unable to move his hand, I definitely wouldn''t have been able pull that off" Ji chen said "hey, that is something easy for my brother to do, I didn''t tell you before but my brother is a soldi¡­.", Jia yu was about to complete her statement but was interrupted by Han chen who pretended to cough in order to stop her from telling them he is a soldier, "what she means to say is that I have always had a strong shoulder" Han chen said and looked at Jia yu, he lowered one of his eyebrow to remind her that she almost exposed his job to them. "Yeah my brother had always had a strong shoulder" she said as she nodded her head awkwardly. "now that your cousin is here why don''t we go out for more fun we rarely ever have the chance to go out like this because of our job" An ke said, "my brother might not feel free to hang out with us" Jia yu said as she looked at Han chen to see his reaction. "I don''t think so, he has been flowing and relating with us well until now and he doesn''t seem older than us so why cant he hang out with us" Yu yan said, "you are right I am just twenty eight, so don''t treat me with too much respect" Han chen said with his right hand on his chest "wow you are just one year older than us, then I guess we can speak to you comfortably then" Meng yao said, Han chen nodded positively in response to her question "why don''t we go to the karaoke, it has been long since we went there together and I miss it so much" Jia yu said "I agree with you it has been long since we heard that voice of yours" Yu yan said, "what is wrong with my voice, you guys always complimented me back then" Jia yu said, they looked at each other, they were all unwilling to answer her question, Han chen saw the look on their face and realised what was happening, "don''t tell me you guys have been lying to my sister that her voice is good" Han chen said "we don''t dare tell her the truth, if we did she would never stop singing until we tell her voice is nice and she will keep malice with all of us for more than a week" Ji chen said, Jia yu looked at him in shock as she placed her left hand on her chest " OMG, is this what you guys have been doing so you just wanted to shut me up" Jia yu said They all looked away to avoid her gaze, then she said "well you guys did well, I will just forgive you but there is one killer singer among us" Jia yu said "Who is it" yu yan asked "my brother is one of the best singers I have ever seen he is also good at rapping and beatboxing" Jia yu said and turned to face Han chen, "then we would be looking forward to his performance" yu yan said, An ke looked at the time on her phone and gasped, "guys it is already seven pm, let change" she said. They all stood up and went into the changing room, twenty minutes later, they all came out of the dressing room and left the Karate club. They all drove in the same car which is a Lexus jeep belonging to Ji chen except Jia yu, Yu yan and Han chen, they went with Jia yu''s car. Chapter 19 - The Accusation "You are the bravest among us why don''t you go in?" Huo lian said to Huo Qiang, they were debating on who was going to wake up Huo Ying, this is something that happens always whenever Huo Ying is angry, none of them dared to go into her room or come two metres close to her, they had a sect meeting so they had to wake her up so the sect elders don''t get angry at her. "It''s in this kind of situation the both of you start praising me, you both are the closest to her so she will definitely be lenient with you," He argued, "well you are the eldest among us why don''t you take the lead" Huo lian argued "Why don''t we all go in at the same time instead of arguing here, that way we can take the suffering together," Huo mei said, "yeah that is the best suggestion, everyone will take the hit then," Huo Qiang agreed. Huo lian also responded with a nod, they all agreed to enter her room together, as they were about to open the door and enter into the room, she came out of her room smiling. They were surprised to see the smile when she came out, it didn''t seem like her normal angry self and she would never smile for at least five days after what happened, they kept on staring at her as she stood in front of her room without saying anything. "Why are the three of you staring at me like that is there anything on my face?" she said as she rubbed her hand on her face to check is there was anything on her face. "Young mistress are you okay," Huo Lian asked "Is there anything wrong with me, I am okay," She said as she displayed her pearl white set of teeth and turned around spreading her arms. "Are you sure? you have never appeared so cheerful a day after your sister incident happens," Huo Qiang said, "and your makeup is brighter than usual you are really strange today," Huo Lian added "Ooh is that what you guys are talking about, I talked with my dad about this and I promised to change, so I won''t be like that anymore," "I was really scared young mistress when your murderous intent increased yesterday," Huo Mei said as she held Huo Ying hand. "I am sorry I won''t be like that anymore don''t worry", "We were just debating on who was going to wake you up for the meeting¡­" Huo Qiang said as he was about to finish his sentence, they all gasped "THE SECT MEETING !!!!" they chorused "What do you guys mean?" Huo Ying asked with confusion written all over her face as she watched them open their mouth agape. "Young mistress we were supposed to wake you up in order to attend the meeting but we have wasted one hour while we were arguing on who is going to go inside your room," Huo Mei answered as she itched her hair "WHAT!!!!" She exclaimed "You guys have put me in trouble, those grumpy elders don''t like me but now you have given them a reason to speak against me today," she said as she pointed her index finger at all of them in turns, "Sorry young mistress we were just surprised at your sudden change that we forgot about the sect meeting," Huo Mei said "By the way why the sudden sect meeting we don''t normally have sect meetings, it has been two years now since we had one last" Huo Ying said, "I think the elders found out about the man you killed but I am not sure of how they found out," Huo Qiang answered. "Isn''t it obvious, those disciples saw me yesterday some of them might have told the elders," "We had already taken care of the remains so there won''t be any problem, rest assured young mistress," Huo Lian assured. "Alright let''s go now, they are waiting for us," Huo Ying said, they made their way into the sect hall. As they entered the sect hall, all eyes were fixed on them, especially Huo Ying, some looked at her with respect on their face, some looked at her with surprise at her composure that morning while some looked at her with contempt and dislike. She took her seat at the right-hand side of the sect leader while the other three stood behind her and the sect leader, "It seems like the young mistress does not have regards for an event like this, we have been waiting for you for one hour and thirty minutes now and you are not even apologising for your lateness" The first elder said, the other elders supported his accusations as they nod their head in agreement to his statement. "I have not even fully adjusted myself on my seat not to talk less of even apologising and you are already attacking me, first elder, without even giving me a chance to say anything," Huo Ying responded "I don''t think it is even necessary to give you the chance to apologise because you wouldn''t, your arrogance has reached the highest stage it can reach," the second elder retorted "You¡­." Huo Ying was about to continue arguing with the two elders when the sect leader interrupted her, "that''s enough, do you all not see me seating before you or have you no regard for my presence" the sect leader said in a low but angry tone, Huo Ying and the elders stood up from their seat and bowed, "FORGIVE OUR RECKLESSNESS, SECT LEADER" the three of them chorused and took their seat. The first elder and Huo Ying continued staring at each other face. "Sect leader, the young mistress has threatened the safety and reputation of this sect with her brutal actions on an innocent man, she ought to be punished for her actions," The second elder said standing up, he took his seat as he finished his statement, " Second elder what do you mean by your accusation," Huo Ying said while trying to feign ignorance "Young mistress I am sure you are aware of what you did yesterday when you went down the mountain or are you trying to feign ignorance," The first elder said pointing his finger at Huo Ying, she looked him in the eye and said " I did so many things yesterday may I know which one you are talking about" Huo Ying replied, the first elder slammed his hand on his chair handle and shouted "Do you need me to remind you that you killed someone with the flame of torture yesterday", the sect leader who was doubting if the elders knew the skill she used on the man bent his face as he had lost hope of protecting Huo Ying from the elders. The disciples began murmuring as they couldn''t believe that she had used the sect deadliest and painful skill on an ordinary man, they knew that when she was angry she would become very brutal but what they had just heard still shocked them, Huo mei, Huo lian and Huo Qiang shut their eyes as they heard what the first elder had said, they were hoping that he hadn''t found out how she killed the man. "How did he find out didn''t we bury the man remains" Huo mei whispered to Huo Qiang, "He must have ordered someone to follow us when we returned to bury his remains" Huo Qiang whispered "That damned old bastard, he will surely not let the young miss off he has been waiting for this opportunity for a long time" Huo mei cursed under her breath. Huo Ying clenched her fist, she couldn''t think of what to do anymore now that he knew what skill she had used on the man, "First Elder, I admit that I killed the man but do you have any proof that I used the flame of torture on him, I don''t think you should be making such a serious accusation without proof" She said, she clasped her hands tightly hoping that the first elder wouldn''t be able to provide the proof of her action. The first elder scoffed and said "Since the young mistress refuses to admit that she used the flame of torture until I provide the evidence of her actions, I would do as she wishes", he turned to the door and shouted "bring in the remains", Huo Bingchen the grandson of the second elder entered into the hall with four disciples carrying a stretcher covered with a white cloth. "Open it for the young mistress to see" the first elder commanded, Huo Ying clasped her hands tighter, "I was wondering why that bastard wasn''t here" she cursed under her breath. The disciple dropped the stretcher on the floor while Huo Bingchen removed the white cloth, the disciples gasped at the ghastly sight in front of them, even the sect leader and the third elder couldn''t bear to look at what was on the stretcher, "As you all know, anyone who is burned with the lame of torture would not stop feeling the pain until all his body has burned to askes but his head will never burn, now what does the young miss have to say now that the evidence is right in front of you" the first elder said. Huo Ying bit her lower lips and clenched her fist, she looked like she was about to kill the first elder, Huo mei held her shoulder and whispered to her "Young mistress calm down if you act now the sect leader will be in an awkward position", she released her hand and took a deep breath, "I was indeed the one who killed him and I used the flame of torture on him, first elder you know that the flame of torture can only be used by those of direct bloodline of the sect leader so why did you bother asking me if I have anything to say when you know that I don''t" Huo Ying said, she doesn''t care about how the elders see her and she wouldn''t bother giving them an excuse at this point. "I am glad that the young mistress admits her fault but you don''t seem remorseful," the first elder said. "Why should I be remorseful when he deserved it, how dare he curse my sister right in front of me, I can forgive anything but I cannot forgive him cursing my sister and wishing her death," she shouted angrily, the second elder slammed his hands on his chair handle. "Are you saying that just because of that sister of yours you want to give the other sects a reason to plot against the flame sect again", unable to control her anger, she stood up and her eyeball and her hair colour changed to red, the disciple and the elders were all alarmed at her change, when the eyeball and hair colour of a person from the flame sect changes to red, the murderous aura of that person increases and they become extremely powerful. "How dare you call my sister useless, if not for her sacrifice you would not be sitting here today as the second elder of the flame sect, her freedom was exchanged for the life you are living", the sect leader immediately called her name and held her hand to calm her down, she looked at her father and Huo Qiang, she remembered what she had promised them. She forced herself to calm her anger, as result her blood flowed in reverse and she vomited blood while her eyes and hair changed back to normal, Huo Qiang held her hand as he helped her to her seat. Chapter 20 - WHAT!!! IMPOSSIBLE The whole hall could still feel the fear left behind by her sudden change of appearance and her killing intent, the only person who possessed that ability before the twins were born was the founder of the flame sect, whenever he became furious he killed countless people since then the flame sect was regarded as a cult but after he died the flame sect did all they could to alleviate the people''s hatred towards them and now the twins possessed this ability, Huo Lan was just different from her sister because she had the ability even when she wasn''t angry or provoked and this was what made her a threat that was much more scarier than the founder of the flame sect and this was why the other sect wanted to take her away from the flame sect, Huo Ying didn''t show this ability until she was twelve years old. "This is why you and your sister are the sources of danger for the flame sect as long as the both of you are around, the flame sect will always be despised by all," the second elder said even though he still felt the fear but he tried to hide it, "how dare you!!!" the sect leader shouted as he sprung up from his seat, "in front of me, you are even talking about my daughters in this manner, what will you say behind my back, have you no regards for my authority in this sect" he continued and flapped his sleeve as he pointed his index finger at the two elders?? The three elders and all the disciples bowed as they put their hands forward joined together and chorused "ease your anger sect leader". The sect leader took a deep breath and flapped his sleeve as he sat back on his seat "I am the one who makes a judgement in this sect and your job is to assist me in making the sect peaceful and stronger, but you keep causing conflict and dividing the sect if we are not even united how are we supposed to win against the hatred and force of the other sects, even if we are powerful than them, once they are united and we are divided we are no match for them" He said "sect leader you are right please forgive our recklessness," the third elder said, he was the only elder who is fully loyal to the sect leader and maintains neutral relations with everyone in the sect, he is also Huo Qiang adopted father. When the sect leader brought Huo Qiang to the sect, he took Huo Qiang under his wings and trained him. "Father I am sorry for not causing ruckus and trouble for the sect, please punish me for my wrongdoing or else I will not be worthy to be the young mistress of the flame sect" Huo ying said in order to make sure her father doesn''t end up in an awkward position when the elders request for him to punish her. "sect leader the young mistress is already injured she will not be able to withstand any punishment or else her life will be in danger, sect leader please forgive the young mistress for her actions" Huo Qiang said, he stood in front of the sect leader and the elders, he cupped his left and right hand together and raising them slightly as he bowed lightly, "sect leader, if we don???t follow the rules of the sect and let the young mistress off what will the other disciples think of the sect rules, the young mistress as to serve her punishment", "sect leader, why don''t we wait until she is healed before we decide on what to do about her punishment after all she killed the man for the reputation of the sect even if it was a wrong thing to do" the third elder added. "sect leader I have a better proposal for her punishment why don''t we lock the young mistress in the beast dungeon if she survives till the next day, she will be free form any punishment," the first elder said, "isn''t your suggestion the same as asking the young mistress to die, why don''t you just directly kill her" Huo mei shouted at the first elder, "how dare you speak to me in that manner when you are just a measly guardian" the first elder snapped back. The sect leader knew that the two elders will never let this issue die down if he doesn''t do as they say, they had always opposed him since he became the sect leader, "I need to think about a way to dispose the matter and make the elders compromise, I have already sacrificed one daughter I won''t let go of the only one remaining" he thought to himself "Father, I am willing to enter the dungeon please give the other," Huo Ying said in a week voice as she held Huo lian hand for support as she stood up, "Huo Ying, you will die if you enter the beast dungeon, even though we have tried to tame the beast there for years now he is still dangerous I can''t let you go in there," the sect leader said "I am confident that I can return alive and well father, just let me go I promise to return safely without getting hurt," Huo Ying said to persuade her father, she knew that if her father doesn''t punish her, he will lose his authority as the sect leader, "it seems like the young mistress is overestimating herself, no one has ever returned from the beast dungeon alive," Huo Bingwen said and smirked "if I say I can then I can, who are you to determine my capability," she said in a low but belittling tone facing Huo Bingwen, Huo Qiang who was still standing in front of the sect leader knelt down and said "I am willing to enter the dungeon on behalf of the young mistress", Huo mei also walked to the front of the sect leader and knelt down, "I will go on behalf of the young mistress, we should have stopped her from taking such actions but we failed our duty, please let me enter on behalf of the young mistress," she said "the both of you have nothing to do with this don''t get involved," Huo Ying said, they didn''t stand up instead the both of them bowed their head until it hit the ground in order to persuade the sect leader, Huo Ying couldn''t watch them hurt themselves so she decided to compromise "Father why don''t we go in together since they have decided to take responsibility for failing their duty," Huo Ying said to the sect leader, "alright, since you are all determined, the four of you will enter the dungeon together to serve your punishment," the sect leader said and stood up to leave the hall, he was escorted by two disciples while the others remained in the hall. "Bingwen, take ten other disciples with you to escort the young mistress and the guardians to the dungeon, guard the dungeon until two days have passed, if they survive you will escort them back," the first elder said and all the elders stood up to leave the hall, the first elder came closer to Huo Ying and said in a low voice, "I think this time I have won since you won''t be coming back, then Bingwen will become the future sect leader", he smirked and was about to walk away when Huo Ying said "I will be sure to come back safely I am sure you will be worried but don''t worry I will come back unharmed", she walked down from the high seat with Huo lian supporting her. Huo Bingwen and ten other disciples followed behind her and the other three as they made their way to the beast dungeon, "young mistress don''t worry you have us to protect you" Huo mei said "Huo mei I think you are the one worrying, it is written all over your face, I am very confident that we can come out alive" Huo Ying replied with a smile on her face. Huo Bingwen who was listening on their conversation walked to the front to start a conversation with them, "I was wondering how it was possible for you to just stay back without saying anything, it appears that you cannot contain your urge to speak" Huo lian said "you guys are just going to seek your death so of course, I have to at least deliver my last word to you all, I really hope you come back alive," Huo Bingwen said in a sarcastic manner, " hmmm, I was wondering what gibberish you were going to pour out of that mouth of yours but now I don''t even know whether to laugh or cry," Huo Ying said "you can cry but what is there to laugh about," Bingwen said, he wondered why she was looking very confident that she was going to come back alive, "there is something to laugh about, I mean you are suddenly caring about us at this moment, of course, it is funny," Huo Ying said "if you beg me now, I will let you stay outside the dungeon and I will tell my grandfather that you went in, don''t you think I am too good to you," Huo Bingwen said, they looked at him for a second and then they all burst into laughter, he was confused by their reaction, he was thinking that they will really beg him. "and you really think that I Huo Ying will beg you, you must be kidding," she said as she and others tried to stop laughing, he was annoyed at their indifference to his proposal, "since you are not even thankful for the chance I am giving you then I hope you die in peace," He said angrily and walked forward. "he has finally gone away such an annoying brat" Huo Ying said "young mistress, I don''t think you are going into the dungeon without any plans," Huo Qiang said with a quizzical look on his face "ooh, what makes you think so," Huo Ying said with a smile on her face "young mistress it is so obvious, normally when you in such a situation, you would bite your nails but this time you are you too relaxed," Huo mei said "I actually don''t have any plan but there is one thing you all don''t know," Huo Ying said "What is that" they all chorused "actually when we were five, I went to see Huo Lan but I saw her leaving the room she was locked in then I followed her, I saw her entering the dungeon then I followed her¡­" Huo Ying hesitated, they all looked at her face with suspense "she was actually playing with the beast in the dungeon," She said "WHAT!!!, IMPOSSIBLE" they shouted The startled disciples who were escorting them and Huo Bingwen turned back to see why they had shouted, then they continued looking forward. "How is that possible, the first time the sect leader and the elders tried to tame that beast, they came back injured," Huo Qiang said. Chapter 21 - Blossom Valley "Young man you don''t normally come during the day, it seems like there is something unusual about today," the boatman said as he paddled the boat slowly, the boat was decorated in a very fancy way, a large umbrella stood in the middle of the both and on the tip of the boat Is the statue of the head of a dragon. " It seems like I cannot disconnect myself from this mundane world, today is the death anniversary of someone whom I promised to wash my hand in a golden basin but I guess I cannot walk away from the court," he said as he continued playing the flute, he was dressed in a black robe with wide lapels, as the wind blew his long black hair which was packed into a ponytail and held in place with a single pin scattered in the direction of the wind, he was wearing a large black cloak with white fur on the collar.?? The two stripes of hair that laid in front of his face flew in the direction of the wind, he stood in the middle of the both with his eyes closed as he played the flute, the breeze blew silently without making much noise, he moved away from the umbrella that stood in the middle of the boat and watched as the snow fell, the sound and the gentleness of the tune he was playing attracted many birds on the cherry blossom tree that surrounded the lake, he felt the cold touch of the snow as they passed through his face before landing on the ground. He stopped playing the flute and held it in his left hand as he folded his left hand behind his back and stretched out his hands to catch the snow as it fell. A thousand mountains, no birds fly Ten thousand path, no footprints Lone skiff, rush cloaked old man Fishing alone, colds river snow He quoted as he poured down the snow that had gathered on his palms, "from the sound of your tune and your poem I can tell that you are really lonely today, this is not like your usual self" the old man who was paddling the boat said as he slowly brought the boat close to the shore. "There are times when a person will feel lonely unless you are surrounded by the people you love and cherish," He said calmly taking his seat on the boat. "I can see that you miss someone, is it someone you love?" the old man asked "I don''t think I have the luxury to fall in love with someone but I do care for her and I miss her, we are like the sun and the moon that can never appear at the same time, I can only leave a shadow of me to protect her but I can not save her from her suffering" "Let this old man tell you something based on his experience in this world, as long as you love her you will surely be with her in the end, your sincerity is what matters," The old man said, he brought the boat ashore and tied it to a short pole by the lake, "whenever you need me again please don''t hesitate to send for me," the boatman said and walked away from the lake. Li Ruansong sighed as he positioned his flute and started playing the tune again, he enjoyed the peace and quietness the lake gave him each time he played the flute on the boat, he enjoyed the songs the bird sang along with the tune of his flute, it has been long since he had followed this routine but today was an exemption. He always played the flute at night on the boat when the moon is out, he always enjoyed the scenery of the full moon as he plays his flute, the white jade flute was given to him by his mother, it is a priceless treasure that could not be bought with money in his heart, for the past twelve years he had always kept it with him with Xinghua fan that was also a gift from his mother. The white jade flute is a treasure that everyone in the Tang empire wanted and desired but they couldn''t get it, they all wondered where he had gotten it from but no one could directly ask, even when the princes wanted to buy if from him he would never sell it no matter what was being exchanges for it. He felt the breeze brushing through his face as he stood up while playing the flute, suddenly his ears twitched. "Seems like someone is here to ease my loneliness," he said in his mind. A dark figure flew in his direction with his long sword pointed at his direction, as the tip of the sword came closer to his back his hair fluttered and the flowers from the cherry blossom tree fell. "It seems like this person''s Kungfu is really good, he can even make my cherry blossom fall with just his vital energy, interesting" Li Ruansong said in his mind. As the tip of the sword reached his neck, he dodged the attack, the dark figure smirked seeing how quick he dodged his attack even though he was very close to stabbing him. Li Ruansong continued playing the flute as the enemy made another attack. He swung the sword towards him this time with a faster speed, Ruansong bent backwards with only one foot on the boat and the other in the air, the opponent continued to swing his sword as Li Ruansong made a three-sixty degrees turn with his back only two metres away from the ground. "interesting" Li Ruansong said and smiled He backflipped and steadied himself on the boat, the speed of the swordman increased as he weaved his sword continuously without holding back for a second, this time Ruansong stopped playing the flute, he dodged the attack and brought out the fan from his chest. He blocked each attack from the swordman faster than the swordsman attacked, the swordsman concentrated all his force on one spot, he was about to thrust his sword into Ruansong chest when he reacted by blocking the sword with his fan, Ruansong slipped back as the swordsman concentrated more strength on his attack, the boat began to spin around as Ruansong continued to slip, he gathered his strength and pushed the swordsman back, he leapt into the air and used his right leg to push the boat back to the shore and used his left leg to balance himself on the surface of the water. The swordman also jumped out of the boat and used his leg to propel himself as he ran towards Ruansong on the water, Clink!! Clink!! Clink!! The both of them continued attacking each other, each blocking the attack with his weapon, the swordsman flew into the air and brought his sword down on Ruansong, he quickly unfolded his fan and blocked the sword with the fan which is already spread wide, Ruansong folded the fan and held the man''s hand, he brought him from the air and threw him ashore as he ran on the water towards the shore. The swordsman quickly regained his balance as he almost landed on the ground, Ruansong reached the shore and he returned the fan into his chest and brought out the flute from his sleeve. "seems like your skills and speed have improved Li Changlin," Ruansong said smiling, he adjusted his cloak and folded both hands at his back, "even though I have improved I still can''t be compared with you brother, you skills have also improved, it has only been two year and your skills have already reached this stage," Li Changlin said, he inserted his sword back into the sheath on his waist, Ruansong watched as he removed the sword from his waist and held it in his hand. "Why did you say so after all In the fight there wasn''t much difference in the level of our Kungfu" Ruansong said as hanged the flute on his waist, "brother I am not stupid, I know that you held back when we were fighting, if you didn''t the fight wouldn''t have lasted for up to one minute," Changlin said, they left the lake and started walking. "I thought you wouldn''t notice, based on the fight just now, if you were fighting with some else you would have won the fight," Ruansong said, "I wonder if the time will come when I will be able to win you in a fight," Changlin said and sighed. They entered the garden which was decorated with flowers of all kinds, in the garden there is also a pool of water which steamed and produced ripples each time the winder made of wood spun. They took their seat in the middle of the garden one a stone seat and table, Ruansong brought out his fan and laid it on the table. "let me pour you tea, you must be feeling fatigued from the long journey," Ruansong said, he held the pot of tea made of jade in his right hand as he poured the tea into two jade cups and used his left his to restrain the cloak, he dropped the boat and passed one cup of tea to Changlin. Li Changlin raised the cup of tea to his nose and inhaled the steam coming from the cup of tea, "so fragrant, what is the name of this tea" Changlin said, he lowered the cup to his lips and sipped it gently "I found a flower I didn''t plant growing in my garden, it was so fragrant so I decided to brew it, when I first tasted it, it had a very smooth taste and the fragrance was so nice, since the tea leaves are white and small, I decided to name it snow tea," Ruansong said, he lifted his cup to his lips and sipped the tea gently. "it indeed has a smooth taste, every time I visit your valley there is always something new to see, taste or do," Changlin said and sipped the tea again. Ruansong smiled and sipped his tea again after Changlin complimented his valley. After finishing the tea, Changlin held the cup in his hand and examined it, "The blossom valley is indeed extraordinary, all the flowers that cannot be seen elsewhere can be found in your valley, all the flowers in your valley are rare except the cherry blossom, even your teaware so exquisite, if royal father visits your valley one day he might decide to turn it into the palace" Changlin said and dropped the cup on the table. "you are joking, although so many people desire the things I own how can royal father covet my lowly valley" Ruansong replied as he refilled their cups, "you are really looking down on your valley, this tea must have been here for at least five hours and yet it is still hot and has a fresh taste, this must be because of that pool which the royal place doesn''t possess" Changlin said. "enough with the praise just enjoy the tea and the scenery since that is what the blossom valley has to offer," Ruansong said. Changlin stood up from his seat and walked around the valley, he knelt in front of the blue lotus taking it root at the tip of the pond and touched the petals gently. Chapter 22 - The Man Deserved It "I wish I could stay here with you and be free from the troubles in this world but I can''t and you can''t be free either," Changlin said "you are right even though I am the owner of the moon valley and I am not involved with the court issues, for now, sooner or later I will be, no one that is born in the court or jianghu can be free from the troubles," Ruansong said, he stood up and walked to the pond where Changlin is standing, the both of them smiled as they enjoyed the scenery of the garden. Changlin spotted a swing close to the pond, he moved to where the swing is standing and sat on it.?? "you do have all kinds of things in this valley, is there any kid in the valley, why do you need a swing," Changlin said, he propelled the swing forward and started swinging on it, "Xiaodi kept complaining that the valley is too boring for her so I made it for her to play with but she still cannot stay in the valley for the whole day so she goes out to play in the day and then she uses the swing in the night," Ruansong said, he returned to the seat and continued drinking the tea. "she still acts like a child, I wonder when she will grow up, we just can''t get along with each other, she will surely ignore me when she comes back," Changlin said and returned to his seat, Xiaodi is a hundred-year-old fox and the only second spirit beast alive, Prince Li Ruansong mother was the one who saved her when she was still a baby, she was raised in secret until she reached the age of seventy she gained the ability to transform into any object or animal but she can''t last for more than seven days in any other form except a fox and human. When Ruansong mother passed away, she gave Xiaodi to Ruansong and since then she only acknowledged Ruansong as her master, she also has a spiritual connection with Ruansong, that is why she can understand his feeling and inner thought without him saying anything, apart from Prince Changlin no one knew that Xiaodi is a spirit animal even though she had been with him since when he was six years old. "The both of you are like water and fire, you argue the moment you see each other, I wish she would ignore you when she comes back but she definitely wouldn''t, the both of you will start arguing the moment she comes back," Ruansong said, he picked up his fan and unfolded it, he used it to fan himself gently as he sipped his tea. "she is just too feisty for a girl¡­.wait¡­ I forgot that she is not even a girl, she is a spirit beast but she is just so annoying, she just wants to have you all to herself" Changlin said. "Stop talking about Xiaodi, tell me what is happening in the capital and the jianghu world, I have missed your gist for a while, even though I prefer it quiet I still want to know what is happening outside the moon valley" "I thought you wouldn''t ask me this time, the world is quite peaceful now, the court is peaceful and the jianghu world is peaceful, these days I don''t even have any story to tell anymore since there is nothing much going on in the world but the peace will surely not last long" Changlin replied, "tch tch tch tch! when the world is peaceful you complain that it is boring when it isn''t you complain that there are too much turbulence and problem, humans can never be satisfied, did you find out anything about the flame sect," Ruansong asked. "These recent years, the flame sect are too quiet in the jianghu world, everyone wants to know their state and what is going on in the sect but there is no news about them and none of their disciples have been seen, the person everyone wants to see is the young mistress of the flame sect" Changlin replied, he filled his cup again and finished the tea in a go, he watched Ruansong face to see his reaction, ever since Ruansong moved to the moon valley, he has been asking Changlin for news about the flame sect every time Changlin comes to visit him and each time Changlin tells him that he doesn''t know what is going on in the flame sect he becomes disappointed. Ruansong sighed and sipped his tea again, disappointment was written all over his face and his face turned despondent... "why do you always have that expression on your face when you ask about the flame sect, what do you have to do with that sect anyway, I can''t remember you having any involvement with the flame sect" Changlin asked with a searching look on his face. "is it wrong for me to just have an interest in one particular sect, I just feel like that sect is alienated and special so I have an interest in it" Ruansong replied. "Is that so? And I was about to tell you something very interesting" Changlin said, he fixed his eyes on Ruansong to check his reaction, Ruansong tried to remain indifferent to what Changlin had said but he couldn''t. "Well¡­if I dont reply you, it doesn''t mean that I don''t have somehting to say doesn''t mean I don''t have to listen to what you have to say, I am all ears," Ruansong said, he focused his gaze on Changlin with a serious expression on his face while Changlin smiled at his unwillingness to admit that he was curious. "since you want to know, I will have to tell you then...I met the young mistress of the flame sect on the street a few days ago" "How did you know the person you met is the young mistress of the flame sect, didn''t you say that no one has ever seen the young mistress of the flame sect, so how did you know what she looked like" "I wouldn''t have known if not for an incident that happened the day I saw her, she seemed really playful and interesting though," Changlin said and smiled, his thought wandered back to the day he saw her falling and caught her, he smiled again and nodded his head. "I don''t think I have ever seen you smile like that, she must have left quite an impression on you," Ruansong said, he unfolded his fan and dropped it on the table which focusing his gaze on Changlin. "That day, I went out to get my mother a gift then I saw a lady tight rope walking she looked interesting so I came a little bit close to the crowd that gathered round her, then she lost her balance and almost fell but I quickly flew and caught her, she wanted to know my name so she could pay me back but I didn''t think it was necessary and my appointment with the blacksmith has already passed so I left her in a hurry¡­." Changlin said then he stopped when he remembered the cold chilling scene he had scene on that day. "why are you hesitating, did something else happen," Ruansong asked with a anxious look on his face, Changlin sighed and continued. "since I already missed my appointment with the blacksmith, I decided to stop by a restaurant, just when I ordered my food, she and three other people came into the restaurant and sat on the same table, they were discussing and smiling happily but all of a sudden their mood changed, I wanted to know why she had started frowning so I looked in the direction she was staring at and I saw three men talking about the flame sect" "What did they say," Ruansong asked with curiosity written on his face "They were talking about how the flame sect had been quiet these years then they started insulting the flame sect and calling them an evil cult, their reaction was really strange then, they looked like they were going to pick a fight with the men on the other table so I kept on watching, the lady stood up angrily but she was stopped by the guy who was sitting on the same table with her then she sat down back, the men mentioned the second young mistress of the flame sect that was taken to the wind sect and they cursed her, just when they mentioned that girl, her killing intent increased, even I could feel it when I was sitting really far away from the table, the others tried really hard to calm her down then they left the restaurant", he refilled his cup of tea and sipped a little. "I followed them when I notice that they had left the restaurant, I just didn''t have a good feeling then, they stopped on a narrow pathway close to the mountain where the flame sect is, I saw the others talking to the young lady but she seemed very angry. Suddenly her eye and her hair changed to a red colour, her murderous aura increased, the others were scared so they moved away from her, even I felt scared when I saw her changed, she looked like she was going to kill them, the man who cursed the other twin passed by but was stopped by the guy and brought before the young lady, I didn''t hear what she said to him but when she finished talking to him she set him on fire using the flame skill of the flame sect. Her appearance changed back to normal after she set him on fire she left, but there was something strange about the man when he was burning" Changlin said and hesitated for a while, he put his elbow on the table and rubbed his thumb and index finger together. "what was strange about him" "Normally when you set someone on fire after five minutes the person will die or his life will be hanging on a thread but the fire started from his leg and it wouldn''t spread until one part of the body is burned before it moves to another part but the man didn''t die even after burning for one hour, I went close to the man and tried to put out the fire but it didn''t stop, after an hour the two girls and the guy who was with her came back, then the fire had reached his waist and it was burning slowly, the guy stabbed the man then he died and they buried his remains," Changlin said. "that is indeed strange, I know that the flame skill Is quite a brutal and painful skill but I didn''t know that it was that brutal" Ruansong said "I don''t think that was a normal skill from the flame sect when she used it on the man the others looked away and there was pity written all over their faces, they looked like they had never used the skill before, I am very sure that was not the normal flame skill everyone knows about," Changlin said. "since she didn''t react that way until they mentioned her sister I think she must have killed him in such a brutal way because he cursed her sister, the man deserved it," Ruansong said and finished his tea. Chapter 23 - Xiaodi "oh oh your highness thinks so, I also agree with what you said, she felt compelled to defend her sect when the men spoke ill of the flame sect but she became brutal at the mention of her twin sister, she seems very protective of her sister," Changlin said as a smile etched at the corner of his lips. "although I did not expect the young mistress of the flame sect to value her sister in such way, I must say that she is quite loyal to her sister to have reacted that way not minding if others would find out that she is the young mistress of the flame sect," Ruansong said.?? He raised one of his legs on the seat and unfolded the fan to fan himself, "you should have seen her look and the change in her composure when she became angry, she is just my type," Changlin said smiling, after his experience with her, he became more curious about the young mistress of the flame sect, he had never seen a girl like her and there was just something unique about her that he couldn''t point out, The image of her falling flashed back in his head... Her panicking look as she dropped from the rope¡­ her eyes that seemed to have been praying for a saviour¡­ those round and slightly large eyes widening as she fell panicking ¡­her long eyelashes blinking slowly as she fell and her plumps lips tightly pursed together. She had already shut her eyes as she lost the hope of someone catching her when she opened her eyes in his arms¡­. He smiled again at her reaction, she fixed her eyes on his face and blinked slowly, her mouth was slightly opened as though she was surprised that someone had actually caught her, as he brought her to the ground she smiled. He was still in a daze when he heard a knock on the table, he quickly snapped out of it and looked up to see Ruansong staring at him. "tchctchtchtch, she must have left quite an impression on you seeing how you are in a daze just thinking of her," Ruansong said, he waved the man across her face slowly as the breeze from the fan swept across his face. "who said I was thinking of her, I was thinking of something else not her besides I just met her once do you think it is that easy to win my heart" Changlin snapped "you said it yourself, I never said you had her in your heart, don''t worry there is nothing bad about liking her, from what you told me she seems very likeable, although..." "Although what?" "I don''t think you will live up to a week if you do end up with her" "Why do you say so?" Ruansong smiled and said "isn''t it obvious, someone as annoying as you would definitely anger her to death and I think you already know the outcome of her anger" he sighed and continued, "you might end up being a roasted dinner". Changlin eyes widened, he rolled his eyeball to the side of his eyes as he imagined the scene in his head... Changlin is kneeling in front of Huo Ying crying with his palms clasped together, "dear please forgive me, I will never annoy you again, please I will be a good boy from now on" Changlin pleaded with tears trickling down his cheek", Huo Ying scoffed and laughed hysterically. "I don''t think I am that merciful, for those who offend me they have no second chance," She said as she released flames from her hand, his eyes widened as the reddish-orange colour of the flame reflected in his eyes, he screamed in pain as the hot flames burning every inch of his body... Oooooooooh... He shook his head as he dusted away the horrifying thought in his head, "I definitely don''t think that would be a pleasant scene" He said, seeing his reaction Ruansong smiled at the corner of his mouth and kept on staring at him. "Master, Master!!!" A soft voice called from afar, she walked into the villa and saw that he was not in his room, she called his name continuously in frustration, the sound of her footstep revealing her frustration as she came closer to where the guys are seated. "I think she is here, Changlin you had better brace yourself when she comes, I will leave the both of you to catch up with each other" Ruansong said as he prepared for the moment when she would enter the garden. Wait¡­what is he talking about "you are not thinking of leaving me here with it¡­..or should I say her, right?" Changlin said with his voice slightly raised, his face giving off an alarmed expression, he clasped his hands together and his expression changed into a desperate look. "brother, I admit that I have not been very good to you lately, at the end of our argument I always end up getting beaten and you are the only one she listens to please save me," Changlin said with his faced squeezed. They heard the footstep coming closer, then they both looked at the entrance of the garden, a young girl with a height of five feet and two inches walked Into the garden aggressively, her eyes widened with happiness when she saw Ruansong sitting in the garden with a person whose face was turned to the other side. "Sorry it is too late; you have always been putting up with her how come you are so scared of her now," Ruansong said "The last time we argued, she suddenly pounced on me and beat me up before I even had the chance to react, she moved with a lightning speed that I couldn''t even react until she stopped," Changlin said with an expression that was filled with despair. "But Xiaodi has never beaten you up before and I have never seen her fighting before," Ruansong said as he watched the girl coming closer to them. "I don''t know why she suddenly changed before we only argued without taking any action, I also thought that since she has the appearance of a girl it would be inappropriate to hit her but that day she just changed suddenly that was why I couldn''t see you off the last time you briefly visited the capital, before she started beating me she said something like '' I am hundred now so I can use my powers" "oooh that was what happened, tchctchtchtch you messed with her on a wrong day," Ruansong said as he smiled at Changlin misfortune, the girl finally approached them with a cheerful face. "Xiaodi you are back," Ruansong said smiling at the Xiaodi, she had a small figure, she smiled at him with a very cute smile, no one would have guessed that she was a spirit beast and a hundred-year-old spirit beast at that, she looked really young like a thirteen years old girl. "brother, I was looking for you just now, I thought you had gone somewhere without me" she turned to face the person sitting opposite him with his face turned away from her. "brother who is this person he seems to be hiding from me" "Changlin stops hiding your face she is here already," Ruansong said. Changlin bit his lips in regret, he turned to face the small figure who had been standing in front of them and staring at his face, "Xiaodi you are here" he said and smiled awkwardly, "It is you, are you here to disturb my brother again," She said, her expression changed quickly from a cheerful look to an angry look, she seemed like she was ready to fight him at any time. Changlin who was now fed up with her violent behaviour every time she saw him with Ruansong looked boldly into her eyes and said: " why do you keep bring possessive of him, he is not even your brother I am the one who has the right to call him brother not you, so asking me such questions". Xiaodi face immediately burned with anger upon hearing what Changlin had said, she was about to hit him when she heard a voice in her head telling her not to, she looked at Ruansong with a questioning look, he looked at her and gave her a nod telling her not to hit him. "brother, he keeps saying that you are not my brother" Xiaodi complained "Changlin even though Xiaodi is a spirit beast, she is a sister to me so stop telling her that I am not her brother, I asked her to call me that," Ruansong said, Xiaodi took her seat close to Ruansong as she was satisfied with what he had said, "even so why does she keep telling me not to come close to you I am also your brother" Changlin complained Ruansong shook his head slightly, he wondered why he had to solve such a childish quarrel between the both of them, he sighed and turned to face Xiaodi who was sitting close to him and said: "Xiaodi, Changlin is also my brother so stop telling him to not come close to me". "But before master died, she told me not to let said that I should not let anyone with evil intention come close to you," Xiaodi said with her lips pouted, They both laughed at her statement, she looked at the both of them in confusion, she didn''t understand why they were laughing at what she just said. "what are you talking about, when did I ever have evil intentions towards Ruansong," Changlin said as he tried hard to stop himself from laughing. "I saw you plotting on how to steal his jade flute that day...." Xiaodi said as she watched both of them trying to control their laughter. "are you talking about something that happened ten years ago, aaahh you are really good at bearing grudges," Changlin said, they finally managed to stop themselves from laughing. "I¡­. I ..." Xiaodi stuttered, she didn''t like her reaction to her statement and now she didn''t know what to say. "Xiaodi, back then Changlin was just being naughty, he is not a bad person," Ruansong said to soothe her and stop her from flipping out. "B... but I caught him trying to steal your jade flute" Xiaodi argued, "yes back then he was a bad person but now he is a good person," Ruansong said to reassure her. Changlin turned to face Xiaodi and folded his thumb and pinky fingers leaving the remaining three and said: "I promise never to steal the jade flute again and I will never bear evil Intention towards your brother again, are you satisfied now?" Changlin said. She nodded her head positively, Ruansong smiled seeing how cute she was at that moment, he stroked her hair and said "Xiaodi if anyone harbours evil intention towards me, I will tell you then you can protect me from them". "okay you can count on me," Xiaodi said smiling, she was satisfied with the outcome of their conversation. "It is already late, I want to rest tonight, the both of you should do whatever you want," Ruansong said, he folded his fan and stood up, the both of them watched him as he left the garden and entered into a large room but they couldn''t see the interior from where they sat. Chapter 24 - I Have Already Sacrificed One Daughter They continued to enter deep into the forest by the time they had entered the forest, they were already fatigued. They didn''t rest throughout the journey and they had been walking for almost half a day now, they looked up and they saw the mountain where the dungeon was located, they all smiled knowing that they were soon going to reach their destination. For a moment they had forgotten the reason why they were going there, all they wanted was to just get there quickly, the forest was creepy and there was fog all over the place which made it harder to see and it was getting darker as time passed by.?? When I followed her to this place¡­it wasn''t like this, as she approached the mountain the fog disappeared¡­how did she manage to do it¡­ She kept on asking herself, she just couldn''t understand why the beast was friendly with Huo Lan and why the road to the mountain was easier to pass through when she followed Huo Lan to the dungeon. "It is still not too late for you to beg me, I can still consider the fact that we are of the same sect and let you stay outside instead of going in seeing how the creepy the way to the dungeon is, I don''t think that beast will be very welcoming" Huo Bingchen said breathing heavily, all of them were tired and they were already breathing heavily by the time they came close to the mountain, "I think you should take care of yourself first, your breathing is already unstable you had better watch out for wild animal no one knows what type of animals this forest hold" Huo ying said with a sarcastic smile on her face, "you are too arrogant to your own disadvantage, when that beast devours you, you would wish you knelt at my feet and begged me but by then it would be too late" Bingchen said, he just felt that something was wrong, even if it was for the sake of the guardians Huo ying should have been willing to do anything in order to spare her life, Those who were close to her knew what kind of person Huo ying was, she was prideful but when it comes to the lives of those she cares about, she would spare no effort to save them, she would willingly give up her life ten times to save just one person she cared about. He just couldn''t help but feel that there was something suspicious about her agreeing to enter the dungeon with the guardians but he couldn''t figure it out. "There is no way she is confident that she can tame that beast¡­.not to talk of defeating the beast, there is only one way in front of her once she enters the dungeon and that is death, seems like I am thinking too much, she is just too foolish and overconfident" Bingchen thought in his mind. Finally, they had arrived, they all stood in front of the big mountain panting and trying to stabilize their breathing, Huo ying and the guardians finally remembered that this wasn''t the end for them, they still have a powerful opponent to face and life and death was just right inside the underground prison of that mountain. The beast inside the mountain was captured three hundred years ago by the founder of the flame sect during his youth, back then the sects didn''t exist and the government was left with the responsibility of overseeing every corners of the empire, the beast is the heir to the supreme bloodline of the flame beast, before the beast was captured by the founder of the flame sect, all the spirit beast where united and where living in that forest, the bloodline of the beast are called the Huoyan shuo beasts and they were the most powerful beast alive three hundred years ago, but the spirit beast split into two after another bloodline of beast wanted to overthrow the Huoyan shuo bloodline, hundreds of beast were killed while some where captured for causing harm in the empire. The only beast that was left then was the offspring of the Huoyan shuo blood line while the rest of them were massacred, the founder of the flame sect who was a prince then was only able to capture him because the beast was still young, since then only the founder knew what beast was in the dungeon. The later sect leaders and elders if the flame sect only knew that the beast was powerful and very difficult to tame but they had neve seen its true power and the supremacy of the Huoyan shuo beast since there was no record of them in the world after they were massacred. "I will give you another chance to beg for your life and the guardians" Bingchen said "dream on" Huo ying said as she and the guardians stepped into the mountain, "I did offer you a chance but you refused it, I guess this I the last I see of you" Bingchen said as he watched them entering into the mountain which a torch. -------------------- Huo Jingyu stood in front of Huo Ying''s room, she knocked continuously without hearing any answer, she opened the door and entered into the room, "Huo ying, Huo ying!!" she called as she checked every corner of the room, realizing that her daughter was nit inside the room she rushed out of then room and made her way into the sect leader meditation chamber. She arrived at the front of the room, the disciples bowing in front of the room quickly bowed as she arrived at the chamber, she looked at them with an expression that conveyed the message why-are-you-still-standing -in-my-way, the disciples were nervous as she stared at them but they couldn''t leave the door. "why are you all standing there, move" she said, although she spoke to them in a low voice but the tone in which she spoke was terrifying and domineering, they were nervous now but they had to obey the sect leaders'' orders. "madam, we are sorry but the sect leader ordered that no one was to come in not¡­.not even you" the first guard said as he lowered his head. In the flame sect, the other person that the disciples dare not go against when they are angry apart form Huo ying is the sect leader''s wife, Huo Jingyu is known for her kindness and her bravery but when she is angry just like Huo ying she becomes very brutal and unforgiving, although she doesn''t possess the ability that Huo ying has when she becomes angry her own strength is enough to instill fear into the heart of the disciples, her whip skills are considered to be the best in the world among the young and old, her father who was an elder in the flame sect before he passed away was the best when it comes to using the whip before she grew up but after her whip skills became public her father skills could not be compared to hers. After Huo Lan was taking to the wind sect, she decided not to interfere with the affairs of the sect unless it concerned her family but now, she couldn''t find her daughter in the sect and this has brought out the demon in her once again. She snatched the whip of the guard who jut spoke to her and struck it against the ground, they were terrified at the sight of her holding the whip. They knew if they insisted on stopping her from entering the chamber it wouldn''t take her a minute before they all find themselves on the ground, left with no choice they moved away from the door giving her access into the room. She dropped the whip on the floor and entered into the chamber, she finally saw her husband in the meditation room sitting in a lotus position while meditating, he already sensed that she was outside the chambers and he knew that the guards would never be able to stop her. "why are you so unsettled that you even defied my order" the sect leader said as he opened his eyes. "I am sorry but I couldn''t wait for even a minute since I needed to ask you something urgent" she said he already knew why she was here but he decided to act like he didn''t know she was coming here for that issue, he stood up and arranged the flaps at the end of his robe. "what is it?" he asked calmly "I have looked everywhere but I cannot find Huo ying and the guardians, she has never been away from the sect with the guardians this late so I know there that there must be something going on that I don''t know about" she said as she waited for his reply, although he was expecting this to happen he didn''t expect her to come so fast. "dear, I didn''t want to tell you before but¡­." "but what?" she asked with an impatient tone "she¡­she has gone to the beast dungeon with the guardians" he said "WHAT!!!, why would she go to that dangerous place" she shouted "when she went out some days ago she repeated what she did when she was ten years old" the sect leader said, he had always cared for his wife and he didn''t want to make her sad but now he had no choice but to tell her what had happened even though he ordered all the disciples to keep quiet about what happened in the sect hall, even the elders made sure that she didn''t find out because if she did she would have stopped Huo ying even if it cost her life. "WHAT!!! Why didn''t the guardians stop her and who sent my daughter to the beast dungeon" she shouted with a shaking voice, "the first and second elders found out what she had done and they also knew that she used the flame of torture which was forbidden to use on ordinary people, they asked that she should be sent into the beast dungeon as her punishment but there was nothing I could do about it" "what do you mean by that, you are the sect leader if you don''t even have the say in situations like that then where does your authority lie" she said, "I would never had consented but she decided that she was going to go to the dungeon with the guardians, what she did prevented me from being able to save her" the sect leader said in a bitter voice, "I am going to bring her back now" she said as she turned to leave the room but the sect leaders stopped her and said "even is you go it is no use she would have already entered the dungeon by now" "I have sacrificed one daughter but those stinky old fools are still not satisfied they also endangered my daughter" she said angrily, she looked around the room and potted a huge whip hanging on a stand, she went close to it ad grabbed the whip, "what are you going to do with the whip" the sect leader asked "those elders that sent my daughter to that dungeon deserve to die, I have been watching them from the side for years without doing anything but now hey have challenged my bottom line" she said as she walked to the door, the sect leader quickly stopped her by holding her wrist, he walked to her front and said "dear I know how you feel now even I wish I could do the same but I have to think about the sect in every action I take, if Huo ying doesn''t come back in the next three days you can do whatever you want I won''t stop you", he focused his gaze on her face hoping that she would listen to him, whenever she was angry not even him could stop her. Chapter 25 - The Heart Of The Flame Demon "HUO JING!!!" she shouted as she broke down in tears, she couldn''t bear the fact that someone has out her daughter in danger and she couldn''t do anything about it, the fact that as the sect leader her husband can only succumb to the damn rules of the sect in order to ensure peace, "do you think I would have let her go there if it wasn''t for her sake" he said and turned to the door. "you all should leave" he said to the disciples that were standing outside the chamber?? "what do you mean" she asked as she was still trying to disperse the anger that had built up in her heart. "she almost exposed herself, using the flame of torture on another person was one thing but if the elders find out that she had half the heart of the flame demon, she would be in danger" the sect leader said as he took his hand off her wrist, she looked at him in confusion and finally asked "how would they find out, no one knows except for you and me". "she changed in the sect hall, although she didn''t change with the full power, all the disciples and the elders saw her, I had to finish off this case before they bring up the topic of her change or else I wouldn''t be able to protect her when they find out", shocked by what the sect leader had just said, she lost her balance but thankfully he quickly prevented her from falling by holding her shoulder. "What did you just say" she asked in a weak tone "that was why I had to agree with the elders request, no matter how important the peace of the sect is do you think I will forsake my daughter for the sect" he asked, he fixed his eyes on her face which had an accusing look, she looked at him with condemnation in her eyes. "you did it once so why wont you be able to do it again, you sacrificed my five-year-old daughter and separated her from her sister just because you `wanted to stop the war" she said as she glared at his face. Despair, distrust and condemnation was written all over her face, he looked into her eyes and realized how much hate she had been hiding in her heart, even after he agreed to give their daughter to the flame sect his wife still cared for him and loved him, she had never shown any bitterness or hatred towards him but now he could see all of this in her eyes, all the words that she had never said was clearly written there, he knew that Huo ying was the only rope that was tying her down and now that is in danger she has lost all her reason to keep calm, he removed his hands from her hand seeing how she felt. "I did it for her sake too, we are the only ones who understand why she is like that, if we didn''t give her to them and they investigated further, the world would turn against her even her own people. Her power is something that is enough to case commotion in the world not to talk of just the tang empire" he said as he looked into her eyes once again with a dejected look. She laughed hysterically and said " You keep saying that it was for their own good but it is just because of you were afraid at that time that was why you let her go if her sister wasn''t taken away from her the half heart of the flame demon in Huo ying wouldn''t have been activated, why do you think she suddenly feels the urge to kill whoever is against her sister". " so was I supposed to let Huo Lan who had the complete heart of the flame demon use her powers then, should I let everyone look at her in fear even her own people" he said as he gave her a quizzical look, she realized that her husband was right, she would rather let them take her daughter and return her after few years than to let her become the enemy of the world. She covers her face with both of her palms and breaks into tears, she couldn''t help but admit that her husband was right. ----------------------- Hundreds of years ago, the flame demon was very powerful and respected throughout the world, he had his own clan and they were also powerful. The flame demon was known for being very kind towards every being even the spirit beast were under is rule but everything came to an end when the person he trusted most betrayed him. The royal family of the Tang empire back then were subjected to the flame demon rule and the crown prince was the person the flame demon trusted most. The emperor didn''t want the royal family to be under the flame god so he cooperated with his son whom the flame demon trusted the most and made a plan to overthrow the flame demon, at first the crown prince was reluctant to betray the flame demon who had been friends with him for years but he was tempted by greed and finally agreed. While he was drinking with the flame demon in the flame palace, he poisoned the flame demon, the flame demon was immune to every poison there was in the world except one and that was the mind destroying pill. This pill could only be found in the royal palace so the flame demon was not wary of the pill since he trusted the crown prince. The mind destroying pill was used to destroy the mind of whoever took it, after a month the person will become blood thirsty and will kill anyone, he comes in sight with and the only way to remove the effect of the pill is to kill the person you love the most. A month after that night, the flame demon became abnormal, he killed everyone who appeared in front of him and he lost the ability to recognize people, the only thing he knew was that he had to kill or else he would feel a terrible and splitting pain in his head, throughout that month over five hundred people had died in his hands, he ordered the clan guards to bring in innocent people for him to kill everyday and then he drank their blood. His wife Shiyun who has tried to control him but was almost killed by him knew that something must have gone wrong, even though he was called a demon he was like an angel to her and everyone else. She was a friend to both the crown prince and the flame demon before they married and both of them were in love with her but she chooses the flame demon over the crown prince, this was also one of the reasons why the crown prince decided to betray the flame demon. They already had a daughter who was fifteen years old, Shiyun investigated what the cause of the change in the flame demon was and she found out that it had been caused by the mind destroying pill, she could not bring herself to believe herself to believe that the crown prince was behind it but the crown prince gave her a reason too with hi disappearance after the flame demon change. As months passed by many nations were affected by the flame demon slaughter day by day and many towns have already been wiped out by him but they couldn''t do anything against him, the emperor knew that the only way to overthrow the flame demon was to make him turn against the whole world, no matter how powerful a person is if the whole world is against him then he will surely be overthrown, he united all the empires and small nations that were present at that time and they decided to fight against the flame demon. A year after the continuous slaughter, all the empires gathered their armies to campaign against the terrorism of the flame demon, they gathered at the flame palace and slaughtered everyone belonging to his clan remaining only him and his family. As they gathered inside the palace and began to attack him he killed hundreds of them in pairs, Shiyun came to the seen and saw the emperor of the Tang empire and the crown prince standing in front of the armies, she knew that there was nothing she could do about it but she still had to fight for her husband, she stood in front of him and stopped him from killing them, he conjured dark flames in his hand and pulled her using his powers to his front, he held her neck fiercely as she struggled to free herself from him, a drop of her tears dropped on his hand as he held her up. He suddenly started to feel a splitting pain in his head, he realized that he was hurting the one he loved but he couldn''t control himself, he tried hard to endure the pain and free himself from whatever was controlling him and then he succeeded, he quickly brought her down and removed his hand from her neck. As soon as he let her go, he spat out blood and fell on his knee, she held him in her arms and cried, she looked at the army standing in front of them. "Crown prince, the flame demon trusted you so much but you fed him the mind destroying pill" She shouted, the flame demon who was weak at that time heard what she had said and turned to look at the crown prince with a look that didn''t want to believe that the person he trusted most would do that to him. As he was still thinking of what his wife had said, he suddenly heard a loud groan and turned to look at what had happened, he saw his wife kneeling in front of him with his sword in her stomach and the most shocking thing was that the sword was in his hand, he realised that she had used his hand to kill her so that he will be free from the mind destroying pill. At the sight of his wife on the ground he regained his power and single handedly wiped out half of the army that was standing in front of him, his daughter suddenly arrived at the scene but was shot dead by the arrow from the crown prince, he didn''t see any meaning in living so he killed himself along with many others. After the battle ended, the crown prince walked up to the dead body of the flame demon wanting to dig out his heart which was the source of his power but the heart pf the flame demon was no longer in his chest, that was how the flame god disappeared from the world. -------------------------- The sect leader hugged his wife who already felt helpless knowing that there was nothing she could do to save her child now and that was how the night ended for them. Chapter 26 - The Beasts In The Mountain They walked slowly as they entered into mountain, the mountain had this eerie feeling that they just couldn''t shake off, they climbed the stairs that led to the underground prison in the mountain, they continued climbing the stairs but it seemed like there was no limit or an end to the stairs. "young mistress, are you sure you came here before how were yu able to go through such an arduous journey" Huo Qiang asked panting, they had already began sweating and breathing as they continued to climb down the stairs that seemed endless, Huo ying couldn''t understand what was going on either.?? When she followed her sister secretly to the beast dungeon, it only took them three hours to get to the beast dungeon, thinking back now it seemed like everything....seemed like the forest and the mountain was making way for Huo Lan, the pathway to the forest was just narrow when she came here before but now...everything has changed. "I don''t know what is happening either, it wasn''t like this before and don''t ask me if I am sure cause I am sure of it, the pathway to the mountain was just narrow and there was no fog and this staircase was no there before" she said with a confused look on her face, as she as distracted with her thought, she stumbled on a stone and almost fell down the stairs but was quickly pulled back by Huo Lian who had been supporting her all along. "young mistress are you alright" they chorused, as they watched her stumble they felt like their heart was going to jump out of their chest, as she regained her balance and stabilized herself on the self while holding Huo Lian for support she nodded positively to their question. "there is no way the way to the beast dungeon would have changed, I think there is something special about your sister and that was what made the journey easy for her" Huo Qiang said, and she nodded once again in agreement. After an hour of climbing the never-ending stairs, they had finally reached the dungeon. The dungeon was full of dust which made them cough as they walked into the dungeon, as they walked deeper into the dungeon, they heard a faint sound in the dungeon, but as they came closer, it became louder. THUD! THUD! THUD! "Young mistress it seems like we are coming closer to where the beast is what should we do" Huo Lian asked with a shaky voice, "everybody keep calm and don''t draw your sword because the moment you do it would think you are here to fight" Huo Ying said as she tried her best to calm herself down. "How can we not draw our swords, are we not here to fight the beast, how else can we survive in this dungeon without killing the best" Huo Mei asked with a confused look on her face "we definitely don''t stand a chance if we fight with the beast so my plan is for us to cohabitate with this beast for two days and then we leave on the second day" "WHAT!!!" they all chorused as they stared at her with a stupefied look on their faces. "how is that even possible" Huo Qiang said "then is it possible for us to win the beast if we get into a fight, our skills are completely useless before it" Huo ying said "but how are we going to make the beast not attack us" Huo Lian asked. "I am not sure if I can but it think I have a way to make it be at peace with us" Huo ying said with a not-too-sure- tone, they all looked at her wondering what way she had to make the beast accept them, "young mistress what way are you talking about" Huo Qiang asked "back then..." Huo ying said but turned at the sound of a ground shaking footstep that could be heard very clearly, the ground started to shake and they had already lost their balance. "I don''t think I will b able to answer that question now" Huo Ying said as they turned to look at a huge creature approaching them, its footstep was enough to instill fear in them but at the sight of the creature coming closer to them they froze, they wanted to move but they couldn''t move their foot. A large creature whose body is covered up with scales approached them, the creature was about seven feet tall and it had large wings. Two fangs positioned themselves outside the mouth of the creature and it had long spikes on top of it''s back, as it came closer to where they stood it released smoke from its nostril as though fire was going to come out of there at any time, it''s large tail hit the ground with a heavy thud with every step he took forward. Before they knew it, the creature was now standing in front of them, it looked down on them as it released smoke from its nostrils, they were stupefied as they looked up to the creature, they had never seen or heard of a beast that was this tall, the smoke from the beast finally brought them to their senses. "what is next" Huo Qiang asked with his eyes fixed on the beast, "don''t do anything just wait to see it''s reaction" Huo Ying ordered, the beast continued to shift his eyes from one person to another as though he was examining them, he then noticed Huo Mei who was scared at the sight of this beast and didn''t think that Huo ying plan would work slowly removing her sword from the sheath, the expression on the beast changed and became aggressive. The beast struck the ground with it tail which gave another thud and then he raised it leg to throw Huo Mei to the ground but she quickly avoided its attack, seeing how the beast had changed they all brought out their swords and were prepared for the beast attack except Huo ying. "didn''t I tell you not to wield your sword against it" Huo Ying shouted to the others, the beast rushed towards Huo Qiang and swiped its wing across his body but he dodged the beast attack and cut its wing with his sword, this infuriated the beast beyond imagination, it struck it''s leg on the ground and the mountain became shaky, they were unable to keep their balance and they felt weak and even their sword fell out of their hand. Meanwhile, outside the mountain Huo Bingchen and the other ten disciples who were taking a nap outside the mountain were alarmed at the sound coming from the mountain, they all stood up and grabbed their sword. "Senior brother Bingchen should we go in to help them" one of the disciples asked with worry and nervousness written all over his face, Huo Bingchen looked over his shoulder to see who had just made that statement, "what do you think you can do if you go in there, we will only serve as extra dinner for the beast in their didn''t you hear the loud noise coming from the dungeon" Huo Bingchen said with anger all over his face, he looked away from the disciple and looked towards the direction of the noise, "Huo Ying oh Huo Ying, had you known you would have just begged me when I gave you the chance to, tchctchtchtch see what your arrogance and overconfidence has done to you" He said with a volume that only him could hear with an evil smile forming at the corner of his mouth. "Senior bro...brother" the disciple who wanted to enter the dungeon stuttered as he called Huo Bingchen with his eyes focused on what was In front of them, "do you still want to go in, I see that you are ready to court that" Huo Bingchen shouted with his back turned at the disciples. "it''s not that...look" the disciple said stuttering This time Huo Bingchen heard a growl and then turd back to se what made that sound, there were different creatures gathered just in front of them with hostility in their eyes, the disciples of the flame sect were not so weak that they would be scared of this beasts in front of them but the main point here was that¡­ These beasts were too much for them to handle, the kept on gathering in front of them from different angles of the forest, fighting them was very easy but they would have been exhausted by the time they fought the ones in front of them but¡­. more beasts were still gathering in front of them, before he could give any orders the beasts had already started attacking, using both the flame skills and their whip, they fought the beast in pairs. ----------------------- Back in the cave, the others are still in a fierce combat with the beast or were they¡­. They couldn''t even wield their swords which was far away from them and they were already lying on the floor unable to move not to talk of standing up, "why can''t we move" Huo Qiang asked rhetorically. In their hearts they were not afraid of them dying, they were only afraid that the beast will harm their young mistress, as the beast moved closer to Huo ying they became alarmed but there was nothing they could do If they couldn''t even stand up. The huge beast moved closer to Huo Ying as it retracted its wings to it''s side, looking up at the beast which was now standing in front of her Huo Ying thoughts was now scattered, if she knew that the situation would turn this ugly she would never have agreed to let the guardians come along with her, as the beast lifted up its foot to stomp on her, she suddenly remembered what the original plan was, she inserted her hand into the chest space of her cloth and brought out a tiny bell. This made the beast hang its foot in the air but there was still hostility and anger in its eyes, it focused its gaze on the bell as though he was examining it, she realized what she needed to do. The others watched her as she held the tiny bell in her hand, that bell was something she had with her since they were young, they wondered why she was bringing out the bell in this situation, Huo Ying dangled the bell in her hand. Clink! Clink! Clink! The beast recognized the sound of the bell and then laid it foot back on the ground and moved away from Huo Ying, it moved towards the direction of the three guardians and raised it leg again but Huo Ying quickly ringed the bell again. "don''t hurt them" she shouted and waited to see the beast reaction, the beast gently laid it foot on the ground again and moved away from them. -------------------------- The others outside were still engaging in a fierce combat with beast that were gathered outside the mountain, the battle would have ended long ago given the ability of the flame sect disciples but they just kept increasing in number. The beasts stopped attacking for a moment when they heard the first sound coming from the bell, the disciples who didn''t hear the bell sound and couldn''t understand why they had suddenly stopped attacking relaxed their guard only for the beasts to start attacking them again, this time as they heard the bell ringing again, they retreated into the forest from different directions, the disciples didn''t know what to think of what had just happened but they took it as they were lucky, they sat back on the ground, the battle had not gone on for long so they were not yet exhausted but they didn''t go back to sleep in case something unexpected happens again but apart from Huo Bingchen the other disciples couldn''t help but worry about the safety of the young mistress, although Huo Ying was pretty strict to them and they had witnessed how brutal she was, they still liked her and they were all loyal to her. Chapter 27 - The Bell "Young mistress it seems like it can understand human language" Huo Mei who had already lost hope of living as the beast raised it leg against them said in surprise, Huo Ying watched as the beast as the beast walked away to a corner but not far away from them, doubts filled her eyes as she watched his curl up its tall and sit at the corner, she didn''t know if they were supposed to be relaxed or at alert now that the beast has stopped attacking them. "I think so, the last time I came here I saw him talking to Huo Loan but I didn''t hear what they were saying" Huo ying said as she stood up to pick up her whip while the others followed suit. After they picked their weapons, they returned to sit opposite the beast, they looked at the beast with doubts and wariness all over their face.?? Huo ying stared at the bell in her head again, she just couldn''t figure out the reason why the beast would listen to her when she rang the bell, she decided to try it again so she rang the bell once more, at the sound of the bell the beast immediately sprung to its feet and looked at her, its gaze was directed to the bell and not to her even though she was the one who rang the bell, she decided that she was going to talk to the beast. She stood up from where she was sitting and walked closer to the beast, the others who had not cast their eyes off the beast as they were sitting noticed that she was going closer to the beast which stared at her as she came closer. "Young mistress what are you doing" Huo Qiang said, she ignored his question and continued walking towards the beast, they looked at her nervously as she came closer to the beast. She looked into the eyes of the beast which ignored her but kept on looking at the bell in her hand, "why are you listening to this bell" She asked the beast, both the beast looked away from her ignoring her question, she waited patiently for the beast to answer her but the beast didn''t. "if you won''t answer that question them tell me do you know the owner of the bell" She asked, she gave the beast a quizzical look hoping that the beast will at least answer this question of hers and luckily for her the beast responded with a nod. She wanted to ask why the beast was so obedient to her sister but she knew that it would be useless since the beast would be unwilling to answer that question, her mind suddenly wandered back to that time... She saw her sister leaving the sect so she followed her, when they arrived at the mountain her sister entered the dungeon. She secretly watched as her sister played with the beast but the beast noticed that someone was there and that was how her sister found out that she had been following her, her sister brought her before the beast and the beast was pretty friendly to her, the bell was just a gift from her sister that was given to her the day she was taken to the wind sect. She had left her sister admit tears back then and the bell was the only thing that made her feel like her sister was staying by her side and that was why she kept it around her all the time, she returned back to where she was seated and closed her eyes. The others thought she was asleep so they also closed their eyes to sleep thus letting off their guard but she wasn''t. How could she sleep at that moment, coming here once again reminded her of her sister, when they were young, she had never spent more than two hours with her sister, even if she wanted to, she wasn''t allowed to. The times she spent with her sister in the dungeon was the happiest time of her life and the most precious memory she held with her. They spent two days in the dungeon and this left the sect in commotion then, they thought the twins had been kidnapped back then and they couldn''t alarm the other sects in fear that they would be in danger if the other sects find out about it but the twins went back on their own. Tears trickled down her cheeks as she remembered the moments with her sister, she tried to stop herself from crying but she couldn''t, she could only sob quietly to stop the others from waking up. After a while she fell asleep with dried up tears on her face, the beast which had also shut it eyes before the others slept saw that she had fallen asleep. He walked up to where she was sitting and carried her up to his back with his wings gently to avoid waking her up. ---------------------- The disciples outside were still worried about their young mistress and the guardians, they couldn''t hear any sound coming from the mountain and this was what made them worried. Had the beast already killed the guardians and the young mistress¡­ Is the young mistress okay or injured¡­.? Should they go in to see what was happening inside¡­. That was all they could think about so they couldn''t fall asleep unlike Huo Bingchen who had already fallen asleep, after all Huo Ying dying in the beast dungeon was to his own benefit. Although Huo Bingchen considered Huo Ying as his rival and his obstacle in becoming the next sect leader, he still had feelings for her. Since the sect leader didn''t have any son everyone thought that the future sect leader position would go to Huo Bingchen who is older than Huo ying with a gap of two years but Huo Ying reduced his chances of him becoming the sect leader with her incredible skills in every area needed, her martial arts was at the same level as him even though his cultivation level was higher than hers. He was already at the fourth stage of the middle stage cultivation but he hated the fact that she was catching up with him quickly and her whip skills also exceeded every one skill in the sect except for her mother. The disciples from the flame sect also excelled in horse riding and that is why the flame sect had a very large building and they resided in the mountains with abundant grassland, this was the only area where Huo Bingchen skills exceeded Huo Ying by far. His feelings for her was concealed even though he has loved her since he was fifteen years old, his grandfather also wished for him to become the sect leader ad that was why he was always looking for ways to bring Huo Ying down. The next morning, they woke up inside the dungeon and they were happy that the Young mistress was safe but they looked at where the young mistress had slept last night but they couldn''t find her there. "where did the young mistress go" Huo Lian shouted as she pointed at the spot where the saw Huo ying sitting last night, they all looked at the spot in shock and turned to look at the beast. "did the beast eat the young mistress" Huo Mei asked with a dejected and accusing look on her face, they stared at the beast whose eyes was shut as it slept. "I swear I will make sure I kill that beast even if it means dying if he ate the young mistress" Huo Qiang said with fury written all over his face, Huo Mei looked closer and then noticed that the beast wings were curled up to his back. "What is that on the beast back" Huo Mei said as she pointed to the beast back, they all looked closely at the beast back and then noticed that the beast was covering something with his wing. Just ten, the beast woke up and yawned loudly. It looked towards their direction and realized that they were staring at him, he realized why they were staring at him then he uncurled his wings which had been covering up Huo Ying as she slept to protect her from the cold, just as the beast retracted his wings Huo Ying woke up. She stretched her arms as she yawned, she was wondering why she had slept so comfortably without feeling cold and just as she was about to stand up, she tripped and almost fell but the beast caught her with his wings and brought her back to his back. She widened her eyes in shock as she realized that she had been sleeping on the beast back no matter how much she racked her head she just couldn''t remember when she had climbed unto the beast back when she was still scared of him. She climbed down from his back and walked up to where the guardians were standing, they watched the whole scene with shock written all over their faces. "How did I get to his back" Huo Ying asked with a puzzled look "HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO KNOW!!" they chorused "but I can''t remember climbing unto the beast back yesterday" Huo Ying said as she scratched her hair in confusion. "there is only one answer then" Huo Qiang said and they all turned to look at the beast who stood as he watched them trying to figure out how she had landed on his back. "He carried you and covered you up with his wings to protect you" Huo Qiang said. "But why would he do that" Huo Ying asked rhetorically "only he knows" Huo Lian said. They just couldn''t understand why the beast which had attacked them ferociously yesterday was now treating their young mistress as if she was his master. The beast actions made Huo Ying confirm her suspicions that the beast regarded Huo Ying as his master. but does the entire mountain also regard Huo Ying as its master... she thought to herself. ----------------------- "senior brother Bingchen, if the young mistress can make it out of the dungeon by today can we return to the sect" one of the disciples asked, "that is if she makes it, no one can survive once they enter the dungeon, even the previous elders and sect leaders who tried to tame it never entered into the dungeon but they were still injured by the time they came out, I am afraid that by now they are all dead" Huo Bingchen replied, his tone sounded not to emotional and not too cruel, there was no way he could be completely happy if she dies. "I really hope the young mistress makes it out today, after two days we will have to return if she doesn''t come out today" another disciple said, their faces were filled with hope and anticipation but they knew deep in their heart that what Huo Bingchen had said was right even though they wished he wasn''t right. ---------------- Inside the dungeon the guardians were already ready to leave but Huo Ying hesitated she didn''t want to leave the dungeon because of the special memory it held for her but she had to. She picked up her whip and hanged it on her waist, as she stood by the dungeon entrance, she glanced over her shoulder to give the beast one more look, the beast also looked at her and then she turned to leave the dungeon. As soon as they were out of sight the beast turned and returned to the corner where it sat before. "she has half the heart of the flame demon; it seems like her attachment to her sister is what had caused her to possess half the heart of the flame demon" the beast said to himself in human language. Although he recognized Huo Ying as Huo Lan sister as she entered into the dungeon last night, he attacked them because he thought they were there to attack him when Huo Mei pulled out her sword but when she rang the bell which he had given to Huo Lan he realized that she wasn''t their with evil intentions. When he went closer to her found out that she had half the heart of the flame demon which meant that she was attached to her sister and that was why he treated her the way he did. Chapter 28 - The Sect Leaders Wife "I can''t wait to see the look on Huo Bingchen face when we get out of here" Huo Lian said, they had just finished climbing the series of stairs which seemed endless just last night. They all laughed when they heard what she said because that was exactly what they were all thinking, Huo Ying suddenly remembered something and gasped. "What if my mother finds out that I was sent to the beast dungeon" Huo Ying said with an horrified look on her face, she knew that if her mother finds out the first and second elder sent her to the beast dungeon using the punishment for breaking the rules of the sect as an excuse then he years of silence will no longer be over. She knew that the only reason why her mother had been quiet and didn''t interfere in the affairs of the sect was because she was afraid of ruining the peace of the sect, she was a hot-tempered person who couldn''t stand it when anyone goes against her. With her mother''s level of martial art there was no way the elders could win against her if they fought one on one, even if they combined their strength, they will only succeed in getting her injured but their life ill still be in danger if she makes use of the whip. She knew that she and her father were her mother''s bottom line and anyone who tried to harm them could never escape her fury. Her father was higher than her in his cultivation so she didn''t need to worry about him but she was always very protective of Huo ying and now the elders had just challenged her bottom line.?? "What if she challenges the elder, there will be trouble in the sect if we don''t get back quickly" Huo Qiang said "My father can only hold her back for one or two days, within two days we have to get back to the sect" Huo Ying said, just as she finished her statement they arrived outside the mountain, they didn''t notify the disciples and Huo Bingchen, they just stood watching them from behind. "Hmmph, young mistress it seems like this disciples really like us" Huo Mei said as they watched the disciples pacing up and down in front of the mountain with worry written on their face, they shifted their gaze to Huo Bingchen who just sat on a large rock in a composed manner, he didn''t look worried like the disciples but there was this hint of anxiety and guilt on his face. "I think Bingchen is feeling sorry for us" Huo Ying said in a puzzled tone as she stared at his face from where she stood, they shifted their gaze to him and noticed[Oni1] that he was looking calm and a little bit guilty at the same time. "Why does he look like he is feeling guilty isn''t he supposed to be happy if you died" Huo Mei said "I don''t think he is feeling guilty now that he thinks you are dead; he must be feeling a little bit sorry for everything he has done to you but I guess he is going to be disappointed" Huo Qiang said with a smile on his face. While they were still discussing, one of the disciples turned back and saw them. "they¡­the¡­. they are here" a disciple stuttered in shock the others heard what he said and turned back to see if what he was saying was true, the sucked in cold air as they saw the young mistress and the guardians walking towards them, Huo Bingchen opened his mouth and widened his eyes in disbelief. How did they make it out¡­? Am I hallucinating¡­? This were the thought that went through his head as Huo Ying and the others came closer to the disciples, they all ran up to them and hugged them, some hugged the guardians while the others hugged Huo Ying. She widened her eyes in shock and held her breath as three male disciples hugged her tightly without even respecting the fact that she is a female, as soon as they let go of her, she released her breath and stared at them in shock. Huo Lian ad Huo Mei also felt like they were being molested by their junior disciples while Huo Qiang who was being hugged by a female disciple didn''t think much about it. "Have you all forgotten the boundaries between male and female just because we don''t emphasize that in the sect" Huo Ying said as she stared at the ten disciples. "they just molested me" Huo Mei said as she pointed at the three male disciples who hugged her at the same time. Huo Qiang pulled her hand down which was pointed at the disciples and said "stop pointing they were just overjoyed when they saw us". The disciples nodded in agreement with wild smiles on their faces as though they didn''t do anything, "to them you are just their senior disciple not a woman" Huo Qiang continued, when they heard the statement which sounded like an insult the twins stared at Huo Qiang with a bone piercing look and he looked away. "We were so scared that you will never come back again, how come you guys made it" the female disciple asked, the four of them exchanged glances and then Huo Ying said "we didn''t bring out our weapon so the beast just let us stay in the dungeon without attacking us". "but last night we heard a loud noise coming from the mountain and then many beasts gathered in large numbers to attack us" the female disciple said, Huo Ying looked at them frantically as if she as searching them and asked "were you guys hurt". They smiled seeing how concerned she was, this was exactly the reason why they were so loyal to her, even the slightest cut on a disciple would make her worry. "no young mistress, the beast started attacking us in large numbers at first but we didn''t want to kill them so we just knocked them out but they suddenly stopped for a while and then they continued, they stopped the second time and they all left" a male disciple said. The four of them exchanged glances again and from their reactions Huo Bingchen who had been standing by the side without saying anything even though he was a little bit happy that nothing happened to Huo Ying knew that something must have happened in the dungeon but they were hiding it from them. He had already suspected that she had a plan when he saw how confident Huo Ying was before they entered the dungeon, the fact that she was unwilling to beg him even though the guardian''s lives were at stake surprised him but now his suspicions had been confirmed. "it seems like you all are lucky to have escaped death in the dungeon but nobody has ever entered the dungeon and then come out alive so we can''t be sure that you all entered the dungeon" Huo Bingchen said with a disappointed look on his face even though he forced himself to smile, they all frowned including the disciples when they heard what he had said, he is supposed to be happy seeing that they are still alive but now he is questioning if they really entered the dungeon. "I don''t think I have to answer to that speculation" Huo ying said as she walked past him, the disciples grabbed their swords and followed behind her. ----------------------- The sect leader wife called for a sect meeting, everyone in the sect knew what the agenda for the meeting was, once the sect leader''s wife finds out about Huo Ying''s punishment there would surely be trouble in the sect that is something that no one needs to be reminded of. They all murmured and discussed among themselves, even the two elders who ganged up on Huo Ying were already preparing themselves before the sect leader and his wife comes in, just when they had finished bracing themselves the sect leader walked in with his wife behind him. This was an entrance that they had not seen for years since she had never bothered bout the affairs of the sect and for the first time in a long while that she had attended the meeting she was wearing a dark expression on her face, everyone knew that today''s meeting was surely not going to be all talk. The both of them took their sear on the high seat with the elders sitting at the left-hand side of the sect leader and his wife sitting at his right-hand side with her whip, all the elders and disciples bowed their head as the sect leader and his wife took their seat. "Sect leader what is the reason for the sudden call for the sect meeting" The first elder asked. "First elder, considering out position in this sect who is supposed to speak first" The sect leader asked without looking at the first elder, the first elder realized that the sect leader was not going to be the same sect leader they had known for some time now, he quickly bowed and said "Forgive my lack of manners sect leader". He sat down with embarrassment and awkwardness written boldly on his face but he was not the only one who was feeling that way, everyone who were present in the hall could also feel the awkwardness that the first elder felt. "I would like to announce that I will pass on the right to manage the sect affairs to my wife while I go into seclusion after two days" the sect leader said after clearing his throat, his wife had never expected him to make such an announcement stared at him looking puzzled but she decided to act like she had already known about his decision beforehand. Murmurs filled the room as the disciple discussed their own opinions amidst themselves, Shiyun turned to where the elders were sitting, she realized that the second elder was about to say something but their eyes met, he decided to swallow his words after seeing the look that she had given him. Satisfied with his reaction, the she asked the elders if they had any objection but they all nodded in agreement with the decision the sect leader had made, they were just hoping that she wouldn''t bring up her daughter''s punishment. "since there is no one with an objection, two days from now my will assume the position of the acting sect leader" The sect leader said. The disciples were okay with the sect leader decision but they just hoped that Huo Ying would come back in thus two days or nobody knows how the days under her rule will be. She gave the first and second elders an evil smile with her eyes tilted to the side and said "First elder I heard that you suggested that Huo Ying should serve her punishment in the beast cave", the first elder who had been praying for her not to bring up the topic was caught unawares by her question, "replying, Huo Ying committed a crime that is considered very serious, I couldn''t think of any other punishment suitable for her so I suggested that she should serve her punishment in the beast dungeon but she was escorted by the guardians, Bingchen and ten elite disciples" the first elder replied, he waited to see her reaction but everyone was surprised when she laughed hysterically except the sect leader. They knew that the moment for her to display her fury has arrived. "If Huo Ying doesn''t come back within two days then you had better pray that Huo Bingchen doesn''t come back as well cause I will personally send him off with her" She said with a devilish look on her face, the first elder quickly replied "madam, I don''t think it is appropriate, Huo Bingchen has nothing to do with this, if Huo Ying has done something wrong as the future sect leader she should be ready to bear the consequence". "If he comes back without Huo ying then his sin will ne that he failed to ensure the young mistress comes back, although he was not made a guardian, he can also be considered as a guardian so you had better pray that she comes back alive or else I will send him off to continue his duty in the netherworld" She said resolutely. Everyone knew that she was serious about killing Huo Bingchen, even if the sect leader tries to stop her, he will have to imprison her or kill her, other than that there is no other way to stop her from doing whatever she says she will do. Chapter 29 - The New Guardian They arrived at the route where they would follow in order to leave the forest, they were flabbergasted to see that the road has changed, the forest that was once filled with large trees and fog has now become a single pathway with large trees on the left and right side of the pathway. "young mistress did we take the wrong way" Huo Mei asked with a confused look on her face as she looked around to co firm if they were going the wrong way.? ? "This is the right way but everything has changed, I think it has something to do with the beast" Huo Ying said as they kept on walking, the four of them continued walking fast but the other disciples couldn''t understand why they were walking so fast as if their lives were at stake. "Hey Huo Ying why are you walking so fast can''t you see that the disciples are trying to catch up with you" Huo Bingchen said as he walked faster in order to catch up with her, he didn''t like the fact that he was following behind her. Huo Ying stopped walking and then turned to face him, she scoffed and gave him a berating look and said " You are the one that is supposed to be anxious but you don''t even know", he gave her a confused look and said "what do you mean". "Do you even need to ask that, what do you think will happen when the sect leader wife hears that young mistress was sent to the beast dungeon" Huo Mei said with a scornful look on her face, all the disciples present realized what Huo Mei meant, if the sect leaders wife finds out that the elders sent Huo Ying to the beast dungeon using punishment as an excuse, the sect would be in an upheaval by the time they reach the sect, as they realized this they wore an horrified look in their faces. Huo Bingchen was still thinking about what Huo Mei meant, then he suddenly remembered that the sect leaders wife wasn''t aware of the elders decision during the meeting, his eyes widened as he realized what he has missed, he couldn''t imagine what she would have done to his grandfather during their absence. "Does that mean that my grandfather is in trouble now" Huo Bingchen said with his eyes still widened in fear of what his grandfather would be going through in the sect, the sect leader wife had never had forgiven anyone that put her husband and child in danger, even if any of the disciple is hurt unjustly by anyone from another sect she would never stand still and watch it happen. "Are you just realizing that now, if you want your grandfather to still be alive by the time we return¡­no if you still want your head to be ha going on your head by the time you return to the sect" Huo Ying said, she turned away and continued walking at the same speed she was walking at before. Last night it spent them more than half a day to get to the mountain and now they needed to get to the sect within four hours, the others followed closely behind her now that they had to reach the sect urgently. After walking¡­or is it flying since they were walking at a speed that was impossible for ordinary people but since they were cultivators and the martial art the flame sect practice requires speed and agility target were able to walk extraordinarily fast, after thirty minutes they found themselves at the door of the foot of the mountain where the flame sect is located. They were surprised once again, it was as if the forest was listening to them and it knew that they had to return to the sect, even if they were walking at a fast speed it was still not enough to reach the foot of the flame sect mountain within thirty minutes. "How did we arrive here we were still at the forest thirty minutes ago" Huo Bingchen asked looking puzzled "I don''t know but I think we should be thankful because the more time we spend here the lesser the chances of the sect being in one piece by the time we get back and remember your grandfather" Huo Ying said, they all rushed into the sect without any hesitation, the disciples guarding the entrance of the sect were surprised when they saw the guardians and the young mistress entering into the sect, they were so astonished that they even forgot to salute her as she walked in. After she went past them, they finally came back to their senses and they saluted her even though she was already out of sight. "I always knew that the young mistress was so strong but she could even escape death in the beast dungeon" one of the twenty disciples who were guarding the entrance said, they were all happy to see her come back alive that their faces were full of wild smiles. "Of course, the beast dungeon is nothing to her, as the young mistress of the flame sect how can she die in the hands of a nameless beast" another disciple said as if he was confident that she was going to return alive. ----------------------------------- "Madam, is my think what you said is reasonable, Huo Bingchen was never made a guardian so why does he have to die if Huo Ying dies, she committed a sin so she has to be punished that has always been the rules of the sect" the first elder said in annoyance, even though he was scared of the sect leaders wife, he couldn''t just watch her decide to kill his grandson, if the worst comes he would join hands with the second elder and they will fight her together even if they might not stand a chance against her especially when she is holding a whip. "So the first elder is saying that since Huo Bingchen wasn''t given the title of a guardian he has no reason to be buried with the young mistress, then today I will give Huo Bingchen the title of a guardian, if the young mistress dies, he will also fire along with the other guardians" she said with authority ringing in her voice. Once again murmurs filled the hall, the elders didn''t know what else to say, they could only pray that Huo Bingchen comes back alive. Even the third elder was worried about Huo Bingchen but he didn''t want to go against the sect leader wife, Huo Bingchen was also personally trained by him and could be considered his student, he was planning to be intercede on his behalf after the meeting. The first leader knew that this time his plan had backfired on him and the chances of Huo Ying coming back alive was very slim he decided that his only option now was to¡­. He stood up from his seat and went before the sect leader''s wife "Madam" he said solemnly as he went on his knees slowly, he couldn''t bring himself to willingly kneel before her but he had to, he cupped both hands and raised it forward while he was still on his knees. The sect leader and everyone present in the hall were astonished at the sight in front of them, they couldn''t imagine that they first elder who had always been arrogant and had always gone against the sect leader would go on his knees to beg the sect leader wife not even the sect leader but the sect leader wife wasn''t surprised, that was her plan all along even though she was really going to kill Huo Bingchen if her came back without Huo Ying, she had the sect leader had the same bottom line and they could do anything in order to protect it so she had planned to humiliate him in the meeting to appease her anger. "please if the young mistress doesn''t come back, I will accept the punishment on his behalf" he said and bowed his head slightly, he shut his eyes in embarrassment, he would never had imagined that one day he would kneel before her out of desperation. "are you saying that you would die in his stead" she asked while looking down on him with scorn and satisfaction on her face. "There is no need for that" someone shouted from the entrance of the sect hall, everyone felt like the voice was familiar and they hoped it was the person they were thinking it was. This is Huo Ying voice¡­. She is still alive.... The sect leader wife thought as she raised her head to see who it was, they were all shocked as they the young mistress entering into the sect hall with the guardians, Huo Bingchen and the other ten disciples following closely behind her. At that moment everyone did t know what expression to put on, having to choose between shock and happiness was hard for them but they still choose to wear a smile on their faces as they watched the fifteen of them enter into them hall. They walked to the front of the high seat then they knelt on one knee and bowed their heads. "Greetings to the sect leader" they all chorused "Rise" the sect leader responded, he was beyond happy to see his daughter and the guardians return alive and he didn''t even bother hide his emotions, his face was clouded with joy and happiness and his wife was no different from him. They all stood up at his command, the ten disciples who had escorted them returned to stand where the elite disciples stood while the remaining of them remained standing in front of the high seat. Huo Bingchen wanted to bring up the issue of confirming if the young mistress really entered the beast dungeon but he didn''t, he had already heard what the sect leader wife said and he just wasn''t ready to implicate himself again or let his grandfather suffer more humiliation, seeing his grandfather kneeling was something he had never expected to see in his lifetime but right now he was still kneeling. The first elder who was ecstatic and elated at the sight of his grandson coming back with Huo Ying quickly rose to his feet and returned to his feet sat back on his chair. "Huo Ying I am so glad that you are came back safe and sound" the first elder said. Of course, you are happy, if I didn''t come back either you are or your grandson will lose your head¡­. She thought to herself "I am very thankful to the first elder for caring about my safety, you must have been worried" she said with a thankful expression that seemed very fake, at that moment the first elder couldn''t care less about her sarcasm he was just happy that now his grandson doesn''t have to be a guardian. "Huo Ying I am glad you came back safely, how did you all come back early" her mother asked, this was the question that everyone had in mind, it is nit possible for anyone to go to the beast dungeon and then returned safely and quickly. Huo Ying already knew that they were going to ask this question so she prepared her answer beforehand. "Mother the road to the beast dungeon was not easy so it took us more than half a day to reach their, the beast was examined us and realized that we didn''t come with any evil intentions so he let us stay and we left the next day, we didn''t expect that the road we came through before would became a single pathway and it only took us thirty minutes to return to the sect" Everyone was surprised at her answer, they had never heard of such experience form everyone who had been to that forest but they didn''t bother asking any question, they were just happy to see Huo Ying come back safe and sound and they were reassured that the when the sect leader goes into seclusion his wife''s rule would not be as bad as they thought it would be if Huo Ying didn''t come back. "madam, now that the young mistress has come back safely, Bingchen doesn''t need to be a guardian anymore" the first leader said, he was hoping that she would retract her order on making Bingchen a guardian but he just wasn''t sure if she would really do that. "First elder, being a guardian is not a bad thing, it just means that his status in the sect has now been elevated" she said and turned to face Huo Bingchen. "From today onward you will be given the title of a guardian, you don''t have to serve Huo Ying but you will be responsible for overseeing all the disciples in the sect", everyone wasn''t expecting her to have said that they thought she would make him a guardian who should sacrifice his life for Huo Ying but she didn''t. Chapter 30 - The New Guardian 2 She had always treated Huo Bingchen the same way she treated the guardians and every other disciple and she also loved him like every other disciple in the sect, the only reason why she had threatened to kill was because of the anger she felt at that moment and Bingchen knew this, she would never had threatened to kill him if it wasn''t for the first elder plot, apart from being taught by the third elder and the first elder, his whip skills and horse riding skills were taught by the sect leader wife so he didn''t have any hard feelings towards her when he heard her threatening to kill him. "I will try my best to fulfil my duty" he said as he bowed his head with both hands slightly raised forward, he knew that as long as her daughter has returned safely all her hard feelings towards him as naturally disappeared, the first elder was also surprised at her order. Normally guardians are supposed to die if their masters die but the twins and Huo Qiang were only in charge of protecting Huo Ying and the sect leader but they had never chosen a suicidal guardian after the sect leader came into power, he was already scared when she said that she was going to make Huo Bingchen a guardian because he was expecting her to make him a suicidal guardian, when he heard her order he was happy because being a managerial guardian meant that you have authority over all the disciples in the sect including the elite disciples. The first elder smiled with satisfaction and thanked her for increasing his status, she was expecting him to be thankful, her main purpose for increasing Huo Bingchen status in the sect was to reduce the first elder''s prejudice towards Huo Ying and that as precisely the result she achieved.?? "Since Huo Ying has returned safely and al the necessary announcement has been made, the meeting is over" The sect leader said, he climbed down the stairs which lead to the high seats, as he came closer to the disciples they owed their heads until he left the hall, after he left the hall everyone has no reason to remain behind so they left the hall. ---------------------- Huo Ying entered into the sect leader room and closed the door behind her, she knew that her mother and father would surely want to see her privately but she wasn''t sure if it was appropriate for her to tell them exactly what happened. "Huo ying sit down" the sect leader said while pointing to the chair opposite him, his wife was also seated right next to him. Huo Ying sat down and braced herself for their questions. The both of them looked at he with doubts written on their face but they were waiting for the other person to speak, Huo Yin realized that they were hesitating so she decided to break the silence. "father, mother, ask any question you would like to ask if you both keep waiting for the other person to speak, we are going to spend the whole day sitting like this" "Huo Ying are you sure that was what happened in the beast dungeon" the sect leader asked with a little bit of hesitation in his voice, she smiled at her fathers question and then said "actually that was not what happened but it is similar to the truth, you remember when I and Huo Lan went missing when were five years old" she said and waited for their reply. "of course, we do, back then we almost turned the sect upside while searching for the both of you, what does this have to do with the beast dungeon" her mother asked with curiosity clearly written on her face. " what happened back then was that I followed Huo Loan to the beast dungeon without her knowing but when I got there I saw her playing with the beast, after a while the beast noticed my presence so Huo Lan found me and we stayed with the beast during that time before returning home, so I was hoping the beast to remember me and he did so he let us stay in the dungeon without attacking us" She said, she didn''t want to tell her parents about the beast attacking them and the bell but her parents did believe what she had said since it sounded plausible. "Why didn''t you tell us that was where you went back then" her father asked "we thought you were going to scold us for leaving the sect and going to the dungeon so we decided to lie that we got lost" Huo Yin said with a hint of guilt in her tone. "anyway, I am just glad that you came back safely" her mother said and sighed. "Luckily you came back, if you didn''t your other would have turned the sect upside down, I persuaded her all night yesterday and that was the best result that I could get as you saw in the hall" her father said jokingly. "I promise you both that I wouldn''t do anything that would bring trouble to the sect or put you both in a difficult situation" -------------------- "are you sure that she entered into the dungeon" the first elder asked Huo Bingchen, Bingchen didn''t want to dwell longer on the issue so he decided to lie to his grandfather, " grandfather, I am sure that she entered into the dungeon, she had the scale from the dragon when she came out and the guardians were slightly wounded but they didn''t make it obvious just now because they didn''t want the sect leader''s wife to find out, the First elder who had been pacing around the room at sat on a chair and told Bingchen to also take his seat. "The only way to confirm if she truly entered is if she had the smell of the beast breath on her but I didn''t want to bring it up because of the situation at that time" the first elder said while stroking his beards, Huo Bingchen thought about it then he remembered that when they came out there was a weird smell on Huo Ying and the guardian, the smell was neither nice or bad. If what grandfather said is correct that means that Huo ying did enter the dungeon... But did the beast really let her go because they didn''t attack him¡­. what of the noise they heard in the mountain last night¡­? These thoughts ran through his head but he didn''t have an answer to any of them. "grandfather, if what you said is true then I did smell something strange when they came out, the smell was neither bad nor good but it wasn''t pleasing to the nose, is that the smell you are talking about" Bingchen said "you are right, that is the smell of the dragon breath, then that means she really survived staying in the dungeon but how did that happen, no one has ever entered the dungeon because of the beast inside is really cruel and large but they actually survived seems like the young mistress is more skillful than I thought" he said while stroking his beards again. "Grandfather, she was worried that the sect leader wife would find trouble with you so she made us rush back to the sect even I had forgotten about her temperament" "do you think she rushed back because of me she just didn''t want the sect to be in disarray before she comes back that was why she rushed back so don''t be fooled by her actions" he replied, in his heart he didn''t think that way, he had already forgotten about the humiliation that the sect leader wife made him suffer after she made Huo Bingchen a managerial guardian but now that Huo Ying rushed back to the sect to prevent her mother from harming him, his heart was already melting slowly and Bingchen knew this too so he didn''t bother to discuss it further. "I will keep that in mind, there will be more work for me to do since I have been made a managerial guardian and I also have to increase my training so I wont be able to visit you all the time, I want to ask for your understanding beforehand" Huo Bingchen said "Don''t worry about me just make sure that you are not behind Huo Ying" the first elder said "I will take my leave now" Huo Bingchen said and bowed, he then left the room, after he left the first elder continued to think about his future plans for Huo Bingchen Chapter 31 - The Guardian They arrived at the karaoke at the same time, after booking a room for themselves they all went to to the karaoke room. The table was filled with drinks and snack but what they were really interested in was the singing part. They took their seat at a round leather chair which made it easy for them to communicate with each other while having fun. "So who is going to sing first" Meng Yao asked wit her eyes glittering with anticipation.?? "We should also also dance to make it more fun, I will go first" Ji Chen said, he removed the long brown coat he was wearing on top of his skinny jeans and oversized shirt, he dropped the coat on the seat and moved to the front, the started cheering for him with shouts and clapping. "Seems like your boyfriend is very confident of his dance skills" Han Chen said while clapping as Ji Chen held the microphone in his hands and was about to start singing. "If Ji Chen wasn''t keen on becoming a doctor he would have been an idol, his dancing and singing skills are superb" Jia Yu said, she has never gotten tired of seeing her boyfriend dancing because the fell in love with him at first sight the day she saw him dancing, her face was full of smiled and she was cheering the loudest. "You have never cheered for me this way before it seems like this your boyfriend is all you have in your head now, if your dad finds out about this, he will be jealous" Han Chen said jokingly. "Of course, in my heart Ji Chen is the best" she said and turned to concentrate on Ji Chen who had already started singing. I always do No reason, I just want you to be my girlfriend No one else has a chance I am going to claim your heart I will be your beggar your fool As he reached the climax of the song, he started dancing, the others were not surprised at his dance skills since they had seen it many time''s but Han Chen was quite shocked and impressed, even though he had better voice than Ji Chen is, his dance skills was just too good. "Wahoo" they all shouted as he danced "Ji Chen you are the best" Jia Yu shouted, they all stopped cheering as they watched how excited she was seeing her boyfriend dance. "I knew you were crazy about him but don''t make it so obvious" Yu Yan said admits the noise. "Don''t worry when Chen Kai comes back you can do this with him" Jia yu said, Ji Chen finished the song he was performing so he returned to his seat beside his girlfriend. After hearing Jia yu mentioning Chen Kai, Han Chen expressions changed. He didn''t know that Yu Ya had a boyfriend before now but he didn''t want to show his emotions so he covered his frown up with a smile. "Do you remember the dance we reformed during the school anniversary" Jia yu asked the girls. "Yeah that was the only dance I have ever performed publicly" Yu Yan asked. "Let''s do the dance now" Jia you said, they were happy with her suggestion so they rushed up to front of the table. As they danced, the guys watched them with smiles on their faces, the others have watched the dance before but Han Chen had never seen it before, his gaze was focused on Yu Yan, everyone else didn''t notice that but Jia Yu did, she had been suspecting that her brother liked Yu Yan since they were in the karate club. They finished dancing then they returned to their seats, Han Chen knew that it was going to be his turn to perform next so he just went up as soon as the girls sat down, he held the microphone in his hands and raised it to his lips. They all focused their eyes on him as he began singing¡­ It''s a beautiful feeling What we got deep inside We got a flame that will last forever together you and I Such a rush of emotions There''s no way we can push it away¡­ They all stared at him in amazement as he sang, when Jia Yu told them that he had a nice voice they didn''t expect it to be as good as this, they could feel the emotions embedded in the song as he sang, even his facial expressions and hand gestures he made while singing was like a professional singer, they suddenly felt like they were going to tear up except Yu Yan who already had tears dropping down her eyes, as the tears reached her lips she wiped them off her face and then whispered to Jia Yu. "your brother''s voice is so mesmerizing; I would never had guessed that he was this good" "Of course. He is my brother after all" Jia Yu said and then continued to focus on Han Chen who was still singing emotionally on the stage. Cause they will never tear our love apart Our bond will never break¡­. Ooooh my love, am all yours¡­... As he got to the chorus of the song, he increased his pitch, at that moment they all cheered "way to go brother in law" Ji Chen shouted Even through the end of time Our love will always grow... He finished the song and lowered the microphone to see their reaction, as he finished singing, they all cheered loudly, he was happy with their reaction but the person he wanted to impress the most was Yu Yan, he returned to his seat and they discussed for a while. After some minutes they left the karaoke and returned to where they parked their cars. "let''s have hotpot tonight at my place" Ji Chen suggested, he put his arms around Jia Yu shoulder as they stood beside their car, they were all happy with the suggestion so they decided to do as he had said. They arrived at his house and he personally arranged the feast in his garden with all the ingredients available. "were you already planning to have hotpot, why do you have everything you need in your house" Jia Yu said "I am always prepared for every situation, I just told the housekeeper to buy the ingredient before we return" Ji Chen replied and then took his seat close to Jia Yu, they all dipped their vegetables into the hot pot that was steaming hot. "there is nothing better than drinking beer with hotpot at night" Yu Yan said as she gulped down her beer, the other laughed at her statement, Yu Yan is quite a drinker but because of the nature of her job she doesn''t drink unless if she doesn''t have to go to work. "it has been a long time since I drank" Yu yan said as she dropped the empty can of beer on the table, they all stared at her in amazement. She lifted her eyes and then noticed that they were staring at her strangely "Is there something on my face" Yu yan said, she looked at them with confusion writing on her face. "you just finished that can of beer in one shot" Han Chen said, his face still showed that he was still in shock. How could a girl be such a good drinker? He thought in his mind. "ooh you mean that, I am good at drinking but my job doesn''t let me drink all the time so now that I am free I have to drink" Yu Yan said, they all returned to normal and started eating, steam coming from the hot pot filled the garden as they all dipped their vegetables and meat at the same time while drinking their beer. "let''s play truth or dare" An Ke suggested, they were all excited at her suggestion so they agreed to the game, An Ke was in charge of rolling the bottle, she rolled the bottle and both sides pointed to Meng Yao and Yu Yan, they all clapped in excitement and waited for Yu Yan to start the game. "truth or dare" Yu Yan asked "truth" Meng Yao replied "hmmmnnn, how many guys have you dated since you were born" Yu Yan asked, everyone focused their eyes on Meng Yao, they were all eager to hear her answer because they have never seen her date a guy for a month. Meng Yao raised her head in thought as she tried to count how many guys she had dated. "I think they are up to thirty or more than I am not really sure" Meng Yao said, they all gasped at her answer and chorused "THIRTY!!" "why are you all shocked isn''t it normal. I think you guys are the abnormal ones, how can you date just one person for a long time" Meng Yao said. Chapter 32 - Truth Or Dare "you must have broken the heart of so many guys" Ji Chen said and they continued the game, An Ke rolled the bottle again and this time the both ends of the bottle was pointing at Han Chen and Jia Yu, they were all excited now that it was Han Chen turn to answer truth or dare. "truth or dare" Jia Yu asked Han Chen?? "truth" Han Chen replied "How many girls heart have you broken since you were born" Jia Yu asked, they were all shocked at her question, that wasn''t a question that one would normally ask. "hey why would you ask him such a question I get that he is handsome but he couldn''t have been much of a playboy" Yu Yan said, they all nodded In agreement to Yu Yan statement except Han Chen who knew exactly why Jia Yu asked that question, he smiled when he heard Yu Yan trying to defend him, she noticed that he was trying to stop himself from laughing hard then she became annoyed. "I am defending you, why are you laughing because of that, Is it that funny or are you really a playboy" Yu Yan asked with a puzzled look on her face and her brows slightly knitted together, then he stopped laughing and maintained a straight face. "my brother knows why I am asking that question, you don''t know how much I have suffered because of my brother" Jia Yu said, she turned to face Han Chen so as to urge him to answer the question, "actually, I don''t think I can count them, they are too much for me to count" Han Chen said awkwardly while scratching his hair. They were all surprised at his answer and of course except Jia Yu, they looked at him with a quizzical expression on their face, Yu Yan was shocked that although Han Chen looked innocent, he is actually a playboy. "brother in law are you a playboy" Ji Chen said, he gave Han Chen a condemning look but it wasn''t only Ji Chen that had this look on his face. "it isn''t what you think, I am not a playboy it just happened like that" Han Chen said, he noticed that they had the wrong idea about him but he didn''t know how to explain himself, he looked at Yu Yan and he didn''t like the look she had on her face but he didn''t know what words to use in order to explain himself, he could only blame his cousin for putting him in such a dilemma, Jia Yu burst into laughter as she watched Han Chen trying hard to explain himself. "it isn''t what you guys think, it all started when my brother was in high school, most of the girls in the school became attracted to him to the extent that they always stalked him. Everyday our mailbox is always filled with love letter from girls of all age even those that were old enough to be his mother, some of our young female teachers even asked him out and that was what made me transfer to the school Yu Yan was attending" Jia Yu said. "I am not surprised, I have never seem someone that is as handsome as I am but brother in law is an exception, I am nothing compared to him" Ji Chen said, he bowed his head jokingly in Han Chen direction and they all laughed at this actions. "you guys wont believe that even males stalked my brother and they wanted to date him too, when the attention became too much, my parents left the house and went to live in another house leaving only me to bear the brunt, I even got beaten up several times because of him" Jia Yu continued Han Chen laughed as he watched her complaining of everything she had suffered because of him, "brother is it that funny to you, you have no idea how much I was harassed so many times because of you" Jia Yu said and pouted slightly "you were actually the one who caused it, if you hadn''t posted my picture on that website, those things wouldn''t have happened to you" Han Chen said "seems like this story goes along way, I was wondering why you were always looking like someone who had just finished fighting during high school so it was because of your brother, I also saw the picture online but you didn''t tell me about him" Yu Yan said. They discussed about other things and then they cleared the garden and they prepared to return to their houses, Jia Yu wanted to sleep over at Ji Chen house but Han Chen objected so she followed him back to the villa while Yu Yan and the rest also returned to their houses. ------------------------- Yu yan returned home and was surprised to see her parents sitting in the parlour and watching the television, they turned back when they heard the door open, their expressions showed that they were more than happy to see her back home. "mum, dad why are you guys still awake this is eleven pm" Yu Yan said as she confirmed the time on her watch and walked into the parlour and sat on the single leather chair. "you said you were coming back home and we missed you so we decided to wait for you" her mum said, Yu Yan stood up and went closer to her mum. "sorry for leaving you alone but I will still have to move out very soon I can''t keep being my mummy''s girl" Yu Yan said while holding her mothers'' hand, her father didn''t like that she said she was going to move out soon. "why do you have to move out, if you want to move alone you can move to the apartment opposite ours" her father said and her mother nodded her head in support of her father, "father, I cant always be close to you every day, I will still have to get married someday" "when is Chen kai coming back" her mother asked with worry on her face, for some reason she didn''t like that her daughter was dating him, she liked him personally but she knew that they were keeping their relationship a secret from his parent and Yu Yan is already in her late twenties so she dint want her daughter to waste her youth on him. "mum, he called me and told me that he was busy so he couldn''t call me for a long time and he is coming back in two to three months" "you two should open up to his parent about your relationship as soon as he comes back, if his parents doesn''t approve of you that means you would have wasted your youth on him" her mother said, "your mother is right" her father said, she reassured them that she was going to speak to him about it then she returned to her room. She showered first and then wore her pyjamas, she lied on her bed and texted Chen Kai. "how are you doing" she wrote and dropped her phone on the table close to her bedside, as she rested her head on the soft pillow, she couldn''t help thinking about Han Chen, their first encounter and the time they all spent together. She felt like she had seen Han Chen before but she just couldn''t remember where she saw him no matter how she tried, she decided that it must have been the picture that Jia Yu posted on the website that she saw but she just wasn''t sure about it. Chapter 33 - The Dream 2 She kept shaking her head profusely, her pillow was now wet with sweats and her hair slicked down her face as she kept moving in her sleep, she was having another dream but this time it was more disturbing. They are all dressed in historical attires¡­. she just kept running and running but it seemed like there was no end to the path she was running on, they kept on shouting and calling her a monster but all se did was just continued running without stopping.?? They were about twenty people pursuing her and each of them were holding a sword in their hand, except one person who was wearing a mask with a bow in his hands... her breathing started becoming unstable but she couldn''t stop but now she had nowhere else to run to¡­. She was already standing at the edge of a cliff, she looked down the cliff and realized that there was no way of escape for her anymore, the people who were pursuing her had already caught up with her¡­. "what do you people want from me" She asked, she tried to stabilize her breath as they came closer to her, "you are a demon" the man with a mask said to her, she shakes her head in an attempt to deny that she is a demon. "I am not a demon, I am not a demon" she said as she moved closer to the edge of the cliff, the masked man raised his bow and aimed at her, her released the bow and the arrow hit her in the chest then she fell.... She sprung up from her bed as she wiped the sweat on her face "What sort of dreams am I having these days" She lied back on the bed but she couldn''t fall asleep so she went into the bathroom and showered again, after bathing she stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom, she suddenly saw another person reflection in the mirror not herself. She wiped the mirror thinking that she was hallucinating but the image in the mirror remained the same. The image in the mirror is hers but she looked like her sixteen-year-old self and the color of her eyes and hair is changed into a red colour, she ran out of the bathroom and lied back on her bed. "I need to see a psychologist tomorrow" she said and closed her eyes, after some minutes she finally fell asleep again. ---------------------------- Beep!! Beep!! Beep!! She was still half asleep when the alarm rang, she stretched her hands to the table where the alarm clock is standing and she switched it off, she stood up from her bed and yawned. "This damned alarm, I must have forgotten to switch it off yesterday" she said and stretched. She checked the time in the clock and realized that it was already seven am, she stood up from her bed and left the room. Upon arriving at the dining, she met her mother who was already arranging breakfast on the dining table and her father seating on the dining, they both smiled as they saw her coming out of her room. "why are you awake so early, I thought you weren''t going to work today" her mother said and sat down on the dining table. "good morning, I forgot to turn off my alarm so I just decided to stand up since I am already awake" she replied, she also sat down close to her father, her mother served her own breakfast of soybean and fried dough stick, her father ate quickly and then left in an hurry leaving only the two of them on the dining table. Her mother noticed that her face was not looking good so she kept staring at her, Yu Yan noticed that her mother wasn''t eating so she asked her why she wasn''t eating, her mother hesitated then she replied, "why do you look stressed, didn''t you get enough sleep or is something bothering you" her mother asked, she could see that her mother was really worried, normally during breakfast they always had lots of things to talk about and that was because of Yu Yan but today she was just eating her food silently and wearing an expression that showed that she didn''t feel well that morning. "nothing is wrong mum don''t worry, I am just feeling a little bit tired" Yu Yan said, she was hoping that her mum would just leave it at that but she knew the type o person her mum was if she wasn''t sure about something she would make sure that she gets to the bottom of it but she didn''t want to tell her other what was bothering her. "Yan Yan, are you sure that is all, you have always been tired but still your face never shows that you are, moreover you didn''t go to work yesterday so what did you do to tire out yourself" her mother said, her face showed doubts and the expression she gave Yu Yan showed that she didn''t like the fact that Yu Yan was hiding something from her. "I just knew that you would still try to find out the truth, actually there is something bothering me but I don''t know how to explain it because you might not be able to believe what I tell you" She said, the way she spoke made her mother think that what was troubling her was really serious, her mother who had already finished eating pushed her plates aside and faced Yu Yan with a serious expression. "whatever it is you can tell me; I promise to believe whatever you say" " mum, I have been having some strange dreams recently and they are really disturbing, at first I thought it was just another hilarious dream I normally have, but as you know, I have never seen the same thing in my dream more than once but this time I saw it three times" Yu Yan said. "what was the dream about, some dreams might just be disturbing but they don''t mean anything" her mother said. "mum, in the dream I saw a young girl but she looked like my sixteen year old self but she had red eyes and red hair, in one of the dreams she was chained and there was a glass separating us but the dream I had last, some people were chasing her and when she got to the edge of a cliff a masked man shot her with an arrow and she fell. In all the dreams they were wearing historical clothes" She said, she waited so watch the reaction of her mother but her mother expression showed that she really believed what she was saying. "that doesn''t seem like something I wouldn''t believe, just wait and see if you would have the same dream then we can find something to do about it" her mother said. "that is not even the highlight of the story, the main thing is that when I woke up this morning from my dream, I looked into the mirror and instead of seeing the reflection of myself, I saw the girl I always see in my dream so I decided to see a psychologist today" Yu Yan said. "then that seems serious, let me go with you to see the psychologist" her mother said, she stood up to pack the plate but Yu Yan stopped her and said "mum I will go by myself after doing the dishes, just rest at home", she packed the plated herself and took them into the kitchen to wash. Her mother retired from being a surgeon early because of an accident where she hurt her hand, she was examined and the doctor told her that she could use her hands but she couldn''t perform surgeries anymore because of future complications that may occur, since then he mother became an housewife since she didn''t have interest in anything other than being a surgeon. After doing the dishes, Yu Yan took her bath and dressed in her causal clothing of a white shirt and a pair of jeans. She went into the parking lot and entered her car, after starting on the engine she drove out of the parking lot. On the way to the hospital, she received a call, she plugged in her Ear Pods into her ear and continued driving. "hello who is this" Yu Yan said "Didn''t you check who it was before you picked the phone, this is Jia Yu" Jia Yu said, her tone sounded like a nagging grandmother, Yu Yan nodded her head and then said "you never change this your habit of nagging over the phone do you?, why did you call". "I just wanted to greet you¡­. Wait¡­are you driving, I thought you didn''t have to go to work today" "I just wanted to go out for a drive today" "I would like to come with you but my brother Is leaving today so I have to wait until he leaves, I need to treasure the last hour with, I don''t even know when next I will see him maybe in the next two years" Jia Yu complained, although Jia Yu had never mentioned Han Chen to Yu Yan, she could feel that Jia Yu really like Han Chen and they seemed like real siblings even though they are cousins, "I am still annoyed that you didn''t bother to tell me about Han Chen despite the years we have been together, hmmmn I feel so betrayed" Yu Yan said, she parked the car in the parking lot of the hospital but she remained in the car. "I didn''t mean to do that, it was just that when we were still in high school, I was afraid that you would become another crazy fan of my brother and I didn''t want to share you with him so I decided to be selfish but after we graduated I rarely ever see him so I just forgot about him for a while" "Alright, since you were so desperate to keep me for yourself I will forgive you, I have to go now I will call you later" Yu Yan said, she ended the call even before Yu Yan could reply, she didn''t want her to ask where she was. She locked the car and entered into the hospital; they also had a psychology department in the hospital she worked but she didn''t want anyone to know that she was visiting a psychologist so she decided to go to a place where no one knew her. -------------------- She entered into the hospital and went straight to the receptionist who welcomed her with a smile, "I need to see a psychologist, where do I go to" Yu Yan asked, she waited for the receptionist to direct her but she asked her a question instead. "do you have a particular psychologist you have been visiting before" the receptionist asked while smiling. "I have never been to this hospital, this is my first time so I haven''t received any psychology treatment before", the receptionist looked into the computer in front of her and then typed some things into the computer while Yu Yan just stood in front of the receptionist as she was unaware of hat she was inputting into the computer. They receptionist looked at her again and smiled as she said "when you go left, you will see an elevator, in front of the elevator there is a sign with the floor number of all the department, just take the elevator to the psychology department" the receptionist pointed her hand at the left side of the reception to show Yu Yan the way to the elevator, Yu Yan smiled at her after thanking her and left the reception. The two reception who are standing at the reception watched her until he was out of sight. "she is very beautiful and the shape of her body is just perfect" one of the receptionists said. "I agree, she is the first person I have ever seen who is as beautiful as that without wearing too much makeup or dressing extravagantly" the other receptionist added, the other one sighed and said "I wish I had a face and body like hers, to have that face I wonder how much makeup I have to apply and her makeup is so simple she didn''t even draw her eyebrow". Chapter 34 - The Dream 3 She entered the elevator and then entered into the psychology department, she looked around and then found a reception in the psychology department. She walked up to the receptionist and asked "excuse me, I would like to book an appointment with a psychologist", the male receptionist just kept staring at her face without answering her question she wondered why he was looking at her that way but she couldn''t figure it out. "Excuse me, excuse me" she said gently while knocking the reception desk, finally she succeeded in waking him up at her third attempt. He realized that she was talking to him but he wasn''t paying attention so he couldn''t remember what she said. "oh sorry, I was just absentminded for a while, what did you say just now" he asked. "I was asking if I could book an appointment today with a psychologist" She replied, she always hated when people are absent minded at work especially in an hospital where the situation could concern something that needed to be taken care of urgent but she didn''t want to scold him since they weren''t working in the same hospital. "do you have any one you want to book an appointment with" he said while smiling at her, she was wondering why they were all smiling at her but she decided to take it as their work ethic. "no, I just need to see any psychologist as long as he or she is professional" she said with a serious expression on her face. "all the psychologists are booked for the whole day, except one but he is attending to a patient right now if you can wait for thirty minutes in the waiting room then you can see him next" he said. She looked at her wrist watch which read nine thirty am, she nodded her head and confirmed that she would wait for thirty minutes, she left the reception desk and entered into the waiting room as directed by the reception. There were only about fifteen people present in the waiting room, she was surprised at the number of people she saw in the reception room. Even though the psychology department is a department that patients rarely visit, in Beijing hospital it is different, every single day the number of patients in every department has always exceeded thirty including the psychology department, in her mind she wished that they can just have this amount of patients for one day in the hospital she is working at. She sat down and brought out her phone from her bag, the first person she thought of is Chen Kai, she scrolled through her messages hoping that he would have replied to the message she sent him last night and her wishes came to pass, she saw that he had already replied to her message on WeChat and he was still online. An ecstatic smile quickly formed on her lips, she was just overjoyed that he had replied her so quickly and he was still online. "I am fine and you" she read aloud, after reading his message, she texted him to tell him that she is also doing well, she waited for his reply as she stared at her phone continuously. After five minutes she saw his reply, she was so happy that she shouted, OH MY GOSH!!!!! Everyone in the waiting room including the receptionists turned back to look at who had just shouted, she noticed that everyone were staring at her so she just gave them an awkward smile and apologised for shouting, after they turned their eyes away from her, she continued with her phone. In the text he told her that she was doing well and asked her what she had been doing. "I didn''t go to work for to days now so I just went to Jia Yu''s party and we went to the karate club and we went out afterwards" she texted back. "I must have missed a lot, I even thought you were missing me I guess I was wrong since you are enjoying yourself without me" he replied back. She smiled at his message and then she decided to send him some of the pictures they took yesterday and she replied him saying that she really misses him, after a while he replied with a heart emoji. Yu Yan started thinking about what her mother told her yesterday about coming clean to his parent about their relationship, she was trying to decide if she should tell him about or not, she decided that her mother was right, their relationship will never progress if his parents don''t accept her, she picked up her phone to text him. "I am thinking that we should tell...." She was about to complete her text when she heard her name being called, the receptionist told her that it was no her turn to see the psychologist, as she hung her fancy shoulder bag on her shoulder, she mistakenly clicked on the send symbol but she was unaware of it. She knocked on the door and when she heard a voice telling her to enter, she pulled the doorknob and entered into the office. Without bothering to look at who had just entered the psychologist gestured with his hands pointed at the seat in front of him telling her to sit down. She sat on the seat and waited for him to stop looking at his computer and give her the attention she deserved. "you are miss Huo Yu Yan?" he asked and raised his head to look at her, "I am the one," She said, she was finally relieved that he was finally looking at her, he was surprised t the beauty of the lady sitting in front of him that he didn''t say anything for a moment while he stared at her. She wondered if those working in the hospital had a habit of being absentminded at work or if she had something on her face, she watched as a smile slowly formed on his lips then she was now convinced that it must be their work habit now that he is smiling at her just like the other people she met in the hospital did. "SIR!!!" Yu Yan called the doctor; he came back to his senses and then cleared his throat before answering her. "I have checked the system but I can''t find any record of your treatment in this hospital," He quickly said to start the conversation without making the mood awkward. "I don''t have any prior psychology treatment before; this is my first time" Yu Yan replied "ok I understand, you can now tell me what the problem is" "I have been having strange dreams lately and hallucination, recently my dreams have been about a girl who I think is my sixteen-year-old self but she has red eyes and red hair and the people I see in my dream are all dressed in historical clothing, when I looked at the mirror the morning the person I saw was the girl in my dreams and I have been feeling uneasy and disturbed whenever I have those dreams," She said. "how long has this been going on for," he asked "it has been on for about two to three weeks now and the most disturbing thing about the dreams is that whenever I dream about the girl, I feel like I am sharing her emotions," Yu Yan said "what type of emotions," the doctor asked, he was becoming more interested in her case, he hardly ever has patients who have problems because of their dreams and this time her problem seemed hard to decipher. "I feel sad, afraid and sometimes happy but I only feel happy when we talk in the dream" she replied "and what do you talk about" "When I asked her questions, she didn''t answer me, she didn''t tell me anything, the only thing she has ever told me is that I have to help her, she was panicking and screaming as if someone was going to attack her but I didn''t see who it is, and there was a wall-like glass separating us," Yu Yan said, the way she spoke showed that she was confused and unsure of many things. "and do you believe the girl in your dream is your younger self, think about it very well," he asked "I don''t want to believe but I think we are the same person for a reason I don''t know, when I saw her falling down a cliff after she was being chased by some people who kept calling her a demon¡­or should I say me, I felt like I was really falling" Yu Yan replied with her brows pulled together and her long eyelashes constantly blinking. "your case is something I have not experienced before but from what you said I have two theories about the dreams and the hallucination you had the first one is that those dreams represent a part of your self that you do not want to admit or that person you saw in your dreams really exists," the doctor said "I don''t think the first theory can be applied to my case because I am very sure that I do not have a part of me that I want to remain hidden, as for the second theory I think it quite fits but it doesn''t seem like something I can believe, if she really exists then that means she either exists in this world or there are two worlds," Yu Yan said, what he had just said is something that no one will want to believe and she just couldn''t bring herself to accept his theory about her dreams. "you said there is a wall made of glass that is separating the both of you, that should mean that the boundaries between both worlds are what the glass wall stand for and the fact that it is made of glass means that the barrier between both worlds can be removed," he said "Are you saying that there are two worlds and the girl in my dreams exists in the other world," she said and scoffed, he wasn''t surprised at her reaction since that is something no one would want to believe except someone who has the same profession as him. "it is my job to believe that there are two worlds from the dreams you just told me about, you said the person you saw in your dream told you to save her and you can feel her emotions, this could mean that she is suffering and you are her only hope to be freed of her suffering" the psychology explained with a quizzical look on her face, he was trying to observe her face to see if she truly believes what he is saying, he doesn''t believe what he was saying himself but he just wanted to test her just so he can know what her perspective of the dreams is. "although I don''t want to believe what you are saying but I believe you because your theories seem like the only thing that fits with my dream" "but of course, I can''t just rush into conclusion without further research," he said and smiled. She also smiled at him since she was satisfied with his consultation, he told her to leave her number with the receptionist in order to contact her for another consultation after he had made his full research, she thanked him and left the office. "interesting," he remarked as she shut the door. She left her number with the receptionist at the psychology department and then left the hospital. She went into the parking lot and then entered her car, after giving a little thought to what the psychologist had said she drove out of the parking lot. Chapter 35 - Emergency After driving out of the hospital building she remembered that she didn''t finish writing the text she wanted to send to Chen Kai, She removed one hand from the steering wheel and brought out her phone from her bag, she was about to check if Chen Kai had sent her any message when her mother called. "Hello, mum why did you call" Yu Yan asked on the phone?? "do I need a reason to call my daughter" her mum replied "I am driving and I can''t use my Ear Pods so I didn''t want the call to take long, sorry" "it''s alright I just wanted to ask how the consultation with the psychologist went" her mother said, her voice showed that she was worried about her, she didn''t want to tell her mother what the psychologist said in case she starts getting worried over nothing. "mum, the psychologist said that the hallucinations are because I am getting too concerned over the dream, he said that once I get enough rest, I won''t be having those dreams again so don''t worry about me" she said "that good then, are you coming home tonight" "I am not sure yet but I think I will if nothing unexpected arises" "okay then, your eldest brother children are coming over today so I thought you might want to see them tonight" "that''s great then, I have missed them so much I will definitely be coming back today" "bye mum, I can''t use my phone for long while driving" "okay then, bye" her mother said and ended the call. After the call ended, she started thinking about her asking Chen Kai to tell his Parents about their relationship, she felt that she would not be able to take it if they had to separate because of his parents disapproval and she was not ready yet, she didn''t want to bother Chen Kai because when he comes back he would have to take over some of his parents businesses but if he tells his parents now and he goes against them they might not accept it which will cause him trouble, so she decided not to bother telling him about it again. As she drove into a street, she noticed that a group of people were being beaten up by two guys and they were bleeding, she wanted to drive past them but she just couldn''t ignore it when weak people are being bullied so she came out of the car and walked into the alleyway where the fight was going on. As she got closer to the scene, she noticed that one of them looked familiar, he had a medium length ponytail and he looked tall just like Han Chen. She wasn''t sure if the person was Han Chen so she entered the alleyway, by the time she got there about fifteen teenage boys were already lying on the floor and groaning in pain, there was also a guy there who looked like he was sixteen years old but he didn''t seem fit and he was seriously injured from being beaten. "Hey what is going on here" She shouted at the two guys The both of them turned to look at who it was, Yu Yan was shocked to see that Han Chen was really one of the guys who had just beaten up all the men lying on the ground. "Yu Yan what are you doing here" Han Chen asked with a surprised look on his face. "Do you know her" the other guy asked, he looked like about the same height as Han Chen and he had an average look too. Yu Yan scanned the guys lying on the floor with shock and disgust written on her face, she didn''t realize that Han Chen was the type of person who would bully others for no reason, she wanted to believe that the men had sought trouble from him first but he and his partner weren''t injured at all. "yeah I know her, she is a friend of my sister" Han Chen replied "ooh, hi my name is Roy" the other guy said as he extended his hand to shake her She gave him a disgusted look and ignored him while facing Han Chen, "did you just abuse your strength to bully these men" she asked. "you are misunderstanding the situation here, this men are the bad guys all we did was to save the little guy here from them" Roy replied while Han Chen gave her a nod, he had already realized that she had misread the situation given the look she had on her face. She scoffed and fixed her eyes on Han chen, "are you kidding me, you are saying that these men ganged up to beat this little guy lying on the floor and you just saved him, if you did then why aren''t you injured at all" "I can''t say much for now, since you are a doctor you need to examine that boy, he seems seriously injured" Han Chen said and moved over to where the teenage boy was lying, his body seemed seriously bruised and he had already passed out. "are you pretending to be innocent now that the boy can''t say anything" She said, she pushed him away from the boy and examined him. She moved her fingers close to his nose to check if he was still breathing, she checked for any wound that might have led to the boy passing out but she didn''t find any, she pulled his cloth up and examined his stomach. She noticed that the side of his stomach was already swollen. "this is bad, we need to get him to the hospital quickly, call an ambulance for this men first and I will take the boy to the nearest hospital" she carried the boy on er back and then carried him into the car, she laid him on the back seat and entered into the driver seat. She was about to drive when she heard the door to the passenger seat opening, she turned back and she saw Han Chen sitting with the boy''s head on his laps. "what are you doing right now" she asked with a very unfriendly look on her face. "I am going with you and we can''t leave his head on the chair what if her falls off the seat" He said and smiled at her. "I guess that is the least you can do now that you have done the deed" She said, she switched on the engine with a button and then drove back to the hospital she had just left. Han chen carried the boy on his back and then rushed him into the emergency room but it was crowded so he just dropped him on the only bed that was left empty. "what happened, I just left the hospital some minutes ago and it wasn''t this full" she said, she grabbed the wrist of a nurse and asked her why the ER was full, the nurse told her that a bus collided with a truck so the victims were rushed into the hospital. "Can you please send a doctor to attend to this guy, he needs immediate treatment" she said "all the doctors are busy right now but I will try to get someone as soon as possible" the nurse said and ran off. As she waited for the nurse to return with a doctor, Yu Yan connected the boy to a drip and then adjusted him on the bed. "isn''t that the beautiful lady that just left here minutes ago" the female receptionist that Yu Yan asked for direction said as she pointed at her. "yeah she is the one, what is she doing here again" the other receptionist asked. "she just brought an unconscious boy in but is that her boyfriend, he is very handsome" "I think so, they are just the perfect match" the other person replied Yu Yan continued pacing up and down the emergency room while Han Chen left the emergency room to look for any doctor that can treat the injured boy. She saw him returning and then rushed to meet him. "did you find any doctor why are you coming back alone" Yu Yan asked looking impatient. "I didn''t find any, they are all busy, aren''t you a doctor just treat him yourself" Han Chen said. "I am not working in this hospital; it is wrong for me to treat him here" Yu Yan replied. "so are you going to just watch until he dies, his situation is critical" Han Chen said. After being persuaded by him, she decided to treat the boy herself. She turned to examine the boy but she realized that he had already regained consciousness. "hey can you hear me" she asked she bent to examine the boy, after he responded with a nod, she applied pressure in the left side of his left upper abdomen. The boy immediately screamed, his scream attracted the attention of those in the emergency ward they realized that she was treating the boy and she isn''t a doctor in the hospital. One of the nurses in the reception walked over to her and tried to stop her from administering treatment to the but she was held back by Han Chen. "Ma''am you can''t treat this patient here., you have to wait for a doctor to attend to him" the nurse said, without diverging her attention from the boy, Yu Yan said "I am a general surgeon in Beijing hospital so you have nothing to worry about". Th nurse wanted to stop her again but she saw a doctor coming and she quickly rushed to inform him of what was happening. The doctor walked up to Yu Yan and realized that it was the lady he had just finished consulting some minutes ago. "Are you a doctor" Han Chen asked the doctor. "No, I am a psychologist and the woman treating this patient is my patient" he replied. After hearing the man calling her his patient, she turned to look at who it was and realized that it was the psychologist that she just met. "I am busy, Han Chen please make sure they don''t distract me" she said and continued examining the boy. The psychologist was surprised at how she had just ignored him without saying a word, he just stood and watched her while the other staffs who weren''t treating any patients came close to watch what was happening. "He has a ruptured spleen and he needs immediate surgery" Yu Yan said, "How did you know that, you didn''t even conduct an ultrasound on him" the nurse said. "I just know, right now he has low blood pressure and low heart rate, he needs immediate surgery, is there any operating room available for immediate use" she said. They all stared at her in shock, how could she even think of performing an operation here. "you can''t perform an operation here; will you take the responsibility if there are any complication and there is no operating room available" the nurse said. "If I don''t perform this operation now, he will die, I need to perform it here" Yu Yan said to Han Chen. He looked around the ward and he found a tray of surgical equipment, he pulled the tray over the bed and asked her if all she needed to perform the surgery. "yes, that is everything I need" she replied with a smile "ma''am you are not going to perform the surgery here, are you?" one of the nurses asked. She ignored the nurse and then laid the boy in a supine position; she covered his body with a surgical cloth and then injected him with a general anesthesia. "scalpel" she asked with her hands stretched forward. She realized that Han Chen didn''t know anything about surgical instrument but just as she was about to pick it herself, he handed it to her. She looked at him in surprise. "just tell me what you need I will give it to you" he said, she didn''t have time to ask him how he knew what she was asking for so she just continued. Chapter 36 - The Emergency 2 She wore a pair of surgical gloves and made an incision in the lower left side of his abdomen, everyone were shocked that she was really going to do the surgery but they couldn''t stop her now , some of them who couldn''t bear to watch just turned their faces away while the others watched as she made the cut. "retractor" she said as she stretched her hands towards Han Chen, he handed her the retractor then she used it to hold the two sides of the cut in order to see the area she was operating on clearly.?? "Gauze" she said, he handed the gauze to her then she used it to apply pressure on the spleen in order to absorb the blood coming out and to stop the bleeding from the spleen, she dropped the soaked gauze on the tray and then collected another gauze from him, he nurses and the doctors who had now arrived at the scene were surprised at her preciseness and speed. "dissecting scissors" she said, Han Chen handed the scissors to her, she collected the scissors and then use it to disconnect the spleen from the organs it is connected to. He handed the tray to her even before she asked then she placed the removed spleen on the tray. "she is so fast and skilled, the time she took in removing the spleen is one third of the normal time required" one of the doctors said to another doctor standing beside him. "she is really skilled and fast" the other doctor said. After removing the spleen, she stretched her hand to collect the surgical suture form Han Chen and stitched up the wounds. Han Chen took in a deep breath after she finished stitching up the wounds, she removed the surgical gloves and dumped them into the trash can close to the bed. She turned back to see if there was any doctor that could take care of anything that is left to do "you can finish the rest" she said and walked out of the emergency room with Han Chen following behind her. Everyone who has stayed to watch the entire process were surprised at the speed she used in performing the surgery. "she used just one hour and thirty minutes" one of the nurses said. ----------------------- Yu Yan went into a hallway in the hospital, she inserted a coin into the machine and then removed one drink, she gulped down the drink and then turned to face Han Chen. Before she could say anything to him, they heard a someone shouting in the hallway. "Boss, Boss" a guy of average height called as he ran towards Han Chen. She looked at him with a quizzical look, as she wondered why the guy was calling Han Chen boss, she began to imagine what kind of person Han Chen really is and she remembered that he never mentioned what his profession was. "Boss I have been looking for you all over the hospital" the guy said as he tried to catch his breath. "Shi Fen why are you here what of Roy" Han Chen asked "He called me to meet you in this hospital while he waited for the ambulance to arrive" he replied, Han Chen noticed that Yu Yan was giving him a suspicious look and Shi Fen was also wondering who she was. "ooh this is my colleague" he said to Yu Yan "Boss who is this" Shi Fen asked "she is a friend of my sister" Han Chen replied "it seems like they all know Jia Yu since you are introducing me as her friend, by the way why is your colleague calling you boss" Yu Yan asked. "He is my senior in the..." Shi fen was about to complete his statement but he was interrupted by Han Chen, "he is just used to calling me boss" he said with an awkward smile on his face. "By the way you have never told me what your profession is and how do you know what the surgical instruments are" Yu Yan asked. "well¡­. I¡­. I¡­. I am a surgeon too" Han Chen said, he noticed that Shi Fen was about to say something so he winked at him to shut him up. "if you are a surgeon then why didn''t you operate on him yourself" she asked. "well¡­I¡­ I¡­ I am receiving my license next week so I can''t perform surgeries now" he said "I am tired of asking you these questions, what I want to know now is what actually happened to that boy because I don''t believe what you say" "if you don''t believe me then why don''t we go to the station" Han Chen said with a confident look on his face and a smile slowly etching on his lips, Shi Fen quickly pulled Han Chen to a corner and said "Boss, if we get involved in civilian problems, it might bring trouble for us" Shi Fen whispered. "don''t worry, she doesn''t know that I am a soldier and the police won''t find out" Han Chen said and they both walked back to where Yu Yan is standing. "I thought you were confident a while ago or do you suddenly have something you need to hide" Yu Yan said "of course not, I am innocent so I don''t have anything to hide" Han Chen replied then they left the hospital. -------------------------- They arrived at the police station and they walked up to one of the police officers, "excuse me" Yu Yan said. "what do you need" the police officer asked as he lifted his head to see who was talking to him, he was pleased to see a beautiful young lady standing in front of him, he quickly offered her a seat in front of him and ignored the other two standing, Han Chen realized that the officer was Focusing his attention on Yu Yan so he just took his seat without the officer telling him to seat. "I want to file a report" Yu Yan said "who do you want to report" the officer asked her "this guy here and his partner joined hands to bully some teenage boys in an alleyway but he claims that he wasn''t the one who beat them up" She said as she looked at Han Chen with annoyance. "do you mean the two of them" the police officer asked as he pointed at Han Chen and Shi Fen, Shi Fen quickly nodded his head to deny that he wasn''t Han Chen partner, Yu Yan then explained to the officer that his partner wasn''t here with them. "call your partner to come here now" the police officer said to Han Chen. "Call Roy and tell him to come to the station, send him the address too" Han said to Shi Fen who immediately did as he had said. "why did you beat them up" the police officer asked Han Chen, he was dumbfounded at the police officer''s conduct, he knew that the police officer was mesmerized by her beauty but not to the extent of not even asking his own side of the story. Han Chen scoffed and said "are you not supposed to ask me for my own version of the story before you directly accuse me", the police officer realized that Han Chen was right so he cleared his throat to avoid the question. "all I and my partner did was to save the boy who had already been beaten to pulp from the bullies" Han Chen said "how many of them were present" the police officer asked "there were fifteen boys and they all joined hands to beat up the boy" "does that even make sense, you are saying that you didn''t bully them then why are you not even injured" Yu Yan asked Han Chen, before he could answer, Roy had already arrived at the station. "how did you get here so quickly" Han Chen asked him "I was already close to the station" Roy said, he turned to look at Yu Yan and sighed. "why do you keep accusing us of bullying those boys, all we did was to save the young boy" Roy said to Yu Yan. "do you have any witness that can prove your statement" the police officer asked Roy "why do I need evidence, we are sol¡­." Roy said but he was stopped by Han Chen who pulled him over to a corner and said "hey, if they find out that we are soldiers, it could land us into trouble", then they returned to the police officer. "you can just check the CCTV in the alleyway if you don''t believe us" Han Chen as he sat on the chair. The police officer then searched for the CCTV in the alleyway and then played the video. After the video, h e told Yu Yan that they were right but she wasn''t convinced so she told him to show her the video, as she watched the video, she was amazed at how fast he and Roy beat up the boys, his fighting skills are even better than hers, she looked at him with surprise written on her face. "how are you so good at fighting, you seem like a professional and you told me to teach you the other day" she said as she fixed her eyes on his face. "I didn''t say I wasn''t good at fighting, I just wanted to learn karate" Han chen said, then they left the police station after she confirmed that she was wrong about them bullying the boys. She was about to enter her car when Roy stopped her, "don''t you think we deserve an apology since you accused us wrongly". "ooh, I forgot about that, I am sorry" she said as she bowed her head slightly and entered into her car, after she drove off Roy went back to meet Han Chen who had already entered into the car Roy drove to the station. He entered into the driver seat and then looked at Han chen from the mirror, he was surprised that Han Chen wasn''t saying anything even though he noticed that he was looking at him. "are you not going to explain what that was about" Roy said "I just knew that there is no way he both of you would be able to contain your curiosity, we met in my sister villa and we went to a karate club with my sister and her friends so I told her to teach ,e some skills" he said "that is the point, why would you tell her to teach you when you are supposed to be teaching her" Roy said, "cant you tell, he has feelings for her, I can sense it through the way he looks at her" Shi Fen said. "are you not planning on moving this car, or do you want to continue asking these questions" Han chen asked, then Roy started the car engine and then drove off. Chapter 37 - Punishment "Roy you still haven''t told me the reason you are back from the barracks this early" Han Chen said as he cast a suspicious look at Roy, Roy rolled his eyes and replied, "I just knew you would find out early". "the major general ordered you to bring me back right," Han Chen said, Shi Fen who was hoping that Han Chen wouldn''t find out why he also came back from the barracks knew that he had already been busted clasped his hands together and turned to face Han Chen "Boss actually the major general sent us to bring you back but we are no match for you and we cannot betray you so we decided to persuade you to come back amicably".?? "He is right, if you don''t go back now, he will think that you are going against him on purpose then he will send you a mortal enemy if we don''t succeed in bringing you back," Roy said and pulled the car over to the side of the highway. "I was going to return today but that incident happened, I just don''t get why that old man is always so paranoid, he always thinks I am trying to go against him," Han Chen said, he removed the band he used to band his hair and then ruffled his hair. "Boss have you ever tried letting your hair down and ruffling it in front of a girl," Shi Fen asked, "No, why did you ask," Han Chen asked and bonded his hair back. "I don''t think any girl will be able to resist you if you do, although your hair is just reaching your neck when you let it down it is enough to seduce any girl," Shi Fen said and smiled. Roy laughed at Shi Fen''s statement while Han Chen gave him an annoyed look. "I don''t understand what is so funny about what Shi Fen just said but you need to stop laughing because every time you laugh, I get annoyed" "I mean you don''t even understand the message in that statement, he is telling you to let down your hair and ruffle it in front of that feisty girl we met in the alleyway," Roy said while trying to stop himself from laughing. Han Chen turned to Shi Fen and then glared at him but Shi Fen quickly turned his face away. "Now back to business, that old man is not going to let you go even after you disobeyed his military orders, so are you going or not," Roy asked. "do I seem like I have a choice, I defied his orders to come to the barracks because I wanted to spend time with that little sister of mine so it is worth it now let''s go met the old man," Han Chen said, "Boss you have to be careful, he won''t let you go scot-free since he has been waiting for an opportunity for you to mess up," Shi Fen said with anxiety written on his face. "This is not the first time, it has just been a long time since we clashed, just make sure you don''t say anything on my behalf or he will be happy to drag the both of you into this, he sent you both so that if I didn''t come then the both of you will join me in my punishment," Han Chen said, Roy started the car engine and drove into the barracks. ---------------------------------------- Roy parked the car in the barracks after the car was checked by the soldiers guarding the entrance of the barracks, they came out of the car and then headed to the major general office, Han Chen knocked the door and when they heard the major general telling them to enter he entered the office with the others. They stood in front of the major general desk and then saluted the major general before they could start any conversation another person came through the door and saluted the major general, he also had a tall build just like Han Chen but his appearance still looked inferior compared to Han Chen. "Major, the preparations are already complete," Chang Wei said to the major. They were not at all surprised to see their mortal enemy who always sees them as a rival. "I really did not expect to see you here captain Han," Chang Wei said in a very obvious sarcastic manner, Shi Fen and Roy frowned as soon as he entered but Han Chen just smiled at him hypocritically, "is that so because I don''t feel surprised seeing you here so why should you feel surprised seeing a captain in the barracks," Han Chen said. "Han Chen, what day did I ask you to report to the barracks" the major asked with a very stern look on his face as he stared right into Han Chen''s face. "I was supposed to report to the barracks two days ago Major," Han Chen said while standing at attention. Chang Wei smiled as soon as the major began questioning Han Chen since this was the moment he had been waiting for also. Chang Wei has always been an enemy to Han Chen since they entered the military because Han Chen had always done better than him in training and on every mission they are sent on but since Han Chen got promoted to the rank of a captain the major general has always been partial to him and he favoured Chang Wei who is still a first lieutenant, Han Chen had ways been best friends with Roy since he entered the military but Shi Fen was just an ordinary soldier who is very close to Han Chen and Roy. Han Chen had just returned from an operation to rescue two important British figures form some terrorist and after completing the mission he sent the soldiers to the barracks alone instead of going with them and reporting to the Major general. "And do you have any good reason for disobeying my orders," the major general asked "No sir, I just attended to my personal issues" Han Chen replied. "Sir Han Chen didn''t obey your orders because he had to take someone to the hospital and wait until the person gets better that was why he wasn''t able to report back to you," Roy said to the Major, Han Chen looked at Roy with a look that says I-told-you-not-to-do-that but Roy didn''t give him any reaction, they had been friends for years and they had always defended each other so he knew that if he was the one in that same situation Han Chen would surely speak up for him. The Major general stood up from his seat and then he stood in front of the four of them while looking into Roy''s eyes. "that is just an excuse, this is the military, there is no excuse for going against the order of your superior" Chang Wei said, Roy was about to argue with Chang Wei statement when the Major general brought his knee to the ground with a kick. "I didn''t ask you to say anything so why did you speak," the major general said with his eyes looking down on Roy who was trying to endure the pain he felt in his knee. "Sir I am the one who disobeyed you please punish me alone, Roy had nothing to do with it, he brought me back when you asked him to" Han Chen shouted. "Of course, you are going to get your punishment, the only thing that differentiates the military from a mob is the discipline the military has," the major general said with his eyes still fixed on Roy. Han Chen tried to suppress his anger because he knew that any further confrontation with the major general will only cause serious problems for him and his friends. "Chang Wei, take him to the punishment room; I will be there shortly," the major general said and he returned to his seat while Chang Wei left the office with the others following behind him. They arrived at the punishment room but this is not the first time Han Chen has entered the punishment room so of course they are not surprised by how brutal the room looks like. Chang Wei and two other soldiers tie his hands to the room rod hanging on the ceiling while Shi Fen and Roy could only watch from the sidelines, they knew what was about to happen but they could only wish that the major general would t ask Chang Wei to be the one to carry out the punishment on Han Chen. The major general enters into the punishment room with few other soldiers following closely behind him, the major general sat on the seat in the punishment room which is Slightly large fit enough to serve as a parlour. "Your punishment is to receive thirty lashes," the major general said with an evil smile forming on his lips, Shi Fen and Roy panicked when they heard what his punishment was going to be but they knew that getting involved would only make things worse. Changers rolled the whip on his hands and then moved closer to Han Chen. "I really love this moment; I wish I could record it and watch it over and over again but I can''t," Chang Wei said. He raised the whip very high and then brought it down on Han Chen who didn''t react to the pains the whip gave him, all he did was maintain a straight face that didn''t show the emotion he felt at that moment, Change Wei continued to whip Han Chen until the twentieth lash, he was outraged by the fact that Han Chen didn''t even wince even he was being whipped, he hated Han Chen arrogance and now he was even more outraged by his indifference. The general who also disliked Han Chen for always being indifferent to him was also annoyed by his attitude, he wished that he would see Han Chen beg him but now that it wasn''t happening even his expression showed that he was pissed. He couldn''t increase the punishment because that would make him seem like he was involving personal feeling in military affairs. Chang Wei gave Han Chen the last ten lashes with all his strength but Han Chen still didn''t flinch and his friends were of course not surprised by that, the major general ordered them to untie him and he left the room with Chang Wei and the soldiers who had come in with him. After they left, Shi Fen and Roy rushed towards Han Chen to support him but he said he as fine to walk on his own, then they went back into the major general''s office. He saluted once again after entering the office and then gave his report to the major general. The major general tried his best to find something to nit-pick about the operation but as always whenever Han Chen was in charge of an operation there is never any mistake even if there is it is never going to be noticeable. Chang Wei was also disappointed by the perfection of the operation Han Chen carried out. The major general dismissed them and they left the office, they went back to where they had parked the car and they drove out of the barracks. "that damned man, how could he ask that asshole to whip you thirty times, you know sometimes I feel like that punishment room was built for you and your followers," Roy said. "I don''t blame him, Chang Wei is his son so of course, he is just helping his son vent his anger instead of making his son grow up," Han Chen said, he suddenly felt a surging pain on his back and shoulder, he groaned silently but the others knew that the places he was whipped were starting to feel painful. "you barely held the pain in inside the punishment room so it is now affecting you," Roy said as he glanced at the mirror in order to check if Han Chen was fine, "Boss do you need to go to the hospital," Shi Fen said. "No, just take me to my house Roy and Shi Fen you need to go to my sister villa and get my bag from my room in the villa, just ask for the private room," Han Chen said. "Ok boss but what are you going to do about the wound left by the whip," Shi Fen asked with concern written on his face. Chapter 38 - Treat Me At My House! Shi Fen had a childlike heart whenever Han Chen and Roy gets hurt and they always laughed at him for that but because they promised not to laugh at him anymore, they are not mocking him now. "Don''t worry, I know someone who can treat me at home," Han Chen said and smiled, Roy who had been stealing glances at the mirror in order to check on Han Chen and Shi Fen looked at him suspiciously when he smiled since that was not something he should be doing when he is hurt and now he is smiling as soon as he mentions someone who is going to treat him. "Okay, that smile was suspicious I don''t think that is something you can afford to smile for right now, so who is this person that is coming to treat you, because there is no one you know that we don''t know," Roy said, Shi Fen smiles as he realizes who Han Chen might be talking bout while Han Chen ignores Roy''s question. "ooh, I think I know who he is talking about, is it that feisty lady that accused both of you of bullying those rascals?" Shi Fen asked, Han Chen widens his eyes and then turns away to avoid Roy''s glare. "since you are avoiding my eyes then is suppose what Shi Fen said is true," Roy said "yes, and this doesn''t mean anything ok she is a doctor so I thought since I know doctor there won''t be any need for me to go to the hospital," Han Chen said and gave them an awkward smile. "you are a surgeon so instead of letting that girl treat you, tell me what to do and I will treat you," Roy said. "that doesn''t sound good, I think you should just let him call the girl to treat him since he is so much in love with her," Shi Fen said, "I didn''t say anything about being in love with her" Han Chen snapped back, his reaction made them confirm that he is truly in love with the feisty girl. "wait a minute, I am definitely sure that I have seen that girls picture somewhere even before we met her," Roy said, Han Chen, looked towards the window as soon as Roy said that and they both knew that it had something to do with Han Chen because he always turns his face from attention whenever he doesn''t want someone to know something he is hiding. "I remember now, she is that girl in your phone but she is wearing a school uniform, boss didn''t you say you just met he recently," Shi Fen said, Han Chen had no choice but to turn back now that they had found out what he had been trying to hide, he was hoping that that wouldn''t find out that she was the girl in is his phone. Roy gasped and said, "she is that girl you have always been looking at on your phone that means you have been having a secret crush on her for years now without even telling her and she didn''t even know you until now". "well yes, but I don''t have a secret crush on her, I just somehow got the picture on my phone," Han Chen said. "then why didn''t you delete it for so long, so many girls have had a crush on you we even used you for honey traps so many times on a mission but you have a crush on a girl for so long and you can''t even tell her" Roy said, the tone of his voice showed that he was disappointed and at the same time shocked at Han Chen cowardice when it comes to love. "Boss, you are pitiful" Shi Fen said "the both of you should stop this, you sound like I just failed a high school exam" Han Chen said, then they arrived at Han Chen''s house. "the both of you don''t need to come in, I need to get some rest and you Shi Fen bring the bag here tomorrow," Han said, he was about to open the car door when he remembered something. "Shi Fen can you please not stammer when you see my sister again, I know you have a crush on her but she is already taken" Han Chen said. "I don''t¡­. but wai¡­wait, what do you mean by she is taken boss" Shi Fen said. "that means she already has a boyfriend and apparently they have been dating for two years now so get yourself a new crush" Han Chen said and then got off the car. "don''t be too heartbroken" Roy said to Shi Fen and then drove away. Han Chen enters his house and then slumps on the luxurious leather chair in the parlor then suddenly dust from the chair filled the parlor. "oh my gosh, I forgot to ask my sister to send someone to clean my house," Han Chen said while coughing then he tapped his forehead in annoyance. He reached his hands into his pocket and called Yu Yan. "who is this" Yu Yan asked on the phone "This is Han Chen," He answered "Sorry...wait, what! how did you get my number?" Yu Yan asked in a tone that made it obvious that she wasn''t pleased to speak to Han Chen. "it is very obvious that my voice seems unpleasant to you" Han Chen said to avoid the question since he got her number through his own investigation. "Sorry if it sounds like that but right now everyone''s voice seems unpleasant to me" "I have a little problem which requires medical attention but I am unable to get to the hospital so I need you to treat me at my house," Han Chen said and groaned in order to make Yu Yan convinced that he is seriously hurt. "Why are you groaning, what happened to you and why do I need to come to your house" Yu Yan asked "too many why''s at the same time, it is not convenient to go to an hospital, so please come. I have a medical box here so whatever you need is here" Han Chen said and groaned again. "Alright, text me your address" Yu Yan said and then ended the call. Han Chen tried to stand up to clean the house so as to impress Yu Yan but the pain made him unable to stand up. He was happy that he is going to be alone with her but he wasn''t expecting anything since she already had a boyfriend and from the way Jia Yu spoke about her boyfriend, Yu Yan seemed to be very much in love with him. Chapter 39 - Treat Me In My House 2 He heard a knock on the door and then his face shone in excitement, he hurriedly stood up from the chair despite the pain he was feeling and then he rushed toward the door, he quickly opened the door and said "Yu Yan you are here", but his smile faded slowly as he looked at the person standing in front of the door with disappointment written on his face. "I am here to deliver your pizza" the deliveryman said as he stood in front of the door, from Han Chen''s look he knew that he must have been disappointed when he saw him after he opened the door, he handed the pizza over to Han Chen and then left the house. "I didn''t order pizza so why did he have a delivery for me, it must the work of one of those two" Han Chen said as he slumped back on the chair, he dumped the pizza on the luxurious table in the middle of the parlour. He would have appreciated their effort to order pizza for him since he was hungry but right then all he could think of is Yu Yan. His phone suddenly started ringing and then he answered the call, "who is this" Han Chen asked with a weak voice "This is Roy, you have never picked anyone''s call without checking who is calling, is anything wrong," Roy asked in an anxious tone, Han Chen sighed and then replied, "I am alright, why did you call". "I just wanted to ask you if you have received the pizza I ordered for you," Roy said, Han Chen smiled and replied "if someone heard you right now they will think that you are my girlfriend or my mother, I have received it, thanks," Han Chen said. "alright, has that feisty girl arrived at your house yet" "she is feisty but she has a name Yu Yan, she is yet to arrive but she told me she is coming," Han Chen said and then he let out a slight groan as he applied pressure to his shoulder, Roy panicked over the phone and asked with his concern evident in his voice, "is the pain getting worse". "No, I just applied pressure on my shoulder" "Han Chen, we have been best buddies for many years now and I know everything about you, you are denying the fact that you have loved that girl since she was in high school but I know that you are lying, if you really like her then you should go for it," Roy said. Han Chen licked his lips and then sighed, "I knew that there is no way I could lie to you, I knew that she was my sister''s friend so I planned to meet her after I complete my military training but because of my hand surgery I couldn''t and after I had recovered my sister had already gone abroad so there was no way I could find her" Han Chen said. "now that you have seen her again, what is stopping you from telling her how you feel about her," Roy said, he knew that Han Chen was someone who has always been daring and bold in every situation but now he was acting like a coward when it comes to the girl he loves. "I don''t think we can be together anymore, she already has a boyfriend, even though he is abroad right now, she still loves him," Han Chen said in a dejected tone. "you have never ben the kind of person who gives up so until she gets married to him, you shouldn''t give up, if you have spent more than five years loving one girl then you should stick to her," Roy said. When Han Chen hurt his hand during the military training and he couldn''t become a military surgeon anymore, he still wouldn''t give up on becoming a soldier then he decided to operate on his hand without informing his family even though the risl of losing his hand function during the operation was very high but he still survived. He still maintained his dream of becoming a military surgeon and that was why he waited for many years to be examined again and then be given his license. "If she will be happy with him, then I am willing to let her go but if he hurts her then I will take that chance to be with her" Han Chen replied. "If you think so then it is alright but don''t make yourself regret not going after her in the future," Roy said and then he ended the call. He laid his head on the headrest, the image of the first time he met Yu Yan flashed in his mind, her long hair scattered on her face was so artistic that he couldn''t take his eyes off her. He remembered how beautiful she looked that day in her school uniform, she had her earpiece in her ears and then she stood up from the waiting chair in the bus station but she was pushed away by a pickpocket who was trying to run, she turned around agilely to prevent herself from falling and just then Han Chen bus just passed by the station, he stared as her as the bus passed by but that moment was something that he could never forget. Just as the image flashed away from his head, he heard a knock on the door, the excitement took over him again, his face became full of smiles, he hurried towards the door and he didn''t even bother to check the monitor to check who it was, he just opened the door and once again he was disappointed to see that it was someone else at the door. "I am here to deliver this letter to Mr Han Chen," the young guy standing in front of the door said, even though he smiled at Han Chen he was surprised that Han Chen didn''t bother to reciprocate the smile but instead he looked at him with an unpleasant expression, he quickly handed the letter to Han Chen and then left hurriedly. He shut the door and then he went back into the parlour but just as he was about to sit, he heard another knock on the door, this time he decided to not hope for anything, he walked back to the door and then checked the monitor to see who was at the door. He saw Yu Yan standing outside looking impatient, he was so ecstatic to see her but he decided not to show it, he opened the door and then she entered into the house. He shut behind her and then followed behind her as she walked into the parlor. "I am so glad that you are here" Han Chen said, she sat down on the broad leather chair in the parlour and then dropped her bag on the chair while he sat beside her. "why would you be happy that I am here?" Yu Yan said and then looked at him suspiciously. "of course I am, I have been feeling pain for quite some time now and I could barely gather my strength to open the door for you," Han Chen said, he held the both ends of his shirt and then pulled it up but she suddenly screamed then he stopped. "Why are you shouting" Han Chen asked with his brows raised unequally. "Why are you pulling of your cloth when you are sitting right beside me" Yu Yan queried. "How are you going to treat my wound then if I don''t remove my cloth?" Han Chen questioned with a teasing smile on his lips, he pulled off his cloth and then turned his back to face her, she gasped at the wound at his back. "How did you get this injured" Yu Yan asked, she looked as if she was about to cry. Han Chen could feel the pity she felt for him from her voice. "you don''t have to pity me, I just had a small accident don''t bother about it just help me treat it please" Han Chen said, a little smile formed on his lips when he realized that she was worried about him. "where is your medical box" Yu Yan asked "check the first cupboard in the kitchen," Han Chen said with his hand pointing towards the direction of the kitchen, she walked into the kitchen and got the medical box. She returned to the seat and then applied methylated spirit on the wounds caused by the whips to prevent it from bleeding and then she applied iodine on it and did some other procedures after she completed the treatment for him, she bandaged the wound. Han Chen wore his shirt and then turned to face her. "Thanks," He said smiling "you are welcome but I don''t think an accident would have caused such injuries," Yu Yan said doubtfully. "It really was just an accident but are you worried about me right now?" Han Chen said and then gave her a mischievous smile, she looked at him awkwardly as she blinked her eyes and then replied "what reason do I have to be worried about you, I don''t think we are that close to being worried about each other", he looked into her eyes to see if she really meant what she said but just then the both of them heard a rumbling sound. "Is that coming from your stomach?" Han Chen said with one of his eyebrows raised. "I think it''s coming from your stomach, not mine" Yu Yan snapped back "It seems like our stomach''s rumbled at the same time" Han Chen said. "I know I am being shameless but I didn''t eat before coming here so do you have anything that I can eat right now" Yu Yan said as she rubbed her stomach, Han Chen smiled as he watched her rubbing her stomach. "Since we are both hungry and this pizza is the only food I have in my house right now, I will share," Han Chen responded as he pulled the pizza closer to them on the table. Yu Yan nodded in agreement, then they dug into it. "But why does your house look so deserted and dusty" Yu Yan said as she looked around the house, she admired the beauty of the well decorated parlor. The house is a mansion but because of the dust, the glamour of the house had already been covered, she felt that it was abnormal for anyone to be living in a house his large alone. "I live alone in this mansion but I am hardly at home so the house became this when I got home, I wanted to clean when I got home but the pain didn''t let me do so" Han Chen said. "where is your cleaning equipment," Yu Yan said and she stood up to look around "Are you planning on cleaning the whole house alone?" Han Chen said with his wide widened in astonishment. "Of course not, does your mansion seem like a place only one person can clean, I will just do what I can, I can stand anything but I can''t stand it when I see a place dusty, it freaks me out," Yu Yan said, she walked into the kitchen and then she found a hoover and some other cleaning tools, Han Chen watched her in surprise, he didn''t know that she would actually want to clean his mansion which is something that he himself can''t do and he wouldn''t try to do. She brought them out of the kitchen and then she cleaned the part of the mansion on the floor she was in including the bedrooms when she entered into one of the bedrooms, she saw a portrait hanging on the wall. She brought it down from the wall and looked closely at it. "The person in the middle is Han Chen, then this must be his brother and his parents," Yu Yan said, she hanged the portrait back carefully but she felt like there was something amiss, the house seemed like a mansion meant for a family and not just one person but why does the house feel cold without any warmth, she felt like asking him but she didn''t want to invade his privacy so she doesn''t dig out anything sad and pitiful. After cleaning the house, she returned to the parlor and looked around but she couldn''t find Han Chen, she went closer to the sofa they had been sitting on and then she found him lying on the chair asleep. She bent down beside him and stared at his face, she felt like she had seen his face before but she just couldn''t remember where he had seen him and he didn''t seem like he knew her before they recently met either. She noticed that he was about to wake up then she quickly moved away from him. Chapter 40 - Treat Me In My House 3 He opened his eyes and then found her standing in front of him, he quickly stood up and smiled at her, "thanks for helping me clean," he said. "you are welcome, I am leaving now we are already in the evening" Yu Yan replied, she grabbed her bag and then walked towards the door, as she was about to open the door, she felt like someone was holding her hand. She looked at her hand and realized that Han Chen was holding her hand, the feeling she felt in her heart as he held her hand was confusing, she felt like she was drawn to him then she looked into his eyes and the feeling she felt became more confusing. She knew that there was something wrong with how she was feeling but now that she is looking into his eyes, the look she saw in his eyes made her feel strange. The look in his eyes showed longing but she wished it wasn''t what she was thinking because she didn''t want to get more confused. "don''t go" He said in a soft voice, she looked at him more intensely not knowing what to say. "why¡­why¡­shouldn''t I leave?" she said, he saw the expression on her face and then he felt like it just wasn''t the right time for him to say everything he wanted to say to her and all what he had been keeping in his heart for years. He changed his expression at that moment so that she wouldn''t find out what he wanted to say. "let''s go for grocery shopping together" he said to her with a smile on his face. She knew that the expression and the look he had in his eyes had already changed, it seemed like he was holding something in his heart but he didn''t want to say it. They are not even that close so there is no way he has feelings that he shouldn''t have for her, she decided that she was probably overthinking. "can''t you do you own grocery shopping" she said "not really, so are you going with me" he said, he wished that she would agree but from her like she didn''t look like she would agree. "alright, let''s go" She said, he removed his hand from hers and then smiled, he wasn''t expecting her to agree. She left the house while he rushed back to the parlor to get his wallet. They entered into her car and drove to the grocery store, they entered the store and then they picked a trolley. Yu Yan wanted to be the one to push the trolley so he let her have her way, he watched her walk in front of him and he just smiled, he couldn''t imagine that the both of them would be shopping together that day, he felt like that was the happiest moment he had for a long time. Ever since he met her, he smiled a lot and that was something he hardly did before he met her. "what do you need" She said, he quickly rushed to catch up with her. "well anything you choose is fine, I am not a picky person so anything is fine with me" Han Chen said. She put in some vegetables, and fruits into the trolley, she moved on the place where the drink are kept. "would you like me to add some beers to the grocery, I opened your fridge and it was empty" Yu Yan said, He gave her a nod in compliance then she put in lots of beers into the trolley, after getting some other stuffs for him they headed to the counter and he paid for it. They went out of the grocery store then she put in the groceries in her car boot, then they entered into the car. "I heard that most handsome men are good at buying groceries and cooking but you don''t seem like you are capable of doing things like that" Yu Yan said while driving. Han Chen smiled at what she had said, she just indirectly complimented him but she was acting like she wasn''t. "well, you can''t be too sure about that I might not look like it but I am capable of doing things that even you can''t imagine" Han Chen said, she rolled her eyes in disbelief and ignored him until they reached his house. After they entered the house, she went into the kitchen and arranged the groceries inside the fridge. "I don''t even understand why I am doing all this" She said. After arranging them, she returned to the parlor expecting to see Han Chen there but she couldn''t find him so she just lied down on the sofa to stretch her back, she felt like the sofa seemed very comfortable so she just decided to lie there until he comes out. Han Chen entered the bathroom and showered, after showering he put on his bathrobe which showed a large portion of his chest, he took a small towel and ruffled his hair as he came out of the bathroom. He entered into the kitchen where he was expecting to find Yu Yan but he didn''t find her there, he walked into the parlor and he found her already asleep on the sofa. He smiled as he watched her, he was surprised that she actually let her guard down with him, he stared intensely into her face, drawn by her. He looked at her lips, they still had the cherry color they had the first time they met. He felt the urge to lean close to her and kiss her but he didn''t, he moved closer to her but just as he was about to kneel beside her, she woke up so he moved back. "You seem tired" Han Chen said as she stood up from the sofa, she hadn''t noticed that he was wearing a bathrobe until she fully stood up. She was drawn aback as she stared at him, water was still dripping form his hair and his body was still wet. She widened her eyes at the sight of his bare chest. "why¡­why are you dressed like that" Yu Yan said, she couldn''t help but stutter and blink her eyes at the sight of him, Han Chen smiled at her reaction, he had never seen this side of her. He moved closer to her with a mischievous smile on his lips, she quickly turned away when he was a step away from her. "I never knew you can be this shy judging from our meeting at the alleyway today," Han Chen responded and then walked back into the room. Yu Yan felt like her heart was about to escape form her chest, she placed both of her hands on her chest to feel her heartbeat but she was surprised at how fast it was beating, the only person that had made her heart beat like that was Chen Kai but now her heart is beating this way for Han Chen. She became more confused at herself, she felt like she was being distracted by him and that is something that has never happened and she had only met him few days ago. "What is wrong with him?" Yu Yan questioned rhetorically as she sat back on the sofa, Han Chen came out of his bedroom after getting dressed and he went into the kitchen to take some beers from the fridge. He returned to the parlour with the beers in his hand and sat on the floor in front of the table. "why don''t you have a drink before you go," Han Chen said. She looked at him suspiciously and said "what are you trying to do, what kind of girl will drink in the house of a guy who isn''t even her boyfriend and a stranger at that,". now that is something the girl I know would say Han Chen smiled and said "if I do anything what do you think my sister will do to me, I am a gentleman so don''t worry", He handed her a can of beer while he opened his own and started drinking. She sat on the floor opposite him and started drinking too. "How did you become good at drinking," Han Chen asked after they drank few cans of beers and she is now drunk, then took a sip from his beer. "I don''t know, I feel like I have been drinking since high school but I don''t know when" Yu Yan said. "How is it possible that you don''t know when you started drinking, maybe you forgot," Han Chen said "I lost a part of my high school memories so I don''t know," Yu Yan said then she gulped down the remaining beer in the can and opened another one. Han Chen expression immediately changed when he heard of her plight, he has been wondering why she doesn''t remember him and now he has found his answer, Yu Yan drank a little from the beer and then looked up to look at his face but she noticed that the look he had on his face is the same as when he stopped her from leaving, she quickly looked away and then gulped down the remaining of her beer. "How did it happen, I mean how did you lose that fraction of memory?" Han Chen asked, he really wanted to know, not that he doesn''t have a guess but he doesn''t want his guess to be confirmed. "I don''t know that either, no one told me anything and every time I remember that I lost part of my memory, I become frustrated because I feel like there is something or someone I have to remember" "you must feel very frustrated if you recover your lost memorize and you remember someone that you loved, will you go back to that person even if you love someone else already," Han Chen asked, he looked into her eyes hoping that she would say yes. "if I do remember that person, I hope I don''t feel anything when I see him because if I do I will regret recovering my memory but if I just see him as a friend when we meet again then I will be happy to see him," Yu Yan answered drunkenly while looking into his face. Han Chen felt broken when he heard her answer, he understood how difficult it would be for her to make a decision but he still felt broken. "why will you regret remembering him?" Han Chen said with sadness in his eyes. "because I might want to go back to him and then my life will be turned upside down, what am I going to do about the one I currently love if that happens," Yu Yan said. "I guess you are right" Han Chen replied, both of them continued drinking until the beer finished. Although he was drunk, he was still aware of himself while Yu Yan was already feeling dizzy so she supported her head with her hand on the table. Han Chen stood up from where he was sitting and he moved to where Yu Yan was sitting opposite him, He sat down beside her with his legs crossed. He moved his head closer to her, she felt that he was beside her so she turned her face to face him. "Why are you too close to me," she asked drunkenly Han Chen looked into her eyes and said "if someone you loved already has another person with her but you still want the person will you give up or will you pursue the person" "of course, I won''t give up, until he is married, I won''t give up on him," She said and then she fell asleep before her head hit the floor, he quickly supported her head with his hand. He carried her into the guest bedroom and he covered her with the duvet while he returned to the parlour. As he sat back on the floor, he heard her phone ringing then he removed her phone from her bag. Her mother was calling her but he didn''t want to pick the call so that her mother wouldn''t misunderstand her so he cut the call and then messaged her mother. {mum doesn''t worry about me; I will be back tomorrow} He texted. He dropped the phone on the table and retired to his room. "thank you, Yu Yan, for encouraging me," He remarked softly then he fell asleep. Chapter 41 - The Training "Speed is the main element of the martial art we practice, every one of you who are born into the flame sect already has flame skills but your sword skills still need to be enhanced, do you understand me?" Huo Bingchen said, he stood in the middle of the training ground with over two hundred disciples gathering around him. They were quite happy that Huo Bingchen was now a managerial guardian and he was in charge of training them today, compared to Huo Ying training Huo Bingchen training is less harsh and he is quite gentle with them, although they don''t like the fact that he is always against Huo Ying whom they look up to as their idol. "Yes, guardian" they all chorused and then they got into their training formation. "Most of you here are not over the age of thirteen and you have not started any formal training yet, but I want to see how far you have gone with your personal training, pick a partner to spar with and you all should start sparring in pairs at the same time," Huo Bingchen said, they all picked their partners and then they faced each other in pairs. "Start" Huo Bingchen commanded and then he went up to the high stand to oversee the combat. Except for the sect leader''s family, the elders and the guardians, those who were born with the flame skills had no need to learn the whip skills, instead, they fought with swords just like the disciples from the other sects. He watched as the disciples fought each other but he wasn''t very satisfied with their performance, before the disciples were allowed to start training formally, they need to train on their own to keep themselves fit for the formal training but this set of disciples didn''t seem very fit from the way they fought, after just thirty minutes of fighting their breaths were already unstable. He nodded his head in dissatisfaction. Huo Ying and the other guardians walked past the training ground then they saw Huo Bingchen frowning as he watched the disciples fighting, He paced about the high stand as though he was thinking about what he needed to do about these disciples. Huo Ying stopped to watch him and the disciples for a while then she smiled at his furrowed eyebrows. "Young mistress, why are you smiling," Huo Lian asked as she traced the young mistress gaze to Huo Bingchen then she gave Huo Ying a suspicious look. Huo Ying laughed and said "it has been long since I have seen that look on Huo Bingchen face, whenever he is not satisfied with something, he always knit his eyebrows together". The rest of them focused the gaze on Huo Ying to see what their young mistress was talking about, they smiled as they realized that she was right with her statement. "You are right young mistress; he indeed has that look on his face." Huo Mei replied, she looked at him intensely. She felt that he looks like a completely different person when he is serious. "I think madam did the right thing by making him a managerial guardian, he is very good at training and managing things, his only flaw is that he goes against you with each opportunity he gets, Huo Ying gave a nod in support of Huo Qiang statement, then they walked away but Huo Mei looked back at him when they had almost gone out of sight. The sect leader''s wife walked to the peak of the training ground and looked down to watch Huo Bingchen. Although she seemed like she didn''t like him very much his mother was her best friend and she died in the battle of ever night so to her Huo Bingchen is like her son, if his grandfather didn''t make him go against Huo Ying she would have been closer to him than she was now. She looked at him as he paced up and down the high stand while he shouted commands to the disciples with his eyebrow still furrowed, She smiled as she watched him, he looked just like his mother who was also a guardian for the sect leader when he was still young. "You need to increase your speed, if your enemy is faster than you no matter how powerful or how skilful you are you will still lose, your speed will also help to enhance your flame skills" Huo Bingchen shouted out. The disciples started to move swiftly as he made the command, soon half of the disciples were already on the ground while the remaining were already panting and sweating while they stood facing the high stand. "Those of you who are on the ground should move to the grassland and run twenty laps, if you can''t even last long in a fight then there is no need for you to be a disciple, for you to become a disciple you need to be fit," Huo Bingchen said to the defeated disciples, they stood up from the ground with discontentment on their faces, they didn''t know that it would be this hard to become a full disciple through formal training. "Xiao Li" Huo Bingchen called out, Huo Li who is the leader of the elite disciples ran to where Huo Bingchen stood, she has always been called Xiao Li even though her name Is Huo Li because of her small stature, she is older than all Huo Ying and the guardians. At the age of seventeen she became the leader of the elite disciples but she is the younger than all the elite disciples. "Huo Bingchen, now that you are a guardian you are my senior but don''t call me small Li, I might be small but you know I can beat you to pulp," Xiao Li said as she pointed her index finger at Huo Bingchen, all the disciples laughed when they heard her threaten Huo Bingchen, she always had a cute look and he hair in a ponytail and this is why most people always let their guard down with her not knowing that she is very dangerous despite the fact that she looks very innocent, Huo Bingchen who was now intimidated by her raised his hand to show that he is surrendering to her. "sister Xiao Li you don''t have to be that fierce, I won''t call you little Li anymore," Huo Bingchen said with a fake terrified look on his face, the sect leader''s wife who was still watching the from the training ground peak smiled as she watched the drama going on between them but she decided not to intervene. Xiao Li is the disciple she personally trained so she inherited her feisty character and her daring attitude. "You had better not call me that anymore you brat, what do you need me for" She said. "These disciples have a serious problem with their fitness so I wanted to ask you to take them to the field to run twenty laps," Huo Bingchen said and dropped his hands. "Are you kidding, isn''t twenty laps to small, they should at least run fifty laps, as disciples of the flame sect, their fitness is very important" Huo Li said as she turned to face the disciples who were already alarmed at her suggestion. "Don''t bother Huo Li, twenty laps are enough for them since today is the first day of their formal training" Huo Bingchen said. "Alright Guardian," Xiao Li said and bowed her head then she walked in front of the disciples as she led them out of the training ground, just as she was about to leave the training ground completely Huo Bingchen called her and said, " Xiao Li make sure you supervise them well". All the disciples turned back to see what Huo Li reaction will be to Huo Bingchen, their eyes widened as they saw flame surround her whole body and her fists tightened. Huo Bingchen who had a mischievous smile on his face changed his expression when he saw her flaming in anger, she slowly turned back him then she started walking fast towards him. The sect leader''s wife knew that Huo Bingchen was trying to tease her but Huo Li anger was not to be underestimated, Huo Li plunged into the air with her fist surrounded by flames then she flew towards Huo Bingchen who froze as the flame on her fist reflected in his eyeball, he felt like he didn''t have any more time to react so he shut his eyes and covered his face with his hands crossed in front of his face before she reached him. He waited for a while but he didn''t feel her hit then he opened his eyes he was surprised to see the sect leader''s wife shielding him from her attack. Huo Li quickly withdrew her fist when she realized that the sect leader was shielding Huo Bingchen from her attack, all the disciples who were present at the scene were also frozen at a spot, they also felt that she moved too quickly that they couldn''t even see her until the sect leader''s wife stopped her. Huo Bingchen quickly dropped his hands then they all cupped their fist and bowed their heads. "Madam" the disciple and Huo Bingchen chorused while Huo Li called her master. She smiled then she told them to be at ease, "Huo Li you need to control your temper, that hit could have seriously injured Bingchen. Moreover, he is now your senior so have respect for him" She said, Huo Li scoffed and then she held the sect leader''s wife elbow, "master, they all keep calling me Xiao Li and I warned him not to call me that anymore but he won''t listen" then she pouted her lips. She smiled and turned to face Huo Bingchen then she said " Bingchen you shouldn''t tease her like that, if I hadn''t stop her you wouldn''t have been able to dodge her attack, now apologize to her", Huo Bingchen smiled then he bowed his head and apologized to Huo Li, then Huo Li left the training ground with the disciples. The disciples all burst into laughter as they watched her leave then they stopped when Huo Bingchen glared at them,"what is so funny, continue the combat in pairs for two more hours without slacking". "Bingchen let''s take a walk together," she said as she walked on the stairs that lead to the high stand. Huo Bingchen ordered another disciple to oversee the new disciples then they walked away from the training ground. "Bingchen do you feel that I have been treating you unfairly," she said as they entered the sect garden, Huo Bingchen knew that she must have been wanting to talk to him about that day and he was happy that she is finally letting it out. "Madam, I don''t think that way, others might not know it but I know that you have been very good to me" Bingchen replied, she smiled as they continued walking when she heard his reply. "I am glad you think that way your mother was my best friend and she died because she was a guardian, during the ever night war she took a hit for your father from the sect leader of the flame sect and that was how she died, I decided that I would never make you a guardian," She said in a solemn tone. "Then why did you make me guardian, I thought you were going to make me a protector guardian to appease your anger but I was shocked when you made me a managerial guardian," Bingchen said, he had never heard the story of how his mother died and now that he has already found out how she died, he felt angry that his mother was made a guardian. "I know that you are angry that your mother was made a guardian but even though being a protector guardian means that you have to be ready to die if your master gets hurt in the flame sect, ever since Huo Ying grandfather became the sect leader, he changed that. He did not formally announce it just because he wanted the guardians to work harder. I know that you want to become the next sect leader but you can''t be the next sect leader" she said with a serious face, then she stopped walking and she faced him. "Why can''t I become the next sect leader?" Huo Bingchen said as he looked into her eyes with an angry look. Chapter 42 - The Training 2 She looked at him affectionately, she could feel how angry he was when she told him that his mother died because she was a guardian and she made him a guardian too. "Bingchen, I love you like my own child but I won''t let you fight for something if it doesn''t belong to you, I made you a managerial guardian which puts you in a higher position than all the disciples and the guardians and I can let you become the most powerful person in this sect after my daughter and that is because that his her rightful place" she said, Bingchen quenched his anger and then his face softened, he was almost in tears but he restrained himself leaving his eyes a little bit teary.?? "I know that you care about me and you have been watching me from the side lines, I also know that you made me a managerial guardian in order to give me power but I also have my own ambitions. I will not compete with Huo Ying for the position of the sect leader but I still want to be someone powerful" Bingchen said she smiled as she watched his anger so away, this part of him resembled his mother, although she was ambitious she never took something that was never hers to take or compete for. "Bingchen I will make you a powerful person even more powerful than your mother was, then you Huo Ying and the guardians will be acknowledged all around the world because all of you are like my children, that I promise you but it is not a sure thing that Huo Ying will become the sect leader" she said, Huo Bingchen looked at her quizzically with one of his eyebrows raised higher than the other. "why did you say so, do you have another person in mind" Bingchen asked. She smiled again and replied "you all seemed to have forgotten that Huo Lan is also the young mistress of the flame sect" "but she is still in the wind sect and they might not return her to the flame sect in order to retaliate against our sect" Bingchen said "Huo Loan power cannot be underestimated, her power is even stronger than the sect leader of the wind sect, unless they find a way to deplete her power they will never be able to hold her captive there when she is ready to leave there" she said with confidence in her voice. "then why hasn''t she left the wind sect" Bingchen asked "before Huo Lan left I tried to train her to control he flame power but it didn''t work, she was too powerful for me to handle but the reason why her power couldn''t hurt me is because her flame power came from me not her father, she hasn''t left there because she wants to protect the flame sect" she replied "I don''t understand" "if Huo Lan leaves the wind sect forcefully then the world would turn against the flame sect and she is also scared of her power, she doesn''t want it to hurt people just because she cannot control her power, that is why she is still in the wind sect" "I know that she is powerful but not that powerful, but I still think that even if Huo Lan comes back, Huo Ying is still the best candidate for the future sect leader" he said. "you all think that Huo Ying wants to become the sect leader but that is not what she wants, the reason why she gets angry and kills whenever she hears someone slandering Huo Loan is because she regards Huo Loan as someone who is very important in her heart and she misses her very much, she has always made sure that the disciples train because she wants them to become very powerful in case she has to forcefully bring Huo Loan back from the wind sect and she plans to make Huo Loan the sect leader" "I had always thought that she was just acting on impulse and she wanted to be the next sect leader, I didn''t know that she had such intentions, if Huo Loan becomes the sect leader then everyone will fear the power of the flame sect" Bingchen said "But one thing I am sure of is that Huo Loan will also be reluctant to become the next sect leader, she would also want her sister to lead the sect, when that happens then I will have to make them compete for it" she said "if they both want the other to become the sect leader then they won''t want to compete for it" She smiled and said "when that time comes, the sect leader and I won''t make them aware that they are fighting for the position of the sect leader". "that is indeed a brilliant idea but why are you trusting me with all this information" Bingchen said with doubts in his eyes. "because I know that although you are ambitious you care deeply about the sect and you are willing to do anything to protect the sect, I also know that you are worried about your grandfather so you want to fulfil his wishes but I promise you that I will make sure that your grandfather compromises to keep him safe after all he is the father of my late best friend. I won''t hurt him unless he hurts my family" she said, then she moved closer to him and held his hands, Bingchen has never felt motherly love but the first time he felt it was when he cried on his ten years old birthday then she hugged him and now he felt it again, the warmth he felt when she held his hand was so good that it brought him to tears. "thank you, I will make sure to protect the sect and everyone in the sect just like my mother" he said, she wiped the tears on his face with her handkerchief and said "I know you will but make sure you don''t die protecting anyone", then she walked away. He watched her until she walked out of the garden then he sat on the chair in the middle of the garden, he brought out a jade pendant from his cloth. He held it tightly and said "mother I will make sure to protect the sect you died for". --------------------------- Huo Ying and the guardians walked into the weapon workshop, then she walked around as she examined the work of the workers in the workshop and the blacksmiths. "Huo Qiang, you are the one in charge of the weapon workshop but now that Bingchen has been made the managerial guardian make sure you cooperate with him, he takes his job really seriously so make sure that he understands everything in the weaponry when he comes to inspect the workshop" Huo Ying said. "I will make sure everything is ready before he comes in but do, we need to hide anything from him after all he cannot be fully trusted" Huo Qiang said. "even though he is ambitious the Bingchen I know is an asshole but he won''t do anything to hurt the sect" Huo Ying said then she walked into the weapon designer''s workshop. "young mistress I agree with you" Huo Mei said, Huo Ying picked up a drawing on a table then she examined it. "is this the new weapon blueprint" Huo Ying asked, the designer who was with the drawing stood up and said "young mistress, this indeed the blueprint for the new weapon". "This weapon was designed by me but I gave it to them to modify it before it is produced and it is very powerful with a very high shooting range and it is also used as a secret weapon" Huo Qiang said, she dropped the drawing on the table then she walked out of the weaponry. "before we make our presence known in the Jianghu world, we have to be very prepared, so the weapons that should be designed now should be weapons that the world has never seen and we need secret weapons in case of any danger, produce them in large quantities" Huo Ying said to Huo Qiang as they walked out of the weaponry. "we have never been known to use secret weapons but if we suddenly start using them now others won''t know that our disciples all have secret weapons, it will really help to protect our disciples" Huo Mei said. "who else should know about this apart from us" Huo Qiang asked "except for the three of you no one should know not even the sect leader or Huo Bingchen and you should design them with only one trusted weapon designer" Huo Ying said "but I think we should still tell the sect leader and your mother, you said that you trusted Huo Bingchen but why did you say that we shouldn''t tell him" Huo Lian said "I want it to be a surprise to them and as for Huo Bingchen, something tells me that he will soon become my mother''s right hand man, even though it is not very obvious, the both of them are very close and she told me that she is going to bring him back to the right way so if you tell him and he tells my mother there will no longer be any surprise" Huo Ying said. "okay then" Huo Qiang said, then he left them and he went back into the weaponry. Huo Ying went to the grassland with Huo Lian and Huo Mei, she saw some of the beginners running around the grassland with Huo Li, she watched as they were panting and sweating profusely. Some of them even stopped to beg Huo Li to cut them some slack but she didn''t mind them. "I though they were training with Huo Bingchen just now" Huo Mei said. "the ones we saw before were more than this, this means that they are the ones who failed to meet his requirement. When I saw them at the training ground, they looked really unfit so he must be trying to increase their endurance" Huo Yin said. " that is true but they are so unlucky that he actually asked Huo Li to train them, anyone might accept their plea for mercy but not Huo Li, just like my mother she is ruthless when it comes to training, her cute and small look is her advantage since it makes others relax their guards when they are with her" Huo Ying said, they moved away from the entrance of the grassland then they walked around the grassland but far away from were the disciples were running. "she is after all the only disciple that has been able to withstand you mother''s training" Huo Mei said, Huo Ying smiled and said "but you cried when my mother first told you to practice with Huo Li when we were six years old, I don''t think I can ever forget that day, it was so funny". "young mistress, do you really have to mock me" Huo Mei said then she knit her eyebrows together. "young mistress knows that you always react this way that is why she keeps doing that" Huo Lian said. Huo Li saw them in the grassland then she left the disciples to meet Huo Ying, as soon as she left them, they all slumped to the ground as they tried to catch their breath, they were all thankful for Huo Ying appearance even though it wasn''t timely. "young mistress" Huo Li said with her head bowed, she raised her head and then she smiled at Huo Mei. Huo Ying looked at Huo Mei to see what her expression was when Huo Li smiled at her but Huo Mei looked away. "Huo Li you seem really busy with these disciples" Huo Ying said "it is all because of that brat Huo Bingchen" Huo Li said as she cupped her hands into a fist, the three of them looked at her fist them they realized that Huo Bingchen must have done something to make her angry. "did he do something to make you angry" Huo Ying asked "he keeps calling me Xiao Li, then I almost beat him up but master intervened" Huo Li said. "he must have learned his lesson now" Huo Ying said then she looked at the disciples who were now relaxing on the grass, "your students are already slacking, you should continue their training" she said, Huo Li looked back to see what they were doing then she returned to where the disciples sat, immediately they saw her coming they quickly stood up and started running. "it seems like my mother has already talked with Bingchen, I just hope he listens to her but his grandfather still remains a problem, as long as he is still determined to make Huo Bingchen the next sect leader nothing will change, I have to secure my sister''s position before she comes back now" she said to herself. Chapter 43 - The Seventh Prince The imperial consort sat in her room with an aura of uneasiness filling the whole room, she had not heard anything from the seventh prince since her birthday, she had ordered her servants to search for his whereabouts of out concern for some days now there had been no reply. She stood up from where she was seating and started pacing about the room hoping that one of them would come back with news of his whereabout, she heard the door open then she quickly rushed towards the entrance then she saw her attendant coming into her room, her attendant bowed her head and said "your majesty, the seventh prince just sent a message to your palace", she handed a little paper to the imperial consort then she stood at ease, The imperial consort took the paper from her then she read the content, she smiled as she read the letter then she took in a deep breath, the attendant saw her reaction then she understood that the seventh prince must have assured her of his safety. "your majesty, what does the letter say" the attendant asked, the imperial consort rolled the letter then she walked to one of the lamps and burned the letter.?? "he went to the blossom pavilion to see him" the imperial consort said then she returned to her seat, the attendant kneeled beside her then she poured tea into the jade cup in front of the imperial consort and said "isn''t that where the fourth prince is staying". "of course, is there any other person he would go to see in the blossom pavilion" the imperial consort replied then she sipped her tea while the attendant stood up. "I don''t think it is a good thing for the seventh prince to go to the blossom pavilion, if the other princes find out that he has been going there, they might suspect that the both of them are planning something," the attendant said, the imperial consort dropped the teacup on the table then she said "the fourth prince has been a good brother to Changlin, he taught him everything he knows so there is nowhere I will stop Changlin from going to see his brother, if he can have someone who truly sees him as a brother and not a rival then it is his fortune," the imperial consort said. "I agree with you your majesty, in the imperial harem you can hardly call someone your brother without being a rival to them, but did he say when he is coming back," the attendant said "he didn''t say but I know that the fourth prince will not let him stay in the blossom valley for long for his own safety" she replied. The attendant was about to say something but she stopped when another attendant entered into the room with a medium-sized silver box in her hand. "your majesty," the maid said with her head bowed "what is it?" the imperial consort asked looking at the box the maid was carrying. "a blacksmith sent this to your palace," the maid said then she handed the box to the attendant who was standing beside the imperial consort, the attendant placed the box on the table then the imperial consort opened the box, they were all stunned to see the shining object in the silver box. She brought out the silver blade from the box, it was decorated with pearls and gold crystals, she removed the sheath of the blade then the blade reflected on her face and the attendants face. "who did he say the blade is from," the imperial consort said "He said that the seventh prince told him to deliver it to your palace today," the second attendant said "I thought he didn''t have any gift for me on my birthday, I am really surprised at this gift, this is the best gift I have received for my birthday," the imperial consort said then she put the blade back in the sheath and placed it in the box and closed it. "the seventh prince is really considerate; I have never seen a blade that is this beautiful. Only the seventh prince knows you best, others gave your feminine gifts but he knows that you don''t just want to be an ordinary woman but a strong woman" the first attendant said, the imperial consort smiled then she ordered the second attendant to leave. After the second attendant left, she kept the box inside one of the drawers on the table then she returned to her seat. "I just wish he won''t get caught in the broils of the imperial harem, I just want him to get married to a nice girl and leave his life peacefully," the imperial consort said. "the seventh prince is just sixteen, it might be too early for him to get married, even the fourth prince isn''t married yet," the attendant said "I know that but I just think that if he gets married early and leaves the palace then he would have and a higher chance of escaping the conflict of the imperial harem before they start becoming fierce and brutal," she said with worry written on her face. "even the fourth prince who is living in the blossom valley cannot escape from the court affairs, sooner or later he still has to return to court, leaving the place doesn''t mean that he can escape from the conflict he just has to be strong," the attendant said to encourage the imperial consort. "you are indeed right, of all the princes my sons have the least strong family support, for him to survive he will have to become strong on his own" the imperial consort said "your majesty, do you perhaps have a marriage candidate for the seventh prince," the attendant asked "No, anyone my son desires to marry is my candidate and as long as she also loves him, I am fine with her," the imperial consort said. "We can only hope that the emperor doesn''t bestow marriage on the seventh prince if that is what you want your majesty," the attendant said, after discussing for a while, the attendant left the imperial consort''s chamber. -------------------- The savoury smell of delicious food filled the whole pavilion, Changlin stood up from his bed and without even bothering to put on his outer robe he came out of the room sleepwalking as he traced the smell, he walked through the hallway and different rooms with his eyes half-closed in search for where the smell was coming from. His dog like nose continued sniffing until he reached the source of the smell, he entered into the building then he heard the sound of someone frying something and he couldn''t resist the urge to fully open his eyes which means he is dispelling his urge to return to his bed. Ruansong looked towards the entrance of the kitchen when he heard the sound of someone entering into the kitchen, he smiled when he saw Changlin standing in front of the entrance while trying his best to keep himself awake. He poured the chicken and vegetables into the frying pan then he rubbed his hands on the apron he wore on his waist. "Changlin, you are sleepwalking again," He said as he tapped Changlin''s face to keep him awake, even though he kept on tapping his face he still wouldn''t wake up fully so Ruansong splashed water on his face, this time Changlin opened his eyes fully then he wiped away the water on his face. "brother, why did you do that" Changlin said in an angry tone "if you hadn''t sleepwalked into the kitchen when I am cooking I wouldn''t have done that now you tell me why you are the only one awake," Ruansong said then he dropped the bowl of water and returned to the fry pan, then he stirred the chicken and vegetable which had almost started burning. "I just smelled something delicious then I followed the smell to this place, I see you haven''t lost your cooking skills, that is what I like the most about you," Changlin said then he moved closer to Ruansong who is still stirring the chicken in the frying pan. "I would have forgotten your habit of sleepwalking whenever you smell something delicious," Ruansong said then he removed the food from the saucepan and served them in different plates. "Go and wake the others up," Ruansong said, Changlin walked out of the kitchen then he did as Ruansong had told him to, after ten minutes they were all sitting around the table in the courtyard. Ruansong entered the courtyard with a tray of different types of meals, then he arranged them on the table, at the sight of the well designed, savoury and delicious food in front of five of them they all swallowed their saliva as they sniffed their nose to inhale the smell of the food. Only the old man who is in charge of paddling the boat on the lake, Xiaodi, Xi Feng who is a very skilled swordsman, and Li Ruansong lives in the blossom pavilion as well as other beneficiaries of the fourth prince kindness but Ruansong was always the one who did all the cooking despite the fact that he is the owner of the pavilion. "brother I haven''t tasted your cooking for up to a year now, I am so anxious to taste the food you have prepared," Changlin said then he picked up his chopstick to taste the chicken and vegetable stir fry but his Xiaodi stopped him by holding his hand, no one bothered to say anything because they knew why she did that but Changlin glared at her and said, "why are you stopping me can''t I eat now". "can''t you see that Ruansong is not yet at the table," Xiaodi said then she released his hand, he pouted his lips and stared at her angrily, they all laughed at his reaction then Ruansong returned to the kitchen to return the apron then he returned to the courtyard. They all started eating the moment he sat at the table but Changlin stared angrily at Xiaodi who had already started eating before he started eating. "Your highness, I wonder when I will ever be able to cook like you," Xi Feng said as he licked his lips, they all nod their head in agreement to what Xi Feng said. "you don''t have to learn how to cook, you have me," Ruansong responded, his words and actions always made it impossible to believe that he is actually the owner of the blossom pavilion and their master. "We all know that one day you will have to leave the blossom pavilion," the old man said, then their expression changed from a happy look to a sentimental look. "then you all should treasure me whilst I am still here with you," Ruansong said, they smiled at his comment then they continued eating. After they finished eating, Xiaodi cleared the plates while the remaining of them remained on their seat, Xiaodi brought in a set of jade teapot and cups, then she poured tea into their cups and passed it to them. "since Changlin will be leaving today, I decided that we should have a little chat with him over tea," Ruansong said then he raised his cup of tea to his lips and sipped from it, the rest of them did the same except Changlin who didn''t understand what Ruansong meant. "brother, what do you mean by I am leaving today, I never said that," Changlin said with a confused look and his face and his eyebrows furrowed. "were you not planning on leaving today," Ruansong said then he placed the jade cup in his hand on the table. "of course not, I haven''t seen you for a year now so why will I leave today, I was planning on spending a month year," Changlin said "you know that is impossible, your mother would be worried about you and you know that if you are on for too long and they find out that you are in the blossom valley they may start suspecting that we are both cooking something up. So, you have to leave today" Ruansong said "I never knew that the fourth prince is a mummy''s boy," Xiaodi said then she drank her tea. They all knew that she said that to tease him so they looked at Changlin to see his reaction and it was as they had expected, he stared at her angrily with a very sharp gaze. "I don''t even want to mind you at this moment," Changlin said then he looked away from her, Ruansong clapped and said, "it seems like have learned to not be impulsive even when someone makes you angry". "of course, but everyone outside this pavilion thinks of you as a cold and aloof prince who hardly talks, who would have known that you are the exact opposite of the kind of person they think you are," Changlin said then he sipped his tea. "I don''t know why but every time I leave this pavilion I become someone else, my personality changes completely without I even being aware of it," Ruansong said then he finished his tea. Chapter 44 - The Flame Of Huo Lan 1 "maybe staying here is the best thing for you brother, outside this pavilion the only thing that exists is deceit and hypocrisy, it is impossible to pull out the grass of corruption by its root in this world, even I wish I could just stay here forever with my mother and you but I can''t and neither can you," Changlin said, "can you guys stop being sentimental, you are boring me," Xiaodi said, then they all turned to look at her. "Seems like we need some fun to appease Xiaodi''s anger," the old man said, "what do suggest we do for fun," Ruansong asked. "let''s have a drinking contest, ever since Changlin came here we have been drinking tea when we have the best wine in the whole empire," Xiaodi said. "Then let me get the wine from the store," the old man said then he stood up from his seat and walked out of the courtyard, he returned later with ten bottles of wine and he placed them on the table. "This is the peach blossom wine which was personally made by me," Ruansong said while pointing at the wine in front of them. "seems like I have really missed a lot, even if the whole world is suffering from starvation and lack, I doubt that blossom pavilion will ever be included," Changlin said "so, who wants to compete," Ruansong asked then he looked at them "I" "I" "I" Xi Feng, Xiaodi and Changlin said as they raised their hands, then Ruansong poured the wine into the cups and passed it to them with three more bottles for each person, the three of them started drinking, after they finished the one Ruansong poured for them they poured another one into their and finally they finished the third bottle without any drunk reaction. "seems like we would be needing more wine for them," Ruansong said, then the old man returned to the wine store then he brought fifteen more bottles of wine and placed them on the table. The three of them then resumed drinking, this time the competition is to compete for the person who can finish most of the wine in a short amount of time. Without even flinching, Xiaodi and Xi Feng had already finished drinking four bottles in four minutes while Changlin was still trying to finish the fourth bottle, by the time Xiaodi and Xi Feng finished two more bottles Changlin had just finished his third bottle then he passed out. Ruansong shook him several times to check if he had really passed out but Changlin didn''t wake up so he confirmed that he must have really passed out. "tchctchtchtch, he is such a weakling, how can he pass out after drinking just seven bottles of wine," Xiaodi said as she nodded her head. "Other people can''t withstand five bottles of this wine but he still managed to drink seven bottles, although the peach blossom wine in the blossom valley is sweet, it is also very strong, but he learnt how to drink from me so he still tried," Ruansong said "the both of you can drink that much only because you have been staying in the blossom valley for a long time, it is now time to take him back," Ruansong said, they all gave him a confused look after they heard what he said. "Your highness, what do you mean by loading him," Xi Feng asked "Did you guys think that he would go back to the palace willingly, I let him participate in the drinking competition so that when he passes out I can take him back to the palace, Xi Feng carry him back to carriage in front of the pavilion and spray the knockout perfume so that he won''t wake up until he reaches the palace" Ruansong said "but if he goes back in that condition, the imperial consort might get worried," Xi Feng said "then make him sniff the knockout antidote before he enters the palace," Ruansong said, then Xi Feng carried Changlin out of the pavilion and placed him in the carriage after Ruansong takes a final look at him Xi Feng rode the carriage back to the palace. Ruansong then returned to the courtyard and poured wine into a cup on the table and drank it in one shot. "Why didn''t your highness let him stay for a while before sending him away, when he wakes up, he will be angry with you for sending him back after he became drunk," the old man said "No one wants him to stay here more than I do but I have a feeling that very soon the court and the jianghu world will become lively once again," Ruansong said then he poured wine into his cup again. "so your highness thinks that him staying here for long will make him be at odds with the other princes in the palace, but what if he encounters danger on his way back if he is unconscious then he can''t protect himself," the old man said, Ruansong and Xiaodi smiled then Ruansong said "I did not send Xi Feng with him just to be his driver, Xi Feng is the best swordman I know after me, he is more than capable of protecting him," Ruansong said then he drank the wine in his cup. ----------------------- Water flowed from the mountain waterfall, the sounds of birds chirping filled the whole entire place, the green and red coloured leaves from the trees hovered and shook continually until they began to fall. As the waterfall giggles excitedly the sparkly water powers down the rocks like a champion skier on the downhill. The waterfall wistfully winds as they fight in the mountain. Clink! Clink! Clink! He turns around and moves forward swiftly with the tips of his sword pointing at her, she blocks his sword with her sword but the force with which he makes the attack made her slips back continuously as she tries to overpower him, she pushes him away with a kick in his stomach, the both of them started attacking each other from the side with the other blocking the sword from each direction. He leapt into the air and then brought his sword down on her but she quickly bent her back downward, he raises his sword up while in air and brought it down again, this time she spins round in an attempt to block his attack but he continued striking his sword against hers, she decided to stop defending herself then she landed a powerful upward strike on his shoulder, he wasn''t expecting her to attack so quickly so he couldn''t defend himself quickly, instead with his left leg he propelled himself and lunged into the air swiftly, he spun around her and landed behind her then he pointed the sword at her neck, the attack was so swift and sudden that she didn''t even have time to react until his sword was pointing at her neck. "I surrender," she said as she put her sword back into the sheath, he retracted his sword and placed it into his sheath then he smiled and walked to her front. "you have improved Meng Hui," Lin Bohai said as he displayed his beautiful set of halo white teeth. "I have improved but I am still not as good as you after practising for a long time," Meng Hui said then she pouted her mouth, he smiled again and said, "if you are able to catch up to me then I don''t deserve to be called your senior". " He is right" a middle-aged shouted from afar as he walked into the mountain, their faces became filled with smiles as they saw him coming into the mountain, the both of them cupped their hands and bowed then they chorused "Father" "sect leader" "drop the formality," the sect leader of the wind sect said then the both of them dropped their hands and stood at ease. "the both of you have improved greatly but Meng Hui you still need to work on your speed and you Bohai next time you practice take it seriously, you need to stop holding back for her," the sect leader said. "Thanks for your advice" the both of them chorused and smiled, afterwards the sect leader left the both of them alone. Then they left the mountain some minutes after he left. "senior disciple Meng, young master" some female disciples greeted as the both of them walked past them. "He is so handsome," one of the female disciples said as the went past them but the both of them heard what the disciples said. "you must be happy senior brother," Meng Hui said in a sarcastic tone. "what do you mean," Bohai asked even though he knew what she was referring to, "do you really not know or are you pretending like you don''t know what I am talking about, every time you walk past a female disciple they always praise you," Meng Hui said. "I can''t stop them from praising me, can I?" Bohai said "I don''t care, any way you are mine" Meng Hui said then she walked ahead of him. He smiled as he watched her walk away. ------------------------ Three men walked into a cave underground which lies below the building of the wind sect, Her face becomes full of fear as she sees the three of them entering into the cave but there was nothing she could do, her hands and feet are bounded by chains so there is no way she could move, tears begin to trickle down her cheeks and her hair which was tied up had already fallen out of place, it was now scattered on her face, the sweat on her face made her hair slick down on the side of her face, she struggled to free herself as the men had already reached where she was. You had better stop struggling you witch, it isn''t like this is the first time you are doing this" one of the men said "The last set of people that came were burnt by her, we had better be careful in dealing with her," another man said "what can she do, she just a freak, the other people that can in last time are not as powerful as us, we can surely handle her," another man said, one of them pulled out three long and large pins from a box. As soon as she saw the pins, she started struggling to free herself even though she knew it was pointless, tears began to well down her face as she screamed in fear. One of them gagged her mouth while the other one held her hands to stop her from shaking the chain, the third man inserted the pins into her head slowly then the three of them moved to her back. They folded three of their fingers and used their index and third fingers to form an arc in the air then they stretched their hands towards her and they began to Infuse Qi into her body, she screamed in pain then the gag fell out of her mouth and the chains shook as she shouted. The men formed an arc in the air again before stretching their hands towards her and infusing their Qi into her body, this time her scream became louder, then the cave began to shake, small rocks began to fall from the walls surrounding the cave. The men began to put in more force as they channelled their Qi into her body, then her hair and eye colour became redder than they were before, flame emerged from her body and the men became alarmed. "Should we leave now, she is becoming unstable" one of the men shouted, the dust had already filled the cave then the men began to cough. "We can''t leave now, we are almost done," another one said, after a minute the flames on her body began to increase and grow hotter. "lets us take out each of the pins and leave before she blows us up," one of the men said then the three of them moved closer to her to pull out the pin on her head in order to return her to her normal self but as they touched the pins, they shouted in agony, the pins were already hot and the flames had already reached their hands immediately they touched the pins, they quickly pulled the pin out of her head and the ran towards the door but the flames had already burned their hands and part of their face, as they ran out of the entrance the cave began to shake more than it had before and the rocks began to fall faster. After they left the cave, she began to scream louder because of the pin they had forcefully pulled out of their head, her body seemed like it was about to blow up but a white shadow that she couldn''t see appeared behind her and began to channel its ice power into her body, her screams reduce then the cave became stable and she fainted. The shadow watched her as her head fell on her shoulder, sweat trickled down from her forehead to her chest, her lips which were formally rosy hand now become white and dried. The shadow looked at her but he couldn''t touch her because it is a shadow. ------------------- Inside the sect hall, the three men who had entered the cave were carried into the hall, even though they had left the cave, the fire still continued to burn their hands and they couldn''t put it out. Everyone that was present in the hall looked at them with pity and shock even though they were not supposed to. This is after all not the first time such things had happened whenever they sent someone to drain Huo Lan power in the wind sect cave, everyone they sent always had serious injuries when they returned and those who stayed before she flames on her body becomes more dangerous never survived. The three men who had just left the cave were considered the luckiest form the look of their condition. "so the three of you didn''t succeed in draining all her power," the sect leader of the wind sect said as he looked at the pitiful condition of the three men, the men couldn''t speak so they just nod their head to answer his question, they started screaming again because of the effect of the fire which was still burning their hand. Chapter 45 - The Flame Of Huo Lan 2 They wouldn''t feel the pain for a while and then the pain will start burning through their body and the only thing that could put out her flames is the most powerful sect skill of the wind sect, the whistling wind skill is the only sect skill of the wind sect which can counterattack the power of the flame sect but it is very hard to master, but her victims will still feel the pain every time they see fire for the rest of their lives, the sect leader is the only one who knew this skill so he is the one who always put out the fire on her victims. He incurred his Qi, then he made an arc in the air with his palms and brought it down on the first man, the man cried out in pain as the sect leader put in more strength into his palms as his hand produced a straight line of wind entering into the man''s body, after some time the sect leader finally managed to put out the fire then he repeated the same thing on the other two men and returned to his seat. "Father I suggest that we stop trying to dispel her powers, no one from the flame set has ever had their powers dispelled and we are the first on trying it so it might not work," Lin Bohai said, everyone present in the hall started murmuring as they uttered their opinions, then an elder stood up to speak. "Sect leader, if we return her back to the flame sect with her powers intact in two years'' time, they will have another mighty source of power," the first elder of the wind sect said. Everyone in the sect nodded their head in approval of what he had just said. "I understand the first elder''s concern but the problem with dispelling her powers is that if we keep sending disciples inside that cage every year then the loss will be much for our sect," the sect leader said, he himself didn''t know what decision to make, he is definitely not willing to return a powerful weapon back to the flame sect so that they wouldn''t become too powerful especially now that they don''t even know how much strength the flame sect had. He placed his elbow on the handle of his chair and hold up his head with his hand, he knit his eyebrows together while he rubs his forehead. "Father, her powers are like a curse, all the disciples who have been injured suffer from a horrible pain every time they see fire and we are yet to find a way to stop the pain if we keep on trying to dispel her powers, we might lose all and gain nothing," Lin Bohai said, he really cared for the disciples and every time he watched them come back from the cave injured he really felt their pain. "But senior brother said that no one has ever managed to dispel the powers of those from the flame sect, how is it going to work on her when she is even more powerful than the rest of them," Meng Hui said, then everyone in the hall started murmuring like they always did when someone brings up a point. "I am not so heartless to send my disciples to that cave unless I had a way to dispel her powers, the core destroying pins have been passed down the to all the sect leaders of the wind sect, and that is the only things that can dispel the powers of those from the flame sect," the sect leader said. "then what I don''t understand is why we haven''t succeeded after various attempt if we have been doing it for years now, she is supposed to have blown herself up every time she becomes unstable but she still remains the same every time and there is no one to help her" Meng Hui said. "sect leader unless someone from the ice clan channels their Qi into her body there is no way she could have survived the effect of the core destroying pins," the second elder said "But the ice clans have been exterminated years ago and there is no way they could have entered the cave," Lin Bohai said "I don''t think there is any need to worry about having to return her to the flame sect, the emperor stated that she can only be returned to them if she is able to control her power once she is eighteen but if she fails the test two years later then she wouldn''t be able to leave the wind sect so there is no need to worry," The first elder said. "the first elder is right, we don''t have to worry about having to return her to them for now, since she still can''t control her powers," Meng Hui said "that being said, we will suspend the plan to dispel her powers to avoid any more causalities, the elders should join hands to find a way to permanently cure the affected disciples so that they won''t have to feel any pain," the sect leader said. "YES" everyone chorused Then the sect leader left the hall and the others followed behind him. Outside the hall, Meng Hui sighted Bohai talking with some other disciples so she walked up to them with a smile on her face as usual. "Senior brother what are you guys talking about," she asked "I didn''t know you were here; I was just asking Feng Shui about his condition since he was one of those who were sent into the cave last year," Bohai said "Feng Shui do you still feel the pain when you see fire" Meng Hui asked with a sudden worried look on her face "yes, senior sister, but I haven''t felt it for some months now since I kept my distance away from any source of fire" Feng Shui replied, he is also one of the best disciples of the wind sect. "that flame sect witch, the day she leaves that cave, I will make sure she pays for what she did to our disciples. Why don''t we go out to have fun, today''s event has surely made everyone sentimental" Meng Hui said as she unclenches her fist which she had tightly clenched before. "I think that is a good idea," Bohai said, then about fifteen of them left the sect including Feng shui and the other two who had followed him into the cave last year. -------------------------- Huo Ying and the guardians are walking along the hallways of the sect then they heard someone playing the zither, Huo Ying stopped for a moment to hear where the sound is coming from then she follows the direction where she heard the sound coming from and she arrives at the place where the sound of the zither came from. "young mistress, what do you think is wrong with Bingchen, it is not quite normal for him to be playing the zither," Huo Lian said while the other three gave a nod in agreement to her statement. "How am I supposed to know, the only times you can see him playing the zither is on his mother''s memorial day and it is not today so I have no idea why," Huo Ying said, her face a hint of worry and her eyes showed that she cared for him at that moment, Huo Qiang looked at her and Huo Mei then he realized from their facial expression that they seemed worried about him. "From what I know we are not on good terms with him so why do the both of seem like you are worried about him," Huo Qiang asked with one of his eyebrows raised. "even though he is a jerk at times, he is still part of us, if not for that lousy grandfather of his he won''t be this way," Huo Ying said, then they heard the door to his room open and he came out of the room. "so from what I have heard from your conversation you guys are worried about me but do you have to involve my grandfather," Huo Bingchen said with a blank look on his face, they didn''t know what to say since they were shocked to see him walk out all of a sudden and from the look on his face they couldn''t tell if he was angry or ¡­.. "ok I didn''t mean that but you got us wrong we are definitely not worried about you, are we?" Huo Ying said then she turned to face the guardians but they just gave her a betraying look like she was lying. "so you were worried about me," Huo Bingchen said with a satisfied smile on his lips, she looked at him and then looked back at the guardians then why she didn''t have anything else to say in her defence she just rolled her eyes and said "is it so bad to be worried about you and why are you playing the zither now" "I am very happy to see that you all care about me after all but is it a bad thing that I am playing the zither," Huo Bingchen said then he looked at them quizzically. "But you never play the zither unless it is your mother''s memorial," Huo Ying said then his face turned downcast. "I have changed, I am just going to play it anytime I like since I enjoy doing it" he replied and smiled. "Bingchen you are so good at playing the zither, the sound is so nice to hear," Huo Mei said with admiration written all over her face, up until now they had never seen that look on her face so they were quite surprised that she was having that look and the weirdest thing was that she was looking at Huo Bingchen with admiration, at that moment awkwardness filled the air. "What do you guys think about going out to enjoy ourselves for a while," Huo Ying said, at that moment they all stared at her blankly. "Why are you guys looking at me like that, don''t you guys want to go out, it will be fun," Huo Ying said. "From what I know, the last time you went out it became a disaster instead of fun," Bingchen said "you guys still remember that?" Huo Ying said looking downcast "of course, we do, we don''t want history to repeat itself" Huo Qiang replied "But I promised to control myself the next time, when have I ever failed my promise" "are you sure you can control yourself when you are angry you...." Huo Mei was about to complete her sentence then she suddenly remembered that Bingchen didn''t know anything about Huo Ying powers when she gets angry. "She what?" Bingchen asked then he looks at them suspiciously "she meant to say that when I get angry, I never listen to them," Huo Ying said with an awkward smile "Are you sure that is what she meant to say" "of course," Huo Ying replies while Huo Mei nods her head " I wanted to ask you why your hair changed to a red colour in the sect hall when you became angry," Bingchen asked, the four of them exchanged glances when they heard his question but they didn''t know what to say in order to get rid of his suspicion, they knew that since everyone in the hall saw her change and they might suspect that there is something she is hiding something from them. "I¡­I didn''t know what happened either, the guardians only told me that my hair changed so I thought it was because I was too angry so my powers became unstable," Huo Ying said, then she looked at him to see if he really believed her. "oooh that is good then I thought it was something serious," Bingchen said, he knew that there was more to it but he decided not to pursue it further. "So are we going," Huo Ying asked them as she stared at them with a compelling smile "Alright then," Bingchen said, then they left the sect. Chapter 46 - Lin Bohai Meng Hui and the Lin Bohai are out on the street along with ten other disciples, She and some of the female disciples started shopping for snack and jewellery as soon as they enter the busy street. The Nangong street is known as the busiest place in the capital, people of every class and status can be seen having fun in the street, brothels, restaurant, casino''s, wrestling joints, and all sorts of places to have fun can be found in Nangong street. There is nothing like reputation or status in that street, everyone becomes the same the moment they step into the street. As soon as Lin Bohai arrives at the street, everyone recognized him immediately he entered, all eyes were on him and the disciples as he entered the street. Both males and females began murmuring as h walked past them, even the disciples felt like they were being weighed down by the number of eyes that were staring at them.?? "Senior your presence here has drawn too much attention; it is too overwhelming," one of the disciples said "Get used to it, this is not the first time we have been through this" Bohai said and smiled, all the girls went berserk when the saw him smiling, they started giggling loudly and pointing at him while the men were annoyed that all of the females had shifted their attention to him, then they all began staring at him with anger in their eyes. Meng Hui who had been to busy with shopping for jewellery to notice the situation ran back to meet Bohai along with the other female disciples who had gone with her, when she got to where he was in front of a sword decoration store, she suddenly felt like there was something weighing her down then she looked around to see what it was but she was in awe of the number of eyes that were staring at her at that moment and they absolutely didn''t seem friendly, she quickly turned her face away from them then she looked at Bohai who watched her as she examined their surroundings. "Senior brother, I know that this is not the first time this is happening but why does it scare me every time," Meng Hui said quietly, then Bohai shrugged his shoulder to answer her question. "Just like always, they will still get preoccupied with something and stop staring," Bohai said and as he said they were pissed by her sudden arrival then they looked away from him. Then they all went into a restaurant and sat on the same table, after ordering their food they began to discuss. "Senior brother you are really the idol of the jianghu world," One of the female disciples said "are you guys not afraid that if you continue saying this like this my head will explode one day because of your excess praise," Bohai said, then they all burst into laughter while he just smiled a little, at that moment Meng Hui dropped a piece of meat into his food. "you should eat more, senior brother," she said and then smiled shyly, the other disciples knew her feelings for him so they looked away when they saw her serving him. "senior sister, you only treat senior brother like this what of us," Feng shui said "Alright," She said then she put in a piece of meat into his food, While they were still giggling and laughing, Huo Ying entered into the restaurant with the guardians then they sat down at the table in front of the table the disciples of the wind sect sat on, Huo Ying and the twins sat on one side of the table backing the disciples of the wind sect while Huo Qiang and Huo Bingchen sat opposite them. "Since I wasn''t here last time let me be the one to order," Bingchen said "sincerely I don''t know if this means that we are close but as far as I know I don''t think you have ever gone out with us since you were always a jerk," Huo Ying said "Young mistress!!" Huo Mei whispered then she tugged Huo Ying cloth to stop her from causing trouble with Bingchen. "of course, we are friends now if we aren''t, do you think I would even go out with you guys and why do you have to dress as a guy, you look too pretty for a guy," Bingchen said "am I supposed to take that as a compliment or an insult," Huo Ying said then she pouted her mouth, "anyone you want" Bingchen replied but just as Huo Ying was about to continue the argument, the waiter came to collect their order. "guests what would you like to order," the waiter asked "three plates of braised pork, one plate of stir-fried chicken and vegetable and three of plates of noodles without scallion and one more with scallions," Huo Bingchen said then he waved his hands telling the waiter to leave, they looked at him in amazement as he made the order, they never knew that he knew what they liked and what they didn''t. "Why are you all looking at me like that" Bingchen asked looking confused "Why did you order three plates of braised pork," Huo Ying asked "Should I have ordered four then, I thought you didn''t like braised pork?" Bingchen said Huo Ying gasped and replied "how did you know that I didn''t like braised pork, only the three of them and my mum knows that" "Even if we weren''t the best of friends, we still grew up together and we ate at the same table at some point so what is there to be surprised about," Bingchen said, then the waiter arrived with the order and placed them on the table. Bingchen passed the food to them and once again they were surprised when he passed the noodles without scallions to Huo Qiang. "Why did you give the noodles without scallions, I thought you ordered it for yourself," Huo Qiang said. Bingchen sighed and replied "why would I make such an abnormal order for myself, you don''t like scallions that is why I made the order for noodles without scallions, you guys should just eat without these annoying questions" "You are making me like you even though I don''t want to," Huo Qiang said "then don''t like me," Bingchen said then he rolled the noodles on the chopstick and started eating. "Bingchen you are so cool, I have never seen this side of you before," Huo Mei said then she smiled, they stared at her as she gave Bingchen a cheesy smile then they looked away from her and started eating. As Huo Qiang bent down to slurp his noodles, he noticed an emblem on the sword that is on the table opposite theirs, he quickly slurped the noodles and raised his head up, he looked closely at the emblem then he felt like he had seen the emblem somewhere, then suddenly realized that the emblem belonged to the wind sect. "isn''t that the wind sect emblem," Huo Qiang said "What," Huo Ying said then they all turned back to look at the emblem, when the disciples of the wind sect caught them looking back they quickly turned their face to the front. "That is definitely their emblem," Huo Mei said, then they all turned to look at Huo Ying reaction and it was exactly as they thought it would be, she clenched her fist tightly that all the veins on her hand became visible and her lips pursed. "Young mistress, you cannot act rashly, remember your promise," Bingchen said with a serious expression on his face, while the other looked scared, they were scared of what she would do. "don''t worry, I won''t break my promise," Huo Ying said then she slowly unclenched her fist and continued eating. Another group of cultivators entered into the restaurant, from their dressing and their sword, it is obvious that they are from the thunder sect. As they entered, they stopped when they reached the table where the wind sect disciples sat, when they came into the restaurant Bohai already knew that they were going to come to where they sat since they are known for being arrogant. Tang Fan the son of the sect leader of the thunder sect and the best disciple of the thunder sect is known to be a very arrogant person and the person he hates the most is Lin Bohai because he was jealous of the admiration both males and females had for him, he hated it when he looked inferior to Bohai. "Long time no see Lin Bohai" Tang Fan said with a mischievous smile on his face. "Indeed," Bohai said reluctantly "Tang Fan why do you have to stick around every time you see us, can''t you just pass by," Meng Hui said as she glared angrily at Tang Fan and the disciples following him. "Meng Hui, do you have to be this way every time we meet, I was just greeting you, I don''t think there is anything bad in that" Tang Fan said. Everyone in the restaurant focused their attention on them when they heard Meng Hui speak, Huo Ying and the guardians also watched to see what was going on between both sect and of course they were happy that both sides were not on good terms. "seems like they are not friends after all" Bingchen said "But when it comes to joining hands against the flame sect, they become closer than they normally are," Huo Ying said "I just wish we could instigate them to fight but we can''t," Huo Lian said "Are you always full of such evil ideas Huo Lian?" Bingchen said "Well, why don''t you stick around if you want to find out," Huo Lian said then she rolled her eyes. "We are supposed to watch the enemies fight not fight amongst ourselves," Huo Qiang said "The problem is how do we do that" Huo Mei said "don''t even think about it, we are not doing anything," Huo Qiang said then the three girls pouted their lips and frowned at him. "We came out for fun, not for this" Huo Qiang said when he noticed that they were frowning at him "well this is fun," Huo Ying said "So is this how it is when you go out with these girls," Bingchen said to Huo Qiang "what do you mean by that" Huo Mei said as she glared at him "Nothing, you guys are supposed to be watching them not arguing," Bingchen said then he focused on the two sect disciples who looked like they were about to start a fight. "Tang Fan, why don''t you say what you have to say and leave" Bohai as he pursed his lips in an attempt to restrain himself from punching Tang Fan in the face. At that moment, Huo Ying suddenly got an idea. "I am sure that Lin Bohai is surely better than Tang Fan, he is better in every aspect" Huo Ying shouted, then the guardians stared at her in shock. "young mistress why did you do that" Huo Mei whispered "I am sure that Tang Fan feels inferior to Lin Bohai, if we can make them compete, it will surely be fun," Huo Ying said and smiled evilly. "that is such a good idea young mistress and we can even beat them at their own game," Huo Mei said and smiled mischievously while the other three stared at them in disbelief. "Now who said that I am always cooking up evil ideas," Huo Lian said while looking at Bingchen "I definitely didn''t say that," Bingchen said when he noticed her looking at him. Everyone in the restaurant started discussing when they heard what Huo Ying said, they all spoke in favour of Bohai and this mage Tang Fan angry. He wanted to compete with Bohai but he didn''t want to take chances in case he lost, he wanted something that he is better at. Chapter 47 - Sinister Plan 1 "I heard that the young master of the thunder sect is just so so, Lin Bohai is skilled in every area and he is well respected compared to Tang Fan," one of the young men in the restaurant said to his partner, Meng Hui gave Tang Fan an evil smile as she watched him frown his face in anger and embarrassment, he turned back to see their reaction towards him then he turned back to look at Meng Hui, he recognised that smile on her lips. She is smiling at him scornfully and she is also berating him¡­?? The thought of everyone worshipping Lin Bohai and undermining him made him infuriated, then he bit his lips and said. "let''s compete," Tang Fan said with a serious expression on his face, at that moment he didn''t want to show that he was embarrassed in order to maintain his face. "I thought you came here to eat, why don''t you and your disciples do what you came here for, I came out for fun not to fight with you," Lin Bohai said then he stood up from his seat and the other disciples followed suit, as he was about to leave the table, Tang Fan grabbed his elbow. "Are you scared to lose, I haven''t even said what we are competing in and you are already scared" Tang Fan whispered into Bohai''s ear then he smirked, Bohai clenched his fist and then brushed away Tang Fan hand from his elbow. "seems like you won''t leave me be until you get what you want, okay what do you want to compete in," Bohai said then he gave Tang Fan a fake smile, Tang Fan also smiled in satisfaction, he knew that if he provoked Bohai he would definitely agree to compete with him. "since everyone says that you are good at everything, then why don''t we gamble," Tang Fan said, then everyone started to whisper, they thought that Tang Fan would suggest a swordfight but he actually suggested that they should gamble, some of them nodded their head in disappointment while others just whispered to themselves as they pointed at Tang Fan. "Tang Fan, are you not even ashamed to make such a suggestion, are you trying to prove that you are just a just a scum while Bohai is not as good at you when it comes to being a fool," Meng Hui said "you¡­" Tang Fan stuttered, then he took in a deep breath to calm himself down and said "we all know that the young master of the wind sect is good at many things but I have never heard that he is also good at gambling so I want to see for myself". Huo Ying laughed silently as she watched the drama, then she said "seems like this Tang Fan is really interesting, he actually chooses something that we are good at" "Since we don''t go out often, we do all sorts of things in the sect for fun and what we do the most is gambling," Huo Qiang said "thanks to the third elder who is a prodigy at gambling, most of the disciples in the flame sect are experts at gambling, seems like we will be having fun today," Bingchen said, while the others just smiled in satisfaction. "since you want to then I will honour your wish, luckily we don''t have to go far, there is a gambling house opposite the restaurant," Bohai said then he left with his disciples, while Tang Fan and his sect disciples followed behind them. "I am definitely not going to miss watching the competition between this two," a man said then almost everyone left the restaurant to watch the game between Lin Bohai including Huo Ying and the guardians. More people from the street also ran into the gambling house to watch the competition. "young mistress what is the plan" Huo Mei asked when they entered the gambling house. "We have to embarrass both parties, and to do that we have to watch how they decide to play first then we decide what to do," Huo Ying said. "So how do we play," Bohai asked Tang Fan "Senior brother, are you really going to play along with this scum," Meng Hui asked as she glared at Tang Fan who smiled at her in return. "don''t worry," Bohai said "you have to select three of your disciples to play with you, while I select three of mine then we play four round" Tang Fan said, if there is anything he is good at it is gambling and drinking so he is very confident that Lin Bohai would never be able to beat him at this game and he will surely make him lose lots of money. "Okay," Bohai said, then he picked Feng shui and two other disciples to play the game with him, while Tang Fan picked three others from his group. For the first round, Bohai sent Feng shui while Tang Fan sent one of his disciples. "I am betting 100 taels of silver in this round" Tang Fan said "I will also bet 100 taels of silver in this round" Bohai said everyone who watched them was not surprised at the amount of money both parties were willing to bet on a game, the wind and the thunder sect are known to be very rich and the ones who were more excited about the game is Huo Ying and the guardians. "seems like we are going to get lots of money from this game," Bingchen said The lady who is in charge of rolling the dice, placed the dice in the cup, then she shook the cup continuously then she finally placed the cup on the table. "I bet on big" Feng Shui said "I bet on small" the disciples form the thunder sect said The lady who rolled the dice removed the cup from the table, then she shouted "BIG!", those who were supporting Bohai shouted to cheer Bohai, Tang Fan clenched his fists tightly, he didn''t expect his disciple to lose but he was sure that he was going to win the first round but now that Bohai lost, he will have to give Bohai a hundred taels of silver. "for the second round, I will bet another hundred taels of silver" Tang Fan said "I will bet two hundred taels of silver" Bohai said then he smiled confidently, Tang Fan felt inferior to Bohai now that Bohai as betting more money than he did. The lady rolled the dice again in the cup then she placed it on the table. "I bet on big," another disciple from the thunder sect said "I bet on small" another disciple from the wind sect said The lady uncovered the dice then she announced the result "Big!!" the lady shouted. Bohai frowned his face in discontentment while Tang Fan laughed to mock Bohai, then he said "seems like you are unlucky this time around", instead of replying him, Bohai just ignored him while Meng Hui glared at him angrily. "I will bet four hundred taels of silver on this round" Tang Fan said "I will bet five hundred taels of silver on this round" Bohai said The lady rolled the dice again then she placed it on the table. "I bet on small" the player from the wind sect said "I bet on small" the player from the thunder sect said The lady uncovered the dice then she shouted "Small!" Everyone cheered again because Bohai won, they were disappointed when he lost the last round but now that he had won this round, they were excited. "seems like it is now our turn," Tang Fan said, then he moved to the player seat while Bohai did the same. "I will bet 1000 taels of silver" Bohai said "I will also bet 1000 taels of silver" Tang Fan said then he smiled mischievously at Bohai then he winked at Meng Hui who looked away from him. The lady shook the cup more vigorously than she did before, everyone was anxious to know the outcome of this round since the main people involved were now competing. Tang Fan was confident that he is going to win this round, he had never depended on luck alone when he gambled but he always listened to the sound coming from the cup, the lady stopped shaking the cup then she placed it on the table. Tang Fan etched a crooked smile on his lips then he said "I bet on small" "I bet on big" Bohai said, unlike Tang Fan, Bohai has always depended on luck and it has always worked for him even though he has only gambled with those who are close to him. The lady removed the cup from the table then she shouted "SMALL!". Those who were supporting Bohai had already turned to Tang Fan, they cheered loudly as they shouted his name. Bohai clenched his fist, he wanted to punch Tang Fan at that moment, he hated that arrogant look that Tang Fan now had on his face. "young mistress isn''t this the moment where we enter the show," Huo Mei said "Of course it is, now that Bohai has lost such amount of money, he would wish he had another chance to reclaim what he had lost while Tang Fan would want to suck him dry, so now all we have to do is to compete with the both of them and we have to place a high bet, then that way we will make sure both sides lose," Huo Ying said "young mistress your plan is so perfect, our sect is in need of money now, this is indeed a good opportunity," Huo Mei said "the both of you are so sinister but I like that plan of yours, let me play," Bingchen said "No, you can''t, we are not just going to make them lose a lot of money, we also have to hurt their pride," Huo Ying said "young mistress what do you mean, how can we hurt their pride," Huo Quang asked, then they gave her a confused look. "They are both males both if a female is to beat them at gambling and also make them lose a lot of money, how do you think they would feel and if the rumour spreads it won''t be good for them," Huo Ying said "then let me go, young mistress, you and Huo Lian are dressed as males but I am not," Huo Mei said "I knew that you were so cruel but I never knew that you were capable of devising such plan," Huo Bingchen said, then they all moved to the gambling, both parties were already ready to leave the gambling house. "I would like to compete with the both of you," Huo Ying said as she reached the gambling table. Everyone suddenly focused their eyes on the five of them as they walked to the front. "Who are you," Tang Fan said "I don''t think there is any reason to introduce myself," Huo Ying said "if you don''t want to then it is fine," Bohai said when he noticed that Tang Fan was about to act rashly. "I would like us to play a round, I will be betting ten thousand taels of silver on this round" Huo Ying said, everyone in the hall was shocked when they heard that she would be betting such large amount of money. "Are you sure you want to bet such amount of money" Tang Fan asked, he was also shocked that this strange person with no name is willing to bet such amount of money, he looked at their dressing and he noticed that they were dressed exquisitely and there is only one girl among them. "I am willing to" Huo Ying replied Bohai felt tempted to participate in the game, he was desperate to recover his money back from Tang Fan so he agreed. "then I will bet five thousand taels of silver" Bohai said "I will also bet five thousand taels of silver, don''t fuss over it when you lose," Tang Fan said. "Senior brother, are you sure that this person doesn''t have a trick, if he is willing to bet such large amount of money then he must be sure that he is going to win, I suggest that you don''t participate" Meng Hui whispered to Bohai "don''t worry, he doesn''t seem like someone who is influential," Bohai said. "Are you all ready?" The lady asked. Chapter 48 - Sinister Plan 2 "My servant Shi Ruo will be playing this round," Huo Ying said, then Huo Mei walked to the front, everyone was stunned that the young man who decided to bet ten thousand taels of silver is sending a girl to play on his behalf, they all mocked Huo Ying but she and the guardians still maintained a confident look. "Are you joking with us, you are actually sending a girl to play," Tang Fan said, he was already confident that he is going to win the moment he saw Huo Mei walk to the front.?? "I will play this round myself," Bohai said "I will also play this round myself, I will surely not lose to a girl" Tang Fan. Huo Mei smirked and said "let''s speak with our ability" The lady shook the cup vigorously again, this time she shook it very fast, Tang Fan erected his ear to listen to the sound of the dice. The lady dropped the cup on the table then she asked to pick their bet. "Why don''t you guys pick first," Huo Mei said "you are a female you should pick first," Bohai said "Okay then, I will bet on big" Huo Mei said "I will bet on small" Tang Fan said "I will also bet on small" Bohai said Then the lady uncovered the dice and she shouted "Big!!", everyone we shocked that she actually won the bet. "It is definitely small," Tang Fan said "Are you saying that I cheated," Huo Mei said "Guys, there is no way anyone can cheat, even I don''t have control on the outcome of the dice," the lady said, then she gave the bank bills to Huo Mei. "young master" Huo Mei said as she handed the bank bills to Huo Ying. "since the game has finished, we will take our leave," Huo Ying said then she and the guardians left the gambling house. "that Tang San depends on the sound of the dice to win the bet while we alter the sound of the dice," Huo Ying said "they must be so devastated," Huo Bingchen said, then suddenly Tang Fan appeared out of nowhere and grabbed Huo Ying''s arm, everyone also gathered around to watch what he was going to do, Bohai also joined Tang Fan to stop Huo Ying from leaving with the bank bills. "what do you think you are doing," Huo Ying said to Tang Fan "You just tricked us, give us back the bank bills," Tang Fan said, Huo Ying scoffed then she brushed his hand away from her arm. "I won the game in a fair and just way, if you want to collect the bank bills then take it from me," Huo Ying said then she walked away with the guardians, Tang Fan became infuriated then he plunged into the air then he flew towards Huo Ying with a deadly blow but Huo Bingchen quickly turned back and held his fist and gave him a kick in his abdomen which sent him flying. Everyone became curious to know who this strange person was but the girls had already started drooling over him. When Huo Ying reached a place where a circus show was going on, she joined the crowd to watch the show with the guardians, then Bohai came to her and asked her that he would like to speak with her, so she came out of the crowd. "would you please tell me which sect or family you belong to," Bohai said "I remember saying that I do not wish to disclose my identity" Huo Ying said. "Senior brother, why are you even bothering with this nobody," Meng Hui said, then Huo Mei was about to attack her but Huo Ying signalled her to stop, then she walked away from him, just then one of the circus members brought out fire from his mouth. Feng Shui and two other disciples who entered the cave Huo Lan was kept in last year started screaming in pain, Huo Ying and the guardians stopped then they returned to the scene to see why the disciples were screaming. Bohai started channelling his Qi into their body but it still didn''t stop them from screaming, a large phoenix symbol appeared on the hand as the pain became worse. "young mistress, look at that" Huo Qiang said as he pointed to Feng Shui''s hand, they all fixed their gaze on his hand then they noticed the phoenix symbol. "did they try to dispel Huo Lan power" Huo Qiang said as she looked at the symbol with shock written on their face. "They must have tried to remove her power, the sect leader told us that the first time someone tried to remove the power of someone from the flame sect they didn''t succeed but instead their hand got burned and the phoenix symbol will appear on the hand every time they see fire," Huo Bingchen said. Tears trickled down her face as she watched the disciples cry out in pain, she just wished that she could just use the flame of torture on them all but she remembered her promise to her father, just then amidst the pain Feng Shui was feeling, he lifted his head then he saw the look on Huo Ying and the guardians face, they looked angry and she was also crying, he realized that the guy who had just gambled with them resembled the girl in the cave but he couldn''t say anything because of the pain. Huo Ying walked away in anger while the guardian followed her, Bohai and the other disciples who were not affected carried the disciples away then they went back to the sect, after a while, they stopped feeling the pain. ----------------------- Huo Ying and the guardians returned to the sect, then they called the elders and to the sect leaders chambers, they all sat around the large table in the sect leaders study room. "young mistress why did you call us here," the first elder said, even the sect leader and his wife were also present in the room but they didn''t know why she and the guardians looked angry. "I and the guardians left the sect a while ago, then we met the disciples of the wind and the thunder sect including the sons of the sect leaders of both sect," Huo Ying said. "did you do anything rash," the sect leader said, from his look, it was obvious that he was scared that she might have done something that might bring trouble to the sect, even the elders were also hoping that she hadn''t done something bad. "the young mistress didn''t do anything, we just found out something forms our outing," Huo Bingchen said "then what did you find out," the sect leader asked "a member of a circus group was performing then he brought out fire from his mouth, at that moment, three disciples of the wind sect started screaming in pain, they also had the phoenix symbol on their hand but it wasn''t there before the fire," Huo Ying said, the elders, the sect leader and his wife opened their eyes in shock, they knew what it meant and they were shocked the wind sect did such a thing to Huo Lan. The sect leader slammed his fist on the table then he said "they must be suffering from her flames because they tried to dispel her power" "We can''t just be still and watch them make Huo Lan suffer, we have to do something about it," Huo Ying''s mother said Chapter 49 - Huo Ying!!!! 1 The sect leader''s wife bit her lips in anger, the first time she felt this helpless was when she had to give up Huo Lan for the safety of the sect, she clenched her fist so tight that her fingers pricked her palm and blood sipped slowly out of her palm, at the moment, the agony she felt was what every mother would feel, she wished that she wasn''t the sect leader wife and she didn''t have the responsibility of protecting the sect, she just wanted to be an ordinary mother who is tasked with the responsibility of protecting her child. Tears had already clouded her sight but she fought them back then she took in a deep breath, she didn''t want herself to look weak in front of them. "We have already conceded up to this point but they dared to harm her, the pain of having your spiritual power dispelled is unimaginable and no one from the flame sect has ever had their power dispelled, the first time someone tried it they didn''t succeed but the pain the victim will feel during the process will be unimaginable," the third elder said with a concerned expression, even the other elders felt the same way. Even though they wanted to be in control of the sect, the elders still thought that as long as Huo Lan belongs to their sect and she is the young mistress of the sect, such actions are a disrespect to their sect.?? "They know that she is powerful but only we can understand the extent of her power, so they want to remove her power because if they return her to us then she would surely be a huge threat to them," Huo Qiang said. "in this situation, we are helpless, there are only two ways for us to bring her back from the wind sect is to wait for two years then is she pass the test she will be able to return back to where she belongs and the other way is that we should go against the emperor but this way would cause an uproar in the court and in the jianghu world," The sect leader said, in his voice, the helplessness and agony he felt was clearly visible but he still tried to remain calm, a part of him really wanted to storm into the wind sect at that moment and bring out his daughter from there but another part of him knew the responsibilities he carries so he couldn''t do anything at that moment. "Sect leader, we are all aware of the sacrifice you and madam have made for the peace and the safety that we enjoy today but if you take such rash actions now, it would bring about great consequences, if Huo Lan cannot even live in the flame sect in peace and happiness then what is the use of bringing her back. Moreover, you and the other sect leaders are al from the royal family so if you go against the emperor order, it will be seen as an act of treason" the third elder said. Everyone wanted Huo Lan to be brought back at that instant when they heard the news of them trying to dispel her powers but they knew thee consequences of doing that. Huo Ying just sat among them without saying anything, in her mind she was thinking about different things as she listened to the others speak, she knew that what the elder said was true but she just couldn''t drop the idea of taking her away by force, at that moment, the anger she felt was just too much for her to bear. She felt like she was about to spit out blood, the more she tried to suppress her anger to prevent the elders from finding out that she becomes like her sister whenever she is angry. She clenched her fist tightly underneath the table to prevent them from noticing what was happening to her, she tried to maintain a normal expression on her face but she couldn''t anymore, the pain she felt because she was stopping herself from changing was too much. "We all know that every one of them is underestimating her power, but they still know that she is very powerful so they shouldn''t be so stupid to dispel her powers knowing that even the flame power of an ordinary sect disciple cannot be dispelled not to talk of a child as powerful as her, I think they must have been confident that they could dispel her powers," the second elder said, then they all started thinking about what he had just said, he indeed has a point, no one has ever succeeded in the past and for a long time no one has ever tried it but they actually dared to try it on Huo Lan, they must have been confident¡­. They thought... "The second elder is indeed right, they must have found a way but they didn''t succeed when they tried to dispel her powers or else their disciples won''t be feeling the pain from her flames, we need to find out what their method is or else we would be threatened later, Huo Lan is very powerful so they didn''t succeed but that doesn''t mean that they cannot succeed on the other disciples," The sect leader said "that is indeed true," The third elder said, Huo Ying still remained silent because of her trying to stop herself from changing, she realised that It was impossible for her to hold it for longer so she stood up and said "Father I would like to leave, I am not feeling well", they all looked at her, she was clearly fine a while ago but they just suddenly realised that ever since she told them what happened she hadn''t said anything else which is definitely not something she would do. She was just about to leave her seat when Huo Mei held her hand, then they all noticed how pale she looked, at that moment she couldn''t hold it anymore, she immediately spat out dark red coloured blood. They all stood up in a panic when she vomited blood, they didn''t know what had happened to her, then she vomited blood again this time it was more than she vomited the first time, then she slumped but Huo Mei quickly caught her before she landed on the floor. "Take her back to her room and examine her immediately" The sect leader''s wife shouted immediately, then Huo Mei quickly carried Huo Ying on her back and rushed to her room, before they reached her room she had already fainted, the dark red blood she vomited was smeared on her lips and it also dyed her already red cloth, her face had already become pale and white as a sheet of paper. As Huo Mei hurried back to Huo Ying''s room with the elders, the guardians and her parent following behind Huo Mei, some disciples saw them. They were shocked at the sight of Huo Ying lying on Huo Mei''s back with blood on her clothing and on her lips. Huo Mei quickly kicked the door to her room open without even waiting for someone to open it for her, then she laid Huo Ying on the bed. They all stayed outside the room except for Huo Qiang, Huo Lian, Huo Mei and her parents. They didn''t have any need to summon a doctor to treat her since the guardians are well versed in medicine and Huo Mei can be considered as a medicine prodigy. If there is anything wrong with Huo Ying then they wouldn''t want the elders to know about it so they let them stay outside her room. Huo Mei laid her index finger and her third finger on Huo Ying''s wrist to take her pulse, from her facial expression, they knew that something bad must have happened to Huo Ying without them realizing it. "Why are you looking like that, is it something serious," the sect leader''s wife said with worry written all over her face as she rubbed her palms together, the others were also anxious to hear what was wrong with Huo Ying. "She must have been extremely angered when she saw that disciple with the phoenix mark but she stopped herself from changing which caused her blood to flow in reverse and her meridians are blocked as a result, if she doesn''t get treated immediately and remains unconscious for a long time she might die," Huo Mei said, as soon as they heard that she might die, they all had a frightened expression on her face, they knew that it was because of her promise to them that she didn''t satisfy her anger and because of that she had put her own life in danger. "then what do you need to treat her," The sect leader asked anxiously, without even waiting for Huo Mei to reply the other two shouted "Wu Ling Zhi and Chuan Liang Zi herbs!!". "Both the last time I checked they were not available in the storage, we haven''t had any use for herbs lately so I just ignored it and both herbs are extremely rare, it will be very hard to find any at this time," Huo Mei said, the sect leader and his wife got uneasy immediate;y they heard what Huo Mei said, they wanted to shout at her and punish her for neglecting her duties but now was not the time to do that. "I will punish you later but right now Huo Qiang go with Bingchen, and find those two herbs if anything happens to Huo Ying the three of you will wish you were dead" the sect leader shouted while his wife just stood there looking at her daughter''s life slowly seeping away from her body, when she couldn''t take it anymore she lost strength in her leg then she slumped but the sect leader quickly supported her to stop her from falling. Huo Qiang quickly ran out of the room then he told Huo Bingchen what they needed to do then the both of them ran out of the sect. "don''t worry, she will be fine, I will never let anything happen to her," the sect leader said to his wife, who had already started sobbing, her heart had already been broken to an extent that she could no longer put on a strong appearance in of them, as tears welled down her face, she kept on looking at Huo Ying who just laid on the bed motionlessly. "what are you still doing here, are you going to wait for them to bring the herbs without doing anything to keep her alive," the sect leader said with an angry face, the tone in which he spoke was very scary, they had never seen him that angry. Even the elders who were still standing outside felt the anger in his voice when he shouted, they heard never sensed such anger in his voice since he became the sect leader, then they realised that whatever happened to Huo Ying must be serious than they think it is. Huo Mei and Huo Lian quickly ran outside the room to prepare some herbs that could stabilise her till Huo Qiang returned. The sect leader held Huo Ying up in a sitting position then he sat behind her, he twisted his palms and then with a strong force he hit Huo Ying back, she then vomited a large chunk of coagulated blood with a dark red colour, seeing the blood she had just vomited, her mother legs became weak once again as she broke down in tears then she quickly supported herself by holding on to one of the pillars that held Huo Ying bed in place, at this moment she wasn''t herself anymore, she covered her mouth and started sobbing, her daughter had never been like this since when she was born. The sect leader continued to channel his Qi into her body in order to force her to throw up the coagulated blood in her body. As the sect leader increase his force, she started sweating profusely. She still hadn''t regained her consciousness but her body started shaking profusely like someone who is having a nightmare, then she vomited another chink of coagulated blood. Chapter 50 - Huo Ying!!! 2 Huo Mei quickly rushed in with Huo Lian holding a tray containing a jade bowl filled with tonic, as they entered the room, they saw the sect leader sweating profusely as he channelled his Qi into Huo Ying''s body and she was also sweating, they suddenly became alarmed when they saw this, although the sect leader was doing the right thing they hadn''t prepared for the side effect of that so before they fully entered the room Huo Mei said to Huo Lian "go back to the kitchen and brew a tonic for her to stop her from overheating", Huo Lian quickly ran back to the kitchen whole Huo Mei rushed to Huo Ying bedside, when the sect leader saw her in the room with the tray, he stopped the Qi transfer then he held her in his arms and collected the bowl of tonic from Huo Mei, then he poured a mouthful of tonic into her mouth but she vomited it back. He removed his handkerchief from his cloth and wiped the tonic from her cloth and mouth. "if she is vomiting it, how is she going to drink it" the sect leader asked Huo Mei.?? "I¡­I will do it" Huo Mei stuttered then she collected the bowl from the medicine, the sect leader stood up then Huo Mei held Huo Ying and raised her chin up, then she poured the tonic into her mouth and raised her chin higher in order to make the tonic go down her throat. The sect leader and his wife were now relived when the saw that she didn''t vomit the tonic. Outside the room, the elders were quite pissed, they had been outside for a long time and they watched the guardians go back and forth but they didn''t know what was going on inside the room, suddenly they saw Huo Lian who was coming back from the kitchen while carrying a tray, the first elder stopped her and said: "what is wrong with the young mistress". Huo Lian frantically answered "the young mistress angry so her blood flowed in reverse and her meridians so she needs the Wu Ling Zhi and the Chuan Liang Zi herbs but they are not available in the sect", then she hurried into the room without even waiting for them to say anything else. After she left, the elders knew that judging from what she had said, the young mistress situation was not so simple, there is no way she would be so angry to the point of death but they still knew that the more they stood there without doing anything Huo Ying life will be in more danger, then they returned to the training ground where they found the elite disciples training, they all bowed when they saw the three elders. "All of you should change out of your sect clothing, go down the mountain and find the Wu Ling Zhi and the Chuan Liang Zi herb immediately, the young mistress life depends on them" the third elder said, when they heard that it concerned the young mistress, they quickly accepted the other and left the sect after changing their cloths. They would have gone faster if they didn''t have to change their cloths but people find out that they are the flame sect disciples and they are looking for herbs, it might cause trouble. Huo Lian quickly passed the bowl of tonic after Huo Mei fed Huo Ying the first bowl of tonic, then she stood back, after she fed Huo Ying both bowls of tonic she laid Huo Ying back on the bed, then she wiped Huo Ying''s forehead with a wet towel. "all we have to do now is to wait for Huo Qiang and Bingchen, as long as they return with the herb, she will be alright" Huo Mei said to calm them down. ...¡­ Huo Bingchen and Huo Qiang run around the streets in search of the herbs but for an hour and thirty minutes now they haven''t found any pharmacy with then herbs, they continued going from street to street without stopping for a second. "do you have these herbs" Huo Qiang asked a physician as he passed the paper with the herb''s names to him but the man nodded his head and passed the paper back to him. "do you know where I can find these herbs," Bingchen asked the man, but the man nodded and said, "these two herbs are very rare and their seasons have passed so most of the pharmacies have sold them out, the only place you can find it is in the vitality sect". Huo Bingchen and Huo Qiang exchanged glances after the man spoke, the Vitality sect is just a minor sect but they had all types of herbs and they had a vast range of medical knowledge, Huo Mei and Huo Lian mother were in the vitality set before they came into the flame sect after she was hunted by the vitality sect after learning medical skills from their secret manuals, since then they have been at odds with the flame sect, so they would definitely not be willing to give them the herbs. They thanked the physician then they left his pharmacy, they were lost now that the only place they could get the herbs from is from the vitality sect, they made their living from selling herbs and all sorts of pills which they grew and cultivated themselves, all rare herbs could be found in their sect because they cultivated them themselves, so they always ask for the identity of the buyer before selling anything to them and they never sold to people without any fame in the court and the jianghu world so there is no way they could just fake their identity. They decided to just try their luck but they also had another problem. "if we have to go to the vitality sect now, Huo Ying will be dead before we return to the sect, without any horse it will take three days to reach the vitality sect," Bingchen said then he hit his fist against his palm. At that moment, they saw about twenty elite disciples on horses, they got down from their disciples and entered the pharmacies along the street. "They must be looking for the herbs too and they have the very thing we need at this moment," Huo Qiang said, then the both of them ran to meet the disciple who was wearing disappointed faces as they mount their horse. when the disciples saw Huo Qiang and Huo Bingchen, they quickly bowed their heads. "drop the formality, I suppose you are also out to look for the herbs," Huo Qiang said "Yes, the elders told us to look for the herbs for the young mistress" Huo Li replied "We already know where to find the herbs but we need horses and we can''t go there together," Huo Qiang said "where and why can''t we go together," Huo Li asked "the vitality sect," Huo Bingchen said "but they would never give us the herbs no matter how much we have to offer" Huo Li replied "We can just take it by force if they won''t give it to us after we have tried everything we can, apart from Huo Li, the rest of you should return to the sect but leave behind two horses" Bingchen commanded, then they all returned leaving behind Huo Li and two horses, Huo Bingchen and Huo Qiang quickly mounted their horses then they rode at high speed to the vitality sect along with Huo Li. ------------------------ The elite disciples returned to the sect then the elders quickly rushed up to them to find out if they have found the herbs, the disciples bowed their head. "did you find the herbs," the third disciples asked anxiously while the other two wore a worried expression. "We met the two guardians who had already gone before us on the way, they told us to return to the sect, they found out that the herbs can be found in the vitality sect so they went with Huo Li to the vitality sect" one of them replied. "the vitality sect you say, they will never give those herbs to us," the first elder said. "We need to report this to the sect leader," the second elder said, then they left the disciples and returned to Huo Ying''s room, they knocked on the door then after the sect leader commanded to enter, they entered inside the room. They were shocked at the sight of the young mistress who has always been full of life lying on the bed motionlessly. "sect leader, we sent some elite disciples to look for the herbs needed but they just came back now," the first elder said, the sect leader was immediately joyful when he heard what the first elder said, he was filled with hope that they had found the herbs. "did they find the herbs," the sect leader asked with hope in his voice, the elders face turned downcast at that moment then he knew that they hadn''t found the herbs. "They didn''t find the herbs but they met the other guardians who told them that they had found a place to get the herbs," the second elder said "where is that" the sect leader''s wife asked "in the vitality sect" the second elder replied, Huo Mei, Huo Lian, the sect leader and his wife were all shocked when they heard that the only place, they could get the herbs from is the Vitality sect. "They will never be willing to give us the herbs and Huo Ying cannot wait for them to return from the vitality sect," Huo Lian said "I think we should trust them, if they didn''t have a way to get the herbs, they wouldn''t have gone there," the first elder said "if the herb can be found in the vitality sect then there is another way to get the herbs," the sect leader''s wife said "what way?" the sect leader asked anxiously "Huo Lian and Huo Mei are capable of cultivating plants since their mother was born in the vitality sect," she said, then everyone fixed their eyes on the twins, but the two of them still had a hopeless look on their faces. "sect leader, we only have the power to cultivate plant but we have never been properly taught, with our skills, it would take us a month to cultivate those herbs even if we join our powers together but Huo Ying cant last that long so we can only wait for Huo Qiang and Bingchen to return," Huo Mei said, then once again they all wore a disappointed expression, Huo Mei wished that her mother had not died during the war between the sects then she would have taught them how to cultivate plants, then Huo Ying life wouldn''t be in danger. "then the both of you should keep trying your best to keep her alive until those two return, that is the only things we can do now if she becomes unstable then I can only stabilise her by channelling my Qi into the body," the sect leader said. "sect leader, you are already exhausted, her condition is very serious which has greatly depleted your vital energy, I and Huo Lian will do the job then if we really need you we will tell you, for now, you and the madam should rest," Huo Mei said, they had already forgotten that Huo Mei is the reason why the herbs were not available so they had been very calm towards her. "Alright, my wife needs rest so I will go for now, you two should take care of her," the sect leader said, if it was any other physician, he would never leave his daughter with them but Huo Ying was the best physician in the capital, the only ones who could surpass her abilities are those from the vitality sect. The sect leader held his wife then he took her out of the room, then the elders left the room after the sect leader. By then, the whole sect was already aware of the young mistress but they didn''t know how serious it was, if they did, there is no way they would be willing to stay in the sect, they would have already rushed out of the sect to get the herbs even if it means attacking the vitality sect or robbing them. Huo Mei and Huo Lian sat by Huo Ying bed, they have never seen her this weak before. Huo Ying is someone who never got angry easily and even if she was angry, she would never change except if she is angry because of her sister. They didn''t understand what was behind her changing but they just knew that it was always related to her sister. They both started crying since everyone had left the room, Huo Mei held Huo Ying hand then she presses it tightly and said "young mistress please wake up, we all need you, we can''t live without you". Chapter 51 - Huo Ying!!! 3 "She will be okay, she has always been strong so there is no way she wouldn''t be able to overcome this" Huo Lian said as she wiped away the tears on her face, if they were the one lying on the bed there is no length that Huo Ying wouldn''t go to in order to save them but they couldn''t do anything for her other than waiting for the herbs which they weren''t sure they could get, Huo Mei cried herself to sleep while Huo Lian was still awake to watch after Huo Ying then she fell asleep after a while. Some minutes after both guardians fell asleep, she started shaking and sweating profusely, she kept on mumbling something. "Huo Lan¡­. Huo Lan" Huo Ying mumbled, the guardians woke up when they realized that there was something off with her. They realized that she4 was sweating profusely then Huo Mei quickly dipped a cloth in a bowl of water, then she squeezed it and used it to dab her forehead in order to wipe away her sweats.?? "What is wrong with her, she wasn''t like this a while ago," Huo Lian asked anxiously "I think she is having a nightmare; this means that she will be gaining consciousness soon," Huo Mei said as she wiped the sweats off Huo Ying''s forehead. She entered a dark cave slowly, she felt like that place seems familiar to her but she just didn''t know where she was, she kept on walking and walking deeper into the cave but there was no one inside the cave. "where am I," Huo Ying said in her dream, she wanted to leave the cave but she couldn''t, she felt like there is a force that keeps moving her forward that she couldn''t resist. "is anyone here, Huo Mei, Huo Lian, Huo Qiang!!!" Huo Ying shouted, she didn''t feel afraid but she was wondering why the guardians weren''t with her when they always followed her around and she didn''t even know how she got there, then suddenly she saw someone, a young girl with red hair and red eyeballs smiled at her from afar, the girl also resembled her, everything about them was the same apart from the red hair and eyeball, they were completely identical. The girl from afar smiled at her and kept waving at her, she was more than happy to see her, Huo Ying couldn''t believe what she was seeing, her sister was smiling at her and waving at her, she just couldn''t believe it. "Am I dreaming, Sister is that you?" Huo Ying asked as she slowly walked closer to the girl standing in front of her, tears of joy welled down her face. How could she not get emotional when she was seeing her sister for the first time in eleven years, the sister she has always missed every day and night but she couldn''t see or touch. Right now, she didn''t care if this was a dream, as long as she could see her sister, she couldn''t care much right now. She ran towards her sister and held her hand. "sister is it really you," Huo Ying asked, the tears just couldn''t stop, she was just too happy to laugh "silly girl, I am the one, I have missed you so much," Huo Lan said, then she placed her hands on Huo Ying''s cheek and wiped her tears. "you don''t know how much I have missed you; I am sorry for being so useless, I can''t even bring you away from there all this while," Huo Ying said, she held Huo Lan hand even tighter after she cleaned her tears. "I know, you don''t have to blame yourself, I know that you have been doing your best" Huo Lan said "Sister, let''s go home now, don''t stay here anymore, I don''t care about the consequences of bringing you away just come with me," Huo Ying said "I can''t, you all need to wait for me, one day I will come back to you all and we will be together once again," Huo Lan said, Huo Ying started crying once again, she shook her head profusely, she just couldn''t let Huo Lan go, she had just seen her for the first time and they have to separate again. "you have to go back now," Huo Lan said, tears had already started falling from her eyes. "No, I am not going to leave you here let''s go together," Huo Ying said, then Huo Lan pulled her to her chest and hug her tightly, Huo Ying also wrapped her hand around Huo Lan, she has never had the chance to feel her sister''s warmth for eleven years. She closed her eyes and tightened her grip on Huo Lan then the tears found their way to Huo Lan''s cloth, then suddenly Huo Lan started to disappear little by little from her grip, Huo Ying opened her eyes, she felt her sister slowly vanishing her grasps, she widened her eyes and extended her hands to hold Huo Lan''s hand before she fully disappeared but she couldn''t, she had completely disappeared. She became devastated, she just kept on shaking her head profusely, then she fell on her knees and shouted "NO!!!!". She cried aloud hoping that she would come back, the heartache she felt was just too much for her to bear, she felt like her chest was too stuffed and suffocating so she just kept on hitting her chest as she cried loudly while kneeling on the ground. "Huo Lan!!" she shouted loudly as she clutched her cloth, then all of a sudden she found herself in another part of the cave, she kept on hearing someone screaming and the voice seemed like a girl''s voice so she just followed the direction where the screaming was coming from, she just kept on walking and walking. ...... "she just shouted Huo Lan now, didn''t she," Huo Mei said to Huo Lian, whenever she wiped the sweat on Huo Ying''s forehead after some seconds the sweats appeared again, they were now worried about her condition. "I think she is dreaming about Huo Mei, I just hope she will gain the will to live through her sister" Huo Lian said with concern on her face. "one thing I am sure of is that her sister is the cause of her condition, know that she hasn''t seen her sister for eleven years but their bond is just too abnormal, I have never seen such love between sisters," Huo Mei said "We are also a twin but we are nothing like them," Huo Lian said then she sighed. "I am very certain that there is more to the both of them," Huo Mei said, then she breathe in a sigh of relief when she stopped sweating. ...¡­ As she walked deeper into the cave, she suddenly saw the figure of a young girl who is chained, the place she was chained in was very large and there seemed to be everything that she needed inside the cave for her. Then another young girl walked into the room and removed the chains from her hand and feet, the other girl helped the girl who was chained to eat and take her bath, then he changed into another set of cloth then she returned to where she was chained and started meditating. Huo Ying smiled when she saw her sister happily chatting with the other girl, she was happy that her sister was living happily and she had something to talk to. Then the scenes changed, suddenly her sister was chained again and three masked people entered the room and they started dispelling her sister''s martial art, she heard her sister screaming in pain then she wanted to rush over to where her sister was o help her but she couldn''t move, she was horrified at the sight of her sister screaming in pain, she kept on trying to move her feet but it wouldn''t budge. "Huo Lan!!" she shouted, then she gasped and opened her eyes. They were surprised that Huo Ying had already woken up. "young mistress, you are awake," Huo Mei said as she held Huo Ying''s hand but all of a sudden, she burst out in tears, they were all taken aback by her actions. "Young mistress, what is wrong," Huo Lian asked, she wanted o stand up but she felt too weak to sit up then Huo Mei helped her to sit up on the bed. "Huo Lan¡­she¡­she" Huo Ying stuttered amidst her tears. Huo Mei used her hand to wipe away the tears on her face, then she placed her hands on her shoulder. "Huo Ying it is alright, look at me and tell me what happened," Huo Mei said, as she looked at Huo Ying with a sad expression on her face. Although they always called her young mistress, she had always wanted them to call her by her name since they all grew up together. "I saw her¡­then¡­then she just disappeared" she stuttered, then she sniffed her nose and continued "she...she was smiling before but some people were trying to dispel her powers and¡­and she was screaming in pain but I couldn''t help her". "It was just a nightmare, it''s alright," Huo Ying Mei said then she hugged her. "she was in a lot of pain but I couldn''t do anything to help her," Huo Ying said as she cried while Huo Mei hugged her, Huo Mei released her then Huo Ying stopped crying then she wiped the tears on her face. "Why did you have to hold it in without telling us, you should have left before it got worse, unless Huo Qiang returns with the herbs you need, the worse might happen," Huo Lian said to her. "Am I going to die?" Huo Ying asked "don''t say such things, you are not going to die, trust them," Huo Mei said, then she laid her to sleep. ...¡­. It was already midnight but they were still riding at a very high speed, with their horse-riding expertise, they were very confident that they could reach the vitality sect within three days. "We have to keep riding without stopping, we need to reach there within two days not three days anymore," Huo Bingchen said, then he whipped his horse to increase his speed. "Alright" Huo Qiang and Huo Li chorused "But we don''t have any plan to get the herbs," Huo Li said "We absolutely can''t ask them for it, we have to steal it," Bingchen said, then he whipped his horse again while the others did the same to catch up with him. Chapter 52 - Huo Ying!!!! 4 The next morning, the elders and her parent came into her room to see how she was doing and they were happy to see that she was now conscious, this gave them hope that she would be able to survive her condition. "My daughter!" her mother said then she sat on the bed and hugged her with happiness written on her face, she smiled very broadly then she held her hand and stroked her hair.?? "don''t worry, you will be alright," her mother said, this was the first time they had seen her mother like that, she had always been a strong woman but right now she was just a mother and nothing else, Huo Ying tried her best to put on a very happy front for the sake of her mother but the best she could do was to smile. "Are you feeling any pain," the sect leader asked, he waited for his wife to talk to her first before he spoke, he too was happy that she was at least conscious since that would make it easier to her condition to be stabilised as long it can. "I am fine father, don''t worry about me," She said with a slight smile since that was the best she could do in that state. "young mistress, we are very happy to see you conscious, this way it would be easier for you to hold out before they return with the herb you need" the third elder said, the other two elders just kept on smiling, they were on really on good terms with her for them to show their concern to her, so they just kept it to themselves. She looked at them, then when she saw the expression they wore on their faces, she realised that they cared for her and they were also worried about her, for the first time she felt that these two elders are still part of the sect in one way or the other. "sect leader, I need to go and prepare her tonic," Huo Mei said then she left the room with Huo Mei, the elders too left the room after they did, they all knew that the parent needed their private time with Huo Ying. "Mother, I am really sorry for causing you to worry," Huo Ying said with a weak voice, although she had woken up her face still remained as it was the day before, she still looked very weak and her face was just pale looking. "No, you did it because of your promise to your father and we are very proud of you, if you hadn''t held it in the consequences would have been very bad, but you should have told us earlier that way you wouldn''t have been injured to this extent," her mother said "I didn''t want you to worry and I never knew that it would be this bad, I really don''t know what is wrong with him but this is the third time it is happening, I become like my sister every time I get angry because of her," Huo Ying said, form her voice, it seemed like she was about to cry but she was holding it back. "just know that you will be alright," her mother said, they didn''t want her to know about her sister having the heart of the flame demon and her being affected by it for a reason they didn''t know anything about. They found out about her sister when her father went to the beast dungeon, he was also the first person to go there and come out alive after Huo Lan but no one knew about it except his wife, the beast didn''t attack him because he knew that he was Huo Lan''s father so he just told him about her having the heart of the flame demon. ....... Changlin woke him with a very serious headache, he held his head in his hand because of the headache then he winced, he checked his surrounding then he realized that he was inside a carriage. What is happening, I... I only remember drinking in the blossom valley¡­... He thought! He opened the carriage window then he realized that the place looked familiar. "isn''t this the way to the palace," He said, then he winced in pain again, Xi Feng heard him talking then he realized that he must have woken up, he stopped the carriage then he came down from the horse and walked to the window. "you¡­you what am I doing here," Changlin asked with a confused look on his face, Xi Feng smiled and replied "your highness, I was asked to send you back to the palace" "what do you mean by that, I was clearly at the blossom valley a moment ago," Changlin said "it has been a day and a half now since we left the blossom valley, the fourth prince ordered me to send you back to the palace after you got drunk" Xi Feng replied "There is no way I would be asleep for a whole day and a half just because I was just, did you guys use knockout drugs on me," Changlin asked with an angry expression, even though he wasn''t as good as them when it comes to drinking, there is no way he would have slept for even ten hours just because he was drunk and the last trick Li Ruansong played on him the last time he sent him back to the palace without his permission was using a knockout drug but he had completely let his guard down this time even though he promised not to let his guard down this time around but he was tempted by the wine so he had forgotten what happened last time. "it was his highness command," Xi Feng said "I don''t care, just take me back to the blossom valley right now!!" Changlin said, then he suddenly felt dizzy. "Your highness, you have not fully recovered from the knockout drug, we are almost at the palace now so if you decide to go back by yourself, you will still collapse on the street," Xi Feng said "You¡­You..." Changlin said, then he wanted to leave the carriage but he fell back because of the dizziness and headache from the alcohol. After a while, they arrived at the palace, after the soldiers guarding the entrance confirmed that it was the seventh prince that was in the carriage, they let him in. They arrived at the entrance of Changlin''s palace then Xi Feng carried him into his palace without letting anyone see them. When they reached the entrance of his chamber, his servants carried back into the room. Then his main attendant came out of the room. "Who are you and why are you with his highness," the main attendant said. "Who are you," Xi Feng asked back. "I am Si Ye but why did you ask me a question when I asked you first," the attendant said, somehow Xi Feng had a way of confusing people, the attendant didn''t even know when he answered his question. "I am guessing you are his trusted attendant then, you seem like you don''t know any martial art" Xi Feng said as he rolled his eyes over the attendant body. "Yes but what is your business with that and why haven''t you answered my question, the prince disappeared some days ago and you just returned with him alone and he is not himself" attendant Si said angrily, he was frustrated that he has been the one answering questions instead of Xi Feng who is a stranger. "Just feed him some hungover soup, he is drunk as for where he went ask him when he is alright," Xi Feng said. "you¡­you" attendant Si was about to complete his sentence but before he could Xi Feng had already disappeared. ------------------ "your majesty, your majesty" an attendant called out as she entered into the imperial consort''s room. "what is it, attendant Xu," the imperial consort said, she was embroidering on a piece of cloth but she pricked her finger because of the attendant. "your majesty, there is news from the seventh prince place that the seventh prince is back," the attendant said smiling. "is that true" the imperial consort said, then she put aside the cloth she was embroidering and stood up. "Yes, your majesty," the attendant said, then the both of them left the room, after they exited the room, a trail of servants followed behind them. She didn''t even wait for his servant to announce her presence before she entered the seventh prince room. Chapter 53 - Huo Ying!!!! 4 The seventh prince stood up to greet his mother but he felt like he has used up all his energy in arguing with Xi Feng, he could only slump back on his bed, the imperial consort quickly hurried to his bedside and sat down beside him. "Your highness, why didn''t you inform me before you left, you just disappeared without a trace leaving me worried," the imperial consort said as she held his hands in between hers, he let out a fake smiled and said "mother, I know I am wrong but can you stop overreacting, I have grown up now and I can protect myself, look at how they are all looking at us," Changlin said then he looked in the direction of his attendants and the attendants that followed the imperial consort to his palace, then the imperial consort followed his gaze. The servants were all looking at them awkwardly, they have seen this scene many times but they can''t just stop reacting to it, among all the princes in the palace the only prince who is always pampered by his mother is the seventh prince even though he wasn''t a weak prince.?? "What are you all looking at?" the imperial consort snapped then they closed the door to his chamber and took ten steps back, she looked away from the entrance and focused her attention on the seventh prince again. "Mother, you don''t have to be worried after all there is only one place I would go to if I leave the palace," Changlin said, he has been embarrassed because of his mother several times and he has also her to stop being overprotective but she just wouldn''t stop, before he reached the age of sixteen, his mother always had a large group of guards follow him but he always found ways to escape from them so she stopped. "of course, the only place you would go to is the blossom valley but you know how the palace is, the fourth prince has already dissociated himself from the court but if they find out that you have been to the blossom valley, they won''t take it for a normal visit, they would think that the fourth prince wants to come back to the court," the imperial consort said with worry written on her face, she loved the fourth prince as much as she loves her own son but she knew that the both of them will be put into a difficult position if he goes to the blossom valley, she has always been overprotective of him in order to make others view him as a weak prince so that they won''t consider him as a rival but he was unwilling to live his life the way she had planned it for him. "Mother, I know that you are doing all this for the good of my brother and I but my brother and I can''t live in hiding forever, even if he is in the blossom valley now I am very sure that he is aware that he can''t be there forever very soon he would have to return to the palace and there is nothing wrong with him returning, this is where he belongs," Changlin said. "but¡­" she suddenly stopped when she saw him wincing in pain as he held his head in his hand, she looked at him with deep worry. "what is wrong, Changlin," she said as she stretched her hand to touch his forehead but he held her hand and brought it down gently. "fourth brother made me drunk then he used knockout drug on me and as a result, I am still suffering from hungover, after a while I will be okay," Changlin said, then he called Si Ye into the room to pour him water. Si Ye poured the water into a jade cup and gave it to him; he hurriedly poured the water down his throat and then he dropped the cup on the tray Si Ye was holding in his hand. He signalled Si Ye to leave the room with his hand then his mother gave him a look he recognised, she seemed to be saying that he deserved what he got. "Mother, why do you look like you are happy with what the fourth prince did to me the" Changlin said with a look that seemed like he was going to throw a tantrum at any time, the imperial consort couldn''t help but smile broadly when she saw the look on his face. "your fourth brother must have done that for your own good, if he didn''t would you have returned to the palace this early, the last time you stayed there over a month then everyone found out that you went to the blossom valley, if he hadn''t drugged you the last time, you wouldn''t have returned to I didn''t send someone to bring you back because I knew that he was going to send you back," she said, then she smiled playfully. "Mother, I was expecting you to be on my side on this matter but you are actually justifying his actions, last time he drugged me you looked like you were going to rebuke him the moment you see him now that I remember, you must have been putting on an act," Changlin said then he outed his lips, looking at his reaction, she held her large sleeves with her right hand and used her left hand to slightly cover her mouth as she laughed at his childishness, even though he keeps saying that he is no longer a child, he has always acted as a child whenever he was angry. "Mother, stop laughing at me," He said then he lied down on the bed aggressively and turned his face away from his mother who couldn''t bring herself to stop laughing. "Alright, I will leave now," she said then she stood up and left the room when the servants outside the room saw her smiling as she left the room they already knew that their conversation must have ended with the prince being angry at the imperial consort since that was mostly the result of their conversations. As soon as the imperial consort left the prince palace with a trail of servants behind her, she met with the imperial noble consort who also had a trail of servants behind her. She quickly got rid of the happy expression on her face then she put on a fake smile as they always do. The imperial noble consort smiled slyly when she saw the imperial consort, she was happy that she looked better than the imperial consort looked that day. She flapped her sleeve and smoothened her long flowing orange skirt with flower petals embroidered on it then she folded her fingers on top each other and walked gracefully towards the imperial consort, When they both came close to each other, the imperial consort bent her knee slightly and bowed her head while the imperial noble consort just looked at her arrogantly, when the imperial stood at ease, the imperial noble consort cocked her eyebrow and accompanied it with a smirk. "imperial consort, it has been a while since I saw you, you must have been busy to not even attend the gathering of the women in the palace," the imperial noble consort said, the imperial consort knew that she would definitely find trouble with her before she let her go, she smiled awkwardly then she replied "replying your majesty, I wasn''t aware of the gathering since I have been busy so I have stayed indoors lately", she hoped that the imperial noble consort will just let her go without probing the issue further but she knew that that wouldn''t be the case. "From what I know, his majesty hasn''t called you to serve him for a long time so I wonder what you were busy with," the imperial noble consort said. Finally, she had gotten straight to the point When the imperial consort first entered the palace, the emperor was attracted to her to the point of discarding the other women in the palace, ever since the death of the fourth prince mother the emperor has never loved any woman and he didn''t give them any attention, he only spent the first night with them for the sake of bearing offspring for the royal family. So, they were all angry that an ordinary woman from an ordinary background was able to get the emperor attention when they couldn''t get for so long, then after the king promoted her to the position of a concubine to an imperial consort. This has always made the imperial noble consort jealous and she felt that the imperial consort was a threat to her position seeing how fast she was promoted. "Your majesty is right, I have not been serving by his majesty side, but I have been busy with embroidering that I forgot about other matter, may your majesty forgive me for my forgetfulness," the imperial consort said then she bowed her head slightly, the imperial noble consort was very satisfied with the result she got elevated her chin and arched an arrogant smile on her lips. "it is good that you know your fault, next time don''t repeat the same mistake, you should know your place in the palace," the imperial noble consort said then she walked past the imperial consort whose head was still bowed, seeing that the imperial noble consort had already walked away, she raised her head then she breathes in a sigh of relief. She had always made sure that she doesn''t get involved in the internal affairs of the palace even though she is the fourth-ranked woman in the palace, she didn''t go to the gathering even though she was aware of it because she hated the fake attitude and smiles that they always put on in each other presence. Then she walked back to her palace. ------------------------------ Huo Ying still lied down on her bed, this was already the second and she hadn''t gotten the herbs yet, she felt her strength slowly dissipating that she couldn''t even speak as much as she did when she first woke up. Her lips were now dry and her face became as pale as snowdrift in a frost, she only wore a white inner and outer garment, and her long black neatly displayed on the pillow. This time she wasn''t feeling any pain but she could feel that her temperature was slowly rising, even though the room was well ventilated. She didn''t have any appetite to eat so Huo Mei and Huo Lian only fed her porridge so that she can retain her strength but she still ate it with difficulty, she felt like she was slowly dying but she didn''t want them to be worried. Huo Mei came into the room with another bowl of porridge, then she helped her to sit and rest her back on the pillow, she dragged a small stool to the side of the bed. "Young mistress, it is time for you to eat," Huo Mei said, she was deeply concerned for Huo Yin seeing her state, never has she ever seen her as week as this. "I really don''t want to eat right now, maybe later," Huo Ying said with a very weak voice. "young mistress¡­., you have to eat or you won''t have enough strength to keep yourself alive before they return with the herbs," Huo Mei said, she knew that Huo Ying really wasn''t in the mood to eat but she just couldn''t leave her on an empty, knowing that Huo Mei will definitely insist that she eat, she opened her mouth slightly while Huo Mei scooped a spoonful of porridge and fed it to her after she finished feeding her, she poured her a cup of water and gave it to her, Huo Ying didn''t have an appetite but she was thirsty for water at that moment so she drank about three cups of water. Then Huo Lian came in with a bowl of tonic on a tray, she smiled when she saw that she had eaten half of the porridge, it was still better compared to when she ate just three spoons and abandoned the food before. "young mistress, this is your tonic," Huo Lian said then she passed the bowl of tonic to Huo Ying. Chapter 54 - The Infiltration 1 Huo Ying has always hated bitter foods so it was easier to make her drink the tonic when she is unconscious compared to when she is conscious, instead of drinking the tonic she dropped it on the tray Huo Mei was holding. "young mistress¡­you have to drink that or you wouldn''t be able to survive until they get the herbs," Huo Lian said, then Huo Mei also added her own plea, Huo Ying had no choice but to reluctantly drink the tonic, she pinched her nose and poured the tonic down her throat, after drinking the whole tonic, she squeezed her face and returned the bowl back to Huo Lian.?? "If you can maintain your current condition, you should be able to last for one more day, I am sure that they would have returned with the herbs by then," Huo Mei said, Huo Ying expression turned downcast, she was once again reminded that she might die after tomorrow, she was not afraid of dying but she still hadn''t seen her sister and she just couldn''t bear the thought of having to leave her loved ones, the disciples and her parent. When they saw that the change in her expression, they knew that she was sad that tomorrow would decide whether she lived or died. "young mistress, you don''t have to be unhappy, you need to trust Huo Qiang and Bingchen, they will surely come back in time with the herbs," Huo Lian said to comfort her but Huo Ying knew that unless they robbed the vitality sect, they would never be able to get the herbs. "you don''t need to comfort me I¡­I¡­." she wanted to say something but she couldn''t because of the metallic taste in her mouth, the both of them became alarmed when they saw her squeezing her face, she held her abdomen in pain then she realized what was happening. She was about to¡­... Just as they were about to ask her anything, she opened her mouth and vomited a mouthful of blood, they were all alarmed at the sight of blood on her plain white dress, what alarmed them was that this time it wasn''t coagulated blood, she just vomited a mouthful of fresh red blood. "Huo Lian quickly brew Bai Jiao Xiang for the young mistress" Huo Mei shouted then Huo Lian quickly ran out of the room, just as Huo Mei soaked the piece of cloth on the table in the bowl of water and squeezed it, Huo Ying vomited another mouthful of blood, then she slumped on the bed. Huo Mei quickly wiped the blood off her lips and her cloth but the plain white dress was still dyed red by the blood, seeing how much blood she had vomited, Huo Mei was even more convinced that Huo Ying wouldn''t be able to last for long if they don''t return with the herbs soon, she was about to return the bowl of water to the table when she saw that Huo Ying was about to vomit blood again, this time she quickly picked another piece of cloth from the table and covered her mouth with it, when she removed it the cloth from her mouth, it was now soaked with deep red coloured blood. Huo Ying began to cough, but this cough wasn''t ordinary, the cough was so bad that with every cough she felt like her throat as about to cut, a sharp pain ran through her throat every time she coughed, Huo Mei quickly gave her another cloth to cover her mouth with when she coughed, she removed them from her mouth then she saw blood on the piece of cloth. Huo Lian soon came in with a bowl of tonic, the tonic had a deeper brown colour than the others so of course, it was more bitter than the ones Huo Ying drank before, she was stupefied when she saw about three pieces of cloth soaked with blood and the young mistress coughing out blood. She quickly passed the bowl to Huo Mei, then Huo Mei fed the tonic to Huo Ying with a spoon, this time she couldn''t resist, she had lost the strength to talk. After drinking the tonic, she vomited another mouthful of blood, then Huo Lian dabbed her lips gently and her cloth with another piece of cloth, then she laid Huo Ying on the bed. By now, all handkerchiefs that were on the table were already soaked with blood so Huo Lian went out to get more and another bowl of water. Huo Ying told Huo Mei to make sure that her parent didn''t have to see her in that condition so Huo Mei made up excuses in order to make sure that the sect leader didn''t enter the room, by then all the disciples were already fully aware of the young mistress condition, few elite disciples were training the junior ones but neither of them was concentrating on the training, all they could think of was Huo Ying, even the elders were also the same. Even though this was perfect opportunity to get rid of Huo Ying, the first and the second elder were still concerned about her, after Huo Bingchen was promoted to a managerial guardian, he had suspended his thoughts on making him the future sect leader, for now, they just wanted the young mistress of the flame sect to be alive and well even though she was a pain in the ass at times. --------------------- It was already midnight, by the time Huo Li, Huo Bingchen and Huo Qiang arrived at the forest where the vitality sect was located in. All the trees and plants in the forest were grown by them so they didn''t allow anyone to enter into the forest, inside the forest there Is a cloud of poisonous fog that is rumoured to not have any antidote and guard to protect anyone from intruding. After riding day and night without stopping, they had already used all of their strength, they only drank from the bottle of water that one of the disciples left on the horse. By the time they arrived at the forest they were already weak, they also needed to make a plan before they could even think of entering the forest. They came down from the horse then they took all looked around for anything to eat, they didn''t dare enter the forest yet without any plans and they needed the energy to enter the forest, the forest is not just known for the poisonous fog but it also weaken whoever enters so they wouldn''t even near the sect before the faint so unless they were escorted by someone from the vitality sect, they would eventually be captured, so they just went to look for food in the nearby forests that were close to the energy-sucking forest. After searching to no avail, Huo Qiang and Bingchen returned to where they tied their horses but they didn''t see Huo Li, a few minutes later, she came back. They saw her smiling innocently from afar then they noticed that she was smiling but they didn''t feel the same way so they just frowned their face. When she came closer, they were surprised to see her with many blackberries in her cloth. She shared the blackberries among them then when they were done with eating, they didn''t bother to rest, they started making their plans to infiltrate the vitality sect, since they once had a member of the sect in the flame sect, they knew the security measures that the vitality sect had. "if we go into the forest without any precaution, we would be poisoned to death," Huo Li said "We can only go in if we are escorted by a disciple," Huo Qiang said "there must be something special about the disciples if we need them to enter the forest" Huo Bingchen added "People don''t know that the key to entering the forest is the poison immune sachet that the disciples have, once they bring in a guest to the sect, they will make them sniff the poison immune sachet without them knowing, if not for one of the elders who was hunted, we wouldn''t be able to know this" Huo Li said "seems like the only way to enter this forest now is to get the poison immune sachet from the disciples but the problem if how we are going to get it," Huo Qiang said "We would have to lure them out," Huo Li said, then they all stopped to think of how they were going to make the disciples come out of the sect, then Huo Qiang suddenly raised his hand¡­ "have you found a way," Bingchen asked with an anxious expression "yes, I say that we cut down some venerable trees in the opposite forest, then we light them on fire and throw them into the forest, when they see it, they might come to the front of the forest to check then Huo Li will use her whip to drag them out of the forest," Huo Qiang said, he looked at their expressions to see if they were okay with it. "But we can''t be sure that they will come to the front of the forest" Huo Li said "This is the only plan I can come up with, if you guys have anything better then you can say it, the young mistress life is at stake, we can''t spend the whole day thinking of how to enter the forest," Huo Qiang said, then the other two nodded their head in approval, the three of them entered into the opposite forest, then they cut down some trees that were without strong root. They stretched their palms towards the fire then red and blue flames engulfed the trees which the had cut down, after they pushed the tress into the forest with their inner force, they just stood outside hoping that at least one of the disciples will come out. After some minutes of waiting without any disciple coming, Huo Qiang covered his nose with his black handkerchief then he moved closer to the energy-sucking forest, he concentrated all his energy on his palms then he brought out fire from his hands and directed it to the woods they threw into the forest and some trees in front of the forest, when he couldn''t hold his breath anymore, he quickly moved away from the forest. "I think the fire in the forest is intensifying" one of the disciples guarding the forest from inside said. "I have noticed it before but it seems to have gotten bigger," another disciple said "I will go and check it out," one of them said "Just make sure that you don''t step out of the forest in case if it is a trap" one of them ordered. The disciples then left, when he arrived at the forest entrance, he realized that is was just an ordinary fire and there was no one inside the sect but he still looked around. "I think someone is here" Huo Li whispered "use your whip now," Huo Qiang said, then Huo Li extended her whip into the forest, the whip had the ability to follow the target until it has caught it, so it moved like a snake and entered into the forest, suddenly the disciple who was about to leave felt like there was something on his waist, before he knew what was happening, he was dragged out of the forest, the disciple was wearing a mask so Huo Li removed the mask from his face. "Who are you people, how dare you attack a disciple of the vitality sect," the disciple said, he examined them to find traces of their identity but they didn''t have anything on them that could tell who they were. "We don''t want to harm you; all we need is the poison immune sachet," Huo Qiang said "In your dreams" the disciples said he stood up from the ground and was about to him but Bingchen quickly stroked the back of his neck to knock him out. The other two looked at him in surprise¡­. "We don''t have time to waste with him," Bingchen said, then he bent down to search his body and alas he found the poison immune sachet, in the disciple''s chest space. The other two were astonished at how simple it was to find the poison immune sachet, Bingchen noticed this then he said "they are not very smart", then the other nodded in agreement. They all sniffed the poison immune then they proceeded to enter the forest but Huo Qiang stopped them. "How are we going to get past the guards in the mountain, even one of us can defeat them without weapons but if we attack them, the others will be alarmed and this will cause us to waste time," He said "then how about one of us change into this guy''s cloth and pretend to be a disciple, after all, he was wearing a mask, then if we are found, it will be easier for us to leave," Bingchen said "I will stay behind," Huo Li said Chapter 55 - The Infiltration 2 "No, you can''t, there is no way they won''t be able to recognise each other even though they are wearing masks and you have a tiny figure, Huo Qiang should be the one to stay behind," Bingchen said "Why should I be the one to stay behind," Huo Qiang asked, he was clearly not satisfied with Huo Bingchen decision and he didn''t like taking orders from him.?? "You have the same figure with that guy so it should be easier for you to disguise as him," Bingchen said, he knew that Huo Qiang doesn''t like it when he is giving him orders since they are not very close, unlike the rest. "Then I will stay, the both of you should take the herbs as soon as possible" Huo Qiang said. "what if that guy wakes up and goes back to expose us," Huo Li asked "he wouldn''t dare to enter the forest when he doesn''t have the sachet with him, he has been outside for long so the sachet won''t be effective for him by the time he wakes up," Huo Qiang said then he changed into the guy''s cloth and he took the guy''s waist bag, then they all entered into the energy-sucking forest. Huo Qiang looked around the forest then he saw about twenty guards guarding the forest from within, he walked up to them and just stood in an empty space between them. The head of the disciple who had ordered him to check on the fire looked at him for some minutes, he was wondering why he was not reporting the situation and why he had taken so long. "You, why are you not reporting the situation at the entrance if the forest," the head of the disciples asked, Huo Qiang wasn''t aware that he as speaking to him and he didn''t want to make a mistake so he just continued looking forward without answering the head disciple, One of them noticed this then he tapped his shoulder. "the head disciple is asking a question, why are you not answering," the disciple said, then Huo Qiang quickly turned to the direction of the disciple who asked the question first, he bowed his head and said, "I am sorry, I was absent-minded just now, the fire is not serious, I think it came from the opposite forest". The head disciple looked at him with disapproval in his eyes. "then why did you take long there," the head disciple asked, he was already becoming suspicious of the disciple, when he answered him his voice was not the same as it was before he went to check on the fire, he examined him from his head to his toe then he realized that everything about him is the same except for his voice. "I just wanted to confirm properly before coming to reply" Huo Qiang quickly replied, he was just hoping that the disciple wouldn''t ask him anything that he wouldn''t be able to answer, the head disciple was not satisfied with his answer, he just felt like there was something wrong. "Then what did I tell you before you left," the head disciple asked, he just wanted to confirm his suspicion, is he didn''t remember what he told him before he left that would mean that he is a fake disciple. Huo Qiang widened his eyes in fear, he couldn''t afford to be caught at this moment or else their plan to steal the herbs will be sabotaged. He decided to just try his luck, then he said "you told me some things but I don''t know which one you are referring to". The head disciple was now half sure that he wasn''t the one, then he said "I gave you instruction about something before you left, tell me what it is now". Huo Qiang felt that he was now cornered, he was almost ready to attack them with his hidden dagger since he didn''t take his sword with him, but fortunately for him, one of them said "have you forgotten that the head disciple warned you not to go out of the forest", Huo Qiang quickly got rid of the dagger in his hand then he acted as if he wasn''t sure of what the head disciple was talking about. "oh, forgive me, head disciple, I didn''t know that you were referring to that, I did what you said, I just stood at the at the edge of the forest" Huo Qiang said hurriedly, while the disciples were distracted by the conversation between Huo Qiang and the head disciple, Huo Li and Huo Bingchen quickly passed by. The head disciple turned in the direction they went when he heard the sound of leaves crunching then Huo Qiang quickly crushed the leaves under his feet to bring the head disciple''s attention back to him, then the head disciple glared at the disciple who answered his question instead of Huo Qiang. "I don''t think I was asking you the question then why did you answer" the head disciple snapped, the disciple bowed his head to apologise but the head disciple was still not satisfied, his sixth sense had never been wrong before and he felt that this disciple was acting weird, he then thought of another way to text him, outsiders don''t know about the poison immune sachet so if this disciple doesn''t have it that would mean that he is not one of them. "Where is your sachet," the head disciple asked, he didn''t want to say what is was used for in case he was really disguising as one of them, Huo Qiang smiled underneath the mask, he was already scared that the head disciple would prompt him to attack them with his next question but he actually made things easy for him, he reached his hands into the tiny waist bag and brought out the sachet, then he handed it to the head disciple. After confirming that it is indeed the poison immune sachet, he returned it to Huo Qiang, he didn''t have any intention to pursue the matter further since he had the sachet. "Next time don''t be so forgetful," the head disciple said then he turned away from Huo Qiang, underneath the mask, Huo Qiang breathed a sigh of relief then returned to his guarding position. After they went past the disciples that were guarding the forest, the continued walking deeper into the forest with light steps so that they wouldn''t attract any attention to themselves. Some minutes later, they were surprised to find themselves in a garden of flowers, they walked around then they realized that there were more than a hundred flowers in the garden and it was even too huge to be called a garden. After taking different turns to find their way out of the garden, they found themselves in the same place they were before, although they were confused, they decided to try finding their way out again but this time they found themselves in the same place they just left. "We seem to be going around the same place," Huo Li said, she was already anxious by this time, if they had to keep going over the same place over and over again, they wouldn''t be able to return with the herb in time. "I think so too, we need to get an upward view of this place or else we would be stuck here and we don''t have much time to waste," Huo Bingchen said, they knew that they couldn''t fly in the air or else they would be discovered, the both of them looked around than for any tree that could stand on but they realize that none of the trees there could accommodate them. Just as they were about to give up, Huo Li sighted a long vine, she quickly rushed to where it was lying then she showed it to Bingchen. He already knew that she wanted them to hang it on one of the trees then they can swing on it, that way they will be able to view the garden from a slightly higher view. "This vine is thin so it can''t support the both of us," Huo Bingchen said, then Huo Li face turned despondent, Huo Bingchen noticed this then he continued "But you have less weight and a tiny body so it should be able to support you then you can direct me on which way to go", hearing this she became happy once again. She looked around for the tallest tree in the garden then she wrapped the vine around it, she held on the rope and climbed to the vine to get closer to the tree. After she got closer to the tree, she swung herself around with the rope then she jumped from one tree to another with light steps, then she was able to see the top of all the trees. She gave him the directions to leave the garden then he followed what she had said but just as they reached the end of the garden, she fell took the wrong step then she fell down but Huo Bingchen quickly lunged into the air and caught her by the waist, She was already going to regain her stance while she was in the air, but she was shocked when he felt his hand on her waist, she turned to look at his face then their eyes met, she felt a tinkle in her heart as he brought her to the ground, she couldn''t take her eyes away from his eyes, she realized that for the first time since she knew him he seemed to be more handsome than she thought he was. When he brought her to the ground, he removed his hand from her waist but she was still in a daze then she almost fell on the ground again but she quickly regained her stability. "You almost exposed us" he snapped in a very harsh tone even though it wasn''t loud. "I am sorry," she said then she turned away from him and started walking in the front, she couldn''t believe that one moment she was in a daze because of him and the next moment he was already being harsh with her. He realized that he spoke too harshly but that wasn''t the right time to apologize to her, then he quickly hurried to catch up with her but she didn''t even bother to look at him. Then they found themselves close to the entrance of the sect but there was no guard guarding the sect. "How come there is no one guarding the sect" Huo Li said, then she was stood up from where they were hiding but Bingchen quickly dragged her down. "it might be a trap, don''t be reckless," he said then he released her hand, she was even angrier with him at this time but she just chose to keep quiet and face the issue at hand before she vents her anger. "then do we just wait here," Huo Li said, her anger and impatience were very clear in her tone. "Since we don''t have much time, let''s go then," he said then they both stood up and walked towards the sect, they were not planning to enter the sect from the front gate but they needed to go past the entrance in order to sneak into the sect. As soon as they came out of their hiding place, they felt that they couldn''t move again, then they looked at their feet only to find that vines had already tied them down. They struggled to release themselves from the vines but they couldn''t, another set of vines sprung out of the ground then it tied down their legs and hands, before they could even react, it had already hung them in the air. "Bingchen," Huo Li said in a panic, they couldn''t release themselves even after struggling for a long time. "it seems like they will soon realise that we are here, we have to get these things off us first or else there is no way we would be able to get the herbs," Bingchen said, at that moment, an idea came into her head... "Since we are tied closely to each other and we can''t use our swords to cut the vines, why don''t we use flames to burn each other''s vines," Huo Li said Chapter 56 - The Infiltration 3 "you are actually good at using your brain," Bingchen said then he smiled at her, she wasn''t aware that he was actually smiling even though they were in a difficult position. "you¡­." She couldn''t help but shut her mouth when she saw him smiling, she felt the same tinkle she felt in her heart some minutes ago, then she hurriedly turned her face away from his face before he noticed that her face was already going red. She struggled to extend her hand to the vine that held Bingchen hand, even though the vine was holding her tight, she forced herself to extend her hand then she conjured flames in her hands then she burned the vines that were holding Bingchen hand, the vines fell from his hands, then he burned the vines binding her too. Just as they had finished burning all the vines, they heard footsteps coming from the sect entrance, they immediately packed all the pieces of vines and returned to the place where they were hiding before.?? Three young men came out of the sect, then they arrived at the place where they were tied before, they looked around then they all wore a confused expression on their faces. "The elder said that the binding vines had captured someone but there is no one here," one of them said "There is no way of releasing yourself from the vines since it would have tied you down before you even have time to react so where did they go," another one said. "There is no vine on the floor, that means that no one was here, let''s not waste our time here, we need to leave this place and report to the elder," the third person said then they all left. The both of them abandoned the vines then they left the trees they were hiding behind, Huo Qiang passed a black piece of cloth to her, she collected it then she stared at him in confusion. "if our faces are seen, it will bring trouble to us in the future," Bingchen said, then they both covered their faces with the cloth leaving only their eyes exposed. They climbed into the sect from the side of the building, after they got in, they sneaked into the storage room, other people wouldn''t have been able to find the storage room in time but when Huo Mei and Huo Lian mother came to the flame sect she handed the blueprint of the vitality sect structure and their defensive techniques in order to thank them for saving her. The reason why the vitality sect had so many traps in their sect is that they are least skilled sect in martial art so it is very easy for them to be defeated if they are attacked, they knocked out about thirty guards that were guarding the storage then they entered into the storage. "Do you know what the herbs look like" Huo Li asked when they entered the storage, "Of course, I do, do you think I will come here without even knowing what it looks like" Huo Bingchen said. "then you better hurry and find it, the guards we knocked out will soon be found," Huo Li said, then Huo Bingchen looked around the storage room for the herbs, then he saw a box with the inscription ''rare herbs'' written on it, just as he was about to open the box, they heard the sound of people approaching they storage. "you have to hurry up," Huo Li said, they realized that they won''t be able to leave the sect without a fight but they needed to get it done as soon as possible, Bingchen tried to open the box, then he realized that it was locked. The disciples outside had already seen the disciples who were knocked out in front of the storage, so some of them went to inform the elders while the others entered the storage to find the intruder. "They are already here, I will go and fend them off," Huo Li said, but before she left, Bingchen stopped her. "give me your hairpin," Bingchen said looking at the tiny pin that held her hair in place. "what do you need my hairpin for," Huo Li said "I need to open this box, it is locked" Bingchen replied, she had very long hair and no one had ever seen her hair down before, she had always felt that her hair was even taller than her, it made her look smaller than she is whenever she let it down because of the thickness and its length. "do you expect me to fight with my hair down?" she asked, she didn''t want to let her hair down but she felt that he was going to insist so she just removed it reluctantly then she gave it to him, he just saw that the hair was almost reaching her knee but he couldn''t see her face clearly since it was still dark. He couldn''t believe his eyes, he had never seen a girl with such long hair, her hair was normally up to her waist so he just thought that he was not seeing clearly, then she ran out of the storage leaving him to struggle with the box. Most of the disciples were already asleep since it was midnight, so the only ones that were awake had already alerted them then they all gathered outside the storage while the others looked in other places in case it was just a diversion. They were already ready to barge into the storage and attack the intruder, but they were stupefied when they saw a girl with a little figure and short height coming out of the storage, she had a mask on her face but her eyes looked very innocent and her long hair cascaded on her back while some strands were scattered on her face because of the wind, they immediately let down their guard at the innocent figure in front of them, they admired her but at the same time they thought she could not be up to fifteen years old judging from her look. "hey, little girl what are you doing here and how did you get in here" one of them shouted, there is no way an adult can get into the sect not to talk of a girl that is younger than fifteen, after hearing the disciple calling her a little girl, she pushed the hair that was scattered on her face behind her ears then she glared at the disciples and clutched her sword, seeing her glaring at them, they all laughed. For a young girl like her, her glare was really scary and she was even clutching her sword as if she was going to fight with them all alone. "who are you glaring at, I am old enough to be your elder brother, how old are you?" the disciple said with a smirk on his lips, she clutched her sword even tighter this time, they had already violated two of her rules, she has always despised people calling her a little girl and undermining her abilities. The guy in front of her looked about twenty-two years old but the oldest disciple in the flame sect who is twenty-seven years old is still under her command as the head of the elite disciples, she was just thinking of how to deal with them, she couldn''t use her flame skill so prevent them from finding out that she was from the flame sect, then an idea came into her head¡­.. "Why do you care about my age, are you going to fight me," she said to the disciple, then they all burst into another round of laughter, she looked so small but she seemed too confident. "if you just tell this older brother what you are doing here and if you have any accomplice, I will let you go but you must also apologise," the disciples said, then she scoffed and said, "in your dreams". The disciples then came closer to her, this time he had a serious face and he was holding his sword but Huo Li didn''t move an inch at all, they were surprised at her boldness, even though he was holding a sword, she still didn''t budge. "It seems like being gentle won''t work on you," the disciples said then he poked her forehead. He has already crossed my boundary, I was planning to be gentle before but now¡­. She thought, then she gave him an evil smile, when he saw her smiling, he raised his hand to slap her but¡­ She had already disappeared from his front, he couldn''t bring himself to understand what happened, she was before him just now but she had already disappeared, the other disciples were stunned when they saw her move to his back at the speed of light, they all sucked in cold air in shock. She tapped his back gently, then he turned back only to find her behind him. "you¡­you¡­you were in front of me just now," he said, before he could say more, she had already vanished again, he suddenly felt like his clothes were loosening, before he could react, she had already stripped him off his clothes, the only things he was now wearing is a white short on his butt. The other disciples were shocked at the sight of his naked body, they had never seen anyone moved so fast, before they blinked their eyes twice, she had already stripped him of his cloth. He felt the cold air sweep past his body, he clutched his arms and curled his body when he realized that he only had his underpants on. "you¡­you¡­you how did you¡­" he stuttered but the cold was too much for him to bear, he couldn''t even open his mouth to speak anymore. She just stood two metres away from him with his clothes in her hand while laughing, if Huo Bingchen had already gotten the herbs, she wouldn''t have bothered to deal with him but she wanted to distract them and punish him for belittling him. "This young girl is so scary, it didn''t even take up to one second to strip him naked" one of them said then they all shuddered in fear of her. She lowered her eyes to the lower part of the body, then when he noticed that she was staring at his lower body, he covered the middle of his leg. Then she scoffed and said "there is nothing to see so don''t even bother covering it", then she threw his cloth away. "Now the real show begins," she said then she moved closer to him, he was already frightened, from the way she looked at him, she seemed like she was about to do something bad. The next thing he knew was that he was already in the air, but he wasn''t stopping, he had already flown into the air and he seemed as if he was almost coming close to the moon, just then he saw her in front of him. "eighteen thunderbolt kicks" she shouted, then she gave him a strike down kick in his abdomen. All the disciples who had arrived at the scene were shocked at the height both of them had flown too in the air, the moment she strikes him down. It seemed like a star was falling, then the next minute they couldn''t see them again, the only thing they could see was two stars moving from one place to another at an incredible speed. Within five seconds, she had already kicked him seventeen times in the air, then he was already falling but when he reached a not deadly height, she gave him the last thunderbolt strike down kick then he fell to the ground, when they saw his body coming down from the sky at the speed of light they all looked up in the sky then they gasped as his body thundered on the ground. "Senior brother!!!" they chorused Then she landed on the ground. "that is for belittling me," she said then she smoothened her cloth and tightened her mask when she noticed that it was almost going to fall off. "Little girl how dare you injure a disciple of our sect, draw your sword" one of them shouted, pointing his sword at Huo Li. "Are you sure that you are her match, she just beat senior brother to the point that he can''t even move any part of his body". Chapter 57 - The Infiltration 4 "I don''t believe that I cannot handle this small girl, she must have used some tricks to fight senior brother just now, I won''t let her have her way this time," the disciple said to the disciple who tried to discourage him, they all began cheering him after they heard his statement. Huo Ying stood five metres away from them laughing, she could not believe that this useless group of disciples were thinking of defeating her, the most ridiculous thing is that she is even going along with their ridiculous play. "You this useless disciple, how dare you think of making me draw my sword against you," she said, she had already stopped laughing at this time, they were already taking too much time to get the vitality sect and they still didn''t know how Huo Ying condition is.?? I need to get rid of these scoundrels, if more of them gather here by the time Bingchen has found the herbs and they set up a trap for us, it would be harder for us to get out of here... She thought! "What sect are you from, you actually dare to intrude into the vitality sect, are you undermine our sect abilities, no matter how good you are, you are already outnumbered, just surrender and we will go soft when dealing with you, or else¡­" the disciple who had just challenged her said, the rest of them began shouting¡­ Yes!!! Yes!!! Yes!!! "Little girl, the earlier you surrender and tell us who sent you here, the higher the chances that you will be able to leave this place alive" another one shouted. "tchctchtchtch, I thought the disciples of the vitality sect were better than this but who would have known that you are all trash, you don''t need to know which sect I am from, just know that only me can defeat two hundred of you in just ten minutes," she said then she scoffed at them. Even if the vitality sect is one of the most inferior sects in the Tang dynasty, they have the protection of the court and even other nations since they are the ones responsible for producing very rare herbs for the royal family and other countries, this is why no one has ever dared to offend the vitality. But who would have known that today even a little girl is capable of infiltrating into their sect and belittling them?... She must be tired of living!! Such a little girl, it is a pity that she has chosen to offend our sect¡­. She will definitely not make it out alive¡­... They thought!!! "Since you have chosen not to concede then don''t blame me¡­" the disciple who had challenged her said then he ran towards her direction, even though he was charging towards her she still dint move just like she did before. This girl must have a trick up her sleeve, she is not even drawing her sword... The disciple thought as he dashed in her direction. If I keep using our sect skills, they will find out that we are the ones that infiltrated their sect one day¡­... She thought! As much as she wanted to deal with them, she couldn''t put their sect at the risk of being humiliated in the future, she was still about how she was going to deal with them, then all of a sudden, she sensed the breath of the disciple close to her. I will just play with them until they are tired¡­ The disciple brandished his sword against her as he raised it against her head, just as the sword was about to land on her, she quickly manoeuvred to the sight, it was clear that she wasn''t even concentrating on the fight, she didn''t even look at her opponent, instead, she just kept on dodging his attack, after several attempts to hit her with his sword to no avail, the disciple finally stopped attacking her. He had used too much force in attacking her and now he was already out of breath but she was still fine. She didn''t even move away from the spot she was standing after she dodged his first attack but she still managed to dodge all his attack while standing on one spot. "This girl is so amazing; she didn''t even move a step to dodge his attack" "she is basically humiliating our sect, if outsiders were here, we would have already lost our face" "Do you still want to continue?" Huo Li said in a sarcastic and scornful tone, she shook her head in disappointment. His fitness is just about the same as our beginner disciples, what a shame¡­... "How dare you belittle me, why are not using your sword," he said as he tried to catch his breath, never in his life has he been humiliated like that, even if the disciples of the vitality are among the least ranked sect in martial art, they are not so bad to the extent he ant even defeat this girl. "your fitness is just so so, how dare you ask me to draw my sword for a useless scoundrel like you," She said with a belittling and arrogant smile on her face. He clenched his fist in anger when he saw her smiling, she is certainly not even taking him seriously¡­ "Are you playing with me" the disciple shouted in anger, if he was defeated in a serious fight then he could swallow his anger but this time she is clearly toying with him. "isn''t it obvious that I am toying with you, why are you still asking," she said then she let out a scornful laugh. "You¡­.", her actions were enough to make him spit out blood. I can''t just swallow this humiliation¡­. He thought, then he dashed towards her action with all of his remaining strength. He lowered his body as he ran towards her with his sword aiming to slash her waist. AAARRRGHHHHHH!!! He screamed with all of his strength, as soon as he came close enough to cut her, he quickly swiped his sword at her waist as fast as he could but he wasn''t fast enough¡­. She had already realized that he was aiming for her waist, she etched a smirk at the corner of her lips then she swiftly propelled herself into the air just above the head, she tumbled twice in the air then she rushed down at him with a flying kick¡­. He stopped his attack when he saw he disappear from his front, he turned back and looked up then he saw her¡­. He didn''t even have the time to tell what she was doing before she knocked him out with a flying kick. They all gasped as he fell to the ground¡­ She landed on the ground then she smoothened her cloth and said: "Who is next". They all looked each other, none of them was willing to fight against her, she is clearly more capable¡­ "I have always told people not to judge a book by its cover but they just wouldn''t listen, this is a lesson to you all, don''t just judge other people capability by how they look," she said. "That is indeed a good lesson for them" They all turned to see who it was then they saw one of their elders walking towards them, they all cleared the way for him in their middle then they bowed their heads and chorused "Second elder!!". She watched as the elder walked up to the front. "As the elder of this sect, I wonder how you teach your disciples, they had already let their guard down just because of my appearance, I wonder how the vitality sect lasted until this day," she said to him. The elder frowned at her statement, never has he seen someone so bold to speak to him in that manner. "Young girl, I admit that our teachings are too lacking but why don''t you tell us which sect you are from then we will make efforts to learn from your sect," the elder said to her. Those this elder think I am a fool, he is actually tricking me into exposing my identity, like elder like disciple¡­... "I am not from any sect, I just entered here to steal some herbs for my mother''s illness" she replied "With your level of martial art there is no way you are just an ordinary girl, tell me the truth now and I will spare your life," the elder said with a smile on his face, anyone who saw his smile would immediately believe him but she is not a small kid who can be easily deceived. "I was taught by my father but he has died and I don''t have any money to buy medicine for my mother," She said to the elder. "Second elder, this little has beat up two of our disciples, she should be punished severely," one of them said to the elder, the elder glared at him and said "you all are a disgrace, a little girl snuck into our sect successfully and none of you even caught her, and you can''t even beat a small girl like her", she clenched her fist once again, she thought the elder would be different from his disciples but he still called her a little girl. "If you just submit to us quietly, I will spare your life, I never fail to keep my promise so you had better do what is better for yourself," the elder said to her. "And if I don''t," she said, then she stretched her hands forward without removing the sheath. "Then you leave me no choice¡­attack her together" the elder commanded. "I thought you were going to fight me yourself but you actually sent these idiots to fight me," she said and scoffed, without further delay, she dashed in their direction as they came at her¡­ They had already caught up to her when they realized that she was no longer coming towards them. She has disappeared again¡­. Then they all turned around only to see five of them unconscious on the ground, then she reappeared at their front. "it won''t take me anything to beat all of you," she said then she pointed her unsheathed sword at them. What is that idiot still doing, it is taking him too long to get the damned herbs¡­. She thought! At that moment, they all came at her again, this time she just leapt into the air and tumbled into their middle, they all pointed their sword at her as she tumbled down but she landed on their swords, then she pressed her hand on one of the disciple''s head and kicked all of them as she spun around, within one minute they were all lying on the floor. The elder watched as they all landed on the ground in disappointment. Just one girl has succeeded in defeating all of them¡­... -------------------- Huo Bingchen was still struggling to open the box, he has been trying to open the box for one hour and thirty minutes now but he still hasn''t succeeded. "there must be something secret inside this box," Huo Bingchen said to himself, he had lighted one of the candled in the storage and brought it to the ground to prevent hem from noticing that he is inside the storage room. He was deeply concentrated on the lock before he heard the disciples screaming outside the storage. They are so unlucky to have met Huo Li¡­. He thought He was already running out of them and in two hours day, it would have been the third day since Huo Ying became sick. The lock had about thirteen stages to open it, he had succeeded in opening twelve already but he was still stuck on the last one, he was already sweating because of the heat in the storage room and the sweat was almost clouding his sight, he took off his mask and wiped the sweat on his face. Five minutes later, he succeeded in opening the thirteenth stage of the lock, he smiled and breathed a sigh if relief as he removed the golden circle on the box and dropped it on the ground, he rummaged the box in search of the herbs they needed but he couldn''t find it. I hope I haven''t wasted my time and energy in opening this box for nothing¡­ He thought!!! He had almost given up and moved to search other places of the storage when he heard the sound of something opening, he looked at the bottom of the box then he realised that he had pressed th4e bottom of the box by mistake, another box came out of the shelf underneath the box he was searching. Although he was surprised, he quickly rummaged through the smaller box, then he found both herbs that they needed to treat Huo Ying. He smiled and heaved a sigh of relief, he stood up from his kneeling position and was about to leave the storage room when he heard a sound, then he turned back. He saw another box come out of the shelf, out of curiosity, he bent down to look at what was inside the box but the box wouldn''t open no matter how much force he put into it, he decided to give up since he had gotten what he wanted. Chapter 58 - The Infiltration 5 He put on his mask and then ran out of the room, he was shocked at the sight in front of them, the disciples were flying into all corners of the sect and yet they were still gathering to fight Huo Li who still seemed to be in a good condition to fight. The aggressiveness and the seriousness she put into the battle is something he had seen before, that is what happens when you offend her and procure her anger. They were the ones stealing from their sect so they had agreed that she should just knock them out but here she is beating the hell out of them. OH MY GOSH!!!?? This is so different from what we agreed on, they must have done something to deserve such beating¡­ He thought! Except the elder who kept on ordering the disciples to attack her, she had beaten every single one of them up, the last of them are still putting up a fight against her, a fight they are definitely not going to win¡­ Although wounded by her, ten of the disciples whom she had beaten up before picked up their sword from the ground and used up every ounce of the strength they had remaining to stand up from the floor¡­ "What are you fools still doing on the floor, stand up and attack her" the elder shouted in frustration, he just couldn''t believe that the sect was drawn into such a state by a tiny girl, if the remaining elders and the sect leader were here, it would have been worse than this but they are all in seclusion leaving him alone to govern the sect, if they learn of what had happened during their absence, it would definitely cause trouble. "Old man, why don''t you do the job yourself instead of ordering these wimps to attack me," Huo Li said I definitely cannot let this girl escape¡­ He thought! The elder saw some disciples standing up behind her, then he smirked and said "even if you leave here alive, we will still hunt you down and find you using all the connections we have, if you know what is good for you, you had better surrender", she had already sensed his plan, she felt the presence of the disciples but she decided to play along with his play. "No matter how much you search for me, you will never be able to find me but¡­" she stopped when she senses their breath on her neck, she quickly turned back and kicked the first two that raised their sword against her, Four of them attacked at once but she just held their cloth at their neck then she raised the four of then up and threw them away with force, the four of them flew fifteen metres away. The remaining four were scared to attack but it was too late¡­. She disappeared from she was standing and appeared at their front, they were stunned the moment they saw her in front of him, they felt like they were stuck to the ground, she punched two of them in the jaw at the same time, the both of them landed ten metres away. She held the lapel of the other two then she slammed their heads together with much force, the both of them fainted immediately. Then she turned to face the elder who was already scared out of his wit, she had just beaten up half of their disciples. She ran towards him but just as she was about to reach where he stood, about a hundred disciples came out of nowhere, they were the ones who were sent to look for the intruders in other places. Then she immediately stopped. "I see that there are still more of you for me to deal with," She said "How dare you cause a commotion in our sect" one of them shouted "Attack!!" the elder shouted, then they all ran towards her while she ran towards them¡­. "She is really enjoying this fight," Bingchen said, then he leapt into the air, just as she was about to punch one of them, he quickly held her waist and flew away from them. "You are finally done," she said with a smile on her face as they landed on the ground, although she was enjoying the fight, she was still aware of the urgency of the situation. "you seem to be enjoying this fight," he said, then he removed his hand from her waist. "I haven''t had fun for long, I just couldn''t pass an opportunity to have fun for once," She said. "So, you have just been stalling time for your partner," the elder said "you had better return what you stole or else..." one of them shouted "or else what, you are nothing but a bunch of useless trash," she said to them "Sorry but we don''t have much time to spend here with you," Bingchen said, then he held her waist again and flew out of the sect. "Pursue!!!" the elder shouted, then they all ran after them. ----------- They had already flown out of the sect, then they landed in the forest after minutes of flying. "The alarm as gone of head disciple, there are intruders and they are in the forest already," a disciple said, the guard who was guarding the forest were unaware of the ruckus in the sect. "Spread out and find them immediately" the head disciple commanded but before they could move. "I am sorry but no one can go anywhere," Huo Qiang said "What do you mean by that," the head disciple asked "Sorry but it won''t take long," he said "I just knew that you weren''t one of us, attack him," the head disciple said As they came at him in pairs, he knocked them out by striking their neck with his unsheathed sword, leaving only the head disciple remaining. "you¡­." Before he could complete his statement, Huo Qiang had already knocked him out. Just as he knocked the head disciple out, Bingchen and Huo Li arrived at the scene. "That is a job well done," Bingchen said "Did you get the herbs?" Huo Qiang asked with a serious expression on his face. "I did but with much difficulty than you can imagine," Bingchen said "Then let''s get out of here, they are almost catching up with us," Huo Qiang said then they ran out of the forest. They found the disciple they had knocked out outside the forest still lying down on the ground in Huo Qiang''s cloth. They were about to climb back on their horses when Bingchen stopped them. "What is it, we don''t have much time to wait," Huo Qiang said with impatient ringing in his voice. "That guy has already seen our faces and he saw Huo Li use the whip, if they question him, they will find us," Bingchen said "Then what do we do, should we kill him," Huo Li said "No, we can''t, we have already stolen from them, we can''t kill their disciple" Huo Qiang said "That leaves me with only one choice then," Bingchen said "And what is that?" Huo Qiang asked "I will use acupoint to erase his memory," Bingchen said "That is something the flame sect can do but they don''t know that we can do that, I had also forgotten about that method," Huo Qiang said. He used his index finger and his third finger to hit his forehead, the middle of his head and the back of his head, then they all got on the horses. ----------------------- "How is her condition?" the sect leader asked, he and his wife stood outside of Huo Ying''s room, Huo Mei has been giving them different excuses to prevent them from seeing how she look like because of Huo Ying request. "Her condition is getting worse but we are using tonics to keep her alive until they return with the herbs," Huo Mei said, the sect leader''s wife was already looking pale too, she had refused to eat ever since Huo Ying collapsed, she had already lost all the strength and the vigour she had as the strong madam of the flame sect. "You must all do your best, nothing bad must happen to her," The sect leader said then Huo Mei returned to the room. When she entered the room, she saw Huo Ying trying to stand up from the bed but she couldn''t, she quickly rushed to her bedside and held her. "Young mistress, you have to reserve your energy," Huo Mei said, then she laid her on the bed. Then Huo Lian entered with a bowl of tonic in a jade bowl. Chapter 59 - Spat Out Blood! Tears trickled down her cheeks as she saw Huo Lian bringing in another bowl of tonic to her, she had been drinking several bowls of tonic ever since she collapsed and her condition had only gotten worse. As Huo Lian came close to the bedside, she handed the bowl of tonic to Huo Mei, the both of them saw the tears on Huo Ying face but they didn''t bother to wipe it, they knew what those tears meant. If the guardians don''t return today, Huo Ying will surely die since there is no other way to stop her from dying. But they couldn''t bring themselves to cry, they needed themselves to put on a strong front for Huo Ying to trust them to save her. What they feared the most are not that they wouldn''t be able to get the herbs but the distance between the flame sect and the vitality sect, even if they are able to get the herbs, they wouldn''t be able to return to the flame sect within three days. If they rode at their fastest speed then they would only be able to return to the flame sect within six days but this is already the third day and Huo Ying would not be able to last this day without the herbs. Huo Mei hasn''t left the room since the day Huo Ying collapsed because she blamed herself, if only she had done her duty carefully, they wouldn''t have run out of the herbs. All the disciples in the sect have also not been eating and training, the sect has been thrown into mourning ever since they found out how serious he serious is and that she cannot survive the third day without the herbs.?? Huo Mei helped Huo Ying to sit on the bed then she scooped a spoonful of tonic to feed to Huo Ying, but when she brought it forward to her mouth, she wouldn''t open her mouth. Tears just kept dropping from her eyes without any emotion showing on her face, her lips were already white and pale while her face was as pale as a ghost. "Young mistress, you have to drink this, we can only stall time until they arrive with the herbs but if you don''t, you wouldn''t be able to survive at all, please¡­" Huo Mei pleaded, all the tears that she had held in before started dropping, she couldn''t hold the tears in again and neither could she hide her emotions, even she knew that the chances of her surviving are very slim. "Young mistress, please drink the tonic¡­" Huo Lian pleaded too. Huo Mei raised the spoon to feed her again but Huo Ying just flipped the whole bowl of tonic on the floor, then the bowl shattered. Both of them gasped as they watched the bowl shatter on the ground. "young mistress¡­." Huo Mei said softly, she was shocked at Huo Ying''s actions, ever since she got sick, she hasn''t done such a thing even if she wanted to, she lacked the strength to do it. "I¡­I¡­I don''t¡­don''t want it" She said, she had not said anything for so long because she lacked the strength to even talk. She rested both hands at the edge of the bed with her hair pouring down her on her right shoulder. "Young mistress what is it..." Huo Mei asked "am I supposed to waste the last moment of my life drinking tonics¡­. right¡­right now..." she struggled to talk but she was using up too much energy, she could feel that she was about to spit out something but it just hasn''t come yet, the both of them noticed that she suddenly stopped talking so there must be a reason for that, Huo Mei immediately stood up from the chair to check her pulse, she knelt down by the bedside and held her wrist while placing her index and third finger on her wrist. Huo Ying suddenly felt a metallic test in her mouth, she wanted to tell them but she couldn''t, she had used to much strength in throwing a tantrum just now that she couldn''t speak, she looked at them while their eyes met her eyes, they knew that she wanted to say something. At that moment, blood started drooling out of her mouth, it just kept on flowing from the side of her mouth without stopping. Huo Lian quickly straightened her body and sat behind Huo Ying while Huo Mei sat in front of her and held her hand. The blood still continued flowing from the side of her mouth but they didn''t try to clean it, the first thing they needed to do was to stop the blood from pouring out of her mouth and keeping her alive for as long as they can. Huo Lian used her index finger and her third finger to hit the middle of her back and the two upper sides of her back, immediately Huo Ying jerked forward and vomited a large amount of blood from her mouth, the blood sprayed itself on Huo Mei face like a shower of blood. Seeing how much blood she had vomited, they were even more convinced that she might not make it, Huo Lian made an arc in the air and passed her vital energy to her palm then she hit Huo Ying''s back with her palm with a great amount of force to channel her internal force to Huo Ying, as soon as her palm hit her back she spat out another mouthful of blood. After thirty minutes of passing, they had all started sweating, Huo Lian had almost used up her internal force and she was already feeling too weak, Huo Ying''s body had already absorbed too much of her internal force, she already felt weak but she couldn''t stop for the meantime or else Huo Ying will lose consciousness and it would be hard for her to wake up again. "A''Lian, can you continue, you are looking exhausted," Huo Mei said, she could already judge from Huo Lian complexion that she was already exhausted and she would pass out if she still continued channelling her internal force into Huo Ying''s body. "If I stop now, she will lose consciousness and once she does, we might not be able to save her again" Huo Lian replied with a weak voice, her hands had already started trembling and she had already started sweating profusely. "I will pass my internal force to her, you go and inform the sect leader of the situation, we can''t keep him from this" Huo Mei said, then Huo Lian stopped channelling her internal force, she calmed her Qi down then she stood up from the bed. As soon as she stopped channelling her internal force, Huo Mei quickly joined her palm with Huo Ying''s palm then she began channelling her internal force into her body. ------------------------ They had been riding their horses at the fastest speed with the vitality sect disciples chasing behind them, they had been riding for hours now ever since the day broke and it was already afternoon now. "I think we have managed to get them off our trail" Huo Li said, they had been pursued by the vitality sect disciples ever since they ran out of their sect and they still haven''t stopped riding. "I don''t think the young mistress can wait until we reach the sect, with those idiots pursuing us, it would take us at least three days to return to the sect," Bingchen said "I am afraid that she wouldn''t be able to live past today without the herbs," Huo Qiang said. They started riding faster than they did before when they realized that they had no chance of saving her life if they can''t return to the sect today. When they rode out of the mountains, they had arrived at the entrance Ping Yao city and they intended to just continue riding even though they were tired, but they suddenly realised that there was something amiss in front of the city gate, then they decided not to go close to the city gate. The three of them got down from the horse, then they hid behind an abandoned house far away from the city gate. "They seem to be searching for someone, seeing how they are not letting anyone enter into the city without searching them," Huo Li said. "Even though the vitality sect is a small sect, they are highly favoured by the government, we can''t rule out the chance that we are the ones they are searching for," Bingchen said "But we can''t stay here for long, the young mistress life is at stake here," Huo Qiang said, it was clear from his tone that he was already getting impatient, he is the closest person to Huo Ying among all the guardians and disciples of the sect, whenever she had a problem she always told him first before the other, he just couldn''t wait here while her life was at stake. "They don''t know how we look like but our dressing and Huo Li stature might expose us," Bingchen said "How is my stature going to expose us, are you mocking me" Huo Li said "aren''t you being paranoid, can''t you see that on that side, there are girls with smaller stature being held," Bingchen said, then Huo Li glanced at the gate, several girls with a similar height to her were standing at the side of the gate. "let''s check inside this house if there is someone in it," Huo Qiang said The three of them entered into the house, it seems like the house belonged to a male seeing how there are knives and arrows in the house, different clothes were hanging inside one of the rooms, Huo Li noticed a silver object lying in the corner of one of the rooms, she entered the room alone when she noticed the silver object. How can there be anything made of silver in this shabby house¡­ She thought! She entered the room and she saw a silver box lying in the corner of the room, the box is big enough for a human to fit in. She moved to the corner of the room but as soon as she touched the box, the door of the room closed and someone appeared behind her, he quickly hit the acupoint on her neck to immobilise her, then he put a knife on her neck. She wasn''t expecting anyone to be in the house so she didn''t out her guard up that was why the man was able to hit her. "Who are you," the man asked, he looked like he is in his mid-forties and he had a very small stature, he looks ruffled but he didn''t seem like someone who had good martial art. "if you don''t release me now don''t blame me for being cruel," Huo Li said. "you can''t even move so what can you do me," the man said, seeing Huo Li small stature, he had already let his guard down and belittled her. She gave the man an evil smile then she¡­. Outside the room, the other two had not yet noticed her absence, they were about to leave the house when Bingchen noticed that Huo Li was not with them. "Where is Huo Li?" Bingchen asked, Huo Qiang looked around but he couldn''t see her, the checked the rooms they had entered before but they didn''t find her, then Huo Qiang saw the room that Huo Li entered. "I think I saw her entering this room," Huo Qiang said, then the both of them went towards the room, Bingchen pulled the doorknob but the door wouldn''t open. "Why aren''t you opening the door?" Huo Qiang asked "someone locked it from inside" Bingchen replied, then he kicked the door down. They were shocked at the sight of the scene in front of them. She had already knocked the man out then she just kept on slapping his face, when she noticed that they were inside the room, she stopped then she pulled the man''s cloth by his neck to pull him up. "We are supposed to be looking for how to escape this search but you are here beating up an innocent man," Bingchen said, then she glared at him and turned to look at the man who was already unconscious. "Innocent man! do you know what this man did to me" Huo Li said, then Huo Qiang and Bingchen glanced at each other. "He harassed you!!" the both of them chorused, but before she could deny the accusation against the man who was just dangling in her hand, they had already... Chapter 60 - Past The City Gate 1! Both of them rushed towards the man from different angles, then they punched him on both cheeks, immediately they punched him, he woke up. He was already feeling dizzy then when he touched his nose, his hand was dyed with blood. He felt like someone was holding him but he couldn''t see the person''s face clearly and there are also two other people in his front, the only thing he could see is a blurred image of two hands coming towards his face but another tiny hand quickly blocked them. "That is not what I mean" Huo Li said "Then what do you mean?" Bingchen asked "When I came into the room, he immobilised me then he put a knife at my throat," Huo Li said "you should have said so, we almost killed him," Huo Qiang said, they were about to walk out of the room when Huo Ying suddenly brought the man in front of her then she slapped him, at the sound of the slap the both of them quickly turned back, the sound was so loud that they wondered if the man still alive but the man had already dropped on the floor, he was unconscious. "Why did you slap him?" Bingchen asked with a shocked expression written on his face, he was not only shocked but he and Huo Qiang were also frightened at the sound of the slap. "I just wanted to wake him up¡­" Huo Li replied, she looked confused as though she didn''t understand why the man was unconscious, she pouted her mouth and widened her eyes, her look was completely innocent if it was an outsider that was looking at her they would have been deceived by her innocent look. "Wake him up! With such a heavy slap" Bingchen said "I just thought of something, why don''t we wear some of that man''s cloth to disguise ourselves," Huo Qiang said "Even if we wear his cloths that doesn''t mean that they won''t suspect us, we still have Huo Li with us," Bingchen said "I didn''t want to use this but I think I have to," Huo Li said, then she brought out a paper from her chest, the both of them looked at her in confusion. "The last time I left the sect, I bought this from a shop, they say that it can change out appearance for one hour but I kept it as a treasure because this is the last one the shop owner had," Huo Li said "Are you going to keep it or use it now?" Huo Qiang asked impatiently "I will," Huo Li said, then she bit her lower lips. She placed the paper on her hand then she asked the others to do the same, she used her index finger and her third finger to input her Qi into her the paper. Immediately, the three of them turned into two middle-aged men and a middle-aged woman. When they all opened their eyes, they were shocked to see how much they have changed, the only person Huo Li couldn''t recognise them but they could recognise her. "Which one of you is Bingchen?" Huo Li asked, then the middle-aged man in blue cloth raised up his hand. "This is so perfect," Bingchen said "We don''t have time to waste, remember this disguise only lasts for one hour," Huo Li said, she wanted to go back to the room o see what was inside the box, but to her duty comes first, then they all left the house. When they left the house, they were shocked to see that the disciples of the vitality sect had Caught up with them and they were riding towards the city gate, they immediately turned their faces away. They had already ridden past them but one of the disciples stopped the other nine disciples, then he came down from his horse and walked up to them. "Let me see your face," the disciple said with a commanding tone, they three of them were hesitant so they didn''t turn their faces, it seemed like they had forgotten that their appearances had already changed. "What is it?" another disciple said as he walked towards them, then the first disciple bowed his head to the second one. "senior disciple, although we were not able to catch up with those thieves, I had already caught a glimpse of their horse before we lost them and these people horse looks like the horses those three thieves were riding," he said "and they are also three in number," the second disciple said, then he drew his sword from the sheath and pointed it at the three of them. "if you don''t show your faces, don''t blame me for being ruthless" the disciple said, then the three of them raised their heads. The disciple quickly put his sword back in his sheath and was about to walk away but Huo Li stopped him. "If you offended your elders are you not supposed to apologise," She said in an elderly voice. The disciple turned back then he grabbed her hand and said "you should be lucky that I am letting you off", then he dropped her hand aggressively and walked away, they climbed back on their horses and rode to the city gate. "Those mannerless bastards!" Huo Li cursed. "Let''s go, we have wasted some time already," Huo Qiang said, then they all walked to the city gate while they pulled the horses. They had already reached the city gate but the line was too long, if they had to wait until it was their turn, their disguise wouldn''t be able to last that long. "We can''t wait until it is our turn, we would be discovered," Bingchen said "then what do we do, we can''t just storm away while attracting all the city''s army to ourselves, we can defeat them but we don''t have time to waste," Huo Li said "one of us has to be unconscious for us to pass through that gate early otherwise we won''t be able to leave here on time," Huo Qiang said "I will, I can stop my pulse and I can stop my heart from beating for twenty minutes," Huo Li said "How is that possible" Bingchen said "Just a trick I learnt from my outings" She replied "If you can, then now is the time, those disciples are coming towards our direction" Huo Qiang said, as soon as the disciples were two metres away from them, Huo Li fell to the ground. "Sister!!" "Wife!!" Both of them shouted to attract the disciple''s attention, then the disciples came closer to them to see what was wrong. "Why are you shouting," one of them asked "It is my wife, she has a weak body and we were taking for treatment inside the city but we have wasted time here and she is dying please help us," Bingchen said. Why is that idiot calling me his wife¡­. Huo Li said in her mind! "Please help my sister" Huo Qiang pleaded as he shook Huo Li''s body vigorously Stop shaking my body you fool¡­ She said in her mind! "I have to inform the head disciple first," one of them said, then he and the other disciples left them and returned to the gate. "tchtchtchtch! She is so pitiful, she is not even old yet and she is already dying, I pity her husband and brother" a woman said to her partner, everyone had already started murmuring as they watched both men wailing over her. Then the disciple returned. "the head disciple has asked you to come to the front," the disciple said, then Bingchen carried Huo Li in his arms and Huo Qiang pulled the three horses as they walked to the front of the city gate. "I was wondering who it was, who would have thought that it was you people," the head disciple said "cultivator, please let us pass, my wife will die if we can''t get inside the city soon" Bingchen pleaded "Why should I let you go, you should wait in line just like everyone else, they all have something urgent to do but they are still patiently waiting so you should also get in line" the head disciple said. "these cultivators are so hard-hearted, this is a matter of life and death" "they claim to be the most righteous people on earth but they are not" "Let them go!" "Let them go!" The people shouted when the disciples saw that they were at a disadvantage, they drew their swords at the people then they all kept quiet, the officers that were present there didn''t talk because the Vitality sect had the support of the government. "If her mouth had not been so sharp, I would have let her go but now¡­" the head disciple said, he was clearly not planning to let them go until she dies. Huo Qiang immediately fell to his knees and bowed his head before the head disciple. "cultivator please let us go, forgive my sister for her mannerlessness," Huo Qiang said, then he started bowing his head several times, he realized that the head disciple must have wanted them to beg for his mercy, although he was reluctant, he had to do so for the sake of Huo Ying. "Since you are so desperate, I will let you go," the head disciple said with an arrogant smile etched on his lips, then Bingchen quickly carried Huo Li on his horse while Huo Qiang pulled the horse that Huo Li was supposed to ride and his horse. They had almost entered the city gate when the head disciple stopped them. "cultivator, why have you stopped us again?" Huo Qiang asked "How can I be sure that your sister has really collapsed, what if you are faking it," the head disciple said "How can we fake such a serious issue, if you don''t believe us then you can check her pulse," Huo Qiang said, the head disciple raised one of his eyebrows then he looked at them suspiciously, he signalled one of his disciples to check Huo Li''s pulse. The disciple checked her pulse then he realized that she doesn''t have a pulse. "Head disciple, she¡­she¡­she doesn''t have a pulse," the disciple said Everyone started to murmur. "She must be dead already" "but she was alive a while ago" "these cultivators are so cruel" "But she was alive a moment ago," Bingchen said, he held Huo Li hand and started crying. "cultivator, if only you had let us go earlier, she would not have died," Huo Qiang said, the least he could do was to pretend like someone who has just lost his sister, his acting was not as good as Bingchen who was hugging Huo Li tightly while crying. Chapter 61 - Past The City Gate 2! "if she wasn''t fated to die, she wouldn''t have died, how dare you blame me, if you don''t leave this instant then don''t blame me for being cruel..." the head disciple snapped, he knew if the matter got prolonged and spread around the Jianghu world, their sect would be at a disadvantage. "tchtchtchtch....these cultivators are too heartless" "That is true" "they don''t even care about a person''s life and they claim to be fighting for justice" They had already wasted forty-five minutes at the gate and they only had fifteen minutes left, instead of staying back to argue, they just entered the city. After they got out of the sight of the disciples, they didn''t even bother to change their clothes, Huo Li got back on her horse and they continued riding. "How dare you hug me tightly," Huo Li complained as they rode their horses out of the city "I was just acting, do you have to take it seriously" Bingchen shouted, they were riding at a very fast speed that they couldn''t hear each other unless they raise their voice. "you two had better not start arguing, we still need to find a way to get these herbs back to the sect before the day ends" Huo Qiang shouted "But that is not possible, it was nearly impossible to reach the vitality sect within two days, how can we return to the sect before the day ends," Huo Li said "The sun is almost setting, I fear that we wouldn''t be able to save the young mistress if we don''t get the herbs to the sect by before noon," Huo Qiang said, his voice had a mixture of sadness and helplessness attached to it. --------------- "young mistress¡­young mistress¡­..she ¡­she might not make it by the time the sun sets," Huo Lian said as she rushed into the sect leader''s chamber, she was already crying by the time she had arrived at the sect leader''s chamber when she got there, the sect leader was feeding his wife because she has been unable to eat ever since Huo Ying collapsed. "What did you say!!" the sect leader shouted. Crash!!! The bowl of porridge he was feeding to his wife fell on the floor and the jade bowl shattered. The sect leader''s wife who was lying on her bed with a face that is as pale as a ghost quickly sprung up from her bed, she almost fell but the sect leader quickly grabbed her arm. "She...she vomited a large amount of blood today and I could only channel my Qi into her body to keep her conscious but I am already exhausted and Huo Mei cannot last long," Huo Lian said, she wiped the tears off her face as they had already started dropping on the floor. "Lead the way," the sect leader said, then he turned to his wife and tried to support her to the bed but she wouldn''t budge. "I want to see my child, take me with you," she said, she had a frightened expression as though Huo Ying was going to die and she would miss her last moment with her daughter. "You are too weak right now, if you see her now, your condition will only get worse, trust me and stay here," the sect leader said to his wife, she just kept on nodding her head profusely to express her disapproval but the sect leader was quite adamant, he carried her to the bed and left the room with Huo Lian. As they got to the room, they saw Huo Mei channelling her into her body, she was already sweating profusely, her cloth was already soaked by the sweat, she was very weak that she was almost close to fainting. As soon as she saw the sect leader and Huo Lian in the room she smiled weakly then she fainted. Huo Lian quickly rushed to catch her before she fell while the sect leader quickly held Huo Ying, he raised his palms and formed an arc in the air then he brought it down and placed it on her back, Huo Ying was still conscious but her consciousness was hanging by a thread. The sect madam was not willing to rest in her room while her daughter was dying, but she didn''t even have enough strength to walk to Huo Ying''s room, she called in two of the female disciples who were acting as her attendants then she told one of them to call the elders and tell them to go to Huo Ying''s quarters while the other one supports her while she walks to Huo Ying''s chambers, then the first one left while the other held her hand as she stood up from her bed and left her room. The sect leader also felt that her body was taking in too much of his internal force but his cultivation is higher than the guardians so he didn''t have any problem with lasting for an hour, if it was an ordinary person, he could go on for two days but for some reason that he isn''t aware of, her body just kept on absorbing his internal force very fast. Soon the elders and the sect leader''s wife arrived at Huo Ying''s quarter, the sect leader''s wife led them into her room then they saw the sect leader channelling his internal force into Huo Ying''s body, they were flabbergasted at the sight of Huo Ying, ever since she was born they had never seen her that way, the way she looked was too ghastly for them to believe, if they hadn''t seen it with their own eyes, they would never have believed that she would be looking that way or that her illness was so serious. At the sight of blood on her lips, the white dress she wore and her bedcover, her mother was broken down, she had already vomited so much that it seems almost impossible for her to be alive in three hours'' time. Her mother quickly rushed to her side and held her hands as her father continued channelling his internal force to her, she touched her face as tears of sorrow trickled down her cheeks, immediately she felt her mother''s touch on her cheeks, she opened her eyes slowly. Although she couldn''t see very clearly, she was able to see a blurred image of her mother seating in front of her, she was even more sure that it was her mother when she sniffed her nose and smelt her mother''s scent. "mother¡­" Huo Ying mumbled "my daughter, I am here" her mother replied, she didn''t want Huo Ying to see her crying so she quickly wiped her tears off her face, then she held Huo Ying''s hand tightly. "Mum, I want to see Huo Lan" Huo Ying said in a weak voice, they had been channelling their internal force into her body for two hours now so she at least had the strength to speak. As soon as everyone in the room heard her request, they felt pity for her, she doesn''t even care about the fact that she might not live past today but she still wants to see her sister before she dies. Her mother felt a heartache that she had never felt before, even the sect leader felt the same way, if she hadn''t found out about the wind sect trying to dispel Huo Lan power, she would never have been in that condition. "You can see her later if you survive this ordeal so you need to pull yourself together, hang on until they return with the herbs" her mother replied, seeing one daughter dying because of the other was definitely something she couldn''t and isn''t willing to bear but she didn''t want to let her tears drop at this moment. "There is no chance of me surviving this, if I don''t see her now, I will never be able to see her again," Huo Ying insisted weakly, her voice sounded so weak that they were now afraid that if she keeps talking, she will die faster. Her mother placed one of her hand on her cheek and said "you won''t die so stop talking and save your strength" her mother said. At that moment she started sweating profusely, her father noticed that there was something wrong he immediately put in more force into his palm, then he placed his palms on her back again then the next things they saw is blood splattered all over her mother''s face and the bed. Huo Lian quickly laid Huo Mei on the other side of Huo Ying''s bed, then she rushed out of the room. "We need to join forces or she will not be able to hold on for long" the sect leader urges in a panicky state, then the elder lined up behind him and placed their hands on each other''s back, they directed their internal force to their hands and channelled it to the sect leader while he channelled it to Huo Ying''s body. --------------------- After riding for about two hours and thirty minutes, the sun had already set, their hearts were already heavy, they were unsure if Huo Ying is still alive or dead but they still didn''t want to think that she was already dead. "We can''t make it back to the sect today, the young mistress would have lost her life before we get there" Huo Qiang shouted, they had already started riding at a very dangerous speed that everyone they met quickly ran out of their way, if their horses were just ordinary horses who were not trained to run at a very fast speed for days, they would have already been dead a long time ago but even after increasing their speed without stopping, it still wasn''t possible for them to reach the sect There is only one option for us now" Huo Li shouted "What is that?" Huo Qiang questioned earnestly "The golden eagle!" Huo Li responded, immediately they heard what she said, they quickly stopped their horses. "only the elders, the sect leader''s family and the guardians can summon the golden eagle, so you should be able to summon it" Huo Li continued. The golden eagle is a gold coloured eagle that belongs to the Flame sect, he is also the most treasured beast of the flame sect, it would be an understatement to call it an ordinary beast since he is their ancestor and partly the source of their power, he has existed ever since the sect was founded. "That is exactly why we cannot use the golden eagle, people will find out that we have left the mountain and they will start looking for us, everyone knows how important the golden eagle is, and they know the people that can summon the golden eagle," Bingchen replied, he couldn''t help but feel that the idea is too risky. "But even if they see it, they can''t capture the golden eagle and we can just make sure we go back to the sect unnoticed, it is our only chance of saving the young mistress life" Huo Li argued, they knew that calling the golden eagle without the permission of the sect leader can lead to severe punishment and once people see it, there will be several rumours about the flame sect. "Huo Li is right, this is a desperate situation, the young mistress life is more important right now," Huo Qiang said. Then the both of them began held their hands together, they placed their guardian tokens on their hands then both tokens merged together and formed a bigger token then they rolled their hands slowly and then pushed their palms into the hair towards the token that was dangling in the air and immediately the token disappeared. ------------------ The elders and the sect leader were still channelling their Qi into Huo Ying''s body at the same time, they all had high cultivations, so they were still able to continue, Huo Lian had already entered back into the room with a bowl of water and cloth, she wiped the bowl from the sect leader''s wife face and Huo Ying lips but her dress was still dyed red by the blood. Suddenly, a disciple rushed into the room and bowed his head, they almost disconnected themselves which would have lead to great danger for Huo Ying, the sect leader quickly turned to face the disciple in anger. "How dare you barge into this place" the sect leader shouted; the disciple trembled in fear but what he needed to report was too important. "I am sorry sect leader but there is a problem at the scared pinnacle," the disciple said as he tried to catch his breath, the scared pinnacle is the place where the golden eagle resided and there are elite hundred disciples guarding, it is separated from the sect so it is not easy for someone to run from such a distance, everyone in the hall was startled when they heard what he said. "What do you mean by that?" the sect leader quickly asked, he would have immediately left the room without even waiting for the disciple to say what the main problem was but he couldn''t leave because of Huo Ying. "It seems like someone is calling the golden eagle, he is trying to leave the sacred pinnacle but the elite disciples are trying their best to stop him but I am afraid they wouldn''t be able to hold him for long," the disciple reported "only two guardians are missing from this place and they are the only ones who can summon the golden eagle," the third elder said "sect leader, I think they should let the golden eagle go, even if they got the herbs, they cannot reach the sect in time so they must need the golden eagle to bring it back," Huo Lian said "I agree, even though the golden eagle is very important, Huo Ying''s life is at stake here," the sect leader''s wife added, at this moment, she already had hope that there is a chance for Huo Ying to be saved. "let him go," the sect leader decided reluctantly, then the disciple quickly hurried out of the room. Chapter 62 - The Golden Eagle "If we are summoning the eagle then we can''t be seen, let''s leave the city before the eagle finds us," Bingchen said, then they rode their horses out of the city. After they got out of the city, they entered into a deserted forest and they waited for thirty minutes but the golden eagle wasn''t there yet, they had already gotten anxious because that thirty means a lot in saving Huo Ying''s life. "Why is the golden eagle not here yet?" Huo Li asked?? "I am sure we summoned him in the right way even though this is the first time we are summoning it," Bingchen said "I think they are stopping him from leaving the sacred pinnacle, even if we are the ones who called him, the sect leader might not let the golden eagle leave the sacred pinnacle," Huo Qiang said "I am sure he knows that Huo Ying''s life is at stake here, he will surely let the golden eagle come to us," Huo Bingchen said. Meanwhile, in Tongling, shock filled every street in the county, as soon as the golden eagle left the flame sect, everyone looked up in the sky and they were in awe of the majesty of the golden eagle, the golden eagle has never appeared in the public even during the battle between the sects, if one could see the golden eagle before they die, it will be the blessing of the generation. Mouths were opened wide agape as the golden eagle flew out of the sect, some who were shocked at the sight of the golden eagle fainted, his bright golden light shone in the sky as his widely spread large golden wings flaps in the sky and his large golden yellow beak pointed as it soars in the sky. Everyone came out if their houses and stopped whatever they were doing no matter how important it was. The golden eagle flew out of Tongling and flew into other counties, all the sects in the counties where the golden eagle flew past were not exempted from the majestic sight of the golden eagle. Even the sects that are not friendly with the flame sect such as the wind sect all struggled to catch a glimpse of the golden eagle as it flew very quickly. --------------- They were already tired of waiting but they knew that the golden eagle was their only chance of saving the young mistress so they all waited patiently, they came down for their horses and paced around the forest when they heard a high pitch whistling sound, they quickly turned around. The three of them were amazed when they saw the golden eagle descending from the sky, they all opened their mouth wide agape, this is the most majestic scene that they have ever seen in their life. Except for the elder and the sect leader, no one has ever seen the golden eagle, not even the disciples that are guarding the scared pinnacle. As the golden eagle landed on the ground, the three of them quickly fell to their knees and bowed down to the golden eagle, even the horses bowed their heads, they knew that the golden eagle is superior to them and they were afraid of him. The golden eagle landed on the ground and slowly walked towards them. "Sacred Eagle" they chorused as they cupped their hands together, then the golden eagle arrived at their front. They lifted their head and stood up, they looked at the golden eagle''s face when they realized that he wasn''t wearing a friendly expression. Then all of a sudden, the eagle used his wings to throw Huo Li and Bingchen to the ground, then he jumped on Huo Qiang and pinned him to the ground with his talons. They didn''t even have the strength and the time to react or defend themselves. "May I ask how we have offended you sacred eagle?" Huo Qiang said the golden eagle talons were placed on his stomach and it seemed like they could pierce into his stomach at any time. "How dare you mere guardians summon me? even your sect leader doesn''t dare to summon me anyhow he likes" the golden eagle said, his voice resounded with authority. "We were in a dire situation and we needed your help please don''t be offended sacred eagle" Huo Qiang quickly replied, Huo Li and Bingchen spat out blood as soon as they were thrown to the ground, the only reason why the eagle spared Huo Qiang is because he needed him to answer his questions "you even speak of sending me on an errand!!" the golden eagle said in rage, he lifted one of his legs and was about to pierce Huo Qiang stomach with his talons but Huo Qiang quickly raised his hands and held his talons to stop his talons from penetrating his body. "You are the ancestor of the flame sect, if we need you, you should be willing to help us," Huo Qiang said, no matter how strong he was, he was still not able to stop the golden eagle from stabbing him with his talon, he grinned as he struggled to stop the talons from penetrating his body and blood was already dripping from his hands. "I only have one master and one partner, the partner has already died years ago and the master I haven''t met, how dare you think of commanding me?" the golden eagle said in rage, he immediately used more force to stab Huo Qiang, then his talons penetrated the middle of Huo Qiang hand and slightly pierced into his abdomen but it wasn''t fatal, Even Huo Li and Bingchen couldn''t help him since they were also weak from the fall. "We are not commanding you, we are begging you, the young mistress of the flame sect will die if we don''t return to the sect with the herbs she needs and you are the only one that can help us take it to her," Huo Qiang said, he was in pain but he could only ignore his pain for now. "Why should I care about the young mistress?" the eagle said "Because you are our ancestor¡­" Huo Qiang said, then the golden eagle removed his talon from his hand and his abdomen, blood spurted out of his hand then he used his other hand to block the wound, suddenly he saw the eagle raised his talon to stab him again but¡­. Dubum! Dubum! Dubum! The golden eagle heard the sound of a heart beating, his eyes widened and he unpinned Huo Qiang from the ground and moved away from them. He bowed his head and said "heart of the flame demon" The three of them were surprised by his actions, he was clearly aggressive just know but he just bowed his head in front of them and said something they heard clearly but they didn''t know what the heart of the flame demon is. "What do you want me to do?" the golden eagle asked in a calm and submissive tone, they glanced at each other in surprise at the tone the golden eagle spoke in. "We would like you to take the herbs the young mistress needs to the sect," Huo Qiang said, then he stretched his hands to collect the beg the herbs were kept in from Bingchen then he gave it to the golden eagle who held it with his claws. "I will do as you say," the golden eagle said, then he flapped his wings and slowly ascended into the sky, the three of them watched as the golden eagle soared in the sky and flew away. Everyone who saw the golden eagle fly past them before still waited in hope of seeing the golden eagle again, they were once again elated at the sight of the golden eagle, when people saw the golden eagle flying with a small bag hanging on his talons, they concluded that someone with a high position in the flame sect must have come out of the mountain where the flame sect is. ----------------- "I am afraid that they might get hurt," the sect leader said, they had already finished channelling their internal force to Huo Ying, then her mother laid her back on the bed with Huo Mei lying beside her. "What do you mean?" his wife asked "We can only summon the golden eagle but we cannot command him, the golden eagle will never do anything anyone asks of him," the sect leader said "But the golden eagle belongs to the flame sect, how can he not do what we ask of him," the first elder said, they were all confused by what the sect leader said, the main reason why the other sects were afraid of the flame sect is because of the golden eagle, in the battle of the ever night, the sects were only betting their lives on the chance that the golden eagle will not be able to fight in the battle if not they wouldn''t have dared to fight with the flame sect. "There are only two people that the golden eagle listens to, the first person is the founder of the flame sect, they had an agreement but no one know what the agreement was about, so they became partners and the second person is his master but we don''t know who his master is, so we belong to the golden eagle and he doesn''t belong to us," the sect leader said. "Then what do you mean when you say that you are afraid that they might get hurt," his wife asked "My grandfather was killed by the golden eagle, he summoned him and the golden eagle was enraged because he commanded him, he has a very arrogant side to him, so he might hurt them for summoning him," the sect leader said "Then why does he listen when he is summoned?" the third elder asked "I don''t know why but only the guardians, elders and the sect leader family of the flame sect can summon him" the sect leader replied. "Does that mean that he might hurt them?" his wife asked "We can only hope that doesn''t happen" the sect leader replied All the disciples in the flame sect gathered in front of the sect, to wait for the return of the golden eagle, then they saw the golden eagle flying back, the golden eagle lowered his height as he flew into the sect, an elite disciple quickly ran back to report to the sect leader. "But¡­" the first elder was about to say something when a disciple entered. "Sect leader, the golden eagle is back," the disciple said "Did you see Huo Qiang and the others?" the sect leader asked anxiously, even the elders, Huo Lian and the madam were not exempted from the anxiousness. "No, but I noticed that there is blood on his claws," the disciple said "What!!" the sect leader shouted, he had now confirmed that his worst fears had already come true, they were all afraid that he had already killed them or injured them badly. Just then another disciple knocked on the door, then he entered into the room with a small bag in his hand. "Sect leader, the golden eagle dropped this," the disciple said, then he handed the bag to the sect leader, they were all wondering what was inside the bag and hoping that it was the herbs but considering what the first disciple just said, they couldn''t be sure. The sect leader opened the bag, then he scooped the content of the bag in his hands, they all looked at the sect leader hand but they couldn''t tell what it was except Huo Lian. "Sect leader, this is Wu Ling Zhi and Chuan Liang Zi" Huo Lian shouted, she couldn''t help but smiled broadly at the sight of those two herbs, when they heard what she said, they all widened their eyes in shock. "Are you sure?" the sect leader said, his wife was already smiling in excitement. "Yes, I can surely recognise it, there is no way I won''t be able to recognise them," Huo Lian said, the joy she felt could clearly be heard in her voice. "Seems like the heavens are watching over the young mistress," the first elder said "Yes, yes, go and make the medicine eight now," the sect leader said, then he handed the bag to Huo Lian. Then she left the room with smiles all over her face. "Does this mean that they are alright, if he was willing to answer their request then they must be fine?" the first elder said, he was still concerned about Bingchen, he couldn''t put his mind at ease since he heard that the golden eagle had blood on his claws. Chapter 63 - Huo Mei! "We can''t be sure for now, we can only hope that they are not dead or seriously hurt," the sect leader said, although Huo Ying could now be saved, he was still worried about the three of them that are still outside the sect. "Sect leader, the vitality sect must have seen the golden eagle, the herbs we took from them are very rare herbs so they must now suspect that we are the ones that infiltrated into their sect," the second elder said?? "Since they have seen the golden eagle, they must be speculating that some of us have left the mountain, their curiosity will definitely make them want to find who it is," the sect leader wife said "First elder, instruct some of the elite disciples to descend the mountain and find out their whereabouts, if they are injured they will be at a disadvantage now that the vitality sect will be on their trail," the sect leader said "Okay, sect leader," the first elder said then he left the room. "The disciples have relented in their training due to the young mistress illness, and many other affairs of the sect have been disrupted, second and third elder, I will entrust the both of you with the task of making sure the disciples begin their duties and training" the sect elder commanded "Okay, sect leader" the both of them chorused, then they left the room. The sect leader sighed, then he turned back to look at Huo Ying, he smiled as he watched her mother seating beside her and holding her hand, he was finally relieved that Huo Ying''s life could be saved. He returned to her bedside and sat beside her, smiling. Although her eyes were not opened, she could still hear what they were saying. Tears dropped from her eyes and landed on her pillow, as her mother caressed her hand before she died, she at least wanted to see her sister but now that she had another chance to live, the joy cannot be described, then she lost her consciousness. "A'' Ying, you are no longer on the verge of death, one day you will see your sister and we will all be together once again," her mother said as tears of joy trickled down her cheeks. "Why are you still crying, she is going to be okay now," the sect leader said. Then she wiped away her tears with her sleeve and smiled as she watched Huo Ying in her bed. A few minutes later, Huo Lian entered the room with a bowl of tonic and the herbs in their fresh form. "Why haven''t you made the tonic yet?" the sect leader asked, when he saw her enter with the herbs still in their normal form, he was scared that there is another thing they need to save Huo Ying that they don''t have yet. "Sect leader, the only person I know that can use these herbs apart from the disciples of the vitality sect is my sister, I need to wake her up or else we won''t be able to treat the young mistress in time" Huo Lian replied. "I was deeply worried about Huo Ying that I forgot about Huo Mei, is she okay," the sect leader asked. "She was exhausted from channelling her internal force to Huo Ying and¡­and" Huo Lian stuttered, the sect leader and his wife glanced at each other, they were wondering why she was hesitating. "And what?" the sect leader wife asked. "She blamed herself for not performing her duty which leads to the young mistress life being in danger so she¡­she" Huo Lian said "She what? what is so difficult for you to say" the sect leader asked, he was already getting impatient. "She used her healing blood," Huo Lian said "What?" the both of them shouted, they knew what the healing blood meant to Huo Mei and that is why they didn''t want her to use it until the last moment, the reason why their mother was hunted by the Vitality sect was that they wanted to kill her and drain her blood so that they can use it to heal the sect leader at that time who was sick with a deadly disease, the healing blood can only be found in one person from the vitality sect in each generation, if the person that has it cultivates the blood, it can be used to prolong a person''s life if a patient condition is deadly but if it isn''t very deadly, it can heal the patient but the disadvantage of using the blood is that it will deduct the number of years that the person will live for from your life is the person was fated to die. That means that if Huo Ying was fated to die, each year that Huo Ying lives for will be deducted from Huo Mei lifespan. They had already forgotten why they didn''t have such an important herb in the sect storage room but they didn''t expect that she would actually use her healing blood for Huo Ying, She is the only one that inherited the healing blood from her mother, that means that if people find out, her life will be in danger since they will want her blood. Huo Mei healing blood has never been cultivated so she has to drain lots of blood from her body just to sustain Huo Ying for three days, if she later dies because of Huo Ying, Huo Ying will never be able to contain the guilt. "Why didn''t you stop her? Huo Ying could still survive for three days, she could have waited until the last moment" the sect leader wife said "She lied, if her blood isn''t flowing, she couldn''t have survived for three days, she was planning to use her blood," Huo Lian said. "It is my fault, I shouldn''t have blamed her for neglecting her duty, she couldn''t have known that this day would come," the sect leader said. "Even if you didn''t blame her sect leader, she would have done the same" Huo Lian said, she knew the kind of person Huo Mei was, she always wants to account for all her actions. "Then I will leave you to attend to her, you mustn''t tell anyone about this, not even Huo Ying, do you understand?" the sect leader said. "I understand, Sect leader" Huo Lian replied, then the sect leader left the room with his wife. Huo Lian dropped the tray on the table, then she carried Huo Mei from the other side of the bed and sat her down on the edge of the bed, she poured the tonic into her mouth and tilted her neck backwards. Then she channelled her internal force to Huo Mei to revitalize her body, Huo Mei opened her eyes after thirty minutes, immediately she woke up, her eyes went straight to Huo Ying who was still lying on the bed, she stood up from the bed and quickly knelt down at the bedside. "Young mistress, I am sorry for being incompetent, I have caused you to die," Huo Mei said as she cried while holding Huo Ying''s hand, she didn''t even notice Huo Lian who was trying to wake her up, Huo Lian was shocked by her behaviour but based on Huo Mei personality, but wasn''t unexpected. "She isn''t dead," Huo Lian said as she moved closer to Huo Mei, Huo Mei was almost scared when she heard her voice but she was feeling too sad and guilty to be scared. "I didn''t know you were here, when did you come in," Huo Mei said, then she wiped the tears on her face. "I was just behind you now, I was the one who woke you up but you were so concerned about the young mistress to even notice me," Huo Lian said. "Oh, I am sorry but what do you mean, there is no way she isn''t dead yet unless they have brought the herbs, don''t make such joke at this time," Huo Mei said, then she turned her face back to Huo Ying, then she felt her pulse, she noticed that her pulse is already very weak unless if they had all joined forces to stop her from losing her consciousness, she wouldn''t be alive. "She really isn''t dead, that means that I can try using my blood, it might work again," Huo Mei said, she was about to make a cut on her hand with the sword by the side of the table when Huo Lian pushed it away from her hand. "Why did you do that?" Huo Mei asked in an angry tone "Do you not want your life anymore, you have already sustained her life until this moment, for every second that she lives, it will be deducted from your life?" Huo Lian said, she was already angry that Huo Mei doesn''t even care for her as much as she cares for Huo Ying and she didn''t even consider how she felt before sacrificing her life for Huo Ying. "You¡­, I don''t have the time to waste with you" Huo Mie said, she didn''t want to think of what Huo Lian said, she just wanted to save Huo Ying at that moment. "Stop, you don''t need to do that anymore" Huo Lian shouted, then she pointed at the tray on the table, Huo Mei stood up and then moved closer to the table, her eyes widened when she saw the herbs inside the tray, then she turned back to look at Huo Lian. "How come the herb is here? they couldn''t have gone and returned within three days" Huo Mei said. "They are not back yet, the summoned the golden eagle and asked him to bring it back, I don''t have time to tell you the whole story, you need to treat her now," Huo Lian said, then Huo Mei put the herbs in her hand, she moved to the bedside and stood in front of Huo Ying. She lifted the herbs up with her hand and put her spiritual power inside the herbs, then the herbs started floating in the air by itself, then she widened her palms with the herbs floating in the middle of her palms, she slowly waved one hand over the herbs and then she brought her hand then and slowly raised them up, as she raised her palms, the herbs also raised with her hands, then she cupped her hands into a fist. "Open her mouth," Huo Mei said to Huo Lian, Huo Lian did as she said then Huo Mei squeezed her fist tighter than it was before, drops of blue liquid started dropping into Huo Ying mouth, after she drained all the liquid from the herbs, she put them back inside the tray. "Are you done?" Huo Lian asked "that is all, you really should pay more attention to improving your medical skills, what if I am not around one day," Huo Mei said, then she realized that she shouldn''t have said that, that would make them remember that her lifespan is already shortened. "You do know that one day you wouldn''t be here anymore, I thought the only person you cared about is the young mistress, I am also loyal to her but you never treat me like your sister, you always prioritize her over me," Huo Lian said, Huo Mei didn''t know what to say, she just looked at her affectionately while thinking of how to change her twin sister view of her. It is true that since they were small, Huo Mei has been closer to Huo Ying than her own twin but deep in her heart she loved her sister more than she loved Huo Ying and she would be willing to do the same for her or even worse if anything happens to her. "Huo Lian¡­." "Don''t say anything, I will not do anything to prepare for when you are gone, you never listened to me when I told you not to use your blood so I won''t listen to anything you say from now on" Huo Lian said, then she left the room angrily, she was indeed overjoyed that Huo Ying life has been saved but she didn''t like it when her sister prioritizes Huo Ying over her, she is a very jealous person and they all know that. Huo Ying hasn''t fully regained her consciousness at that time but she could hear what they were saying, when she heard Huo Lian mention Huo Mei''s blood, she was hoping that Huo Mei didn''t use her blood for her. Chapter 64 - Meng Hui! She ran out after her but she couldn''t catch up with her and she didn''t want to leave Huo Ying all by herself. She just couldn''t understand where it all went wrong, she understood that she had spent more time with Huo Ying than she had spent with her sister but what she feels for Huo Ying are duty and friendship and what she feels for her own sister if far more than that but she didn''t know how to explain to Huo Lian. She watched her sister''s back until she was out of sight in the courtyard then she returned to the room, she pulled a chair close to Huo Ying bedside and watched her, her face that was very white before was now looking better although she had not gone back to her normal self. If it was normal herbs that she used on Huo Ying, there is no way the herbs would have such quick effects but they were spiritual herbs and they only grow on cultivated land, this is why only the vitality sect would have it even after it has stopped growing for that year.?? She just wished that Huo Ying could open her eyes at that very moment so that she could pour out all the frustrations she felt to her, Huo Ying has always been good at listening but not good at talking about her own problems and feelings that is why the only person that can make her pour out her mind is Huo Qiang because she thinks of him as her older brother. --------------------- It is already late in the night and the three of them are still in the forest, the three of them were heavily injured so they couldn''t ride their horses yet and they couldn''t risk getting caught, they had no problem with defeating the vitality sect disciples but they didn''t want their faces to be recognized, the flame sect is not hypocritical like other sects, they don''t care about their reputation, as long as they are not harming anyone, they will do whatever it takes to save their fellow sect members in any situation but if they were caught stealing herbs from the vitality sect, it might affect their second young mistress return and that is the only reason why they have remained silent all these years. The three of them sat in a lotus position while they meditate, their internal force had become disarrayed due to the injury they sustained from the golden eagle''s attack. After increasing their spiritual force, they had managed to calm their internal force, the three of them opened their eyes and stopped meditating. "We still need to cure our internal injury," Huo Qiang said "Why don''t we receive treatment when we return to the sect, we need to hurry back to the sect, everyone would be trying to find us since they have seen the golden eagle," Huo Li said. "She is right, they have never seen us so they can''t recognise us but we have the symbol of the golden eagle on the back of every inner disciple of the flame sect," Bingchen said, then the three of them stood up. "They won''t ask us to of our cloth just because they want to know who is from the flame sect, as long as we are careful we will be able to return to the sect without being discovered but Huo Ying mustn''t know about the golden eagle attacking us and our internal injuries or she would blame herself," Huo Qiang said "Then let''s hurry back to the sect," Huo Li said, then the three of them climbed their horses, as soon as Huo Qiang got on his horse, he felt severe pain in his abdomen, he wanted to ignore it but as soon as he urged his horse to move the pain increased, he screamed in pain when he tried to move again but the pain increased. The both of them immediately turned back to see what was wrong with him, they were shocked when they noticed that the wound on his abdomen which he had forgotten to treat when he treated the wound on his hand had turned to a golden yellow colour, they quickly got off their horse and assisted him to come down from his horse, he screamed in pain as he came down from his horse. "What is wrong, why has your blood changed to a gold colour?" Huo Li asked as they helped him to the ground. "I don''t know why, the wound on my abdomen was too small that I forgot to treat it when I wrapped my hand that was stabbed by the golden eagle" Huo Qiang replied, Bingchen helped him remove his cloth, the both of them were flabbergasted at the sight of the wound. The wound had a very bright golden colour, and the blood coming out of it was also golden. "This is not just an ordinary wound, we need to return to the sect as fast as possible, we need to stop the bleeding first, even if the colour of your blood has changed, it is still blood and if you lose too much blood, you might lose your life before we get to the sect," Bingchen said "I never thought that you cared about me this much, seems like I have to treat you better" Huo Qiang said "I don''t think the pain you are feeling is very severe since you still have a sense of humour" Huo Qiang said "But your hand was also stabbed by the golden eagle claws, why is the wound still normal?" Huo Li asked "I don''t know why all I know is that the pain is hardly bearable," Huo Qiang said "We can wait till we return to the sect to find out," Bingchen said, then he stood up and entered deeper into the forest. "Where are you going?" Huo Li shouted "I need to get some wild herbs to stop his bleeding" Bingchen shouted back A few minutes later, he came back with the herbs and a stone, he ground the herbs on a small wood then he applied the herbs on his wounds and tore a small part of his cloth and used it to wrap the wound on his abdomen. "I am done with wrapping the wound, let''s go now, the faster the better," Bingchen said, then they helped him climb his horse while they climbed theirs, then they rode out of the forest. The next day, the core members of the wind sect gathered in the sect hall, they were already deeply troubled by the appearance of the golden eagle, given the significance of the golden eagle to the flame sect "I am sure everyone must be aware that the golden eagle appeared yesterday," the sect leader said, then they all nodded their head. "Sect leader, I think we should undermine the appearance of the golden eagle," the first elder said "I agree with the sect leader, I heard that even in the battle of ever night, that the flame sect didn''t make use of the golden eagle, this means that something more serious than the battle of the ever night must have happened," Lin Bohai said "Moreover that flame sect witch still hasn''t lost her power, we have to find out what it is before they catch us unawares," Meng Hui said, they all began to murmur among themselves and voice their opinions at the same time then they sect leader raised their hand to stop them. "I understand everyone''s concerns, many of us have lost the life''s of our loved hands in the hand of the flame sect and we don''t want the same thing to happen, the flame sect was a bully in the Jianghu world and this made all the sects join hands to exterminate them but unexpectedly they were more powerful than we thought. They have already grown during this years and we still don''t know how strong they are so during this time, we need to prepare ourselves for their return, in some years'' time, the Martial Hero competition will begin and they might attend the competition so everyone needs to prepare themselves, do you all understand?" the sect leader said "Yes, Sect leader" They all chorused. "Sect leader, what are we going to do with that flame sect witch. Her sudden outburst each time we try to dispel her power has deeply damaged the foundation of the sect" Meng Hui said "What do you mean?" the sect leader asked "The last time she had an outburst, I lead some disciples to check the cave but we didn''t enter into the cave, we discovered that the cave might not be able to last for one year, her outburst has caused the structure of the cave to be destroyed," Meng Hui said "How can that be, the underground cave of the flame sect has been there since the sect was founded, even the worst fight between powerful figures could not destroy the cave, how can she do that?" the second elder said "This means that we have been underestimating her power," the sect leader said "Father, does this mean that we have to move here and her personal servant from the cave, after all, they are both from the flame sect, if any harm comes to them, we would be blamed," Lin Bohai said. "I don''t agree since we cannot dispel her power and she might be a threat to us in the future, why don''t we leave her there, if anything happens to her, we would not be blamed since we didn''t do anything to cause her death and her servant from the flame sect will also not be able to testify," Meng Hui said, then the hall became noisy once again, everyone wanted to voice their own opinion but they were all talking at the same time. "Enough!!" the sect leader shouted then they all stopped talking "Father, I don''t think that idea is good, we can dispel her powers to prevent her from being a threat to us in the future but she hasn''t done anything wrong to deserve death," Bohai said, Meng Hui looked at him, she wasn''t happy that he was siding with Huo Lan. They have never met, so why is he defending her¡­ She thought! "Young Master, you saying that she hasn''t done anything to deserve death is not true when she was still an infant, she has caused us to lose twenty important disciples who were the best we had at that time and they would have become powerful people in the Jianghu world if she hadn''t burned them to death, the only one who survived to tell the tale later died when he could no longer endure the pain," the first elder said, Meng Hui smiled, she was happy that her father was backing her up. "If we leave her be and the flame sect finds out that we tried to dispel her powers, they will definitely not let the matter rest," Meng Hui said. "I have heard your opinions and I have decided that Huo Lan will be left in the cave, her living or dying depends on her fate," the sect leader said. "Father¡­." Bohai tried to protest but he was cut short by his father. "You softheartedness is your bane, I have told you not to let go of anything or anyone that might be a threat to you in the future," the sect leader said, although he didn''t raise his voice, from his tone it was clear that he was angry. "Then what do we do about the golden eagle appearance?" the second elder asked. "It is no use sending disciples to find which member of the flame sect has left the mountain because the only way of identifying them is the golden eagle symbol on their back, but any disciple that leaves the sect should pay special attention when they are outside the sect," The sect leader said "Okay, sect leader" they all chorused Then the sect leader left the hall following the elders and the other disciples, Lin Bohai gathered some of the advanced disciples that attended the meeting outside the hall. "You should tell the sect leader''s order to the other disciples and tell them to keep their eyes open for a golden eagle symbol" Lin Bohai said to one of the advanced disciples, then they left to carry out his orders. He was also about to leave the front of the sect hall when he felt someone pulling him back, he turned back to see who it was. "Meng Hui" Bohai said, then he looked at her hand holding his, she saw that he was signalling her to stop holding his hand so she released his hand. "Why do you seem angry again?" Bohai said "What do you mean by I am angry again, are you saying that I am always grumpy?" Meng Hui said, this is the part of her that Bohai hates, she always frowns at the slightest thing as though the world revolves around her. "I don''t mean it that way, just tell me what you what to say," Bohai said, he knew what the end result will be if he continues arguing with her and he wasn''t in the mood for her tantrums. "Why are you siding with her?" Meng Hui asked, jealously and anger was written all over her face. "I am not siding her, I am only saying what is good for the sect," Bohai said. "But¡­" "I have something to attend to, I will see you later," Bohai said, then he just walked away without even waiting for her to reply him. "You¡­" she was about to follow him but her father stopped her. "Father, why are you here?" Meng Hui asked, she thought her father had left earlier. "I understand his actions but I know your feelings for him, if you want him to love you, you should stop throwing tantrums and try to restrain yourself," her father said then he also walked away without letting her reply. She stumped her foot in anger, she didn''t like it when she is being opposed by anyone but her father actually opposed her. Chapter 65 - Last Night!! Clank! Clank!?? Clank! Clank! She turned restlessly on the bed, she blocked her ears with her finger in an attempt to stop the noise from disturbing her sleep but it didn''t help, she winced in frustration, she was already starting to lose her desire to sleep. "Please stop making that noise" She shouted while she was still half asleep, then the noise stopped. "Thank God," She said still half asleep then she removed her finger from her ears and smiled as she tried to dive into the deep sleep she had almost woken up from. Then all of a sudden, the noise started again¡­ Clank! Clank! Clank! She squeezed the duvet and started kicking the air with her legs continuously, she seemed like a child who is throwing tantrums but she just didn''t want to wake up. "Mum!!, please stop" She shouted, then she raised her head from her pillow, with her whole face scrunched up and her long hair scattered all over her face and shoulders, with her eyes still closed, she reached out to the side of the bed to take her phone but she couldn''t reach the table, she stretched her hand further but it seemed like her bedside table had already disappeared. "Mum, where is my phone and my table?" She shouted, she was still half asleep but she couldn''t go back to her sleep even though the noise had stopped. "No one moved your table since there was never any table," a voice said at the entrance of the room. "Mum what do you mean by there is no¡­." she stopped and straightened her face when she realized that wasn''t her mum''s voice, she opened her eyes and turned to look at the person that just spoke. She was scared to see who it was so she started looking from the person''s leg and lifted her eyes slowly. This is not my mum or dad''s feet¡­ When her gaze reached the person chest, she noticed that the person had a broad chest which was exposed by an oversized plain red robe, she raised her eyes then she gasped at the sight of his face. There is still drops of water dripping from his drenched medium length hair that was packed into ponytail reaching the middle of his neck. He gave her a crooked but mesmerizing smile, he crossed his leg and rest his back on the door, she widened her eyes when she saw him smiling, he was so dashing and sexy at that moment that she couldn''t take his eyes off him, she blinked her eyes in an attempt to snap back to her senses. What does that smile means, I hope we didn''t¡­? She raised the duvet and looked underneath it, then she glared back at him. "What happened?" Yu Yan asked nervously, she was just hoping that it wasn''t what she was thinking, she just couldn''t figure out how she would explain to Chen Kai if something really happened between them. He looked at her with an amused expression on his face, she just seemed too cute to him at that moment, he smiled broadly and chuckled, then he stood straight and slowly walked towards her with a mischievous smile etched on his lip. She watched as he slowly walked towards her with her eyes widened, she didn''t understand why felt like she couldn''t do anything at that moment but she wasn''t going to let him have his way, she quickly stood up and spun around to kick him but he smiled as though he knew what she was going to do, he held her leg and dragged her closer to him. She struggled to release herself then he lost his grip on her when she almost landed on the floor, he quickly grabbed her waist and pulled her closer to his chest. She heaved a sigh of relief that she didn''t fall down. "Where do you think you are touching?" He asked, then she returned her gaze to his face, she realized that he had a serious expression on his face then her eyes drifted to his chest, her hands were on his chest. She quickly took off her hands then he removed his hand from her waist. "You still haven''t answered me, what happened last night and why did I wake up on your bed and why are you in a robe?" she asked impatiently. "You are asking too many questions at once, which one should I answer first?" Han Chen with a slight smile on his face. "Answer the first question" She replied "I prefer to start from the last one, I tried to wake you up by six am this morning but you didn''t want to wake up, then you vomited on my shirt so I had to clean your face and take a bath again, I was also trying to cook breakfast for you since you might be late for work but you kept on telling me to stop making noise in the kitchen," He said "ooh, I am sorry for that but you haven''t answered the first two questions," She said with a guilty and nervous expression on her face. "We were drunk last night so I carried you to the room then¡­" he stopped abruptly and then smiled mischievously to make her anxious. "then what¡­" "then I will leave you to figure the rest out, I still have to continue cooking, there is an extra toothbrush in the bathroom cupboard but I don''t have any bath kit you can make use of unless you want to use mine," he said then he left the room. "You¡­ come back here and explain to me clearly" Yu yan shouted, she was really frustrated at his actions, she didn''t even know if anything happened between them, she was feeling normal but his expressions made her feel like they had done something wrong. He had already finished cooking, then he served the breakfast on the large dining table, she came downstairs in the same cloth she was wearing before. Then she looked around to see where he was, she saw him setting the table so she walked into the dining room. "You are done," he said then he sat down at the head of the table, she looked at the room with a surprised look on her face. "Why are you looking like that?" he asked "Your house is even bigger than Jia Yu''s mansion, even your dining is as big as half of my house" Yu Yan said then she sat down at the chair close to him at his right side. "I would have loved to live in a smaller house but I can''t leave this house, it contains many memories that I don''t want to forget," Han Chen said then he passed her own breakfast of hotdog, fried egg, baked beans and toasted bread. "I can see that you prefer English breakfast to a Chinese breakfast," Yu Yan said as she picked up the knife and fork on the tray. "I often go abroad for operations so I hardly stay in china, I am used to it," Han Chen said, she was about to eat but she turned to look at him in confusion, He realized that he had made his tongue slip. "what do you mean by operations? you sound like you are in the military" Yu Yan asked, Han Chen smiled awkwardly and then tried to think of an excuse. "I meant to say that I normally go abroad to perform surgeries," Han Chen said then he continued eating. "I thought you said you don''t have a license?" Yu Yan asked she was already feeling that he was suspicious and too complicated to understand. "I don''t have a license because of an injury that I sustained long ago but that doesn''t matter abroad," he said without looking her in the eye but she was quite convinced by his answer, she started eating her food, when she had almost finished her food, she realized that she had forgotten to ask him about last night. "Now can you please tell me what happened between us last night, we didn''t¡­.do anything wrong, did we?" Yu Yan asked, with a quizzical look on her face. Chapter 66 - Try To Remember!! "Does it really matter to you?" Han Chen asked, he was no longer smiling as he was before, he looked at her with a serious expression while his eyes bore into hers intensely, she lifted her eyes to answer him while looking straight into his face but she felt something she had never felt before. What is this¡­?? She thought! His gaze seemed like he was pricking her with a needle, he seemed sad and he just had too many emotions in that gaze that she couldn''t describe, she also felt like she was at wrong. Why is he looking at me like that and making me feel guilty¡­? She thought! She blinked her eyes and looked away for a second then she turned back to look at him, he knew that she was about to say something that he might not want to hear, something that would make him have to give up on her even before he decides to pursue her, he changed his expression in an instant, this time he had a playful smile carved on his lips. "I¡­I¡­" She stuttered "Are you about to say something emotional? if you are then that makes me a good actor" Han Chen said "What does that mean?" Yu Yan asked, she looked at him in confusion, she just didn''t know what was going on between them at that moment and she really wanted to understand. "I was just joking with you, if you want to know what happened last night then you will need to remember it yourself because I don''t remember too" Han Chen said, she examined his face to see if he was deceiving her but from his look, it seemed like he was telling the truth. It seems like he is telling the truth but he also looked serious just now and then he said it is a joke¡­ She said in her mind! "How can you not remember what happened?" She asked she raised her voice a little which he wasn''t surprised at, he had always known her to be this impatient even though she doesn''t remember. "Then why don''t you remember then?" He asked, then he raised one eyebrow over the other, she took in a deep breath and then looked away from him, she was just feeling too frustrated at that moment, having to deal with a guy she just met in an awkward position was really not easy for her at that moment. Then she suddenly remembered something¡­. "Did you ask me any question last night?" Yu Yan asked. Han Chen swallowed his saliva nervously He really hoped that she wouldn''t remember him asking her if she would pursue the person she loves even if that person already has someone else, he still hadn''t made a decision on that and he just wasn''t ready to answer any question related to that. "What question?" Han replied "I remember you asking me about my memory but you also asked me something else, I know it but I can''t remember what it is" Yu Yan replied, she put her elbow on the table and then rubbed her forehead with her palm. "Why do you keep struggling to remember things that you can''t remember?" Han Chen asked, then he finished the last bit of his breakfast. "I don''t know why but I feel like that question that you asked me is very important" Yu Yan replied, his entire face become gentle when he heard that, he didn''t expect her to feel that way but he certainly didn''t want to go into that topic right now. "I don''t remember too, I am just like you right now" Han Chen replied, then he stood up and picked up his plate and hers, she raised her eyes then she glared at him, immediately he saw that look he knew what it meant. "You do know it is rude to pack someone''s plate when there is still food in it," Yu Yan said "I know but according to what I know, you are supposed to be at work by 11''0 clock today and this is ten am" Han Chen replied, then he made his way to the kitchen. She watched him walk away in confusion. As a surgeon, she is supposed to be aware of her schedule always but she forgot for the first time in her life. I have never forgotten anything this important until I met this Jia Yu''s brother, he is really my bane... She said in her mind! He came back to the dining looking stunning in a black high neck top, black skinny jeans, a long black coat and a black Rolls Royce wristwatch, she stood up when she saw him then she shook her head. "what does that mean?" He asked "The both of you even have the same taste when it comes to dressing," Yu Yan said "Do you mean Jia Yu?" Han Chen asked "Who else can I associate you with?" "Well I influenced her if you are talking about dressing in all black" Han Chen said then he smiled playfully. "Although the black colour doesn''t match with Jia Yu personality, it is really compatible with you," Yu Yan said "Is that a compliment?" Han Chen asked "Maybe both but you can see it however you want to," Yu Yan said then she walked ahead of him, he smiled then he followed behind her when they got to the parlour, she scanned around for her bag and her medical kit, then she found them, then she checked inside her bag for her phone but she couldn''t find it. "I don''t see my phone here, do you perhaps know where it is?" Yu Yan asked, then she widened her lips. "Oh, I used it to massage your mum and that other guy, Li Chen" Han Chen replied, then he opened the drawer under the parlour table and brought out her phone and handed it to her. "What!!" Yu Yan exclaimed "What is wrong?" Han Chen asked "What isn''t wrong, you messaged Li Chen and my mom now everyone will know that I spent the night at your house, how am I supposed to face everyone," Yu Yan said, she raised her voice at him this time. "Is it that bad that you spent the night at my house?" Han Chen asked, wearing a serious expression. "It is not about you, even if it is another man, it is still wrong, I have a boyfriend" Yu Yan said softly. "then be assured, I didn''t tell them anything, your mum texted you last night so I just told her not to be worried and then this morning I asked Li Chen what time you were supposed to resume work, now can we go?" Han Chen said then he left the parlour while Yu Yan picked up her medical kit and followed behind him. When they got out of the mansion, Yu Yan looked around the extra-large compound but she couldn''t find her car, although the compound seemed large enough to build three more mansions, she could still find her car just with one look around the compound. "Where is my car?" Yu Yan asked "Well, something bad happened¡­" Han Chen said "Do you mean my car?" Yu Yan asked "I wanted to go out this morning to get some clothes for you to wear so I took out your car then the engine started overheating twenty minutes after I left so I had it towed to a car service company," Han Chen said "Oh my gosh, I forgot to service it for a long time before my busy work schedule, then how am I supposed to get to work on time," Yu Yan said with her hand tightly gripping her hair. "There are other cars," Han Chen said "From what I can see, you have a very big mansion but no car," Yu Yan said "Are you sure about that?" Han Chen asked, then he smiled and walked to the back of the house with Yu Yan following behind him. "What are we doing here? I don''t think I have time for this, I will just take the bus" Yu Yan said, Han Chen removed a small remote from his pocket and pressed one of the buttons. Crrrghhh!! The iron gate to the garage opened slowly, then both entered into the garage, she gasped as she slowly walked into the garage. A fine set of cars lined up some Ferraris and Lamborghinis and some jeeps that seemed too expensive just from looking at them. "Exactly how many cars are in here?" Yu Yan asked "I think they are almost thirty cars in here since I gave some out last year," Han Chen said, then he moved to a G wagon and opened the car, Yu Yan Quickly pulled him before he entered the car. "What is it?" Han Chen asked then he rolled his eyes. "you are not thinking of me going to work in that car, are you?" Yu Yan asked "If not?" Han Chen replied "There is no way I am going to work in that car, even the highest-paid doctor in the hospital doesn''t drive a car looking as expensive as this if I do in this car, what do you think is going to happen, I will just take the bus," Yu Yan said then she was already walking away then he pulled her back. "Do you realize that you only have twenty minutes to resume work and you are still arguing about this" Han Chen said "Why don''t you drive a smaller one, please¡­" Yu Yan said, then he sighed and moved over to a smaller car, she examined the blue Mercedes Benz he chose she nodded her head in approval, although the car still looked way more expensive than something she could afford, she didn''t have a choice since it seemed like that car is the least expensive car in the garage. Both of them entered the car, then Han Chen started the engine and drove off, after he drove out of the garage, the gate closed. "I don''t understand why you have so many cars and such a big mansion, even Jia Yu house is not as big as yours and she has just five cars," Yu Yan said "Maybe it is because I am not Jia Yu, I only bought about twenty cars inside that garage, the rest are gifts from Jia yu parent and other people over the years," Han Chen said "Why would you need to buy that much car?" Yu Yan asked "I just like them so I bought them two years ago since then I haven''t bought any other cars, I always get someone to clean them every month while I am abroad," Han Chen said "I am really intrigued by you, you dress like an ordinary person but you are not, I feel like there is more to you that I don''t know about," Yu Yan said, then he smiled at her comment. She wanted to ask him why he wasn''t with his family but he and Jia Yu seemed like it is something that they didn''t want to talk about. "Maybe we are not that close to know everything about each other yet". "Yeah maybe but it seems like with Jia Yu being a sister to you and a sister to me we have something in common" Yu Yan said "Do you know that Jia Yu has always listened to me no matter what I tell her to do but when she introduced me to her boyfriend, I could tell that no matter what I say it doesn''t matter so I just supported her and the same applies to you, I am kind of jealous having to share my sister with two people at the same time?" Han Chen said as he turned the car into another lane on the highway. "Do you have something you don''t like about me and Ji Chen?" Yu Yan asked "Hardly, everything she told me about the two of you while I was abroad made it impossible to and that Ji Chen guy seemed really good and he is handsome too although he is not as handsome as me," Han Chen said then he smiled arrogantly. "everyone can see that you just broke Ji Chen record and I am sure he is not happy about that but don''t be too arrogant about it, from what I know your handsome face was Jia Yu''s bane in high school," Yu Yan said "If she wasn''t advertising me while we were in high school, we would have been much better back then," Han Chen said She wanted to ask him why he wasn''t with his family but he and Jia Yu seemed like it is something that they didn''t want to talk about. After driving at the highest speed he could drive at, they arrived at the hospital parking lot in thirty minutes, he looked at his wristwatch. "I think I tried my best, you are ten minutes late though," Han Chen said, Yu Yan was about to open the car door but she stopped. "Didn''t you come with me to visit Jia Yu, she is resuming work today?" Yu Yan said "I followed you so that I could visit her but if I enter with you then they will speculate something you don''t want them to," Han Chen said. "You do know that you still have to try to remember what happened last night right?" Yu Yan asked "Why are you so relentless?" Han Chen asked "Call it whatever you want, just try to remember" Yu Yan said then she got out of the car. Chapter 67 - Rh-negative! Yu Yan hurriedly entered the revolving door to the hospital, she ran to the reception and then signed her name on the attendance book, she pulled off her black coat and hung it on her bag while she was running, she had a habit of wearing trousers and a shirt whenever she came to work but today she was a white off-shoulder top on blue jean, this is clearly something that the nurses at the reception had never seen her wearing. "Surgeon Yu, are you okay?" one of them asked?? "Yeah, I just ran from the parking lot so I am a bit hot, why did you ask?" She replied. "You are dressed unusually today" the nurse answered "ooh, it is a rather long story," She said then she left the reception, she entered the elevator and pressed the third-floor button. She took in a deep breath as she stood at the entrance of the office hoping that her team leader hasn''t entered the office yet. She opened the door and looked inside the office, three pairs of her stared at her as she walked into the office and sat on her seat. "Good morning," Yu Yan said and smiled awkwardly "I don''t think I will be very good when you meet the team leader," Xiaomeng said, the mood suddenly changed from a happy mood to a rather silent one. "Did the team leader come in here?" Yu Yan asked "She didn''t but she called us to her office to lecture us because we were the last to arrive at the meeting arrive at the meeting but she didn''t see you so I told her that you went to get coffee at the caf¨¦," A Ke said "We didn''t come to work for six days, today is Thursday so she should have forgotten that" Yu Yan said "Unfortunately for us, our team leader had a very good memory," Li Chen said. "By the way, your mum called me last night to ask me if you were at work, where did you go last night?" An Ke asked "seems like being an adult last born doesn''t mean you can be totally free from being a mummy''s girl and your dressing seems not like you today," Li Chen said "tell me about it! I need to change my clothes, thankfully I always have spare clothes" Yu Yan said then she sighed, just then a nurse rushed into the office. "There is a patient with a stab wound in the emergency department and he is in need of immediate treatment now," the nurse said. "Seems like I don''t get to spend the first thirty minutes in the office," Yu Yan said, then she grabbed her white coat from the hanger and took her hairband from her drawer, she tied her hair up as she hurried out of the office behind the nurse. When she got to the emergency department, she gasped. A day never passes by without the emergency department being filled with patients¡­ She thought! She hurried to the bed where the patient she needed to treat was lying on. The patient was screaming in pain when she got there, he was stabbed with a long square-shaped butcher knife, she gasped at the sight of a teenage boy lying on the bed, she has always hated treating patients with stab wounds especially gang members but this was the most brutal thing she has ever seen anyone do to a teenager since she has been working in this hospital. "Explain the situation to me," Yu Yan said, she moved closer and brought out a pen torch from her pocket to examine the man eyes. "He is a sixteen-year-old boy, according to the person who brought him in, he was going to register for a football competition, then he got stabbed by a maniac with a long knife," nurse wang said. While she was attending to the patient, Han Chen came into the emergency department, he was about to walk by but he saw Yu Yan in the emergency department so he just stood by the entrance and watched her. "his pupils are already dilating, give me his vital signs," Yu Yan said as she tore his shirt apart, the knife in the boy''s body entered his abdomen and came out of his back, the other end of knife prevented him from lying on the bed so they had to make him sit up. He was already sweating and blood was oozing out of his wound, he was groaning in pain and squeezing the sheets on the bed to endure the pain. "The paramedics told us that his vital signs are very low, his blood pressure is 90mm Hg systolic blood pressure, his heart rate is 140 beat per minute" the nurse replied. Yu Yan bit her lips, she just couldn''t see the boy going through such agonizing pain. She felt like she was sharing the pain with him, she was about to examine the wound but the boy held her hand tightly. "Doctor please remove this knife, the¡­pain is too much for me to bear," the boy said "child, I can''t remove it now, just endure the pain, for now, I will end the pain for you as fast as I can, just try your best not to lose consciousness," Yu Yan said, she drew blood out of his vein then she turned to the nurse. "I need two more nurses here, I need a CT scan of his central airways and bedside abdominal US, tachycardia reflects blood loss so he is in need of blood transfusion, take his blood sample, text his blood type and other variables for blood transfusion, inform his guardian and have them check for whoever has a blood type that matches his, and check his coagulation markers, give me two large-bore IV lines with one litre of crystalloid infusion," Yu Yan said, then they nurse hurried away, she turned back to the boy and held his hand. "Don''t worry, I will make you better, just do me a favour and breath slowly, try your best to endure the pain and remain awake?" Yu Yan said, she turned back when the two nurses she called for arrived. "I need one of you to go to the blood bank department, I need four units of type O negative blood, the other one should get me as much gauze as you can and as fast as you can," Yu Yan said, just as the other two went on the missions, nurse song returned with everything she was asked to get. Yu Yan covered the boy''s mouth with an oxygen mask connected to the electrocardioscope to monitor his vital signs, she saw that there wasn''t much difference and they would lose the boy if they are not quick enough. "I need you to administer 1ML of tranexamic acid per minute," Yu Yan said to nurse song, then she collected the CT scan result and the beside US test. "seems like the knife penetrated his liver and stabbed through the thoracolumbar fascia if we pull the weapon out of his body, he will most likely lose a lot of blood, we need enough blood for transfusion, the bedside US test is not clear, seems like I will have to perform a diagnostic peritoneal lavage," Yu Yan said "I will get another IV line for the blood transfusion and I have confirmed his blood type, he has an Rh-negative blood type so for now we can''t find a donor for him and I don''t think he can last until then". "There is another way, draw my blood, I have an Rh-negative blood type," Yu Yan said, then she stretched out her arm. Han Chen who had been watching her from afar heard her saying that she wanted to draw her blood for him so he quickly ran to her. "But¡­" "No but, draw it now, we have a patient on the bed," Yu Yan shouted "what is his blood type?" Han Chen asked, the two of them turned to look at him. "Who are you?" the nurse asked "Why are you here?" Yu Yan asked "I have been watching you so I decided to give it a try since we can''t have the doctor in charge feeling weak so why don''t you check if I am suitable for the blood transfusion," Han Chen said "I would have argued but right now someone''s life is in danger so just do it, what is your blood type," Yu Yan said "I am Rh-negative," Han Chen said, Yu Yan and the nurse glanced at each other. The nurse quickly picked up a syringe and drew a sample of his blood then she hurried away. "I would have questioned you but I am not in the mood," Yu Yan said then she turned back to the patient. "Don''t worry, you will be alright soon, just hold on?" Yu Yan said to the boy then he responded with a nod, he was already sweating profusely and the pain was already making him shut his eyes slowly, Han Chen noticed this then he moved closer to the boy. "Just count the number of breath you take or sing your best song in your mind, it will help," Han Chen said then he smiled and stroked the boy''s hair, Yu Yan watched him as he stroked his hair, she felt like he wasn''t the same scumbag she had known. Then the other nurses came back. "Good" Yu Yan said the nurses laid everything they needed in the medical trolley. "His blood is compatible with the patient''s blood," nurse wang said "Alright then take him to draw his blood, w might be needing it very soon," Yu Yan said then the nurse walked away with Han Chen following behind her. "Now we are going to get into action, the both of you should apply pressure to both sides of his abdomen while I pull out the knife," Yu Yan said. Chapter 68 - CPR!!! She moved closer to the boy and held his hand, she looked at him compassionately and with lots of affection in her eyes, she was almost about to cry but she couldn''t at that moment. "This is it and it is going to hurt a lot; you need to be strong, try not to lose consciousness," Yu Yan said to the boy. Then she turned to the nurses and asked them to go to their positions with the gauze at both sides of the bed to ensure fast and easy access.?? "Hey, hey" She shouted, she was calling a nurse who was about to leave the emergency department but she had never seen his face so she couldn''t call him by his name. The male nurse quickly turned back and walked to her. "What is your name?" she asked hurriedly "My name is Su Ran" The nurse replied "Su Ran, you are going to inject 0.5ML IM into this patient right now," Yu Yan said, then the nurse filled the injection and injected the medication into the boy. "Inject 1ML of tranexamic acid," Yu Yan said to Su Ran then he did as she said, she stood in front of the boy then she glanced at both of the nurses that were standing at both sides of the bed. Then both Han Chen and nurse Wang returned then they stood by the bedside, Yu Yan held the knife with both hands, she bit her lips and looked at the boy and he also reciprocated the look, he started breathing fast in fear of the pain he might feel at any moment from now. Yu Yan noticed this then she said to him "don''t breathe too fast, I will make it fast and I have already given you medication to lessen the pain" Yu Yan said, then the boy nodded his head. "Ready," Yu Yan said "Ready" the nurses answered She bit her lower lips and started pulling out the knife fast but steady, the boy tried to endure the pain at first but as soon as the other end of the knife came out of his back, he let out a very loud and agonizing scream, his made everyone in the ER to turn their attention to them, when they saw the horrifying scene they all covered their mouth in shock that someone actually could stab such a young boy in such brutal manner. As she pulled the knife out of his body, blood started rushing out of his abdomen, she was expecting that to happen after she had pulled the knife out but she didn''t expect it to be so sudden. "Gauze!" She shouted to the nurses at both sides o the bed, then they placed the gauze on the wound as she pulled the knife out but within five second the gauze had already been soaked with blood, then they applied another gauze to the wound, Yu Yan pulled out the knife completely and then the boy let out another scream in pain, blood started gushing out of his body and it just seemed impossible to stop the blood from gushing out. She picked up some gauze from the medical trolley and applied pressure on the wound but it still wouldn''t stop bleeding. "Give me more gauze pad, and inject him with an anticoagulation reversal and antibiotic prophylaxis to prepare for surgery afterwards" Yu Yan shouted then Su Ran handed more gauze pads to her and did as she said, she and the other nurses applied pressure to the wound continuously, after they had exhausted all the gauze they had, the bleeding stopped. "Give me 0.9% sodium chloride," Yu Yan said, the nurse passed it to her then she poured it on the wound, after cleaning the wound, she wrapped it with a bandage. The boy had already started breathing irregularly, Yu Yan tried to calm him down but she couldn''t. "He had already bled too much, start the blood transfusion immediately or he might go into cardiac arrest at any time soon" Yu Yan shouted, then nurse wang quickly hung the IV lines filled with blood and started the transfusion but the boy had already bled too much, nurse Wang looked at his vital signs from the electrocardioscope, She gasped when she saw that they were already losing him. "Surgeon Yu, we are losing him," Nurse Wang said, Yu Yan quickly turned to look at the machine. Beep! Beep! Beep! The electrocardioscope already had straight lines on it, she widened her eyes when she saw the reading, by this time, her hand and her white coat and top were already dyed scarlet red by the blood. She turned to look at the boy who had already started shaking, she tried to pin his body on the bed but he wouldn''t stop shaking. "Quick the defibrillator, he has gone into cardiac arrest" Yu Yan shouted "Please don''t go, stay with me," Yu Yan said silently to the boy who couldn''t even hear her at that time, they quickly brought the defibrillator to her, then she took the paddles from the machine. "Clear!" She shouted, then they all moved away from the defibrillator. "100 volts!" Huo Ying shouted to Su Ran who was operating the defibrillator after he set the machine to a hundred volts, he signalled to her to confirm it. Then she placed the paddles on the boy''s chest. "Shocking" Yu Yan shouted then she pressed the paddles on the boy''s chest and removed it, the boy''s body jerked up as soon as she removed the paddles then she climbed the bed and sat in the middle of his leg and folded her fingers together then she started compressing the boy''s chest continuously and with strength when she checked the machine and she saw that he was not picking up, she picked up the defibrillator paddles and stood up from the bed. "150 volts and everyone clear!" she shouted, Su Ran increased the voltage of the machine then everyone moved away from the bed once again. "Shocking," She said, then she placed the paddles on his chest and pressed it against his chest, when she lifted the paddles, his body jerked up once again. Then she dropped the paddles on the machine and sat on the bed in the middle o his body and folded her fingers together then she started compressing his body. "Please wake up, please..." Yu Yan said as she continuously compressed the boy''s chest, her body moved up and down while she compressed his chest, she used more strength to compress his chest when she saw that he was still not waking up, by this time, she had already started sweating and breathing very fast. Her front hair slicked down at the side of her face as the sweat continued to drop on her coat and on her top, which was already dyed red in some areas. She had already exerted herself, she continued compressing his chest for three minutes without stopping and she had already started breathing faster than she was before. The nurses and Han Chen saw that she had already exerted herself but they couldn''t do anything to stop her. She stood up from the bed and picked up the paddles again. "250 volts and everyone clear" Yu Yan shouted, then everyone moved away again while Su Ran increased the voltage of the machine "Shocking" Yu Yan said then she placed the paddles on the boy''s chest and pressed it against his chest when she removed it, the boy''s body jerked up again, then she dropped the paddles on the machine and sat on the bed again in the middles of his body. She folded her fingers together again and started compressing his chest, she knew that is he didn''t wake up this time then he won''t be able to wake up again but she didn''t want to give up on him. She continued compressing his chest again, they could tell that she was already weak and she might not be able to continue for much longer. Yu Yan heard someone sobbing outside the emergency department so she turned back to see who it was, she saw a middle-aged woman crying outside the ward with another teenage girl then she assumed that they must be his family, Han Chen followed her gaze then he realized that she must be feeling more pressure when she saw his family crying and she wouldn''t stop. "You are already weak, let me continue," Han Chen said to Yu Yan "I am okay just don''t distract me" Yu Yan replied "But¡­" "Just shut up and leave please!" Yu Yan shouted at Han Chen, they were all shocked at her reaction, including Han Chen. They had never seen her that way and she has never really treated children or teenagers that had such complex conditions during her seven years in the hospital so this was totally new to them. Han Chen felt like his presence there was unpleasant so he left as she said, the other nurses who were about to persuade her to let them take over didn''t even bother to say anything again. She continued compressing his chest for about two minutes but the machine still had the same weak reading and she was already losing him. She had almost given up but she remembered her promise to him then she decided to persist. Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeppppppp! She looked at the machine which seemed like it was also trying to discourage her then she put in more strength into compressing his chest then all of a sudden¡­... Beep! Beep! Beep! The heart monitor started showing signs of a normal heart rate, she turned to look at the boy then she realized that he had already opened his eyes slightly, she stopped compressing his chest then she smiled at him and stood up from the bed. Everyone in the emergency department started cheering her when they saw that her persistence has paid off. She didn''t have time to waste on sentimental talk when she saw that his heart rate has stabilized, she quickly turned to nurse Wang and said. "Prepare for a diagnostic peritoneal lavage," Yu Yan said "Are you going to perform it here?" nurse Wang asked "Of Course, from what I know, there won''t be any free operating room right now" Yu Yan replied. "Alright" nurse Wang replied then she brought a trolley filled with surgical equipment. Yu Yan pulled off her already stained gloves and changed into a blue surgical glove, then she picked up the nasogastric tube and inserted it into his nose to prevent aspiration, then she ordered a nurse to close the curtain to prevent people from looking inside. "Su Ran insert the Foley catheter" Yu Yan ordered, then Su Ran did as she had said. Chapter 69 - Suspicious! Nurse Wang is also an anesthesiologist so she injected the boy with general anaesthesia while Yu Yan removed the wound dressing and passed them to one of the nurses then she placed a surgical cloth on his body and then cut out the middle of the cloth where the area of incision is located, she rubbed the disinfectant on the skin in the open area of the cloth. "I am starting now and I will not tolerate any act of sluggishness, we still have another operation to perform after this" Yu Yan said?? "Scalpel" Nurse Wang handed the scalpel to her, Yu Yan performed a large incision through the first layer of the tissue. "Bovie" She collected the Bovie and then dissected through the layers of the tissue, even in such a surgery where they needed speed and focus because of the complication and the affected areas, she was still able to make the incision very quickly, the nurses there have never seen Yu Yan during surgery except nurse Wang so they were amazed at her preciseness and speed, they were even more surprised when there was no blood coming out of the incision she made. This was something that they had never seen but it wasn''t surprising to nurse Wang who had already gotten used to such a scene. When she had the peritoneum in her sight, she handed the Bovie to nurse wang, nurse Wang was already experienced when it comes to this kind so surgery so she didn''t need Yu Yan to tell her what to do anymore. She handed a pair of retractors to Yu Yan then Yu Yan used it to widen the incision in order to see it clearly, then she made an incision on the peritoneum, she inserted the peritoneal dialysis catheter through the opening, she attached a syringe to the catheter and then started performing the suction, after the catheter was filled up with blood, she removed the catheter and inserted a laparoscope into the incision. Then she looked at the images on the screen to find the blood vessels leading to and fro the spleen to the other organs, when she found them, she clamped the blood vessels to stop blood from flowing through the spleen. She used a harmonic scalpel to cut the spleen and then placed in a surgery bag, she removed the surgery bag with the spleen in it and then placed it in a surgical tray and handed it to nurse Wang. After completing the surgery procedure, she stitched up the front and back opening of the injury and the surgical incision. "Take care of the rest and refer him to the orthopaedic department to check for other skeletal injuries from the penetration, since he is a footballer, we can''t have him disabled" Yu Yan said, then she heaved a sigh of relief and looked at his face. She was about to open the curtain but nurse Wang called her. "Surgeon Yu, you have tried," She said with a smile on her face, this is not the first time she had admired Yu Yan''s surgical skills but it never ceases to amaze her, normally such surgery should take up to two or three hours but Yu Yan completed it in an hour and thirty minutes, even the other nurses were surprised by her speed. She smiled back at her then she opened the curtain with her hand raised up to prevent the blood on the glove from staining any surface. When people saw her coming out of the enclosed area, they were serious about the result of the surgery, such a penetrating injury is not something that a teenager can survive especially after the blood loss so most have them had already concluded that the surgery would be a failure. When she came out, she had a straight look on her face so they couldn''t tell how the surgery went, Yu Yan looked around for the guardian of the boy then she spotted them outside the glass door of the emergency department so she walked toward them, when they saw her coming out, they were anxious to hear the result of the surgery. When she got to them, she smiled in order to encourage them but they were still anxious. "How is my son, is he awake?" the mother asked "I am sorry for not inquiring about the patient name, I was in a rush but the surgery went well and he has not yet woken up, after 24 hours, but we cannot confirm the final result until then, I have referred him to the orthopaedic department to check for any skeletal injury so you can be rest assured," Yu Yan said, the mother heaved a sigh of relief then she slumped but her daughter quickly supported her. "You seem to have overexerted yourself," Yu Yan said to her "My mother just came back from a two days shift and has been worried and crying for a while," the sister said "you can take your mother to meet one of the nurses there, tell her that Surgeon Yu told her to get a drip, what is your name and your brother name," Yu Yan said "My name is Yu Yan, my brother name is Guo Yan" she replied, then Yu Yan chuckled "Seems like we have the same name. My name is Huo Yu Yan" Yu Yan said, then the girl smiled back at her, Yu Yan like the way the girl smiled especially her dimples. "I will see you later," Yu Yan said then she walked away when she approached the passageway of the emergency department, she entered into the surgery washroom and washed the gloves, she dumped them into the bin and scrubbed her hands. She looked into the mirror then she realized that her white coat and her white top were already stained with blood, she went into the dressing room and changed into a blue shirt. When she entered the office, she saw the three of them in the office, she returned to her seat and sat down, the three of them watched her as she slumped on her chair then they glanced at each other. "What happened that made you so tired?" Li Chen asked Yu Yan sighed then she replied: "I just performed a laparoscopic splenectomy for a teenage boy with a long square knife stabbed into his abdomen and penetrating through his back". "and the surgery went well?" An Ke asked "It did but it wasn''t easy, I almost lost him before the surgery" Yu Yan said "How old is the teenage boy," An Ke asked "I think he is sixteen years old and his sister is my namesake," Yu Yan said "that is very odd though," Li Chen said "What is odd?" Yu Yan asked "both, it is very rare to see someone with the same name as yours and a sixteen-year-old boy shouldn''t have survived such blood loss" Li Chen replied "I agree," An Ke said "He lost too much blood and we didn''t have an Rh-negative blood type in the blood bank, it was almost dead but Jia Yu''s cousin came to the rescue" Yu Yan said "You mean that tall and handsome dude donated his blood for that boy?" An Ke asked "Yeah but the boy still went into cardiac arrest during the transfusion, it wasn''t easy to resuscitate him," Yu Yan said "Maybe that is why you are a miracle surgeon, what is so hard about that" Xiaomeng said then they all turned to look at her. "Do you always have to be a bitch?" An Ke said "Who are you calling a bitch?" Xiaomeng said then she slammed the table and stood up. "You are the one" An Ke replied with a fierce look on her face, Li Chen already knew that they might start fighting at any moment and as he always does, he tried to stop them. "Do you guys always have to behave like kids?" Li Chen said, then Xiaomeng sat back while An Ke looked away and scoffed. "I am going to the caf¨¦," Yu Yan said then she left the office. When she got to the caf¨¦, she went to the counter to make her order. "One iced americano" Yu Yan said, the attendant returned and handed a cup of iced americano to her, she looked around the caf¨¦ for a place to seat, then she heard someone calling her, she turned back, then she saw Jia Yu and Han Chen sitting in the caf¨¦. Jia Yu waved her hand telling her to come and sit with them, her eyes went to Han Chen who didn''t reciprocate the look, she realized that he must be angry when she lashed out at him in the emergency department so she just walked out of the caf¨¦. Jia Yu realized that the look Yu Yan gave to Han Chen seemed like a guilty one. "Brother, did anything happen between you and Yu Yan?" Jia Yu asked "Why did you ask?" Han Chen said "She was here just now but she just ignored me and left, she has never done that before," Jia Yu said then she looked at him with suspicion writing on her face. "Was she? I didn''t see her though" Han Chen then he sipped his drink. "Liar, I just called her in front of you now, something must have happened between two of you," Jia Yu said "nothing happened, I just met her last week, we are not that close so what could have happened between us" Han Chen replied "Her mum called me to ask if I knew where she went last night but I couldn''t reach her, she has never slept over at anyone''s house without me, did you¡­." "What are you trying to say, why will she be at my house, apart from you, and those two have you ever seen anyone sleeping at my house" Han Chen said "Anyway, that is true and Yu Yan will never sleep at any male''s house except for Li Chen and Ji Chen, ooh and her boyfriend," Jia Yu said "I didn''t see her boyfriend the other day, where is he?" Han Chen asked "He is abroad, he has a training to complete before he can return" Jia Yu replied "ooh," Han Chen said then he sipped his drink again, Jia Yu looked at him quizzically, she felt that he was strange, he has never been this interested in anyone before but he seems interested in Yu Yan. "Brother, are you interested in Yu Yan," Jia Yu asked "What nonsense are you talking about, of course not" Han Chen replied "If you do, I expect you to end it now, her and her boyfriend love each other too much, you won''t be able to win her heart even though you are more awesome than him, I don''t want you to be heartbroken," Jia Yu said then she looked at him with affection in her eyes, Han Chen saw the way she looked at him then he chuckled and pinched her cheeks. "You really love me too much, I should perhaps repay you by paying your boyfriend a visit," Han Chen said, Jia Yu pushed his hands away then she rubbed her cheeks. "Why would you visit my boyfriend alone?" Jia Yu asked "I want to intimidate him to test if he really loves you" Han Chen replied "brother..." Jia Yu snapped "Okay, I was just kidding" "You don''t even have to, when we were abroad, he got injured for saving me," Jia Yu said "were you hurt?" Han Chen asked he changed into an overprotective father in an instant. "No, but he has a scar on his arm because of me, that is the symbol of our love," Jia Yu said then she blushed. "tchtchtchtch! Isn''t it just a scar?" Han Chen said "You don''t know Ji Chen, that is the only scar that Ji Chen has, he has always cared about his appearance but he willingly took the cut for me then," Jia Yu said "Okay, I believe you," Han Chen said then he looked at his watch, he sipped the last bit of his drink then he stood up from his seat. "I need to go now," Han Chen said "I forgot to ask why you were still around, shouldn''t you be in the barrack," Jia Yu asked, then she stood up with her cup of coffee in her hand. "I got suspended," Han Chen said "That''s great" Jia Yu replied, then Han Chen looked at her with surprise written on his face. "Your brother got suspended and you are happy about it," Han Chen said Chapter 70 - Are You Feeling Guilty! "Don''t you think it is time for you to settle down, you should use this time to find someone you love and get married, father and mother have always wanted you to leave your job as a soldier and become a surgeon, that is what you are best at, I have never seen someone as good as you when it comes to performing surgeries, why do you insist on being a soldier?" Jia Yu said, after Han Chen completed his high school studies, he applied for a military medical university even though his aunt and his uncle were strongly against it, he had a fortune for himself but he refused to manage his fortune, he handed all of his parent companies to his uncle and then he became a soldier, the only people that she has ever associated her brother with her his fellow soldiers and his family, he has never brought any girl home or associated himself with any woman. "Naughty girl, I am just two years older than you what makes you think that you can talk to me about getting married, any way you got what you wished for, we can hang out frequently now when you are free," Han Chen said?? "But¡­" "I am going, bye," Han Chen said then he left the caf¨¦, leaving Jia Yu behind, she watched his back as he left the caf¨¦ with mixed feelings, she had always loved him and felt pity for him ever since his parents died, since then he had always been someone who never cared about having fun and being around people, the first time she saw him having real fun after the death of his parent was the day she took him out with her friends, she didn''t want to tell her parent about his arrival before but now that he has been suspended, she wouldn''t keep it a secret from them anymore. Yu Yan sat in the hospital garden where the patients are normally taken for a walk, she sat down on a long bench and watched as people walked the old and young patients around the garden, this is one of the scenes that she has seen countless times since she began working in the hospital. She sipped her drink silently as she looked around the garden, then she saw a tree of cherry blossom in far away from where she was sitting, she has always loved cherry blossoms ever since she was little, she loved their feminine and delicate appearance and it always appeals to her every time she sees it. She stood up and walked to where the tree was rooted, she stood in front of the tree and touched its petals gently, she smiled in appreciation of the beauty she saw in the petals. Then she heard her phone ringing, she searched for her phone in her pocket then she found it in her back pocket. "Hello," she said after picking up the call "Do you know who is speaking?" the caller said "I don''t know, who is this?" Yu Yan replied "I just knew that you didn''t check who was calling before you picked the call, you need to get rid of this habit of yours," An Ke said "Alright, can you stop nagging and get straight to the point An Ke" Yu Yan replied, she already knew that the caller is An Ke judging from the way the person was nagging right after she picked up the call. "You need to be back in thirty minutes, the meeting for the total artificial heart surgery is starting soon," An Ke said "I thought the meeting is supposed to be held tomorrow?" Yu Yan asked "I don''t know what happened, I only told you what I know, make sure you are not late," An Ke said "Alright, thanks" Yu Yan replied, then An Ke ended the call, she sighed as she returned the phone to her back pocket. "Today is not the best day for me," Yu Yan said, then she turned around to return to the office but she was shocked when she saw someone standing at her back and she didn''t notice it all the time that she was standing there, she mistakenly spilt her drink on his cloth then she screamed. The other people in the garden turned to look at her but she just smiled at them awkwardly then they looked away when they saw that she wasn''t hurt. "What are you doing here?" Yu Yan asked, she certainly wasn''t expecting Han Chen to be standing right in front of her at that moment and the worst thing was that she didn''t even hear a sound when he arrived there. "Is there a rule that says that this garden is for staffs alone?" Han Chen replied "No but you could have a sound or at least let me know that you were here, are you a ghost, how can you just stand behind someone without making a sound," Yu Yan said, then she placed her hand on her chest to calm herself down. Han Chen smiled at her when he saw how frightened she was by his sudden appearance. "I don''t think you were frightened because I was standing at your back without letting you know," Han Chen said, then he placed both of his hands in his coat pocket. Yu Yan removed her hand from her chest then she looked at him quizzically. "If not, what other reason is there?" Yu Yan asked "I think you are feeling guilty for your action toward me" Han Chen replied. Then Yu Yan suddenly remembered that she tried to avoid him because of what she did to him in the emergency department, but she didn''t want to act like she remembered what she did to him. "What do you mean by that? other than vomiting on you which I have apologised for, I don''t remember doing anything else" Yu Yan said "I think you remember but you are just acting like you don''t, you might not know but I am an expert when it comes to detecting lies," Han Chen said "I don''t think you are because I am telling you the truth and you think I am lying" Yu Yan replied "I am very sure that you remember if not why did you leave when Jia Yu called you in the caf¨¦ just now," Han Chen said then he fixed his gaze on her eyes, her eyes met his then she lashed fluttered and she quickly looked away. He is giving me that look again¡­. Yu Yan said in her mind! "I didn''t know that you were there, I saw Jia Yu sitting there and I had something to do so I quickly left the caf¨¦" Yu Yan replied. "if you had something to do then what are you doing here? you were just caressing the petals of this flowers just now" Han Chen said. "I¡­I¡­Alright I remember shouting at you but do you need me to apologise for that, we could have just pretended as nothing happened and it will pass" Yu Yan said "I am not demanding an apology, I just wanted to tell you that you don''t need to apologise since I understand your situation at that moment," Han Chen said. When did he become such a gentleman¡­? "I don''t think that is something you would say, you must be after something else right?" Yu Yan said. "have you been lied to all your life, if I was in your position at that moment, I might have done the same, you were desperate to save the boy''s life and you needed to focus so you don''t need to avoid me," Han Chen said "I believe you then but I am sorry, I have never really been that harsh to someone so I was feeling guilty for shouting at you despite your good intentions," Yu Yan said with an apologetic look on her face. "Alright, since your guilt have been cleared you can go now, I think you have a meeting to attend," Han Chen said, then Yu Yan pulled his hand to look at his wristwatch, Han Chen was flabbergasted at her actions when she touched his hand that he widened his eyes in shock. "I have only five minutes to attend the meeting, how did the time go so fast," Yu Yan said then she dropped his hands and raised her eyes, she was surprised when she saw that his cheeks had already turned red, she didn''t notice it before so she felt that it was strange. "Why are your cheeks red?" Yu Yan asked, then she noticed that his shirt was wet, then she realized that she must have spilt her drink on his shirt but she was wondering why she didn''t say anything about it even though he was aware of it, he traced her gaze to his chest then he noticed that she must have realized that she spilt her drink on him. "It is nothing, you should go now," Han Chen said "Are you sure you don''t need a change of cloth, I can ask Li Chen to give you a spare shirt?" Yu Yan said with worry written on her face. "It is alright, you can go now," Han Chen said with a smile on his face to reassure her. Then she walked away when she had almost reached the entrance of the hospital, she turned back to look at him but he didn''t see her then she entered the building. Meanwhile, Xiaomeng who had been watching her speaking to Han Chen from afar smiled with contempt, she couldn''t believe that Yu Yan was flirting with someone else when she had already stolen Chen Kai from her. She wanted to approach Han Chen to expose her but she decided to wait until she confirms what their relationship is then she will tell Chen Kai that he was being cheated on, she knows that without evidence of her betrayal, Chen Kai would never believe that Yu Yan was cheating on him, then she smiled in satisfaction of what would happen once Chen Kai finds out that Yu Yan had been cheating on him. Yu Yan ran to the office, then she saw only Li Chen and An Ke inside the office, since they had already nominated her to join the surgery crew from the emergency department the others were not part of the crew, so they were not needed to attend the meeting unless they want to. "Why are you just coming now, didn''t I call you thirty mutes ago to tell you about the meeting," An Ke said "Something came up" Yu Yan replied then she removed her hair band, brushed her hair and picked up another white then she left the office. When she arrived at the meeting room, she was happy to see that not everyone had arrived at the meeting. She took her seat on the round meeting table then she opened the bottle of water in front of her and drank a little. Minutes later, all the other surgeons from each department that were required to attend the meeting had already arrived, including the chief surgeon who sat at the head of the table. One of the nurses present at the meeting started distributing some files to all the staffs that are present in the meeting. "I am sure everyone already knows what the meeting is for but I will repeat myself, this meeting is to discuss the total artificial heart surgery that will be performed on our V.V.I.P patient, surgeon Wei will brief everyone about the condition of the patient," the chief director said then everyone shifted their gaze to surgeon Wei who is the director of the cardiology department. Chapter 71 - Complex Surgery! "Mr Li is a seventy years old patient with a past record of heart failure, he has undergone artificial heart surgery to replace his left and right ventricle two years ago, the artificial heart that was implanted into his body is now faulty and it needs to be replaced, we are not just going to replace the right ventricle but we are going to replace the whole of his heart," Surgeon Wei said. Everyone around the room started murmuring, replacing the heart with an artificial heart is already a surgery that has a high failure rate, not to talk of replacing it twice, they all knew that the surgery was not going to be easy and there is a ninety-seven per cent chance that the surgery might fail. Mr Li Zhang Wei is known to be one of the most influential men in china, his children also hold high positions in the country, if the surgery fails, those that were in charge of the surgery will definitely face severe consequences and if the surgery is successful, they will surely be promoted and receive other benefits, but they couldn''t risk it. Most of the older surgeons in high positions were not satisfied with Yue Ling and Yu Yan being the surgeon in charge and the assistant surgeon, they felt that the both of them were too young and inexperienced to perform the surgery, the announcement in the last meeting doesn''t really count since they were not really aware of the full situation so they wanted to take the chance of snatching the opportunity from the both of them. Everyone focused their gaze on Yu Yan and Yue Ling to see their reaction after the patient condition has been explained and as expected, the both of them seemed anxious, there is no way anyone won''t be anxious in such a situation, it was indeed a huge pressure for them, they had only started working in the hospital for seven years and they started as resident surgeons and attended other medical training for five years, it has only been two years since the both of them became general surgeons. They were indeed not appropriate for such an important surgery, if the surgery fails they knew that it would be the end of their career.?? "I know that in the last meeting, I nominated Surgeon Yu Yan from the general department and surgeon Yue Ling from the cardiology department but now that the complexity of the surgery has been explained, I know that there might be slight changes. So, anyone is free to speak of their opinions" the chief surgeon said, the hall became noisy once again, they all started talking to each other in pairs. "I don''t think I can handle the risk of this surgery, the last time we had this meeting, I wasn''t even sure of how important the patient I so I made my research, he is really a big shot and he is not to be messed with," Xiao Qi said to Yu Yan who is sitting beside her. "Even I am just finding out, I am not really sure about it too, I want to do the surgery but I am not sure if I am ready to risk my career on such a risky surgery," Yu Yan said. The chief surgeon frowned when he saw that everyone in the hall was speaking to each other and the meeting hall was already noisy. "If anyone has an opinion or anything to say, let everyone hear it," the chief surgeon said with authority and dissatisfaction resounding in his voice. They all glanced at each to her and kept quiet, Yue Ling, on the other hand was really desperate to perform the surgery, she has always been an excellent surgeon and has always dived into dangerous surgeries in the last two years but she has always been successful in all of her surgeries. She wasn''t expecting the surgery to be this complicated but she was still having mixed feelings about the surgery, part of her wanted to do the surgery in order to increase her experience, such an opportunity is very hard to come by, if she has the experience of being successful in such an operation, she would definitely increase her value in the hospital and it will help her to fulfil her ambitions, another part of her didn''t want to do the surgery in fear that the career that she has struggled to build without her parent connection might crumble. Finally, one of them raised up his hand to speak. "I don''t think it is right that we should allow surgeon Yu and surgeon Yue to perform this surgery and I am sure that if Mr Wei fins out that the surgeons who are to perform such a complex surgery for him have only just completed their residency two years ago, he definitely won''t allow it," Surgeon Chang said, he is a surgeon in his early fifty''s, and one of the most experienced surgeons in the hospital, he is also known for his greediness and his bootlicking skills, he makes sure that he takes up any surgery that concerns V.I.P''s and that his why he has been promoted severally during his career as a surgeon. Many people in the meeting room nodded in agreement with his suggestion including the chief surgeon. "What do you think surgeon Kang?" the chief surgeon asked "I agree with what surgeon Chang said, not to talk of the patient if his children know that we are letting such young surgeons perform this surgery, it might cause problems for us" Surgeon Kang replied, surgeon Kang is a specialist surgeon from Korea and he is also one of the board of directors so he has a say in the operation of the hospital. Surgeon Chang smiled in satisfaction when he saw that surgeon Kang agreed with him. "The surgery will take place next month, for now, the patient will be put under special medical care before the surgery, next two weeks another meeting will be held regarding the nomination of the surgical crew," the chief surgeon said, then he stood up and left the meeting room. As soon as the chief surgeon left the room, the other surgeons left then they started discussing on their way back to their various department. "Yu Yan, I think what they said is right, there is no way his children will agree to let us perform their father surgery, if I were in their position, I will do the same" Xiao Qi said to Yu Yan after they left the meeting room. "I also have the same thought but I really want to perform the surgery, not because of the fame I will get if it is successful but because of the experience, the first time I saw the surgery being performed although it wasn''t as complex as this, I really wanted to try it once and the opportunity is here but I am not sure that I am ready for such a big challenge," Yu Yan said "I agree with you but you should really consider the pros and cons of performing the surgery, it has a high failure rate, if it fails, it might be the end of your career," Xiao Qi said "I will, you should also think about what you want to do, you were supposed to be the second assisting surgeon," Yu Yan said "Alright, I am already here, bye," Xiao Qi said then she waved her hand and left after they separated, Yu Yan sighed, then she took the elevator to return to her office. They were all anxious to know that context of the meeting when they saw Yu Yan entering the office, they smiled knowing that their curiosity will finally be satisfied. "How did the meeting go?" An Ke sked with curiosity written on her face. "It didn''t go well, the surgery was more complicated than everyone thought" Yu Yan replied. "I heard that the patient is to have an artificial heart implant, although the surgery has a high failure rate, you should still consider doing the surgery," Li Chen said, then An Ke shook her head in agreement, but Yu Yan sighed then she sat up on her seat and turned her chair to face Li Chen. "That was what we all thought so I was willing to take the risk and challenge myself but that is not all, although total artificial heart implantation is not an easy surgery, removing an implanted artificial heart and replacing it with a total artificial heart is almost impossible," Yu Yan said "What do you mean, I know a surgeon who has performed such surgery before but he is a European surgeon and he is not my personal acquaintance," An Ke said "Don''t tell me that is the surgery you are going to perform?" Li Chen said then An Ke looked at Yu Yan in shock, she didn''t know that was what Yu Yan meant to say. "It is" Yu Yan replied then the both of them exchanged glances. "How are you supposed to perform such complex surgery?" An Ke asked Although Xiaomeng was in the office too, she didn''t bother to say anything, she was in fact happy that Yu Yan was going to have a hard time with the surgery. "that is not all, the patient is a V.V.I.P patient and he is one of the most influential people in China, if the surgery fails, that would be the end of my career," Yu Yan said "I don''t think you should go-ahead to perform the surgery, the loss is greater than the gain" Li Chen said with concern resounding in his voice. "Everyone in the meeting was against me and Yue Ling performing the surgery and I also agree with them, the surgical crew might be determined next two week," Yu Yan said, then she sighed again. "I don''t think it is wise to perform such a complex surgery," Li Chen said. ---------------------- "Why didn''t you bring the bag to my house yesterday?" Han Chen asked, Roy and Shi Fen came to his house to visit him then he remembered that he asked Shi Fen to bring his bag yesterday but he was to happy being with Yu Yan to even remember his bag. "I was too heartbroken to come here yesterday when I went to your sister''s villa, she was there, I asked her about her stay abroad but all she kept talking about was her boyfriend," Shi Fen said, then Roy and Han Chen exchanged glances, they were trying their best not to laugh at him but they just couldn''t hold it in. The first time Han Chen introduces Shi Fen to his sister two years ago, he fell in love with her at first sight, since then whenever he sees Jia Yu, he always stammers. "You should just find yourself another girl, I am sure you will get over it soon," Roy said "Boss, how could you allow her to date another guy, she told me that you were very close with him and you approved of their relationship," Shi Fen said "I am sorry but her boyfriend is indeed handsome and likeable, moreover, what I say wouldn''t matter, she has fallen head over heels for him already," Han Chen said. Chapter 72 - Pitiful Love! "You should just take heart and move on" Roy said then he patted Shi Fen on his shoulder, Han Chen stood up from the sofa in the parlour then he went to the kitchen. Seconds later, he returned with three cans of beers, the two of them looked at him in confusion as he placed the cans on the table. "Boss, are you sure you are alright?" Shi Fen asked with a concerned look on his face. "Of course, I am, why did you ask?" Han Chen replied "Han Chen, did you go out to buy these beers?" Roy asked "Yes, I did" Han Chen replied, then he picked up a can of beer from the table and opened it. "and you said you are alright" Shi Fen said "What are you guys talking about, is this the first time you have seen me drinking beer" Han Chen said then he drank the beer. "Shi Fen, go and start the car, we need to get him to the hospital" Roy said then Shi Fen stood up from his seat to do as Roy said but Han Chen pulled him back to his seat. "I said I am fine, why are you making a fuss over the beers, do you have something against me drinking today?" Han Chen said "But boss, you have never bought anything you needed for yourself, you don''t even like going for grocery shopping, you said you hated the smell in the stores so I always buy whatever you need for you" Shi Fen said "ooh, you are talking about that, I have already recovered from my that phobia, I can start buying my things myself" Han Chen said, then he smiled crookedly and sipped the beer. "This is strange, I thought it was weird that someone hated the smell of stores and was afraid to go into any store, so you were pretending al along" Roy said, then Shi Fen shifted his gaze to Han Chen who had a guilty smile on his lips. "I wasn''t really pretending, I really hate the smell of the stores but I am not afraid of it" Han Chen said then he gulped down the remaining beer and dropped the can on the table. "Boss, are you saying that you made me do your bidding all this years not because you had a phobia but because of the smell" Shi Fen said, he just couldn''t believe how ridiculous his excuse was. "I shouldn''t have tried to entertain you" Han Chen said, then he picked up another can of beer from the table, he was about to open it but Shi Fen snatched it from him and opened it, then he gulped down a mouthful of the beer, the both of them watched him in disbelief as he gulped down the beer. "He must be really angry with you" Roy said, then he picked up the last can of beer on the table and opened it. "I am going to find myself something else to drink from the fridge" Shi Fen said, then he dropped the can of beer on the table and stood up from his seat. "You are not even going to ask for my permission, you seem to have spent a long time here that you have forgotten whose house this is" Han Chen said. "I think I at least deserve to do whatever I want in your house as a compensation for my suffering and since I no longer need you to root for me to date your sister, I will help myself" Shi Fen said then he walked away, the both of them watched him in disbelief of his sudden courage. "Did you guys eat liver before coming here, when did he become so fierce and bold?" Han Chen asked "I would also be angry at you if I was the poor boy, he lost his crush and you lied to him¡­no, to us, even I had to run your errands" Roy said, then he gulped down his beer. "I am sorry for lying but I really hated the smell of those stores and as for my sister, I have no say or control over this one, I am sure that even if her parent object she will not break up with him, you need to trust me on this one, if you saw the difference between how she treated me and her boyfriend when we first met, you wont believe it" Han Chen said "I have to admit, this is the first time she is not kidnapping you or following you around anytime she discovers that you are back" Roy said "well she is kind of busy now unlike before since she has now completed her training and she is now a real surgeon" Han Chen said "are you just going to sit around during your suspension?" Roy asked "I am thinking of doing something but I am not sure of it yet" Han Chen replied "What is that, you have never hesitated before doing anything before?" Roy asked. "I want to¡­" Clank! Clank! The both of them looked towards the direction of the kitchen in shock with their eyes widened. "What just happened?" Roy said "how am I supposed to know, we were just talking here, why don''t you go and find out?" Han Chen said, Roy stood up from the sofa and rushed to the kitchen. He was stupefied at the sight of the filled-up refrigerator, he couldn''t understand what had happened to Han Chen, ever since he came back from their last military operation in Syria, he has been acting strange and doing things that he doesn''t do. "Do you think he hired someone to do buy his groceries or he went to buy it himself" Shi Fen asked ???I don''t think he went himself, he is an expert when it comes to cooking but he would never buy groceries himself" Roy said "I think we should ask him, if he did buy these things himself then we should take him to the hospital" Shi Fen said, then the two of them returned to the parlour. "What happened in the kitchen?" Han Chen asked as the both of them sat on the sofa opposite him. "did you buy the groceries in the fridge?" Roy asked "Yes, but I didn''t go alone, come to think of it, I bought some snacks" Han Chen replied, then he stood up to go to the kitchen. He returned seconds later with a bag of chips in his hands. "who did you go with?" Roy asked "Do you really have to care about such details, you are almost acting like my aunt" Han Chen said, then he opened the chips and started eating it. "If we don''t who else will?" Roy replied "fine, I went with Yu Yan" Han Chen said, then the both of them exchanged glances and then focussed their gaze on Han Chen. "you mean that feisty girl?" Roy asked "Who else?" Han Chen replied "Boss I thought you said you didn''t have feelings for her, why would you go grocery shopping with someone you don''t like" Shi Fen said. "Did you really believe what he said, the picture of that girl has been on his phone since I met him and that was ten years ago" Roy said "you are saying that boss has been in love with that woman before he entered the military?" Shi Fen said "that''s right, don''t you think he is so pitiful and the girl now has a boyfriend so he is even more pitiful than you are" Roy said then they both looked at Han Chen with a fake pitiful look. "do you guys realize that I am sitting right in front of you?" Han Chen said "Of course, we do" Roy replied "firstly, I am not pitiful, I wouldn''t have survived in the military without courage, I haven''t tried to get her because I care about her happiness, if she is happy with that guy then so be it" Han Chen said, then he crunched the chips in his mouth. "I don''t think you mean it, I have always known you to be someone that is courageous even in dangerous situations but I never realized that you are this cowardly when it comes to women" Roy said "You¡­" "I agree with him" Shi Fen added "I also want to tell her how I feel, we have known each other since we were in high school, we were even dating then but no one knew about it but we had to separate because of an accident and she doesn''t remember me anymore" Han Chen said "are you saying that she lost her memories?" Shi Fen asked "not all of them but only the ones from when we met" Han Chen said "What a tragic love story, you are really pitiful boss" Shi Fen said "can you stop with the pitiful stuff" Han Chen said "but that doesn''t stop you from pursuing her again, if she really gets married to her boyfriend someday, you will regret that you didn''t pursue her when you had the chance" Roy said "okay can you both stop talking about me, I already have my plans" Han Chen said "What plans?" Shi Fen asked "I am going to get closer to her" Han Chen replied with a broad smiled on his lips "I know that smile, you seem confident so let''s hear your plan" Roy said "I am going to use this suspension as a chance to get involved with her life, I am going to start working in the hospital she is working at and I will rent an apartment close to hers if possible" Han Chen said "getting closer to her is a good plan, but if you suddenly move close to her house, she is going to suspect that you are following her or you have an ulterior motive" Roy said "He is right boss, she even saw your mansion, what need would you have to buy an apartment close to hers?" Shi Fen said "Are you guys stupid, I can just say that my house is too big or me to live in it alone so I wanted to find an apartment that is closer to my workplace" Han Chen said "that makes sense" Roy said "of course, it does" Han Chen replied "but I don''t think she is the kind of girl that will fall in love with you because of your good looks, I am not sure about money though" Shi Fen said "She is definitely not that kind of girl" Han Chen said, then he smiled again, his mind drifted back to when they were still in high school. The first time he spoke with her was unforgettable for him, he touched his lips as he reminisced that moment. The both of them watched him as he drowned in his fantasy. "did you kiss her by any chance" Roy said Chapter 73 - I Must Find Them! As soon as she opened her eyes, the reflection of the blazing sun found its way into her eyes, she quickly covered her eyes with her hand to block the rays of sunlight diffusing through the door. She still felt weak but not as weak as she was yesterday, she groaned silently as she lifted her upper body, she didn''t want to wake Huo Mei up from her sleep. Huo Mei sat on a stool and rested her head on the bedside close to Huo Ying, judging from her position on the bed, she could tell that Huo Mei had been looking after her throughout the night, she smiled as she watched her in her sleep. Wait¡­I remember hearing Huo Lian saying something about Huo Mei''s blood¡­could¡­could it be that she¡­.?? Huo Ying thought! Then she looked at Huo Ying with fear in her eyes, she was really hoping that Huo Mei didn''t use her blood on her, she couldn''t imagine herself sucking the life out of the person who had always felt that it was her responsibility to take care of her, she would rather kill herself the moment she finds out than let Huo Mei sacrifice her life for her. While she was still in thoughts, Huo Mei woke up, she stretched her hands as she woke up from the sleep that she has been unable to get for three days. Huo Mei looked up to find Huo Ying, when she saw her sitting on the bed her joy could not be described, she has been waiting for this moment for the past three days after Huo Ying used the essence of the herbs. "Young mistress, you are awake" Huo Mei shouted in excitement, she has missed the strong young mistress that she has always been with before, ever since Huo Ying fell sick, she felt like she was serving someone else and not Huo Ying, everything about her changed during this time. "I am, why do you seem so tired?" Huo Ying asked with concerns written on her face, her lips are still slightly pale but it was evident that they are almost returning to their original rose-red colour, her entire face didn''t seem as pale and weak as it seemed before but they were all worried about her when she was unconscious. "Young mistress, I had to be by your side for three days with little sleep each day, we were all afraid that your illness might suddenly relapse while you were unconscious so I had to stay with you throughout the days you were unconscious," Huo Mei said "What do you mean, I was only unconscious for a day," Huo Ying said in confusion, she just couldn''t bring herself to believe that she had been unconscious for three days, she indeed felt more energetic than she was before but she felt like only a day has passed since she became unconscious. "Young mistress, you were asleep so you won''t know but you have been sleeping or unconscious for three good days, we were all worried that the herbs didn''t work or they got the wrong herbs which has made you unconscious, I just couldn''t stop blaming myself for putting you in such a dangerous situation, if we had the herbs earlier on, you would have recovered a long time ago," Huo Mei said, then she lowered her eyes in an apologetic manner. Huo Ying smiled as she watched her wallow in guilt. "it wasn''t your fault, if I had told you about it earlier on, it wouldn''t have gotten worse to this point," Huo Ying said, then Huo Mei raised her head and smiled. "I am just happy that you have woken up, I was too happy that I forgot to inform the sect leader," Huo Mei said, then she stood up from the chair but Huo Ying pulled her back to the chair. "Huo Mei, did¡­. did you perhaps use your healing blood on me?" Huo Ying asked with a quizzical look in her eyes, in her mind, she was silently wishing that Huo Mei would say no. Huo Mei fluttered her lashes then she looked at Huo Ying with an unfazed expression. "Young mistress, what are you talking about, I know how important my healing blood is too me, there is no way I would have used it," Huo Mei said, she was about to stand up again but Huo Ying stopped her. "You are lying to me, after you fed me the essence of the herbs my sense of hearing began to function but I couldn''t wake up, I wasn''t sure of what Huo Lian said but she definitely said something about you using your blood to save my life," Huo Ying said "she¡­she¡­what you said is true but I haven''t used it yet, I know how important the healing blood is so I only planned to use it when you are almost dying if they haven''t brought the herbs by then but they did so Huo Lian was only complaining that if they didn''t get the herbs in time, I would have gone ahead to use my blood without listening to her," Huo Mei said "You know I hate people lying to me especially those I trust, did you really not use your blood to save my life" Huo Ying asked "I didn''t young mistress, you are really overestimating my ability, my blood can only extend your life for a day or two if I had used it, I haven''t cultivated my blood all these years to prevent it from being discovered," Huo Mei said. "Then I am relieved. If you had used your blood, I would rather die than let you sacrifice your life for me" Huo Ying said, then Huo Mei smiled. This is the Huo Ying that she has always known, anyone who knew her would willingly give their lives for her. "Young mistress, I need to inform the sect leader that you are awake, your mother has been worried about you ever since the day you collapsed and she has hardly eaten since then, if she knows that you are awake, she will definitely be overjoyed," Huo Mei said then she stood up from the chair. "Wait¡­I don''t want her to see me looking pale and sickly, when I dress up then you can inform them" Huo Ying said, then she stood up from her bed and walked towards her wardrobe. "Young mistress, let me get you your dress, even though you are awake, you still can''t exert yourself," Huo Mei said "Do you think I am those gentle young mistresses of those rich families, this sickness must have destroyed the strong image I built for myself all these years?" Huo Ying said playfully, then Huo Mei walked to her wardrobe and brought out a set of red clothing for her. Minutes later, Huo Ying was fully dressed. She was dressed in a plain red outer garment with tight red sleeves and her elbow down to her wrist was covered with a black sleeve, she also wore a black inner trouser and a red and black coloured sash on her waist to complete her usual look. "Young mistress, why don''t you have feminine clothing, you are always dressed as a woman but your clothing makes you appear less feminine," Huo Mei said as Huo Ying walked to her dressing table and combed her hair. "being feminine would make me look weak moreover I think this type of dressing makes me look more beautiful and stronger, as the young mistress of the flame sect, I can''t let anyone see me as a weak person," Huo Ying said, Huo Mei walked to her back and collected the comb from her, she ran the comb through her hair until they were finely arranged and straightened as they used to be. "young mistress, you can''t fall sick like this again, everyone in the sect were worried about you, even the disciples, no one could concentrate on their training or even sleep well because we were all worried about you, the only reason why they haven''t started crowding your quarter to see how you are doing is that the sect leader ordered everyone to begin their normal duties." Huo Mei said, she packed her hair into a ponytail with a round golden ring on her hair. "I am very grateful to you Huo Mei for saving me, if it wasn''t for you, I wouldn''t have been alive or even see my sister before I die and you all should really stop calling me young mistress, we grew up together and we can be regarded as childhood friends," Huo Ying said, then she stood up from her seat. "but you are still someone we are obliged to serve and respect no matter much. Moreover, I didn''t do much, the ones you should really thank are Huo Bingchen, Huo Qiang and Huo Li, if they hadn''t brought the herbs on time, even I wouldn''t have been able to save you" Huo Mei said ??Where are they?" Huo Ying asked "They haven''t returned to the sect" Huo Mei replied with a downcast look on her face. "Where did they go to and why haven''t they returned?" Huo Ying asked nervously. "They couldn''t find the herbs you needed anywhere so they had to steal the herbs from the vitality sect" Huo Mei replied. "The vitality sect is known for their traps, even if we have the blueprint of their sect, how can they pass through the energy-sucking forest, something must have happened to them," Huo Ying said in anxiety. "We don''t know where they are now, but they made it out alive, they couldn''t return to the sect in time to save you so they had to summon the golden eagle but¡­" Huo Mei said then she cast her eyes downward. "But what?" Huo Ying asked, it was clear that she was already getting impatient, if she learns that they are in danger she would surely go out to find them. "The sect leader said that the golden eagle would never listen to the command of anyone so he might hurt them, when the golden eagle returned with the herbs, one of the disciples said that there was blood on his claws ad he wasn''t wounded" Huo Mei replied "Then what are you still doing here, everyone should have descended the mountain to find them, the vitality sect will still be on their tail, how can they return to the sect if they are injured or dead," Huo Ying said, then she picked up her sword from her bedside and walked towards the door but Huo Mei quickly held her wrist. "Huo Ying, the sect leader has already ordered some of the elite disciples to find them," Huo Mei said "That damned golden eagle, if it can''t even save them then what is he doing for this sect, he is big enough to bring them back to the sect on his back, how can he leave them there, after getting them injured," Huo Ying said then she balled her fist in anger. "the golden eagle doesn''t listen to anyone but it helped them bring back the herbs, I am not sure about what happened but you can''t go into a rage again, what if your sickness relapses," Huo Mei said "I don''t care, I have to get them back, no matter what and that damned golden eagle is going to take me to them," Huo Ying said, then she tried to brush off Huo Mei''s hand from her wrist but her grip was strong. "Everyone saw the golden eagle before, they would be looking for whoever is out from the flame sect, remember the plan to remain quiet until we get Huo Lan back," Huo Mei said "You know you can''t persuade me so just let me go unless you want me to bring out my other self," Huo Ying said then her eyes slowly began to change to a red colour, seeing how she changed, Huo Mei quickly removed her hand from her wrist. "I know you care about me but I don''t have a good feeling about them being out there alone with no assurance that they are fine," Huo Ying said "But the sect leader doesn''t even know that you are awake yet," Huo Mei said "When I come back with them, they will see me," Huo Ying said "You are not strong enough to fight, what if something happens while you are out there?" Huo Mei argued "Their lives are more important," Huo Ying said then she ran out of the room with Huo Mei following behind her. As they ran out of Huo Ying''s quarter, some of the disciples saw them, they were overjoyed that she was already awake but before they could even say anything to her, she had already run past them. Huo Mei looked around but she couldn''t find her, she wanted to report to the sect leader but she was worried that there would be another series of a problem if she did so she just kept on looking for her. Chapter 74 - I Must Find Them! 2 Huo Ying arrived at the scared pinnacle after running and avoiding the disciples, she snuck into the sacred pinnacle then she climbed the stairs step by step until she arrived at the pinnacle of the scared pinnacle. The disciples were completely unaware that she had snuck into the sacred pinnacle but the golden eagle wasn''t. As she arrived at the pinnacle, it flew down from the sky above the pinnacle and landed on the ground, Huo Ying was looking for the golden eagle but she couldn''t find him, she entered all the chambers that were in the pinnacle but she couldn''t find him, suddenly she heard a large thud behind her, she slowly turned back to see who it was but she was taken aback by the shining golden light the golden eagle emitted. "You are truly worthy of your reputation although your actions say otherwise," Huo Ying said, the golden eagle brought his winds to his side and moved closer to her, she held her breath as the golden eagle came closer to her, she could feel his imposing aura and it became stronger with each step that he took towards her. He stood in front of her with his eyes looking down on her, she felt like she couldn''t move any part of her body, she looked into his eyes and saw the reflection of her and her sister when they were still five years old in his eyes. She widened her eyes in shock, the golden eagle was basically reading her memorised and she couldn''t stop him.?? "You damned beast, how dare you to mess with my memories" Huo Ying shouted then she closed her eyes and looked away from him. "So, you were the one I was supposed to save," the golden eagle said as it walked away from her, she opened her eyes and walked towards him. "What do you mean by that?" Huo Ying asked "Those ignorant fools dared to summon me because of you, I would have killed them if my master hadn''t spoken for them," the golden eagle said "How dare you hurt them, your duty is to protect them but you actually dared to hurt them what kind of sacred beast are you?" Huo Ying said in anger "You actually dare to question me, I am not serving you, you are all at my disposal," the golden eagle said "What do you mean?" Huo Ying said "If Huoyan Shuo didn''t remove my core and combined it with his core to give you the power you have now, do you think the flame sect will exist, your founder made an agreement with me in exchanged for my core" the golden eagle said. "I don''t care about all that history what I know is that you will take me to the disciples you injured" Huo Ying said, The golden eagle burst out in laughter and brought her to the ground with one wave of his wing, she immediately flew until her back hit the wall then she fell to the ground. "I don''t know why my master wants to save you but no one speaks to me that way" the golden eagle said in anger. Huo Ying groaned as she struggled to rise to her feet. "Even Huoyan Shuo listened to me, from what I know he is more powerful than you" Huo Ying said "That damned beast, if it hadn''t forced me to combine my core with his own, for the sake of protecting my master, I would never agree to give you all the power you have now" the golden eagle said as it walked slowly towards Huo Ying "I don''t know who your so-called master is but you must do as I say today" Huo Ying said "My master wanted you alive so I will give you another chance to leave here, if you don''t then don''t blame me for being ruthless" the golden eagle said "you are just a beast and yet you call us your master protectors, I don''t care about your master, just take me to them now before I release my rage, I don''t believe that you can withstand my power by then" Huo Ying said, before she couldn''t control herself whenever she changes but since she woke up, she felt like she had total control over it. "Just you, with just a flap of my wings, I can kill you, you should be thankful that I spared their lives, they cant even take one of my attacks, how are they supposed to protect my master when he awakens, I even gave you all half of my power since I didn''t have my core to contain all my power" the golden eagle said, then it flapped one of his wings again and sent Huo Ying flying again, her whole body boomeranged against the wall then she fell to the ground. She wiped her lips then she saw blood on her hand, she was extremely infuriated this time, she wanted to use what had almost caused her life but she didn''t want to in case her sickness relapses. "since Huoyan Shuo listens to me, you must also listen to me" Huo Ying said as she stood up, then she brought out the small bell from her chest and shook the bell. The golden eagle was about to attack her again but at the sound of the bell, it immediately froze, Huo Ying smirked when she saw his reaction to the bell. "As expected, you can''t resist the sound of this bell" Huo Ying said then she walked closer to the golden eagle. "Where did you get that bell?" the golden eagle asked "You don??t need to know, all you need to know is that you will take me to my guardians" Huo Ying said, the moment she stood before the golden eagle, he let out a shrilling cry that shook the whole sect, then he threw her to the ground with his wings and pinned her to the ground with his claws. She was not expecting his reaction so she couldn''t react to his attack, she didn''t even realize what was happening until he threw her to the ground. "Do you think that you can subdue me with that bell, only a weak minded supreme beast like Huoyan Shuo will obey that bell, that bell belongs to my master but I know clearly that you are not the one so how did you get the bell" the golden eagle said. ---------------------- Everyone in the sect became alarmed at the cry of the golden eagle, the disciples that were guarding the sacred pinnacle held their head tightly to stop the cry from harming them. After the cry stopped, the ones that were not affected by the cry ran to the main sect to inform the sect leaders and the elders but they also felt the impact of the cry. "What just happened?" the sect leader shouted from his room, then one of the disciples guarding the entrance rushed into the room. "sect leader, something seems to be wrong in the sacred pinnacle" the disciple said, then another disciple rushed into the room. "sect leader, someone has disturbed the golden eagle, most of the disciples guarding the sacred pinnacle are injured" the disciple said "Who entered the sacred pinnacle?" the sect leader shouted in anger "We have been guarding the sacred pinnacle but we didn''t see anyone go inside the pinnacle" the second disciple replied "Them of what use are you, someone entered the pinnacle without your knowledge, gather the elders and tell them to meet me at the sacred pinnacle" the sect leader said, then he walked towards the door but just as he got to the front of the door, Huo Mei rushed inside. "Sect leader, the young mistress has entered the sacred pinnacle" Huo Mei said as she bowed her head and cupped her fist in front of him. "What!! Wasn''t she unconscious?" the sect leader shouted "she just regained her consciousness about an hour ago, I wanted to inform you but she insisted on dressing up first, then she asked me about Huo Qiang and the other two so I told her that they are still outside the sect" Huo Mei said "Did you tell her about the golden eagle?" the sect leader asked "I¡­I¡­I did" Huo Mei said, she knew that if anything happens to Huo Ying she will be blamed for it and she knew that she was at fault, knowing Huo Ying personality, she shouldn''t have told her about the possibility of them bring injured. "We will talk about your punishment when I get back, for now we need to begin her back" the sect leader said then he rushed out of his room. ------------------- The golden eagle held her to the ground while she groaned in pain, she wouldn''t have been easily defeated if she had fully recovered from her illness. "Let me go!" Huo Ying screamed "This is exactly what I did to that ignorant fool that summoned me, I am not a beast that you can easily summon, I am a supreme beast, you humans seem to have forgotten who ruled the world before" the golden eagle said "you really leave me no choice, I was going to refrain from using this but now I have to use it" Huo Ying said, the golden eagle stared at her in confusion. "What are you talking about?" the golden eagle asked. Dubum! Dubum! Dubum! I am hearing it again, don''t tell me that this girl is the¡­...no she can''t be the one¡­ The golden eagle thought! The colour of her eyes and her hair slowly began to change into a crimson red colour... Chapter 75 - I Must Bring Them Back! 3 Her eyeballs and her hair completely changed into crimson red, her transformation totally shocked the golden eagle. Hundred of years has passed since he has seen this look before he could return to his senses¡­. She folded her hands on her chest then she separated them following a loud scream, the golden eagle was blown off her body and sent flying outside the pinnacle with her scream through the opening on the ceiling of the pinnacle, he almost crashed on the ground but he quickly regained his stamina, he spread out his wings and flew back into the sky.?? The sect leader, the elders and the other disciples who had arrived at the scared pinnacle before she screamed were also sent flying in different directions by her scream, they watched as the golden eagle almost crashed on the ground but they were relieved when it flew back into the sky. "Sect leader, I think it is the young mistress" Huo Mei whispered to the sect leader. "She must have transformed, we can''t have her appear before the disciples in her current state," the sect leader said, Huo Mei and Huo Lian were about to go inside the sacred pinnacle but they stopped when they saw Huo Ying flying from the pinnacle. The colour of her hair had already changed back into its normal colour but her eyeball was still red. Just when the golden eagle was flying down to the ground, she flew close to him then she did a backflip in the air, she spun around and gave the golden eagle who was caught unawares a flying kick, which sent him flying back into the scared pinnacle, everyone present at the scene sucked in a breath of cold air. "Did the young mistress just kick the golden eagle?" one of the elite disciples asked. "That can''t be, she was just unconscious," another one said "She can''t be that strong, the golden eagle is our ancestor, even the sect leader can''t defeat the golden eagle, how could she have done that," another disciple said "Sect leader, I think the young mistress transformed but they wouldn''t discover since they can''t see her clearly," Huo Lian said "What if she can''t change before she comes out, the both of you should go in there right now, make sure she doesn''t do anything stupid, she just woke up and the first thing she could do is cause chaos in the sect," the sect leader said, then the both of them ran into the sacred pinnacle. The elders were astonished as to how much her strength has increased, they were confused but all they could do was wait for her to come out of the sacred pinnacle. "You¡­You¡­how dare you attack me" the golden eagle said as it struggled to stand. "The fact is that I am stronger than you and now you are going to listen to me, take me to my friends now or else¡­." Huo Ying said "or else what, if you hadn''t caught me unawares, you wouldn''t have succeeded in defeating me, although you are similar to my master, you are not my master," the golden eagle said "Then don''t blame me for being cruel, I gave you a chance," Huo Ying said then she raised her hand up and conjured a ball of fire in her hand. "Do you think you can defeat me with the power I have to you?" the golden eagle said with arrogance resounding in his voice. "Why don''t you try it" Huo Ying said then her hair slowly changed back into a red colour¡­ Dubum! Dubum! Dubum! I am hearing the heartbeat again but she can''t be the one¡­. The golden eagle thought! She slowly brought her hand down with the ball of fire in her hands, then she threw them in the direction of the golden eagle who responded sharply by shielding himself with his wings. "Obey her command," a voice said, but only the golden eagle could hear it. "No way, why does master keep wanting me to help this girl?" the golden eagle said then he threw the ball of fire back at Huo Ying with a flap of his wings. "What are you talking about?" Huo Ying asked "I don''t understand why master keeps wanting me to help you, who are you to my master?" the golden eagle asked "I don''t who your master is but whoever he is, he seems to be more sensible than you are," Huo Ying said "You¡­" "Are you helping me or not?" Huo Ying asked then she conjured another ball of fire in her hand. "I will help you but not because I am scared of you, if not for my master command I would have killed you a long time, just hope that your friend is still alive," the golden eagle said, hearing what he said, she quickly repelled the ball of fire in her hand and moved closer to the golden eagle. "What are you saying?" Huo Ying asked "I stabbed his hand and his abdomen in a moment of anger and anyone who is stabbed with my talon will be poisoned, if he didn''t treat them two hours after I injured him, he will die before he returns," the golden eagle said "How dare you!" Huo Ying shouted then she conjured a huge size of the fire in her hand and directed it at the golden eagle, he quickly shielded himself with his wings but she still continued pouring flames in his direction. "You are just wasting your time, the more you delay the more likely he is to die," the golden eagle said "Shut up, if any one of them die then you will also die" Huo Ying shouted. At that moment, Huo Lian and Huo Mei arrived at the pinnacle, they were stupefied at the scene in front of them. "Young mistress!" the both of them chorused, then she turned towards their direction to see who it was. "What are the two of you doing here?" Huo Ying asked with her eyes focused on the golden eagle and flames pouring out of her palms towards the golden eagle. "Young mistress, you need to calm down, what if you fall sick again" Huo Mei shouted "I can''t calm down, he poisoned one of them and the person will die before they can return to the sect or is already dead," Huo Ying said "What you are doing is useless, your power can''t work on the golden eagle, we got our powers from him," Huo Lian said "I know, but what you don''t know is that we also got our powers from Huoyan Shuo so it should still affect him a little, he is nothing but a cruel damned ancestor," Huo Ying said then she increased the intensity of the flames. "Do you think that your flames will affect me because you also have Huoyan Shuo core in you, dream on?" the golden eagle said then it separated his wings and sent the flames back to Huo Ying who absorbed in back into her body. Before she could attack again, the two of them quickly held her hand. "Let me go!" Huo Ying shouted "Young mistress, remember what Huo Bingchen and the others had to go through in order to save you," Huo Mei said "Huo Mei even had to¡­..." Huo Lian said but she quickly stopped when she realized that she had almost told Huo Ying what Huo Mei did to extend her life. "Anyways if anything happens to the golden eagle, you won''t be able to save them," Huo Lian said "What are you saying, she cannot hurt me but she won''t be able to save them if I change my mind," the golden eagle said, Huo Ying realized that what he had said is true so she calmed herself down and transformed back to her normal self, the both of them heaved a sigh of relief when they saw that she could change back to her normal self without venting her anger. "What did you poison them with?" Huo Ying asked "I didn''t poison them with anything, my talon itself is the poison," the golden eagle said "Did he poison them?" Huo Mei asked in shock "He said he stabbed one of them and if the person doesn''t treat the wound in time, he will die," Huo Ying said "Ancestor please save them!" Huo Mei said, she bowed her head and cupped her palm and fist together. "I will save them but only her can go with me, as long as one drop of my blood is applied to his wound before he dies, he will be saved," the golden eagle said. "Young mistress, how are you going to return to the sect," Huo Lian asked "They have horses so it should be fine," Huo Mei said "No need for horses, he will bring us back," Huo Ying said "Who are you referring to?" Huo Mei asked, then she traced Huo Ying''s gaze to the golden eagle. "Are you referring to me?" the golden asked "you are going to bring the four of us back to the sect, you are big enough to do that" Huo Ying said "You are going to far, are you taking me for an ordinary eagle," the golden eagle said in anger. "Of course not, an ordinary eagle is not capable of doing that but you are. Remember, you said your master told you to listen to me or are you going to disobey your master" Huo Ying said "You¡­okay, but only because my master said so, don''t think that a weak human like you can control me," the golden eagle said "But what if you are recognised?" Huo Lian said "They can''t see us in the sky considering how high he can fly," Huo Ying said. "Let''s go now," Huo Ying said, the, she climbed the back of the eagle and sat on it. "Young mistress, you can''t go now, the sect leader is not aware of your plan," Huo Mei said "Didn''t you hear that one of them might die if we are not fast, I will leave you in charge of informing my father?" Huo Ying said. "Let''s go" The golden eagle flapped his wings then it flew out of the pinnacle with Huo Ying seating on his back, everyone outside the pinnacle was shocked when the saw the eagle flying out of the top of the pinnacle with Huo Ying seating on his back. "Sect leader, what is the young mistress doing, the golden eagle just appeared out of the sect five days ago, if the people outside the sect see it again, it will raise questions," the first elder said "The first elder is right," the third elder said "Let''s wait for Huo Mei and Huo Lian to return then we can ask them what happened, there is nothing we can do about it any more," the sect leader said, he pressed his glabella with two of his fingers. He could never have imagined that Huo Ying would cause such chaos as soon as she woke up. Minutes later, Huo Lian and Huo Mei came out of the pinnacle. "Sect leader!" the both of them chorused with their heads bowed. "What is going on, did I not tell you not to let her do anything stupid, why did she leave with the golden eagle?" the sect leader asked "The young mistress made the golden eagle take her to Huo Bingchen and the other two" Huo Mei replied, the first elder who was tensed up became relaxed when he heard that she wanted to save Bingchen. He didn''t expect her to be willing to save Bingchen even after all their conflict. "Why didn''t you stop her?" the sect leader shouted in anger "We couldn''t stop her, she insisted on going" Huo Lian replied, they couldn''t tell him that they didn''t even bother to stop her. "You always say that you can''t stop her from doing something, then what is exactly is your job," the sect leader said "Please forgive our incompetence" the both of them chorused on their knees, the sect leader glared at them, then he threw his large sleeve behind him and left the sacred pinnacle angrily, everyone also left the pinnacle after the sect leader left. Chapter 76 - Yu Shan City! The four of them had entered into another city, they were now four cities away from the mountain where the flame sect is, they got off their horse when they approached the city gate. The Yu-Shan city is known as the second most populated city in the Tang dynasty and it Is also vulnerable to threats from the neighbouring countries, the security in the city is always tight in case the neighbouring countries send spies to Tang. They held the reins of the horses as they slowly approached the city gate, everyone had to be searched and checked before entering the city and those without their identification card will be taken to the prefecture office for clearance and that is something they couldn''t afford. They didn''t bring their identification card with them but they can''t show them their guardians token which could also e used as a clearance to enter the city, they passed the city in the midnight when they first came so they didn''t need to be identified but now they had to enter the city during the day.?? "Bingchen what are we going to do, the security of the city is too tight, we can fight our way through but that will just attract their attention and we can''t divulge our identity," Huo Li said "You are right but Huo Qiang doesn''t have much time left, his wound seems to be returning, the colour of his blood has changed from gold to black, if we don''t get to the sect by tomorrow, he might die," Bingchen said, The both of them had taken turns during the journey to carry Huo Qiang on their horses while his horse followed behind them but he was still unconscious. "I am fine, let''s just go through the check, as long as we tell them where we are coming from, it should be okay," Huo Qiang said weakly. "No, we can''t, if they find anything suspicious, we will be in trouble," Bingchen said "Why don''t we wait till we get inside the city then we can decide on what to do after then," Huo Li said "I agree, if they are going to take us to the prefecture office then we can escape on the way there," Bingchen said. "I will try my best to not show that I am sick so that they won''t suspect us," Huo Qiang said, then he removed his hand from Bingchen shoulder in an attempt to look alright. As soon as he straightened his back, he felt a very sharp and severe pain in his abdomen, he was about to scream but Bingchen quickly covered his mouth, when he felt that Huo Qiang had already stabilized himself, he removed his hand from his mouth. "You need to endure the pain until we leave the city, the antidote I have with me can only sustain you for one more day, if we don''t get to the sect before tomorrow ends, I cant guarantee if you will be able to survive this" Bingchen said "If not for the golden eagle, I never would have thought that a day would come when you would care for me this much" Huo Qiang said then he gave Bingchen a crooked smile. "You still have the time for jokes, if Bingchen hadn''t brought those pills with him before we came you would have been dead a long time ago," Huo Li said "That reminds me, why do you that pill with you?" Huo Qiang asked "Before we left, I went to the sect medicine storage to check if there were anything pills that could be of help then I found this, I left the store in a hurry when I didn''t find any pills that could be of help but I mistakenly took this with me," Bingchen said "Then I should be grateful that you made that mistake," Huo Qiang said jokingly. "Hey, are you all not going to come forward" One of the officers at the checkpoint shouted, the three of them looked up then they realized that it was already their turn, they had been chatting and smiling that they had almost forgotten the problems they would soon have to face. "Sorry officer, we got carried away," Huo Li said "For this little girl sake, I will let you go, where is your identification card," the officer asked, the three of them glanced at each other not knowing what to say or do. "Just act like you are searching for it" Huo Qiang whispered to them. Then they all began to search their bodies for their identification card, the officer looked at them with impatience as they ransacked their chest, sleeves and their waistbands for their identification cards. "Are you guys not going to answer me, show me your pass or go back to where you came from?" the officer said with impatience echoing in his voice. "Officer, I am sorry but I don''t know where my card is, I must have forgotten it at home," Huo Li said "me too" the other two replied "Are you guys kidding me, you are all coming from the same place but you don''t have your Identification card?" the officer said, from his tone, it was obvious that he was already getting angry and his patience had reached its limit. "We are a sorry officer, we left home in a hurry so we forgot t take our identification cards with us" Huo Bingchen quickly said with a fake confused and terrified look on his face. The officer pulled his sword from its scabbard and pointed it at Huo Bingchen. "The three of you must be spies from other countries," the officer said "No officer, we are from Ping Yao city, we received news that our lost sister is in this city, so we came here in a hurry to find her," Huo Qiang said "Officer, please let us enter the city, our sister is seriously ill, if we don''t get her back for treatment, she might die," Huo Li said "I can''t let you inside this city even if your whole family life is at stake," the officer said then he returned his sword back into its scabbard," the officer said "But¡­." Huo Qiang was about to argue but the pain he felt intensified, he was already struggling to hold it in before but he couldn''t do it for much longer, he balled his fingers into a fist and tightened it to help him endure the pain. "Then at least take us to the prefecture office, we can confirm our identity there," Huo Bingchen said "Bingchen!" Huo Li said softly "Don''t worry, we have nothing to be afraid of, officer please let us go to the prefecture office to explain ourselves, our sister''s life is at stake?" Bingchen said, Huo Li decided to go along with his act, so she pouted her lips and fluttered her lashes to appeal to the officer, he glanced at her helplessly as he couldn''t help but admire her cute look. "Alright, I will send some people to follow you there but if you get there and you cant prove yourselves, your situation might be worse since you just left Ping Yao city, you can just turn back and return another day, the choice is in your hands," the officer said "We will go to the prefecture office, this matter is very urgent," Bingchen said, then the other two nodded their head in agreement. Then the officer called five soldiers over to where they stood. "The five of you will escort the three of them to the prefecture office, they don''t have identification cards or anything they can use to identify themselves," the officer said to the soldiers. "Understood" the five of them replied, then the officer gave the three of them a dismissive wave. "Thank you, sir," Huo Li said with a cute smile on her lips. The five officers lead them into the city while they pulled their horses behind them, Huo Bingchen helped Bingchen to pull his horse since he was in no state to exert himself. "Are you okay?" Huo Li asked "No, there is coagulated blood in my chest and I need to get it out as soon as possible" Huo Qiang replied "Just wait a little" Bingchen said, then he walked up to one of the officers. "Sir, how long before we reach the prefecture office?" Bingchen asked "Why are you asking that?" one of the soldiers asked with a serious look on his face. "My brother here is a little bit sick so I just want to know" Bingchen replied with a gentle smile "We still have thirty minutes before we reach the prefecture office" the officer replied "Thank you" Bingchen said then he moved back. "We still have thirty minutes before we reach the prefecture office," Bingchen said "What are you planning on doing?" Huo Li asked "We are going to attack these soldiers that are escorting us then we make a run for it," Huo Bingchen said "But there are other soldiers patrolling the streets, are we going to attack them too?" Huo Li asked "That is why we have to attack them now before we get closer to the prefecture office, the soldiers patrolling the streets are not enough to defeat us so they will have to report to the prefecture for reinforcement before they get to us, we have to run as far as we can," Bingchen said "That sounds like a nice plan but what of Huo Qiang, we can''t run fast with him," Huo Li said "We are going to use the horses, I will carry him on my horse while his horse follows behind us, his horse will be used as a diversion" Huo Qiang said, then he moved to the side of one of the horses and whispered into his ear. "Are you ready?" Huo Qiang whispered to the two of them. "Yes" they replied They removed their swords from their horses, then Huo Li hit the back of one of the soldier''s neck causing him to be unconscious, the remaining four pulled out their swords and turned back to see who has just attacked them, Huo Li quickly swiped a round horse kick around one of the soldiers face while Huo Qiang pulled the arm of one of the soldiers, pulled over his back and then brought him to the ground then he used his sword to hit his head causing the soldier to faint, the remaining one was about to run, unfortunately for him, they were not going to let that happen¡­. The both of them leapt into the air, then they descended with a flying kick across the soldier''s face at both sides, as they landed on the ground, the soldier''s body dropped to the ground, they both glanced at each other with horror written on their faces. "Why did you hit him too?" Huo Li asked "How was I supposed to know that you were already going to hit him?" Bingchen replied "You hit him too hard, what if he is dead?" Huo Li said "I¡­" "are both of you going to keep arguing until more soldiers arrive?" Huo Qiang asked then the both of them immediately returned to their horses, Bingchen mounted his horse and pulled Huo Qiang up while Huo Li did the same, then they urged their horses to move, Huo Qiang horse just kept following them even though no one was on it and the whole street was thrown into chaos after the fight. The horses in the flame sect have been trained to understand human language, so Bingchen told the horse to follow behind them but once their reach a place with the different routes the horse will have to ride back and forth in order to create tracks that would confuse the soldiers chasing them. -------------- The golden eagle landed in the mountain where the flame sect resided. "Why are you not flying?" Huo Ying asked "There is a problem with my wings" the golden eagle replied "What problem again, we need to save them fast," Huo Ying said "If you hadn''t insisted on attacking me, this wouldn''t be happening so you had better wait" the golden eagle replied "I thought you said that my flame doesn''t have any effect on you, were you lying?" Huo Li said in a taunting manner. "You¡­your flame can''t have any serious effect on me, it is such a little problem," the golden eagle said "then how are you going to fix your wings now," Huo Ying asked impatiently. "Normally you shouldn''t be able to injure me but there is something strange about your blood, you must have injured yourself while you were trying to roast me with your flames, so now your blood has penetrated my wings and has made me unable to fly" the golden eagle replied. "What are you talking about, I am not injured," Huo Ying said then she checked her hand for injuries and she found one. On her palm, she found a slight cut but the wound had already stopped bleeding. "You must have used your talon to cut my hand, am I poisoned?" Huo Ying asked "Not yet but in an hour time you will be poisoned" the golden eagle replied "then what do I do? I can''t be poisoned now, I need to save whoever you poisoned before" Huo Ying said "as long as you infuse your spiritual Qi into my body with one drop of your blood and I am healed, I will tell you how to stop yourself from being poisoned," the golden eagle said "You¡­. If I die then you will also die, so you had better tell me how to stop the poisoning" Huo Ying said "Only one of my wings was affected, all I need to do is find someone who shares the same weird blood you have and I will get healed but you will get poisoned in one-hour time and die within one day and you won''t be able to save your friends if my wing id injured," the golden eagle said "You¡­okay, I will do it but you can''t go back on your word after I heal you," Huo Ying said, then she climbed down from his back. Chapter 77 - Yu Shan City! 2 She bit the tip of her finger then she extended her arm forward and drew them back to her chest slowly, then she pressed them forward with a large amount of force, her blood mixed with her red coloured spiritual Qi and diffused into his wing, then his injured wing slowly began to spread out again. When she saw that he was all healed, she stopped the infusion, then she walked to his front. "Now tell me, how do I stop myself from being poisoned," Huo Ying asked?? "That is very simple, just cover the wound so that air doesn''t enter it, if air touches the wound for up to one hour then you will inevitably be poisoned," the golden eagle said, she pointed her middle finger at him in anger she couldn''t believe that she only had to cover up the wound to avoid being poisoned, if she had known earlier, she would have made the golden eagle beg for mercy before she healed him. "You¡­you are really very smart, if you had told me that was all I had to do before, you knew that I wouldn''t have bothered to heal you right?" Huo Ying said "You should be grateful that this supreme beast is willing to help you, you don''t even know how lucky you are, even your previous sect leader has never sat on my back but you have this opportunity and you are not grateful for it, if not for my master, I would have killed you long ago," the golden eagle said "Then you should be grateful that your so-called master made you help me or else you would have died in my hands even if you are a supreme beast," Huo Ying said "You¡­" "We don''t have much time, let''s go," Huo Ying said, then she climbed unto his back and held spike on his neck tightly. The golden eagle flapped his wings and then flew into the sky. As she flew out of the flame sect mountain into the sky, the people in the capital once again came out from different directions to see the golden eagle, does who were not fortunate enough to see it the last time were happy that they had another opportunity to see the golden eagle again. "Isn''t that the golden eagle" "It is, I am fortunate to be able to see the golden eagle in my lifetime, the heavens have favoured me" "It is an honour for one to see the golden eagle in a lifetime, this will be a blessing for my generation" "Wait, is someone sitting on the golden eagle?" "It is really true, there is someone sitting on the golden eagle" "the person seems so be a young lady" "is¡­is¡­could that be the young mistress of the flame sect?" "Not just anyone can ride the golden eagle, it must be either be the young mistress or one of the guardians of the flame sect" "The young mistress and the guardians have never appeared outside the flame sect mountain, could it be that there are going to be some changes in the Jianghu world" "There must be something going on in the flame sect, the golden eagle is a supreme beast but we have been lucky to see it twice in just two weeks" "Yes, it is a pity that we can''t see her face" "Yes" "Yes" The people on the streets began to discuss as the golden eagle flew past them, there were many speculations about the reason for the appearance of the golden eagle and the person who is sitting on the golden eagle, but they couldn''t get their answers since they couldn''t see the person on the golden eagle from such height. ------------------------------------- They rode towards the south gate of the city at the fastest speed they could ride at, soldiers from the prefecture office quickly followed after them but they couldn''t catch up with them. After riding for three hours, they arrived at the south gate of the city, there were people lining up to leave the city from the south gate but they also had to be checked and they were bot planning on going through that. "Stop your horses!" "Stop your horses!" "Stop those criminals" The soldiers pursuing them shouted as they approached the gate but they just kept on riding, the people at the gate turned back to see what was happening but before they knew it¡­. Three horses ran past them with a gush of wind behind them, they were to fast that the people at the gate weren''t even sure if it was a human that just rode by or a ghost. "Why didn''t you stop them?" one of the soldiers who ere pursuing them asked the officer at the gate. "aah¡­was that a human being?" the officer asked in confusion "You¡­useless fool!" the soldier said then he urged his horse to move "Pursue them!!" The soldiers shouted then they began pursuing the three of them again, what surprised the people they rode past was not only their speed but the fact that there was no one on the last horse and it was still following them at the same speed. "What should we do now, they have lost us?" Huo Li said "Let''s keep riding until we reach a secluded place, we need to check his wound," Bingchen said "Don''t bother about me, just keep riding as fast and as far as we can, they will catch up with us when they see the trails we left behind?" Huo Qiang said in a sickly voice. "I have already arranged for a solution to the trails, when we reach a secluded area with different routes, they won''t be able to follow the trails anymore," Bingchen said "What do you mean?" Huo Qiang asked "Don''t worry about it, just try your best to endure the pain?" Bingchen said --------------------- "Have you seen them?" Huo Ying asked "Not yet, the forest I saw them is far away from here but they must have left there," the golden eagle said, then his eyes turned golden, he activated his supreme eyesight to find them. "It seems like people want to see you more than they want to see the young mistress of the flame sect, they are all looking up into the sky just to catch a glimpse of you, we should just display you outside the sect then we will be able to make money that way," Huo Ying said playfully "You¡­do you think I dare not drop you right now, if you dare say such degrading thing, I will drop you to the ground," the golden eagle said "I dare you¡­, Hmmph! You won''t dare to throw me to the ground since your master has asked you to obey whatever I say" Huo Ying said with confidence resounding in her voice "If you don''t shut your mouth, then I will take you to the vultures and make you their food," the golden eagle said "Hmmph! Empty threats" ------------------------ "This is it, there are three routes ahead of us, we will take the route at the left," Bingchen said, when they approached the three-way road, Bingchen kicked the last horse signalling it to ride in another direction, then he and Huo Li rode towards the left route. "Are you sure they won''t catch up with us this way?" Huo Li asked "Do you know another way, we can only make that horse ride back and forth before they get there then they won''t know which rode to take, even if they find us, we won''t have many of them to deal with?" Bingchen said, then he hit the side of his horse with his sword to make it ride faster. "Are you okay Huo Qiang?" Huo Li asked she saw that his face was already pale and he seemed like he won''t be able to hang on for long. "I¡­I am fine," Huo Qiang said but all of a sudden, a huge amount of blood sprayed out of his mouth, they were alarmed by his sudden outburst so they slowed down their horses. "Whhhoooooaaa!" Huo Qiang said as he brought his horse to a stop while Huo Li did the same, then they brought Huo Qiang down from the horse. "How are you feeling?" Huo Li asked they helped him sit on the ground, then Huo Li took his pulse. She looked up with a terrified look on her face. "What is it?" Huo Qiang asked with an anxious look on his face "He is dying, his pulse is unstable," Huo Li said softly "I don''t have the pills anymore, he has already used them up, what are we going to do now?" Huo Qiang said "You guys shouldn''t bother about me, I won''t be able to survive this ordeal but I managed to save the young mistress that is what matters," Huo Qiang said weakly. "What are you talking about, how can we not be bothered, if you die what are we going to do?" Huo Li said "You will return to the sect and perform your duties" Huo Qiang replied, Bingchen was infuriated by what he said, he balled his hand into a fist and raised it against Huo Qiang face but Huo Li quickly caught his fist with her palm. "What are you doing? you will make his condition worse" Huo Li shouted "Since he is so eager to die then let me make it quicker for him, even though we have had our differences in the sect, we have all been thought not to just think of our positions as a duty but as something we need to do for every one of us to leave together in peace and here he is talking about dying alone," Bingchen said, then he snapped his fist away from Huo Li''s grip. "He is right Huo Qiang, you need to hang on until we reach the sect, if the young mistress finds out that you died because of her do you think she will live in peace," Huo Li said, then she moved to his back. She joined her index finger and her middle finger together then she hit both sides of his back with both hands, then she made the last hit on the lower middle of his back. He spat out a mouthful of dark red coagulated blood, then she spread out her hands and made an arc in the air then she brought her hands down and placed it on his back to channel her internal force into his body. "We can''t stay here for long, what if they catch up with us," Huo Qiang said softly "How many times do I have to tell you that I have taken care of that? You had better worry about yourself first" Bingchen said "Then how long do we have before they find us?" Huo Li said "We have about thirty minutes, so he needs to be able to continue this journey before then, we won''t be able to stop once we start riding since we don''t have any other means of diversion," Bingchen said "Thirty minutes won''t be enough, once they come, you need to stop them from disturbing us," Huo Li said "Alright!" Bingchen replied "From what I know, If the young mistress wakes up and she finds out that we went to steal the herbs for her, she will try to leave the sect" Huo Qiang said "That won''t be good, there is no way she would have fully recovered by now," Bingchen said "That is why we have to hurry back to the sect before she comes out in search of us," Huo Qiang said ---------------------- The soldiers followed the horse trails then they arrived at the three-way road thirty minutes later, then they stopped their horses. "Captain, which road should we take?" one of the soldiers asked "There are three horse tracks on each road, they must have done this to divert our attention" the captain replied "Then which way should we follow?" the soldier asked again "twenty of you should follow the middle road, some of you will follow me to the left while the rest will follow the right," the captain said then he urged his horse to move and rode into the left route while the rest followed his commands. Chapter 78 - Yu Shan City! 3 "Have you seen them yet?" Huo Ying asked "How many times are you going to ask me that, if I see them, I will say it even before you ask me," the golden eagle said?? "We are already at Fu Yin city, if they are not here that means that they must have been held back by something, you need to fly faster," Huo Ying said, then the golden eagle flapped his wings with more force than he did before, as he flew higher into the sky more people saw him and they began to shout in excitement. ---------------------- "How is he doing now?" Bingchen asked "We are almost done, the soldiers should be here soon, you will have to take care of them alone," Huo Li said "That is not a problem just focus on helping him recover," Bingchen said "make sure you don''t make use of your flame power," Huo Li said "Alright" Bingchen replied "Wait¡­. I think they are already here" Huo Li said then they both turned to the direction they came for, they saw about fifty soldiers coming towards their direction then Bingchen quickly went to his horse and took out his sword. The soldiers saw them after they came closer to them, then they slowly rode towards where they were. "Seems like this captain still manage to catch up with you," the captain said "Hmmph! If we didn''t stop riding, so you think you would be able to catch up with us" Huo Li said "That''s true but unfortunately you had to stop riding and now you can''t escape" the captain replied "It won''t take me anything to finish you off even if we are outnumbered," Bingchen said "You must be spies from other countries, if you surrender now, I will make sure your life is spared or else¡­." The captain said "Hmmph! Or else you will lose your life" Huo Li said, she still focused all her strength on Huo Qiang body but she hated the guts of the captain. "I have given you a chance but you refused to take it so don''t blame me for being ruthless" the captain said "I would have just knocked you out if our face were concealed but you all have seen our faces and we can''t afford to expose our identities so I have to kill all of you," Bingchen said then he pulled his sword out of the sheath. "You are courting death but since you wish to die then I will grant you your wish," the captain said "Bring it on," Bingchen said "attack!" the captain shouted then he waved his hands and pointed it in their direction. Ten of the soldiers ran towards Bingchen, he just stood still and waited for them to come to him, the first soldier raised his sword against his head then he brought it down on him but in a split of a second, he had already disappeared from their front. They all turned back only to find the last two soldiers dead but they couldn''t find him anywhere, they turned to look at the front again then they found him standing in front of them once again. "You¡­you¡­how did you¡­" the soldier at their front stuttered "What are you waiting for, attack them!" the captain shouted from behind, even he was stunned by his speed but he couldn''t show it in front of them. The soldier in the front extended his sword forward and ran towards Bingchen but as soon as the sword was about to stab into his heart Bingchen ducked to the side, then he held the sword in the middle of his index and middle finger of his left hand while he balled his right hand into a fist then he punched the soldier in his abdomen, the punch sent him flying towards the captain but the captain ducked to the side. The rest of them ran towards him with their swords pointed at him but Bingchen still stood at one point. "Are you done?" Bingchen asked "Just finish them off, I am almost done" Huo Li replied "Okay" Bingchen replied then he dashed towards the soldiers swiftly, with his sword and the first soldier sword in both of his hands, as he passed through them, they all dropped dead. The captain was shocked at the speed he used in killing them off, it didn''t even take five seconds to kill none of them. "Attack!" the captain shouted then the remaining soldiers ran towards Bingchen. "If only you didn''t mistake us for spies, you wouldn''t have come here to court death," Bingchen said then he shook his head in pity for the soldiers running towards him who would soon become carcasses. He dashed towards them with both swords in his hand, he ran towards them but this time he wasn''t as fast as he was the first time. He swiftly ran into them then he returned to where he stood before, the captain watched the scene in confusion, he couldn''t understand what had happened. One of the soldiers suddenly felt a sharp pain in his neck then he touched the spot only to see blood on his hands, then blood began to sizzle out of his neck until he fell to the ground and died, the rest of them touched their neck then they realized that he had cut all of their necks but it was too late, they all dropped dead. The captain watched the horrifying as they all dropped to the ground, he sucked in a breath of cold air in shock, he has been to different wars during the forty years of his life but he has never seen such a thing, he had already cut the arteries on the neck but they didn''t die instantly or feel pain when he cut their neck. He widened his eyes as he raised his gaze to look at Bingchen. "How could¡­How did you do that?" the captain muttered "You will know very soon because you will also experience the same thing," Bingchen said then he gave the captain an evil smile at the corner of his mouth. The captain kicked the side of the horse to urge it to move, then he quickly turned around and started running, but he didn''t expect that¡­. Huo Li finished channelling her internal force into Huo Qiang body then she bolted towards the captain who had already started running. "Huo Li!!" Bingchen shouted, he knew that the captain had made the mistake he would regret the most in his life, if only he didn''t run away, he would have just killed him straight away but Huo Li would never do that, she hated people who abandon others the most. A few minutes later, she returned with the captain, she dragged him with his hands while he rolled on the ground, then she brought him before Bingchen. Before anyone could even say anything, she had already balled her hand into a fist with the accompaniment of her internal force, she swiped her fist across his face. His face turned to the side then all the tooth in the front row of his teeth fell out with a mouthful of blood. Bingchen and Huo Qiang gasped at the sight of the mixture of tooth and blood coming out of his face as his face turned to the direction of the punch. Bingchen couldn''t help but remember the day he infuriated her at the training ground. If that blow had landed on my face, is that what would have become of me... Bingchen thought! "How dare you try to run!" Huo Li shouted in anger as the captain turned his face back to the front with blood dripping out of his mouth. "Huo Li you¡­" Bingchen said but before he could continue his sentence, she turned back with a deadly glare on her face, he immediately shut his mouth without further ado. "plleaaashhh, pleassse¡­spare¡­.my¡­my¡­libe pleasse" the captain muttered, due to the recent loss of his tooth, he couldn''t talk properly. "dream on, I will not only kill you but I will make you die painfully, you led your underlings to death, you knew that they wouldn''t be able to defeat us but you still commanded them to attack and you want to survive alone," Huo Li said then she spread her palms with the support of her internal force, she swung a slap through his face. This time he lost all the tooth in the second row, they all fell out of his mouth with another mouthful of blood. Before the captain could recover from the slap she had just given him, she raised both of her hands into the air, then she brought them down against his face and slapped him continuously with extremely fast speed, the only thing they could see is his head moving back and forth. Huo Qiang and Bingchen could only watch as the man suffered, it was obvious that she was already immersed in her anger to remember that they needed to get back to the sect for Huo Qiang to get treated. Huo Qiang wanted t stop her but he was in no position to interfere since he was still weak and he needed their support to move. Three minutes later, she stopped slapping him then the captain dropped to the ground but he was still alive. "Huo Li, I think you have done enough, just kill him so we can be on our way," Bingchen said "No way, I am not yet done with him," Huo Li said, she moved to the side of his body then she knelt down beside him, she looked at his bloody face with an evil smile on her face, even though he couldn''t talk, it is obvious that his eyes are pleading for mercy. She held his arm then she pulled his arm over her shoulder, his bones began to crack and he started mumbling loudly in pain when she released his arm, the bones in his arm had already been smashed, then she moved to his leg, Bingchen and Huo Qiang watched her in shock. She held his leg and twisted it around, the captain raised his head and started mumbling aloud in pain but she didn''t pity him, she still had an evil smile on her lips. She stood up and moved to his other arm, she was about to pull his other arm when her hand was hit with a stone, then she turned back. "Stop it¡­he has already experienced enough pain," Huo Qiang said "Huo Qiang!!" Huo Li said, the anger in her eyes was evident but Huo Qiang didn''t care, he knew that she was blinded by her hatred but he had to stop her. "I said stop, have you forgotten that I am a guardian" Huo Qiang shouted "Hmmph!" Then she moved away from him, then Bingchen dropped one of the swords in his hand and walked towards the captain. "You shouldn''t have tried to escape after sacrificing your underling''s life," Bingchen said softly, then he raised his sword and was about to thrust it into the captain''s back¡­ "Stop, don''t kill him," Huo Qiang said "I know, that Huo Li was too cruel but if I don''t kill him and he exposes our identity, it would cause trouble for us," Bingchen said "Do you think he can even last for two hours in that state?" Huo Qiang said then he turned his eyes to look at Huo Li with an accusing look but she turned her face away from him. "Alright then, we don''t have much time to waste, let''s get moving," Bingchen said, then Bingchen climbed unto his horse and supported Huo Qiang as he climbed on the horse while Huo Li did the same, then they urged their horses to move and started riding their horses. "If we experience any trouble because of your softheartedness, you will be the one to bear the consequences," Huo Li said as they rode across the trees. "Huo Li, you seem to be overstepping your bounds, you must have forgotten your place, even if anything happens, it is not your turn to warn me," Huo Qiang said Chapter 79 - That...That Is The Young Mistress! "Hmmph!" "It will take at least two days for us to get back to the sect, try not to exert yourself Huo Qiang," Bingchen said?? -------------- "Have you found them?" Huo Ying asked with impatience and frustration echoing in her voice. "How many times do I have to tell you not to ask me that question again, I have already activated my supreme eyesight, there is no way I would be able to miss them, as long as you don''t distract me with your annoying questions, I will find them very soon," the golden eagle said "How can I not be anxious, if you didn''t poison any of them, I wouldn''t be so anxious to find them," Huo Ying said. "What city are we in" the golden eagle asked "We are already in Yu-Shan city, you are indeed a supreme beast, your speed is amazing, we have already passed by four cities in such a short amount of time," Huo Ying said "It is high time I receive praised and not constant complaint," the golden eagle said, then it flapped his wings with more force and increased his height in the sky. "I have seen them," the golden eagle said "Are you serious, where are they?" Huo Ying asked "They are riding through a narrow pathway but as soon as they leave there, we can''t appear before them," the golden eagle said "Then you have to land before they get out of there," Huo Ying said, then the golden eagle ducked downward in the sky then he began to descend to the ground. ----------------------- "Hmmmn! Look up!" Huo Li shouted as she raised her head with her hand pointed into the sky, the both of them stopped their horses then they raised their head to see what she was pointing at, they were taken aback at the sight of the golden eagle flying towards their direction. "What is he doing here, he is not coming to kill us, his he?" Huo Li said "I don''t think so, there is someone on his back," Bingchen said "That¡­that is the young mistress" Huo Qiang shouted "What!!!" Huo Li and Bingchen chorused The golden eagle landed in front of them, then Huo Ying quickly alighted from his back and ran towards them, the three of them also got off their horses. As soon as she approached them, she jumped on Huo Qiang and hugged him tightly, both of them spun around instantly due to the force and the speed she used in hugging him. They were all taken aback by her sudden appearance and the hug she gave Huo Qian, She was so excited as they spun around that she couldn''t stop smiling, She only came down when she heard him wincing, then the three of them bowed their head with their palm and fist cupped together and raised forward. "Golden eagle, young mistress!" They chorused, then they stood at ease. "How are you all doing, I was so worried about you when I heard that you haven''t returned to the sect," Huo Ying said with a relieved expression on her face. "We are sorry for making you worried but you shouldn''t have come al the way to this place, what if you are recognised?" Huo Qiang said "That doesn''t matter, your life matters the most, Huo Qiang are you okay, you winced just now?" Huo Ying asked with a worried expression on her face. "I¡­I am fine, don''t worry about me," Huo Qiang said "What do you mean by that? Young mistress, it seems like he has been poisoned by the golden eagle, if he doesn''t get the antidote by today, he won''t be able to survive" Huo Li said "Huo Li!" Huo Qiang shouted "Why did you not say so, were you planning on hiding this from me until you die, this is the fault of that dammed golden eagle" Huo Ying said then she tightened her fist and scrunched her face. "You all are speaking like I am not right behind you," the golden eagle said, then he walked towards them. "If anything happens to him, I would never forgive you, you had better help him to detoxify the poison now," Huo Ying said as she turned to face the golden eagle with anger blazing in her eyes. "And if I don''t?" the golden eagle said as he moved one step closer to her. "I assure you, you don''t want to ignore my words, detoxify the poison now or else," Huo Ying said "or else what, you seem to have forgotten that I am only helping you or the sake of my master but you even dare to threaten me" the golden eagle replied "Then you must have forgotten the damage my blood mixed with my power can do to you" Huo Ying replied "You¡­." "So, are you helping him or not?" Huo Ying asked the three of them watched as the both of them argued in silence, they couldn''t understand why the golden eagle was tolerating the young mistress but they were worried about her. "Young mistress, why don''t you calm down first, there is no need to argue, after all, he is still our ancestor," Huo Qiang said, then he pulled her arm. "Hmmph! I am not just your ancestor, your power was also given by me, considering that you are a product of my core, I will detoxify you but if she dares to threaten me again, believe it or not, I will make sure I kill all of you right here and now" the golden eagle said, then it moved closer to Huo Qiang. "Stab, the centre of my chest and drink the blood from the wound then you will be healed," the golden eagle said "Golden eagle, how¡­how can I do that, I had rather die than stab you," Huo Qiang said with his head bowed. "If only she was like you, you don''t need to pierce it deeply, as long as one drop enters into your mouth then you will be healed," the golden eagle said "What¡­. what if I make a mistake?" Huo Qiang said "Don''t worry about that¡­even if your blade pierces my heart, it will heal by itself after three seconds" the golden eagle said "But¡­." "But what, if you can''t do it then I will do it for you, what makes you think that you can die but he can''t die," Huo Ying said then she removed her sword from the sheath and pointed it at the centre of his chest. "Ignorant girl, if you do it for him then the blood won''t work on him, only the one who is poisoned can do it," the golden eagle said "young mistress, I will do it myself," Huo Qiang said then he pulled out his sword and thrust it into his chest, he pulled out the sword then he scooped the blood on the tip of the blade and put it inside his mouth, when they looked at the wound on the golden eagle chest, they were surprised when they saw that the wound has already closed up. "How are you feeling now?" Huo Ying asked "I feel better than before, I think it is working," Huo Qiang said, then he made a cut on his palm to see if the colour of his blood his back to normal, he was full of smiles when he saw that his blood had turned red. "Thank you, golden eagle" Huo Qiang said as he bowed his head then the others followed suit except for Huo Ying. "Why are you thanking him, that is what he is supposed to do," Huo Ying said "Young mistress!" Huo Li said to caution her. "Now we have to return to the sect, hop on," Huo Ying said she climbed on to the golden eagle back. "What do you mean, young mistress?" Bingchen asked "I said hop on, he is taking us back to the sect," Huo Ying said, they were all shocked by what she said then they focused their gaze on the golden eagle but his reaction showed that he has agreed to take them back to the sect. Bingchen moved close to the two horses then he whispered into their ears and then the three of them climbed on to the golden eagle back. He flapped his wings and slowly ascended into the sky, they all jerked when they reached the sky than they quickly held each other''s waist while Huo Ying held on to the spike on the golden eagles back. "Hold tight!" Huo Ying shouted as they ascended into the sky The eagle flew swiftly as soon as he reached the height he desired, then he flew softly across the clouds in the sky. "Aaah! Why did the golden eagle return with more people?" one of the commoners shouted in the crowd that has been waiting for the golden eagle to pass by again. "What is really going on?" another one said "There must be something fishy going on" "I think the flame sect is going to reappear in the Jianghu world again" "Seems like we would soon be having some fun" "I am very lucky to have seen this today" ------------------ "Have you found them?" the assistant captain asked "No sir, we have searched everywhere but we still haven''t found them, I have sent more people to search the woods" one of the soldiers replied "Are you kidding me, if you don''t find them, you will all stay here until you find them" the assistant captain shouted "understood," the soldier said but just as he as about to return back to join the search party for the captain and the soldiers who went with him, another soldier came running towards their direction. "assistant captain, we have found them, they are in the middle of the woods," the soldier said "take me there quickly," the captain said then he came down from his horse and followed behind the soldier who had just reported to him. The arrived at the place where their dead bodies were lying after walking for about ten minutes, they widened their eyes at the sight of the several soldiers that had followed the captain lying o the ground but they didn''t see the captain among them. The assistant captain walked further into the woods to find the captain along with the other soldiers that were with him. They were taken aback at the sight of the captain lying on the ground with one of his legs and arms disfigured, they seem as though there was no bone inside them. "Captain!!!" the assistant captain shouted out as he ran to where the body lied, he knelt down beside him and lifted the body into his arms, he was stupefied at the sight of the captain bloody mouth with no tooth and his disfigured face. "Captain!!" he shouted again and raised his head, then he felt a tug on his sleeve, he lowered his gaze to look at the captain. Then he saw that the captain was still alive, he smiled as he held the captain''s hand tightly. "Captain, who did this to you?" the assistant captain asked, he and the captain have worked together for years and they could be considered best friends, he has never seen the captain so defeated throughout the years they had been working together. "Huo¡­Huo¡­Huo" the captain muttered then he dropped his hands, the assistant captain shook him vigorously to wake him up but he didn''t open his eyes, he clenched his fist tightly then he raised his head as he screamed loudly. "Clean up their bodies," the assistant captain said as he carried the captain body from the ground, then he walked slowly back to where their horses were. -------------- "Sect leader, the disciples who went out to find the guardians and the head of the elite disciples are back," one of the sect leader''s personal disciple said "Let them in" the sect leader replied, then he sat up anxiously. He had been worried ever since the golden eagle left with Huo Ying, she had just recovered and he couldn''t understand how she made the golden eagle carry her out of the sect, he didn''t even bother to inform her mother about the situation, he made Huo Mei give her a sleeping pill so that she wouldn''t find out about Huo Ying leaving the sect as soon as she woke up. "Sect leader" the disciples saluted as they entered into the sect leader''s chamber. "Have you found them?" the sect leader asked "We didn''t find them in the four cities ahead of us but when we were about to enter Yu-Shan city, we realized that we didn''t bring our identification card and we couldn''t use our sect tokens, please forgive our incompetence," one of the disciples said "You hardly go out so of course, it is normal that you made such a mistake, are you sure that you searched the cities properly," the sect leader asked "Yes. sect leader, we even took the seeker globe with us but it didn''t detect their presence in the four cities so we had no choice but to return to the sect" the disciple replied "Okay, you may leave," the sect leader said then he placed his elbow on the table and placed his forehead on his palm. "But we saw the golden eagle on our way back and it seemed like he was carrying the young mistress," the disciple said "I know about that, you may leave now and make sure you don''t let it slip into my wife''s ears," the sect leader said "Understood" they all chorused then they exited the room. Chapter 80 - Please Forgive The Young Mistress!!! 1 After hours of flying they finally arrived at the flame sect, the disciple at the gate were overjoyed at the sight of the four of them returning together. The golden eagle dropped at the entrance of the sect, then he was about to fly back into the sky but they stopped him. "Thank you" the four of them chorused including Huo Ying, even though she was reluctant to admit it, the golden eagle did make finding them easier for her and he also detoxified Huo Qiang poison or whatever it was that he did to him, the golden eagle slightly turned his head back then he nodded his head and flapped his wings, within ten seconds, he was already soaring on the sky.?? "Young mistress, Guardians, Senior disciple" the disciples guarding the sect entrance chorused with their head bowed and their palms cupped together and raised forward. "We were very worried about you, you are not yet fully healed but you still went out without the permission of the sect leader," the senior disciple among them said after saluting her and the others. "I am sorry for making you all worried but it still paid off, Huo Qiang would have died if I didn''t go to find them," Huo Ying said "Anyway, it is great that you all have returned but you should probably be careful with the sect leader, he is very furious and he punished the remaining Guardians by whipping," the disciple said "What!!! Were they injured?" Huo Ying asked with worry written on her face and the others. "Young mistress, don''t worry the disciples didn''t whip them very well, they were given fifty whips but the first elder sent them medicines and they are already healed" the disciple replied "Since when did your grandfather become that nice?" Huo Qiang said as he turned to look at Bingchen "What do you mean by that? do you know how worried he was when Huo Ying collapsed, he might seem cruel to you but he actually cares" Bingchen replied "Alright, let''s forget about that, I still have to deal with my angry father" Huo Ying said, the three of them walked past the guards into the sect, as soon as they were visible to the disciples who were either roaming about, training or carrying out their duties, they started getting incessant greetings. "Young mistress, guardians, senior disciple" "Young mistress" "Guardians, senior disciple" The disciples greeted as they walked by with the head bowed and their joined hands raised forward, they finally got to the sect leaders chamber but they were hesitant to enter into his chamber. "Young mistress, why aren''t you going in?" Huo Qiang asked "You speak like you don''t know why, my father doesn''t get angry but when he does, his anger is very terrible," Huo Ying said, she rubbed her hands together nervously. "You should have known that before you left the sect, you always commit the mistake first and then regret later," Huo Qiang said "You¡­if I didn''t go out to find you, do you think you would still be alive right now," Huo Ying said "Young mistress is right since she was helping us, we should help her convince the sect leader not to punish her," Bingchen said "You are really the best" Huo Ying said with a cute smile on her face "I don''t think I was the best before now, you have never smiled at me like that for as long as I can remember," Bingchen said "Hmmmn Hmmmn! Don''t worry, if my father doesn''t punish me, I will make sure I always smile at you every day" Huo Ying said, Bingchen scoffed then he approached the sect leader''s room while the others followed behind him. The personal disciples that were standing outside the sect leader''s hall were overjoyed and worried at the same time when they saw Huo Ying and the others walking towards the room. "Young mistress, you are back, sect leader has been worried about you all day," one of the disciples said "Is he really angry at me?" Huo Ying asked with anxiety on her face "He really is, he has been sending disciples to see if you were back but they all came back with the same answer" the disciple replied "I think I am really done for this time," Hu Ying said then she tilted her lips down like she was about to break into tears "Are you not going to come in?" A deep voice from inside the room shouted, they all widened their eyes in fear of what was going to happen once they go in. "you should go in now young mistress," the disciple said then he opened the door while the four of them entered the room in a single profile. After they had fully entered into the room, they saw the sect leader sitting on a large wooden chair that could contain two people with a large table made of black ironwood in front of the chair, his elbow was placed on the table with his palm supporting his forehead. "Sect leader!" the four of them chorused, the sect leader dropped his hand from the table then he raised his head to look at them, he gave the three of them a smile and a welcoming look but when he turned to look at Huo Ying, his eyes become dark and his eyebrows knitted together in his eyes, they could see anger burning in those eyeballs, their gaze shifted to his hand that was tightly clenched on the table, then they realized that something was about to happen and it is definitely something they wouldn''t like. She lowered her head in fear of looking into his eyes but that didn''t help. The sect leader slowly arose from the chair he was sitting on, then he jammed his tightly clenched fist on the table, his hands in immediately formed a fist-sized hole on the table, they were scared out of wits when he punched the table, their whole body immediately jerked upward. Just when they had thought it was over, he removed his fist from the hole on the table then the whole table crumbled into pieces and crashed to the ground. They all widened their eyes at the sight of the table shattering into pieces, it could be said that that table s one of the strongest and it required lots of processing before they could finally make the black ironwood into a table. They could swear that they had never seen the sect leader that angry ever since they had known him, he has always been full of smiles and even when he was angry, he would just frown slightly. "Father!" Huo Ying said then she quickly got on her knees, even the disciples that are outside the sect leader''s chamber were terrified at the sound of his punch and the table crumbling. The rest of then did the same, they couldn''t leave her to ear the weight of his anger alone. "How dare you ignore my authority in the sect, have I given you too much power that you have forgotten your place?" The sect leader said "No, Father" Huo Ying replied with a shaken voice "Then why did you ignore me and take the golden eagle out of the sect without my permission," the sect leader asked, the chilly voice resounded with ager and authority, she was extremely terrified by his sudden outburst, her father had never spoken to her this way since the day she was born no matter how wrong she was. "I dare not ignore you father, I heard that the golden eagle might have hurt them so I was blinded by my worry that I forgot to see your permission" Huo Ying said, her voice was still shaky and it is evident that with just a little push, she would soon burst into tears. "You did not ignore me, you did not ignore me, then why didn''t you even wait till your mother has seen that you were alright, neither did you inform me, do you know what the golden eagle means to this sect, how dare you to take the golden eagle outside the set without my permission, he wasn''t even involved during the battle of every night, he is the main foothold of the sect!!" the sect leader shouted "I am sorry father," Huo Ying said, she rubbed her palms together underneath her knees but that couldn''t stop the fear she felt at that moment. "You are sorry, you are sorry¡­." The sect leader repeated then he flapped his sleeves forward with an outburst of spiritual power towards Huo Ying direction, she was sect flying out of the door in an instant, the door fell to the ground as a result of the impact. "Young mistress!!!" the three of them screamed as Huo Ying landed on the ground outside the door, the disciples at the door quickly moved closer to her to assist her but they stopped when they felt the sect leader''s gaze on them. The three of them quickly turned to look at the sect leader, his fist was still tightly clenched and he was still fuming with anger, they decided that it was best to quell the sect leader''s anger first. "Sect leader, please ease your anger, the young mistress has understood her mistake" they chorused "Hmmmn, understood her anger, I fear that if I don''t teach her a thorough lesson this time, she will continue to act recklessly," the sect leader said, he stretched his hands towards the door with his finger shaped like claws then he used his spiritual power to slowly pull her back into the room, the elders who had just arrived at the scene after being informed of the young mistress arrival were taken aback at the scene as she was slowly pulled into the room, the blood she spat out as a result of the fall painted her lips red. The elders, Huo Mei and Huo Lian quickly rushed into the room to see what was happening, after he pulled her into the room, he pinned her on the pillar in the room using his spiritual power as a bind. "Sect leader please forgive the young mistress, she was only worried about our safety," Huo Li said "Sect leader please have mercy on her, she has already learned her mistake" Huo Qiang and Bingchen chorused at the same time. The sect leader picked up his whip from where it was hanging and returned to the pillar. He unfolded the whip and whipped the ground to straighten the whip, they were terrified at the thought of what he was about to do, Huo Ying didn''t know what to say but the look on her face was definitely begging him to forgive her but she knew that it wouldn''t help. He raised the whip over his shoulder then he brought it down on her body, the whip naturally wrapped around her waist and then he pulled the whip down, bringing her to the ground with a large thud. The elders, Huo Mei and Huo Lian were taken aback at the sect leader''s cruelty towards his daughter, he had always treated her with lots of love and care maybe too much for the young mistress of a sect. The sect leader raised the whip over his should and was about to bring it down but the first elder quickly stopped the whip from moving with his spiritual power. The sect leader who was still angry quickly turned his head in the direction of where the spiritual power came from, then he relaxed his wrist when he saw the elder and the other two guardians standing at the entrance if the room. "First elder, What are you doing?" the sect leader asked, then the four of them entered into the room. "Sect leader, I am sure that you are angry but please ease your anger" the first elder pleaded "Please ease your anger!" the other four chorused in hopes that the sect leader would listen to their order "Did she think of me before doing such a reckless thing" the sect leader shouted then he raised the whip but the first elder quickly held the whip back with his spiritual power "Sect leader please don''t do something you would later regret, the young mistress has not fully recovered from her illness, what is she becomes ill again," the first elder said "He is right, for the sake of the people she brought back and her illness please have mercy on her" the third elder added, then the sect elder softened his face and turned to look at Huo Qiang, Bingchen and Huo Li who were still on their knees with a pleading and pitiful look on their faces, he then realized that he has actually ignored the fact that they had just come back from a stressful journey and they were still being forced to kneel. "Stand up," the sect leader said to the three of them but they still remained on their knees. "We would stand up only after you have forgiven the young mistress, please forgive her for our sake," Huo Li said "You¡­." The sect leader said then he turned to look at Huo Ying who was kneeling pitifully on the ground. Chapter 81 - I Dont Like Him In That Way! She had already spat out blood after he threw her to the ground to the whip and her face was already starting to grow pale, he realized that he might have taken things to far, she was after all ill before this incident. "For their sake, I will forgive you but the next time you make such a mistake, you will not see the end of my anger," the sect leader said then he dropped the whip on the floor while the first elder removed his grip on the whip.?? "Get out!" the sect leader shouted with his back turned so that he wouldn''t see her pitiful expression. "Thank you, sect leader," they all chorused except Huo Ying. "Father, I¡­." Huo Ying said but before she could complete her sentence, he¡­ "I said get out!! Before I change my mind" the sect leader shouted then he turned to face her with his finger pointed towards the entrance of the room, they quickly moved closer to her then they all assisted her to stand up and helped her leave the room but the elders stayed behind, before she left the door she turned back to see her father''s expression but he didn''t even bother to look at her as she left the room. The carried her into her room then they laid her on the bed, Huo Mei left the room then she came back with a bowl of water and a towel in her hand, she sat beside Huo Ying on the bed then she dipped the cloth inside the water and squeezed it afterwards, they all kept looking at her pitifully, they wouldn''t have imagined that this day would come. The sect leader hardly raised his voice at her not to talk of punishing her in such a severe way, she didn''t even bother to look at their faces, she just had a straight look on her face with no emotions whatsoever, she was too deep in thought to even bother with the melancholy look they were giving her, they knew that deep inside she wanted to cry but she definitely wouldn''t do such a thing in front of them. Huo Mei gently wiped the blood at the edge of her mouth then she held out her hand and wiped her hands, they were all waiting for her to say something at least they would know what to do to comfort her but she didn''t say anything, they glanced at each other hoping that someone would break the awkward silence in the room. "Young mistress, are you alright?" Bingchen asked, they all fixed their gaze on her hoping for a reply but there was none, then they glanced at each other again, signalling each to speak first. "Huo Ying, we are all worried about you, at least say something," Huo Qiang said, they were really hoping that she would say something but she still didn''t say anything. Huo Qiang gave Huo Mei a glance that seemed to be telling her to leave her bedside so he can sit there, she understood immediately then she stood up from the bedside. "Are you trying to make us feel guilty, if you keep ignoring us, it means you are angry at us?" Huo Qiang said but something totally unexpected happened. Tears began to roll out of her eyes, as she quietly sobs. They glanced at each other again in surprise, they expected her to say something really emotional but they ever expected her to burst into tears, this is when they realized that she must have been really hurt by the way her father treated her. She has always been a princess in front of her father but in front of others, she is always the badass young mistress, the; last time they had seen her crying was probably when they were still children and they didn''t understand much. She slowly turned her head to face them, then she scrunched her face and started crying really loud. OHOH!! This was totally unexpected! "My father is really angry with me," Huo Ying said silently as she cried loudly. "Huo Ying, you don''t have to be this sad, the sect leader was just angry temporarily, he will still forgive you," Bingchen said then they all nodded their head in agreement. Who would have known that the first time they will agree on the same thing would be in this kind of situation¡­? "No, No, no matter what I did before he has never been this angry, he will definitely not forgive me," Huo Ying said in a childish voice amidst her tears, they glanced at each other again wondering hat they could see to soothe her, she was being too childish that they didn''t even know what else to say in that situation. "Huo Ying, calm down, you¡­." Huo Qiang said but before he could complete his sentence¡­ She had already jumped on him, she wrapped her hand around his neck, drawing him closer to her then she hugged him. This is not the first time that she is hugging him today but only the four of them knew that. They widened their eyes, as she jumped on him, he didn''t know what to do, he just hands but of his arms in the air while she cried on his cloth, the warm tears landed on his back and he could feel her the warmth of her tears, the first time she hugged him, he wasn''t in the position to take notice of the scent on her body but now that he did, he really likes it but now was not the time to enjoy the scent. "He even shouted at me and told me to get out" Huo Ying mumbled as she continued crying "Huo Ying, why don''t you let go of him then you can talk to us," Bingchen said, he was a little bit jealous that Huo Ying has hugged Huo Qiang twice today but he has never even been that intimate with her. Huo Lian and Huo Mei chuckled as they watched her cry, they have been trying to hold their laughter since she started crying but they couldn''t hold it anymore. "Huo Ying, why don''t you let go first," Huo Qiang said, his neck was bent forwards so his neck was aching and her grip on him was too tight. No¡­." Huo Ying shouted "I can''t breathe," Huo Qiang said, he had no choice but to lie to her so she could loosen her grip on him, she unwrapped her hand from his neck then she sat upright. "Are you okay now?" Huo Qiang said "How am I supposed to be okay when my dad is angry at me!" Huo Ying snapped, then she sniffed her nose to stop her tears. She held his hand and the used his sleeve to sipe the tears on her face, the scene in front of them was really awkward that they all scrunched their faces slightly. "What if my mom?" Huo Ying asked "Aah, Aah! Hmmmn! Sect leader told me to give her sleeping pills so that she wouldn''t know of what happened" Huo Mei replied "That is good, as much as I hate to admit it, if it was my mom, she would do worse than what my dad did to me," Huo Ying said "The sect leader will still come around, he has always treated you like a princess even though you never act as one" Huo Lian said "I am hungry," Huo Ying said with her eyes focused on Huo Qiang, this was another unexpected situation, she was just crying loudly and now she is hungry. "Alright, I will cook something for you," Huo Qiang said then he stood up and left the room with Bingchen following behind him. After both guys left the room, the twins started laughing, Huo Ying looked at them in confusion, she just couldn''t understand why they were laughing but she decided to wait till they were done before she asks. "Are you done laughing?" Huo Ying asked with an embarrassed expression on her face. "Huo Ying, you have really made my day," Huo Lian said as they both try to restrain themselves from laughing. "Yes, yes, this is the first time I have seen you being so childish, there is no way I would ever forget this day" Huo Mei added "Are the both of your serious right now, you are rubbing salt on my wound?" Huo Ying said "We are not but you really made history today, I think when your sister returns, we would have so many stories to tell her including today''s incident," Huo Mei said "I will not be bothered by you two" Huo Ying said "Haven''t you guys noticed something strange about her" Huo Li who has been quiet all along said, then Huo Ying turned her head to look at her, she was curious to know what she was going to say. "I have but say your first" Huo Mei replied "Huo Qiang¡­." Huo Li said with a broad smile on her face, then they all turned to look at Huo Ying who had already turned her face away. "When she arrived with the golden eagle to save us, she was running towards us but we didn''t expect her to jump on Huo Qiang, she hugged him really tightly that we were all surprised by her" Huo Li said "oooooh! Huo Ying are you in love" Huo Mei asked "You¡­You, what are you talking about?" Huo Ying said, her cheeks had already started turning red and she was trying to conceal the smile on her lips. "Just now, when Bingchen tried to make you talk, you didn''t say anything but when Huo Qiang sat beside you, you were willing to talk to him and you even hugged him" Huo Lian said "That¡­that was" "Don''t deny it, we have already known it for a long time?" Huo Mei said "I don''t, I just feel that he is really easy to talk to and pour out my feeling to, it is really nothing like what you think," Huo Ying said "You like him but you really should restrain yourself, if you keep hugging him like that then it isn''t good for your reputation," Huo Mei said "I don''t like him in that way, we are friends so why can''t I hug him, I also hug you too," Huo Ying said "then are you saying that you can hug Bingchen in that way too," Huo Lian said "I¡­yes I can, there is nothing wrong with that" Huo Ying replied "Male and female should not be in close proximity with one another, have you forgotten that" Huo Li said "Since when did we follow such rules, those rules are meant for daughters from aristocratic families," Huo Ying said "you must have forgotten that you are also a princess, all the sect was founded by princes of the royal family, if the emperor decides to reinstate each sect leader''s title as a member of the royal family then you will officially become a princess," Huo Li said "That would be so nice, I really hope that day comes," Huo Lian said "Do you think that emperor has any intention of doing that, if not for the fact that he feared that with the flame sect power, the former sect leader might become more powerful than he is and then attempt to take the throne, do you think he would have allowed the battle of ever night to happen or even give my sister to the flame sect?" Huo Ying said with a frown on her face "The emperor said that we can''t bring her to the flame sect but he didn''t say that we can''t see her until the test, why don''t we talk to the sect leader about visiting her in the flame sect," Huo Mei said "That is indeed true, the imperial decree only stated that the wind sect will keep Huo Lan until she can control her power but it didn''t say that we can''t see her," Huo Ying said with a broad smile on her face. "I will go and inform my father about this now," Huo Ying said, then she stood up from her bed. "But the sect leader is still angry with you, if you go now, he might lash out on you," Huo Mei said, then Huo Ying sat back on the bed with a downcast look. Chapter 82 - I Have Made My Decision! In the wind sect. "Father, I suspect that there must be something wrong in the flame sect," Bohai said.?? "I agree, the appearance of the golden eagle twice cannot be simple, when he left the flame sect, it was carrying someone but when it returned, he was carrying four people," Meng Hui said "Who do you think he was carrying, they cannot be simple people, from what I know about the flame sect, they would never make use of the golden eagle for trivial matters," the sect leader said "People on the streets are saying that the first person that was on the golden eagle seemed to be a female so they assumed that it was the young mistress of the flame sect, and from what I know, the flame sect has three guardians, so I assume that the people on the golden eagle are the young mistress of the flame sect and the guardians," Bohai said "In the flame sect, the guardians are responsible for protecting their master, the moment the person they are supposed to protect dies, they also have to die for failing to protect their master or dying instead," the second elder said "Only a cult sect-like them would have such customs, how can they make the guardians after their master, as expected of the flame sect" Meng Hui "But ever since the last sect leader of the flame sect became the sect leader, no guardian has ever been killed after the death of the one they are supposed to protect, all the previous guardians died during the battle so I don''t know who the new guardians are," the first elder said "If they have kept quiet all these years, why did they suddenly decided to appear," the second elder said "They must have some hidden plans and we have to find them out before they reappear in the Jianghu world," the sect leader said "I suspect that it might have something to do with Huo Lan, we still need to be careful with her, if they found out about her powers bring dispelled, they might decide to rebel against the imperial decree," the third elder said "I agree, after all, the emperor was scared of the flame sect power that is why the battle of ever night was allowed to take place, if they have fully recuperated and they decide to rebel, the emperor might give in to them and order us to return Huo Lan to the flame sect," Meng Hui said "Father, I strongly advise that we don''t do anything to her for now, until we figure out what is happening in the flame sect if the cave collapse and Huo Lan dies in there with her follower from the flame sect, they might not take it easy," Bohai said "Sect leader, even if the flame sect tries to take back Huo Lan by disobeying the imperial decree, they would not only be fighting against the flame sect but they would also be fighting against all the wulin sects," Meng Hui said "Even if they manage to take her back and she tells them about the power dispelling, she wouldn''t be able to prove it, it would be her word against ours and without evidence, the flame sect wouldn''t be able to come up with a reason for fighting against our sect," the second elder said "She also has the testimony of her attendance" Bohai said "then we can just make sure that the attendance doesn''t land in their hands," the sect leader said "We have to remember that her attendant is also the child of a guardian and they attach lots of importance to them, if she was in the flame sect, she would have been one of the guardians," Bohai said The sect leader ran his hand thorough his medium-length beards in thought, he was also scared of the flame sect in the past so he and the emperor cooked up a plot which made the whole world think that the flame sect was evil but no one knew the involvement of the emperor. He really can''t risk letting the flame sect become as powerful as they were before but he can''t do anything about it if they have concealed themselves in the mountain without any information about that, he is also the leader of the martial alliance now after he accused the past sect leader of the flame sect of carrying out evil deeds and using blood magic so he overthrew him and took over his position as the leader of the martial alliance much to the discontent of the thunder sect who had only joined the campaign against the flame sect in the past because they wanted both the wind sect and the flame sect to suffer loses so that they would become the top sect but unfortunately for them, things didn''t play out the way they wanted it to, the flame sect was far too powerful than they thought, so they all had to contribute more disciples to fight for the cause. If the sect leader of the flame sect didn''t surrender to stop more of his disciples from losing their lives, the flame sect would have won the battle. "I think we should just wait to find out what is going on, there is no way they can remain inside the mountain forever without interacting with the outside world," the third elder said "We can''t be sure about that, they might have been out under disguise," Meng Hui said "Alright, my previous order still remains, everyone should keep their eyes out," the sect leader said "Understood!" they all chorused --------------------- In the imperial court. "His majesty is entering the court!" the imperial eunuch from outside the court, the ministers who lining up at both sides of the court bowed their head, held the tablet in hands and stretched both hands forwards as they cleared the way for the emperor to pass through. The ministers wore a spread wings headcover, they were dressed in different colours, the high ranked ministers wore red, the middle-ranked officers wore blue while the lower-ranked officers wore green but their dresses all had gold coloured embroideries on them. The emperor entered into the court with the imperial eunuch following behind him, he was dressed in a black round hat with a flat rectangular closing on top of it and long beads dangling at the front and back, He wore a yellow coloured dress with a golden dragon embroidered on it and yellow belt on his waist, his sleeves were long and horizontally wide. He slowly and majestically walked to his throne, then he sat on his throne and spread his wings on his throne. "Long Live your majesty!" the ministers chorused The emperor raised his hand to signal them to stand at ease, they all raised their heads at the same time with their ministerial tablet in their hands. "Your majesty, some areas in Yinzhou have been flooded and many citizens have lost their houses and belongings as a result, the provincial government has reported that the province is short of funds needed for relief," the minister of finance said "Your majesty, some of the constructions in Suzhou has been halted because of the shortage of funds," the minister of works said "Why are there a shortage of funds in these two provinces, when they received more revenue than the other provinces," the emperor said, from his tone, it was obvious that he wasn''t pleased with their reports. "Your majesty, these two provinces have lots of infrastructural works going on, in Yinzhou, the residents have been unable to pay tax as a result of the loss and they have spent a lot on rebuilding the bridges and houses that were destroyed," the prime minister said "The ministry of finance should supply them with more funds, but they are not to ask for more revenue after this" the emperor said "Your majesty, the Mongolians are yet to pay their tribute, how should we go about this" the minister of foreign affairs said "The Mongolians have been showing signs of rebellion for a year now, perhaps they have decided to rebel, your majesty must not deal softly with them, otherwise they will grow wings and rebel," the prime minister said "We should give them another chance, it is right for us to handle them with an iron hand but we should advocate peace rather than war," the regional commander who is also the emperor advisor said, some of the ministers in the hall glared at him with malice in their eyes, he could feel their gaze on him but he didn''t even bother to look at them, He and the prime minister shave been competing in court for years so this wasn''t new to him. "I think we should do as the regional commander said, we should send a letter of warning to them," the minister of defence said, it was no surprise to the ministers on the prime minister''s side that the minister of defence was supporting the regional commander since they are allies. "your majesty, if we keep tolerating their act of disobedience, they will look down on us, if we don''t act now, we might be giving them a chance to prepare themselves for war against us," the minister of foreign affairs said "Are you suggesting that we put our citizens in danger of war again, we are prospering due to the grace of his majesty, if we go into war now just because of their disobedience, the nation would plunge into poverty again?" the regional commander said with a very stern and authoritative voice. "Your majesty, the regional commander¡­" the prime was still speaking but the emperor cut him off. "Enough, I have made my decision, you have just reported about floods in Yinzhou and shortage of funds, if we go into war now, the nation would be greatly affected, I would write a letter to the Khan and I will entrust the ministry of foreign affairs with the duty of sending the letter," the emperor said "Your majesty, if they refuse to send their tributes after receiving the letter, what should be done with them," the minister of foreign affairs asked "Why don''t we wait until then, there are other ways to solve conflicts between two nations, it doesn''t have to be war," the emperor said "But¡­" "Enough, I have spoken and my decision is final," the emperor said, then he stood up from the throne and left the court, all the ministers bowed as he walked out of the court. Chapter 83 - Why Do You Always Act Like My Wife! The ministers went out in groups as they discussed political issues, each group consisted of allies of either the regional commander, the prime minister or those who are not on either side. The regional commander is known for being a righteous minister who has always been loyal to the country and he never pursued power and wealth, however, the prime minister is the complete opposite of him. He has always wanted to grab the ultimate power in the court, he has always pursued wealth and ambition since he became the prime minister but the emperor and the regional commander are childhood friends, so the emperor favours the regional commander more than the emperor.?? "The regional commander has really gone far this time; how dare he try to mislead the emperor," the minister of trade and salt supply said in order to curry favour with the prime minister who has been fuming with anger ever since the morning assembly ended. The slowly walked down the stairs outside the imperial court. "The emperor has always listened to his suggestions in court rather than the prime minister''s suggestions, if not for his majesty favour how can he be compared to the prime minister," the minister of foreign affairs said, the prime minister gently stroked his beards as he walked down the stairs, although he was unhappy with what had happened in the court, his mood had slightly gotten better after hearing that the regional commander is nothing compared to him. Before the current emperor was enthroned, he held the supreme power in the court and the regional commander who was still in his mid-twenties had that time never dared to talk back when he spoke in the court, he took control of the emperor and the imperial seal so all the ministers feared him but after the emperor passed away from his illness, the current emperor who is the late emperor''s brother took the throne but he refused to submit to the prime minister, he took back all the power the prime minister had during the late emperor''s reign. "Say no more, you should be siding the country and not taking sides," the prime minister said, then he left them behind and walked away alone. They knew that he didn''t mean what he said but they just pretended to suck him to him. The regional commander and his assistant stood at the entrance of the palace, they were discussing military matters but they didn''t know that the prime minister was already approaching them. "Regional commander" the prime minister called out, then the regional commander and his assistant turned back to see who it was, their faces quickly turned dark when they saw the prime minister coming towards them. "Prime minister!" they both chorused with a slight bow "There is no need for such formality between me and you, after all, you are very close to the emperor," the prime minister said with a fake smile on his face, they knew that even though he was acting nice towards them, he is actually planning something very malicious in his heart. "Prime minister, you are my senior so of course there is need for formalities such a greeting," the regional commander said then they both raised their heads. "I am very glad to see you working hard for the good of the country, if not for the wise advice you have been giving the emperor, the country might not be as peaceful as it is, you are really working hard," the prime minister said "I am afraid that you are giving me more praise then I deserve, the emperor is wise, I am only helping him handle trivial matters," the regional commander said "you are being too humble, you deserve more praise, after all, his majesty has always listened to your opinions in court while disregarding the opinion of other ministers," the prime minister said, the regional commander was not surprised by his statement, he knew that their conversation was definitely going to land in this direction but he couldn''t wait to brush off the prime minister, if he had a choice, he would have washed his hands off political matters but he cared a lot about the people so he couldn''t let people like the prime minister control the emperor. "If you are talking about this morning assembly then I implore you not to be displeased, your suggestion makes sense but it wouldn''t hurt to give the Mongolians another chance so that we can preserve the lives of our citizens, I hope you understand his majesty''s intentions," the regional commander said. The prime mister folded his hands at his back then he sideways in order to make himself look imposing. "oh, oh Is the regional commander implying that I am blind to his majesty''s intentions or that this lord is petty that I would keep grudges just because of what happened in court," the prime minister said. This senile old man just keeps rambling¡­. The assistant commander thought! He wanted to snap back at the prime minister but he was not in the position to. "How can this lowly commander think such a thing, I am only saying that his majesty thinks highly of your opinions since you have been serving this country for over sixty years with loyalty and hard work," the regional commander said, then he pinched the assistant commander''s hand and winked at him, the assistant commander looked at him in confusion then he realized what he meant. "My lord, you seem to have forgotten that you have a meeting with the emperor," the assistant commander said "ooh, I must excuse myself now, I fear that I cannot keep his majesty waiting any longer," the regional commander said, the prime minister turned to look at him, he wasn''t sure if he was lying or not but it sounded like he was trying to intimidate him by mentioning the emperor. "I thought you were just about to leave the palace," the prime minister said "Oh, I forgot about my meeting with his majesty, if not for my subordinate and your conversation with me, I might have stood his majesty up," the regional commander said "You may go, you shouldn''t keep his majesty waiting," the prime minister said then he gave a dismissive wave his hand. Both of them saluted him then they walked away, the prime minister watched them walk away as they entered into the palace, he had an evil and angry look on his face, it was obvious that the regional commander was being careful so that he wouldn''t offend the prime minister and this made the prime minister feel more powerful. "Even if his majesty favours him, he is still nothing without me, if I hadn''t given an official post back then, how could he be here to fight against me," the prime minister said then he walked away with his chest puffed up and one of his arm hanging by his waist. The regional commander stopped when they saw the prime minister leaving the palace, the both of them heaved a sigh of relieve then they came out of where they were hiding to deceive him. "That sly old man, he just wouldn''t rest until he is in full control of the power in court and I would never let him have his way," the regional commander said softly. "But commander, why were you acting humble in front of him just now? although he has a higher position than you in court, practically you have more influence than he does" the assistant regional commander asked "I just did that to make him feel like I was submitting to him and to make him feel like he has powered, this way it would be easier for me to oppose him," the regional commander said "Ooh, I understand," the assistant commander said "but¡­wait, why didn''t you say something else, why did you have to mention the emperor," the regional commander said "Well¡­well, I didn''t know what to say" --------------------- The imperial consort palace. "Attendant Xu, send a maid to summon the seventh prince," the imperial consort said "Okay," the attendant said then she walked to the door but she stooped after she opened the door, she saw the seventh prince standing outside the door so she ushered him into the room. "Your majesty, the seventh prince is here," she said with a broad smile on her face, the imperial consort who has been playing the zither raised er head in excitement, then she dropped the zither on the floor and hurried to meet the seventh prince as he walked into the room, she held his hand as soon as she saw him then she led him into her room. "Mother, you don''t have to stand up, I was coming to meet you anyway," Changlin said, he sat down beside her on the short and ide wooden chair with luxurious decorations on it. "You, you are now starting to abandon your mother right, you have been back for a long time now but you didn''t even visit me, I was about to send someone to summon you," the imperial consort said "Mother, why do you always act like my wife, I was practising my martial art so I didn''t have time to visit you, don''t you have other women in the palace to play with," Changlin said "So you choose martial art over your own mother when you are married, I wonder if you will ever remember me then" imperial consort sad then she removed her hand from his and turned her face away, he smiled at her childishness then he hugged her from behind with his arms wrapped around her neck. "Don''t worry about that, I won''t be marrying anytime soon so you still have many years to spend with me?" Changlin said "Your highness, you shouldn''t say that, her majesty hopes that you can get married very soon" attendant Xu said "Well that won''t be happening any time soon," Changlin said "What are you talking about, you have already attained the age of marriage, why don''t you want to get married," he imperial consort said then she tapped his hand that was still tightly wrapped around her neck, he released his hand then she turned to face him. "Mother, you didn''t say anything about my fourth brother being single even though he is three years older than me, I just reached the age of marriage, how come you want me to get married so soon," Changlin said "How can you compare yourself to your brother, he is more mature and responsible than you, if he was here, I would do the same thing to him, the both of you are really¡­." The imperial consort said "Then I will get married when my brother gets married," Changlin said "Do you even know when he plans to get married, he hasn''t even returned to visit me even once, do you think he plans on getting married anytime soon?" the imperial consort said "Your majesty, the fourth prince probably misses you as well, after all, you have been his mother ever since his biological mother died," attendant Xu said "You can''t be sure of that, if he missed me, he would have come to visit me or at least send me a birthday gift" the imperial consort said in a sulking manner. "Mother, sometimes I wonder if am your real son or if he is, you definitely care about him than me," Changlin said then he folded his arms on his chest as a sign of his discontentment. Chapter 84 - You Are Too Soft Hearted! "You little brat, when having you seen me favouring one of you over the other, he should be the one saying that not you" the imperial consort. "Okay, I know you are always fair to the both of us but he really missed you," Changlin said?? "Really, did he say that?" the imperial consort said in excitement. She has always loved Ruansong just like she loved her own child when his mother was still alive, she was always bullied by the other women in the palace for not coming from a prestigious family but the only person who has always been on her side was the imperial consort, back then she entered the palace when his mother was ill but she took care of her daily without fearing that she would be affected by her sickness. That was how she became enemies with the imperial noble consort and the empress after his mother died, she became the next woman the emperor favoured and that increased the enmity they had towards her. Since then she had been taking care of him ever since he was two years old, she also secretly kept Xiaodi for him when she was still in her beast and the jade flute, she only gave them to him when he was four years old. Apart from her, no one else knows his mother more than she does, not even the emperor who loved her deeply, so he had always treated her as his mother. "He didn''t say it directly, you know he never says things like that, but after I told him about your birthday, I could see that his face was filled with regret of not coming to see you on your birthday, he even cooked the dishes you liked best the next day," Changlin said "That brat, he always been that way, always acting more matured than he should, when he still lived in the palace, he always cooked for me despite being a prince," the imperial consort said sentimentally. "I agree, back then I really liked his dishes that I stopped eating any food that wasn''t cooked by him," Changlin said "Your highness, back then you were completely spoilt by the fourth prince, he made you learn martial art even though you refused to and her majesty always had a hard time whenever she forced you to eat the food made by the imperial kitchen" attendant Xu said "Mother, why don''t we visit him together in blossom valley, I had managed to slip out of the palace the last time without being noticed by the had to make me drunk and send me back," Changlin said "If we visit him then he won''t find any need to return, moreover, his majesty wouldn''t like that so just give up, if you go alone again, he would just do the same thing again," the imperial consort said "Your highness, you should listen to her majesty, when the fourth prince misses two of you, he will have no choice but to return," attendant Xu said "But staying in the palace is so boring, I have to be with those annoying brothers of mine, he is more fun to be with," Changlin said "I know but they are still your brothers so try to get along with them, the palace is stuffy but it is the price we have to pay for the luxury and comfort we enjoy," the imperial consort said "I have to return to my practice, I have decided to ask the regional commander to train with me when he has time but I couldn''t see him today," Changlin said "That is good, but you need to be careful with those in the court or they might think something else," the imperial consort said "Alright, I will keep your words in my heart," Changlin said ------------------- "Did you hear of what happened yesterday?" one of the elite disciples on the training ground said "If you are talking about the sect leader punishing the young mistress, then I didn''t just hear it, I saw it with my own eyes" another disciple replied "Does that mean that the sect leader really punished the young mistress" "It wasn''t just any ordinary punishment, it was really cruel that I pitied the young mistress, you should have seen how angry the sect leader was, I have never seen him so angry" "She was indeed impulsive but she was worried about them, we all know how the young mistress is" "Yes, she would never stay in the sect without knowing if they were alive or dead" ------------------ In the garden. "You guys should tell me how it was when you went out of the sect," Huo Ying said, she took one tangerine from the big basket of fruit that is on the large stone table while the others followed suit. "It was interesting but we couldn''t enjoy it due to the urgency we had at hand," Bingchen said "We have never really gone into other cities, if not for the map I studied, I wouldn''t have been able to recognise the cities we passed by," Huo Ying said as she stuffed the tangerine into her mouth after peeling it. "Let me tell you, the most interesting part for me was when we snuck into the vitality sect" Huo Li said "What do you mean, didn''t you and Bingchen sneak into their storage together," Huo Qiang asked "No, I went out to stall their disciples so that Bingchen could concentrate on finding the herbs, almost all their disciples gathered to fight me, it was very exciting when I fought with them but they were too weak and their speed was too disappointing," Huo Li said "By the time I was done, I came out only to find them lying on the ground, there was even one that was naked, it must have been Huo Li''s work," Bingchen said, then they all fixed their gaze on her. "Aiyaah! I was just trying to have fun at first so I stripped him but that disciple kept on taunting me with my short stature and calling me a little girl, he even belittled my abilities so¡­." Huo Li said then she hesitated before completing her statement. "So..." the five of them chorused "Eeeeeeeh! So, I used eighteen thunderbolt kicks on him," Huo Li said "What!!" they all chorused "are you sure you didn''t kill him, he must have suffered a lot," Huo Qiang said "I didn''t check if he was dead but I don''t think he died," Huo Li said then she smiled awkwardly with guilt written on her face. "When we were trying to escape from Yu-Shan city, we were being pursued and they chased us to the woods where you found us, we couldn''t let them live since they had seen our face so had to kill them but the captain tried to escape and he didn''t meet a good ending," Bingchen said then he nodded his head. "She caught him back then she slapped him non stop after he had lost all his tooth, she broke shattered the bones on one of his arms and his leg, it was really too cruel," Huo Qiang said "If he hadn''t stopped me, I would have done worse, he even made us spare his life," Huo Li said "I understand that she was really cruel but you shouldn''t have spared his life, he has seen your faces, what if the vitality sect finds out that we were the ones robbed them, they would find fault with us again and we won''t be able to get Huo Lan back," Huo Ying said "There is no way he would have survived after what Huo Li did to him so I didn''t want to cause him more pain, after all, we are in the wrong," Huo Qiang said "You are really too soft-hearted, what if someone found him before he died, if the sect leader found out about this, you would also be getting your own punishment," Huo Lian said Chapter 85 - Brooding Yu Yan! "What are you talking about?" Han Chen snapped back shyly, his cheeks were almost turning red at that moment, both of them were fascinated by his reaction, he has never blushed for any woman before but now he is blushing for no reason at all. "I must be right, you did kiss her, did anything happen yesterday," Roy said with a mischievous look on his face.?? "Not really, what do you mean by that, did your lips touch or not," Shi Fen said with excitement written on his face, he just couldn''t wait to hear the story behind the blushing and the expression on Han Chen''s face. "It was a long time ago when we were still in high school, back then she was really beautiful but we fell for each other at the same time, she probably can''t even remember that we gave each other our first kiss," Han Chen said, at first he had a smile on his face but then it turned into a sad face when he realized that she can''t even remember the moment the spent together while they were still in high school. "The both of you are so¡­. You had already kissed while you were still in high school, it must have been a really sweet and young love" Roy said while nodding his head. "Boss, I really think you should go for it, you guys are really meant for each other, your love story is really too sweet to just let it pass away just like that, she might remember you if you keep staying around her," Shi Fen said "Why don''t you just tell her the truth, it might make things easier for you," Roy said "You think I don''t want to? When she came to my house, we both drank a lot so I just used that chance to ask her some questions, I asked her that what if she forgot someone that really loved when she was young, would she still want to remember that person" Han Chen said then he paused for a second. "What did she say?" Roy asked "She said that she wouldn''t want to remember that person because her life might not be as stable as it is anymore, she would have to choose between her boyfriend and that person, she would want to leave her boyfriend for that person but it wouldn''t be easy for her" Han Chen said "Hmmmn, I think I can understand her, she would be torn between both guys, if her heart wants to follow her past lover, then she would feel responsible for her current boyfriend," Shi Fen said "It truly a hard decision to make but you don''t have to tell her the truth, just make her fall in love with you again, I don''t believe that boyfriend of hers is better than you," Roy said "But wait¡­why didn''t you say this when I told you that Jia Yu has a boyfriend" Shi Fen asked, the both of them glanced at each other, they didn''t know what to say in this situation, they could only avoid the question. "So, when is your suspension going to be over?" Roy said with his eyes focused on Han Chen while Han Chen did the same to avoid Shi Fen''s question. "Hey¡­the both of you are avoiding my question, right?" Shi Fen said they didn''t act like they heard his speaking instead they just faced each other. "Until the Major general calls are back to duty" Han Chen said "I don''t think that day is going to come," Shi Fen said "Even I don''t think so, he has really gotten the better part of you this time," Roy said "Alright, let stop talking about this, let''s go out, staying indoors seems too boring," Han Chen said "You do have a company to run, why don''t you use this chance to return to your company," Roy said "That is not my stronghold, I have already left my uncle and my aunt in charge of the company" Han Chen said "I think your uncle and aunt are really good to you, they still want to return the company to you even after having total control of your company, others would have tried to rob you of your company," Roy said "They will be returning from abroad soon, I heard from Jia Yu that they went there to finalise a deal with a food company for me," Han Chen said "You should really start manging your company, they won''t be there to manage it for you when they are really old or are you planning to give it to Jia Yu who doesn''t even have the time for her own parents'' empire," Roy said "I agree with Roy" Shi Fen said "Alright, you all are just trying to take away my freedom, why should I worry about what hasn''t happened yet," Han Chen said then he stood up from his sofa and grabbed his coat. "Let''s go," Han Chen said, "where are we going?" Shi Fen asked with confusion written on his face "To my company" Han Chen said "Are you serious, why should we go to your company?" Roy said "didn''t you say that I should start managing my company, I am going to start doing that from today, I too think I am outing too much pressure in my aunt and uncle," Han Chen said "But you have too many companies, which one are we going to?" Shi Fen asked "Han Corporation has many subsidiaries and that makes it really hard to manage, so today I am going to the headquarter and the both of you are coming with me," Han Chen said "Wait...your headquarter is in Shunyi district, that is like an hour and ten minutes'' drive, I am not going," Roy said, then Han Chen turned to look at Shi Fen. "I¡­I am not going too," Shi Fen said "Just when I was feeling in the mood, you just had to discourage me, originally, I was planning to allow you to choose any of my cars if you had agreed to follow me but now it seems like I would be keeping them to myself," Han Chen said, then he turned his back at them. Their faces immediately lighted up when they heard that he was going to give them his cars. "Boss, I was only kidding, have I ever left you alone before," Shi Fen said, then he stood up and held Han Chen''s hand with a cute look on his face. "Han Chen, I was also joking, how can I be so heartless to you," Roy said. "Since the both of you were joking, let go now," Han Chen said, then he etched a proud smile at the edge of his lips. They entered the garage, then Han Chen went over to the black G wagon that Yu Yan stopped him from driving, he opened the car with the car key hanging on the door of the car and sat in the driver seat. "Boss, when are we going to choose the car we want," Shi Fen asked "When we return," Han Chen said then the two of them entered into the car, Roy sat beside Han Chen while Shi Fen sat at the back. Han Chen drove out of the compound while the gate opened and closed automatically. "But don''t you think it is too late for you to go there, I mean they only have about three hours until the closing hour," Roy said "I am not going there for business, I just want to show my face then I will go there tomorrow for the main business, if I don''t do that, they won''t take me seriously and you know how much I hate people taking me for granted, my aunt and my uncle have been managing the company for a long time so they might not want to listen to whatever I say," Han Chen said "But I think you should tell your aunt and uncle first," Shi Fen said "If I tell them, they will rush back and I want them to rest there for a while before they return," Han Chen said "Alright then, why don''t you speed up, there is no fun in a long drive without speeding," Roy said, then Han Chen increased his speed while Shi Fen screamed to hype them up. ----------------- In the staff Canteen. "Why are you eating so little today," Li Chen asked "Nothing, I just don''t feel like eating much today," Yu Yan said as she slowly picks on her food. "Yu Yan you are not yourself today, are you sure you are alright" Ji Chen asked "I know what is wrong with her, she is thinking of the total heart artificial surgery," An Ke said "You are not considering doing it, are you?" Li Chen said "Knowing Yu Yan ''s personality, I just knew that she wouldn''t want to give up the surgery," An ke said "What is that?" Ji Chen asked, he and Meng Yu were totally confused by the discussion since they weren''t there when they held the first meeting, they couldn''t understand what the rest were talking about. "We have a VIP patient who has a very serious heart condition, he is at least seventy years old but he had already undergone and heart surgery which involved changing his right and left ventricular but the artificial heart that was used is now damaged and he needs another artificial heart, Yu yan and Yue Ling were chosen for to surgery at first but when everyone found out how complex the surgery was, their positions are no longer secured but Yu Yan wants to do the surgery despite the risks," Li Chen said "The surgery indeed has a high failure rate but other than that is there any other consequences," Meng Yao asked "His family are very prominent people in the country if the surgery fails then her career will be ruined," An Ke said "Yu Yan, I don''t want to discourage you but I don''t think it is really worth it, if any mistake happens then you would be held responsible, a specialist surgeon should be in charge of such a complex surgery," Ji Chen said "I know that but somehow, I think if I practice I would be able to do this surgery, I have always wanted to do something challenging like this but now that the opportunity is here, it is very hard for me to just let it pass by," Yu Yan said with sadness in her voice "Even if you want to, do you think the patient family will let you do so or the chief surgeon would let you do such a complicated surgery," Ji Chen said "I know but¡­." "Don''t take the risk, Yu Yan, when you are experienced enough, another opportunity will come?" Meng Yao said "Alright then¡­" Yu Yan said then she finished the last bit of her food. "How are you guys finding the hospital?" Li Chen asked "I am not quite used to the rowdiness, they are so many patients every day," Ji Chen said "as for me, I like the rowdiness, my colleagues in the radiology department are really nice," Meng Yao said "tchtchtchtch! You guys will soon understand the reality in this hospital" Yu Yan said "I think I have already experienced It this morning, I operated on three patients with severe liver problems," Ji Chen said "Oh that''s right, I transferred a patient to the hepatology department last week, he is a fifty-year-old man who needs a liver transplant, I am worried that he won''t be given due attention because of his social status, I gave the case to surgeon Ding Ying, can you help me inquire about it," Yu Yan said "Alright, by the way, I heard of the surgery you performed in the emergency department today, the surgeons in the hepatology department were discussing it and of course they said bad things about you," JI Chen said "Bad thing like what?" Yu Yan asked "things like you were trying to get the attention that was why you performed such an operation in the emergency department, other said that you were trying to seduce one Alan Chen with your beauty so that you can get promoted," Ji Chen said "What!!! Alan Chen" Li Chen, An Ke and Yu Yan shouted Then everyone in the canteen turned to look at them, the three of them looked back then they smiled awkwardly before turning back. "Are you for real, that imp, how can our Yu Yan seduce that useless fool?" An Ke said "Who the hell is that Alan Chen?" Meng Yao asked "He is the assistant director of the cardiology, Jia Yu you had better be careful of him or else you will be on the black book of Yue Ling," An Ke said "She is not as bad as you say, she just loves him so she really doesn''t like me, that idiot has been trying to woo me since I entered this hospital even though he knows that I am dating Chen Kai" Chapter 86 - Alan Chen! "He even came to your welcome party and tried to harass Yu Yan," An Ke said "Really, I don''t remember inviting him did you guys invite him?" Ji Chen asked?? "I think I did, I invited everyone in the cardiology department," Jia Yu said "So, what did you do to him?" Ji Chen asked "Nothing, I just warned him that the next time he tries that then I would beat him up," Yu Yan said "that is not like you, goddess, you have always dealt harshly with people like him, you don''t really like him, do you?" Ji Chen said "What are you saying, how can she like that imp, don''t you know how much she loves Chen Kai but it is indeed unusual of her," An Ke said, then they all fixed their gaze on Yu Yan with a suspicious look on their faces. "Why are you all looking at me, you don''t really think I would leave Chen Kai for someone like that, right?" Yu Yan said "But despite all he as done since you entered this hospital, you have never taken actions," An Ke said "Have you forgotten what I did to him the first time we met? I just kicked him once and he fell on the ground, he was hospitalized the next day when his butt wasn''t healing, he even tried to sue me for assault but Chen Kai threatened him and that was how he found out who Chen Kai is" Yu Yan said "ooh, that''s true, that day, I had a party in my house so I invited you and Han Chen, by the time I came out, I saw the both of you arguing but he was still on the floor, that sight was so funny, how could I have forgotten it," An Ke said "Don''t worry, now that I am here, I will protect you from that scum bag?" Ji Chen said then he beat his chest with pride and confidence, they all laughed at his confidence as he beat his chest. "If you were King Kong then I would Have believed you are that capable since you are beating your chest, you had better protect your girlfriend, I think Yu Yan should be the one protecting you?" Meng Yao said, then they all burst into laughter, everyone in the canteen turned to look at them again but they didn''t even care about the numerous eyes that were staring at them. Meanwhile, on another table, Xiaomeng was sitting with Yue Ling. They glared at Yu Yan with contempt burning in their eyes, the both of them are in love with men who only have eyes for Yu Yan so they are actually in the same clique. "Do they think they are the only ones in the canteen?" Xiaomeng said, unlike Yue Ling, she is also a close friend to them but because of her beef with Yu Yan, she stopped hanging out with them. "That Yu Yan is really hateful, seeing her makes me lose my appetite, I shouldn''t have come here," Yue Ling said the. She stabbed her fork into the vegetable on her plate. "Is Alan Chen still pursuing her?" Xiaomeng asked with feigned ignorance. "I don''t really know what is so good about her, he hardly even notices me but when anyone mentions her name then his eyes always becomes lit, there is nothing that she has that I don''t have, even if she is more beautiful than I am at least I also surpass her in other areas," Yue Ling said, then she slammed her chopstick on her plate. "She is really an expert in seducing men, even though she has two wealthy and high-class men at her beck and call, she is still seducing another one, she is really shameless," Xiaomeng hinted just to make Yue Ling ask the obvious question so that it wouldn''t seem Luke she is gossiping. "What do you mean by that?" Yue Ling asked, her face shone with curiosity. "I saw her outside with a young guy today, I have never seen anyone who is well proportioned as he is but I am not sure about is social status, he was dressed really plain but he seemed sophisticated, she was talking with him in the garden," Xiaomeng said "Then how did you jump to the conclusion that she was trying to seduce him?" Yue Ling asked, unlike Xiaomeng, she is very reasonable and she doesn''t like it when someone is accused of something they didn''t do or gossiping about someone unnecessarily. "She intentionally spilt her drink on him even though she knew that he was behind her, you should have seen how she was acting when she was speaking with him, she was even fondling with his hand, I have only seen her acting that way with Chen Kai," Xiaomeng said "I don''t know if that is enough to jump into that conclusion but if it is really true then I will use this chance to stop Alan Chen from loving her," Yue Ling said then she smiled slightly. "I also need enough proof or else Chen Kai would never break up with her just because of something I said," Xiaomeng said "I really don''t understand why you are worried about Chen Kai, except for the three of us, everyone else in the hospital regard you as the daughter in law of the CEO, even if he is dating her now, the moment he returns, everything would still go back to how it is supposed to be," Yue Ling said "You are saying that because you don''t know Chen Kai, even if his parents tell him to break up with Yu Yan, he would never listen to them, or else he wouldn''t have dated her in the first place, he is someone who would never start something he can''t finish," Xiaomeng said "I don''t believe that every man has something that he wouldn''t want to lose no matter the sacrifice he has to pay, if he has to choose between his fortune or his inheritance over her, what do you think he would choose?" Yue Ling asked "Chen Kai indeed has a hidden part that only I know of, he appears to be someone who is humble and doesn''t care about the fact that he comes from a wealthy family but he is not like that, inside he is very proud of all his achievement, he is ambitious and he has always wanted his father''s recognition," Xiaomeng said "That is his weakness, when the time comes, you wouldn''t need to worry about getting him back from her, just be patient. If only I was in the same situation with you, I wouldn''t even be bothered about Alan Chen" Yue Ling said Just then, Alan Chen walked into the canteen, Yue Ling noticed him as soon as he walked in, she quickly put on the best smile that she had then she waved her hands and shouted his name, he turned around then he saw her but he just smiled at her and looked the other way, he noticed that Yu Yan was sitting with the others so he walked towards her table. Yue Ling was embarrassed and furious by his indifference towards her even though she shouted his name aloud, she didn''t expect him to ignore her in such a harsh manner and then walk to Yu Yan''s table. She clenched her hand and bit her lower lips as she watched him walk towards her direction, Xiaomeng felt pity for her after seeing her reaction, at least Chen Kai would never do such a thing to her in the public. He arrived in front of their table but they didn''t even look at him, they were too busy discussing among themselves to have heard Yue Ling shouting his name, Li Chen lifted his eyes only to see him in front of them. "Director, what are you doing here," Li Chen asked then they all raised their head to see if it was really Alan Chen. "Do I need a reason to sit on this table?" Alan Chen said then he sat at the edge of the table beside Yu Yan, she was uncomfortable with the fact that he was too close to her so she slightly pushed Jia Yu who was sitting at her left side to create space for herself then she moved away from him. "Of course, not" Li Chen replied with sarcasm in his voice. "Who is he?" Jia Yu whispered into Yu Yan ear "Alan Chen," Yu Yan said with a downcast look on her face "Alan Chen!" Jia Yu said aloud "It seems like she has already told you about me, I am guessing that she didn''t say anything nice about me," Alan Chen said "Is he clueless or is e pretending to be clueless, why does he have to come here and ruin the fun?" Meng Yao said silently, they all heard her including Alan Chen but he acted like he didn''t hear what she said. "You must be the new surgeon in the cardiology department?" Alan said to Jia Yu, then Ji Chen who was sitting close to Jia Yu became alert when he saw Alan Chen smiling at Jia Yu, he noticed some strands of hair hanging beside her hair, so he tucked them behind her ear to warn Alan Chen of his presence. "You should really pack your hair tightly," Ji Chen said with a smile on his face then Jia Yu smiled back at him, they all chuckled at his at his actions, except for Alan Chen who understood the obvious meaning behind his action but he managed to put on a bitter smile, they knew that he was trying to warn Alan Chen not to get close to his girlfriend. "It seems like the both of you are dating," Alan Chen said "Yes we are dating, by the way, I am not new here, I did one year of my internship here then the hospital sent us for training abroad," Jia Yu said "I must have forgotten you then, I really envy the both of you, if only the woman I want to date is willing to accept me, I would also be dating someone I love by now," Alan Chen said then he turned to look at Yu Yan who ignored him although she felt his stare. They all fixed their gaze on her after he finished talking then the table was filled with an awkward silence. "Alan Chen," Yue Ling called They all lifted their eyes to see who it was, they were shocked to see Yue Ling frowning at both Alan Chen and Yu Yan. "I need to speak with you¡­." Yue Ling said then she glanced at Yu Yan and continued "In private". "I need to finish my lunch first and I also have some business to attend to, I will call you when I am free then you can tell me whatever it is you want to discuss then," Alan Chen said without even looking at her, they were all surprised that he couldn''t even look at her while he was speaking, he was basically treating her like a nobody. "You¡­you have gone too far Alan Chen," Yue Ling said with her voice slightly raised, then she glared at Yu Yan who has been avoiding her gaze since she arrived at the table they were sitting on, she pursed her lips in regret that she didn''t chase him away when he came to sit on their table. She could understand how Yue Ling felt and she also didn''t want to become her enemy, they were once friends but that ended the moment she discovered that Alan Chen was chasing Yu Yan. Chapter 87 - Making My Rounds! "What part of I am busy don''t you understand, I am discussing with the juniors and you are interfering, what do you think you are doing?" Alan Chen said with his eyes glaring at her, she was stunned by his sudden outburst, no one has ever spoken to her like that and she couldn''t believe that she was doing this just because of Yu Yan. "You¡­..." Yue Ling said with her hands clenched at the side, she bit her lower lips in anger but she wanted to do more than that, from where they were standing, the others in the canteen couldn''t hear what they were saying but it was obvious that there is a conflict between them.?? "Yu Yan, what was I saying again?" Alan Chen said with a smile on his face and his elbow resting on the table, Yu Yan looked up to see Yue Ling''s expression, she couldn''t imagine Chen Kai treating her like that, she would have beaten the hell out of anyone who dares to treat her that way as long as she won''t suffer serious loss. "Director, we are done eating o we would be taking our leave," Yu Yan said then she looked at the others signalling them to stand up, they all held their tray and stood up from the table and walked away, Alan Chen watched her back as she dropped the tray on the disposing counter and walked out of the canteen. Yue Ling was still standing in front of him, she could only hold in the anger she was feeling at that moment, she traced his gaze to Yu Yan who was just leaving the canteen. "Alan Chen, why exactly do you like that girl," Yue Ling said as she took her seat in front of him, with a sad expression on her face, she wished that he would at least treat her better if she showed him how bitter she felt. "Because she is interesting, she is someone that I must have no matter what," Alan Chen said with the corner of his mouth turned up. "You don''t even love then why don''t you see my feelings for you, we are a better match than she is for you," Yue Ling said "I know how you feel about me but isn''t it clear to do that I do not appreciate your feelings at all if you want me to just use you as a fling then so be it but if you want to be serious with me then forget it, to me, Yu Yan is better than you, she makes me really desperate. No matter what she does to me, it just increases my urge to have her for myself" Alan Chen said with a lustful look on his face. "One day I will prove to you that she is nothing compared to me and she is not worth your love or should I say your lust," Yue Ling said then she stood up from her seat and left the canteen almost I tears but she just held it in because of her pride. --------------------- "Whatever it was that happened back there, that was really bad," Meng Yao said as they walked into the hospital garden, they were all fascinated by the drama they had just watched in the canteen. "I don''t understand why she would love someone like that or how someone like that could become a surgeon, I can''t help but think that she is too good for him," Ji Chen said "He was intentionally infuriating her by giving all his attention to Yu Yan, Yu Yan you have to be careful of her, jealousy can make a woman the evillest person on earth," Li Chen said "Don''t you think I know that already from experience?" Yu Yan said then she fixed her eyes on Jia Yu, who looked at her with confusion on her face. "What are you talking about, what experience?" An Ke said "Back then, when Ji Chen still had a crush on me, I suffered the wrath of a jealous woman from Jia Yu, she was just too scary back then," Yu Yan said then she made a terrifying expression while they laughed at her gesture. "What are you talking about, that was in the past, now he is mine and we are back to being friends, but I can seriously understand how she feels and her situation is even much worse, she is in love with a good for nothing who ignores her," Jia Yu said "If he dares to harass my girl, I would definitely break his leg," Ji Chen said then he put his arm around Jia Yu shoulder who scrunched her face with a cute smile. "Can you guys stop being lovey-dovey, you have been doing this since you came back?" Yu Yan said "No, we can''t," Jia Yu said "I can''t be bothered by you two right now, I have to do my rounds, by the way, Ji Chen, don''t forget to check on the patient I talked to you about," Yu Yan said "Okay," Ji Chen said then he made the okay sign with his fingers. "I also have to check on my patients," An Ke said "Me too," Li Chen said then the both of them followed after Yu Yan leaving only the couple and Meng Yao in the garden. When they entered their office, they saw Xiaomeng sitting in the office but they just sat on their seat without speaking to her since she didn''t even bother to look at them when they entered. "Yu Yan took out the chart of her patients from her drawer then she wore her white coat and left the office, she took the elevator to the second floor where the recovery unit is located. After she arrived at the recovery unit. She entered into the recovery room where her first patient is, she walked to her bedside and checked her drip to see it was almost finished. She looked at the monitor then she recorded her vital signs, at that moment the patient works up then she tugged at the edge of her coat, she turned to look t the patient, then she smiles when she saw that the patient was awake. The patient is a thirty years old woman who was diagnosed with celiac disease, she had already undergone gastric sleeve surgery one month ago but the patient was still unconscious one week after the surgery was performed and as usual, the surgeon who performed the surgery transferred the case to her to avoid taking the blame in case of any complication. "You are awake!" Yu Yan said with happiness and relief echoing in her voice but the patients were too weak to reply, so she just shook her head in response, Yu Yan pulled out her pen torch from her pocket then she used her fingers to widen the woman''s eyes while pointed the pen torch at the woman''s eyes t check if she was okay or if it was just a temporary consciousness. "You are alright," Yu Yan said She checked the vital signs that were recorded by the nurse that she left in charge of the patient when she wasn''t on duty, she noticed that there was a large difference which indicated that the patient condition has improved. "Nurse Song!" Yu Yan called out then nurse Song came into the room. "Surgeon Yu" nurse Song said "This patient has just woken up from a coma, make you monitor this patient closely and check her vital signs daily, she can''t speak now but the moment she is able to move her body well and speak make sure you report to me," Yu Yan said then she handed the patient''s chart to nurse Song Yi who shook in her head in response. She exited the room and entered into another room where two of her patients were lying down, one of the patients is a teenage girl who was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, she underwent a septal myectomy surgery two months ago and was transferred under Yu Yan''s care. The teenage girl very much enjoyed Yu Yan''s company so as soon as Yu Yan entered into the room, she had a very broad smile on her face. "Doctor!" the girl called out "Li Hua, how are you," Yu Yan said as she walked over to the girl''s bedside then she sat on the bed close to Li Hua. "Where have you been, I haven''t seen you for some time now and I am very bored since I am staying alone in this room without any means of entertainment," Li Hua said with her face scrunched up as she complained to Yu Yan. Yu Yan smiled as she watched the girls face then she stroked her head. "I wasn''t in the hospital so I couldn''t visit you, as long as I am not busy, I will visit you every day from now on" Yu Yan said, then the girl''s expression changed, she became happy in an instant with smiles covering her face. "Really!" "Yes" Yu Yan replied "Then let''s do the pinkie promise," Li Hua said "Alright," Yu Yan replied then she held out her pinkie finger and joined them with the girl''s pinkie finger. "Stamp!" Li Hua said as she pressed her thump against Yu Yan''s thumb then they disconnected their fingers. "You¡­do you want me to call your brother so he can visit you," Yu Yan said softly "No! I don''t want to see any of them" Li Hua said "But he is your brother, don''t you miss him," Yu Yan said "If there cared about me, they would have visited me all this while without your reminder," Li Hua said with a sadness in her voice, Yu Yan looked at the girl in pity but she knew that Li Hua was right. She came from a very rich family and she only has one brother which makes her the last born, her brother and her father were always after the company while he mother only cared about high-class women gathering and other things that high-class women were interested in, they never gave her the attention she needed. Even when she had an attack because of her condition, they weren''t there to save her, if not for their maid that was in the house when she collapsed, she would have lost her life, they visited her throughout the first week when she first admitted but since then they didn''t come to visit her again. Every time Yu Yan called her parent and her brother, they always gave excuses for their inability to visit her. "Alright, since you don''t want me to call them then I won''t but I brought another partner for you," Yu Yan said then she nodded her head in the direction of the boy she operated on that morning while the girl followed her gaze. "What do you think?" Yu Yan asked with a mischievous smile on her face "about what?" Li Hua asked "I made them bring this boy here so that you can have someone to talk to when he wakes up, I specifically brought him here for you, shouldn''t you be thankful," Yu Yan said "But I didn''t ask you for a companion, moreover he is still unconscious, how can I talk to someone who can''t even hear what I am saying," Li Hua said "He is going to wake up tomorrow, he is a footballer and he is tall and handsome, isn''t that the kind of guy you described to me the last time," Yu Yan said "Sister! Why are you making fun of me, I shouldn''t have told you that" Li Hua said "I am not making fun of you, I am serious, I brought him here for you," Yu Yan said "Okay, when he wakes up, I will see if he is to my liking," Li Hua said "Just make sure you don''t disturb him," Yu Yan said, then she stood up from the bed and walked owner to the boy, she looked at the chart in her hand then she looked at his vital signs on the monitor and recorded it inside the chart. "I am leaving," Yu Yan said then Li Hua waved her hands. She entered into the other rooms where the patients that are in her care are staying then when she finished making her rounds, she left the recovery unit. Chapter 88 - Torture! She entered the elevator and pressed the third-floor button but just when the elevator was about to close, someone blocked the door with the book in her hand, when the elevator door fully opened, the person entered the elevator. Yu Yan wasn''t expecting a confrontation so soon and at this moment, she just wasn''t prepared to receive insult from a jealous woman. She knew for sure that Yue Ling was going to utter some displeasing words and that is something she would never tolerate but she knew that whatever Yue Ling says to her won''t be enough to console her, she could understand how Yue Ling felt but she wasn''t sure if she would be able to hold her anger in if she gets offended by Yue Ling''s word.?? She just waited silently for Yue Ling to speak but she didn''t even say anything to her not to talk of looking at her, her eyes were fixed on the book in her hands. Yu Yan felt stifled by the awkward silence in the elevator, she just wished that Yue Ling could pour out her anger and get it don''t with but the situation was quite the opposite. At last, the elevator opened, Yue Ling was the first to leave the elevator but even as she came out, she still didn''t spare Yu Yan a glance, Yu Yan rushed out to follow after her. "Yue Ling!" Yu Yan called out but she was already out of sight. She heaved a sigh of relief when she returned to the office, she just slumped on her chair and dropped the charts in her hand on the table, she shook her head as her mind drifted back to the elevator, she has always hated it when someone was angry at her but they still kept quiet about it, it made her feel really frustrated and guilty. The other watched her as she rested her head on the top of her chair while spinning the chair around, they exchanged glances with each other then they continued staring at her. "Did anything happen in the recovery unit?" An Ke asked, just then, Xiaomeng stood up from her seat and left the office. "I just had a horrible experience in the elevator," Yu Yan said, then she brought the spinning chair to a stop. "Were you harassed in the elevator?" An Ke said, then Yu Yan looked at her with a what-did-I-expect-look. "you mind is always filled with strange imaginations," Yu Yan said "What else could have happened in the elevator, quick tell us, what happened?" An Ke said with curiosity on her face. "I just entered the elevator alone with Yue Ling," Yu Yan said "Really, what happened? did she curse at you? she must have done something worse right? Did she slap you?" An Ke said with excitement written on her face. "You are also expecting her to do something just like I expected but she didn''t, she just entered the elevator and fixed her eyes on the book she was reading, she didn''t even say a word throughout, I didn''t even dare make a breathing sound in there, it was so awkward and stifling," Yu Yan said "Woah! How could she have done that, she must have done that on purpose to torture you, it must have been really bad" Li Chen said "If she did that to torture me then she succeeded, that was the most exhausting elevator ride I have ever had in my life, I just stood at one point without moving at all" Yu Yan said "She is really something, if it was me, I would have at least shouted at you for what happened in the canteen to vent my anger but she didn''t even say a word to you, she is really something¡­" An Ke said "You don''t know how much I wanted to stop the elevator, I am so glad that I am out," Yu Yan said "I am also happy for you, if you had been there for more than five minutes, you would have collapsed from asphyxia," An Ke said "what do you guys have for tonight?" Yu Yan asked "I am on duty tonight, I have a surgery scheduled one hour from now and another by eight pm," An Ke said "I also on duty, I have one complicated surgery to perform and some patients to check on," Li Chen said, Yu Yan nodded her head with her mouth pouted. "Such a pity, I wanted us to go out for some drinks but since you are not available then I guess I would be going home then," Yu Yan said "Why don''t you go out with the other three?" An Ke asked "they are still newbies here so do you think they would have time to spend with me, they must have a lot of work to do," Yu Yan said "But they are really lucky since they were already interning here and the hospital sponsored their training, they won''t be treated as newbies unlike us, we had to do lots of menial stuff when we came here and we weren''t given any real work to do," An Ke said "that is quite true but nonetheless, they haven''t been here for a long time so they might be treated as newbies," Yu Yan said "I guess that is true," Li Chen said "Alright then, I am going now, Li Chen could you please check on the patient in Li Hua room, I am scared that when he wakes up, he will be disturbed by her" Yu Yan said "Are you seriously telling me to do that, once she gets hold of me, she won''t let me leave, that girl is so strong and stubborn, why don''t you ask An Ke to do it," Li Chen said "Eeeeeeeh! I m not going to her room, Yu Yan, she only listens to you, she doesn''t listen to the others" An Ke said "Li Chen, if you don''t check on that patient, I will make her do worse to you," Yu Yan said then she hanged her coat on the hanger and picked up her back. "You are leaving already?" An Ke asked with a sad look on her face. "I think I just said that a minute ago," Yu Yan said "Bye then," An Ke said "Bye," Li Chen said then Yu Yan waved at them and left the office. She took the elevator to the parking lot then she entered the large parking lot, she looked around in search of her car then she remembered that she didn''t come to work with her car, she slammed her hand on her forehead in frustration, she couldn''t believe that she came all the way to the parking lot when she didn''t even bring her car. She was just about to leave when she noticed a blue car at the corner of the parking lot, she tilted her head to see the blue car clearly. "Is this what I am thinking, did her perhaps forget his car here," Yu Yan said then she walked closer to the car, she looked inside the car from the window. "This is definitely his car," Yu Yan said then she pulled the doorknob and the car opened, she was surprised when the car opened, she wasn''t expecting the car to be opened. She wanted to call him to tell him that he has forgotten his car but she realized that she didn''t have his number, she decided to text Jia Yu, but as soon as she opened her phone, she realized that someone sent her a message. "This is Han Chen, I left the car for you" Yu Yan read aloud "He didn''t forget the car, this guy is really something, anyway that saves me the stress of entering the bus," Yu Yan said then she entered into the car. She pressed the start button but then her hand mistakenly pushed a button, the car suddenly started moving on its own. Yu Yan was startled by the sudden movement of the car, she pressed the button again hoping that the car would stop moving on its own, then the car stopped moving. She pressed the button again then the car started driving itself once again, she couldn''t believe that the car was an automatic car. "But he drove the car himself this morning, this guy is really something, he can really waste money," Yu Yan said then she dropped her bag on the chair in next to her and held the wheel in case the car goes the wrong way, she inserted her house address on the GPS and winded up the window so that if she meets people she knows along the way they wouldn''t recognise her, then the car drove out of the parking lot. After she left, a red car that was parked in front of the blue Mercedes Benz came out of its parking space. "Where did she get such a luxurious car?" Yue Ling said to herself, she was about to leave when she saw Huo Ying walking to the blue Mercedes Benz, she had seen Huo Ying''s car before so she was sure that the car didn''t belong to her. She was even more shocked when she saw the car moving by itself. "I guess what Xiaomeng said about her was true, even I don''t have such an expensive car, there is no way she could afford such a luxurious car," Yue Ling said, then she drove out of the parking lot. Chapter 89 - Why Is She Angry With Me! Yu Yan couldn''t help but feel uneasy with the car driving itself, she didn''t know if she was supposed to just trust this high tech car or just drive it herself but the second option was more difficult for her, she couldn''t understand the operation of the car so she just decided to trust the car. "When that guy drove the car this morning, it didn''t seem this hard, he must have done this on purpose" Yu Yan said then she removed her phone from her bag and called Han Chen. She bit her lower lips as she waited for him to pick his phone but he didn''t pick the call, so she ended the call and called him again, this time he picked the call quickly.?? "Hello" Han Chen said "why did you leave your car for me?" Yu Yan asked as though she wasn''t happy that she was saved from the struggle of taking the bus home. "because I wanted to, I am partly responsible for your car breaking down so that is my way of apologising" Han Chen said "Did you perhaps so something else to my car, because I can sense guilt in your voice, if you just took it out and it broke down it isn''t your fault then" Yu Yan said. "What can I do to your car, I was telling you the truth, I am happy to know that you are moved by my generosity even if you don''t say it" Han Chen said "Why should I be moved, in your dreams" Yu Yan snapped "Let''s just say I believe you" Han Chen said in a teasing manner. "You should have locked the car, what of someone discovered that the car wasn''t locked and then drove it out of the hospital" Yu Yan said "The car was locked" Han Chen replied "It wasn''t, I opened it just with one pull" Yu Yan said "The door handle has a finger print sensor on it, it opened because it read your finger print" Han Chen said "When did you take my fingerprint" Yu Yan asked with a surprised look on her face, she couldn''t understand how he got her fingerprint and she didn''t remember him taking it from her. "I authorised your fingerprint that you left on the door handle, you don''t need to thank me" Han Chen said playfully "don''t you think that you should ask for my permission before you do such things in the future, I will return the car to your house when I am free of I will tell you where to get it, from now own please don''t act like we are close and I hope we don''t meet unless necessary or coincidential" Yu Yan said then she ended the call and dropped it on the chair next to her. "He just does things anyhow he wants, I have never seen anyone like him, why does he keep acting like we are close and why am I¡­..." Yu Yan said then she hesitated for a moment, she was trying to understand her recent behaviours towards Han Chen but she couldn''t understand it, all she knew is that she didn''t see him as someone she is in love with, the only person that she loved and she would ever love is Chen Kai. "I need to stop tolerating him, no one has ever acted the way h acts towards me without receiving a lesson from me" Yu Yan said then she increased the speed of the car to calm herself down. ---------------- "Did I do something wrong?" Han Chen asked, he couldn''t understand why she was angry, he thought that since he was so considerate towards her despite the fact that they weren''t close then she would at least appreciate his good intentions. "You are wrong" Roy said, Han Chen spun the wheel then he abruptly parked the car at a corner of the highway without decreasing his speed, the two of them were taken by his sudden action. "Are you crazy, why did you park like that without reducing your speed" Roy said with his eyes widened. "How am I wrong?" Han Chen asked with a straight face. "Are you serious, you did that just because I said you are in the wrong" Roy asked, then he glanced at Shi Fen with shock written on his face, the both of them then turned to look at him with their faces filled with disbelief. "Boss, do you know how dangerous that was?" Shi Fen asked "I knew what I was doing, have you forgotten how good I am at driving" Han Chen said "Water has gotten into your brain, can''t you at least give us a heads up if you were going to do something like that?" Roy said with disbelief still on his face. "Stop complaining, it''s not like you have never experienced something so trivial in the army" Han Chen said "But we are on a civilian road now, don''t you know that we can get into trouble for doing that" Roy said "Just get to the point, how am I wrong, I left the car there for her to take home but she was still angry at me" Han Chen said with a confused look on his face. "Boss, why are you so frustrated just because she is angry at you, women''s anger doesn''t last for even an hour, don''t worry about it" Shi Fen said "That''s because you don''t know her, I have never seen someone who holds a grudge as much as she does" Han Chen said "I don''t think you know her very well, you haven''t even seen each other for years, do you think she will still be the same person that she was before, you are normally smarter than this but when it comes to her you become another person entirely" Roy said "That''s the power of love" Shi Fen said then the both of them burst into laughter, Han Chen looked at them with frustration on his face, he had entirely forgotten about the reason for the outing, the only thing he had on his mind now is why Yu Yan was angry at him. "Can you guys stop fooling around? Just tell what I want to know" Han Chen said. "You have overstepped your boundaries, to her, you are just the cousin of her best friend but you kept dragging her into your life and now you used her fingerprint on your car without her permission, that means you are intruding her privacy, from what I saw the first time I met her, I don''t think she is the kind of person who is free around those she is not familiar with" Roy said "But the way she sounded just now doesn''t seem like she was just angry because of that, if that was the case then she shouldn''t have been that angry" Han Chen said, he looked like a child that was frustrated because he wasn''t getting the attention he wanted. "Then you must have done something else to her or she might have done something that she is feeling guilty about then she is turning her guilt into anger, did something happen between you two?" Roy asked, the he and Shi Fen fixed their eyes on him with a quizzical look on their faces. "I don''t think there was anything that would have caused her to be angry except for...." Han Chen said then he hesitated for a while, his mind drifted back to when he carried her into the room the night, she came to treat him in his house. The both of them looked at him with suspicions in their eyes, he also had that look on his face when he was remembering the first time they kissed in high school, they concluded that something must have happened between them. "Except what?" Shi Fen asked, then Han Chen came back to his senses, he looked at their faces then he noticed that they must have been imagining something stupid at that moment. "Nothing happened, nothing" Han Chen said with an awkward smile on his face, then he turned to the front and pressed the start button again, and stirred the wheel but Roy held his hand before the car started moving then he put of the car''s engine. "You are acting suspicious, just spill it, what happened?" Roy said "Nothing happened, I am telling the truth" Han Chen said, then the both of them made a straight face and fixed their eyes on him to make him spill whatever had happened between them. "Alright, I will tell you" Han Chen said "Go on" Roy replied "On the day she came to treat me, the both of us drank a lot so she got drunk, I carried her to my room then I returned to the parlour, I was a little bit drunk so I forgot that I had plenty rooms in my house, I slept in the parlour, when she woke up in the morning, she thought something happened between us last night so she kept asking me about it but I lied to her that I couldn''t remember what happened" Han Chen said "How could you do that, that must be the reason why she was angry at you, she doesn''t even know if something happened that now or not and she has a boyfriend, how do you expect her to feel, you are basically tormenting her" Roy said "I agree, she doesn''t seem like someone who is loose, I think what Roy said makes sense" Shi Fen said "Then are you telling me to confess to her, she will be angrier when she finds put that I lied to her about not remembering" Han Chen said "You can just tell her that you just remembered" Roy said "Then one lie begat another" Shi Fen added "Alright, now that we have told you what you want to hear, why don''t you continue driving" Roy said. Han Chen pressed the start button, then he steered the wheel to move out of where he parked, when he got to the highway, he increased his speed again. ------------------- Yu Yan arrived at her house but she didn''t want her parents to find out about the car so she parked it in someone else''s parking space, she took the elevator to her apartment, then she knocked on the door of the apartment opposite hers. A young-looking woman opened the door with a beautiful set of white teeth presented before Yu Yan. She is Mrs Huang, even in her early fifties, she still looked as though she was still in her thirties, this made her an envy for many women who knew her and she also took pride in er appearance but she was very close to Yu Yan''s family. "Yu Yan, how are you? it''s been a long time since I saw you" Mrs Huang said with a smile on her face, her red lipstick made her look younger than she already looked, her lips widened to the side with her white set of teeth standing in the middle of her lips. She was also someone whom Yu Yan admired and was very close to. "Aunt, I have been really busy at the hospital so I couldn''t see you these few days" Yu Yan said "I thought as much, you hardly have time for yourself as a surgeon, why don''t you come in, I can''t believe I let you stand here after a strenuous day" Mrs Huang said but Yu Yan extended her hands forward and shook them continuously. "Don''t bother Aunt, I just wanted to tell you that I parked my car in your parking space, sorry for not asking for your permission first" Yu Yan said "eiyoooh! I even thought it was something serious, I haven''t used it for some time now, you can use it anytime you want, no need to inform me" Mrs Huang said "Thank you, Aunt, I will be going in now" Yu Yan said "Okay, make sure you rest" Mrs Huang said "Okay ma" Yu Yan replied then she turned to her apartment and opened the door, she turned back and waved at Mrs Huang before she entered, then she waved back at her and closed her door. "Mom!" Yu Yan called out when she entered the apartment, she looked around the parlour but she couldn''t find her mom, she went into the kitchen but she didn''t see her mom. "She must be in her room" Yu Yan said then she walked to her mother''s room, she wanted to open the door but she stopped when she heard giggles coming from her mother''s room, she leaned towards the door to listen for any sound but the giggles stopped. "Did mom have any visitors, she was supposed to be home alone today" She said to herself, then she pulled the doorknob and looked inside the room. Her eyes widened at the sight in front of her, two teenage kids were massaging her mom while chatting her, they didn''t even notice her coming in and these two kids are her brother''s children. She cleared her throat in order to get their attention but it didn''t work, they were making her mother laugh to the extent that she couldn''t be bothered by any sound at that moment, she decided to use another method. "MOM!!" Yu Yan shouted Chapter 90 - The Twin! The three of them stopped laughing immediately, then they turned towards the direction of the familiar voice they had just heard with delight written on their faces. "Aunt!" the both of them shouted then they got down from the bed and ran to meet Yu Yan, they quickly jumped on her as they wrapped their hands around her.?? "Aunt, we have missed you so much," the girl said "The both of you are no longer kids, why are you still hugging me so tight," Yu Yan said with her hands suspended in the air, the both of them were hugging her at the same time that she didn''t even know who to hold. "I don''t care, I am just happy to see you again," the boy said "Alright, I understand, now let me go," Yu Yan said "HMMMNHHHMMN!" the both of them said then they shook their head when it comes to being naughty and causing trouble they were always in sync and this is something that Yu Yan has missed for three years now. Her brother lived in Yunnan so it wasn''t actually convenient for him to visit them given his busy schedule and his wife is equally as busy as he is. "Alright, let me go, you are suffocating me," Yu Yan said, her mother just kept laughing as she watched them tightening their grip on her, they weren''t even this way when they saw her, it was clear that they adored Yu Yan, maybe more than their parent. Yu Yan had no choice but to feign suffocation, she started breathing heavily and fast, the twins thought she was really suffocating so they quickly released her from their grip. "Aunt is you alright, we didn''t mean to¡­" the girl said then she stopped when she saw Yu Yan smiling, the both of them realized that they had been deceived. "You deceived us!" the girl said "Li Jing, Li Na, you are already sixteen, why are still acting like kids," Yu Yan said then she pounded her shoulder with her fist, after their tight grip on her shoulder, she felt sore. "Are you saying that we can''t hug you now that we have grown up, even if I am fifty, I will still hug you?" Li Na said "You almost broke my shoulder," Yu Yan said then she winced. "Are you serious?" Li Jing asked "Yes, I am for real this time," Yu Yan said "Then we will massage your shoulder for you, we just massaged grandma," Li Jing said "I would really appreciate it, it is really nice to have my niece and nephew around," Yu Yan said then she ruffled his hair. "Aunt, stop doing that I am not a kid anymore, you will ruin my style," Li Jing said, then Yu Yan chuckled "Even when you turn fifty, I will still ruffle your hair," Yu Yan said, then he scrunched up his face and returned the strands of hair to their original position. "Mom, I will return to my room now," Yu Yan said to her mother "Okay, I still want to rest a bit," her mom said then she lied back on the bed while Yu Yan led the twins out of the room. "Wait for me in the parlour," Yu Yan said to the twins, then she returned to her room. She took off her clothes and showered, then she changed into a maxi black skirt and pink sweater, after combing her hair and bonding it, she came out of the room. "Alright, you can start now," Yu Yan said then she sat on the table while the twins stood behind her, they balled their hands into a fist then they pressed it down on her shoulder. "Don''t you think it is painful?" Li Na asked "it is but not too much that I can''t endure," Yu Yan said, then she closed her eyes and folded her arms on her chest as she enjoyed the massage the twins were giving her. "That''s enough now," Yu Yan said after a while "Okay," they chorused then the turned around to sit beside her on the long blue sofa, Yu Yan stood up from the sofa then she went into the kitchen and returned with a big bowl of strawberries and placed it on the table in front of them. "Have some" Yu Yan said then she picked one of the strawberries and stuffed it into her mouth while they followed suit. "Really sweet," Li Na said, she moved her mouth left and right as she relished the sweet taste of the strawberry. "Aunt, you still remember that my best fruit is strawberry," Li Na said as she picked two more strawberries. "Of course, I do, how can I forget that?" Yu Yan said, she didn''t even remember that she just felt compelled to eat something so she brought of the strawberry in the fridge, if she let her know that she didn''t remember that, Li Na would surely be angry with her. However, Li Jing knew that she was lying from her expression, he moved closer to her ear and said¡­. "Aunt, you are lying right," Li Jing said, she looked at him with confusion on her face. "about what?" Yu Yan asked "you didn''t remember that her favourite fruit Is strawberry" Li Jing whispered with a smile on his face, Yu Yan widened her eyes then she leaned towards him. "Don''t say that loud" Huo Ying whispered then she placed her index finger on her lips as a sign for him to keep it a secret, then he shook his head in agreement, Li Na who was still busy with the strawberry noticed the two of them whispering to each other. "What are you two talking about?" Li Na asked "Nothing, just eat your strawberries," Yu Yan said "Okay," Li Na said, then she returned her focus to the strawberries, Yu Yan picked up the remote and then put on the television, she dropped her hand into the bowl but she couldn''t feel anything. She looked into the bowl then she realized that it was finished, she turned to look at Li Na who was still chewing the strawberry she had just placed into her mouth. "You finished that all by yourself," Yu Yan said in surprise, she knew that Li Na had a big appetite when it came to strawberries but not to that extent, she would have used a week to finish the strawberries in the bowl but Li Na just finished it within some minutes. "Aunt, don''t be surprised, our fridge is filled strawberries now because of her, she is obsessed with strawberries," Li Jing said "Who is obsessed, say that again?" Li Na said with her eyes glared at her brother. "Not you, I am talking about Aunt," Li Jing said, to him, his sister was like a bully at times, sometimes she is a sweet sister but at other times, she becomes something else just like Yu Yan. If Yu Yan hadn''t taught her karate the last time, they spent three months with her while he just lazed around maybe he would have been able to overpower her but since then she became the boss over him. Although they are of different genders, they had the same height and they looked very identical. "Better" Li Na said then she stood up from the sofa and walked into the kitchen. "Aunt, you have to teach me karate too, she has been bossing me around ever since you taught her, and dad insisted that I should learn basketball instead of karate so I have to concede to her every time," Li Jing said "I am sorry but I am not as free as before, I have so much work to do in the hospital, I might not even have time to take you guys out," Yu Yan said "If you don''t then I will tell her that you lied to her and she will disturb you until you can''t bear it anymore, you know how she is," Li Jing said "Don''t, Don''t, don''t, I will teach you when I am free but it depends on your determination to learn?" Yu Yan said, then Li Na returned with a pack of strawberries. "wasn''t that enough!" Yu Yan said in surprise, she couldn''t believe that she still wasn''t okay with the strawberry she just finished. "No," Li Na said then she picked a strawberry and stuffed it into her mouth. "Aunt what of that your handsome boyfriend, I haven''t seen him for a long time," Li Na said "What are you talking about, we saw him when we were ten years old, they must have broken up, as beautiful as aunt is, she must have another boyfriend, right aunt," Li Jing said "We haven''t broken up, but he went abroad for medical training, he would be coming back soon," Yu Yan said "Are you sure he isn''t cheating on you abroad, he might be enticed by those white ladies," Li Jing said "What are you saying, of course not," Yu Yan said "Aunt is so beautiful, how can those white ladies be compared to her, if he tries it, I will personally break his leg," Li Na said, she indeed got her ferociousness from Yu Yan. "That''s right," Yu Yan said then she chuckled "You must be speaking from experience Li Jing," Li Na said then she passed a guilty look to Li Jing who looked at her with confusion. "What are you talking about?" Li Jing asked "Aunt, you won''t believe it if I tell you that this dear brother of mine is a playboy, he has been using that handsome face of his to deceive may girls," Li Na said "Is that true?" Yu Yan said then she raised one of her eyebrows. "don''t accuse the innocent Li Na, what do you mean by that" Li Jing said, he knew that he as indeed guilty of what Li Na was saying but he wanted to feign innocence. "Who are you trying to deceive, aunt, he has dated more than three girls since he entered high school, he just started dating another girl last week and I am sure they won''t last a month," Li Na said "Li Na!!" Li Jing shouted "What! Am I lying against you?" Li Na said then she folded her arms on her chest. "Are you for real, my dear nephew is that popular, you really deserve to be called my nephew but don''t go too far?" Yu Yan said "Aunt! What are you saying, do you know how many girl''s hearts he has broken?" Li Na said. "Do you think aunt is outdated like mum and dad, she is a cool aunt?" Li Jing said "I didn''t say you should keep on doing that and I am not saying you shouldn''t date, I just want you to date, someone you really like not just dating any random girl just because they are pretty and you also have to focus on your studies, if you have the face and height without the brain then you won''t be attractive to any girl," Yu Yan said "Of course, I am the top student in my class, just like you and I really like my current girlfriend, the other girls I have dated where the ones who asked me out but my current girlfriend didn''t agree to date me even though I asked her out for a month," Li Jing said "I really miss these high school love stories, tell me more about it," Yu Yan said "Aunt, he is dating my best friend, he has stolen so many of my friends before but I can''t allow him to have his way this time, she is mine," Li Na said then she pouted her mouth. "I didn''t steal your friends, they came to me themselves," Li Jing said, Yu Yan raised her head and sighed, she realized that she was about to get entangled in a twin fight which never ends in a good way. "you basically seduced her, she was just a pretty girl who is only interested in her studies but you distracted hr if not how would she date a playboy like you," Li Na said "What of you, didn''t I see you kissing my best friend," Li Jing said "What are you saying?" Li Na said with embarrassment on her face, she couldn''t believe that Li Jing really saw her kissing his best friends. "Are you two serious, do your mum and dad know all this" Yu Yan asked "No, don''t tell them, we are only saying these things to you," Li Na said "I thought as much, if my brother found out, you would be in trouble you really shouldn''t do things like that in high school, you both are actually too young for such, you are only sixteen," Yu Yan said softly "You were just a cool aunt a while ago and now you have changed to a nagging mother," Li Jing said "I am not telling you not to date or¡­or kiss in high school, I am saying that you shouldn''t just do those things casually, it should be with someone you really like, not just for fun," Yu Yan said "Are you saying that you didn''t date or kiss any guy when you were in high school?" Li Na asked "No, I didn''t, my brother was really strict with me back then" Yu Yan replied "Then when did you have your first kiss?" Li Na asked "Are you seriously asking me this? I was talking about you, why are we talking about me now" Yu Yan "Tell us, please" the both of them chorused with their faces filled with curiosity. Chapter 91 - Traffic! 1 "Actually, I am not sure but I think it was in university with my current boyfriend," Yu Yan said "How can you not know that is that even possible are you lying to us," Li Na said?? "I lost part of my memory so I can''t remember but from what I can remember it should have been when I was in university," Yu Yan said "Aaah! You lost your memory" Li Na said "When did that happen?" Li Jing asked "When I was in high school but I can''t even remember how it happened," Yu Yan said then the both of them gave her a pitiful look, they couldn''t believe that such a thing had happened to their beloved Aunt. "So, when are your mum and dad coming back? Or didn''t they come with you" Yu Yan asked "Mum said that she has some business to take care of so she didn''t come with us, after dropping us, Dad went to grand father''s workplace," Li Na said "That''s great, it has been long since I saw my brother but it is such a pity that your mum didn''t come with you, I was hoping I would see her," Yu Yan said "Mum and Dad have been busy with managing their company that they don''t even have time for us, Li Jing complained to mum yesterday so they brought us here," Li Na said "Is that true?" Yu Yan asked facing Li Jing "Yes, they were really being annoying, they didn''t even have five minutes to spare us in a day, if not for Li Na who is good at cooking, the both of us would have starved," Li Jing said "That is good, you did the right thing by voicing out but why didn''t your mum hire a housekeeper for you since she was busy," Yu Yan asked "Mum says that even if we are rich, we should hire a housekeeper or else we would become spoilt and lazy," Li Na said "That is right, I like your mum''s way of training you if only they were giving both of you the attention you deserve then her parenting would have been perfect" Yu Yan said "Aunt! Don''t you think that we should be sending our teenage years enjoying ourselves, she makes me cook and do all the house chores despite h" Li Na complained, Yu Yan chuckled when she saw how pissed she was. "What do you mean by doing all the house chores, you are talking like all I do is laze around the house," Li Jing said "Whatever! The only good thing is that she always us to go out whenever we want but our curfew time is seven-thirty" Li Na said "That is if we are done with our school work and house chores," Li Jing said, Yu Yan couldn''t help but laugh at how strict their mum is with them, her brothers were exactly the same way with her. Due to the large age difference between them, they always bossed her around and they chased away any boy that tries to get close to her, she had concluded that the reason why she never dated in high school is because of her bothers. Her parents allowed her to do whatever she wanted because she is a girl and the last born but her brothers were always restricting her freedom, the only advantage she found in having two older brothers was that they spoilt her at times, they always gave her whatever she wanted but they were just too overprotective. Her first brother and his wife were dating since when they were in high school, so their relationship was very sweet at that time, his wife always helped her get away from her overprotective brother when they were in high school and that was why she liked her brother''s wife so much when she was in high school, her older brother had already finished his university and the both of them built their company as soon as they graduated from university. Her first brother could be considered as a wealthy man in his early forties, he had several branches of his company in china, so he was the one who paid for her tuition until she finished university. She also wouldn''t have been accepted in Beijing Hospital if not for her brother''s influence and her skill. "You guys are still luckier than I was when I was in high school, my brothers chased away every guy that came close to me, they were just too overprotective and strict," Yu Yan said "He did say that, he told the stories of how many guys flocked around you when you were in high school, he even told us about one of his friends that were pursuing you," Li Jing said "Did he tell you how he beat up his own friend for pursuing me? it was a very bizarre sight, since then every guy who heard of it never came close to me because they were scared of my brother" Yu Yan said "This fool also did the same thing," Li Na said then she glared at Li Jing who quickly cowered his head. "What did he do?" Yu Yan asked with curiosity written on her face. "There is this handsome playboy in my school who confessed to me publicly in school, I was planning to beat him up myself but before I could even say anything, my brother had already pounced on him and beaten him up but he also got injured and he got suspended," Li Na said "that is unexpected of you, you got your fathers temperament," Yu Yan said, then she raised her head to look at the clock in front of her. "I have to rest, call me when your dad is back, the both of you can use any room you want" Yu Yan said then she stood up from the sofa. "Don''t go yet?" Li Na said "I have to rest, I still have to go to work tomorrow and I might not be back in the night," Yu Yan said "Alright then" Li Na replied then Yu Yan retreated to her room. Meanwhile, on their way to the company, they met terrible traffic on the way, they have been in the traffic for two hours and thirty minutes and they were already getting frustrated. "What the hell is going here, we have been stuck in this bloody traffic for more than an hour," Roy said in frustration then he slammed his fist on the dashboard in front of him. The both of them slightly jerked then they looked at him, they knew that it wouldn''t be long before he would explode, Roy is not one to be patient so this kind of situation is something he hates and dreads. "Calm down it would soon be over if you break my dashboard then¡­." Han Chen said then he suddenly stopped when he noticed that Roy was glaring at him. "then I will pay for it¡­" Han Chen said then Roy looked away. "I really shouldn''t have agreed to come here, I hate sitting in one place for too long," Shi Fen said "The both of you should please stop complaining, you said the same thing twenty minutes ago," Han Chen said "Really, did I say that that" Shi Fen said but Han Chen didn''t even reply him, even if he wasn''t complaining, he was furious at whoever caused this traffic. After twenty minutes of waiting, the car in front of them started moving, they had already lost hope of leaving that place so they weren''t even aware that the car was moving. "Boss, the traffic has stopped, start the car" Shi Fen shouted, Roy and Han Chen immediately raised their head, he pressed the start button then the car started moving. After they drove out of the traffic, Han Chen increased his speed again, he was determined not to ever experience such traffic again. The mistake he made was that he didn''t make a detour when he entered the traffic because he thought it would soon end but things didn''t go as he had thought. "Thankfully we are out of that hell hole, Boss after all that we went through because of you, you must not go back on your promise," Shi fen said "What promise?" Han Chen asked with a straight face, he remembered what he promised them but he just wanted to tease them, Roy immediately sat upright when he heard what he had said. "You promised to let us choose from any of your cars," Shi Fen said "When did I say such thing, those are my precious babies," Han Chen said then eh steered the wheel to make another turn. "Don''t joke around?" Roy said in a serious tone "I am not joking, when did I tell you that," Han Chen said "You are joking right, why would I even follow you here, if you didn''t make such an offer" Roy said "Didn''t you say that you were just joking? so you followed me because of my promise" Han Chen said "I¡­I was joking," Roy said "I really can''t be bothered with you two, I will keep my promise don''t worry," Han Chen said then he made another turn and kept driving straight ahead. His face turned dark when he saw a long queue of cars ahead of him. "Not again!" Han Chen shouted, then the other two raised their head to see what was going on, they were stupefied when they saw another traffic ahead of them. "Han Chen, please turn back, we are not going to enter that traffic," Roy said "I really don''t understand how these civilians are so patient to stay inside traffic for more than thirty minutes if I have to experience this every day then I would rather stay at home," Shi Fen said. Han Chen was about to turn the car around when he realized the road behind him was already closed by the cars that had just arrived behind him. "I can''t turn around anymore, we are stuck," Han Chen said, both of them turned back only to see that the other cars that had arrived after them had blocked the way. "This is not happening, I can''t endure this torment," Roy said "Boss, are we really going to stay here like this, why don''t we abandon the car and just go back home," Shi Fen said, he already had a look that signified that he was soon going to cry on his face. "I can''t do that, I just bought this car last year, how can I just let it go like that, what is I don''t find it again," Han Chen said "Then what are we going to do, I am definitely not staying here as this" Roy said "Shi Fen follow me to the front, let me see what has caused the traffic," Han Chen said then he removed his seatbelt and opened the car door. "Are you saying that I should remain alone in the car?" Roy asked "Who else should stay in the car?" Han Chen said theoretically, then he came out of the car before Roy could even reply while Shi Fen followed behind him. "But¡­." Roy said then he stopped when the left the car. Both of them through the middle of the cars, after walking for a long time, they came to the front of the traffic, they gasped at the sight in front of them. A truck has run a car over and the car was suspended on the roadside barrier and was on the verge of falling into the river that is under the highway while the truck had tumbled and was on fire, the fire brigade was already there to put out the fire but they were still struggling with pulling the car back to the road and putting out the fire because even a slight push could make the car fall into the river underneath the highway. Han Chen walked over to the people from the traffic accident but they quickly stopped him from moving closer, he pushed them away then he walked to one of them who seemed to be their head. "What happened here?" Han Chen asked with authority resounding in his voice. "Please go back, you are obstructing our work," the man said "I am a soldier, tell me what happened here," Han Chen said "Please go back," the man said and looked at him with a look that seemed like he didn''t believe him, then someone from the fire brigade called him, he immediately left Han Chen and ran over. "We have succeeded in putting out the fire," one of the fire brigades said "Where is the driver?" the man asked "They are trying to bring him out" he replied then a middle-aged man was pulled out of the truck and laid on a stretcher with blood all over his face and some part of his body burnt. The paramedics immediately carried the man and applied first aid on his burns, the man was screaming in pain as they began the first aid treatment for him. Han Che''s attention drifted to the car that was still suspended at the edge of the railway barrier, he looked into the window then he realized that there were a young girl and a woman inside the car, the woman seemed to be unconscious but the girl was still awake, her eyes were already closing. Chapter 92 - Traffic! 2 His eyes met with the girl''s eyes when she opened her eyes fully, he could see the pain was feeling in her eyes, her hair was scattered on her face but he could still see her cry for the plea. "pl¡­. pl¡­ plea¡­ pleas¡­. se help me" the girl mumbled, he could read her lips from afar so he knew what she was saying. The car suddenly moved but he felt like his heart was about to jump out of his chest, he has been in more dangerous situations but he couldn''t help but feel unsettled.?? "Sir, the car is not coming back, we are pulling it but it just keeps going over the roadway barrier" one of the traffic accident worker''s that were pulling the car shouted, they would have used the crane but they felt like it would endanger the lives of the victims but now they were left with no choice, the balance of the car over the roadway barrier was too unstable for them to pull it back. "If that wouldn''t work then we need to use the crane" the other man replied then he signalled one of the men beside him to use the crane, his subordinate entered into the vehicle and activated the crane, he slowly extended it towards the car but Han Chen was immediately alerted by his action. "Stop, that would make the car fall into the water!" Han Chen shouted but the men ignored him, angered by their indifference to his warning, he pushed the men that were blocking him to the ground while Shi Fen restricted them, he walked up to the man who had made the command. "That would endanger their lives, if the man driving that thing makes a slight mistake then they would fall into the river" Han Chen shouted as he stood firmly in front of the man, the man''s lashes fluttered at that moment. He was slightly intimidated by his firm appearance and his authoritative tone but he quickly returned to his senses. "Who are you, you are obstructing our work please move aside," the man said giving him a dismissal wave, but Han Chen just stood in front of him without moving, the man signalled two men in front of him to take him away but as soon as they came close to him, he knocked them out with one punch but in that punch, he instilled his anger, the man was shocked by his strength but he didn''t want to show it. "Mister, we are trying to do our job please step aside," the man said again with anger echoing in his voice. "If that crane touches the car before it fully grabs the car then the car would fall into the water, you are supposed to combine your strengths and pull the car back," Han Chen said "Who are you to tell me what to do, I have been doing this job for more than twenty years and you are lecturing me on what to do," the man said. Then someone of the onlookers started videoing them. "Pull the car!" the man shouted then the person driving the crane extended the crane and grabbed both sides of the vehicle, Han Chen quickly turned back to see what was going to happen. He looked at the girl with desperation but if he used any more violence and they found out that he is a soldier, it could cause another problem of soldiers oppressing the citizens. As the crane grabbed the sides of the car, the car slipped and moved farther over the roadside barrier the onlookers screamed without even realizing it as they saw the car moving over the railway barrier while their heart skipped a beat. Han Chen''s eyes widened, he knew for sure that the car was going to fall into the water, he turned back and looked at the man with a murderous look in his eyes, at this moment, the man was already regretting his actions, then he heard a creaking sound coming from the car, the car moved again over the water under the bridge. He turned to face the man and clenched his fist, Shi Fen was sure that Han Chen was surely going to beat up that man, that is what always happens whenever his order was disobeyed during their military operations. Han Chen grabbed the man by his collar then he raised his fist against the man''s face, the man had a frightened expression on his face but he quickly clasped his hand together to beg for mercy. "Please spare me, I made a mistake" the man pleaded when he saw the murderous look on his face, Han Chen tightened his hand as it suspended above the man''s face, he turned back when he heard the onlookers screaming, he saw the horrifying scene of the car falling over the bridge into the river, he turned back to look the man with his fist tightly clenched, when he heard the sound of the car falling into the river, he bit his lower lips and released the man''s collar. "Shi Fen!" Han Chen shouted "Boss!" Shi Fen replied as he ran to where Han Chen stood. "Get whatever you can from these fools and throw it over this bridge, I am going to jump into the water and bring them out, you have to pull me out of the river" Han Chen said with his eyes showing his determination and his readiness for a mission. "Okay, I understand," Shi Fen said, he didn''t even bother to argue since it was something that Han Chen could easily do and he has done worse things during their missions but he was just worried that they don''t have all the equipment he might need especially since the river under the bridge is freezing cold. Han Chen removed his coat and handed it to Shi Fen, then he ran towards the roadway barrier and jumped into the river, everyone at the scene gasped when they saw him jumping over the bridge. "Is he crazy, how could he jump over the bridge" "He is basically committing suicide," another person said "This traffic accident people are really incompetent" "Did you get the video of when he jumped" "of course, I did, I am going to post it after this" Everyone was busy discussing if he was in the right state of mind but Shi Fen was not worried, this was just a trivial task for the boss he has been following for years. Han Chen swam to where the car was, He tried to open the car but it wouldn''t open, he slammed his body against the car several times but it still wasn''t working so he just punched through the window. Blood dripped out of his inured hand while some pieces of the glass penetrated through his hand, he pulled out the glass from the back of his hand then he struggled to enter through the window. With his height, his body just couldn''t fit into the window he has shattered and he couldn''t remove the glass completely from the window so he decided to bring the girl out first. He stretched his hand into the car and held the girl in his hand, her eyes were filled with hope but she was already feeling weak and the car was slowly drowning. He was about to pull the girl out of the car when he noticed a small hammer on the carpet of the car. He couldn''t help but smile when he saw the hammer since it meant that he had a chance of saving her mother if it was during a military operation, he would have had all the equipment he needed to rescue them but without the right equipment, he was almost powerless. He dropped the girl back on the chair, then he leaned his body on the car and extended his hand into the car to reach the hammer, the sharp edges of the remaining glass on the window penetrated his arm but he didn''t even wince, all he was focused on was rescuing the duo. After a while, his hand reached into the car, then he picked the hammer and inserted the handle of the hammer into his pocket, he removed the seat belt on the girl''s body and carefully pulled her out of the car, the girl was short and slim so she could fit through the window. "Uncle¡­uncle" the girl mumbled when he brought her out of the car, he noticed that one of the glasses had penetrated her stomach and she was already bleeding. "Wrap your hand around my neck," he said to the girl then he put her on his back while she did as he had said, the car was already going deep into the water and the girl couldn''t breathe in the water but he knew how to swim so it wasn''t a problem for him as long as he doesn''t stay too long in the water. "I can''t breathe" the girl mumbled "Hold on, when I save your mum, I will bring you out," Han Chen said, he used both hands to pull the car with all his strength so that it wouldn''t sink into the water but he could only pull the car up a little. He removed the hammer from his pocket then he used the hammer to break the remaining glass that remained on the window, after he was done with breaking the remaining glass he put the girl back into the car then he slowly entered the car through the window, he couldn''t do this when the girl was still inside the car because he was afraid of the glass injuring the girl. After he got into the car, he used all his strength to kick the door of the car open but it was too strong, he continued kicking the door and his effort paid off, after a while, the door dropped into the water, he quickly pulled the door back and placed the girl on the car door and pushed her away from the car. Water started flooding into the car very quickly, he knew that he didn''t have much time left so he removed the seat belt from the woman and put her on his back then he swam out of the car as fast as he could, he sawm towards the direction of the car door where he placed the girl then he threw her on his back and told her to wrap her hand around his neck. "Use one of your hand to remove the sash on your mother''s waist but be careful, don''t let go of your other hands," Han Chen said, then the girl did as he said, she removed the sash on her mother''s cloth and handed it to Han Chen, he quickly collected it. He was now carrying two people on his back and they could fall over at any time, he used the sash to tie the both of them to his waist them he continued swimming to the edge of the bridge. He was already tired and their weight as almost making him drown, the water in the woman''s stomach was even making the situation worse so he needed to gather his strength and increase his speed. Everyone at the scene was looking over the bridge while some videoed everything that was happening. "How is he going to save both of them" "Their weight is going to drown him," another person said but Shi Fe didn''t mind them, he had already finished preparing what he needed to pull Han Chen up, he took the strongest rope he found on the rescue vehicle then he tied it to the train and taped it, he instructed someone to enter the vehicle and pull the crane up. Then he threw the rope down, Han Chen smiled when he saw the rope coming down, this time, he had already swum to the edge of the bridge. He wrapped the rope around his hand, then he waited for Shi Fen to look over the bridge. "Boss!" Shi Fen shouted "Pull it" Han Chen shouted back, then Shi Fen moved away "hold me tightly, I have already tied you and your mother to my waist but we can''t depend on that" Han Chen said and took in a deep breath top prepare himself for climbing the rope with the weight on his back. "Okay" the girl mumbled He rewrapped the rope around his hand again but he felt the rope pricking his finger, the rope started moving upward while Han Chen struggled to keep his balance with the two of them on his back. Meanwhile, Roy was already feeling uneasy inside the car, he wanted to leave the car to find them but he wasn''t sure if it was the right thing to do, when he came out of the car he noticed that people were gathering around the edge of the bridge so he decided to leave the car to find them. Chapter 93 - Traffic! 3 He groaned as he struggled to climb up the rope, the sharp edge of the rope was already injuring his palm, he had injuries all over his hand and it was bleeding but he couldn''t mind it at the moment, no matter how hard it was to save the both of them, he would surely do it, he has never failed any of his missions before and he wasn''t planning on failing this one. "Boss, are you okay?" Shi Fen shouted from the top of the bridge?? "Don''t worry about me, just make sure that the rope if still tied tightly or else I really won''t be okay?" Han Chen said then he felt his Hands slipping from the rope. "aaaaaah!" the girl screamed when she felt that they were falling back into the water but Han Chen quickly grabbed the rope with one of his hands before they fell, everyone that was on the bridge was scared by when his hand slipped but they all heaved a sigh of relief when they saw him hold on to one of the rope but his grip on the rope wasn''t strong enough because of their weight. "Don''t be scared" Han Chen said to the girl "Okay!" the girl mumbled then she sniffed her nose to stop her tears from dropping. Shi Fen was also scared when his grip on the rope loosened. "Are you okay boss?" Shi Fen asked "Don''t worry, I will regain my stance" Han Chen replied, with a swung his leg forward, propelling himself up, he quickly used that opportunity to fully grab the rope with both of his hands. They all cheered loudly when they saw how heroic he was at the moment he regained his stance, Shi Fen also smiled and heaved a sigh of relief. Han Chen continued pulling the rope while it tore his hands, he winced loudly as he held on to the rope tightly but those on the bridge couldn''t hear him. Shi Fen was about to return to the crane to check if the rope was still tied tightly to the crane but he mistakenly touched the rope, he was shocked when he felt a sharp prick on the rope, he turned back and touched the rope again with his eyes widened. He didn''t realise that the rope has tiny thorn-like fibres on it when he picked it from the rescue vehicle, he couldn''t bring himself to know that Han Chen was pulling this rope despite the sharp pricks on the rope but it wasn''t the time for sentiments, he returned to the crane to check the condition of the rope, when he saw that it was still tightly tied to the crane, he returned to the edge of the bridge. Then all of a sudden, they heard a creaking sound coming from the crane, they all turned back to see what was wrong, Shi Fen quickly ran back to the crane to check where the sound came from. His eyes widened and his mouth was wide agape when he noticed that the rope was already cutting and the crane was already losing hold of it. There is no way anyone would be able to bear the weight of the three of them and pull the thorny rope if it cuts from the crane, he quickly ran to the edge of the bridge to see what Han Chen situation was, he was relieved to see that he was almost reaching the top of the rope but he also noticed that his hands were bleeding, had he known about it, he would have at least made Han Chen put on gloves before jumping under the bridge or use another rope. "Boss, your hand is bleeding, can you manage?" Shi Fen shouted "Yes, it is nothing" Han Chen replied He was already starting to climb faster because he noticed that there was no sound coming from the girl, he remembered that a piece of glass had pierced her abdomen so she must be unconscious due to excess bleeding. "Boss, the rope is already cutting, you need to climb faster before it fully cuts," Shi Fen said "What! Didn''t I tell you to use the strongest rope they have, how come it is already cutting" Han Chen shouted "It is indeed the strongest rope they have, the weight of the three of you might be too much for the rope to bear, you have to climb faster," Shi Fen said "Okay, just watch it" Han Chen replied He rewrapped the rope around his hand again and started climbing faster than he was before while Shi Fen returned to the crane to watch over the rope, He rubbed his hands together in nervousness and bit his fingers, he could help but feel uneasy with the condition of the rope. At this moment, he wished Roy had come to the scene with them then maybe it would have made things easier for them but he didn''t have the time to call Roy and his phone is still inside the car or is it¡­... "The rope has loosened!!!" someone from the crowd shouted, Shi Fen quickly turned back to see the rope slowly slipping past him towards the edge of the bridge. Han Chen realized that the rope must have loosed when he began falling into the water, he wanted something to hold on too but there was nothing and he can''t swim with the three of them, their head would be submerged into the water and it would enter into their stomach, then only him would survive while the both of them would die. At this stage, his mind was blank but then the rope stopped moving. He looked up to see what was happening, he was shocked to see Shi Fen pulling the rope all by himself, he smiled and licked his lips when he saw that for now, they were saved but it wouldn''t last for long. "Arrrrrgggghhhhhh!" Shi Fen screamed as he slowly pulled the rope but it wasn''t moving, he could only stop the rope from going down. "Shi Fen, can you manage!" Han Chen shouted he was only two inches away from the water under the bridge, if not for Shi Fen''s timely help, there would have been no way for him to stop the rope from falling. "Boss, I can''t hold on for long, I can only stop you guys from going down any further, I can''t pull you up" Shi Fen shouted "What of Roy!?" Han Chen shouted "You told him to stay inside the car, he doesn''t even know what is happening," Shi Fen said "Damn it!" He was almost losing his grip on the rope but he couldn''t give up on them, he quickly pulled it back with all his strength, he knew that the moment he released the rope, his boss and the other two would fall into the water, he wasn''t even concerned about Han Chen, he was concerned about the people he was trying to save. "Are you guys going to stand there and watch them fall? join me in pulling the rope" Shi Fen shouted at the onlookers and the traffic accident workers. Some of the men immediately ran up to him and joined him in pulling the rope, they weren''t expecting the rope to be thorny so when they pulled it, they quickly removed their hand in response to stimuli. "What is wrong, why aren''t you pulling again?" Shi Fen shouted "This rope is too sharp, I am afraid that we can''t pull this rope," the men said then they moved aside, just by pulling the rope once, their hands were already torn and there is no way anyone would be able to pull under that condition what it was a shock to them that the man who has jumped into the water to save the victims was actually able to endure such a thing. "How could he pull such a hard and thorny rope, his hands must be bleeding seriously by now" "I agree, I could even last a minute but he has been pulling it for a long time now" "You are all cowards, you are letting a young man do your work for you" "Why do we even have such people working as traffic accident workers" "They are really incompetent," another person said The traffic worker was not happy to hear these comment but they really couldn''t do anything about it, how the both of them manage to pull that rope was still a mystery to them. "Shi Fen!" someone shouted, he turned back to see who it was, he was more than overjoyed to see Roy running towards him. "Why are you just coming?" Shi Fen asked with his face filled with joy. "You didn''t tell me to come, what exactly is happening here and where is Han Chen," Roy asked, then Shi Fen shifted his eyes to the rope and under the bridge, Roy immediately understood what he meant. "Are you saying that he is under the bridge¡­but¡­wait¡­but¡­what is he doing there?" Roy asked in a state of confusion, today was just getting too hilarious for him. He was in traffic for almost three hours and now he encountered another only to hear that his friend is under the bridge. "There is no time for explanation, join me in pulling this rope," Shi Fen said, without asking any question, Roy quickly ran to his back and held the end of the rope, he was taken aback when he felt a sharp prick when he pulled the rope, he quickly removed his hand. "Why is this rope thorny¡­...you hand is also bleeding," Roy said as his gaze shifted to Shi Fen''s hand "Can you please stop whining, just pull the damned rope or else they will fall inside the water?" Shi Fen said, Roy quickly held the rope again then he began to use all his strength to pull the rope, as soon as he pulled the rope, his palm started tearing. Han Chen looked up again when he saw that the rope was moving upwards. "What the hell is he doing under the bridge," Roy asked as he pulled the rope "There was an acc¡­accident here, so Boss jumped under the bridge to save a little girl and her mum, he is carrying them on his back now and pulling them up with him so stop asking questions and pull the rope," Shi Fen said as he grinned "As water entered your brain, how can he carry the both of them without attaching them to him, they will fall off," Roy said, he pulled the rope with all his strength again, this time, blood had already stained the part of the rope he was holding. "I don''t know, I think he tied them to himself, can you please stop talking and pull," Shi Fen said "Shi Fen are you pulling the rope alone?" Han Chen asked as he moved up the rope, even if they were pulling him up, he still had to make an effort to climb up or else it would take long before he would be on the bridge again. "No, Roy is here!" Shi Fen shouted "Han Chen, are you okay?" Roy added "I am okay, just pull it for a little longer and I would be out" Han Chen shouted back. After thirty minutes of dropping and pulling, he arrived at the edge of the bridge, he removed his hand from the rope and held the top of the barrier, then he started breathing heavily. Shi Fen and Roy quickly dropped the rope and ran to meet him, while the crowd behind them started shouting and cheering loudly. If he hadn''t succeeded, they would never have believed that he would really succeed in saving them when the rescuers saw him arrive at the top of the barrier, they were happy but they bowed their heads in shame, they knew that by tomorrow, it would probably become a problem for them and they might and up being sacked or queried by the government. So as this point, they didn''t know if they were to laugh or cry. "Boss, we succeeded!" Shi Fen shouted "O course, have we ever failed a mission before?" Han Chen said with a smile on his face, he was already sweating all over and his face was pale, the both of them pulled him over the barrier then he landed on the ground but he was careful not to hit their head on the ground. When the onlookers saw the mother and daughter tied to his back, they couldn''t help but feel sorry for him, he actually piggybacked those two while climbing that rope. "Hurry and loosen them, they are dying" Han Chen shouted, then Roy untied them from his waist and laid the both of them on the ground. "Force the water in the mother''s stomach out and perform CPR for her while I take care of the young girl," Han Chen said, 6then he slowly stood up from the ground. "Why don''t I take care of the girl while you take care of the woman?" Roy said Really! Is this the time to argue over who will take care of who, can you deal with her abdominal wound, if you can then you can take care of the girl" Han Chen said with a frown on his face, then Roy''s eyes shifted to the piece of glass in the girl''s abdomen. "Alright then," Roy said Chapter 94 - Traffic! 4 Shi Fen just stood in front of both of them while pacing frantically, he didn''t know what else he could help with. He turned to the woman to the side and opened her mouth then the water in her stomach and lungs started coming out through her nose and her mouth, but she still wasn''t regaining her consciousness.?? He turned her body back and made her lie straight on the floor, he removed his jacket and placed it under her head then he folded his fingers together and placed it on her chest. He pressed his hand against her chest and started counting but after counting to thirty, she still didn''t regain her consciousness. He had no choice but to perform artificial respiration, He used both hands to open her mouth, then he placed his mouth on hers and blew air into her mouth, after doing that for fifteen seconds, he started compressing her chest again, then he repeated the artificial respiration. When he saw that she wasn''t opening her eyes, he was going to continue the resuscitation, but at that moment, she opened her eyes and started coughing, more water started coming out of her mouth as she coughed. He breathed a sigh of relief, then he stood up from the ground and called one of the men from the rescue team, the man quickly walked up to him. "Is there an ambulance on its way here?" Roy said as he wiped his mouth. "There was one here before but it just transported a seriously injured patient" the man replied, he couldn''t believe what the man was actually saying, they called only one ambulance when there are three victims of the accident, he couldn''t believe how incompetent they were. "Are you kidding me, there are three accident victims and you called only one!" Roy shouted, unlike Han Chen, he was more aggressive and impatient, he dragged the man by his collar and moved him closer to him. "In ten minutes, I need to see two ambulances in this place, we have done our best by saving their lives for now if anything happens to them because of your incompetence then...." Roy said then he cast a dangerous glance at the man, although the man seemed to be in his late thirties, he wasn''t planning on being respectful or courteous. The man shuddered in fear, in Roy''s voice the threat was very clear and there was obviously no need to say more. Despite the many cameras that were filming them, Roy wasn''t bothered by it, all he knew was that Han Chen wanted to save those two so they must be saved, they didn''t even understand why they were so obedient and afraid of the two of them but they just obeyed everything they said. The moment Roy released his collar, he quickly scrambled for his phone inside his pocket and called the ambulance, after making the call, he turned to face Roy with his head slightly cowered. "They¡­they will be here soon," he said then he walked away from Roy. Meanwhile, Han Chen has just torn the area where the glass pierced from the girl''s cloth. "Shi Fen, my coat" Han Chen shouted, then Shi Fen hurried to where he dropped the coat before pulling the rope then he gave it to Han Chen who placed the coat under the girl''s head. He leaned his body against hers to listen to her heartbeat, when he confirmed that she was still breathing but it was faint, he turned to look at the mother who was already crying as she watched him treating her daughter but she couldn''t stand up. "Shi Fen where is the sash, I used to tie them to myself," Han Chen asked "This is it," Shi Fen said then he handed the black coloured sash to him, he looked around in search of something her could use to apply pressure to the wound then noticed that someone from the crowd was wearing a cotton jacket. "Pass me your jacket!" Han Chen shouted as he pointed at the woman in the crowd, she looked left and right to be sure if she was referring to him, then when she saw that on one was wearing a jacket around her, she stepped forward and handed her jacket to him without hesitation. They didn''t understand why but they felt compelled to obey everything he asks them to do as if they were held prisoners by soldiers, He collected the Jacket and placed it on the wound to apply pressure on the wound and stop the bleeding. "Boss, why don''t you remove the glass inside the wound?" Shi Fen asked "She will start bleeding profusely and we won''t be able to stop it," Han Chen said After the bleeding stopped, he wrapped the sash around her wound and sighed, his eyes shifted to her mother who was still in tears. "She will be fine," Han Chen said then he walked up to Roy "When is the ambulance arriving?" Han Chen asked "Very soon¡­I believe" Roy answered then he cast a threatening glance at the man he told to call the ambulance, the man quickly looked away, then two ambulances arrived. The paramedics quickly came out of the ambulance and carried the mother and daughter into the ambulance, after they had carried them into the vehicle, the three of them walked up to the ambulance. "I have already stopped the bleeding for the girl, although the glass might not have penetrated any of her organs, there is still a risk of infection," Han Chen said "I understand!" one of the paramedics replied, then he shut the door of the ambulance and they drove off, Han Chen heaved a sigh of relief as he watched the ambulance driving farther away from them, he had completely forgotten the reason for him being there at this time. "It seems like we need to get our hands treated," Shi Fen said "No need, we can''t die from it, tomorrow we can get it treated but it seems like I would have to tie mine with a cloth since it is bleeding seriously, the company would have closed by now, so we should just check into a nearby hotel," Han Chen said, he hadn''t noticed the blood that was dripping from his hand before but now he was feeling the pain. They were now ready to return to the car but as he walked by, they were all cheering for the three of them, they were basically regarded as heroes in the mind of everyone that were present at the scene. Those who have taken a video of all that has transpired quickly posted it while the rescue teams packed up their belongings and drove off. When the got to where the car was packed, they quickly removed opened the door and entered the car, Han Chen was about to enter the driver car but he suddenly stopped, the others were wondering why he wasn''t entering. "Boss, why aren''t you entering," Shi Fen asked "I am too tired to drive since Roy arrived later than we did, he should drive," Han Chen said, then he walked over to the driver seat and waited from Roy to come out. "But my hand is also injured," Roy said "Why do you always have so much nonsense to say, is your I jury as bad as ours," Han Chen said then he opened his palm widely for Roy to see. "Alright then," Roy said then he got out of the passenger''s seat and entered the driver''s seat. Han Chen bent the seat backwards while Roy started the car, the cars had already started moving so Roy just followed after them. Before long, they were already on a free road and driving at a high speed, Han Chen rolled down the window and stretched his arms out of the window. "Why are you acting like a child?" Roy asked "Who says only children are allowed to stretch their hands out of the window?" Han Chen replied, then he turned his face back to the world outside the window. "Only childish people like you would do such things," Roy said, then he made a turn and increased his speed. "Whatever" Han Chen replied "Wait¡­I think we have a problem at hand" Shi Fen said "What problem?" Roy asked "We were too focused on the situation to remember that we are not supposed to be involved in civilian affairs, those people took videos of us," Shi Fen said "That is not a problem, we weren''t wearing our military uniform" Roy replied "But what if they try to find out more about us and if the major general sees any of those videos, he would accuse us of trying to seek public attention," Shi Fen said "That means we have given him another chance to punish us again, seems like my suspension won''t be ending any time soon," Han Chen said, he brought his hand back into the car and closed the window. "If you say so then we would soon join you in suspension" Roy said After driving for a while, the car started slowing down by itself¡­. "Hmmmn! What is wrong with this car?" Roy said "Why did you slow down?" Han Chen asked "I didn''t, it just slowed down by itself," Roy said, then they heard a beeping sound, they all shifted their gaze to the fuel gauge, their eyes widened when they saw a red sign on it. "Han Chen, don''t tell me that the fuel tank wasn''t full before we left?" Roy said "I¡­I am not sure, I only asked the person to buy the car and fill it" Han Chen said then he smiled awkwardly. "Oh my gosh!" Roy exclaimed, he was now sure that he had made the wrong choice in following Han Chen, a one hour and ten minutes journey had cost them over five hours on the road. Then the car''s engine shut down, the three of them glanced at each other when they saw the car shut down. "So, what are we going to do now?" Roy said then he looked ahead of them, they were on another bridge, so they were stranded. "I will check for the nearest hotel," Han Chen said then he checked his wet pocket for his phone, he realized that he had kept his phone inside his coat before and he left it at the scene of the accident, he raised his head slowly with a blank look on his face. "I left my phone back there," Han Chen said, then Roy rolled his eyes and turned to Shi Fen. "What of you?" Roy asked, then Shi Fen started searching around for his phone. "I don''t think I brought mine with me" Shi Fen replied "This is almost midnight and we are stranded in the middle of nowhere," Roy said then he rubbed his forehead with his hand. "Why can''t you use your phone?" Han Chen asked "If I had brought mine with me, would I even ask you for yours" Roy replied with frustration in his voice. "Does that mean that we have to remain in the car tonight?" Shi Fen asked "Of course, what else?" the other two chorused Then the three of them resigned to their fate and reclined their seat backwards, so they slept in the car throughout the night. Chapter 95 - Walk To The Nearest Bus Station! The next morning, the video of them rescuing the accident victims had already circulated the whole country, everyone was shocked at their determination and the effort they put into the rescue, the whole nation was dying to find out more about this three heroes that aided in the rescue of the accident victims. Most of the attention was focused on Han Chen, is tall and handsome build became a fascination for the women and the envy of the men, the teenage girls found another person to idolise while the three of them were ignorant of how much chaos they had caused for the search engines.?? "Grandma, grandpa, breakfast is ready" Li Na shouted as she stood in front of their room, she had been trying to wake everyone up but none of them was willing to leave the comfort of their bed. She had no choice but to insert a CD into the loudest volume and play the music at the highest volume. They all started coming out of the rooms one by one, she smiled when she saw the effect of playing the music, she has already woken up by five am to cook breakfast for the whole family, by seven''0 clock, she was already done with everything she needed to do. "Xiao Na, what are you doing," her grandma asked with a scrunched face and a slightly baggy pyjama. "I have prepared breakfast, so I decided to wake all of you up to eat," Li Na said with a hearty smile, immediately she heard that she widened her eyes. "Did you say you have prepared breakfast?" her grandma asked "Yes, I woke up very early to prepare it, is something wrong?" Li Na said, then her grandfather came out of the bedroom with his eyes half-closed. "Do you know how to cook?" she asked with a frightened expression, she was terrified at the thought of eating the food prepared by her in fear that it would taste terrible. "Yes grandma, I am a good cook," Li Na said with confidence in her voice. "Okay, let''s go to the dining" she replied then both for them followed her to the dining without further questions. When they got to the dining, the both of them sat down then her father arrived at the dining table in his father''s pyjamas, Li Na burst into a burst of terrible laughter when she saw her father wearing his father''s pyjamas. "Dad, what are you wearing?" Li Na asked while trying to control her laughter. "What is so funny about it?" her father asked then he sat at the other end of the table, then Li Jing appeared at the dining, he was still half asleep when he got there but he knew that if Li Na woke then up then she must have prepared breakfast for them. When he fully opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was his father in his grandfather''s pyjamas, it wasn''t oversized since they were about the same size but it was very funny to see. "Dad, what are you wearing?" Li Jing said while he was still laughing. "Stop laughing and sit" his father replied then he stopped laughing and did as he was told. "So, what are we having for breakfast?" he asked Li Na "I am not saying until aunty is here," Li Na said "Then go and call her, you can''t just wake us up and then make us wait," he said, then she stood up from her seat to call Yu Yan but before she left the dining, Yu Yan had already arrived at the dining with her ruffled hair scattered all over her face and her mickey mouse pyjamas. They all began laughing when they saw her arrive at the dining with her dishevelled appearance, she took her seat close to her brother without knowing that she was seated next to her brother. "Aunt, are you awake?" Li Jing asked they weren''t even sure if she had sleepwalked to the dining or she was awake since her eyes were half asleep. "Hmmmn!" Yu Yan mumbled "Yu Yan!" her brother called out, then she turned her eyes to the familiar voice that she hasn''t heard for a long time, her eyes widened as soon as she saw the faint image of her brother seating next to her. "Brother!" Yu Yan shouted then she wrapped her arms around her brother and kissed his cheek, they all starting laughing when they saw how childish she became at the sight of her brother. "Alright, that''s enough," her brother said when her grip on his neck was becoming too tight for him endure, she released him with a broad smile on her face. "Who said that hugging her at this age was too childish?" Li Jing said, then he and Li Na looked at her with an accusing look on their face. "Shut up!" Yu Yan said, then she examined the dishes on the dining, she was wondering why they were all covered and it didn''t seem like the usual breakfast they always have. "Mum, did you make this breakfast? this is not your usual style" Yu Yan said "Li Na woke up early to prepare this breakfast, but she refused to serve us before you arrive" her mum replied. "Really! Then I can''t wait to taste it" Yu Yan said, Li Na uncovered the dishes then they all widened their eyes at how much food she prepared just for breakfast. "Pancake and egg, rice noodles, wonton and dumpling, and stir-fried vegetable" Li Jing said as he pointed to all the dishes on the table, then they all shifted their gaze to her. "I didn''t know what you preferred so I decided to make a lot," Li Na said with an awkward smile on her face, then they all nodded their head and started serving whatever they preferred into their plates. Yu Yan was the first to taste the food, she picked the stir-fried vegetable with her chopstick and inserted it into her mouth, as she chewed the food, she maintained a straight face so they thought the food didn''t taste good but her expression suddenly changed. She smiled as she nodded her head in appreciation of the taste, Li Na was relieved by her later reaction, she was worried that she might have made a mistake while she was cooking. "This is really delicious, mum, her stir-fried vegetables taste even better than yours," Yu Yan said, then she gave her a thumbs up, after hearing Yu Yan complimenting her, they all started to dig into their food. "she is right, it tastes really delicious, who would have thought that my granddaughter''s cooking would surpass mine" her mum replied, Li Na smiled shyly when she heard her grandmother complimenting. "Aunt, are you going to work today?" Li Jing asked "I am, do you need me for anything," Yu Yan said as she stuffed some dumplings into her mouth. "When exactly are going to teach me?" Li Jing asked, they all shifted their attention to him when they heard what he said, they just couldn''t understand what he was talking about. "What are you teaching him?" her brother asked "He asked me to teach him some karate basics" Yu Yan replied "I don''t understand why he insists on learning such a dangerous sport instead of going for safer ones," her brother said "Dad, I just want to learn it, aunt taught Li Na when we came here last time," Li Jing said "that''s why I also prohibited her from learning it further, your aunt also git injured in university because of that sport," he said "Is that true aunt?" Li Na asked, then Yu Yan smiled awkwardly and glared at her brother who ignored her glare. "he is telling the truth, back then, she went for a competition but at the last stage, her opponent broke her leg and her shoulder but she was too stubborn to stop, she made sure she defeated him before she fainted" her mum replied on her behalf. "Wow! Aunt, you are so cool, I wish I was there" Li Na said "I was so cool back then, I won many competitions without losing any but I wanted to become a surgeon so I gave up on karate" Yu Yan boasted with a prideful look on her face as she praised herself. "What is there to be proud of, you could have lived with a broken leg if not for the quick treatment given to you that year," her brother said. "Boring" Yu Yan mumbled but only the two of them heard what she said so they smiled at her. "Alright have to go to prepare myself for work now, I will see you tomorrow," Yu Yan said then she stood up. "Why are you coming back tomorrow and not tonight?" her mother asked "Mum, why do you always act like you weren''t a surgeon, I have a lot to do today so don''t expect me," Yu Yan said then she left the dining room. ----------------------- The three of them woke up the next morning feeling more comfortable than they thought they would be feeling, the three of them stretched their hands in different directions making them hit each other faces. "What the hell, why did you hit me?" Roy said "I didn''t, I was just stretching my hand" Shi Fen replied "You almost poked my eyes just no3w but I didn''t complain so don''t complain" Han Chen said "So how are we going to return back home now, I still haven''t treated my injured hand and it has formed a wound on my palm," Roy asked "I don''t know, we are on a bridge so I don''t think there will be any car to stop for us," Han Chen said "Those that mean that we have to walk home?" Shi Fen asked with a terrified expression on his face. "Wait¡­. why do I feel that you have become very lazy ever since we returned?" Han Chen asked "We can''t back to the nearest bus station but if we go forward, we will reach a bus station shortly," Roy said "I will call a towing company when we arrive at the company to move the car," Han Chen said, three of them left the car and started walking forwards. "Oh my gosh! Why is it so cold?" Han Chen said as his hand around his arm as he shivered. "I don''t think it is that cold, I can manage," Roy said "What are you talking about, I can feel the cold piercing through my bones," Han Chen said "It is probably because you didn''t change out of the clothes you swam in yesterday and your hair is still wet," Shi Fen said "Am I supposed to be walking around with wearing any top" Han Chen said "It is one or the other so you have to bear with it and stop complaining," Shi Fen said "You¡­. very good, I will settle it with you once we get to the company" Han Chen said "The both of you should just shut up," Roy said "Why do I seem to have noticed that the both of you have been talking to me without respect ever since I got suspended," Han Chen said "Because right now you are not a soldier!" the both of them chorused, he was surprised at their sudden and loud response. "I didn''t expect the both of you to be in sync, so you are both taking advantage of my suspension," Han Chen said with a tone that seems to remind them that he would keep their actions in mind. "Why should we be respectful to you when you are just an ordinary person now with no rank?" Roy said with no emotions on his face, Han Chen stared at him with surprise on his face, they have never treated him like this before, it really came as a shock to him. "Very good¡­. I will settle the accounts with you when I get reinstated" Han Chen said then he bit his lips and continued walking forward. "That is if you ever get reinstated," Roy said "What do you mean?" Han Chen asked "Our dear major general is already happy with not having to see your face every day, do you think he would want you back?" Roy said "No matter what, he can''t suspend me forever, at most, he can only suspend me for six months," Han Chen said confidently. "You must have forgotten that he has the say over everything, so just keep praying that you return one day," Roy said. "I¡­" Han Chen was about to say something but Roy interrupted him "We are here," Roy said, then they all looked at their front, they were all relieved when they saw the bus station right in front of them after walking for over an hour, it wasn''t that hard for them since they had done worse during their military drills. "So, who is paying?" Shi Fen asked "Of course, he is paying" Roy replied then he turned to look at Han Chen. "Why are you looking at me, I always settle all my bills with my phone" Han Chen said "Alright, I will just pay," Roy said, then he dipped his hands in his pockets but he couldn''t find his wallet, he looked at them blankly¡­ "I think I forgot my wallet in the car, what of you Shi Fen?" Roy asked "I didn''t bring my wallet with me, I left it at his house," Shi Fen said "What, does that mean that we are going to walk all the way to your company or beg someone to pay for us?" Han Chen said "Do you think anyone will be willing to help us at this time? look at how they are struggling to enter the bus" Roy said, then both of them looked at the direction of the bus station. "Let''s walk then, it has been long since we exercised anyway," Han Chen said Chapter 96 - Why Dont You Show Us Your Capability! 1 "I still think I did the right thing, we were not supposed to have killed the soldiers but for the safety of the sect and the young mistress, we had to kill them but Huo Li has already tortured him so there was no need to land him a final strike when he was going to die," Huo Qiang said "Alright, just make sure that father doesn''t find out about this or else, you will have to go through what I went through," Huo Ying said?? "Young mistress, although you seem to have recovered from your illness, you still have to be careful," Huo Mei said "Okay, by the way, I have seen my mother since I came back, just how strong was the sleeping pill you gave to her?" Huo Ying said "the sect leader was worried that you might not come back soon so he asked me to make her sleep for three days but with madam''s cultivation, we didn''t have anyone that could last till three days so might wake up very soon" Huo Mei replied "When she wakes up and she finds out that you gave her sleeping pills, she would definitely be very angry at you even if it was my father''s order, I am worried that she might punish you when she wakes up," Huo Ying said with worry written on her face. "Young mistress¡­...oh Huo Ying, you don''t need to worry about that, I have already prepared my excuse in case of such situation," Huo Mei said with a confident smile on her face. "As expected of you," Huo Ying said "It has been long since we are all together like this, why don''t we have some fun instead of just talking about these boring things," Bingchen said "Hey, the four of us have always been like this, you are the only odd one here," Huo Mei said "But¡­what is your problem, do you have to nit-pick anything I say?" Bingchen said with frustration on his face. "She is right, you are the only one missing from the clique, if you want to become close with us then you have to show that you are capable," Huo Ying said "What clique¡­. tch, I don''t have to prove myself but if you really want to see my capability then it doesn''t hurt to show you how capable I am, who is competing with me?" Bingchen said "Huo Qiang should be the one to compete with me but he hasn''t fully recovered so it won''t be fair to him, why don''t you choose between the three of us," Huo Ying said "Hmmmn! I can still defeat him even if I am not fully recovered, the only person I am not confident of defeating amongst us is you, Huo Ying" Huo Qiang said "You heard that so who will you choose?" Huo Ying asked with her eyes fixed on him, he looked at them one by one then his eyes landed back on Huo Ying. "Why don''t I compete with all of you starting from Huo Lian, I don''t believe that I can''t beat you, Huo Ying," Bingchen said "then since you want to fight all of us, why don''t we let our disciples have some fun," Huo Ying said "You mean you want them to watch the fight?" Huo Qiang asked "It has been long since anyone has had fun, so let''s invite all the sect members to watch us compete, including¡­.my father," Huo Ying said, then three disciples passed by. "Young mistress, guardians, senior disciple" the disciples greeted, they were about to leave but Huo Mei stopped them. "Stop!" Huo Mei said "Do you have any order for us?" one of the disciples asked "Take some other disciples with you and inform the sect leader, the elders and all the disciples that there would be a competition between the guardians and the young mistress on the training round so everyone should gather there," Huo Mei said "Understood!" the three of them replied, they were about to leave but Huo Ying stopped them. "Why don''t we make it more interesting, inform them that there would also be gambling and the disciples should prepare the training ground for the competition," Huo Ying said with a playful smile on her lips. "Gambling¡­... that makes it more interesting," Huo Qiang said "Understood!" they replied then they left. "Since we have made the arrangement, why don''t we head to the training ground now, we shouldn''t keep our audience waiting," Huo Lian said "Why the rush? Since we have made it an elaborate event, why don''t we plan how the competition will go?" Bingchen said "If we make this all about you then it won''t be fun anymore and they might think we are picking on you, this is also a good chance to let everyone see the guardian''s capability," Huo Ying said "Why don''t we start from Bingchen and Huo Lian then whoever wins gets to chose another opponent, whoever wins will battle with the young mistress," Huo Qiang said "That makes sense, let''s do it as that" Huo Ying said "Alright, lets head to the training ground now, our disciples are always quick in doing their job, they must have prepared the training ground for the competition by now," Bingchen said, then they all stood up from their seat and left the garden. By the time they arrived at the training ground, the place had already been arranged for the competition, chairs were arranged for the sect leader, the elder and the participants. The sect leader and the elders arrived at the same time, then they sat at the peak of the training ground where they could watch the competition without any obstruction when Huo Ying and the others arrived at the training ground, the sat at the high stand below the sect leader but she looked up to see her father but he didn''t look at her, she knew that he saw her but he pretended not to so she just looked away. "Why do these children suddenly decide to compete?" the third elder asked as he stroked his beards. "I don''t think it is a good idea to compete now, Huo Qiang hasn''t fully recovered from the golden eagle''s poison while Huo Ying was seriously Injured by the sect leader," the second elder said then they all looked at the sect leader, he heard their conversation but he just looked ahead as though he wasn''t concerned with what they were saying. He was regretting what he had done to her but he didn''t want to show it, at least not yet but his heart was deeply troubled. What if she gets injured during the competition¡­.? "They must be feeling energetic, this is also a good chance to see how capable they are," the first elder said "First elder, who amongst them do you think will win this competition?" the second elder asked "I don''t know how they plan to compete but I do have high hoped for Bingchen, however, I am not sure if he can win against the young mistress, although we don''t know what level she is in her cultivation, I know that she is very skilled," the first elder said "I don''t think any of them stands a chance if Huo Li is also competing, she is the disciple that Madam painstakingly trained and she is older than them, if she is competing then I will place my bet on her" the third elder. "You are right, although she is not fully from the flame sect, she is very skilled, I also don''t think any of the disciples stand a chance against her," the second elder said "Even if she is sure to win, I can''t place my bet on anyone other than my grandson," the first elder said "If Huo Li is not competing then I will be placing my bet on the young mistress," the third elder said. Huo Ying signalled one of the elite disciples to come to her, he left where he was standing then he bent slightly before her. "Announce the beginning of the competition and ...¡­." Huo Ying whispered to him, then he nodded his head and walked to the middle of the training ground. "The competition will now commence!" the disciple announced then the disciples started cheering. "Seems like you all have forgotten that I exist!" someone shouted from the entrance of the training ground, except the sect leader, everyone presents stood up and bowed their heads. "Madam!" they all chorused, she slowly walked into the training ground with great strides which made her seem like the strong woman she always was before Huo Ying collapsed. "Mother!" Huo Ying shouted, then she walked up to her. "You all have forgotten that I exist, no one bothered to inform me of the competition," she said "We dare not Madam!" they chorused. "Mother! We thought you were still asleep so I didn''t tell them to inform you" Huo Ying said "I was still asleep¡­..." she said, then he eyes shifted to Huo Mei, she quickly understood what she meant so she walked up to her and bowed her head. "Did you give me sleeping pills? There is no way I would sleep for so long if you didn''t feed me a sleeping pill that I can''t detect" She said "I dare not Madam, you probably fell asleep for so long as a result of your nutrient deficiency, I gave you a tonic to nurture your health but your lack of nutrient caused the tonic to make you sleep for so long, please forgive me for my thoughtlessness," Huo Mei said with both hands cupped and raised forward. "Are you sure that is all?" she asked with suspicion written on her face. "How would I dare lie to you?" Huo Mei said The sect leader who has been watching from the peak was relieved when he heard Huo Mei response, if she had found out that he ordered Huo Mei to make her sleep for so long, she would probably keep malice with him for a month or longer. "Dear, don''t remain standing, come up here" the sect leader, she looked up to see his face when she looked away. "Huo Ying, are you sure you are in a good condition to compete?" she asked with worry on her face. "Mother¡­. don''t worry about me, I am already fully healed," Huo Ying said with a confident smile on her face, she was happy that her mother wasn''t aware of how her father punished her and Huo Qiang being poisoned or else she won''t let the competition take place. "Okay, if you say so, I will believe you but you still have to be careful, after the competition we will talk further," she said then she walked to the stairs that lead to the peak. "Okay, go on," Huo Ying said to the elite disciple she had asked to be the Mcee for the competition, then she returned to her seat. "The first people that will battle are Guardian Bingchen and Guardian Lian," the elite disciple said then he returned to his position while Huo Lian and Bingchen came down from the high stand and walked to the middle of the training ground. "two people might be at the same cultivation stage but there might be a huge gap in their ability, your cultivation stage doesn''t decide how capable you are but your effort and training does," the Madam said "Thanks for your enlightenment!" they chorused expect for the sect leader and the guardians. "the competitor will start now" the Mcee shouted, then the both of them unsheathed their swords. Both of them took their stance, they both held their swords in their left hand while they placed their index and third finger in front of the tip of their sword. They dashed towards each other with their swords pointed forward, they both struck at the same time¡­ Clang! Both swords landed on each other, they both swung their sword again¡­... Clang! The both of them went towards the opposite side of each other, then they turned around swiftly and clashed their swords together again, the both of them continued swinging their swords while the other blocked the attack with the sword. Bingchen leapt into the air then he bent downward with his leg faced upwards and his head downward, he descended with his sword pointed at her just as he came an inch close to her, she blocked the tip of his sword with her sword, When he saw that none of them was budging, he directed his internal force into the force making it harder for her to defend his attack, so she decided to do the same. She directed her internal force into her sword and pushed his sword away from hers, he landed on the ground and then he swiftly turned to her back and slashed towards her neck but she quickly bent backwards and raised her sword up, with a large amount of internal force in her palm, she blocked his sword with her sword and then landed him an attack with her palm but he swiftly responded by directing his internal force to his palm and then he hit her palm with his palm, causing an explosion of internal force while the both of them moved backwards. The training ground was covered with a spiritual shield so that the competition doesn''t destroy the training ground or affect the audience. She ran towards his swiftly with her sword aiming for his chest, when her sword was close to his chest, he threw his sword up and grabbed the held the sword handle causing the tip of the sword to face his back, he stopped the tip of her sword with the edge of his sword handle while the turned her sword backwards causing the tip of her sword to face her back, the both of trapped their swords by their handles then they used their other hand to fight. He stretched his palm forward and landed her a strike on her chest while she landed a strike on his chest causing both of them to move backwards. "Seems like they are both at the core formation stage but I don''t know which level Bingchen is, Huo Lian seem to be at the third level of the core formation stage," the third elder said "We will know once the competition ends," the second elder said Chapter 97 - Why Dont You Show Us Your Capability! 2 She dashed towards him leapt into the air when she was one inch closer to him. "Ghost movement!" Huo Lian shouted then she disappeared from his sight, none of the disciples could see her including the guardians, except for Huo Mei who also practices this skill.?? He turned around to see where she was but each time he saw her, she quickly disappeared before he knew it, she had already landed a kick on his leg, he turned towards the direction of the kick but he couldn''t see her. She landed him another kick on his other leg but he still couldn''t see where she was then he decided to counter her attack. He brought both of his palms one inch closer to each other, then he rolled them over each other continuously¡­ "flame whirling void!" Bingchen shouted then he spread both of his arms at his side causing a flame tornado, it continued whirling until it almost reached the sky then it tilted and started following Huo Lian, she had no choice but to combine her flame skill into her movement in order to counter his attack. "Flame ghost movement!" Huo Lian shouted then she started moving really fast while her flame skill also erupted, forming a whirling circle as she ran but Bingchen skill was better than hers, she was about to land another attack using her flame skill when he¡­. "Flame gripping hand!" Bingchen shouted, she knew what he was about to do but it was too late for her to retract her attack, he flame power turned into a big hand made from a flame, he clenched his fist then the flame hand followed his movement and gripped her ankle so she couldn''t release her leg from his grip. He swirled his hand around, then the flame hand swirled her leg around causing her to fall towards his direction while he quickly grabbed his sword and pointed it at her neck. She lost! The crowd started cheering after the fighting stopped, if not for the shield protecting the training ground, it would have been destroyed due to the flame skill the both of then released. "I announce that the winner is guardian Bingchen!" the Mcee said as he returned to the middle of the training ground. "Who would have known that Bingchen is as good as this, I have always regarded him as a weakling who seeks for great things without having the ability to get it," Huo Ying said "I must admit that I am quite surprised that he could counter Huo Lian''s ghost movement," Huo Qiang said. "This brat is good, from the competition just now, I have deduced that Huo Lian is at the sixth level of the core formation stage, if he could win her then he must be at a higher level than her," the third elder said. "From this competition, I hope you have all realized that while speed is very important, the strategy is also very important, if Bingchen hadn''t thought of the best way to counter her ghost movement, he wouldn''t have won," the Madam said. "Thank you for your enlightenment!" the disciples chorused. "Now, Guardian Bingchen would choose his opponent" the Mcee announced. "I want to challenge Huo Mei!" Bingchen shouted, then Huo Mei picked her whip and walked to the middle of the training ground. "The competition will begin!" the Mcee announced and returned to his position. "Please¡­" Bingchen said with a slight bow. Huo Mei released her whip causing it to hit the ground with a loud thud, she dashed towards Bingchen with a whip following by her side, her whip was made of leather but it is very strong and the impact of the whip when it strikes its opponent is very deadly. When she came closer to him, she pivoted into the air and spun around then she brought her whip down over her left shoulder, her whip immediately struck towards Bingchen but he didn''t expect her first attack to be so strong¡­. "Flame shield!" Bingchen shouted, then shield made of flames appeared in front of him. "Your shield won''t last for long!" Huo Mei said with a smirk, then her whip struck the shield, the impact of the attack made Bingchen move backwards, then he realized that he had underestimated her ability, unlike Huo Lian, she has always been serious with her training but unlike her character, her attacks are very fierce. She spun around again in the air and brought the whip down over her right shoulder and descended towards the ground to increase the impact of her attack, the whip struck the flame shield again causing a crack to appear on the flame shield. "Wow, Guardian Mei attacks are very fierce unlike her character," one of the disciples said "Indeed, his shield won''t be able to last for long unless her retaliates" another disciple. She landed on the ground with her right leg forward and her right hand arched in front while her left hand held the whip at the back¡­. "I told you, your shield won''t last," Huo Mei said, she spun around and whirled the whip twice in the air before bringing it down on Bingchen, Bingchen knew that it would be dangerous if he doesn''t dodge the attack. Immediately her whip struck the shield, it shattered to the ground while Bingchen did three backflips to avoid the range of her attack. "Nine flame swords!" Bingchen shouted, then he raised his sword up, he used his index and third finger to insert his flame power into the sword and spun three sixty degrees. Nine swords appeared at his side and they were blazing with fire¡­ "Attack!" he shouted then the swords charged at Huo Mei, while he held the sword that initiated the skill in his hand. Huo Mei swirled her whip continuously around to counter the nine swords that were attacking her at the same time, she continued to move back each time the swords struck with a high impact. She stood at a point and¡­. "Flame whip whirl!" Huo Mei shouted, then her whip spun around in the air at a very fast speed causing a tornado of fire, the attack was meant to counter the attack of the swords at once since it had a stronger impact, all the swords were made of Bingchen''s sword aura so they disappeared and returned to the original sword then she stopped the attack. They both decided to attack each other, the both of them dashed towards each other with great speed, Bingchen raised his sword and brought it down against her but she quickly ducked to the side, he continued swinging his sword while she continued ducking to the opposite direction. He released another nine flame swords attack while he continued swinging his sword against her making it ten swords, she leapt into the air with her arms wrapped around her leg, then she landed on his sword before she could leave his sword, the other nine swords came after her. She jumped down from the sword into the air and rolled her body continuously with her hands stretched forwards to dispel the attack of the sword, her whole body turned into a large body of flame which destroyed the nine flame swords attack. Then she landed on the ground, Huo Mei inserted her flame power into her whip while Bingchen did the same, then they both swung their weapons around, forming thin and long aura strokes aiming for each other, each stroke cancelling out the other but they didn''t stop, they continued swinging their weapon to form the aura strokes as they came closer to each other. They were one inch close to each other then they stopped swinging their weapons, the both of them held out their palm towards each other''s chest but their palms met, causing an explosion of internal strength which made them move backwards. Huo Mei quickly released her whip towards Bingchen before he could regain his stance, her whip wrapped itself around his waist without giving him time to react then she pulled him closer to her, she held him back with her leg on his abdomen and stretched his hands forwards, they all thought she was going to win against him but he raised his leg into the air and did a backflip to her back then he wrapped the part of the whip that had to loosen from his waist around her neck¡­. "Your attacks her fierce but I have higher cultivation than you so your grip on me cannot hold me, I won," Bingchen said with a proud smile, then he removed the whip from her neck. Huo Mei is someone who is always happy with a defeat because it helps her become stronger, she just smiled broadly in response to his arrogant statement which surprised him, when he won against Huo Lian, the frown on her face made it obvious that she was angry but Huo Mei was still smiling. "Thanks for your enlightenment" Huo Mei said then she returned to her seat. "I announce that the winner of this round is Guardian Bingchen!" the Mcee announced, then the disciples started cheering while those who are seating on the peak clapped their hands to celebrate his victory including the sect Madam, everyone expected her to be unhappy with his victory but she was still smiling which made them wonder if she would still smile of he won against Huo Ying. "This brat is really skilled but who would have thought that Huo Mei had such fierce attacks, from this fight, she seems to be at the eight levels of the core formation stage," the third elder said. "It is really unexpected, if not for the difference in their cultivation levels, Huo Mei would have won but because she wasn''t aware of his strength, she made a wrong move," the first elder said "For a level eight-core formation stage, her attacks are too fierce, if not for her miscalculation, as long as her opponent is in the core formation stage, she would still win," the second elder said After the second round, those who had bet their money and Huo Mei frowned their faces while those who bet on Bingchen retrieved their spoils, the first elder and the second elder also won the bet and they also got their own share of the money while the third elder lost the bet. They all started betting again while they dropped their name and the amount of money there are betting in the box with each of the participants'' name written on the boxes¡­... "The next round must be between Guardian Qiang and Guardian Bingchen, who are you betting on?" one of the female disciples asked another "Guardian Qiang hasn''t fully recovered from the poison, if not, I would have bet on him, so in this round, I am betting on Guardian Bingchen" the other female disciple replied "If everyone has made their bet, I announce that the next round will be between Guardian Bingchen and Guardian Qiang!" the Mcee announced, Huo Qiang stood up from his seat and walked to the middle of the training ground while the disciples cheered. "please¡­" Bingchen said "No, why don''t we decide the winner with three moves," Huo Qiang said "Three moves!" the disciples mumbled to each other "I think that is the right thing to do, deciding the winner with three moves is indeed a good option," the sect madam said "Okay!" Bingchen said, then both of them moved farther away from each other. "Flame Sword meteor shower!" Bingchen shouted, then he raised his sword into the sky and combined his flame power with the sword, the flame from the sword rose into the sky, then it formed hundreds of swords in the sky blazing with fire. "Wow, Guardian Bingchen''s attack is really strong, he hasn''t even used it yet and I can already feel the impact of the attack" one of the elite disciples commented. "Indeed, I wonder what skill Guardian Qiang is going to use?" another disciple said "Can you guys guess what attack Huo Qiang is going to use?" Huo Li asked them. "I don''t know but he will surely use one that is stronger than the skill Bingchen plans to use," Huo Mei said "Bingchen made a mistake, although we have never really got the chance to battle with anyone, Huo Qiang style is to use your attack against you or to use a similar one, so I dare say that Huo Qiang will use the same skill that Bingchen is using," Huo Ying said "Flame sword meteor shower!" Huo Qiang shouted, then he did the same demonstration as Bingchen, hundreds of swords appeared in the sky but they descended and moved to his back while Bingchen''s swords moved to his back. "This guy Huo Qiang is using the same attack as Bingchen, then he must be confident of this attack," the third elder said as he ran his hand through his beards. "Huo Qiang style is really surprising, he is suing the same attack as his opponent," the sect leader said to his wife. "Then he must be very confident" his wife replied "This round will commence now!" the Mcee announced and returned to his position. Chapter 98 - Why Dont You Show Us Your Capability! 3 "Attack!" both of them chorused then their sword auras dashed at each other, the sword auras were cancelling out each other but they still reformed themselves while the both of them recharged them by combining their flame power and their internal force and directing it at their sword auras with both of their palms stretched forward, red auras flowed out of their palms. Huo Qiang swords were fiercer than Bingchen expected them to be, each of the strokes they created was causing huge damage to his swords, to reform them he had to input more internal force to counter the attacks.?? "It is clear that Bingchen is on the losing side, Huo Qiang has been cultivating this skill for a long time so of course, Bingchen doesn''t stand a chance," Huo Ying said "If Bingchen doesn''t end his attack, he will exhaust his internal strength and him won''t even have an opportunity to win with the remaining two attacks he has," Huo Mei said with a worried expression on her face. "Why do you seem so worried about him?" Huo Ying asked with a suspicious look on her face. "What are you talking about, why would I be worried about him? he is the one who wants to show himself" Huo Mei said then she quickly dispelled the worry on her face. Bingchen realised that if he still persisted in using the attack in the same way, he would lose so he decided to change his attack¡­ "Flame meteor sword combine!" Bingchen shouted, he raised his sword into the sky then all the sword auras in the sky combined to form one extra-large sword made of his sword aura. "Combine!" Huo Qiang shouted then his swords combined together in the sky to form an extra-large sword that is even bigger than Bingchen''s sword. They both used their original sword to control the sword aura they formed in the sky, the both of them swung their swords around swiftly that even the disciples couldn''t see how many strokes they had made in the air when they stopped swinging their swords, both swords descended and started attacking each other fiercely¡­ Clang!!! Clang!!! Clang!!! Clang!!! Both swords continued countering each other but they all knew that the winner depends on how much force they inputted into their swords and how many strokes they made, if one person made more strokes than the other then the other person won''t be able to counter the other attacks. Bingchen suspended his sword in the middle of his hands then he cupped his hand and brought then close to each other with a red aura emitting from his palms as he brought his hands apart, his sword began spinning very fast. As they sword in his hand spun around, the speed of his sword aura increased greatly¡­. "Block!" Huo Qiang shouted then his sword aura divided to form large swords that surrounded Huo Qiang leaving no space for Bingchen''s attack to touch him, the attacks made by Bingchen swords hit the barrier instead but he continued intensifying the speed causing Huo Qiang to move back but he wasn''t planning on retreating for long¡­ He pushed his hands forward, the impact of Bingchen''s attacks backfired back on Bingchen causing him to fall to the ground and his attack automatically stopped while Huo Qiang ceased his attack. They were all shocked at Huo Qiang strength, behind his soft-hearted appearance, who would have known that there is a strong fighter inside him... "If he doesn''t stand up now then he will lose," the sect madam said with concern written on her face, the elders turned to look at her to see if she was happy or sad about that but unexpectedly, they saw that worry had filled her face. "seems like the sect madam has placed her bet on Huo Bingchen," the third elder said "I doubt that," the second elder said, the first elder was in thought, he was expecting her to be happy if he loses this round but she seemed unhappy about that. Bingchen slowly stood to his feet as he winced, he didn''t expect that Huo Qiang''s first attack would be so fierce. "are you prepared for the second attack?" Huo Qiang asked to make sure that he was in good condition to fight. "I am ready," Bingchen said, then they both dropped their sword on the ground Then the both of them released their second attack at the same time¡­ "Flame pushing cloud fist!!" both of them chorused to the surprise of the audience, they were so much in sync¡­ A huge fist blazing with fire appeared at their backs, the fist seems a hundred times the size of their fist, the disciples opened their mouth wide agape when the both of them released this skill. The sect leader realized that the shield he used in the training ground is probably not strong enough for the attack they are about to release, so he quickly strengthened the shield with a snap of his fingers. "Punch!" the both of them chorused at the same time, then the fists dashed towards each other, they both clashed causing a loud¡­ Bang!!!! While both fists retreated including the initiators, then they both ran towards each other with their fists ahead of them, the moment their fist met, the fists behind them also clashed. They both directed their internal strength into their fist using their other hand which strengthened the fists they created from their auras, both fists started moving back and forth depending on who has the upper hand at the moment¡­. "It seems like we don''t have to get to the third round to decide the winner" Huo Qiang said "oooooh! Why do you say so?" Bingchen asked "You will know very soon," Huo Qiang said with a smile then he brought his palm backwards and brought it against his fist, increasing the internal force in his fist. His sudden actions took Bingchen by surprise, the both of them moved back towards the same direction with their fists still joined together but¡­ Huo Qiang knew that his internal force has been affected because of the golden eagle''s poison so he will need some time to rebuild his internal strength, he only gave Bingchen that last strike to let him know that even if he loses, the difference in their strength is still large but Bingchen wasn''t aware of that¡­. He stopped them from moving back by pushing Huo Qiang away with his other palm but before Huo Qiang could regain his stance, he had already sent his fist aura after him but Huo Qiang has already exhausted himself so he couldn''t counter, if he countered the attack then the impact of the fist will only make him fall to the ground without being able to fight him at that moment but if he didn''t then he would be seriously injured by the attack from the large fist¡­ Everyone''s eyes widened when they saw that Huo Qiang didn''t have any intention of blocking or dodging the attack¡­ "Huo Qiang!" Huo Mei and the others on the high stand screamed. Huo Ying quickly released her whip¡­ "Bind!" Huo Ying shouted, then her whip stretched until it could reach Huo Qiang at a very fast speed that it was difficult for anyone to even see what she did except for her mother who was her personal teacher in using the whip¡­ The whip wrapped itself around Huo Qiang''s waist before Bingchen''s attack hit him, then Huo Ying pulled the whip back to the high stand and unwrapped it from his waist, they were all relieved when they saw him safely arrive at the high stand but they weren''t sure of how he got there until Huo Ying removed her whip from his waist. "When did the young mistress pull him back?" one female disciple asked the male disciple standing close to her "I didn''t see it too" he replied. "When did the young mistress save him?" the first elder asked with confusion evident on his face "I was watching the fight closely but I didn''t see her bring him back, I think the only person who knows the answer to that question would be the sect madam" the third elder answered, then they all turned to look at the sect madam. "Madam, do you perhaps see what happened when the young mistress saved Huo Qiang?" the first elder asked "Bingchen''s fist aura was just three centimetres from Huo Qiang when she wrapped her whip around his waist and pulled him back" she replied with a smile on her face, by the look on her face, they knew that she was proud of Huo Ying''s whip skill. "The young mistress has inherited your whip skills it is very obvious that in some years'' time, her whip skills will be peerless," the second elder said "Thanks for the compliment, first elder" she replied. The disciples were now confused, they weren''t sure of who the winner of that round was supposed to go to and who won or lost the bet. "Are both guardians willing to continue this round?" the Mcee asked "I admit defeat!" Huo Qiang shouted to the surprise of everyone "Okay, the winner is guardian Bingchen!" he announced then they all started cheering. Who would have expected the person they dislike because of his constant defiance towards Huo Ying to have won three guardians, after this round, they all started to see him in a new light but they knew that if the effect of the poison had completely cleared from Huo Qiang''s organs then they might end up with a draw. The disciples who were in charge of giving the reward to those who had won the bet quickly transferred all the notes in Huo Qiang box into Bingchen''s box. "In the next round, Bingchen would be competing with the young mistress, everyone please make your bet" the Mcee announced They all started to discuss amongst themselves, this time they weren''t sure of who to place their bet on, on one hand, Huo Ying hasn''t fully recovered and Bingchen has exerted his internal strength, so the result of this round seemed really hard to guess. "From the last fight, I can be sure that Bingchen is at the tenth level of the core formation stage but it seems like Huo Qiang is not at the tenth level and he doesn''t seem to have entered the Nascent soul stage," the third elder said "That could only mean one thing¡­ he is about to break into the first level of the Nascent soul stage" the first elder said "if that is really the case then he would have won this round if he wasn''t injured," the third elder said "But they are both at the tenth level of the core formation stage but Huo Qiang''s flame sword meteor shower is very strong, in this case, the level doesn''t matter," the second elder said, while the first elder ran his hand through his beard. "Huo Bingchen seems to be at the tenth level of the core formation stage," Huo Li said "This round would have been won by Huo Qiang if he wasn''t poisoned by that damned eagle" Huo Ying said "It depends on you to make him lose," Huo Qiang said "Don''t worry, I will win this round," Huo Ying said, she stood up from her seat and walked to the middle of the training ground. "Please¡­" Huo Ying said, then they both took their fighting stance while Huo Ying released a whip with a loud thud on the ground but before they could start fighting¡­... "Stop!" the sect madam shouted from the peak. "eeeh! what happened? "Why did she stop them?" The disciples started talking amongst themselves, they all thought that she was stopping the fight because she was worried about Huo Ying''s condition. "Dear! Why did you stop the fight?" the sect leader asked "Bingchen has just exerted his internal force during the fight with Huo Qiang, it won''t be fair to ask him to fight Huo Ying," she said "What do you suggest we do then?" the third elder asked They were all surprised that she was actually worried about Bingchen, not even Huo Ying when she was sent to the beast dungeon, she had threatened him to bury him along with Huo Ying but now she was being worried about him¡­... Bingchen looked at her with thankfulness when he heard what she said, she sounded like a mother who was being worried about her son, he was even more convinced that she really cared about him. "Why don''t they compete in something else?" the sect madam replied "What do you think they should compete in?" the first elder asked, he was also worried about the same thing but he decided to keep quiet about it. Chapter 99 - Why Dont You Show Us Your Capability! 4 "Our sect disciples are allowed to learn any skill they want as long as it wouldn''t affect their mind, apart from sword fighting, the only skill they must all learn is archery, so I suggest that we let the both of them compete in archery, this way, it would be fair to the both of them," the sect madam said, then they all begin to discuss amongst themselves, they couldn''t understand how competing in archery was going to show who is stronger or more skilled. "Sect madam, that is a good idea but this competition was arranged by the guardians and the young mistress, to show who is stronger and more skilled, competing in archery won''t help us know who is more skilled amongst the both of them," the first elder said?? "I have a way to reveal that, they won''t be using a bow in this competition, they will use the mountain splitting arrows to pierce through the millennium rock with their internal force and their eyes will also be covered," the sect madam said. The disciples began to discuss amongst themselves again, the millennium rock is known to be very strong and unbreakable, the only way to break it is by finding its weak spot but it is not very easy to find it. "The both of them are good at archery but I really don''t know who will win if the sect madam increases the difficulty of this round" Huo Mei said "The millennium rock is already hard to break, how can they break it with their eyes covered," Huo Qiang said in confusion. They were all confused by the sect madam suggestion, in this sect, only the third elder and the sect madam has ever broken the millennium rock but the both of them broke it with a little stone and till this day, none of the disciples could understand how they did it. The mountain splitting arrow is also one of the hardest weapons to use amongst all the weapons that the flame sect has invented, using the mountain splitting arrow will definitely decrease their chances of winning. "Sect madam, how is the winner going to be decided?" the third elder asked with a smile on his face, he knew that the test was very easy and the only difficulty is finding the millennium rock weak spot and controlling the mountain splitting arrow but for him, this round is going to be fun to watch than the other rounds. "Whoever shatters the millennium rock to pieces is the winner and it will also determine what level of cultivation the both of you are," the sect madam said then she sat back on her seat while she waited for the disciples she sent to bring all the materials they needed for this round. A few minutes later, the disciples she sent returned with the millennium rocks and the mountain splitting arrows, then they set the rock in front of them and handed the arrows to the two of them. "You can examine this rock for ten seconds to find the weak spot but even if you find the weak spot and you are not strong enough to break it then it is still useless," the sect madam said "How are they supposed to used ten seconds to find the weak spot in this large rock," Huo Lian said "From what she said, even the weak spot is hard to break without enough strength, I hope Huo Ying wins," Huo Mei said "If Bingchen wins then he will become arrogant and continue to defy Huo Ying but if she wins then she can put him in his place," Huo Li said "But if the sect madam knows that, why does she want to make things easier for Bingchen?" Huo Qiang asked "That is because you don''t know my master well, even if Bingchen wins, she doesn''t care about who wins, she wants to give Bingchen a fair chance to compete with Huo Ying and she wants to give Huo Ying a good chance to show that she is superior to him," Huo Li said as she brought her ponytail to her shoulder and fondled with it. "You really know her well, it seems like Huo Ying also knows what she is thinking," Huo Mei said "This is going to be more fun than the previous rounds," Huo Li said Huo Ying and Bingchen moved closer to the millennium rock, then they examined it while one of the disciples started doing the countdown, just as the disciples reached ten, the both of them smiled and returned to their position. "Why did they just smile, they seem to have found the weak spot?" "I think so too, both of them are very skilled, I don''t think it will be very hard for them to find the weak spot" "Who did you bet on?" "who do you think, of course, I placed my bet on the young mistress, I don''t believe that guardian Bingchen can defeat the young mistress" "I placed my bet-on Guardian Bingchen, he might not be as skilled as her but he is very good when it comes to strategies so I believe that he will win this round" "Fool, do you know what this round means?" "Isn''t it just a competition?" "If guardian Bingchen wins then he would be on par with the young mistress and he might want to compete with her for the position of the future sect leader" "What if the young mistress wins?" "Then she has proved herself to be stronger than him" "Oooooh!" "the both of you should keep quiet, they will soon start" a female advanced disciple ordered, the both of them quickly turned to look at who had then scolded them, they cowered their head when they realized that it was an advanced disciple. "We are sorry, senior sister" they chorused A disciple handed a black piece of cloth to both of them, then they covered their eyes with it. "I announce that this round will now commence!" the Mcee shouted The both of them suspended their arrows in the air, then they arched their hands at both sides of the arrow, a red aura flowed into the black arrow. The arrow immediately turned golden which is the normal colour of the mountain splitting arrow when it is activated, a ball of red aura surrounded the arrow as they tried to control it in order to make it hit the right spot. "They might not be able to control the mountain splitting arrow," the sect leader said "if they can''t even control that then they are not strong enough to represent the flame sect" the sect madam replied They increased the internal force they were channelling into the arow then they arrow started spinning with very fast speed but they were still not satisfied, they increased the internal force again then the speed the arrow was spinning at increased three times the normal speed. They turned their palms around and pushed the arrow forwards with a large amount of force, the arrow started travelling at a very fast speed towards the millennium rock, everyone focused their attention on the arrow as it travelled with their eyes widened to see the arow clearly, the arrow finally piece through the millennium rock¡­.. Crack!!! Thud!!! The rock that was placed in front of Bingchen was split into two immediately the arrow pierced through the rock, they all cheered then they turned to look at Huo Ying''s rock which was still looking untouched and the arrow she shot was nowhere to be found. "eeeh! why is the young mistress rock still in place, will she perhaps lose to guardian Bingchen" "I didn''t think that the young mistress would be inferior to Bingchen, no piece of rock even fell from her own rock" "What just happened, why is Huo Ying''s rock still in place, how could Bingchen be stronger than her," Huo Lian said with confusion "Where did her arrow go, I can''t see it," Huo Mei said "She is stronger than Bingchen, there is no way he would be able to win against her" Huo Qiang said "You are all too hasty, just wait for the real winner to be shown," Huo Mei said with a crooked smile etched on her face, she had seen through everything that happened while other didn''t see what happened to Huo Ying''s arrow. Huo Ying was confused, she was sure that she didn''t need to use her full strength on the rock so she just reduced her strength when she shot the arrow but how come her rock is still in place, Bingchen was also surprised that he was actually able to split the rock into two while Huo Ying couldn''t, his lips tilted to form a proud smile. The sect madam was also confused, she was sure that the both of them found the weak spot but how come Huo Ying couldn''t even break a little part of the rock, there is only one way to find out¡­. She looked down to look at Huo Li''s expression, the smile on her face told her that she knew what had happened, Huo Li''s golden demonic eye can see through anything so she must have seen what happened. "I announce that the winner of this round is¡­is¡­is guardian Bingchen" the Mcee announced, then those who had placed their bet on Bingchen started cheering although they weren''t many of them, then¡­. Crack!!!! Boom! Boom!!!! They all turned when they heard the exploding sound behind them, they all widened their eyes at the sight of Huo Ying''s rock shattering into pieces and turning into sand. They couldn''t believe their eyes¡­. THE MILLIENUIM ROCK HAS BEEN REDUCED TO NOTHING!!! Huo Ying was also shocked, she didn''t expect the little strength she put in to have destroyed the millennium rock to such state. "I told you that the real winner will be revealed soon," Huo Li said "The young mistress is no longer at the core formation stage she is¡­..." Huo Mei stuttered. The third elder shattered the millennium rock in the same way when he was at the tenth level of the nascent soul stage in his youth while the sect madam shattered it in the same way when she was at the ninth level of the nascent soul stage but Huo Ying¡­... How did she do that¡­... "It seems like the young mistress has even surpassed the achievement of the sect madam and the third elder," the first elder said, although he wasn''t happy that Bingchen has lost to Huo Ying, it still came as a shock to him. "I remember that the young mistress was still at the tenth level of the core formation stage when I assessed her last month, how did she enter the eight level of the nascent soul in such a short time," the third elder said with awe written on his face. "I also don''t understand and she could even shatter the millennium rock into sand at the tenth-level," the sect madam said, she wanted Huo Ying to win but she never expected that she would be able to achieve that. Even Huo Ying was shocked at her performance, she didn''t even realize that she was at the nascent stage not to talk of the eight-level "I announce that the winner is the young mistress!" the Mcee shouted, then all the disciple started cheering. "Why don''t we discuss how she increased her cultivation level later, for now, don''t bring it up," the sect leader said, he was worried that she has done something wrong but he couldn''t make it public. "Okay!" the sect madam replied "Since the winner of the competition has been announced, I assume that the competition is over?" the sect leader asked "No, I haven''t fought with anyone yet," Huo Li complained "Why do you always think of fighting?" the sect madam questioned with a scolding look on her face. "master, if I don''t even have anyone to fight with, then it won''t be fun to train anymore," Huo Li answered with a sulking look and her lips pouted. "Huo Li¡­." The sect madam said, she quickly understood what she meant so she sat back reluctantly. "I was planning to give a gift to the winner but since Huo Ying is the winner, I will give the gift to Bingchen" the sect madam announced "Mother, that is not fair, I won the competition, why should Bingchen get the gift," Huo Ying said "You are the young mistress, so the gift should belong to Bingchen, I have made my decision and it won''t change, Bingchen come to my chamber to get your gift later," the sect madam said then she stood up from her seat and climbed down the stairs then she left the training ground. The sect leader removed the shield on the training ground then he left the training ground with the elder following behind him. "Huo Ying meet me in my chamber with the guardians and Huo Li," the sect leader said before he left the training ground. All the disciples gathered around the betting station to collect their money according to how many times they won, those who had bet their money on Bingchen were dejected when they lost all their money all because of one wrong choice. Huo Li and the guardians ran forward to meet Huo Ying¡­ "Huo Ying, you are so amazing, how did you do that?" Huo Mei asked with a broad smile on her face. "I also don''t know, I thought I would be able to break the rock into two or three so I didn''t use my full strength but I didn''t expect the little strength I put in to have produced such result," Huo Ying said "There is something strange here, It took me two years to reach the seventh level of the nascent stage and my master told me that it was a miracle for me to have reached the seventh stage from the sixth stage because the hardest levels of the nascent soul stage are the sixth level to the tenth level, how could you break into the eight-level from the tenth stage of the core formation in such a short time," Huo Li said "I also think the same way too, I didn''t even know that I was at the eight-level but I can''t be sure maybe I am still at the tenth level of the core formation stage but my internal strength just increased," Huo Ying said Chapter 100 - The Crystal Ball! The elder and the sect madam sat in the sect leader''s chamber around a large table where the sect leader often holds meetings with the elder. Their faces were all wearing concerned looks and it was obvious what they were thinking of. "Sect leader, do you happen to know how the young mistress increased her cultivation in such a short time," the first elder asked?? "I don''t know but I know what you are all worried about, I am also worried about that too, I believe that there should be a good explanation to this," the sect leader said "My personal disciple Huo Li used six years to enter the seventh level of the nascent soul stage despite her innate talent and this can be considered to be the best I have never heard of someone who could break into the eight level of the nascent soul in just one month," the sect madam said "I think we had better ask the young mistress, if we don''t know then she should know how it happened," the third elder said. The sect leader was hoping that Huo Ying didn''t do anything wrong to increase her cultivation because that would affect her position in the sect and she could be given even more cruel punishment than entering the beast dungeon, by then, he and his wife won''t be able to help her no matter how much they are unwilling to let her suffer such hardships. He was brought out of his thought by the knock on the door. "Come in," the sect leader said then they all turned towards the door to see who it was. "Sect leader, the young mistress, Senior disciple Li and the guardians are here to see you," the disciple said "Let them in" the sect leader answered. Then the disciple went out and returned with them, then he left the room. "Sect leader, sect madam, elders!" they greeted in unison except for Huo Ying. "Father, Mother, elders" Huo Ying greeted with her head bowed "Be at ease" the sect kneader replied then they raised their heads. "Huo Ying, what cultivation stage are you at?" the sect madam asked "I am at the tenth level of the core formation stage but I felt that I was going to break into the first level of the nascent soul stage" Huo Ying replied with a straight face, the elder didn''t know whether to doubt her or to trust what she said. "Then are you aware of what level of the nascent soul stage you just broke into," the first elder said. "I should have just broken into the first stage of the nascent soul but somehow, I didn''t put my full strength into the arrow when I shot it at the millennium rock but surprisingly, it was still able to shatter the millennium rock," Huo Ying said, then the elders looked at her in surprise, how could that be, she didn''t even use her full strength and she shattered the millennium rock miraculously, it is a very easy task for someone who has passed the nascent soul stage but someone at the tenth level of the nascent stage would still have to use their full strength to do such a thing. "Are you sure you didn''t use your full strength?" the sect leader asked "Yes, I was underestimating the hardness of the millennium rock so I didn''t use my full strength" Huo Ying answered "When I shattered the millennium rock, I was at the ninth level of the nascent soul stage but I still had to use my full strength then, how could you have shattered it without using your full strength," the sect madam asked "Young mistress, from what I can see, you are at the eight level of the nascent soul stage, Huo Li is the strongest disciple we have in the flame sect and she is at the seventh level of the nascent soul stage preparing to break into the eight level which will take a long time but you have surpassed her in a month, that makes it very strange," the second elder said "Second elder, are you speculating that I might have used a wicked way to increase my cultivation," Huo Ying asked with an angry and quizzical look on her face. "Young mistress, I don''t want to think that but I can''t help it, it is basically impossible to break pass the seven levels and break into the eight level of the nascent soul stage in just a month," the second elder said "I can understand your concerns but I assure you that I have done no such thing to increase my cultivation, I have always been training and meditating to increase my cultivation, if you don''t believe then you can use the Purple demon source," Huo Ying said. "Huo Ying, although we have many demonic weapons and treasures in our sect, any demonic cultivation that is evil requires blood and I am sure you know that it is against our sect rules to use such cultivation, if the purple demon source reveals that you have used such methods then you will have to get punished and your cultivation will be destroyed so you will have to start again," the sect leader said with a worried and anxious look on his face. "Father I am aware of this but I have nothing to fear since I didn''t use such evil method" Huo Ying said in hopes that her father would believe her. He opened his palms wide then a crystal ball appeared on his hand, he placed the crystal ball on the table and pushed it towards the end of the table where Yu Yan and the others stood. "Starting from Huo Qiang, the five of you should test your cultivation on the purple demon source," the sect leader said, Huo Qiang moved to the front then he placed his palm on the crystal ball and channelled his internal force into the ball, a bright light shone from the ball, then some inscriptions appeared above he crystal ball. "he is in the middle of the core formation and the first level of the nascent soul and his cultivation method is pure," the third elder said as he read the inscription above the crystal ball, Huo Qiang removed his hand then the light above the crystal ball disappeared. Huo Mei moved forward, she placed her palm on the crystal ball and channelled her internal force then the same thing happened again, some inscriptions appeared above the crystal ball. "It is just as we thought, she is at the eight level of the core formation stage and will soon break into the ninth level, her cultivation method is pure" the third elder announced Huo Lian went forward and did the same. "She is at the sixth level of the core formation stage and her cultivation method is pure" the third elder announced Bingchen went forward and placed his palm on the crystal ball and channelled his internal force into it. "He is at the tenth level of the core formation stage and his cultivation method is pure" the third elder announced. The first elder breathed a sigh of relief, he couldn''t imagine the consequences if there was a mistake in Bingchen''s cultivation, he wouldn''t be able to bear the pain after losing his daughter. Huo Li went forwards next and placed her hand on the crystal ball, she channelled her internal strength into the crystal ball?? "She is at the seventh level of the nascent soul stage but her internal strength is too strong for someone at the seventh level of the nascent soul stage but her cultivation method is pure" the third elder announced again. Then Huo Li removed her palm, although Huo Ying was sure that she hadn''t done something wrong, she was still nervous, it is true that her cultivation speed is abnormal but she isn''t aware of how it happened. She moved forward and placed her palm on the crystal ball then she channelled her internal strength into the crystal ball, they all waited to see the reaction of the crystal ball but there was no reaction. "Why is the crystal ball not reacting?" the sect leader asked "Sect leader, the purple demon source will always give a result but it will never be unreactive," the third elder said Then they heard a sound coming from the crystal ball, they all turned to look at it¡­. It was shaking vigorously and a bright light was emitting from the ball but there was still no result, they were worried that at this stage, the crystal ball will break but it just kept shaking vigorously. You will not reveal that aura of the flame demon heart is inside me¡­... Huo Ying suddenly said in her mind, she was sure that she didn''t mean to say that in her mind but it seemed as if something just controlled her and she was sure that something in her eyes just changed but it seemed like no one saw it. The ball finally stopped shaking, a purple light above it had some inscriptions. "she will soon break into the ninth level of the nascent soul and her cultivation method is pure" the third elder announced to the surprise, it is already strange that she is at the eight-level but she will soon break into the ninth stage. "What¡­what, how could that be," the first elder said in confusion. Huo Ying wasn''t even bothered with the result at the moment, she knew that she became someone else at that moment and her eyeball changed but no one saw it and what she said in her mind wasn''t by her own will¡­. What is the flame demon and why did I say that...? Huo Ying thought! "Huo Ying, Huo Ying!" the sect leader called out, she snapped out of her thought immediately. "Yes father" Huo Ying replied "Since it has been confirmed that you have done nothing wrong then we should just assume that a miracle just happened but you must be cautious," the sect leader said "I understand father," Huo Ying said "You may all leave, including the elders," the sect leader said, then they all left his chamber, as soon as the door was shut the sect leader and his wife started discussing. "Are you thinking what I am thinking?" the sect leader asked "You also think this might be the result of the half heart of the flame demon?" the sect madam said "I don''t think she has the half heart of the flame demon, these days, I have been doing a lot of research on what happened back then," the sect leader said "What do you mean?" his wife asked "Only the flame sect leaders of the flame sect know the secret of what happened then, the flame demon had a twin brother but the death of the twin brother wasn''t recorded and the body of the flame demon''s daughter was never found, when the flame demon died, his heart wasn''t found and based on what I know, it is impossible for the flame demon to have been defeated if he had his heart, he must have given his heart to his daughter and it is recorded that the flame demon and his twin brother share the same spiritual aura," the sect leader said then he hesitated for a while. "Are you saying that the flame demon''s brother and his daughter who has the heart of the flame demon reincarnated as Huo Ying and Huo Lan?" his wife asked with shock on her face. "I am not sure about that, the flame demon''s daughter was shot with an arrow back so she died but if the flame demon''s twin brother combined his aura with the flame demon''s heart then they might have been resurrected," the sect leader said "If they were resurrected then why does Huo Lan have the heart of the flame demon if what Huoyan Shuo said is true?" she asked "What if he didn''t resurrect his brother''s daughter but he made them reincarnate?" the sect leader said "Even if that is your guess, it makes sense and everything matches, that means Huo Lan powers have increased along with Huo Ying''s cultivation," she said "The aura of the flame demon must be helping Huo Ying increase her cultivation, but as her cultivation increases, Huo Lan powers will also increase," the sect leader said with his eyebrows furrowed, Everything is making too much sense for it to be nonsense, even if it was their speculation, there is a high probability they have guessed it right. "The golden eagle and Huoyan Shuo must be aware of this, that is why Huoyan Shou didn''t harm Huo Ying and the golden eagle listened to the guardians request," she said "Huoyan Shuo must have spared her life because of this but the golden eagle wouldn''t, he has always served the flame demon and no one else but if he knows that the flame demon twin was the one who made his daughter reincarnate then he might be willing to obey Huo Ying but I don''t think he knows, only Huoyan Shuo knows of this" he replied. "Since only the flame sect has the record of what happened then we should destroy everything in case it becomes a threat to both of them," she said "There is one more person who has it," the sect leader said "Who is that?" she asked "the saintess of the ice clan, after the flame clan the flame demon formed was destroyed, the imperial family gathered the other nations to destroy the ice clan too because they were allies with the flame clan," the sect leader said "But she has disappeared for years and she would have died a long time ago," she said "the saintess of the ice clan, the only way for her to become mortal is to give birth to a child, she ran away with a spatial ring which is considered to contain the treasures of the flame clan and the ice clan," the sect leader said "We don''t have to worry about that, even if she knows what happened then, she won''t be a danger to them, the records we have are the real danger," she said "Alright," the sect leader said then he removed the spatial ring on his finger. "There are only two spatial rings in this world, the spatial ring of the flame sect was gotten from Huoyan Shuo and it contains only the records of the flame clan, if I destroy this then the only one remaining is in the hand of the saintess of the ice clan," the sect leader said. He closed his palm, then a bright light emitted from the holes between his finger, when he opened his finger, the ring has already turned into dust. Chapter 101 - Alliance Meeting! 1 Several months later. Everyone had already assumed that with the appearance of the golden eagle and the four people that were riding on it, the flame sect will soon come out into the world.?? The mountain where the flame sect resided was off-limit to other but after the rumours going around, some people decided to go into the mountain in case they would be lucky enough to see someone from the flame sect or to find out some news about the flame sect, this became a nuisance for the disciples as they couldn''t go anymore and now all their sources with the outer world was cut off when the sect leader laced a barrier around the mountain, no ordinary person could enter the barrier and if you were strong enough to enter the barrier, everything in front of you would be black and you will continue having hallucinations until you leave the mountain. The measures the flame sect took to cut themselves from the outer world brought suspicions to the heart of the other sects, who wondered why they were trying so hard to keep themselves away unless they are plotting something or they are preparing for something big, they had no reason to do that. The wind sect decided to summon all the sect leader of each sect to an alliance meeting to discuss the issue under the guise of discussing the affairs of the sect alliance when they were, in fact, going to discuss about the flame sect. Apart from the three main sects after the flame sect, many other sects came to attend the meeting in hopes that they would find out the news of the flame sect. In the wind sect. All the sect leaders and their important subordinates such as their elders and their young masters or mistresses started trooping into the wind sect on the schedules day of the meeting including those that are situated hundreds of miles away from the wind sect but since the wind sect leader is the leader of the sect alliance, they had no choice but to hold the meeting in the wind sect. "Alliance leader!" the sect leaders greeted as they passed by, the only ones that could strike a conversation with the wind sect leader are the tops sect who are known for their invincible techniques or their talents. "Alliance leader!" the thunder sect leader greeted with his fist and palm cupped together and raised as he entered the wind sect with his son and the daughter of the thunder sect first elder behind him. Martial Uncle!" Lin Bohai and Tang Fan greeted each other''s father "Junior Martial Brother, there is no need for such formalities between us," the wind sect leader said in an imposing manner, he had specially dressed in a regal manner, fit for the leader of all the sects, he wore a large blue coloured robe with wide vertical sleeves which made him seem like a king with many embroideries on his robe, his golden hair holder made him seem even more dignified, as the guests entered, they could feel the imposing manner in which he stood and spoke to them and even the thunder sect leader could understand the kind of image he had prepared for them today. "You must be kidding Alliance leader, you are the dignified alliance leader, how can I not pay my respect to you, even if we are cousins, we still have to follow the Jianghu rules," he said with a fake smile on his face that he had designed to make the wind sect leader think that he held him in high esteem while he sneered at him in his heart. "If you say so but the fact that we are cousins doesn''t change so you can limit these formalities in the future," the wind sect leader said. "It has been long since I saw the young master of the flame sect, but now that I have seen him again, I realize that the rumours I have been hearing are true," the thunder sect leader said with a flattering smile etched at the edge of his lips. From what he knows, his cousin would never praise someone else unless if it was to curry favour with the person or to bring out a point that would surely not sound pleasant but he was still curious to know what this cousin of his has heard, he has built a very good image for himself and his son so he didn''t think that the thunder sect leader would have anything bad to spot out. "I wonder what martial uncle has heard about me?" Lin Bohai said with a confident but inquisitive smile on his lips. "Do you still need me to say it, you are rumoured to be talented and handsome, the desire of many females and the envy of many men and today, I can see why they have been saying such things" the thunder sect leader replied, then both sect leaders chuckled at the praises the thunder sect leader had given Lin Bohai, while Tang Fan who knew what his father was driving at had a sneer hanging on his lips. "I am afraid I do not deserve such praises, martial uncle has given me more praise than I deserve," Lin Bohai said with his head slightly bowed in a humble manner. "Those were the things I heard but¡­... I am also aware that the young master of the wind sect is also good at gambling" the thunder set leader said with a jeer on his face. The wind sect leader immediately faced the thunder sect leader with a serious face, e has never for once heard that his son gambled and of course their reputation has also been good all these years so why would there be such a thing now. Although gambling in Nan gong street is not considered to be a bad thing to one''s reputation, some people who carry themselves in an aloof manner still refrain from doing things like gambling in Nan gong street even though no one would ever gossip about such things as long as it was done in Nan Gong street. "Where did junior martial brother hear such rumours?" the wind sect leader asked with a stern look on his face, while Lin Bohai knowing what he was getting at just stood straight without a flattering look on his face in readiness to defend himself no matter what the thunder sect leader was going to say. "Alliance leader, what I just said is not based on rumours, although it isn''t something to really be proud of, Tang Fan is quite good when it comes to gambling but he only plays with people of his calibre or his Jianghu friends, months ago, he had the chance to meet your son in Nan Gong street, so he couldn''t help his desire to play a few rounds with the wind young master just to lighten up the mood. Although he wasn''t able to win Tang Fan, at least, he was able to win some of the bet." The thunder sect leader said in a playful manner. The wind sect leader frowned slightly at the news the thunder sect leader had just delivered to him but he was never going to let him think he had the winning card before he could say anything, Lin Bohai had already taken the initiative. "You must be joking martial uncle, of course, I can''t be compared to young master Tang Fan when it comes to gambling, I am too busy with practising my sword techniques and cultivating to bother about such trivial things, if not for Tang Fan urging me to play a game with him, how would I even have the chance to do such things," Lin Bohai said in a humble manner but they all knew that deep meaning behind his words, they were determined to play each other with their words but only one person wasn''t in the mood for that. "By your words are you saying that our young master wastes his time gambling inside of cultivating?" Yun BiYu said in a serious tone, she is true as they had described her as, unlike Tang Fan, she is a very serious person who is devoted to cultivating herself and she never gets involve in childish things like this unless it involves the thunder sect. If not for Tang Fan being the young master of the thunder sect, she would have been the perfect candidate to inherit the position of the future sect leader. "Of course, I would never imply such a thing, I am sorry if it came across in such a way" Lin Bohai said "But who would have expected the both of you to lose five thousand taels of silver to a stranger that no one even recognises" the thunder sect leader continued. "Is that true?" the wind sect leader asked Lin Bohai with a stern look on his face. "I did make such a mistake please forgive me," Lin Bohai said with his head bowed, but the sect leader was of course not willing to give the thunder sect leader the result he wanted. "This will serve as a lesson to you, not to indulge in such trivial things again" then he turned to face the thunder sect leader. "We have been discussing for so long, I assume that all the guest would have been ushered in by Meng Hui, lets head to the hall then we can discuss whatever private matter we need to discuss after the alliance meeting. "Alright" the thunder sect leader answered with a frown on his face, he was hoping that Sect leader Lin would make a scene or scold Lin Bohai in front of him but unexpectedly he still kept his dignified character while he ended up making his son seem like a good for nothing who only knows how to gamble. Yun BiYu shook her head and glared at Tang Fan who noticed her intense look piercing through the side of his face as they walked behind their sect leader. Meanwhile, the sect leader that had already been unshed into the sect hall by Meng Hui were seated according to their influence in the Jianghu world, they were still discussing all that had happened during the moths that had passed after the twice appearance of the golden eagle and the people that were riding on it. They all kept quiet as soon as they saw the wind sect leader and the thunder sect leader entering the sect hall with great strides. "Alliance Leader Lin!" they all chorused as they stood up from their respective seat in an organised manner, they all bowed their heads in reverence to him as he walked to his seat at the head of the hall. He raised his hand signalling them to take their seat, they quickly understood the meaning then they sat back on their seats. This hypocrite, he acts like he doesn''t enjoy the reverence but he is even viler and more hypocritical than anyone knows, just wait until I get my hands on evidence that would pull him down from that position... The thunder sect leader thought with enmity in his heart towards sect leader Lin, he is the only one who knows the steps the wind sect leader took in order to rule the sect and his collaboration with the emperor but he didn''t have any proof to back up his words if he were to overthrow him one day and become the alliance leader. "I wonder why Alliance leader Lin has called for an alliance meeting today," the sect leader of the talisman sect asked, she is one of the three most influential female sect leaders and she is known for her decisive and unyielding character which has earned her sect respect in the Jianghu. As the sect leader of the third most influential sect, she had a wide range of connection and authority both in the court and in Jianghu. "You are really impatient sect leader Meng, I was just about to bring up the reason for this meeting but you had already spoken even before I did," Sect leader Lin said, everyone, cowered their head when they heard his statement. It was obviously rebuking Sect leader Meng for her impudent attitude but she wasn''t one to be intimidated by such things. "It seems like I have interrupted you, I am sorry for that" Sect leader Meng said without any hint of courtesy. Sect leader Lin was quite angry that she wasn''t even giving him the basic respect as the leader of the alliance but if he brings it up now, it would only cause unnecessary sentiments. Chapter 102 - Alliance Meeting! 2 "The reason for this meeting is to discuss the problems the sects are having, I have been the leader of the sects alliance but this meeting has never been held, in my heart, I consider it as a neglect of my basic duty towards all the sects so today, I have taken it upon my self to arrange this meeting. As an alliance, we are supposed to help each other solve the various problems that we are having in each sect and if anyone has any question to ask, you are free to ask" sect leader Lin said. Of course, he won''t be able to directly bring up the flame sect matter so he needs them to bring up the matter themselves then he can make a discussion out of it.?? "Alliance leader, the Wudang Sect hereby ask for your help, although our disciples excel in martial art, however, we are still lacking the funds to broaden our horizon, I hope Alliance leader Lin would assist us on this matter," Sect leader Wu said, the Wudang sect is one of the sect among the inferior sects that excel in martial, although they are not much in number, they have many talents in their sect, if not for their lack of fund and connection, they would have been among the superior sects. "Of course, since Sect leader Wu have brought up, I will definitely see to this matter, although we belong to different sects and region, it is our duty to assist each other" He replied Everyone in the hall started discussing, throughout the sixteen years he had taken the position of the Alliance leader, he has not interacted with the sects but he has assisted some of them in various ways thus earning their respect and his actions today has increased the level of respect they have for him. "Sect leader Wu thanks alliance Leader for your benevolence," Sect Leader Wu replies with his head bowed. "There is no need for such formalities as an alliance, we are families" Sect leader Lin quickly retorts, they all nodded their head in respect of his humble character. "Alliance leader, I would like to report a problem to robbery in our vitality sect" Sect leader Yang said "Go on," Sect leader Lin said as he moved his body forwards with rapt attention, everyone who heard sect leader Yang speak was eager to know what it was that he wanted to report because of the serious tone he spoke in. "Months ago, the vitality sect was robbed by some people and we suffered severe causalities and one of my disciples is near death because of this incident, I beseech alliance leader to please look into this matter on behalf of the vitality," Sect leader Yang said with anger in his voice. "What!!" "Such a thing actually happened, why is he just reporting it now" "The people who did such a thing are really audacious, how could they dare to rob the vitality sect, even if they are not one of the four most superior sects, they still have connections in the court and in other nations" "Who would actually be so stupid to do such a thing?" Everyone began to voice their opinion about the robbery but no matter what, they all thought that the person must have been desperate to offend the vitality sect. "Sect leader Yang, may I ask why you didn''t report this sooner" Sect leader Zhou who is the sect leader of the thunder sect said, he found it suspicious that over five months had passed and the vitality sect didn''t report the incident to the alliance leader and he only chose to bring it up during the meeting. Sect leader Yang sighed with the corner of his eyes crinkled. "Sect leader Zhou, if such a thing happened to your sect, would you be proud to say it out, I am ashamed that my sect has failed to capture the perpetrators during the robbery and we still haven''t found any clue of who they might be" Sect leader Yang replied with a downcast expression on his face. "Sect leader Yang, how many of them infiltrated into your sect?" Sect leader Lin asked with a serious expression on his face, the vitality sect might not be superior but it is very important to the court and Jianghu world, they were the only source of any medication or herbs that cannot be obtained casually. "I came out of my closed-door cultivation one month after the incident happened but I was informed that there were three people but they face were covered so my disciples couldn''t identify them," he answered. "Are you saying that only three people robed your sect and caused severe causalities at the same time?" Sect leader Lin asked "I am afraid so" he answered. They all gasped at the answer, even if the vitality sect is in inferior to some sect in terms of martial art, they are still not bad enough to have suffered such loss by three thief''s, it was just unimaginable for them, the fact that the vitality sect has a lot of traps in their sect is also a well-known fact, if those people were able to pass through the traps and barriers then they must be really skilful martial artist. "Do you have any clues or evidence regarding their identity, if they could commit such an act then they must be very confident that they would surely escape" Sect leader Lin asked "Alliance leader, I have questioned my disciple but they didn''t have any clues, I was wondering how they went past the energy-sucking forest then I realized that they lured¡­." He quickly stopped when he realized that he was almost divulging the secret of how to escape the energy-sucking forest without being poisoned. "One of my disciples who was lured out of the forest by them was left unconscious outside the forest but when he was interrogated, he couldn''t remember anything that had happened that day, so I am guessing that he must have seen their face" Sect Leader Yang said "What did they steal from your sect?" he asked "They only took two important herbs that can''t be found around this time of the year, my guess is that they must have been desperate but if that was the only damage done, I would have forgotten this matter but a lot of my disciples are still injured while some are unconscious, The best disciple is also nearing his death, so I must find out who they are," Sect leader Yang said, as he spoke, they could feel the anger and frustration he felt inside of him. But that wasn''t the only thing bothering him, he was afraid that they might have seen what was hidden in the box they hid inside the storage, and if they knew the secret to go through the forest without being poisoned then he has to find them and silence them. "Did your disciples mention anything about the set of martial skills they used to attack them?" Sect leader Lin asked. All the sect leaders were now thinking of taking the robbers for themselves if they knew how to escape the traps and the energy-sucking forest then they would surely be useful to them. "My disciples only fought with one of them while the other two were in charge of stealing the herbs, I was told that the person who dealt my disciples such damage is a little girl with really long hair, but the skills she used were very strange, she used a skill which allowed her to lift her opponent into the sky and beat him continuously with incredible speed, the speed she used in beating them was too fast for them to react" he answered. "Sect leader Yang, are you joking with us, you are saying that three people robbed your sect but only a little girl dealt such damage to your disciples" Sect leader Zhou said. "Sect leader Zhou, do you think I would joke with such things at this stage?" Sect leader Yang said with a hint of anger in his voice. If what he is saying is true then I must find them, they will definitely be useful to me... Sect leader Zhou thought to himself! "Alliance leader, although I have no clues to identify the identity of the people who robbed my sect, I suspect that the flame sect might be involved in this incident" Sect Leader Yang said. The hall became noisy once again at the mention of the flame sect, everyone was wondering what the flame sect as to do with the vitality sect¡­. "Oh-oh, why do you say so sect leader Yang?" Sect leader Lin said with rapt attention, he has been waiting for someone to mention the flame sect but he didn''t expect that Sect leader Yang would actually suspect that the flame sect was involved. "My disciples saw the fire when they decided to send someone to check it out, and they were bound by one of the trap vines in my sect, that vine cannot be destroyed by anything but fire and they managed to escape it but we didn''t find the pieces of the vine, so they must have burnt it to ashes. They went out of the city and passed the cities that lead to the flame sect and the appearance of the golden eagle might have been because of them." Sect leader Yang said with confidence but it wasn''t enough to convince them that it was the flame sect doing. "I am afraid that what you have just said is not enough to convict them," Sect leader Meng said with doubts echoing in her voice. "I¡­." Sect leader Zhou was about to speak but¡­... "We are sorry for arriving late," A voice said as five people entered inside the hall, they all turned to look at the person who had just spoken, they realized that it is no other person than the Sect leader of the Azure demon sect. They all started discussing amongst themselves, the azure demon sect is almost as secluded as the flame sect, no one has ever been able to determine which side they were on, they were the second sect that was unwilling to join the attack on the flame sect during the ever night. Although they were called a demon sect, they were still accepted into the alliance because their martial techniques were confirmed to be demonic but they never used human blood. The sect leader of the azure demon sect walk into the hall with great strides, just like the flame sect, they all wore red and black clothes but their sect leader was dressed in a regal manner with a black bird-shaped mask covering only his eyes and half of his nose, the red robe he wore made him seem more dignified than the alliance leader as he walked into the hall, he flapped his large sleeves and placed one of his hand at his back while the other was arched in front of his waist. He stood in front of the sect leader and bowed his head with a fist and a palm joined together and raised in front of his head. "I wonder why Sect leader Mo has arrived this late?" Sect leader Lin asked with feigned calmness on his face, his clenched in fist beneath his sleeves with anger, such acts is definitely an act of disrespect towards him and his authority. "I was delayed by some trivial issues, I hope Alliance leader would forgive my impudence" Sect leader Mo said. "Since it was not your intention then you can''t be blamed, please have your seat," Sect leader Lin said reluctantly, Sect leader Mo raised his head slowly then his eyes caught Sect leader Lin''s fist tightly clenched under his sleeves, he smirked at the sight them he raised his head and proceeded to seat in an empty sect while the four people who followed him with a mask on their faces stood behind him. "Please continue speaking," Sect leader Lin said to sect leader Yang who was quite annoyed by the sudden appearance of the azure demon sect. He cleared his throat and continued¡­. "After searching for clues of their whereabouts, I found out that they entered Ping Yao city, which is reportedly the first place the golden eagle landed in but they one knew the exact place he landed in, after hearing the news of the second appearance of the golden eagle, I had my disciples to investigate of they also appeared there and they came back with the news that they weren''t sure but three people wreaked havoc in Yu-Shan and their description fits the culprit of the robbery, so I am guessing that they are also the same person" Sect leader Yang said. This time, they all felt that his theory might be true, the golden eagle did appear at those cities but no one knew where he landed on and the three people were in both cities but what could have prompted the flame sect to steal from the vitality sect¡­...? "I think what he said makes sense, I was in Yu-Shan city the day the golden eagle appeared there and I saw one person on the golden eagle when it flew but by the time it was returning, the golden eagle was carrying four people" Sect Leader Wu added. Chapter 103 - Alliance Meeting! 3 His eyelids dropped, with his eyes narrowed and his forehead creased, he pressed his lips tightly as he clenched his hands tightly, everything that he has done is to protect her but her own people are destroying his effort, any slight mistake they make might lead to her being held as a war prisoner for longer and he has been trying to keep her safe but now¡­. He needed to think of a way to defend the flame sect or else, his father will take this opportunity to incite the sects against the flame sect, once they are incited, they might lead another campaign against the flame sect, he doesn''t care about the flame sect but the only person he cares about is Huo Lan.?? "Father, I think we should investigate this matter, if we wrongly accuse the flame sect, what would the world think of the sect alliance?" Lin Bohai said with worry evident on his face. His father forehead furrowed and his eyes slightly looked towards his side where Bo Hai stood, he wondered why he was so foolish, why would he defend the flame sect in front of all the sect leaders when he is actually planning to use this against them, he would have stood up and slapped him if not for the people sitting in the hall, he quickly changed his expression to a calmer expression. This brat seems to be defending the flame sect, what relationship does he have with them or¡­... "Is the young master of the wind sect interceding for the flame sect?" "Definitely not, what reason would he have to defend them?" "It is said that the young master of the wind sect is benevolent and he is very wise, I think he is just trying to make sure that the innocent are not punished" "That must be the case, how can he defend the flame sect when he clearly knows how evil they are, he must have said that so that the people won''t question the alliance accusation against the flame sect," another said The sect leader Lin was about to reprimand Lin Bohai in front of them but after hearing their thoughts towards the statement he had just said, he smiled awkwardly as he prepared the next thing he was going to say in his mind. "My son must have been worried about the people''s opinion, I assure you that we will thoroughly investigate it and also ask for an explanation from the flame sect," Sect leader Lin said with a broad smile on his face. "Alliance leader, if what sect leader Yang said is true then there is one more problem at hand" the sect leader of Louxia sect, which is one of the inferior sects said, they all turned their attention and focused their attention on him, they were hoping that he was going to say something against the flame sect too, the more charges the better. "What could that be? please speak" Sect leader Lin replied "If the three people who wreaked havoc in Yu-Shan city were from the flame sect then they might have done worse than just causing havoc, the three people that you were talking about were chased by a captain in Yu-Shan city who has lots of military achievement and is recognised by the emperor but he was later found dead in the woods with all of his bones shattered, the people who killed him were nowhere to be found after the incident" He answered. The hall became noisy once again, as everyone discussed amongst themselves, who would have thought that the flame sect has been using a disguise of being secluded from the world to wreak havoc in the country...? These folks are very set on incriminating the flame sect this time but they are really underestimating the flame sect, they have left the world not because they are afraid of them but because of their second young mistress, such fools¡­... Sect leader Mo said in his mind as he slowly shook his head! Sect leader Mo is actually nineteen years old but his father handed the position of the sect leader to him at such a young age while he enjoyed himself, this is why everyone regarded him as the youngest sect leader in Tang dynasty. Unlike his father, he is very dubious and his thoughts cannot be predicted, to the sect leaders, he is neither friend nor enemy to them. As expected, the flame sect has once more given me another chance to destroy them, the more charges the better, they won''t be able to escape it this time¡­. Sect leader Lin thought to himself with a smirk on his face! "Alliance leader, if the flame sect really committed such an act, then they have gone too far," one of the sect leaders of the inferior sects said. "That right, although the court and the sects are closely related sects, there are still limits but we have always prevented any conflicts between the court and the sects to preserve peace, the actions of the flame sect might cause problems for the sect alliance," Sect leader Wu said with his voice raised. Bohai bit his lower lips and clenched his fist, he also hated the flame sect since they caused the death of his mother in the war but he has always loved Huo Lan, his identity as the young master of the wind sect has prevented him from coming out in the open, he has been secretly trying to protect Huo Lan but now the flame sect is really making things go beyond his control¡­. "Father¡­..." Lin Bohai quickly said but his father raised his hand signalling him not to speak since he knew that he was going to say something that would once again go against everyone''s view. Sect leader Mo looked towards the father and son direction then he saw a concerned look on Bohai''s face, although everyone didn''t see what had just happened because they were busy discussing amongst themselves, he definitely saw it clearly¡­... This guy, Lin Bohai seems to be concerned about the flame sect or is my judgement wrong¡­. "Since all these accusations have been laid on the flame sect, we would have to demand an explanation from them, after hearing their side of the story then we would decide what to do," Sect leader said with a solemn look on his face but he was smiling in his heart. Very hypocritical man, you are happy that all these accusations have been laid against the flame sect¡­... Sect leader Mo thought in his mind! "Alliance leader, we must not let the flame sect go this time, the world has been peaceful before they resurfaced but the moment they resurfaced, they have caused lots of trouble" "The sects have always kept a good relationship with the court, the flame sect must be trying to sabotage the relationship" "ohoh, you have not even heard their side of the story but you have already made up your mind that the flame sect is behind all these incidents," Sect leader Mo said, he flicked his wrist at that moment when everyone turned their attention to him and a jade cup filled with an unknown liquid appeared on his palm. He gently sipped the tea with charisma as everyone admired the jade cup, what he just did didn''t come as a surprise to them, the fact that he wasn''t even taking the meeting serious is something they have known since he entered the hall. After taking a gentle sip, he flicked his wrist again then the cup disappeared. "Could it be that sect leader Mo thinks that the flame sect is innocent of the charges?" Sect leader Zhou said with a crooked smile and a sly expression on his face. "Why do you think so sect leader Zhou?" Sect leader Mo asked back "Everyone considers the flame sect as an evil sect which practices demonic techniques and is harmful to the world if the flame sect didn''t do these things then who else would have done them?" Sect leader Zhou answered thinking that he had outdone sect leader Mo with his words but he was wrong¡­ "Is sect leader Zhou trying to say that the azure demon sect is also an evil sect that is harmful to the world just like the flame sect because we also practice demonic techniques and we have more demonic techniques than they do?" Sect leader Mo retorted. They were all left speechless, for a young sect leader at his age, they expected him to be more silent during the meeting but he even made the situation awkward for sect leader Zhou. His face turned dark with his eyebrows furrowed but he wasn''t planning on letting such a young brat have his way, he clenched his fist and forced a calm look on his face which sect leader Mo smirked at¡­ "Sect leader Mo, you must be joking, you are too young to understand the differences between your sect even if I explain them to you, as time goes, you will understand these things," Sect leader said With just these few words, you have made me seem like a young and inexperienced sect leader, seems like I will have to concede today so that you don''t find out whose side I am on¡­. Sect leader Mo said to himself! "I am afraid that you are right, although I am the sect leader of the azure demon sect, I do need more enlightenment, I would really appreciate it if you could enlighten me on these things later" Sect leader Mo said with a slight bow, from the way he just spoke, he sounded too sincere that they couldn''t doubt him except for¡­ Is he serious or is he pretending¡­? Sect leader Lin thought! He just couldn''t comprehend what type of person he was, he looked into his eyes from the mask but he couldn''t affirm if he was sincere just now or he was pretending. After all, that was also how he acted in the past before he wrongly accused the flame sect o a crime they didn''t commit. "Whenever you need it, just come to me, I won''t hesitate to explain these things to you" Sect leader Zhou said, he doesn''t care if he was sincere or not, all he cared about is the fact that he was able to put him in his place. "Seems like the rumours about him being inexperienced are true, he doesn''t even know how evil the flame sect is" "Back then, the azure sect was the second sect that didn''t fight in the battle years ago so they didn''t have any loss, how would they know exactly how evil the flame sect is?" "But I heard that he is very skilled" "Those are nothing but rumours" His ears erected when he heard the whispers far away from his seat but he acted like he didn''t. "I will send some disciples to the flame sect to demand their attendance in the next alliance meeting," Sect leader Lin said "The people of the flame sect are really arrogant, back then when their late sect leader was the leader of the alliance, every sect attended the meetings but now they dared to ignore your order for the attendance of the meeting" sect leader Meng said. Speaking of those who hated the flame sect, she is also one of them and her hatred is just because of her jealousy, if not for the sect madam of the flame sect, she would have married the man she loved but he ended up choosing her back then, her jealously later evolved into hatred as years passed by. "I don''t think they will attend the next meeting since they didn''t attend this one," Lin Bohai said, he was quite happy with this fact, if the flame sect doesn''t attend his father''s meeting then they won''t be able to accuse them of the crimes, but he doesn''t know what his father''s intentions are. "I will tell the disciples to relay a message that if they don''t attend the meeting then they would be admitting the charges against them" Sect leader Lin announce with a firm sense of authority in his voice. Lin Bohai widened his eyes, this is basically forcing them to attend the meeting and implicate them. Sly man, he definitely won''t say that to the disciples he would send or he might not even send any disciple so that they won''t attend the meeting and it would be very easy to convict them of a crime they didn''t commit again¡­... Sect leader Mo thought I will make sure I destroy that sect this time around¡­. "Then we will trust alliance leader with this matter," Sect leader Yang said. "If that is all you have to report then the meeting will end now," Sect leader Lin said then he stood up from his seat and left the sect hall while the other sect leader''s followed after him except for sect leader Mo who stood up with the four masked people standing behind him until everyone left the hall. He and his subordinates suddenly disappeared like a gush of wind, when the sect leaders were ready to turn him to their object of gossip, he and his men were nowhere to be found which they found very strange. "I am very sure that I just saw sect leader Mo in the hall ten seconds ago, where did he go within a short time" Sect leader Lin asked Bohai. "I also don''t know, but right now, I felt a chill as the wind swept by," Bohai said "I also felt it, we might be thinking too much, I want to talk to you privately, come into my study after instructing Meng Hui to lead the guests out of the sect" Sect leader Lin said, then he walked away. Lin Bohai was still doubtful about the chill he had just felt, as a member of the wind sect, he was more familiar with the wind than anyone, he would never feel that way if it was just an ordinary wind so he had his suspicions raised. "Could it be that¡­." Lin Bohai said to himself but he was interrupted by Meng Hui''s sudden appearance. "What are you mumbling about?" Meng Hui said as she stood in front of him with a smile etched on her lips. "When did you arrive here? I was just about to find you" Bohai asked with a slightly surprised look on his face. "You were in thought so you couldn''t notice me, what were you talking about just now?" Meng Hui asked in curiosity. "Mo Li Ming was in the hall seconds ago but when we looked into the hall after ten seconds, he was no longer there and I felt a chill as the wind swept by just now," Bohai said with a disturbed expression on his face. "Are you suspecting that the chill you felt when the windswept was caused then he passed you?" Meng Hui said "I think so but I am not sure about that" Bohai said "You are thinking too much, how can that be, we are acquainted with every wind that passes us, we can''t be affected by the wind so how could you have felt a chill because of the wind," Meng Hui said with a reassuring smile on her face. "maybe I am really overthinking it, father has asked you to see the guest out while I meet him in his study," Lin Bohai said, then he turned to leave but she held his wrist to stop him from leaving. Chapter 104 - Alliance Meeting! 4 "Are you leaving just like that?" Meng Hui said as she held his wrist tightly with a sulking face. "Of course, I need to see dad first, take care of the guest," Lin Bohai said with a slight smile on his face, he brushed her hand away from his wrist and walked away, she watched him as he walked away with a frown on her face.?? ----------------- Mo Yuhan swiftly left the wind sect and the surrounding without being noticed by anyone, it was as if he had become one with the wind, he landed inside the mountain of the flame sect. His subordinates were surprised by his ability to enter the barrier of the flame sect without being affected by the effects, he held his disciple''s hand while the other two held the remaining tow hand and that was how he brought them with him to the flame mountain. "Sect leader, why did we come to the flame sect?" One of the guards following behind him said, three of out his four guards are female and they are one year younger than him while the only male on among them is his mate. "A''Yin, you should no my intention without me having to tell you, do you still need to ask such questions" Mo Yuhan replied, he placed one of his hand at his back and the other arched at his front. "The flame sect is the secret ally of the azure sect, without them, our sect would have been extinct long time ago, so I guess that young master is planning to inform them of the alliance plan" Chen Feng answered. "Seems like you know me best, how can we not inform the flame sect of this issue, we need to make sure that they are prepared for the sly move that the sect leader of the wind sect is planning to make," Mo Yuhan said. "But how is it possible that we are able to enter the barrier? we have heard the news of many cultivators and ordinary people getting injured because they tried to enter the barrier" Wei Qi asked with confusion written on her face. "We are the only connection of the flame sect to the outside world, do you think that they will keep us out of their barrier when the barrier was made, they had already sent this token to our sect," Mo Yuhan said then he stretched his hand to show them the red token, then he retracted his hand and inserted his token inside his chest. "They must have expected something like this to happen, which means that they are really responsible for those incidents," Wei Qi said. "We will hear from them when we go in, they must have detected our presence, let''s go in before they come down," Mo Yuhan said then he flapped his sleeves and made his way into the flame sect. He was approaching the gate when the disciples guarding the gate spotted them from afar, they immediately removed their sword from its sheath and pointed it at them. "Stop there, who are you?" One of the elite disciples guarding the gate shouted and walked to the front, Mo Yuhan gave him a crooked smile and continued walking forward with his guards against his instruction. "I said stop there!" the disciple shouted again. "It has been long since I came here, I almost forgot how fierce the disciples of the flame sect are, please forgive me for my forgetfulness," Mo Yuhan said, he placed his cupped hands in his front and bowed his head slightly. "enough nonsense! I asked you a question, who are you?" he shouted again as he moved closer with him with his sword now resting on his neck, his guards were about to unsheathe their sword but he raised his hand, signalling them to sheath their swords. "I am sorry for the misunderstanding," Mo Yuhan said, then he placed his hand inside the opening in his robe and removed the token from his chest. He stretched out his hands to show them the token. The disciples widened their eyes upon seeing the token, then they fell to their knees and cupped their hands in their front. "We are sorry for not recognising sect leader Mo earlier, please forgive our foolishness" They chorused. "There is no need for such formalities between our sect and the flame sect, please rise," Mo Yuhan said, then he held the disciple''s hand and pulled him up. "Thanks for your understanding" the disciple replied. They have always held the azure demon sect in high esteem for years even before the battle of ever night, their alliance was kept secret from other sects so that they can provide assistance to each other in difficult situations. In the battle of ever night, although the azure demon sect refused to participate in the war, they secretly sent disciples and weapons to them during the war in case of the flame sect is defeated then their members can seek refuge in the azure demon sect but they ended up surviving the war and they have always been supplying the flame sect with information and other things they needed secretly. "Please lead us in," Mo Yuhan said "Please¡­." The disciple lead them into the sect while the other disciple stood guard outside the sect, as they walked into the sect, the disciples who were having fun saw them strolling in, they all looked towards their direction, it has been long since a stranger was allowed into the sect and these men are masked, it is indeed a strange event. "Your disciples seem to be very relaxed," Mo Yuhan said "We are disconnected from the outside so we have many fun things in our sect, we can''t just spend our entire time training and cultivating" the disciple escorting them replied. "This is exactly why I like the flame sect, rather than being a pretentious sect only focused on cultivating, you even do fun things, I wonder what games there are to play in the flame sect?" Mo Yuhan asked "Sect leader Mo, there are many games and fun things to do in our sect, gambling, horse racing, archery, chess, cock racing and rat racing, there are many other games so I can''t mention them all" the disciple replied "ohoh, seems like my efforts to make the azure demon sect lively is nothing compared to the flame sect, I should really learn from your sect," Mo Yuhan said "You are right sect leader, we are not even half as lively as they are," Wei Qi said in excitement while Mo Yuhan smiled cheerfully. "You really give us more praise than we deserve," the disciple said, then he led them into the hall that is used to greet visitors. "Please wait here for a while, I will inform the sect leader of your presence," the disciple said then he bowed his head and left the hall. --------------------- "Sect leader, one of the elite disciples guarding the gate wants to see you" one of the disciples announced. "Let him in" The door opened and the disciple entered the room. "What is it?" The sect leader asked he dropped the brush he was using to practise calligraphy on the table and raised his head. "Sect leader, the sect leader of the azure sect is here with his guards" the disciple answered "I really didn''t expect that they would be here soon" Sect leader Huo said then he stood up from his seat with an excited look on his face. "Lead the way" Sect leader Huo added. After he came out of his room, he ordered one of the disciples to inform the sect madam of the visit then he walked quickly to the hall, he arrived at the hall in less than one minutes, upon seeing the sect leader of the azure demon sect, he cupped his hands together and bowed his head slightly. "Sect leader Mo!" "Martial Uncle! Please don''t bow, after all, you are my uncle and you have looked after me" Mo Yuhan said with his head still bowed even after sect leader Huo has raised his head. "What are you saying, even if you are someone I consider as my son, you are still the sect leader of the azure demon sect," Sect leader Huo said then he held his hand and pulled him to his seat, while he sat on the high seat in the medium-sized hall. "Uncle, we haven''t seen each other for years but you are still looking able and agile unlike my father, he is looking older than his age now, old age is really toying with him," Mo Yuhan said in a relaxed and informal manner as he sat. "you are really flattering me, at least you have relieved your father of his duty, he can now rest and enjoy himself, but one of my daughters is held as a war prisoner while the other does nothing but cause trouble," Sect leader Huo said then he sighed deeply and patted his thigh. "You are really joking uncle, A'' Ying has always been dutiful, how can she cause trouble," Mo Yuhan said "I am glad you also think so, I can''t believe that you are even defaming your daughter in front of my martial son," the sect madam said as she walked into the hall with two of her personal female disciples. "Martial aunt!" Mo Yuhan quickly sprung up from his chair and greeted her with his head bowed. "No need for such greetings, you may seat" the sect madam replied as she took her seat next to her husband. "Martial aunt, it seems like age has no significance on you, you are looking more beautiful compared to when I saw you last" Mo Yuhan said, he suddenly remembered that he hasn''t removed his mask since he arrived, he removed his mask and placed it in the opening of his robe while the others followed suit. "I was wondering when you were going to remove your mask" Sect leader Huo said "I forgot my manners please forgive me," Mo Yuhan said "It''s alright, I was just worried that are already unfamiliar with us, it must not be easy having to wear the mask every time," Sect leader Huo said "We are already used to it, moreover, our sect easily does things secretly because those from the other sects don''t know how we look like, even if the sect leader of the wind sect sees me today, he won''t recognise me as the sect leader of the azure demon sect" Mo Yuhan said. "I agree, but why have you decided to pay us a visit?" the sect madam asked "Martial aunt, an alliance meeting was held today in the wind sect," Mo Yuhan said with a serious expression on his face, judging from how he was looking, they could tell that something serious happened. "Ever since the wind sect leader overthrew me and became the alliance leader, he has never called an alliance meeting, there must have been a special reason why he needed to call for an alliance meeting," Sect leader Huo said with a serious expression. "I also thought so, so I decided to attend the meeting but I waited until they mentioned something relevant to the flame sect or the azure demon sect, Sect leader Yang of the vitality sect reported that his sect was robbed and his sect suffered severe causalities leaving of his most talented disciples near death so..." "So¡­..." "He suspects that the flame sect was behind the incident, he connected the appearance of the golden eagle in Ping Yao city and Yu-Shan city with the escape of the three people that robbed his sect, Sect leader Wu of the Wudang sect also reported that those three people caused the death of a captain who is highly favoured by the emperor" Mo Yuhan narrated. "From what I know, the golden eagle was summoned by the guardians once, no one could have summoned the golden eagle" Sect madam replied with a confident look on her face. "There were four people sitting on the golden eagle when it returned to your sect the second time he left the flame sect, even I saw the golden eagle when it left the sect," Mo Yuhan said "Only the important members of the sect can summon the golden eagle, the first time they summoned the golden eagle, he poisoned one of them but he still answered his request which is very weird, the golden eagle can only be summoned but he would never answer anyone''s request," Sect madam said "But¡­." "What Yuhan said is indeed true, the golden eagle left the sect twice to rescue the guardians," Sect leader Huo said with a dark expression, if his wife learns of this then that means she would learn of the cruel punishment he gave to Huo Ying, he was already regretting his actions and he was hoping that it would be forgotten but now he has to dig it up again. "Why wasn''t I aware of this?" the sect madam asked with a confused expression on her face. "You had fallen into a deep sleep then, Huo Ying somehow made the golden eagle take her to rescue the guardians and Huo Li," the sect leader said "What! How did she manage to do that?" the sect madam asked in surprise. "I also don''t know" the sect leader replied "Martial aunt and uncle, I am lost, were all these things actually done by the flame sect," Mo Yuhan asked "Months ago, Huo Ying fell ill and was at the point of death but the herbs that were needed to treat her couldn''t be found anywhere but in the vitality sect and you are aware that the vitality sect would never sell their herbs to us, so my disciples had no choice but to steal it from them, I am not aware of the other things you have just said. Meanwhile outside the hall. The female disciples who had secretly peeked into the hall to see Mo Yuhan were fascinated by his handsome look, he originally has a tall and well-built structure but they haven''t seen his face because of his mask when he entered the sect, they stopped peeking when they had satisfied their curiosity. "Sect leader Mo is so handsome" "I agree, he is even more handsome then guardian Qiang, and he looks very manly" "What are you girls talking about?" "What! You don''t like us talking about him" "We admit that he is more handsome and even capable than guardian Huo but I bet that he is no match for our young mistress" "that might not be true" "What are you all talking about?" Huo Mei asked as she walked up to them. "Guardian Mei!" they greeted "Did you just mention Mo Yuhan?" Huo Mei asked "We forgot to inform you, sect leader Mo has paid a visit to our sect" One of the female disciples answered "Really!" "Yes, he came in not long ago" she replied "So, if I didn''t ask, none of you would have bothered to report this to the young mistress, if she had missed the chance to see him, you would all be punished," Huo Mei said with a smile on her face. Mo Yuhan has been their childhood friend since when they were little but they haven''t seen each other for six years, she couldn''t imagine how excited Huo Ying would be if she hears this news. "We had forgotten to report his visit in excitement, fortunately, you passed by" "Alright, I will inform her the rest of you should inform the other guardians and Huo Li of his visit" Huo Mei commanded "Understood!" they chorused then she walked away. --------------------- "Huo Ying! Huo Ying!" Huo Mei called out as she tapped Huo Ying who has been sleeping for hours after she finished training that morning. "What is it?" Huo Ying mumbled as she spun around on her bed, her long hair was already scattered on hr face why some strands strayed on her lips. "Sect leader Mo is¡­" "What sect leader? my father hasn''t spoken to me for months now, don''t try to play a prank on me" Huo Ying said in her sleep. "I am not talking about that, Sect leader Mo is here!" Huo Mei shouted hoping that she would be willing to stand up from her bed upon hearing the news. "Which sect leader Mo?" Huo Ying asked still half asleep. "Who else, Mo Yuhan!" Huo Mei answered. "What!!!" Huo Ying shouted as she sprung up from her bed. "Mo Yuhan paid a visit to our sect bot long ago and he is in the reception hall" Huo Mei said "Then what are you waiting for? Let''s go" Huo Ying said in excitement as she walked towards the door but Huo Mei quickly pulled her back. "What!" "Are you planning on going out when you are dressed like that?" Huo Mei asked as she looked at Huo Ying from her head to her toe, she was still in a white top and white pants. "I understand" Huo Ying replied. In a minute, she had already dressed up in her normal red and black non-feminine clothing''s and was about to leave the room but she was stopped again¡­ "Huo Ying, your hair is still messy," Huo Mei said "I don''t care about that" Huo Ying replied then she brushed her hand away from her wrist, she brushed her ling hair backward with her hand as she ran towards the reception hall with Huo Mei following behind her. Before she got there, the other guardians had already arrived including Huo Li and they were waiting for Huo Mei to arrive with Huo Ying so they can clear the matter. "Why is the young mistress dressed like that?" "She normally dresses in a smart way but she even let her hair loose" "Don''t you know how close Sect leader Mo and Mo Yuhan are, they are childhood lovers, she must be running like that because of him" Chapter 105 - Questioning! 1 Huo Ying continued running all the way to the reception hall, she didn''t even mind the fact that her long hair was flying in different directions as she ran while some scattered on her face. After running for a while, she finally arrived at the hall, they people inside the hall were discussing but they immediately turned back when¡­.?? "Yuhan gege!!" Huo Ying shouted as she ran into the reception hall, they all turned back only to see her running towards him before he could react, she had already jumped on him and wrapped her hands tightly around his neck. "Yuhan gege, I have missed you so much!" Huo Ying said with a cheerful smile on her face and her white set of teeth displayed at his back, his eyes were still widened as he wasn''t expecting her to suddenly appear and jump on him. Her mother and father slowly shook their head, even if she is acting the role of a man in the sect, she should at least be restrained and always be conscious of the fact that she is a female, how could she just have jumped on him like that. While the guardians and his guards widened their eyes at the scene, those who were suspecting that Huo Ying before was not even sure of what to think anymore, they shocked faces had already turned into a chuckle, they have never seen her that excited but she actually jumped on him as soon as she saw him, Huo Qiang had a slight frown on his face which seemed really difficult to interpret. "Huo Ying! Why don''t you release me first then we can greet each other properly" Mo Yuhan said with his hands hanging in the air. "No!!! I haven''t seen you for years, you don''t know how much I have missed you" Huo Ying said in a childish tone. "Huo Ying!" her mom and dad chorused. She suddenly realized that there were other people in the reception, her face quickly turned serious, when she ran into the hall, it seemed like Mo Yuhan was the only one in the room but she had just realized that there were more people in the hall including Huo Mei who ran into the hall with her. She released him from her grip then she stood straight in front of him with an awkward smile as she surveyed the hall, her smile became even more awkward because of the embarrassment she was feeling at that moment. The worst situation for her at that moment was that she was in the same room with her father whom she hadn''t spoken too for months now, she immediately cowered her head when her eyes met her father''s. "Huo Ying, can''t you restrain yourself, you lost your rationality immediately you saw him, where did you put your face?" the sect madam snapped. "I am sorry mother, I was carried away by my excitement" Huo Ying replied then she raised her head. "Martial aunt, don''t blame Huo Ying, we haven''t seen each other for years and it is my fault that I didn''t come to visit before," Mo Yuhan said then he turned to look at her with a smile on her face and ruffled her hair, while she smiled at him cutely. "Enough, the purpose of his visit is to bring us important information, the wind sect held a sect alliance meeting today, the sect leader of the vitality sect announced in the meeting that he suspects the flame sect for the robbery that was carried out in the sect, he also complained that the culprits caused severe causalities to his disciples and the death of the captain in Yu-Shan city, you didn''t inform me of such incident, all of you should explain this matter," sect leader Huo said with his eyes boring intently into Huo Ying''s eyes, she quickly avoided his gaze as soon as she noticed that he was looking at her. "Sect Leader, this matter is my fault, I failed to control the situation at that time," Huo Qiang said with his head bowed and a serious look on his face, they all sighed when they heard him speak. There weren''t surprised by his actions, he has always tried to take responsibilities for any mistake they make and he has always taken the punishments for himself. "Sect leader, this is my fault, I was too reckless during the mission" Huo Li said with her head bowed. "Sect leader, this problem is as a result of my negligence please forgive me," Huo Bingchen said. At this point, Mo Yuhan and his guards weren''t sure of what to do, they were almost at the verge of bursting into laughter including Huo Ying but they tried to restrain themselves since they were discussing something serious. "I didn''t ask you to state your fault, I am asking you to explain what happened to me" the sect leader shouted with a glowering look on his face. "When we arrived at the vitality sect, Huo Qiang stayed with the guards in the energy-sucking forest in a disguise while I and Huo Li went into the sect, we entered their storage to steal the herbs but the lock on the box where the herbs were kept was too complicated so the disciples had arrived before we could get the herbs so Huo Li went out to distract the disciple who had come to capture us but¡­.." Bingchen said then he hesitated for a while. He didn''t want to implicate Huo Li after seeing how Huo Ying was punished by the sect leader so he had to choose his words carefully, Huo Li understood his intentions so she decided to speak for herself. "But what?" the sect madam asked "I was initially planning on distracting them or knocking them out but they agitated me so I lost my reasoning and beat up their senior disciple and all the disciples that were sent to attack us," Huo Li said, she quickly concluded her narration with her eyes tightly shut and her head bowed. "What! I have always warned you to restrain yourself when you are angry, you almost severely injured Bingchen on the training ground last time, if I hadn''t stopped you, he would have been severely injured but you still didn''t learn from that, did you forget that we are in the wrong by stealing from their sect" the sect madam said with her voice raised and a stern expression on her face. "I admit my mistake, master please forgive me" Huo Li quickly said. Her madam is already angry because she beat up their disciples, what would happen if she finds out what she did to the captain¡­ "Sect madam, Huo Li made a mistake please forgive her" Bingchen and Huo Qiang chorused. "I agree, martial aunt, it is really not easy to suppress your anger when you have been pushed beyond your limit, I trust that Huo Li must have been pushed beyond her limit" Mo Yuhan added. "That is because you don''t know how small her limit is" the sect madam replied then she gave Huo Li a threatening glare while she cowered her head. "Huo Li, Sect leader Yang complained that one of his disciples is near death was that also done by you," Mo Yuhan asked "I¡­he¡­I was angry because of the insults he hurled at me, so¡­so he was the first disciple I beat up" Huo Mei replied, she was afraid that her master would ask which technique she used, by then she would really lose it. "What technique did you use on him, even if you beat him up, he shouldn''t be to the point of death?" the sect madam asked. They widened their eyes and glanced at each other when they heard her question, if she finds out that she used eighteen thunderbolt kicks on the poor disciple then they don''t know what would happen. "Mother, Huo Li¡­she¡­that disciple must have been weak before she attacked him, Huo Li wouldn''t have done something extreme" Huo Ying said "Yes, yes, yes!" the three of them chorused in support but she would never but it, they answer even made her more suspicious. "Seeing as you are all defending her, she must have done something extreme, what technique did you use?" she asked again, this time, her glare was even more dangerous. "I¡­I¡­I used eighteen thunderbolt kicks!" the five of them closed their eyes at that moment, they were hoping that they would never find out but they did find out after all. "What!" the sect madam shouted then she sprung up from her seat, her eyes blazed with fire while her hands started shaking with flame sparks but she was trying her best to tame her anger. "Huo Li, do you know what harm you have done?" the sect leader said with little anger echoing in his voice. "I admit my mistake," Huo Li said "Martial uncle, what exactly is the eighteen-thunderbolt kick that makes you so angry?" Mo Yuhan asked when he saw their extreme reaction to her confession. "it is a skill that doesn''t need flame skill, it allows you to kick your opponent eighteen times with great levitation, the person won''t be able to stand up for months or he might even die, If he is not treated immediately, the disciples of the vitality sect are weak, they wouldn''t be able to withstand such an attack" the sect leader answered. "Wow! There is such a skill, really frightening but it must require very strong internal force and practice" Mo Yuhan said with a hint of shock in his voice, anyone who can perform such an attack should be on the same level with him but there is no way Huo Li would be on the same level with him. "That is why she is the only elite disciple who is capable of such skills" the sect leader answered. "Then what happened with the Yu-Shan captain?" Mo Yuhan asked "We didn''t kill any of their disciples because we had our faces covered so there was no harm and I had a talisman that can change a person''s appearance so we could escape the city without being recognised but at Yu-Shan city, there was no way we could cover our faces so when we were pursued by the soldiers, we had to kill them and the captain" Huo Qiang replied. "he mentioned that the captain''s bones were shattered, how did that happen?" Mo Yuhan asked, then the four of them turned to look at Huo Li while she bit in her lips helplessly. Chapter 106 - Questioning !2 "you¡­why do you have to ask about that, you are just making matters worse," Huo Ying whispered to him then she pinched his hands secretly, he winced when she pinched him so the sect leader and his wife turned to look at Mo Yuhan but he just smiled awkwardly and glared at Huo Ying. "What are you talking about, if we don''t verify this matter, how are we supposed to avoid the sly plans of that alliance leader?" Mo Yuhan whispered to her.? ? "If you know what she did then you wouldn''t ask those questions" Huo Ying whispered back, but Mo Yuhan just gazed at her in confusion then he focused his attention back to the sect leader. "Can''t you answer, what did you do?" the sect madam asked with her voice raised, they could see her eyes burning with anger then they immediately realized that her current situation seemed dangerous but it can''t be avoided. At this point, Mo Yuhan was also feeling regretful, he and his guard were already feeling a kind of threatening aura in the room but they couldn''t tell where it was coming from. I shouldn''t have asked this question¡­... "This is bad, Mother is going to lose it soon, Huo Li¡­." Huo Ying whispered to herself as she looked at Huo Li with anxiety, Huo Li''s condition at this moment can''t be described, she fiddled with her fingers and her legs were shaking, even if no one knows how scary her master is when she is angry, she definitely knows. "He pursued us with the soldiers but they had already seen our faces so we had to kill them when all his men were dead, he tried to escape alone, at that moment, my condition flared up so I ran after him and shattered his bones¡­." Huo Li said as quickly as she could with her eyes tightly shut and her head cowered. The sect leader, Mo Yuhan and his guards were all shocked by her confession, she had such a tiny and cute figure but her actions are the opposite of her appearance, if they had not known each other since they were little, Mo Yuhan would definitely be afraid of her but at this moment, he was speechless¡­. I shouldn''t have asked¡­... Mo Yuhan said in his mind then he rubbed his forehead, he only regained his senses when he heard a sparking sound, he turned to look at the front of the hall where the sect leader and his wife were seating. Then his eyes fell on the bracelet she was wearing, the bracelet seemed to be on fire even though it was on her wrist while her hands were tightly clenched together. Her eyes blazed with fire as they stared intently ay Huo Li but she wasn''t saying anything, what they feared the most was about to happen, in a twinkle of an eye, the bracelet came off her wrist and slowly elongated into a long whip. "As expected, the second of the twin whip, so magnificent and unetched¡­" Mo Yuhan said softly as his eyes fell on the bracelet which has already changed into its original form. The whip was made of leather, but it has a golden colour, it also has the ability to stretch into any length the user need it to stretch into, the handle of the whip can also change form to any shape the owner wants it to change into but the body of the whip is even shinier than gold, the bright light emitting from it is enough to blind anyone''s eyes but every property of this whip can be controlled anyhow the owner wants it. The whip is called the twin whip because it is a pair, he second whip was given to Huo Ying at the age of fourteen, Huo Ying has never shown anyone the true form of her whip so she always used it in a normal form. Anyone who sees her using her whip would think it is only a long whip made of brown leather but the hidden power it possesses s unimaginable for a whip, Huo Ying whip has already been combined with her route of power flow at the age of fourteen but her mother didn''t combine hers because she had planned to give the twin to Huo Lan when she returns to the flame sect. "Now is not the time to admire her whip, if we don''t stop her now, she might hurt Huo Li¡­" Huo Ying said as she tugged his robe snapping him back to reality. "I almost forgot the matter at hand," Mo Yuhan said then he raised his head to say something but he stopped when a bright light suddenly flashed before their eyes¡­. Her whip swiftly descended from the high seat down to where Huo Li stood, Huo Li quickly opened her eyes when she heard the lightening sound coming from the whip then she quickly ducked to the side with all her might, with her ability, it is possible for her to dodge the whip once but not twice¡­ "Sect madam please ease your anger, I am sure that Huo Li was affected by her past condition, please forgive her" Mo Yuhan quickly rushed to the Huo Li''s front and bowed his head as he pleaded on her behalf. "Please forgive her!" the four of them chorused. The sect leader was also taken aback but his wife''s sudden reaction, he knows how rash she can be when she is angry but he didn''t expect her to use her whip on her favourite disciple even though she has always spoiled her. "You should calm down, she should be punished but don''t act rashly ¡­" The sect leader pleaded as he held her wrist to calm her down even his plea wouldn''t work. They all thought she was going to forgive her but their thoughts were crushed when they saw her raise her whip again, this time, Huo Li knew that she wouldn''t be able to dodge her master''s whip, the second attack would definitely make the whip follow its target until it achieves its purpose¡­ Huo Li shut her eyes to accept her fate while the others focused their attention on the whip as it slowly descended except Huo Ying¡­ She stretched her palms and summoned her whip, in an instant, the whop appeared on her hand, she quickly turned around and sent the whip flying swords the direction of her mothers attack, since her whip has been combined with her route of power flow, it naturally understands her thoughts, it moved swiftly and wrapped itself around its twin whip¡­. Just as the whip was about to land on Huo Li, Huo Ying''s whip immediately stopped the attack then she pulled her whip causing both whips to hang above her head. They all heaved a sigh of relief when they Huo Ying stopped the attack while Huo Li who was still keeping her eyes closed slowly opened one of her eyes to see what was happening. She was surprised to see that the whip was hanging above her head then she turned to look at Huo Ying with a thankful expression on her face but that wasn''t the right moment to be sentimental and they were all aware of it. "Are you ignoring me now?" the sect leader said in a calm but authoritative manner, she continued breathing heavily while her chest rose and fell with rapid breaths as she glared at Huo Li, upon hearing the words of her husband, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath then she sat back on her seat and changed the whip into a bracelet on her wrist. "Huo Li, I understand that you have been troubled by your inner demon since you were little but you master has been helping you cultivate so you can be free from your inner demon, if you had restrained yourself, after one more year, you would e free from your inner demons but your actions has frustrated your master''s effort," the sect leader said softly but in his heart, he was still feeling angry because of her actions. Huo Li quickly knelt down and bowed her head. "I am sorry for not controlling myself, I will receive my punishment," Huo Li said. "Your punishment will be discussed after we avoid the crisis we have at hand," the sect leader said then he turned to face Mo Yuhan. "what are the plans of the sect alliance?" the sect leader asked "Sect leader Lin informed the sects that he would send his disciples to send you a message that you are to attend the next alliance meeting to explain yourself," Mo Yuhan said "If that is the case then we can''t just pretend like we didn''t get the message, no need for us to attend the alliance meeting," Huo Ying said as she brushed the strands of her that were hovering over her face to the side. Mo Yuhan smiled when he heard her statement, that is surely what their enemy wants, other people might now know but he knows... "Would I rush here to inform you of this news if it was as simple as that, he announced at the meeting that, your absence would mean that you re pleading guilty so this is basically a trap for you to fall into?" Mo Yuhan said. "Also, to avoid making any mistake, he definitely would send his disciples to inform you of the meeting," Xu Yin said after her master. "That makes sense, so he is going to frame us just like he did before?" Huo Ying said with one of her eyes dimmed in anger. "This doesn''t count as framing you but we still can''t let him succeed, whether or not he sends his disciples to inform you of the meeting, you have to attend the meeting," Mo Yuhan said "But¡­." Huo Qiang muttered "If you don''t attend the meeting then it is the same as letting them succeed" Mo Yuhan added "Father, I have been wanting to tell you something¡­" Huo Ying said with a hint of hesitation. "Go on" "Since we are being forced to appear, why don''t we take this chance to see Huo Lan?" "What do you mean by that?" her mother said as she sat forward to listen to her with rapt attention. "Why don''t we take this case to the emperor, after all, a government official is involved, if we are found innocent then we can ask the emperor to grant us the permission to see Huo Lan" Huo Ying said "That is indeed a good plan," Mo Yuhan said with a smile on his face as he shifted his gaze from Huo Ying to the sect leader. "I didn''t expect that you would use this chance to turn their own attack into their offence" the sect leader answered. "if the sect alliance wants to convict you then they must have witnessed since the only people that saw you face ae those from Yu-Shan city then I have a way to prevent them from recognising you," Mo Yuhan said "How?" "I just need to use the illusion powder on the witnesses if the situation calls for it then they would not be able to recognise you but if you didn''t leave any other trace that can help them convict you then I think the problem should be solved," Mo Yuhan said with a confident smile on his face. "That is indeed a good plan, if not for you, the flame sect would have been caught unawares, we formed this alliance for the benefit of both sects but we are the only ones that have been reaping the benefit, this really makes me feel ashamed," Sect leader Huo said "Don''t speak like that martial uncle, the relationship between both sects can''t be considered as an alliance any longer, we are like families so why should e keep account of such things?" Mo Yuhan said "You have indeed grown into a fine adult, after many years of not seeing you, even your speech is better than an adult, let''s not discuss this matter anymore, if you are not in a hurry to leave then you can walk around, we won''t disturb you anymore," the sect madam said then she stood up from her seat while sect leader Huo followed after her then they left the reception hall. Chapter 107 - Questioning! 3 They all heaved a sigh of relief as the couple exited the hall, the atmosphere in the hall was too stiff for them to even talk in a friendly manner with each other, They all cowered their head until they were sure that the couple was out of sight. "Brother..." Huo Ying shouted then she hugged Mo Yuhan tightly again, he held his breath the moment he felt her grip around his neck, the stifling atmosphere in the room still hasn''t faded but she had already jumped on him again, he raised his hands in the air to prevent himself from touching her in an inappropriate place, when they were still young, they had no restriction but know she is already an adult, how come she is not even restraining herself at all. These thoughts ran through his head as he swept his eyes around the hall with a helpless look beckoning the others to help him but they just looked away as his eyes fell on them, he opened his mouth in surprise when even his guards looked away, he sighed knowing that he has to depend on himself to free himself from her grip. "Ehmmmn...Ehmmn, A''ying, why don''t you let go so that we can greet each other properly," Mo Yuhan stuttered with his hands still hanging in the air, he was still awaiting her reply when she shook her head profusely, he looked at the others to know what her nodding means but they all chuckled and shrugged their shoulders. He was amazed at their betrayal at this moment, he pursed his lips and waved his index finger at them... "Yuhan gege, it has been a long time since I hugged you like this, I really miss you, why didn''t you come to see me?" "I am sorry but you really have to let go, you are a female, men and women shouldn''t have close contact with each other" Mo Yuhan said in his defence "That doesn''t matter, anyway I don''t think of you as a man, you are just my Yuhan gege" Huo Ying replied with a childish tone. "But I...I" Mo Yuhan stuttered while the others laughed at him, Huo Ying released him from her grip, she stood straight in front of him with a quizzical look on her face as she slowly dimmed her eyes while fixing her gaze on him, he widened his eyes and slowly bent his back backwards as she moved closer to him. "Brother, could it be that.....that you have developed feelings for me through the years we didn''t see each other, as they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder ?" Huo Ying said then she moved away from him with her index finger pointed at him and a teasing smile on her face while the others chuckled. "What are you talking about...how can I....your imaginations are really running wild, haven''t seen you for more than five years and you are already this wild" Mo Yuhan said as he straightened his robe and adjusted his poise. "Then why are you saying silly things like men and women are not supposed to be together, if you don''t see me as a woman then it is fine," Huo Ying said "You are a grown-up now, you should learn to restrain yourself when we were young you were like this, you are grown up now and you still haven''t changed," Mo Yuhan said as he shook his head. "She is quite right Yuhan ge" Huo Mei added. "Ehhh, the three of you should stop addressing me like that, I am now a sect leader, you are making me lose my face in front of my subordinates" "Even if you are the head of the sect alliance or the emperor, I will still call you in the same old way" Huo Ying answered. "You really made a mistake today, you shouldn''t have asked all those questions in front of the sect madam," Huo Qiang said with a troubled look on his face, after laughing, they had all come to the realization that the trouble at hand was still in place and the sect madam anger hasn''t been quelled. "I...I had forgotten Huo Li''s temperament and I needed to know what happened in order to devise a plan to stop the crisis at hand, if I had known that it would have caused trouble for Huo Li, I wouldn''t have done that" Mo Yuhan said then he looked towards Huo Li''s direction only to see her sad and pitiful looking face, at this moment her cute properties were even more evident, this made him regret the fact that he asked those questions in front of the sect leader and his wife. "You can''t blame him, if the sect leader wasn''t thinking of helping the flame sect, he wouldn''t have asked those questions," Xu Yin said in defence of her master. "Who are you, why are you butting into our discussion?" Huo Lian snapped at Xu Yin with her eyes widely opened and her chest puffed out. "You... Hmmph! I am the sect leader''s personal guard, who are you?" Xu Yin answered with her eyes widely opened and her chest puffed out to imitate and intimidate Huo Lian, Huo Lian scoffed then she folded her arms on her chest. "I am the third guardian of the flame sect and his childhood friend if Yuhan ge is your master then you shouldn''t have the right to speak when he hasn''t even complained," Huo Lian said in an authoritative manner which pissed Xu Yin off but Mo Yuhan and the others just watched them argue without joining in but Yuhan knew that if he doesn''t get involved now then it might probably lead to a fight. "You....." "Ehhhmmmn! the both of you should stop arguing now, all of you are my closest friends, even though I am the sect leader of the azure demon sect, my title doesn''t matter when we are alone, "Mo Yuhan said. "But Yuhan ge, I have never seen them before when you used to visit our sect," Huo Ying said with a searching expression on her face as she fixed her eyes on Xu Yin''s twin who has maintained a straight look without talking since they started discussing and she looked identical to Xu Yin but the difference in their personality seemed too obvious not to notice. "This is Xu Yin as you already know and Song Yin her twin sister, I am sure that is very obvious since they look alike," Mo Yuhan said with his hand gesturing at Song Yin while the twins bowed their heads and raised their cupped hands in front of them as a sign of courtesy. Huo Ying couldn''t help but stare intently at Song Yin, she felt a slight sense of familiarity and envy as she fixed her gaze on her, the thought that was running through her mind seemed very obvious for those who noticed that she was staring at the twins intently and absentmindedly. She couldn''t help but think of how nice it would have been if she had the opportunity to be with Huo Lan every day, to other siblings, this is something that they find normal and casual but for her, it is something she has been dreaming of for over ten years. "Is anything the matter miss Huo Ying?" Xu Yin asked with a slightly confused face as she couldn''t understand why her gaze was constantly shifting from her to Song Yin without uttering a word, while Song Yin looked at Huo Ying with confusion in her eyes but her look was still the same as it had been since they entered the hall. They would have doubted the fact that the two girls were a twin judging from the difference in their character if not for the fact that they both look alike, Song Yin had a very stiff and cold look in her eyes that Mo Yuhan and everyone in the azure demon sect was already accustomed to but it seemed abnormal to Huo Ying and the guardians. "I am alright" Huo Ying replied with a smile on her face to reassure her. "This is Wei Qi and Chen Feng, they are also siblings but Chen Feng is older," Mo Yuhan said with the same hand gesture as he introduced them. "It is really our fortune to meet you today, our sect leader has always described you as a cheerful, skilful and unrestrained lady, today I have seen it with my own eyes, you are exactly as he has described," Chen Feng said. "I also agree, you are exactly as he has described," Wei Qi said with a broad smile on her face. "I must say that miss Song Yin really reminds me of my twin sister, she is exceptionally quiet just like you but she talks more when she is with me," Huo Ying said in a sentimental manner that made everyone feel the sadness in her voice which she tried to cover with the smile on her lips. "Huo Ying...." Mo Yuhan said in a soft voice, he was aware of the sadness Huo Ying has always felt because she doesn''t have the chance to be with her twin sister but he has almost forgotten it, seeing her talking in a sentimental manner today has made him come to the realization that she still hasn''t gotten over it. "Don''t worry Yuhan ge, I was only reminded of her" Huo Ying said when she saw the expression on his face as he called her name. "If our plan works out well this time, you will definitely be able to see her," Mo Yuhan said with a reassuring smile etched on his lips. "I know, you don''t need to remind me, why don''t we leave here now, I will specially cook one of my speciality dishes for you," Huo Ying said then she pulled his hand with a cheerful smile on her face. "I don''t think that is a good idea, are you not afraid that he won''t be normal after he eats the food you cooked for him, "Huo Qiang said to tease her and her reaction was as expected, she dimmed her eye as she glared at him intently and pointed her index finger at him. "eeeh! what do you mean by that, you yourself said that I am a good cook, why are you now going back on your word" Huo Ying said "He is just teasing you, why are you falling for it?" Huo Mei said, she knew that if she didn''t stop them, she would find out that they have been lying to her whenever she cooked for them, if they had told her that her cooking tastes bad, she wouldn''t have forgiven them so they just kept lying to her. "Yuhan ge, do you have any food you feel like eating now, tell me," Huo Ying said with her attention turned back to Yuhan, as she held his hand again, but he gently removed her hand from his hand and held her hand softly, she knew from his actions that he was about to say something that she wouldn''t want to hear., so she looked she gave him a disheartened look before he even said anything. "I have to return to the inn I booked before attending the meeting, it is already getting late" Mo Yuan said with a look that made it obvious that he wasn''t willing to leave but he has to. "But we haven''t seen each other for a long time, how can you just leave as this" Huo Ying said in a childish voice as she tightened her grip on his hand, as she looked up to take a good look at his face since he is very taller than her. "I also want to stay with you all but Lin Bohai and his father must have found something strange about my absence, I am sure that they will try to investigate my sudden disappearance so I need to make a good show for them to watch," Mo Yuhan said with a soft voice. "Alright then, since you have to then I won''t stop you but after this problem is solved, you have to come back to see us," Huo Ying said with her eyes lowered, he smiled after seeing her reaction, he bent his head and planted a kiss on her forehead to the surprise of everyone in the hall, the disciples who have been peeking at them were also taken aback by the kiss on her forehead but he both of them didn''t flinch, to them, it was something a brother and sister could do without feeling ashamed since they thought of each other as siblings, they didn''t have anything to be ashamed of, he raised his eyes to look at the person standing at her back with his lips still on her forehead, the corner of his lips tilted upwards at the sight of Huo Qiang clenching his fist then he moved away from her. Chapter 108 - Let Her Be Alone! "I had better leave now before someone strangles me to death," Mo Yuhan said with a smirk hanging at the edge of his lips and his eyes fixed on Huo Qiang, they all turned to look at Huo Qiang when they heard the comment he made, except for Huo Ying who didn''t look back and Song Yin, the rest chuckled when they saw the stifling look on Huo Qiang face. "I am leaving now," Mo Yuhan said then he dropped her hands and glanced at his guards signalling them to go with him. "let me escort you," Huo Ying offered "It''s alright, I know my way back," Mo Yuhan replied "But...." "Have you forgotten that you still have something to deal with..." Mo Yuhan said then his eyes fell on Huo Li who looked like she was absent-minded, they all understood what he meant when they saw him look at Huo Li. "Alright then," Huo Ying said then he smiled at her and walked out of the hall, as soon as the disciples who have been watching the drama going on inside the hall saw that he was coming out, they quickly dispersed in different directions., the disciple who had escorted him into the sect was waiting for him outside the hall so he escorted Mo Yuhan out of the sect. ------------- They all shifted their attention back to Huo Li after Mo Yuhan and his guards left, they had almost forgotten about the incident that had transpired before but with Mo Yuhan reminder, they remembered that Huo Li was still in trouble. On one hand, she has angered the sect leader by putting the sect in danger even after they had concealed themselves so that they wouldn''t fall prey to the cunning plans of the so-called righteous sects and on the other hand, she has destroyed her master effort in helping her eliminate her inner demon which has been affecting ever since she came into the flame sect. There was a rule that prohibited any disciple of the flame sect from falling in love with outsiders, back then, the flame sect was recognised as the most powerful sect and they held themselves in high esteem which made other sects dissatisfied with them. Huo Li''s mother was also one of the guardians years ago when the former sect leader was still alive and she has a very strange internal composition which makes her the most skilled guardian at that time, when she descended the mountain to capture a demon that has been wreaking havoc in a village, she met three disciples from the Qiuhua sect, she was almost injured by the demon so one of the disciples saved her, he is the senior disciple of the Qiuhua sect, Guo Jing. The Qiuhua sect has a special skill which allows their opponents to fall into a daze or to be mesmerized with them using cherry blossoms, after she had completed her mission with the help of Guo Jing, she stayed in the village for a while, during that time, she fell in love with Guo Jing and he also felt the same way about her but she was too loyal to her sect to accept her feelings, a day before she left the village, he confessed his feelings to her but she told him that she couldn''t accept his feelings and walked away. That night, Guo Jing came into her room while she was asleep, she woke up to the sound of the door creaking... "What are you doing here?" Rong Li questioned with her eyes widened "Rong Li, I can''t accept the fact that you are not willing to accept my feelings for you, I know you also feel the same way towards me but because of your sect rules you don''t want to accept your feelings for me," Guo Jing said as he came nearer to her. "Guo Jing, I won''t deny what you have just said but that doesn''t change the fact that we can''t be together, please leave," Rong Li commanded with a little bit of fear in her voice, she couldn''t help but panic at that moment, with her skills, she doesn''t have to be afraid of him but the look in his eyes made her afraid. "If you leave the flame sect, there is nothing that stops us from being together, I will take care of you for the rest of my life, please come with me," Guo Jing said then he came two inches closer to her, she moved back with her legs touching the edge of her bed. "I have a responsibility as a guardian of the flame sect, I can''t go against the sect leader''s order" Rong Li answered with a distraught expression on her face, his offer was very tempting but her loyalty weighed more than her love for him. "Please, Rong Li, I couldn''t think clearly ever since you rejected me, I want you...I want your body, the whole of you...I will take care of you forever" Guo Jing said impatiently, she could notice the change in his temperament, she widened her eyes as he slowly leaned close her. He wants my body... Rong Li frowned at the thought of what he said, she couldn''t help but think that he didn''t love her but he only had a lust for her, she was more resolute on her decision to ignore his feelings for her. "I now realize what it is you are really after, once you have my body, your love for me will disappear, please leave!" Rong Li said with her voice slightly raised and a deep frown carved on her face. "No Rong Li, I didn''t mean it that way, I truly love you, please give me a chance..." "I said get out!" Rong Li shouted Since her room was far away from the other rooms for the guests, the others couldn''t hear her shouting so no one intervened in their dispute. " Rong Li I...I" "If you won''t go out then I will..." Rong Li said then she turned to leave the door but he quickly grabbed her wrist and spun her body around until she was two centimetres away from him. "Let go of me!" "I won''t, no matter what, you must be with me" Guo Jing replied, this time, his expression changed, he now had a serious expression on his face, in his eyes, she could see that he was already prepared to do anything just to get her at that moment. She flicked her wrist and landed a hit on his chest with her internal force causing him to move backwards, he rubbed his chest to quell the pain he was feeling, he glared at her and then he stood straight and walked towards her again, he held her by her waist and pulled her closer to him but she was in no condition to fall for his tricks. She bent backwards and kicked his jaw then she did a backflip causing her to be separated from him. "If you don''t stop now, don''t blame me for being too cruel," she warned but he smirked and ran towards her he pulled her hand and threw her on the bed, he was about to touch her when she landed another blow on his chest causing him to spit out blood. She stood up from the bed and gave him a spin kick making him fall on the bed with bloodstains all over the bed. "With my ability, it is very easy for me to kill you, I will spare you today but I won''t be this merciful next time" Rong Lin said then she turned around to leave the room. "Rong Lin!" Guo Jing called out, she turned back to see why he called her but she didn''t expect his next action, he made a butterfly sign on his hand then pink fumes came out of his hand and slowly entered her nose, making her weak instantly. "You...what have you done?" Rong Lin muttered as she slumped to the ground in a half-conscious state. "I told you, I must get you no matter what" Guo Jing said with a lecherous look in his eyes, he stood up from the bed and carried her weak body in his arms to the bed, he gently placed her on the bed and caressed her face. "Guo Jing, don''t you dare..." "Only this way would you be willing to be with me," Guo Jing said then he swept his hand around her face causing her to fall unconscious... Then he raped her! The next morning, when she woke up, she held the bed cover tightly in her hand without a single drop of tear on her face, she was only filled with anger and murderous intent at that moment, she stood up from her bed and got dressed then she left the room and looked around the village but she couldn''t find him. After returning to the sect, she found out that she was pregnant but she couldn''t bring herself to kill her child so she decided to flee the flame sect without telling her mater about the incident that happened in the village. Before she could flee the sect, Huo Ying''s mother found out about it so she helped her leave the sect before the sect leader found out, Rong Lin hid herself for nine-month then went to the Qin Hua sect after giving birth to her child and revealed what had happened between her and Guo Jing so that she can give him the child and return to the flame sect to get her punishment but Guo Jing was expelled, she gave him the child and returned to the flame sect. She thought that the sect leader wouldn''t spare her life so she had already destroyed her own route of power flow before getting to the sect when she arrived at the sect, she explained everything that happened to the sect leader. He was very angry because she didn''t inform him of what happened, he would have only stripped her of her position as a guardian if she had told him about it but he was even angrier when she died after returning to the sect. He sent several disciples and the other guardians after Guo Jing and the child, as soon as he found out that he was on the wanted list and news of his evil atrocity has reached the ears of everyone in the jianghu world, he ran away with Huo Li and never resurfaced for two years even after the death of the former sect leader of the flame sect and the battle of ever night. Huo Jingyu was however no willing to let him go after letting her losing her close friend and a guardian of her sect, after the battle of ever night, she found traces of him so she went after him with other disciples, when he found out that she had almost caught up with him, he abandoned Huo Li in the woods and ran away, he thought she was coming to kill him and the child but she only wanted to kill him and take the child, Huo Li was by herself in the woods until Huo Ling found her then she took her to the flame sect. After finding out the reason why she was abandoned by her father, she had an inner demon that made her angry at the thought of abandonment and she found it hard to control her anger, her master has been helping her cultivate a sutra that couldn''t help her get rid of her inner demon and she would have completed the sutra in a year but she yielded to her inner demon and her master''s effort all these years are already wasted. "Huo Li, you don''t have to be worried, you know how much mother cares about you, she will definitely forgive you," Huo Ying said with a concerned look on her face. "She is right, sect madam only acted out of impulse, she will surely forgive you this time," Huo Mei said to comfort her, Huo Li was afraid that she would burst into tears any moment from then so she forced a slight smile on her lips and raised her head. "I know, she has put in so much effort to help me get rid of my inner demon and I have disappointed her this time, even if she forgives me, I won''t be able to forgive myself," Huo Li said then she sniffed her nose to send her tears back. "Huo Li, actually it was my fault I..." Huo Ying said in guilt, she blamed herself for everything that had happened, if she hadn''t fallen ill, Huo Li wouldn''t have had to kill the captain or beat up the vitality sect disciples. "Don''t blame yourself, Huo Ying, it could have been a mission that I was sent on," Huo Li said then she walked out of the hall when she realized that she couldn''t hold back her tears, Huo Ying was about to go after her but Huo Qiang held her back. "Let her be alone for a while, you should know how bad she is feeling at the moment from your experience," Huo Qiang said "He is right" Huo Lian added Chapter 109 - Pervert! 1 Huo Bingchen left the hall after they discussed for a while, he has long wanted to leave but he didn''t want them to know the reason why he wanted to leave early, he looked around the training ground, the field, the kitchen and other parts of the sect but he couldn''t find the person he was looking for. He was about to give up in finding her and return to his room when he saw her sitting beside a large willow tree with her head on her knees which were curled up in front of her, he quickly moved back when he saw her so that she wouldn''t detect his presence.?? She raised her head from her knew and rested it on the bark of the willow tree, while her tears welled down he face but she didn''t make any sound, she folded her arms around her chest and looked up to the sky, her ponytail dangled on the ground as she raised her head while the tears dropped on her neck. The golden rays of the sunlight fell on her face, highlighting her delicate features and her round-shaped eyes were opened wide, her deep black eyeballs were brightened by the rays of the sunlight, she fluttered her long-lashes slowly and raised them again... This sight was just too beautiful for him, during their years of being together, he has never seen her looking like this or looked at her in that way, her widened his eyes and opened his mouth in shock, he has probably never noticed that she was this beautiful or he didn''t even bother to notice... Dubum! Dubum! Dubum! He was alarmed at the sound of his heart beating, he clutched his chest tightly and looked down with a confused expression on his face, all this while the only reason why his heart has ever beaten this way is because of Huo Ying but his heart is actually beating this fast because of her... "Why is my heart beating so fast, this is not the first time I am seeing her...." Bingchen said then he tightened his grip on his chest and raised his head to look at her again, but he quickly his himself at the back of the pillar he was standing by when he saw that she was looking towards his direction. "Who is there?" Huo Li shouted when she heard someone''s voice around her but she couldn''t determine the direction where the voice was coming from, she stood up from the ground and walked over to where he was standing, the held his breath hoping that she would stop before she sees him... She was only one step closer to seeing him but she looked to her side when she hears another sound, she saw a brown cat walking away, she stood there for some seconds to admire the cat as she walked it walk away with a slight smile on her face, one part of her wanted to get the cat as a pet but another side of her was in no mood to. "Such a cute cat, what is she doing here?" Huo Li said then she remembered that there are fishes in the pond, she ignored the voice that she heard before then she returned to the pond, she stood in front of the pond and watched as the fishes wobbled around the pond, she wanted to force a smile on her face but she couldn''t. After she returned to the sect, she didn''t realize how serious her actions were, she had planned to keep it a secret from her master then she would look for another sutra that she could cultivate in order to get rid of her inner demon within a year so that her master wouldn''t find out that she has yielded to her inner demon, thus destroying her mind cultivation but now that her master has found out, she came to the realization of the seriousness of her actions and she couldn''t help but feel guilty and sorry towards her master. If her master hadn''t spent months looking for her after catching up with her father and getting his confession, she would have been eaten by a monster in the woods, she was being pursued by a monster and running for her life, the moment the monster bared his teeth to devour her, he dropped dead on the ground and revealed a woman standing behind it, she looked at the woman''s hand, she saw a sword that was bathed in blood but the woman smiled warmly at her and stretched her hand towards her, a smile that she had never seen when she was with her father. She held out her hand while her master pulled her up and introduced herself... The scenes of that day replayed in her mind that she didn''t even realize that she was throwing stones into the pond, she only regained her senses when she felt a sting at the side of her neck close to her back, she moved her hair away to feel her neck, she felt a coarse feeling then she brushed her neck with her hand and removed her hand from her neck when she brought her hand forward, she was flabbergasted to see a large and poisonous spider on her hand, she brushed it away in panic and crushed it with her feet but she missed her bearing. She shouted as she tried to regain her stamina so as to prevent herself from falling into the pond, one of her legs was raised in the air while she swung her hands continuously, she finally missed her step and was about to fall but she suddenly felt a hand on her waist. He leapt into the air with his arm around her waist and spun in the air, the pin holding her hair in place fell off revealing her long, smooth and silky hair, her hair waved around her face and at her back as they turned around while she widened eyes were fixed on his face, her lashes fluttered severally but he just smiled gently with his eyes fixed on her until he brought her to the ground. He stood with his back resting against the bark of the tree and his hand around her waist while her chest was only two centimetres away from him, he could feel his heart pounding heavily, both of them stood in the same position for a minute before they regained her senses, he removed his hand from her waist while she moved away from him. He moved his eyes away from her for a second then he glanced at her again, his eyes lingered on her face and then drifted to her hair, he swallowed the saliva in his mouth without looking away from her, she realized that her hair has been let loose. She ignores him and looks for her hairpin after she found it, she rolled her hair into a simple style then she pinned her hair back in place. "What are you doing here?" She asked him after returning to the willow tree "Nothing, I was just passing by when I saw you slipping," Bingchen replied "Liar, you have been watching for a while, the voice I heard must have been yours," Huo Li said with her eyes glaring at him. "Alright, I was returning to my quarters when I saw you so I decided to watch you for a while" Bingchen confessed "Does that mean that you saw me crying and..." Huo Li said in embarrassment, she hated it whenever anyone saw her weak side but he actually stood there and watched her cry, she turned around and covered her face in embarrassment. He chuckled when he saw how embarrassed she was, he walked to her front and removed her hand from her face. "What are you doing?" Huo Li asked with her mouth tilted upwards. "You don''t need to be embarrassed, I only arrived when you tripped," Bingchen said, he doesn''t know why but he just felt that he didn''t want to see her like that. "Really?" "I am telling the truth" Bingchen replied with an honest smile etched on his lips. "I am relieved then," Huo Li said then she heaved a sigh of relief. "Don''t...." she was about to say something when she felt a sharp pain on her neck, she remembered that she was bitten by a poisonous snake before the drama that ensued between them, she didn''t want him to find out so she secretly covered the area where the spider bit her with her hair before he noticed it. "are you alright?" Bingchen asked with concern on his face, he was still hiding from her when the poisonous spider bit her so he didn''t see what happened until she tripped. "I am alright, I have something to do," Huo Li said then she hurriedly moved away from him and walked away. he turned around in confusion when he saw that she was in a hurry to leave. After she had gone out of his sight, he sighed then he looked down, his eyes landed on the spider that she had crushed when she almost fell, he bent down to see what it was, then he recognised it as a poisonous spider. He suddenly realized that she must have been bitten by the spider and that was why she winced, he quickly stood up and went after her, he hadn''t gone far when he saw her resting against a pillar with her hand on her neck. He walked up to her and pulled her arm... "Why didn''t you tell me that you were bitten by the spider?" Bingchen said with his voice slightly raised. "What are you talking about, let me go?" Huo Li said with a weak voice, she knew that she had already wasted time in treating the bite and if she doesn''t treat it before the poison spreads to her heart then it would be too late so she wanted to get away from him so she can treat it before it worsens. "You know what I am talking about, where did it bite you?" Bingchen asked with a serious expression on his face when he saw that she wasn''t answering him, he swept his eyes around her body then his eyes landed on her neck where she covered with her hand, he brushed her hand away from her neck and bent her head to see the wound properly, his face became scrunched when he saw the black wound on her neck. "Are you done now, let me go?" Huo Li shouted "In your dreams" he answered then he lifted her body into his arm, she was startled at his sudden action, she tried to free herself from his grip but it was of no use, she was already weak to the point that she couldn''t walk straight so she rested by the pillar so how can she free herself from him. "What are you doing? let me go" She shouted after using all her effort to make him put her down. "You have to get your wound treated," Bingchen answered "Bingchen, even if you are a guardian, I am still your senior, you had better put me down or else..." "Or else what? with the little strength you have now, what can you do to me" Bingche answered with a crooked smile. "I...I" "Talk less, the more you talk, the faster the poison spreads," Bingchen said then he carried her into his quarters, she looked around then she realized that he brought her inside his quarters, she looked at him with a panic expression on her face. "Why did you bring me to your quarter?" "To get you treated of course" Bingchen answered, then he opened the door to his room and put her on his bed with her feet on the ground. "But..." "Don''t get wild ideas, the infirmary is far away from where you were, by the time we get there, you would have passed out but my quarter is nearer and I have the medications you need?" Bingchen said "Then let''s go to your pavilion, I can treat my wound by myself, just give me the medication" Huo Li said "You can''t get it treated in my Pavillon" Bingchen answered, then he moved to his drawer and brought out a box of medications, he placed them on the bed and bent down beside the bed, he brushed her away from the wound but her cloth was still covering some part of the wound. "You have to remove your cloth," Bingchen said without flinching, she turned to look at him with her eyes widened but her face was too close to his face, he could feel her breath on his face and her lips was almost touching his, he swallowed his saliva and moved his face away. "What are you saying?" Huo Li asked "Don''t misunderstand me, to remove the poison, you have to pull your cloth down from your neck a bit," Bingchen said when he noticed the weird expression on her face. "Don''t worry about it, I will treat it myself, just leave the room," Huo Li said shyly. "You are telling me to leave my own room, you clearly know that you cant treat it yourself, the more time you waste, the faster the poison infiltrates your heart, you had better think wisely," Bingchen said, she hesitated for a while then she removed her waistband and loosened the knot on her robe. She pulled her cloth away from the area where her wound was located revealing a smooth and fair shoulder and her slender neck, she shyly looked away while he bent his head towards her neck, she quickly moved her head neck away... "Pervert! what are you trying to do?" "When did I become a pervert? I was only trying to help you suck out the poison" Bingchen replied "Suck out the poison! are you mad" "If I don''t suck it out then are you going to suck it out" Chapter 110 - Pervert! 2 "Are you out of your mind!" Huo Li shouted, then he heard some disciples as they passed through his quarter, he quickly leaned his body against hers and covered her mouth. "Do you want them to know that you are in my room?" Bingchen whispered?? "Guardian Bingchen, is everything alright?" a disciple shouted from outside his quarter, Bingchen quickly turned towards the door and frowned his face. "I am okay," Bingchen replied then he waited until the disciple''s footstep had vanished, then he turned to look at her, her large eyeball was staring down at him in confusion, he quickly realized the situation then he removed his hand from her mouth and moved away from her. "What are you thinking, if I don''t suck the poison out, you will die, you have wasted enough time already," Bingchen said "I don''t care, I would rather risk dying before I get to the infirmary than to let you suck the poison" Huo Li replied "Why can''t you just close your eyes this once and it will be done before you know it," Bingchen said with his voice slightly raised, he was already getting pissed at her for being too stubborn but he couldn''t just let her go. "I am leaving!" Huo Li aid then she stood up from the bed and walked towards the door while she closed her robe, Bingchen sighed as he watched her leave then... He stood up from the ground and rushed towards her, he grabbed her arm and spun her around, she was shocked by his action that she couldn''t even react, he pulled her to his chest with her head over his shoulder then he pulled her almost tied robe down her shoulder, he placed his mouth on the side of her neck, almost at her back and sucked the poison out of her wound. She batted her lashes and widened her eyes with her jaw dropped and her mouth slightly opened in shock when she felt his lips on her shoulder, she couldn''t believe that he actually...she could feel the thumping sound coming from her chest. Dubum! Dubum! Dubum! He removed his mouth away from her neck then he spat the poisonous blood on the floor then he placed his lips on the wound again to suck the poison, she felt like she was paralyzed the whole time he was sucking the poison, she was supposed to stop him but she just couldn''t move at that moment. "You....!" "Don''t move..." Bingchen said softly then he spat out the poisoned blood in his mouth and placed his lips on her shoulder again, after sucking the last bit of the poisoned blood, he spat it on the floor then he pulled his body away from her. She hurriedly covered her shoulder with an embarrassed expression on her face, then she turned to look at him with her eyeballs glaring at him. "I..." TAP! She sent a slap across his face with an angry expression on her face, she would never have imagined that he actually sucked the poison out of her body with his lips and the embarrassment she felt had that moment. But was it really embarrassment she was feeling... She immediately regretted her action as soon as she slapped him but she just went on with it, he turned his face back at her but his expression was still the same as though she didn''t just slap him, his eyes had a gentle look in them and it made her feel guilty but she didn''t want to show it. I am supposed to be angry at him, why am I feeling sorry instead... She thought to herself! He grabbed her wrist and pulled her to the bed then he sat her down and opened the box of medication on the bed, she was feeling scared thinking that he was going to do something to her because of the slap she gave him. "What do you want...." Huo Li said in a shaky voice but she didn''t get any reply, he raised his hand against her face but she quickly closed her eyes in fear thinking that he was going to hit her, seeing her reaction, a smile carved on his lips, with her personality, she wasn''t supposed to react that way but seeing her closing her eyes was just too cute, he gently brought his hand down on her shoulder then he slightly moved her robe away from her shoulder and applied a powdered medication on the wound. She was wondering why she wasn''t feeling any pain but a sting on her shoulder, she opened her eyes and was surprised to see him applying the medication on her shoulder, she eased her tensed shoulders and gazed at him with a gentle look in her eyes. He leaned his head closer to her shoulder to blow on the wound then he raised his head again then their eyes met, they both stared at each other for seconds until her heart started beating heavily, she batted her lashed upon hearing the sound of her heartbeat and looked away from him. A lopsided smile carved on his lips then he chuckled and stood in front of her... "why is your heart beating that fast?" Bingchen asked with a teasing smile on his face. "What do you mean? I didn''t hear my heart beating you must be mistaking it for yours" Huo Li replied hurriedly. "I don''t think so, I heard it very clearly" "Then you heard it wrong" Huo Li answered "or could it be that..." "My heart is not beating that fast because of you!!" She shouted before he could complete his statement, he balled his fist and placed it on his mouth to stop himself from laughing then he brought it down when his urge to laugh out loud subsided. "I didn''t say anything, you said it yourself," Bingchen said "I.....hmmph! I won''t be bothered by you, I am leaving" Huo Li said then she tied her robe and put on her waistband, she stood up from the bed and left his room in a hurry, he smiled as he watched her leave in the room in embarrassment then he slumped on the bed with his arms folded behind his head. She sneakily walked out of his quarters to avoid being seen by the others but as soon as she left his quarters, she heard someone shouting her name from afar, she was afraid that she has been caught redhanded so she started running. "Senior disciple Li!!!" the disciples shouted as they ran after her, they weren''t even sure of why she was running but they had to catch up with her. She continued running without even looking back at the disciples who were already out of breath after running after her for over twenty-five minutes, she rested when she saw that she had lost them. She placed her hands on her knee and tried to catch her breath but she started running again when she heard the disciples shouting her name behind her, the disciples were stupefied when they saw that she was running away from them again. They were about to lose her until she bumped into Huo Ying, she raised her head to see who it was... "Huo Ying...." "Where have you been and why are you running?" Huo Ying asked with a frustrated look on her face. "Just don''t bother with me" Huo Li answered then she was about to leave but Huo Ying held her back. The disciples who were running after her heaved a sigh of relief when they saw Huo Ying holding her back, they walked up to them and greeted both of them. "Senior disciple Li, why are you running away from us?" One of the female disciples asked as they tried to catch their breath. "Mother has asked many disciples to find you but you were nowhere to be found," Huo Ying said, she has also been looking for Huo Li all around the sect but it seemed like she had disappeared into thin air which made Huo Ying very frustrated. "Is that why you were calling me?" Huo Li asked "Yes, the sect madam ordered us to find you but you had already started running before we could even say anything" one of the disciples replied. "I am sorry, I thought you caught me...." "What are you saying?" Huo Ying asked "Don''t bother, " Huo Li answered, "You had better go to my mother''s quarter before she gets angry, she is already angry with you for the incident that happened in the reception hall" Huo Ying said "Alright, I will take my leave now," Huo Li said then she walked away. "Where did you find her?" Huo Ying asked the disciples. "We found her in front of guardian Bingchen quarters" a disciple replied "In front of his quarters....." "Is there something wrong young mistress?" One of the disciples asked "Nothing, you can leave now" Huo Ying answered, after the disciples had walked away, she folded her arms on her chest and stared into space. "They found her in front of Bingchen''s quarter and she started running....something must be going on between the both of them" --------------------- "Master, I heard that you have called for me, may I enter?" Huo Li asked as she stood outside the sect madam''s room. "Come in" Huo Li opened the door gently then she entered the room with her head cowered, she walked to the front of where her master was seated, she knelt down immediately with a grievous look on her face. "Why are you kneeling down?" "I have failed their expectations of master and I have disappointed you by putting the sect in danger instead of protecting the sect, please punish me, master," Huo Li said "You do realize that you have disappointed me and wasted the effort I spend on you all these years," her master said then she dropped the book she was reading and faced her. "I admit my mistake master, please punish me as you see fit" "You do deserve to be punished and I will do just that, you will be sent to the Mind destroying pagoda," her master said in a resolute tone, Huo Li raised her head with her eyes widened at her master then she lowered her head. "I will accept my punishment," Huo Li said then she stood up. "You may leave" She turned around and walked toward the door but as she was about to open the door, her master called her name....she turned back to look at her master, she stood up from her seat and walked towards her with a gentle look in her eyes filled with love and compassion, she held one of her hand and walked back to her seat then she placed her on the seat beside hers. "Master....." Huo Li muttered with her eyes turning teary. "A'' Li! all these years, I have been guiding you to cultivate your mind so that you can get rid of your inner demon, there were times when I used up my internal force and had o recuperate for weeks all because of your mind cultivation, do you know how hurt and angry I feel when I discovered that all my effort had been wasted by you all because of a momentary impulse to yield to your inner demon?" her master said softly "I am really sorry master..." Huo Li answered with tears dropping from her eyes "I couldn''t bring myself to punish you because I see you as my child and I am sure you know that....." "I know master, you have always cared for all these years and have never treated me unfairly" Huo Li answered, her tears slowly trickling down her face then her master wiped her tears away with her thumb. "Sending you to the mind-destroying pagoda is not just to punish you if you can successfully pass through the thirteen levels of the mind-destroying pagoda without yielding to you inner demon then you will be able to get rid of your inner demon" "What if I can''t pass through it?" "You must or else you will never be able to leave the mind-destroying pagoda, I didn''t use this method before because I didn''t want to put you in danger before your inner demon was contained and couldn''t grow because of the sutra but now that it has been destroyed, if we don''t get rid of it on time, you will be devoured and you will lose your reasoning" "Does that mean that I would become a demon" "Not just a demon, your inner demon is activated whenever you see someone being abandoned but when you are devoured by it, you will start killing everyone you see and you won''t be able to recognise anyone" "Master, don''t worry, I will definitely pass through the thirteen levels of the mind-destroying pagoda" "I know you can but you still have to be prepared, after two days, you will enter the pagoda" "I understand" Huo Li answered with confidence. Chapter 111 - Chairman! 1 They had already been walking for two hours and the cold as getting the better of Han Chen, everyone who passed by them turned back to glance at them again, they ragged look at that moment made them an attraction as they walked by. They turned around to look at the people who were staring at them, then they turned their head back in an embarrassment of their current appearance, they couldn''t help but regret their decision to follow him all because of their greed.?? "Why are they staring at us?" Han Chen asked as he looked around him only to many eyes directed at them. "What do you think?" Roy replied "With our present appearance, we look like beggars" Shi Fen answered "Oooh! so that is why they are looking at us" Han Chen said then he shook his head with naivety. "Han Chen, you had better get us a change of cloth when we get to the company, I can''t believe that my handsome appearance has been tainted all because of my greed," Roy said "That is for sure," Han Chen said After walking for some minutes, they finally arrived at his company, they quickly rushed towards the revolving door and entered the reception, everyone inside and outside the building was staring at them with weird expressions on their faces as though beggars has just walked into the prestigious Han corporation. Everyone inside the company was dressed in a very corporate manner, from the way they were dressed, it could be seen that the employees of the Han Corporation were dressed very stylishly and exquisite, even those who were visiting the company were also dressed in a way that made them seem important and increase their value, many companies are always queuing to sign deals and investment from Han Corporation but these three guys just entered the company looking very haggard, this is really a sore sight to their eyes. "What are those guys doing in here?" one of the receptionists asked the receptionist standing close to her with a disgusted look on her face. "I don''t know but they are really handsome especially the guy standing in the middle, " the other receptionist said with a fawning look on her face as she widened her eyes and stretched her neck to get a better glimpse of the trio. "are you going to keep standing there without doing anything....?" the first receptionist asked in a commanding and undermining tone as she rolled her eyes, the other receptionist quickly got a grip of herself then she faced the other with a sober look on her face. "What am I supposed to do.....?" "Is your brain filled with water, do they look like people who should be inside the company?" she replied with her voice raised, the other receptionist pouted her mouth at her rudeness but she couldn''t do anything about it, she is very well aware of the fact that they might be working at the same post but they have a different status so she just cowered her head and left her post to meet the trio who had already attracted lots of attention and were already walking towards the reception desk. "Sir may I help you...?" the receptionist said with a polite smile on her face and her hands blocking their path, Han Chen looked down on her arm as he moved back, then he raised his head and glanced at her with a rather calm expression on her face. He would never have imagined that he would actually be stared at and treated like a weirdo in his own company... "I am the chairman of this company, I want to see your managing director," Han Chen said in with authority resounding in his voice but that only made him seem funny to the onlookers. "What is he talking about, how can he be the chairman..." "Is he serious, he must be mentally challenged" "Some people need to know their place..." The onlookers scoffed and made their own comments ads they pointed their fingers at the trio, Shi Fen and Roy were already embarrassed beyond imagination, they couldn''t understand why Han Chen couldn''t comprehend the situation, based on their current appearance, who would ever believe that he is the chairman of the company. "Sir, I think you are mistaken, please leave the premises now if there is nothing else," the receptionist said, it was very obvious that she as trying her best not to sound rude, even though she knew that he was spouting nonsense. "Are you asking me to leave my own company?" Han Chen asked with a hint of surprise on his face "Sir, you are really leaving me with no options, I will have to call security if you don''t leave now," the receptionist said reluctantly. "I understand that you are just doing your job so I won''t make things hard for you, just call your managing director and tell him that boss is here to see him, " Han Chen said in a soft tone "Sir, I can''t..." "Boss, why don''t we leave now, they won''t believe you with your present appearance," Shi Fen said in an attempt to escape the embarrassing situation but before Han Chen could reply him, Roy had already answered him. "What are you talking about, are you going to walk back?" "The both of you should keep quiet" Han Chen said as he turned back to glare at them, then he turned to face the receptionist when he heard a thin sound coming towards him he looked up to see a lavishly dressed lady with a long hair and heavy makeup walking towards him. "Hey, if you are here to beg then I will advise you to leave now before I call the security on you," the young lady said without even caring to mind her tone, Han Chen scoffed then he raised his eyes and glanced at her from the top of her head to her toe with an undermining look and rolled his eyes to look at her in the face. "Who are you?" "How dare you, you are not only a beggar but also a pervert and you are asking me who I am, you don''t even deserve to know the answer to that question," she said with her voice raised "Pervert! girl you had better watch your words, he is your...." Shi Fen said but he couldn''t finish his sentence before she lashed at him. "Shut up, did I ask for your opinion....." she lashed at him without even giving him a chance to complete his sentence, they were all stunned at her rudeness but they felt like the men deserved it. "Shu Yin, you don''t have, to be that, " the other receptionist said in an attempt to stop her. "I told you to chase them away but you were discussing with them, I will face you later," Shu Yin said then she turned to face Han Chen, he couldn''t help but watch her in silence, he was amazed at how rude she was and how his aunt would have allowed such employee in his company. "Han Chen, how can there be such a rude employee in your company," Roy said with a disapproving look on his face. "He is right, she had really gone too far...." "Who would have thought that there is an employee like this in this company" "she is too rude..." The onlookers started commenting in favour of the trio while she bit her lower lips in anger, she raised her eyes and glared at him but he just maintained the disgusted look he had on his face when he spoke about her. "How dare you riffraff speak to me like that...." Shu Yin said then she raised her hand against his face but just as her hand was about to land on his face, she felt a grip on her hand, before she could see who it was, she had already been spun round and pulled just one centimetre away from his chest with his hand holding her hand. She batted her lashes as she stared deep into his eyes, if he hadn''t pulled her close to himself, she would never have imagined that he was this good looking, his handsome and manly features were even more highlighted as she stood one centimetre away from him. "Hey, why are you staring at him, are you dumbfounded by his handsome look," Roy said to wake her up from her daydream, she quickly looked away from his face and fluttered her lashes, then she tried to pull her hand away from his hand but he wouldn''t let her go. "What are you trying to do, let me go?" "Did you just try to slap my man, you are really bold, even my female comrades don''t dare to do such a thing not to talk of you brat?" Han Chen said in an icy tone with a stern look on his face, she could feel the chill in his voice and it made her intimidated but she tried to hide it. "Who are you to speak to me in that way? let me go" "I should be asking you that question" Han Chen replied "If you won''t let go of me then I will call the security" "That would be good, it will be a good opportunity for me to test just how good they are," Han Chen said with a smirk on his face. "Security! security!" She shouted, twenty hefty looking men in a black suit arrived at the scene immediately. "Are you kidding, I would have finished them within a minute?" Roy said then he scoffed. "tchtchtchtch! Boss, this company needs you, how can your security be this ordinary" Shi Fen said with a crooked smile hanging at the edge of his lips. "Just wait, within a minute, you will be begging for mercy" Shu Yin said in a confident tone. "Really..." Han Chen replied "You guys should calm down, you shouldn''t be doing this here, please leave," the other receptionist said frantically. "Get your managing director here" Han Chen answered, she quickly darted out of the reception to get the managing director while Han Chen was still holding Shu Yin''s wrist tightly. "Let go of her" One of the security guards commanded " Why don''t you make me..." Han Chen said with an undermining tone, the security guards rushed at him immediately with while he just stood at the same point with his left hand tightly gripping her hand. The security guards rushed at Han Chen but before they could lay their hands on him, Shi Fen and Roy had already rushed to his front, the both of them grabbed the first four guards by their collars and jammed their heads together, the other came forward fearlessly but Shi Fen and Roy pulled them away from Han Chen and started fighting them. The only guard who wasn''t fighting rushed towards Han Chen, just as his punch was about to land on his face, he spun Shu Yin around to his front as though he was going to make her take the punch, her eyes widened as she saw the punch darting towards her but it was too late for her to avoid it, she closed her eyes tightly..... She waited for a while but she could only hear the guards dropping on the floor and groaning in pain, she opened her eyes only to see the guards lying in front of her in an unconscious state, she looked up to see his fist hanging above her head then she realized what just happened. "You intentionally did that..." She raised her hand and slapped him right on his face to the surprise of everyone watching the scene... "Boss!" Shi Fen and Roy chorused He pushed his cheek out with his tongue and scoffed then he turned back to look at her with a dangerous glare which made her shudder in fear, she quickly moved away from him. "Shu Yin!!" a voice called out from afar, they quickly turned to see a young man walking towards them with a tensed up look on his face after seeing her slap Han Chen. "Managing director!" Shu Yin greeted with her head slightly bowed. Chapter 112 - Chairman 2! From the look on his face as he walked towards them, it was very obvious that something had gone wrong, Shen Yue who wasn''t sure of the reason why the director she had just called from a meeting had such a frightened look on his face, she slowly walked behind him until he got to the fight scene. "Managing director, you are here on time, these hooligans have been causing trouble here for a while," Shu Yin said, Han Chen smiled at the sight of the director then he released her hand.?? "Who are you calling a hooligan?" the director asked with a serious expression on his face. "Managing director..." "Shen Yue, why didn''t you call me as soon as the chairman arrived?" the managing director asked "You were in a meeting so.....did you just say chairman...." Shen Yue said then they all turned to look at Han Chen in surprise. "Chairman, I am very sorry for what just happened" the managing director greeted with his head bowed, all the guards who had been beaten up stood up instantly as soon as they heard the managing director statement except for the guard who had fallen unconscious. "Managing director, what are you saying, how can this hooligan be the....." Shu Ying said with confusion written on her face. "Do you realize that the person you are calling a hooligan is the owner of the Han Conglomerate?" the managing director said while Han Chen just folded his hands in silence. "But the chairman is abroad, how can he.....?" "Won''t you shut your mouth this moment?" the director shouted making her cower in shame. "Enough! it seems like my aunt and uncle have been too busy managing their empire and mine together, I can''t believe that my company has turned into this" Han Chen said in a very authoritative voice with his eyes blaring at Shu Yin while she looked away. "Chairman, I am very sorry, she...." the managing director tried to explain but he wasn''t willing to listen at that very moment. "Not only did I experience such an embarrassment in my own company but I also had to witness a mere staff humiliating visitors and acting rude, I allowed my aunty to give you the position of the managing director because I believed that you will be able to manage the company while they are away without any problem," Han Chen said, his current tone and the manner he spoke in was no surprise to Roy and Shi Fen since the had witnessed him speaking like that during military training. "Chairman, I am very sorry, I will take responsibility for today''s incident" the managing director apologised with an embarrassed look on his face. "I don''t want to see this girl in the next hour, I will like some decent set of clothes for my friends and me," Han Chen said then he started walking away but Shu Ying who was still shocked by his identity quickly snapped out of shock and followed after him. "I only did that because I wasn''t aware of your identity, my father is the largest shareholder in this company, how can you just fire me?" she said on a very confident tone to his surprise. "If I say you are fired then you are fired if you don''t leave my company in the next thirty minutes then... I don''t think you want to wait until then" Han Chen said then he continued walking, the visitors who had been waiting to present their proposals to the company were not willing to let go of their chances now that the chairman was here, they quickly rushed to his front before he entered the elevator. "Chairman Han, my company has just started developing a new car model..." "We have just opened luxurious fashion bran...." "We have just launched a new movie, with your investment...." "We have just developed a new recipe and we are sure that it will be very successful, please invest.." "You need to wait until the others are done with their presentation, the chairman needs to leave now," the managing director said but they still persisted, he called the security guards to block them while Han Chen and the others entered the elevator. After arriving at the fortieth floor, the managing director guided him to the chairman''s office which had been deserted for a long time but was still in its best condition, he walked into the office with a sentimental look on his face, he has never entered that office for years ever since the death of his parent but now that he was standing inside the office, he couldn''t help but remember the times he spent with his father in that same office, he softly touched the edge of the large and oval-shaped table at the far end of the office with tears in his eyes. "Father! Father!" "Chen''er, you are here," his father said as he carried him up and threw him in the air while he laughed loudly. "Father, I miss you, why didn''t you come home?" little Han Chen said as he raised his body against his father''s chest, his father nudged the tip of his nose and smiled broadly at him. "He kept asking me to bring him to your office and I couldn''t refuse him, you know how stubborn he is..." His mother said when she noticed that he was looking at her. "Son! I will be home soon, I have some work to do, be a good boy and listen to your mum, okay" his father said "If I behave myself, will you come home?" Little Han Chen prompted innocently. "I will, as soon as you behave yourself and listen to your mother" -------------- He sniffed his nose to send back the tears that were about to drop from his eyes but the others knew what he was thinking about, he turned around and sat on the luxurious custom made seat in front of the table, while the other two sat on the large sofa in the office. "Would you like me to bring you a change of cloth now?" the managing director enquired. "Yes please and send someone to make coffee for the three of us" Han Chen instructed "Right away sir," the managing director said and left the office hurriedly. "We have really suffered today, who would have thought that we would have experienced such drama in your company," Roy said as she stretched his hands and rested his back on the back of the sofa. "Even I am shocked at how rude that receptionist was, I can''t believe that there is someone like that working as a receptionist" "So how are we returning back home?" Shi Fen asked "I already have someone who can pick me, the company has some cars at its disposal, you can take it home," Han Chen said "Why don''t you go with us then and who is coming to pick you" Roy probed "You don''t need to know, just leave with the car once you are done changing" Han Chen answered coldly "Do you even need to ask, have you ever seen him doing something so unnecessary unless it has to do with Yu Yan?" Shi Fen said "I should have known but how are you going to call her, didn''t you lose your phone" "I have already memorized her number before today" Han Chen answered. "You are really....." The managing director arrived with three sets of suits while a secretary followed behind him with a tray of coffee, she placed the tray on the table shyly in a coquettish manner and passed each up to the three of them. "You may leave" the managing director instructed then she left the office, most of the employees who had already been informed of the chairman''s arrival to the chairman gathered outside his office to catch a glimpse of him and his friends when the managing director noticed this, he closed the blinds to their disappointment. "Chairman, are you here for business or...." "I originally came here for business but I encountered some trouble on the way and that explains my haggard appearance but I will return another for a full inspection of the company, prepare a car for my comrades to use" Han Chen instructed. "Alright, but..." "Is there anything else?" Han Chen after noticing his hesitation. "Shu Yin is the daughter of the largest shareholder in the company after your aunt and uncle, are you sure that you want to fire her," the managing director asked "Managing director, if this is how you have been managing this company then I am very disappointed, there are more than a hundred affiliated companies and subsidiaries if every employee is allowed to behave as such because they have connections in the board of directors, what state do thing the Han Corporation would be in, I don''t expect you to be asking me such an absurd question?" Han Chen queried with a stern and slightly angry voice based on their knowledge of him, it was obvious that he was doing his best to keep calm, if it was a soldier that had asked him such a question, he would have flipped out. "I am sorry Chairman" "I don''t want to see that lady in this company again, I don''t care about her fathers influence in this company, you may leave" The managing director didn''t say anything further, he cowered his head and left the office. Meanwhile, the staffs who were trying to eavesdrop on their conversation quickly dispersed as soon as they head him opening the door. Chapter 113 - Chairman! 3 They sipped their coffee gently as they relished the mixed taste of the coffee, he had almost forgotten that he was almost frozen on the way to his company, drinking that hot coffee made him remember what it feels like to be warm again. He placed the cup on the table gently and reclined the chair while he rested his back on it. His thoughts went back to the time he decided to visit the company, at that moment, he wasn''t really thinking of taking control of his company again, he judged wanted to see how his father''s empire was doing but after what he experienced at the reception, he was sure that the company needed him. His aunt and uncle already have their own corporation to manage so it wouldn''t have been easy for them to oversee the company on his behalf and as such, they wouldn''t be able to pay much attention to the management of the company. "Han Chen, are you really going to manage your company personally or were you joking?" Roy asked as he placed the teacup on the table while Shi Fen followed suit. "Why don''t you make a guess" Han Chen replied in a mysterious tone, Roy smirked at his answer and lifted the teacup to his lips, after taking a gentle sip, he placed it on the table and faces him. "Based on my understanding of you in the military, you don''t hate the idea of having to manage your company, you just don''t want to manage your company because it reminds you of your parent and after what you experienced today, you will definitely come back to manage the company" Roy answered with confidence resounding in his voice. "You sound like you are but what makes you think that despite my carefree life in the military, I will return to manage my company," Han Chen asked, he raised the teacup to his lips and sipped gently before placing it on the table. "Since I have known you, you have never been able to endure the urge to fix something that is wrong as long as you can, how can you allow the company your father painstakingly built go wrong, am I wrong?" Roy answered. Han Chen smiled crookedly and came out of his seat, he pulled off his shirt leaving only a black singlet on him. "You are indeed right but once I am done, I will leave the company to my aunt again" "Whatever you say, Shi Fen and I have to report to the barracks today so we would be leaving soon" "I forgot to ask the dude for his phone to call Yu Yan" "Don''t you think she would be busy, are you sure you want to stress her out?" Shi Fen asked "If she can''t come then I will return alone, both of you had better leave quickly" "Wait¡­there is something I need to clarify, you are still giving us the cars right," Shi Fen asked "If I am in a good mood by the time I return home if Yu Yan can''t come then the both of you should just forget about the car" Han Chen answered. "You can''t decide it like that, you didn''t say that when we agreed to come here with you," Roy said with his voice raised, he was definitely out betting his chances on a surgeon who is supposedly busy all day long. "Do you want those peeping toms to hear our conversation?" "It would be better if they do, you are the dignified chairman of the Han Corporation but your promise means very little to you," Roy said "That is the correct attitude a businessman should have, the both of you had better dress up, unless you want to give the major general a reason to dismiss you" A few minutes later, they had all gotten dressed in the suits the managing director got for them, they glanced weirdly at themselves with confused expressions on their faces. "I can''t remember the last time I wore a suit," Roy said "Even I but we have to make do with it" Han Chen answered "Roy, we have to leave now," Shi Fen said with his eyes fixed on the wall clock in the office. The left the office with their eyes still rolling around their body, they raised their head only too see all the staffs outside the office staring at them, they both stood at a point and glanced around with confusion written on their faces. "They are very handsome" "They were so cool in the video" "How can they be so good looking in a suit" "Can you girls behave yourself, they are still here" "Shut up, you are just jealous of them" Roy and Shi Fen stood in front of them in confusion while they fried amongst themselves. "They must have been stunned by our handsome looks," Shi Fen said in a proud manner "Don''t be stupid, they mentioned something about the video" "Do you think they saw the video" Shi Fen asked with his eyes widened. "I¡­.think they did" "We are in trouble then" "What do you mean, we did a good thing by helping the civilians" "...and we are being promoted in the media" Shi Fen added "That is true, I have to admit forgotten about that, if the general manager hears about this, it will be troublesome for us, Weber to get to the barracks," Roy said. Both of them rushed out while the female staffs followed after them until they got into the elevator. Meanwhile, the managing director rushed into the office with a tablet in his hand¡­ "Chairman, you need to see this," he said and moved close to Han Chen. "You don''t have to show me anything today, I am not handling the company affairs yet," Han Chen said "It is not that, there is a video of you and your friends exploring the hot search" "What are you talking about? Let me see" Han Chen said in confusion, the general manager passed the tablet to him, his eyes widened at the sight of the video playing, he hadn''t expected the video to go viral so soon. He scrunched his face and furrowed his brows as he watched the video, the managing director didn''t understand the meaning behind the expression on his face, he had originally shown him the video thinking that he would be happy to see himself being presented as a national hero but he actually has such a look on his face. "This is really troublesome, if our foreign enemies find us with this video, it will be really troublesome, I need to speak to the major general" Han Chen said in a low voice which wasn''t quite audible for the managing director. He stood up abruptly and was about to leave the office but he sat back when a thought flashed into his head, he had a broad smile carved on his lips as he sat down, he raised the tablet again to his eyes and dropped it after a while with his lips tilted into a charming smile. "Chairman, are you alright?" the managing director asked in confusion, he couldn''t explain the reason for the change in his expression and his behaviour... "hundred per cent alright...do you think she will see this video?" he asked with his fingers caressing his chin. "I...I don''t know who you are talking about but almost everyone in the country has seen the video" the managing director answered. "Let me use your phone," Han Chen said then the director brought out his phone from his pocket without hesitating or asking any other question, Han Chen dialled her number on his phone and placed the phone on his hear as he anticipated hearing the sound of her voice. "Hello, who is this?" a voice said "You still haven''t changed this habit of yours," Han Chen said with an excited smile on his lips at the sound of her voice but he concealed it by speaking calmly. "Han Chen!" "How did you know it was me, did you miss me that much?" "Stop the nonsense and tell me why you called me" "I am stranded please can you pick me up with my car," Han Chen asked, he bit his lower lips and rubbed his index finger and thumb together hoping that she would agree to his request. "You didn''t say I was going to become your chauffeur in exchange for the car," Yu Yan said without any hesitation, he could sense the coldness in her voice but he wasn''t planning on giving up "I am really left with no choice, I don''t have my phone or wallet with me and I am currently at Shuyin district with no means of transport, please do me a favour" Han Chen persisted. "You must be kidding, aren''t you busy with being a national hero, how come you are stranded at Shuyin district, are the cars in your garage just for display?" Yu Yan asked, he couldn''t understand why seemed so angry when speaking to him but he concluded that he must have done something to anger her. "My car ran out of fuel....." "Chairman, there are lots of cars in the company, I can instruct someone to drive you ho..." he hadn''t completed his statement before Han Chen stepped on his foot to shut him up and placed his index finger on his lips. "Who is that?" Yu Yan asked. Chapter 114 - Mind Destroying Pagoda! 1 Everyone who had an important position in the sect including all the advanced sect disciples gathered in the sect hall, the next day after Mo Yuhan visit, everyone in the sect was already aware of Huo Li actions which are about to cost the sect their peace. They had already known about her anger issues but they hadn''t expected that she would do something as extreme as killing a captain, the disciples were not against her after hearing what she had done except for the few that were already against her being the leader of the advanced disciples but they couldn''t overthrow her because their abilities are nowhere comparable to hers but now that they had a chance, they were ready to seize it.?? "Today''s meeting is to discuss the incidents that happened when the guardians and the leader of the advanced disciples left the sect" the sect leader announced after he and the elders took their seat at the high seats. As soon as the sect leader announced the meeting''s agenda, everyone in the hall started discussing their opinions regarding the issue while Huo Ying and the other guardians had an anxious look on their faces. Huo Li stood below the high seat along with the guardians and Huo Ying with a blank expression on her face, no one could tell what she was feeling at that moment which seems strange considering Huo Li''s character. "Huo Li seems to be calm even though she might be losing her position, this is not like her, could it be that she and my mother had already talked about it," Huo Ying said inaudibly with her eyes fixed on Huo Li who stood in a calm posture, she felt a tap on her shoulder which prompted her to turn back. "Are you thinking the same thing?" Huo Qiang asked with a whisper behind her ear. "You mean...." "Yes, there is no way Huo Li would be this calm when she might even lose her position, we all know how hard she worked to become the leader of the advanced disciples, her behaviour is quite strange" Huo Qiang whispered. "I am also thinking the same thing, she seems to have discussed something with my mother yesterday, we can only hope that whatever they discussed will be able to save her from being demoted or given even worse punishment," Huo Ying said "We can only hope for now," Huo Qiang said then he moved back. "Huo Li, do you admit to killing a captain and severely injuring the disciples of the vitality sect," the second elder asked "I admit" Huo Li replied "Did you commit this crimes alone or the other guardians who went with you had a hand in it?" the second elder asked "No, I committed these crimes alone, Bingchen and Huo Qiang were the ones who stopped me from committing more crimes so they have nothing to do with it" Huo Li answered. "As the leader of the advanced disciples, you are supposed to prepare the disciples for what they would face when the flame sect is ready to go out into the world again but instead, you have committed heinous actions that would implicate the sect, do you think you deserve to be punished or not?" the third elder said with his voice slightly raised, from his tome, it was very obvious that he was very angry at her for her actions including the other elders. The third elder who has always been lenient also ha a fierce angry look on his face as his eyes were fixed on her face, this time, her calm look was almost disappearing, hearing the second elder rebuke her reminded her of how serious her actions were and the troubles it would bring to the sect, she could feel the blaze of their eyes on her, she had already started becoming anxious and rubbing her hands together, she raised her head to look at her master with an anxious look but her master gave her a gentle look to reassure her, she looked away and swallowed the saliva in her throat then she raised her head and looked straight at the second elder. "I am aware of how reckless and irresponsible my actions were, I am ready to accept any punishment" Huo Li answered with confidence but in her mind, she knew that if her master''s plans don''t work then she would end up losing the position she worked very hard to attain. Her position can be considered to be on par with the guardians since they both have commands over all the disciples even though she still has to respect them, although she knew that some of them were looking down on her, she treated them strictly to command respect for herself, she knew that she just wasn''t ready to lose that position. The advanced disciples started discussing amongst themselves, they all had different positions but they knew that from what the second elder said, he was planning to make Huo Li lose her positions. some of them were not happy with the idea of Huo Li being demoted but the few others who have always been against her were certainly happy, she turned to look at the side of the hall where they lined up, she observed their faces as she looked around. she wasn''t surprised to see that few of them were happy with her current situation but she was just marking their faces, if she somehow gets to avoid losing her position then she would surely make them suffer. "Sect leader, Huo Li actions are irresponsible, as the leader of the advanced disciples, she has put the sect in danger and disrupted the peace that we have had for years, I hereby propose that Huo Li should be stripped of her position as the leader of the advanced disciples before we discuss the other punishment she will have to receive according to the rules of the flame sect," the second elder said then he took his seat with a satisfied look on his face, apart from the fact that she had put the sect in danger, Huo Li being the leader of the advanced disciple would give the sect madam more authority in the sect which the first and second elder is very opposed to. Huo Li bit her lower lips upon hearing what the second elder had proposed, Bingchen noticed this then he leaned closer to her ear... "Don''t worry, you won''t lose your position, your master would never let that happen no matter how angry she is with you" Bingchen whispered then he moved back, she felt all her worries dissipate as soon as she heard his whisper behind her, she slightly turned her head back and then looked forward again. "Sect leader, Huo Li actions are indeed irresponsible, I am in support of stripping her of her position" the third elder added, Huo Ying raised her heard in an alarmed manner after hearing the thrid elder speak. She was hoping that the thrid elder would speak for Huo Li but now that he is also siding with the second elder, Huo Li''s chances of retaining her position seemed very slim. "I assume that the first elder is also in support of striping Huo Li of her positon as the leader of the advanced disciples" the sect leader asked "That is right, although Huo Li has been doing well as the leader of the advnaced disciples, she has disoeyed the sect rules, so she must be punished" the first elder answered. "Sect leader, we cant just decide this issue based on the words of the elders, the advanced disciples and the guardians should also have a say in this matter" the sect madam spoke in an unflinching manner even though her personal disciple was almsot losing her position in the sect. "Father, Mother is right, the advanced disciples and the guardians should also have a say in this matter" Huo Ying said with her hand supped and her head slightly lowered. "Alright, since you both say so, i will give the advanced disciples and the guardians a chance to say their opinions, if anyone has anyhting to say at this point, you are free to speak," the sect leader said One of the advanced disciples stepped forward with long strides and a confident look on his face, t was no surprise that he would be th first person to speak and they already knew what he was about to say. "Sect leader, Senior disciple Li has been a good leader and she has been training us to live accoridng to the sect''s expectation but she had gone against her own teachings. for this reason, i am in support of striping her of her position" Wu Que said, he has always considered himself to be better than Huo Li, if Huo Li didnt win him at the competiton, he would have been the leader and now that he has the chance to over throw her, he definitely wouldn''t let it slide. "Wu Que, do you think you can replace senior disciple Li if she is stripped of her position, dream on! you are nothing compared to her" Li Bing shouted without minding that the sect leader and the leder were in the hall, she could be considered as Huo Li''s disciple of she wasnt a disciple herself and she had the same temperament as Huo Li. Huo Li sighed, she knew that she would get reprimanded for speaking recklessly if she doesn''t scold her hersefelf... "Li Bing, shut up! how dare you speak abruptly in the presence of the sect leader and the elders, wont you apologise now?" Huo Li shouted at her, Li Bing understood her intention so she walked forward and bowed her head to aplogise. "Sect leader, senior disciple Li''s behaviour was indeed wrong but considering her merits, her actions should be forgiven" Li Bing said then she walked back into the line. "Seems like she has the same temperament as you, I am not suprised...." Bingchen whispered behind her ear. "Shut up! do you think i am in the mood for your useless comments" Huo Li whsipered back but Bingchen smiled at her fiestiness eve in such situation. "Sect leader, Huo Li played a very vital role in obtaining the herb which was used to treat Huo Ying, i hope you will take into consideration that she has obtained many merit as the leader of the advanced disciples" Huo Qiang said "I agree, although her actions were reckless, she wouldnt have comiited those crimes if she wasnt controlled by her inner demons, I hope sect leader will take these into consideration" Huo Mei said "Sect leader, I also disagree with the decision to strip Huo Li of her position" Huo Lian said "Sect leader, I am also against it, please decide with leniency" Bingchen added, his grandfather glared at him as soon as he spoke, everyone in the hall were surprised that he actually spoke up for her even though she is loyal to Huo Ying. "Since all the guardians have spoken, Huo Ying, is there anything you will like to say?" the sect leader inquired. "Father, this incident occured because of me, Huo Li has not been out of the sect so she didnt know how to control her inner demon when faced with an actual threat, her inexprience has also contributed to her actions so I ask that If you want to punsih anyone then that person should be me" Huo Ying said with her hands cupped and her head bowed, Huo Li looked at her with her face filled with gratitude, she knew that Huo Ying would definitely side with her but she didnt expect her to take the punishment for her. "Sect leader, regarding this issue, since Bingchen and i were also present during the time of the incident then I think we should also share in the punishment" Huo Qiang added, Bingchen eyes widened as he stared at Huo Qiang.... "If you want to be punished, why must you include me in it...." Bingchen whispered loud enough for Huo Qiang to hear him, he turned to look at him with an accussing glare... "Fool!" Huo Qiang whispered which made Huo Ying and the oher guardians chuckle even thoiugh they tried not to. "Based on you opinions, Huo Li has done a very good job as the leader of te advnaced disciples over the years but her irresponsible actions has gone against the rule of the sect, therefor..." "You still haven''t asked for my opinion" the sect madam said, the sect leader who was stopped at the middle of his sentence sighed in frustration, just when he had made his judgement, she just had to interfere. "speak" "I dont think striping her of her position is enough for her to atone for her crime" the sect madam said to the surprise of everyone in the hall, they all stared at her in surprise while they whispered amongst themselves. "Huo Li, is your master turning against you" Bingchen whispered "Shut up!" "What is mother doing, is she really truning against her own personal disciple" "I dont think it is as simple as that, no matter how angry she is at Huo Li, she would never suggest something worse than her losing her position, she must have a plan" Huo Qiang said "What does sect madam mean?" the third elder asked "Even is she is striped of her position, she can still climb back to where she was before, she is my personal disciple so i should be the one to decide her punishment" the sect madma replied "then what do you suggest?" the sect leader asked "She should be taken to the mind destroying pagoda!" the sect madam answered. Chapter 115 - Mind Destroying Pagoda! 2 "What!!" the three elder exclaimed while the others gasped with the eyes widened, the whole hall became silent in an instant while the looked at each other to confirm that they didn''t hear the wrong thing but since everyone had similar expressions on their face, they could confirm that what they had just heard was real. "Dear, Huo Li is your personal disciple, although her actions have endangered the sect, it is still not enough to put in the mind-destroying pagoda," the sect leader said in a very alarmed tone, he had initially thought that she was going to speak up for Huo Li or suggest an easier punishment for her but he didn''t expect that she would choose something so deadly for the disciple she adores the most, as soon as the sect leader spoke, the hall became noisy, they all began to discuss amongst each other, never would they have expected the sect madam to sentence her personal disciple to the mind-destroying pagoda which is a place that no disciple has been sentenced to ever since the late sect leader became the sect leader.?? "I have made my decision on this matter, putting the sect in danger is not her only crime, she murdered innocent people which goes against the rule of the sect, if the people hear of this, wouldn''t it proves to them that we are the demon sect they think we are in their minds," the sect madam said, the disciple shuddered in fear after they realised that she really meant what she had just said, those who were formally vying for the position of her second personal disciple since she hasn''t taken another disciple except for Huo Li for years were thanking their stars that they didn''t make it as her second disciple, they have never seen anyone who would be so cruel to their disciple not to talk of her only disciple. "Mother, Please change your decision, now that she can no longer practice the sutra, if she enters the mind-destroying pagoda, she might give in to her inner demon and never be able to come out again, you have to rethink your decision" Huo Ying pleaded, from the look on her face, it is very obvious that she is terrified at the thought of Huo Li entering the mind-destroying pagoda, they all knew that even if anyone should be sent to the mind-destroying pagoda, it can''t be Huo Li, if she can''t even control her inner demon, how would she be able to survive the torment of the demons that reside in the mind-destroying pagoda. "Sect madam, please rescind your decision, Huo Li cannot enter the mind-destroying pagoda, the demons there will torment her until she gives in to her inner demon and she will never be able to come out of it" Huo Qiang also pleaded as he stepped forward and bowed his head slightly with his hands cupped in above his head. "Sect madam, the guardian and the young mistress are right, she will have to stay inside the pagoda forever if she can''t reach the thirteenth level in one month, with Huo Li''s condition, she might not be able to accomplish that," the second elder said, although he wanted her to be stripped of her position, he had nothing against her so he couldn''t let the sect madam send her to her death. "Sect madam, in the past, all the disciples who were sent to the mind-destroying pagoda all dies when they couldn''t take the suffering anymore and they were all void of inner demons, the only disciple who managed to come out ran mad and later committed suicide, Huo Li is your personal disciple, no matter how irresponsible she was, it is still not a good idea to send her to the mind-destroying pagoda," the third elder said "I have made up my mind, she has wasted all the years and effort I spent in helping her practice the sutra, if she doesn''t get rid of her inner demon, after some years, she would become a maniac killer and she wouldn''t be able to recognise anyone but the mind-destroying pagoda can help her get rid of her inner demons if she manages to survive the torment," the sect madam said in a firm manner that convinced everyone that they can''t change her mind. "Mother, all this started with me, I would rather take enter the mind-destroying pagoda than let Huo Li enter the pagoda for something that started with me," Huo Ying said, with her knees on the ground. "Dear, Huo Li is your personal disciple so the decision is yours to make but you should still think about it, she might never be able to leave the pagoda" the sect leader advised "Mother please let me enter the pagoda instead of Huo Ying" Huo Ying pleaded again. "Huo Ying!" her mother shouted "Master, I am willing to enter the mind-destroying pagoda," Huo Li said as she stepped forward and raised her cupped her hands with her head slightly lowered. "Senior disciple Li!!" the advanced disciples shouted except for Wu Que who felt bad about the idea of sending Huo Li to the mind-destroying pagoda but he was still happy with it as long as he can take her position. "Huo Li!!" Huo Ying and the guardians shouted "Young mistress, you don''t have to speak on my behalf, I am willing to enter the mind-destroying pagoda, as long as there is a chance of getting rid of my inner demons," Huo Li said with a confident and unflinching expression on her face. "Huo Li, are you aware of the danger involved with entering the mind-destroying pagoda, even those without inner demons cannot survive in the pagoda for five days not to talk of you?" the sect leader asked "I am very confident, my master means well for me by asking me to enter the pagoda and I will also have an opportunity to atone for my mistakes" Huo Li answered. "Then so be it, tomorrow, you will attend the mind-destroying pagoda, as long as you can come out in thirty days, there won''t be any problem after you leave the pagoda but if you cannot leave the pagoda in thirty days then you will lose your mind even if you make it out," the sect leader said in a gentle manner. "From this moment onwards, Bingchen would be the leader of the advanced disciples....." the sect madam announced, everyone seemed satisfied with her decision except for Wu Que who had a priceless expression on his face that madam Li Bing very satisfied, they had almost forgotten the rule of the sects that states that a guardian cannot be the leader of the advanced disciples. "Sect madam, Guardian Bingchen being the leader of the advanced disciple is against the rule of the sect," Wu Que said as soon as he remembered the rule. "That is true" "I had almost forgotten" "Even if he can''t become the leader, you are still not qualified to become the leader of the advanced disciple," Li Bing said to piss him off and he reacted as expected... "You...just wait..." "Enough! If Huo Li manages to leave the mind-destroying pagoda in thirty days then the position will be handed back to her but if she doesn''t then another competition will be held to elect another leader" the sect madam declared. "That is enough for today, Huo Li, you will have to stay in the meditation room until tomorrow and only your master is allowed to see you, as soon as the day breaks, you must enter the mind-destroying pagoda" the sect leader instructed. "I understand" Huo Li answered. Then the sect leader and the elders stood up to leave the hall including the sect madam, the disciple followed after them in groups as they discussed while others went to comfort Huo Li. "Senior disciple Li, are you really going to enter the pagoda again, what if you never come out again" "I will real;y miss you, you have to make it senior disciple" "We will wait for you senior disciple" "remember you promised me that we would fight together at the martial heroes tournament if you are not there then how am I supposed to fight alone, we haven''t even shown ourselves to the world," Li Bing said with tears dropping from her eyes as she sniffed her nose in an attempt to hold back her tears. "Don''t worry I will definitely return safely" "But...." "Have I ever failed to do anything I promise to do, I haven''t forgotten my promise to you, you and I will definitely fight on the martial heroes tournament together, just wait for my return" "Senior sister!!" they chorused "Don''t let me come back and find out that you have all been slacking, I don''t trust anyone to train you as hard as I do," Huo Li said then she patted Li Bing on her shoulder and walked away but just as she left the hall, she met the guardians and Huo Ying waiting for her. "What are you all still doing here?" Huo Li asked even though she was very aware of the obvious answer to her obvious question. "Don''t be silly, this is our last chance to see you before you enter the pagoda," Huo Mei said with her almost teary eyes. "Huo Li, are you sure you want to enter the pagoda, if you don''t want to then we can kneel in front of you master''s quarter and plead on your behalf until she rescinds her decision," Bingchen said with a worried look on his face which surprised everyone. "Since I came back from the beast dungeon, you have been acting very strange," Huo Ying said with a hint of surprise on her face. "What do you mean?" Bingchen prompted "Since when did you stop being a selfish jerk? I am surprised that you are actually concerned about her since you are taking her position for the meantime, I was expecting you to be happy" Huo Ying said "You really....." "Huo Li, you still have a chance to think this through, you might never be able to come out of the pagoda if you don''t succeed," Huo Qiang said "It is still better than turning into a murdering maniac who cannot recognise anyone" Huo Li answered, seeing how determined she was to enter the pagoda, Huo Ying couldn''t help but feel guilty, she felt that all of this wouldn''t have happened if she hadn''t fallen sick and made them risk infiltrating the vitality sect because of her, tears began to fill her eyes even though she was trying very hard to send them back. "Huo Li, I am very sorry, if it wasn''t for me, you wouldn''t have to enter the pagoda and lose the sutra cultivation you have been practising for years," Huo Ying said as the tears began to drop, Huo Li tried to avoid looking at her but she couldn''t, if she sees the tears on her face, she would also break down and that was something she didn''t want but she still looked at her face. "It isn''t your fault, I would have destroyed the sutra cultivation even if you didn''t fall sick, you have done enough by pleading on my behalf and even offering to take my punishment for me, even if I can never leave the pagoda, I still wouldn''t regret it, it is my fortune to have met my master and become a disciple of the flame sect, if I can''t come out....." "Don''t say that Huo Li, we all know how capable you are, you will definitely make it out, we trust you so you should also put all your effort into leaving the pagoda" Huo Lian said "I will..." Huo Li said then she was about to walk away but Huo Ying stopped her... "Remember, we still have revenge to fulfil, you still have to take revenge on Qiuhua sect for your mother while I have to take revenge on all the sect on behalf of my sister, you have to make it out, our chance is almost near....." Huo Ying said amd wiped her tears. "You mean the martial heroes tournament..." Bingchen said "I will, I will never miss the chance to vent my anger on that day, wait for me," Huo Li said then she walked away. Everyone watched her back until she was out of sight, they were all feeling deeply worried and anxious while Huo Ying was still feeling guilty. Bingchen felt somehting else as he watched her leave, he felt like somehting important was going farther away from him. Chapter 116 - The Letter! Two weeks had already passed since Huo Li entered the mind-destroying pagoda, from the atmosphere of the sect, even if a visitor had entered the sect, they would easily find out that something is amiss, they all wore long faces all through the day, while some of them trained hard in hopes that when she makes it out, she would find them stronger than they had been before. Huo Ying and the guardians paraded the mind-destroying pagoda every day, in hopes that she would come out one day but she never did, each day seemed too long as they waited outside the pagoda each day, as for Bingchen, he spends most of his days in the sect library, he has been reading all the books and scrolls in the library in an attempt to find a way to channel their spiritual energy into the pagoda without it backfiring on Huo Li who is still inside the pagoda.?? They had earlier planned to support her by channelling their spiritual power from outside the pagoda into the pagoda to help her but the third elder advised them against it since any external power would affect any human inside the pagoda. The sect leader had already gone into his seclusion which had been withheld for some time due to Huo Ying''s illness, while the sect madam prepared the sect for what is to come and took care of the sect affairs. A disciple rushed into the sect madam''s quarter with a little rolled paper in his hand, he stopped when he arrived at the door then he announced his presence, after getting her permission to enter he pushed open the door and entered her chamber, he bowed his head and cupped his hands above his head. "Sect madam, a pigeon was sent from the azure demon sect with this letter," the disciple said and handed the letter to her with both hands, she scrunched her face as she read the content then she squeezed it and threw it on the floor with her eyes burning in anger and her fist squeezed, the disciple stared at her curiously wondering what was in the letter that made her so angry but he didn''t dare to ask. "Inform the guardians, the elders and the young mistress to gather at the meeting room" the sect madam commanded with her back turned to him. "Understood" the disciple answered then he hurriedly left the room. Minutes later, all the people she had sent the disciple to call were all present in a large-sized room with tall wooden chairs with the golden eagle carved on the board of each chair while two chairs were positioned at the front of the room. "Sect Madam!" they chorused as she entered the room, from her facial expression, it was clear that whatever she had called them for cannot be something simple. "Seat," the sect madam said then they all took their seat according to the order of their ranks in the sect. "I wonder why sect madam has called this meeting?" the first elder asked in an indirect tone. "I have just received a letter from Mo Yuhan that the next alliance meeting is going to take place in the next three days" the sect madam announced to their surprise, they glanced at each other in surprise, they had originally heard from Mo Yuhan that the wind sect was going to send its disciple to inform them of the meeting but they haven''t been informed even though it was just three days to the meeting. "Sect madam, I previously heard that Mo Yuhan told you that the sect leader Lin told the other sects that he was going to send his disciples to inform us of the alliance meeting, how come we haven''t heard from them but Mo Yuhan was the one who sent the letter instead" the third elder with an angry expression budding on his face. "That is exactly why I was angry the moment I read the letter, the flame sect is in this state because of the plot of the wind sect which the whole country consider to be the righteous sect but I didn''t expect that he would pull such a trick again just to destroy our sect," the sect madam said with her voice raised as though sect leader Lin was seating in front of her. "That sly old fool! mother, what do you plan to do, Father is still in seclusion so he can''t attend the meeting or make a decision on this matter" Huo Ying said "That is right sect madam since the sect leader has left the sect in your hand you will have to make a decision on this matter" the first elder added "Before the sect leader went into seclusion, he has already informed me of what to do concerning this matter, the flame sect is going to return to how it was before" the sect madam announced. "For real!!!!!" is what their face read at the moment as they glanced at each other again before fixing their gaze on her as they weren''t sure that they had heard the right thing. "Mother, do you mean that we are going to stop our seclusion from the world!" Huo Ying asked with mixed expressions on her face, even she couldn''t comprehend what she was feeling as it seemed to unreal for her. "Yes, the sect leader and I have discussed this issue beforehand in preparation, from now on, the flame sect with start relating with the world, we cant call ourselves a sect if we are not protecting the world from the demons who are trying to wreak havoc in the world and although we have many skilful disciples, they can''t even have the real-life experience that they should have, keeping quiet and staying hidden will only make them want to force us out so instead of letting them have their way, I have decided that we are going to show them that the flame sec is not an easy sect to bully," the sect madam said with authority and anger mixed in her voice as she spoke, from the manner she spoke in, they were now sure that she was really determined and she meant every word that she had just said. The expressions on their faces at this moment made them seem like they were prisoners who are now being released after decades of being imprisoned in a dungeon, they seemed like they were going to have tears rolling down their cheeks at any moment. "Who would have thought that this day would come, if sect madam is ready to open our closed doors, we elders will do all we can to make sure that we are ready for the sect future in the world," the second elder said with happiness written on his face. "Mother, this seems too real to believe, for years, we have had to keep ourselves cooped in this mountain and very few of us can go out undercover," Huo Ying said as she sniffed her nose to stop the tears that had gathered in her eyes from falling. "Sect madam! we would prepare anything thing you need us to prepare and we will make sure the disciples are ready for this change" Huo Qiang said with the same happy expression on his face as well as the other guardians, who were just speechless at her decision. "We will now go back to how things were before, this means that every disciple will have to wear the flame mask once again, I will trust the guardians to get this ready" the sect madam announced "Leave it to us, sect madam, although the flame mask is not an ordinary mask and it requires the flame power and blood of the sect leader and all the patriarchs of the sect to make, we will definitely do our best to make sure that they are ready in time" Huo Mei replied. "That is good, the sect leader has already left his blood in advance, I and the elders will give you ours today and you all know what to do next, for now, Huo Mei, Huo Qiang and Huo Ying, you will be following me and the first elder to the meeting in the next three days so make sure that the flame mask is ready for the three of you, the elder''s and I have already been exposed to the public so we have no use for the mask," the sect madam instructed "We understand!" the five of them chorused Bingchen was rather happy that he would be left behind since it meant that he would be able to spend the day in continuing his research but Huo Lian didn''t seem like she was satisfied with the decision, even though she tried to hide it, Huo Mei still noticed it on her face. Given her character, she will definitely feel like she is the least important among them all since she was being left behind with Huo Bingchen. "Mo Yuhan also informed us in the letter that they have found witnesses to identify if one of our disciples were present, I am sure that sect leader Lin just made them available in case if any situation he hasn''t predicted in advance" the sect madam added. "If that is the case then Huo Qiang can''t go to the alliance meeting," the first elder said "The first elder is right mother, if the witnesses are able to identify him then it would be troublesome for us" Huo Ying added. "It doesn''t matter, the world knows that all the disciples of the flame sect have always worn a mask, they won''t be able to make him take his mask off" the sect madam replied "If that is the case then I am relieved, it seems like the sect leader has already had it all planned out before he went into seclusion," the first elder said then he heaved a sigh of relief. "It would be even better if the court gets involved with this case, that way, we would be able to get Huo Lan involved" Huo Ying added. "That is all for today, you all should prepare for this in advance, I will retire to my room now," the sect madam said then she stood up from her seat and walked towards the end of the room while the others bowed as she walked past them. ----------------- In the imperial court. "Your majesty, the ministry of justice received an information yesterday, I wonder if I have your permission to speak?" the minister of justice said from the line of the ministers as soon as the minister of foreign relations had concluded his report. "You may speak" the emperor replied The minister of finance walked out of the line to the front of the throne, he held his ministerial tablet in his hands and raised it above his chest as he walked to the front of the hall, just below the emperor''s throne. "Your majesty, I received news from Yushan city that captain Wang Shang who had just returned from the border and received an award from you was murdered months ago," the minister of justice said wth his head cowered. The hall became noisy and their eyes widened in shock as soon as he concluded the statement if it was another captain, they wouldn''t have been shocked but captain Wang Shang is a captain who has just bestowed an award from the emperor, whoever killed him must have eating liver being committing such an act. "What!! who dared to commit such an act in my nation?" the emperor shouted in anger as he slammed his hand on the large table in front of him, the beads in front of his crown shook and swayed in different directions as though they had sensed his anger. "Your majesty, please ease your anger!" the ministers chorused as they bowed their heads. Even the prime minister was angry when he heard of the captain''s death, he had just bought the captain over to his side without the emperor knowing and he planned to use him to monitor the emperor in secret but his plan was actually foiled by a fool who dared to kill the captain. "You are telling me to ease my anger!!! How can I ease my anger when a captain whom I personally awarded a prize was killed in my nation, under my nose!!!!!" the emperor shouted. "Minister of justice, how did this happen?" the prime minister asked "The killers have not been identified but his body was severely deformed, the murderer broke the bones in his legs and arms were shattered into pieces while his face was almost unrecognisable but it seemed that he was slapped until his face became deformed" the minister of justice recounted "The murderer even dared to torture him before killing him!" the emperor said with his voice raised and his fist tightly clenched before hitting the table in anger. "From the information I was sent, three people forced their way into Yushan city then the captain took it upon himself to capture them but all his men were killed with one strike at the same position of their body, only the captain was tortured before he died" the minister of justice added. "This is no coincidence, seeing as he was the only one who was tortured, they must have been aiming for him," the minister of foreign affairs said "Are you telling me that my captain was killed and you have no clue to find the murderer?" the emperor questioned. "We do have a clue before he died, he mentioned a word" the minister of justice replied "What word?" the prime minister enquired "Huo...when he said it, it seemed like he was referring to someone but we can''t be sure if it was someone''s name he was trying to say" the minister of justice answered. Chapter 117 - Seed Of Doubt! "Does anyone have a clue about what this might mean?" the emperor asked with his arm placed on the hand board and his eyebrows furrowed as though he was searching for the slightest bit of reaction from the ministers that would help him know if they are keeping something from him. Once again, the ministers started discussing amongst themselves, they were all asking one another for each other''s thoughts regarding the clue so they could gain information and then present it to the emperor to curry favour for themselves seeing how the emperor seemed aggravated by the case.?? "Your majesty, the surname Huo is very popular so it is nearly impossible for the murderer to be identified based on that word and we are not still sure if it is a name or it has another meaning" the prime minister answered. "Prime minister, as the highest-ranking minister in the court, are you telling me that it is impossible to find the people who committed such preposterous act in my country?" the emperor said with an authoritative but condescending tone, the prime minister clenched his fist under his sleeve while he displayed a humble smile in front of the emperor. "Your majesty! I have indeed spoken carelessly, how can your ministers not have the ability to find the perpetrators" the prime minister replied. "Your majesty, this incident coincidentally happened on the same day the golden eagle from the flame sect came out of the mountain where the sect resides" the minister of justice took the chance to speak in case if he might fall on the good side of the emperor. "Are you saying.....?" the emperor said in hesitation "Yes, your majesty, no one knows why the golden eagle was let out on that day but when it first came into sight, there was one person riding on it then it later returned with four people on his back" the minister of justice answered "Minister of justice, are you trying to bring the sects into this matter? your majesty, I personally saw the golden eagle when it flew past, it flew too high in the sky that even I couldn''t ascertain the number of people that were riding on it" the regional commander said. "Regional commander, are you saying that I am now senile that I don''t know what I am saying anymore?" the minister of justice asked with an angry expression on his face. "Of curse, that is not what I mean, I am just saying that you should be sure that you can take responsibility fr whatever you say in the court, if the cultivating sects involved in this case, it won''t be favourable for the court, moreover, the flame sect has gone into hiding for years, do you think they will kill a captain the first time they appear into the world," the regional commander said, the ministers began discussing with themselves, looking around, they were all nodding their head in agreement with what the regional commander had stated. "What he said makes sense" "Yes, there is no way the flame sect would create such trouble the first time they appear" "I also think what he said his reasonable " Seeing as the whole court was starting to speak in favour of the regional commander, the prime minister decided to take it upon himself to create controversy in the court. "Regional commander! perhaps you have been at the border for too long that you have forgotten what kind of sect the flame sect is, if not for the fact that they accepted the emperor''s punishment after the battle between the sects, they would have been suspected of being related to the blood moon sect, how can you say that such a sect is not capable of committing such an act" the prime minister said, the aura in the cold as it became obvious that both ministers were about to clash, they knew that they would soon have to pick sides according to whoever will bring them more benefit. "Prime minister, are you saying that this was done by the flame sect?" the emperor asked. "Your majesty, I am not concluding that the flame sect is responsible for the death of captain Wang Shang, I am just saying that they can''t be ruled out from the possible suspect, although they have not been confirmed to be a demonic sect, they are still known for the atrocities they committed sixteen years ago, unless if regional commander you have personally had dealings with them, you cant be sure that they weren''t the ones who killed the captain," the prime ministers said, the regional glared at him with anger in his eyes, it was very clear that he was trying to insinuate that the regional commander must have been secretly dealing with the flame sect. Even though the emperor has always sided and trusted everything the regional commander says, this time, he looked at him with suspicion in his eyes and his eyes squinted, the regional commander raised his head to see the emperors expression but he was surprised to see that for the first time, the emperor was looking at him with suspicion in his eyes then he turned back to the prime minister who smiled at him sinisterly. The emperor has always been afraid of the flame sect''s influence and that was the reason why he was willing to join hands with the wind sect to destroy the flame sect but his plan didn''t work fully. Back then, the flame sect had a lot of influence in the country that it almost felt like they were the ones ruling the country while the royal family were enjoying themselves. Since all the sects were founded by princes who were sent out of the palace, all the sect leader were considered to be part of the royal family but they were forbidden from participating in court affairs, this made the emperor feel insecure, he knew that if the sect leader of the flame sect decided to revolt, he would be able to take the throne easily considering the influence of the flame sect in the country. He rubbed his palm over his fist slowly at the mention of the flame sect, but he tried his best to keep calm, he wouldn''t know what to do if his trusted advisor and commander was also with the flame sect, the doubt in his eyes was too obvious for the prime minister not to notice. "Regional commander, shouldn''t you explain yourself, what makes you so sure that the flame sect wasn''t involved in the death of the captain?" the emperor asked nervously. "Your majesty, I have always been loyal to you and I have tried my best to give you the best advice in every way possible, although I have no relations with the flame sect, I am still very sure that they had no hand in this matter, getting the sects involved might cause another uproar in the world and I know that tour majesty has always loved peace more than anything, if your majesty is not satisfied then you can send a message to the flame sect requesting their presence in the court," the regional commander said. He couldn''t help but feel that there is a reason for the emperor''s sudden distrust towards him, knowing that the emperor has always trusted him in everything he says and does, he couldn''t find a good reason why the emperor would suddenly be suspicious of him at the mention of the flame sect. Perhaps... "Your majesty, it is nearly impossible to get any information into the flame sect, based on what I know, ever since the war, the flame sect has hidden in the mountain where they reside and recently, they have placed a barrier on the mountain, no one can enter the barrier, even if you manage to enter, you won''t be able to see anything," the minister of rites said "They must be hiding something, if not, why would they make such an effort to hide," the minister of foreign affairs said "Alright, enough! those cultivating sects have divided my country for themselves, I am the emperor and every land and person in this country belongs to me and they are under my authority including the sects, I don''t care about the reason why they are hiding, I want them in this court within five days" the emperor commanded with authority echoing in his voice. "Your majesty, I suggest that you leave the regional commander with this matter, he definitely knows how to inform them of your command," the prime minister said with a sly look on his face as he stared right into the regional commander''s eyes. The regional commander smiled in his mind at the cunningness of the prime minister, if he doesn''t get the sect leader of the flame sect to the court within five days, he would be accused of failing to complete the emperor''s task but it does manage to get them to court then he would be suspected of having special relations with them. The emperor knew what the prime minister intention was but he still decided to go along with it as the seed of doubt had already been sown in his heart. "Regional commander, I regard you as my most capable and trusted minister, therefore, I will leave you in charge of this matter," the emperor said with a gentle smile on his face but with an in-depth meaning. "I understand" the regional commander replied with his cup in front of him and his head lowered. I am afraid you are not giving me this task as your trusted minister but the minister you are suspicious of, you have always trusted me in every matter but the flame sect can make you feel so insecure, it seems like there is more to this... The regional commander thought in his mind! "I want you to keep in mind that you are my most trusted minister" the emperor added with a deep look in his eyes, the regional commander fixed his gaze on his eyes for a while before replying. "I will make sure to keep it in my mind" the regional commander answered. "If there is no other issue then the assemble is over," the emperor said then he rubbed his forehead gently. Then the prime minister turned to give the minister of foreign affairs a signalling nod before turning back. "Your majesty, there is still another matter that needs to be reported," the minister of foreign affairs said "What is it?" "It is regarding the Mongolians refusal to send their tribute, they..." "Enough! I don''t want to hear anymore, we will discuss this matter in the next assembly" the majesty said before he could even complete his statement. "But....." the minister of foreign affairs tried to insist but the emperor gave him a threatening glare which shut him up immediately, he turned to look at the prime minister before finally stepping back. The emperor walked down the throne with long strides, as he walked past the ministers, they all bowed their head with their hands cupped in front of them until he left the imperial hall, the ministers began forming their cliques as soon as the emperor left, noise filled the imperial hall as they discussed the clash between the prime minister and the emperor''s behaviour in the court. The prime minister and his supporting high ranking minister gathered round to form their own cliques as they discussed. "I am not sure if I am the only one who noticed that the emperor seems to be doubting the regional commander," one of the ministers said. "I also noticed that I thought I was the only one who thought so" "How is that possible, even when he was suspected of colluding with the enemies during the battle between enemy country and the evidence of his collusion was brought before the emperor, the emperor still trusted him" "You are all thinking like that because you don''t know his majesty enough," the prime minister said with a smirk etched at the edge of his lips. "What do you mean prime minister?" the minister of foreign affairs asked as he was also confused. "Do you know what his majesty fears the most?" the prime minister asked. "I am not sure about that, but every king has the fear of losing their throne" the minister of rites replied "You are right, but is majesty is slightly different from the other emperors, he is only afraid of those he deems strong enough to take what belongs to him, back then when he just ascended the throne, he was very terrified of me and he was always cautious of when his ministers would turn to me, now that he is sure that he has his reins over my control in the court, he is no longer afraid of me," the prime minister said then he stopped... "How is that related to his majesty being suspicious of the regional commander?" "His majesty is also afraid of the four main sects, they were founded by princes who left the palace before the sects were founded, this means that if any of the sects are too influential and strong, they might try to take the throne, back then, the influence of the flame sect was so mighty that everyone started regarding them as the government while the government seemed useless to the people. The emperor was also terrified then, I could see it in him, even after they went into hiding, I didn''t expect that he would still be afraid of the influence that they had already lost" the prime minister explained. The ministers took a while to ingest the explanation when they had fully understood what the prime minister had said, they all came to the realization of the meaning of his explanation. "Does this mean that.....?" "Yes, the emperor is doubtful of the regional commander because he sided with the flame sect today, I only took that chance to sow a seed of doubt in his heart, I just need to water it frequently then it won''t be long before the emperor loses the trust he has for the regional commander," the prime minister said then he tilted his lips to the side sinisterly. "It definitely won''t be easy to make the emperor fully lose his trust in the regional commander" the minister of foreign affairs added. "I am very well aware of that, I wanted to use his momentary doubt to make him declare war on the Mongolians but he didn''t even want to speak about it, this means that he still trusts the regional commander," the prime minister said, then he squinted his eyes and ran his hand through his beard. Chapter 118 - Who Says All I Want Is Tang Dynasty! After leaving the imperial hall... Just outside the palace, many horses, carriages and palanquins could be seen as the people walked past the palace gate, they were all luxuriously and expensively decorated with different animals illustrated on them according to their ranks, the low ranking ministers returned to their respective homes either by horse or walking.?? The prime minister entered his palanquin as soon as he walked out of the palace gate, his stool boy bent his back while he stepped on his back and climbed unto into the palanquin, he straightened his robe as he sat comfortably in the palanquin then the four people carrying the palanquin started walking forward. The prime minister opened the window to catch a glimpse of the busy street outside the palace, the people moved out of his way and moved the side of the road with their head cowered, they were still aware that the prime minister might not be as powerful as he was before but hs still has influenced so they didn''t dare stand in his way, just as he was about to close the window, his eyes caught a glimpse of an armoured horse coming close to his palanquin, he waited until the person got closer to his horse before he could see the person sitting on the horse and it turned out to be the person he expected it to be... "Regional commander, it turns out that it was you, I was wondering who the person riding the horse was, I almost forgot about your famous horse that has accompanied you in all the battles you fought in," the prime minister said "My horse is not that good, you are giving him too much praise, " the regional commander replied "You and I know that I am not overpraising your horse, in the whole of tang, your horse is the only horse that has received an award from the emperor, if he was to die today, the whole country would definitely mourn him, how can you say that I an overpraising your horse" the prime minister replied "If you think then I don''t think I can change your mind" "Regional commander, you appear to be a humble man outside but it would be great if you act the same way in front of the emperor," the prime minister said with a cunning smile hanging on his lips. "I wonder what prime minister means by that?" the regional commander replied "Does regional commander think that the emperor''s trust is an easy burden to carry, you are still young and haven''t seen much of the world as I have, I have served three emperor''s during my lifetime and I can attest that the emperor''s trust is not an easy burden to bear" the prime minister affirmed. "I still don''t know what point prime minister is trying to make, if there is nothing else, I will be on my way," the regional commander said, he urged his horse to move but as the horse moved a step forward, the prime minister continued... "If you cannot bear the weight of something, it is better for you to drop it, the trust of an emperor is not something you can handle or covet because no matter what you do, you will never be able to keep that trust till the end" "What I want is not the emperor''s trust but to offer my service in helping him rule this country in peace and prosperity, that is what every minister should aim for" the regional commander answered with his back turned at the prime minister. "You are wrong, the more his majesty trusts you, the more he suspects you because he doesn''t want to lose the one minister he thinks he can place his trust in, the trust of an emperor is like a deadly but slow poison. One day when the balance bends to the doubtful side, that would be the end of you" "Unfortunately for you, that day would never come" "I have seen many people like you with such a naive mind in the court but they have never died naturally, perhaps you can change your fate if you drop that righteous idea of yours and come over to my side, if we combine our powers together, we will surely achieve great things," the prime minister proposed. "It is a pity that you won''t get to see me fall due to the emperor''s trust as long as the people live in peace, the cause of my death is not important, I don''t think you need me to achieve anything" the regional commander responded and urged his horse to move, the prime minister watched as he rode away in anger, he clenched his face and furrowed his eyebrows until the regional commander was out of sight. The stool boy walked to the window, then he nodded as a signal for them to start moving. ----------------------- In the blood moon sect... A young man enters a dark stone room made of stone, the large candles made the room seem even more auspicious and eerie, as he entered the room he could feel the dark aura with every step he took into the room, the smell of blood filled the whole room as he approached the innermost part of the room. He stopped when he reached the front of the room and bowed his head with his fist and palm joined together above his head. "My lord!" the young man greeted with his head still bowed. "Rise!" As he raised his head, his eyes swept through the long stairs in front of him, before it finally landed on the curtain made of black beads, dark aura filled the entire room behind the curtain so he couldn''t see anything but a mirror behind the curtain and the back of a ladylike a figure sitting in front of the mirror. "May I ask for the reason why the master has requested for my presence today...I hope there is nothing wrong?" the young man said with a hint of fear in his voice and his head slightly cowered, she slowly turned her head to the side with a sinister hanging on her lips, he raised his head to look at the figure behind the curtain again, all he could see is the red aura coming from her eyes and her blood-red lips. "You don''t need to be concerned or afraid" the woman behind the curtain entreated, she stood up from the stool she was sitting on then she opened the curtain and walked down the stairs, when she finally reached the last step, she smiled gently but he knew that her smile has always meant nothing but evil. "I have been having a strange feeling ever since I woke up this morning so I decided to call you my disciple so I can share it with you," the woman said, this time, he raised his head and looked into her eyes even though he couldn''t see anything but her evil red aura coming out of the eyehole in her mask. She wore a black mask with a red snake painted at the edge of the mask, leaving on her lips and the tip of her nose exposed, her long hair was packed into a tight ponytail and a large gold hairpin decorated her hair, her long and majestic black robe and a long red cape that swept through the ground with every step she took, the cape is so long that even though she had descended the stairs, the end of her cape is still half the stairs. A black stiff shawl with a red snake embroidered on it decorated her chest, she wore a set of metal claw on her hand which made her seem more dangerous but this young man didn''t seem afraid of her as though he had already gotten used to her. She moved closer to him with her index claw raised against his cheek, she traced her claw from his cheek to his neck as she moved from his front to his back, she placed one of her hand on his shoulder with her claws moving around his shoulder... "I really think I should share this feeling with you...." she said then she pressed her claw into his neck....his eyes widened and turned red, as he let out a loud scream, after a while, he stopped screaming and entered into her spiritual realm. She removed her claw from his neck and walked to his front with a gentle smile on her lips... "Now tell me, what do you think?" "I am not as gifted as master but it seems like there will soon be a change" the young man answered "You are truly the disciple I painstakingly trained, although my divination powers have weakened and I can only sense a change of event in my spiritual realm, I have never been wrong," the woman said "Does master mean that....." "Yes, things are about to get interesting for us, all my plans had to be halted for years because of the flame sect seclusion but once things change, my plan would also have to change" "Congratulation master" "Don''t congratulate me yet, there is still a long way ahead and I still haven''t been able to identify the hidden force that is going to fight against me in the future?" the woman said then she walked away from him slowly. "Is master still concerned about the divination you had years ago, I don''t think that is necessary, there is no mortal that is on par with you in Tang dynasty and other nations," "What did I tell you about letting down your guard, do you think I am not aware of how capable I am, for my plan to work, I have to hide from the world and I can only let you help me in my future plans, you are my only disciple and all my expectations are your burden to carry" "I am very well aware of that master, I won''t disappoint your expectations" the young man replied and bowed his head. "Very well, you may leave," the woman said then she walked towards the stairs while the young man exited the room. "Si Feng oh Si Feng, when my plans succeed, I will tell you who you really are....." the woman said then she started laughing hysterically as she ascended the stairs, she gently moved the curtain away and sat on the stool with her front facing the mirror, she raised her index claw seductively and caressed the side of her face to her lips before resuming her hysterical laughter. "It won''t be long before I claim what belongs to me, those foolish righteous sects are the only ones standing in my way, once my dear disciple assists me in getting rid of them then the world will be mine," she said then she leaned closer to the mirror and removed the mask covering the upper half of her face. "Who says all I want is Tang dynasty," She asked rhetorically before carving a sinister smile onto her lips. "What I really want is the whole world, If I can''t have heaven then I must have the earth" She added then she straightened her face and tilted her lips to the side. ---------------------------- "Huo Lan! Huo Lan!" a young girl called out desperately as she moved from one room to another in the cave, she was almost out of breath as she was already getting tired from calling out her name for so long without getting any answer. "Where did she go again? I am really tired...." the girl said as she came out of the cave and looked around frantically she noticed that she has been dissapearing frequently these days but she hasn''t been able to figure out where she could be even though she has been confined to the underground part of the wind sect. After searching for a long time, she returned to the cave and paced around frantically hoping that Huo Lan would walk through the door but it didn''t seem like that was going to happen anytime soon. Chapter 119 - The Realm In The Necklace! She could hear the sweet chirps of the bird even though she is underwater, the ripples on the lake her evident due to whatever fun she is having underwater. To her, that is the only place no one knows about, the only place where she can be alone and be herself without caring about what kind of danger she would be in if someone finds out that she has been leaving the cave or when next they would try to dispel her powers. She swam out of the water with a great speed and her eyes closed, her long red hair waved backwards due to the impact of the wind as soon as raised her head out of the water, she swiped her hands through her face into her hair and brushed it backwards, making it sleek to her back.?? Her deep red lips spread to form a gentle and sweet smile, as her lashes fluttered, she slowly opened her large round eyes to reveal a set of light red eyeballs, she wiped her face again with her eyes to wipe away the water on her face. She used her hands to scoop the water from the lake and poured it over her milky white shoulder and rubbed her shoulders gently, she was about to go underwater again when she felt a light object fall on her shoulder, she turned her head to her shoulder to see what it was and it turned out to a cherry blossom petal. She opened her mouth slightly in surprise that she actually saw a cherry blossom flower here even though she didn''t know what type of flower it was, she raised her head in the direction of the fall, she became flabbergasted at the sight of cherry blossom petals falling from the sky that she wasn''t even sure if it is real but she couldn''t care less, it has been eleven years since she has seen a place that is as colourful as where she is right now. the sight of the flower made her reminisce the moments she shared with her sister with the only flower she knows..... "Huo Lan! Huo Lan, come here" Little Huo Ying called out as she walked into a garden filled with cherry blossom trees, Little Huo Lan entered the garden with her sister walking in front of her, Huo Ying noticed that Huo Lan was walking to slow so she ran back and pulled her hand. she only stopped when they got to the largest tree in the garden, they both raised their head to see just how tall the trees were with their mouths slightly opened as their eyes traced the tree from the root to the top branch. "Wow, so beautiful," Huo Lan remarked, she was too little back then to fathom that there was something as beautiful as that in the world. and she hasn''t been able to see much of the world due to her powers so it was just too extraordinary for her. "I knew you would like it so I brought you to see it, father and mother won''t let you leave your room because of your powers but I didn''t want you to leave without seeing it with me," Huo Ying said as she held both of her sister''s hand with a smile on her face. "But if they find out, we are going to be in trouble," Huo Lan said in her usual timid manner. "Don''t worry, they won''t find out, even if they do, I will take the blame" Huo Ying replied "That won''t do, I am stronger than you so how can I let you take the blame, moreover, you are only doing it for me" "Have you forgotten that I am the older one, the older one should take more responsibility" Huo Ying replied. "Then I will listen to you" "That is more like it, come, let me show you around," Huo Ying said, then the both of them walked around the garden with their laughter echoing throughout the place, they hid from each other as they played hide and seek and it was just so much fun for them, something that they didn''t have the luxury to enjoy until something happened. Huo Lan was too excited with the game that she mistakenly let her glove fall off, without knowing that her glove had fallen off, she touched one of the trees in the garden which instantly caught fire, she started shaking at the sight of the tree burning then she looks at her hands only to see that her gloves had already fallen off, she started looking around frantically in search of her sister with tears in her eyes. An ordinary fire would not be able to hurt her sister but her fire would definitely do her lots of damage. "Sister!!!" Huo Lan shouted as she walked admits her own fire in search of her sister but she couldn''t find her or hear any sound from the garden, the trees had already started falling and burning into bits but she couldn''t care about them now, all she could think of was her sister. After searching for long without seeing her sister, the disciples discovered the fire in the cherry blossom garden so they ran into the garden with buckets of water. They didn''t even notice that she was there because of her tiny figure and their mind were only occupied with putting out the fire, Huo Lan walked out of the garden with soot on her face as she walked lifelessly with guilt filling her heart. In her mind, she had already concluded that she has burnt her sister to death, tears just welled out of her eyes without making a single sound. She was still walking without any direction when her mother found her, she quickly ran up to her and hugged her tightly, when she realised that she didn''t seem normal, she pulled away from her and examined her carefully before asking any question. "Where did you go? I have been looking for you" her mother asked with a worried and relieved look on her face, but she didn''t get any reply, the only thing she did was cry. "What is wrong, did anything happen to you, you couldn''t have left your quarter without the key, how did you leave?" her mother asked again but she still didn''t get any reply. "Why aren''t you saying anything, your sister is also missing and you are crying, what''s wrong?" Her mother asked again, this time with anxiousness in her voice, she had already started imagining worst situations that could have occurred when Huo Lan left her quarter, then she started crying aloud, her sudden outburst made her mother even more convinced that something terrible must have happened. "Sect madam, Sect madam!!" a disciple called as he ran towards their direction. "What is it," she asked anxiously "The cherry blossom garden is on fire and we can''t put it out" the disciple explained "Why can''t you put it out?" The sect madam asked then she lowered her head to look at Huo Lan who has a guilty look on her face. "I think the second young mistress set the garden on fire" the disciples answered. "Is it really your doing?" her mother asked then her eyes shifted to her hand, she was flustered at the realisation that she wasn''t wearing her glove. "Mother, I didn''t do it on purpose..." she said then she continued crying aloud. "Huo Ying just wanted me to see the beautiful flower but I....I" she added "What! Your sister was there too?" "I don''t know...I...I didn''t do it intentionally, she just wanted to show me the pretty flower" she repeated. "Relay my orders, all the disciple should search for Huo Ying, leave no stone unturned" the sect madam ordered. "Understood!" The disciple replied then walked away swiftly. Her mother turned back to look at a with a dangerous glare in her eyes, she was too outraged by her mistake even though she tried to quell it. " Now tell me what did you do to your sister?" Her mother asked with a deep frown on her face. "Mother, I don''t know...I... we were just playing then my glove fell off, I don''t know if she is in there or not, I was looking for her but I couldn''t find her" Huo Lan replied in a shaky voice, seeing how disturbed she was about the incident, her anger immediately quelled, she knelt in front of her and hugged her tightly. "Mother, did I burn my sister to death....she just wanted me to see the pretty flowers but...I...I" Her mother gently pulled away from her and cleaned the tears on her face, with a comforting look on her face. "You didn''t find her so that means that she didn''t die in the fire, no matter how powerful your flames are, she is still your twin so she won''t be easily affected by your flame," her mother said but she didn''t mean it, considering how powerful Huo Lan flame is, if Huo Ying was in the fire there is anhinga chance that she is already dead or close to death. "Mother, you are lying, I am really a monster like they all say," Huo Lan said "You are not, monsters don''t like pretty things, your sister knows you are not a monster that is why she wanted to show you the flower" her mother answered with a reassuring smile on her face. " Really" "Of course" "Huo Lan!! Mother" a tiny voice called from afar, the both of them turned at the sound of the familiar voice and it turned out to be Huo Ying. Huo Lan quickly ran up to her and threw her arms around her sister''s shoulders. "Where did you go?" Her mother asked with a shaky voice, she had been lying to herself when she said that Huo Ying would be fine but seeing her standing in front of her was too much of a relief for her. "I was waiting for the fire to go out," Huo Ying said then she opened her fist to reveal a petal to cherry blossom. "All the flowers were burnt but I managed to save this one for you," Huo Ying said with a smile on her face. Her mother widened her eyes and opened her mouth in shock, even in the fire, she still tried to save a petal. Huo Lan took the petal from her hand with a smile on her face, the. She noticed the burn on her hand. "Sister, your hand!" Huo Lan shouted, but Huo Ying quickly hid her hand behind her back. "It is nothing..." Huo Ying said but her mother pulled out her hand and was hacked to see that there is a large area of burn on her palm, without asking any question, she conjured a bottle of medicine in her hand and poured in on her burn while Huo Ying groaned in pain. "How did you get injured?" her mother asked with a worried look on her face. "When I saw Huo Lan set the tree on fire by mistake, I picked up one of the petals but the fire had already spread to where I was so my hand got burnt before I went to hide behind the millennium rock" Huo Ying explained. "Are you saying that the fire didn''t burn you because you were hiding behind the millennium rock?" Her mother asked "Yes...." her mother said then she sighed in relief ..... "Sister, it has been eleven years, I hope your scar is gone," Huo Lan said then she lowered her head and took another dive in the water. She doesn''t even know how she got to that place, all she remembers is that she was crying one day then something or someone pulled her into this place and since that day, she had been wearing the jade necklace on her neck. She didn''t know how it got to her neck but she felt a strong connection with it so she decided to keep it, before long, she realised that as long as she comes out of the cave, she can enter this beautiful place using the necklace. After taking another dive, she dried her hair and wore her clothes and glove before she came out of the realm in her necklace but she didn''t expect to see him the moment she came out... She screamed in shock and lost her balance, she was about to fall but he quickly dashed to her and held her hand then he pulled her to his chest with both of her hands touching his chest. Chapter 120 - AM I A MONSTER! Her eyes widened at the realisation that she might have been caught leaving the cave red-handed which might lead to another trouble for her and her sect, she gently pulled away from him and rubbed her palm over her fist as she looked at him nervously with her red eyeball shifting from one side to another. The look in his eyes was almost indescribable, he seemed like he had just seen an angel or someone that he hasn''t seen for years and clearly she doesn''t know him, he wanted to open his mouth to say something but the word didn''t seem to come out even though he was making an effort. He wasn''t even thinking about the fact that she has violated the sects pact that she should remain in the wind sect even though she was right behind the sect. She noticed the strange look in his eyes as he stared at her so she began to think that he might not actually know who she is since not many of their disciples have seen her except for the ones who lived to tell the story after trying to dispel her powers, so she decided to make the first move. She slowly took a step away from him and started walking forwards while she hit her lower lips hoping that he won''t try to stop her or call her back but just at that moment, he regained his senses and pulled her wrist causing her to stand one inch away from him. "Where do you think you are going?" He asked with a smile on his lips, she was startled and at the same time stupefied at how beautiful his smile is, it has been over eleven years since she saw a smile that beautiful, her large red eyeball moved from on angle to another as she started examining his face, when he held her before she was too scared to look at his face clearly but now that she is staring right into his face, she realised that he is the most beautiful male that she has ever seen. "I asked you a question!" He reminded when he realised that she didn''t seem to be planning on removing her eyes from his face anytime soon. "You are really beautiful," she said in a soft voice, he was taken back by her supposed compliment that he quickly released her hand. "What are you talking about?" He asked with a dumbfounded look on his face, he has heard several compliments about his looks and figure but never has he heard such an insult in form of a compliment being directed at him. "I have never seen a beautiful male like you in eleven years, can I touch your face?" She said without feeling ashamed or shy, he was hacked at how thick-skinned she was but it increased his interest in her. The only person he has been interceding for in their sect meeting even though he has only met her once when they were little, it actually surprised him that she was so thick-skinned despite her fragile composure. He scoffed at the thought! "Did you just call me beautiful? and you even want to touch my face?" Bohai asked with another smile on her face. "Yes, haven''t you heard others telling you that you are beautiful, that is such a pity...even though I have been locked up for years, many people have told me that I am beautiful," she said then she turned her back at him and walked around him as she continued. " Back then, my sister and my sect members always told me that I am beautiful and powerful, thinking about it now, it has been long since anyone told me that except for Su Ci, she always tell me that every day but I wish I could hear it from my sister again, I...." She suddenly turned and turned back at the realisation that she has said too much and exposed herself, she wasn''t surprised when she saw the look on his face after she turned back. He was looking at her with a confused expression on his face and staring intently at her. "Are you always this talkative?" He asked with a narcissistic expression on his face. "No no no no, it is just that it has been long since I have seen anyone other than my friend who is not afraid to speak to me or dislikes me" Huo Lan answered with a despondent look in her eyes, his face suddenly turned gently after seeing how saddened she was by her being held as a hostage after the battle. "Why would they be afraid of you?" Bohai asked, pretending that he was just seeing her for the first time. "Because....wait...something is not right...if you didn''t know me, you would have questioned my appearance but you weren''t surprised, you know who I am, don''t you?" Huo Lan questioned with a wary look on her face as she took a step back away from him. "I...it is just a coincidence, I have never seen you before so how is it possible that I know you" "Liar, you are wearing their sect uniform, the disciples who came to hurt me were also wearing this same clothes," Huo Lan said then she started feeling her blood boil inside her veins. "No...I am not" he insisted but he didn''t know what his lie was doing to her. "Do you think I am stupid, I might not know much about the world but I know that you can hardly find anyone who has red hair and red eyeballs, I hate you, you are the ones who took me away from my family and continually torture me" Huo Lan raged in anger. He was surprised at her sudden outburst, he wouldn''t have expected her to react this way but something told him that if he doesn''t calm her down or do something to appease her anger, there will be trouble. "Huo Lan!! You need to calm down" she pleaded "See you even know my name, you are going to tell the others then they will try to harm my family," Huo Lan said with tears dropping out of her eyes. "You have to calm down, otherwise, you will be discovered!!". she could see that he was concerned about her but she still couldn''t calm herself down, it seemed like he had triggered her powers but she still felt rage when she looks at him, she looked away from him in an attempt to calm herself down. "I am trying but I can''t...." "What do you normally do to stop yourself from blowing up after they try to dispel your powers?" he asked frantically, although not intending to know her secret even though it was what they have always wanted to know. "I don''t know, I always calm down after they leave" She answered He was still pacing up and down in an attempt to think of a way to stop her from having an outburst before she is discovered but it was too late, he turned back only to see her hair flying and scattering in the air and the colour changing into a deep red colour, even the colour of her eyeball also changed to a deeper red colour and he could feel an increase in her killing intent. She clenched her hand into a fist to stop herself but it was no use even though her fingernails dug into her palm and her palm started bleeding, he was already becoming terrified of her, she could recognise the look in his eyes in an instant, that was the same look other people apart from the people from her sect always gave her when they saw her even with her normal appearance, tears started falling from her eyes again. She was just excited to see someone who was afraid of her and that was why she ended up telling him too much but the look in his eyes had changed, even he wasn''t aware that he was terrified, his heart was just beating too fast seeing her come closer to him with every step she took. He knew that he had to find a way to stop her before she barbeques him, then a thought came into his head....he summoned his Qi and conjured a blue aura in his hand then she waved his hands in the air, gathering the wind and was about to direct it at her in order to cool her down but before he could, she had already turned back to normal which surprised him. "You...how did you?" he was too confused at that moment, just like how they were all confused by the fact that despite the outburst she always had when they tried to dispel her power, she hasn''t died from the overload. "Don''t say anymore, you had the same look in your eye just now?" she said with a sorrowful look in her eyes as she fixed her gaze on him. "What..." "You looked at me in the same way they looked at me when they called me a monster, everyone is the same...." Huo Lan said then she ran off before he even had the chance to say anything. "I....stop...wait, you will be discovered if you go that way" Bohai shouted then he hesitated for a while before running after her, but before he could catch up with her, she was already gone. He looked around frantically while trying to catch his breath, he was worried that she might not have fully returned to normal so if she has an outburst somewhere else, it would be too much of a problem to handle and if it is discovered that she actually left the sect, even though he doesn''t even know how she managed to do that, then it would be even more of a problem for her and the flame sect. Just as he was looking around, some of the disciples arrived at the back of the sect, after noticing their presence, he quickly composed himself and acted like everything was fine before their arrival. "Young master!" they greeted in unison "what are you all doing here, don''t you have to train?" he asked with an authoritative tone which is not a usual thing for him to do. "The sect leader detected an abnormal change in the direction of the wind so he asked us to check it out," One of the disciples answered with his head lowered. "There is nothing here, you may leave" he confirmed following a dismissal wave. "But...." "I said there is nothing here, or do you think I am lying, I was practising here so that was why there was a change in the wind direction, you may leave," Bohai said in a resolute manner which made the disciples scurry away without further questions. "That was close, where did she go and how did she even manage to leave the sect?" he asked rhetorically then he started walking towards the sect with lots of thought in his mind. There is no way she could have left the sect without being spotted and she didn''t escape or go back to her sect so where did she go, moreover I detected another presence when she began to change if I am right then this presence must be the reason why she hasn''t blown up over the years... He thought to himself! Meanwhile, Su Ci was still pacing back and forth the cave, hoping that no one will come to check on them even though that has never happened unless they want to hurt Huo Lan, she bit her nails nervously as she prayed in her mind that wherever she went to, she didn''t get caught otherwise, she wouldn''t know what to do. Just as she was about to turn her back, she heard a footstep approaching so she quickly hid behind one of the rocks, she took a peep to see who it was but it turned out to be the person that she has been worried about for hours. "Huo Lan!!" Su Ci screamed then she ran towards her and quickly threw her arms around her neck, she heaved a sigh of relief and finally pulled herself away from her when she noticed that her hug wasn''t reciprocated and the person she was hugging seemed to be standing like a log of wood. "What is wrong and where did you go?" Su Ci asked with a worried motherly look on her face, as she closely examined her. "Su Ci, I once asked my mother if I am a monster but she told me that monsters don''t like beautiful things, but everyone looks at me like I am a monster...I...I just want to...to be like everyone else, like you but....." the tears in her eyes were already entering her mouth and the saltiness of her tears made her sadder, for years, she had never spoken to anyone apart from Su Ci who has been locked up with her for years and the first person she actually got to speak to was afraid of her, who wouldn''t be despaired knowing that! "You are not a monster Huo Lan, sect madam is right, monsters always want to destroy everything they see and they hate beautiful things but you don''t so you are not a monster" Su Ci replied then she wrapped her hand around her neck and pulled her neck to her shoulder with her hands patting her back. After spending years with someone whose heart is damaged and is always afraid of herself, she has already gotten used to being a mother figure to Huo Lan, to Huo Lan, she was everything she needed even though it won''t change the fact that they both belong to a sect and a family. She held her hand and walked her into the cave, she sat her down on a stone and walked off to pick some herbs after noticing the crescent-shaped wounds on her palms, after she returned with the herbs, she grounded them and squatted in front of her to apply the herbs. "Where did you go?" Su Ci inquired with her eyes fixed on the palm she was applying the herbs on. "Inside my necklace" Huo Lan answered concisely, Su Ci squinted her eyes at the straight answer then she raised her head to see if she was actually kidding her or being serious but her eyes drifted to the necklace on her neck. Chapter 121 - Female Champion!! Three days later... All the sect''s representatives were already strolling inside the wind sect with Men Hui and two other male disciples greeting them as they entered the premises.?? This alliance gathering obviously means a lot to the cultivating sect and the people in the country since it meant that they would actually be able to see people from the flame sect for the first time in sixteen years after the battle. The sect leaders were mostly concerned with finding out how strong and capable the flame sect is now since they haven''t been able to hear any news about them. In the whole of the Tang Dynasty, the Wind sect is now regarded as the most powerful and influential sect so they all wanted to know if former leading sect still capable of taking back that title. Everyone seemed expecting surprises and the chance to boast about their success when they see representatives of the flame sect in a pitiful state, except for the wind sect leader, he didn''t even inform them about the alliance meeting so how can they attend the meeting especially since they have shut themselves from the outer world, while the other sects were bringing their most capable disciples and leaders to the meeting, the sect leader Lin just watched them knowing that they would be disappointed. After a long while of exchanging greetings and bootlicking with a hypocritical smile on their faces even though they were only thinking of ways to surpass each other, the alliances meeting started. "Alliance Leader!!" They greeted in unison with their hands cupped and raised above their chest, he raised his hand as a signal for them to take their set before seating on the large and well-carved set in front of the hall while Lin Bohai stood beside him. After the last meeting, he tried to persuade his father to let go of the flame sect with every single excuse he could think of but his excuses didn''t succeed in changing his father''s mind about calling another alliance meeting to interrogate the flame sect but the only thing that changed is that he found out about his fathers plan to not inform the flame sect of the meeting which would lead to them being convicted and another reason to evict them from the cultivating sect would have been created, he even helped to make arrangement since he has no other option but he was worried about what would happen to Huo Lan the moment the flame sect is found to be guilty,if the matter gets to the emperor she might be executed according to his first verdict. " I called for the first meeting to discuss the problems that each of the sects are having and to issue some changes but another case was opened regarding the infiltration of the vitality sect and the death of a governmental official," sect leader Lin explained then he looked around to register their expressions and listen to whatever they are whispering to each other, after seeing their satisfied expressions, he decides to continue. "I have called this meeting to find out who is responsible for these crimes and I have invited every sect including the small sects and those that have been living in seclusion in order to make sure that the judging of this matter is fair and just" They started whispering to each other as they normally would while he just scanned around see who is showing discontent in regards to what he had just said. "Alliance leader, we respect your decisions and we know that whatever you do is for the safety and prosperity of all the sects and that is why we have obeyed your command to gather ourselves for the second alliance meeting but unfortunately, there are some people who have refused to obey your command" sect leader Wu said, after his statement, everyone looked around to see which sect he is referring to, it didn''t take long before they discovered who he was referring to. Murmurs, voices of discontent and annoyance began to fill the hall as they all had something to say about the absence of the sects which are regarded as demonic sects but they have been accepted into the circle of the righteous sects. "Everyone calms down!" Sect leader Lin persuaded with a hint of authority in his voice. They all quit their discussion as soon as they heard him speak. "I know you are all discontented by the indifference of the azure demon sect towards the sect alliance and the authority of the alliance leader, I am also greatly disheartened by the behaviours of sect leader Mo but we still have to give him a chance, although some of the cultivation techniques are derived from demonic cultivation techniques, they haven''t committed any evil so we should give sect leader Mo a chance since he is young and inexperienced," sect leader Lin said to persuade the sect while he celebrated their reactions to both sects absence, the azure demon sect not arriving on time wasn''t part of his plan but he was still happy that the other sects weren''t happy with both sects, he intentionally left out the flame sect in his persuasion to increase their aggression towards the flame sect. Sly old man, you are really tactful when it comes to using your words against your enemies¡­. Sect leader Zhou mumbled under his breath as he waves his hand fan back and forth. "Alliance leader, you have been too lenient with these demonic sects, the flame sect ignored your command to gather for a sect meeting the first time and this time again, they haven''t shown up," sect leader Meng complained. " according to what I said in the last sect meeting, I have already sent many disciples to inform the flame sect of the second alliance meeting and my disciples came back with the news that they had already delivered the message, I also announced that their absence would mean that they are admitting the crime, if they don''t send someone to represent them to today then we can only conclude that they are ready to take responsibility for the crimes they committed unless they are here to defend themselves today, they will be declared the perpetrators of the crimes and the emperor will be informed of this," he assures them with a firm and authoritative voice as his eyes scanned around the hall. Seeing how smooth the meeting was going according to his plans, he was actually quite relieved that Mo Yuhan is not present at the meeting, he has always had an inkling that Mo Yuhan presence in the alliance meeting might lead to a failure in his plans for the meeting. "I don''t think there would be any need for that¡­." A powerful and feminine voice said as footstep approached the hall from outside, they all turned to the direction where they had heard the seemingly familiar voice that they hadn''t heard in a long time. Their eyes widened at the sight of the sect madam of the flame sect, Huo Jing yu, the most powerful female cultivator during their generation. "Huo Jingyu!!!" They all start chorusing her name as they watched her walk towards the hall, they were all flabbergasted at her presence and they were as fascinated as they had always been even during their youth, those of them who admired her when they were still young were all astonished by her beauty even though she was stroll far from them, they opened their mouths wide agape , this is of course not excluding sect leader Zhou, the smile on his face could be easily interpreted as he fanned himself slowly. "Huo Jingyu!" Sect leader Lin pronounced, he had never expected to see her here since he didn''t inform the flame sect of his arrangement, he turned to his side and cast a doubtful look at Lin Bohai who was also shocked but his facial expression showed relief which made his father''s suspicion towards him grow. The three elders of the flame sect were also following behind her but their attentions were all focused on her, in her stunning dress, she proved herself to be the queen of the alliance as soon as she arrived, her stunning red apparel which swept the floor behind her with every step she took and the black oversized coat with fur coating the lapel made her even more majestic, she stopped when she got to the front of the alliance leader''s seat. Her lips curved into a sweet smile with sinister intentions underneath, she cupped her hands together then she bowed her head slightly with the elders following after her steps in unison, after raising her head, she gently folded her hands on her navel and smiled gently. "Sect Leader Lin....No....Alliance leader, I hope you have been well?" she greeted with a calm voice that has conquered and defeated the heart of many men during her days, many of which are seating in the hall, even he almost couldn''t resist the temptation of her voice but his determination to bring down the flame sect held him in place. "Since there is no evil going on in the Jianghu world after the ever night, I have been in good health but it seems like that wouldn''t last for long" Sect Leader Lin answered tactfully with his hand clenched, Lin Bohai gaze drifted to his father''s hand, he could see that he was trying very hard to keep his clam, after all, his plan to easily accuse the flame sect of another wrongdoing has been foiled by their presence. She laughed gently with her hands coquettishly covering her mouth, while the elders were wondering why she was being too friendly but they decided to go with the act. "Sect Leader Lin, you are really good at making jokes, although we haven''t seen much of the world after the battle, we are very well aware that the blood moon sect has not been wreaking havoc in the world, so there is no way your health will be affected by trivial matters" the tone she spoke in immediately made all the men let their guard down towards her, but the women were very alert in fact, they were paying attention to all her movement. No woman would ever forget Huo Jingyu!! "Is that so? I hope you would be able to say the same thing after this meeting" Sect Leader Lin remarked with a serious expression on his face, the smile on her face immediately disappeared and her mouth tilted to form a sinister smirk. "Junior martial sister, although we haven''t gotten the chance to see you over the years, who would have thought that you are actually more beautiful than you were the last time we all saw you" Sect leader Zhou complimented with a mischievous smile hanging on his lips, she slowly turned back to see who had just spoken, her thick red lips formed a smile as she fixed her eyes on Sect leader Zhou who has just complimented her. "Sect leader Zhou, seems like you have kept me on your mind all these years, I am surprised that you still remember how I looked even though we haven''t seen each other for years" she drawled while maintaining her ever perfect smile on her red lips. "You must be joking, Junior sister, who can actually forget you, in terms of skills, you were the best female cultivator during our time and most men found it hard to beat you although I am not sure if you are still as good as you were and it terms of beauty, your beauty exceeded the beauty of many women, thinking of those times, you were really a female champion" Sect leader Zhou stated to the agreement of many and the discontentment of many others including Sect Leader Lin who glared at him with anger blazing in his eyes, as soon as they saw her enter, it was almost as if they and forgotten her relationship with the flame sect and they have all lost their purpose, he knew that if he doesn''t do something about it fast, they will all be bewitched by her. "Sect leader Zhou, I am really glad that there is someone who still remembers me, you are indeed my senior martial brother, I¡­." "hmmmm hmmm! Junior sister, you may take your seat" Sect leader Lin interjected with a deep frown on his face, judging by his tone, she could tell that he is extremely dissatisfied by sect leader Zhou''s friendliness towards her¡­ she had already achieved her goal! She looked around hoping to find an empty seat apart from the one close to the end of the hall, judging from how the seat at the end of the hall is positioned, she could tell that it was meant for Mo Yuhan. "Sect leader Lin, it seems like you weren''t expecting us to come today¡­" She drawled with a taunting look on her face. He was taken aback by her sudden remark, although he didn''t know how she got to know that the alliance meeting was taking place, he hadn''t expected her to be aware of his plans, he balled his fist under the table anxiously while he tried his best to maintain a clam demeanour in front of them. "Junior sister, I wonder what you meant by that?" he questioned "Nothing, it is just that there is only one seat at the end of the hall and there are two sects'' leaders who are yet to be seated, what else am I supposed to think?" she queried with a straight look on her face which bothered him, from his experience with her over the years, he could tell that she had a motive for attending the meeting and it can''t be a simple one¡­. "My disciples must have made a mistake..." he gave Bohai a side glance with an obvious interpretation, while Bohai glanced at one of the disciples who immediately rushed out of the hall with two other disciples, in no time, they returned with chairs for her and the elders and placed them at the front. She slowly took her seat on the chair and spread her apparel on the ground with her hands placed on her navel. "Junior sister, all the sects leaders are here with their children or their disciples but you have only brought your sect elders with you, could it be that there is something you are hiding?" Sect Leader Meng hinted with her intention obviously clear, she had just asked the question that everyone in the hall wished to ask. Chapter 122 - Narcissistic!! He paced up and down the reception with his eyes fixed on the revolving door which leads to the front of the company, apart from the day when he was waiting for her to treat him at his house, he couldn''t remember any day when he has been as anxious as this because of anyone. The employees and the visitors from other companies fixed their eyes on him while wondering what was making him walk up and down the reception like a child who is waiting for his mother.?? "Why is the chairman pacing up and down?" One of the staffs at the reception asked the other who is standing next to her. "I am as clueless as you are so don''t ask me" the other replied sharply. "Do you have to reply like that, I was just asking" the other one complained but she was ignored. Judging from his expression, they could tell that he was really impatient, they were now eager to see who or what he was waiting for, after standing for a while, he returned to his office to sit, while the managing director followed behind him carefully. "Chairman, would you like you to have something to drink or eat while you wait for her?" the managing director asked with a bootlicking smile on his face and his back slightly leaned forward, Han Chen turned to look at his with a quizzical expression on his face which made the managing director confused since he was expecting an answer from him. "Managing director¡­. don''t act like this when you are close to me" he instructed with a blank expression on his face which once again made the managing director confused, he wasn''t sure if the chairman is angry or being nice¡­ "Sir¡­. I don''t quite understand what you mean" the managing director responded. "You see¡­." He turned his chair to face the managing director with a slightly annoyed look on his face and his elbow on the table. "Don''t treat me like those directors in the board or investors or like my aunt and uncle, I am not like them, in fact, I hate it when people try to bootlick or gain favour with me not with their hard work but with their mouth and gestures¡­.." he paused for a moment while staring right into his face. "Do you understand what I am trying to say?" he asked "Yes Sir, I¡­. guess I am just used to catering to the requirement of my superiors so it has become a work habit for me" the managing director replied awakwardly. "I would like you to put in some effort in doing that," Han Chen said then he gave the managing director a dismissal wave. After the director left the office, he stood up and walked to the glass wall surrounding the office to see what the view outside the office is like after all the years he has abandoned his position. He turned to look at the clock in the office then he realized that he had been waiting for an hour and thirty minutes since he called Yu Yan to pick him up, after persuading her for twenty minutes over the phone, he managed to make her agree to pick him up with his car after using the pity card. He returned his gaze to the large glassed wall of the office, his eyes widened when he saw a familiar car drive past his view and heading towards the parking lot, he didn''t need anyone to tell him that she has arrived and he musn''t be caught in the chairman''s office since he still has the intention of hiding his multiple identities from her so that it would be easier for him to get close to her. He ran out of his office and ended up hitting the managing director who was about to update him on some information of the company while he was waiting but he didn''t even stop to apologize, the only thing that occupied is head is ''she is here''. He ran past most of the employees and even closed the elevator before they could enter even though they had been waiting before him. "Chairman!" "Chairman!" They called as he ran past the departments after arriving at the first floor, when he got to the reception, he quickly adjusted his suit which had already folded because he was running then he looked around for a spot to seat like he was nobody in the company. The employees that walked past him were all bewildered by the chairman, he had just arrived at the company and he has already made himself too complicated for them to understand. Just then, a beautiful young lady of an average height entered through the revolving door and entered the reception, as soon as she entered, he fixed his gaze on her and watched her every step until she stood in front of the reception desk, they noticed that he seemed to be looking at someone or something so they traced his gaze to her direction, she wasn''t the only one at the reception desk but her beauty made her stand out. All eyes were fixed on her as soon as their eyes landed on her, the bogy hug lycra she is wearing helped to highlight her figure, her hourglass figure amazed everyone who laid their eyes on her unknownst to her, she styled her long hair into a wavy style with a side parting in the middle and she wore little makeup on her face, after speaking to the receptionist who seemed confused by whatever she was telling her, she ran her finger through her hair to the fascination of the many men that are seated at the reception including Han Chen, he entered into a daze at that moment with a smile on his lips that made him look like a handsome idiot. She looked around in hopes that she would see the person she came there to see since the receptionist insisted that there is no one with that name at the company, then her eyes landed on Han Chen who still had the idiotic smile on his lips, she narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips in frustration then she started walking towards him, the moment she started moving snapped him out of his daze. One of the young men dressed in a suit stood up when he saw her walking towards his direction, he had his smile ready then he walked towards her with a confident demeanour, Han Chen just stood still as he watched him walking towards her. "You have good eyes just like me..." the young man said with his hands stretched out to shake her hand but she stopped and shot him a glare which almost scared him but he managed to remain calm. "Are you talking to me?" she queried "I...no...nothing" he stuttered in embarrassment when he realized that she wasn''t actually walking towards him, out of shame, he quickly scurried out of the company with his head cowered, Han Chen chuckled at how badly she treated him, he knew that she was going to do just that but he still wanted to watch the scene. "Han Chen...." she pronounced when she got to where he stood but the managing director arrived at the same time, panting while trying to catch his breath. "Chairman, I have....." "Managing director, you should really watch your mouth or else someone might misunderstand....." Han Chen said with his shoe pressing against managing director''s foot. he screeched in pain but he held it in and stared at him in confusion. "Is this your company?" Yu Yan asked with a frown on her face. "Of course not....he is the managing director of this compnay and we are just close buddies but he just likes to call me chairman, we have actually known each other for a while but he is busy so he couldn''t drive me back home" Han Chen lied wishing that she would actually believe him but the doubtful look she gave him assured him that she wasn''t anywhere near believing him. "Isn''t it...?" Han Chen asked facing the managing director who is still suffering from the pain. "Are you talking to me.?" he asked then Han Chen scrunched his lips and widened his eyes to hint the managing director. "Yeah, of course, we are best buddies but I can''t help him right now, thank you for coming to pick him" the managing director affirmed. "Why are you here in the first place and what is it with the heroic stuff?" Yu Yan queried with a doubtful look in her eyes. "I....ehhmmn...you see, Jia Yu is working independently even though her parents her rich, I can''t keep on feeding on my aunt and uncle so I decided to get a job, I just came here for an interview but I encountered what you saw on the video, thankfully, my best buddy interceded for me..." he wrapped his hand around the managing director''s shoulder and drew him closer to his side while suffocating him. "I was granted a chance for another interview but I failed the interview" Han Chen narrated "Am I right?" "Of course you are, you failed the interview woefully" the managing director struggled to answer, then Han Chen released him from his grip and held Yu Yan''s hand, she stared down at his hand holding hers with one of her brows raised. "Enough questions, for now, let''s go," Han Chen said with a charming smile on his lips then he pulled her hand as he headed for the revolving door, everyone who had been watching the drama the whole time was left confused while the managing director adjusted his suit and his glasses. "Is he the chairman or not?" "I don''t know anymore, I am really confused" "I am also confused" "His grip is damn tight..." the managing director remarked then he adjusted his tie that was shifted when Han Chen gripped him, one of the employees moved close to him and leaned towards his shoulder. "Is he really our chairman?" she asked "Do you want to know?" he asked with a straight face. "Hmnnn" the employee replied with a nod "He is..... go back to your work!!!" he shouted into her ear then she quickly scurried away while rubbing her pinna. --------------------------- She continued staring at his back and the side of his face as she pulled her hand until the reached the parking lot, she wasn''t even aware that she was actually letting him hold her hand when they got to where she had parked the car he released her hand and smiled at her. "Why...why are you smiling?" She asked "I am just happy that you came to pick me up" he answered then he widened his smile making his dimples go even deeper, she fluttered her lashes as she stared at his dimples, he snapped his fingers when he realized that she is in a daze then she regained her senses. "You....you stop smiling like that" she stuttered. "Why are you starting to fall for me because of my smile, I can smile for you all day if you want, just say the word," Han Chen said in a seductive manner as he moved closer to her while she moved back until her back touched the car, she placed her hand on the car while he leaned towards her, with his lips still curved into a smile. "You are really starting to fall for me, aren''t you, it hasn''t even been six months since we met each other..." Han Chen said then he leaned closer towards her until she could feel his breath on her neck and face. "In your dreams, for your information, I have a boyfriend so mind your behaviour when you are close to me," Yu Yan said then she pushed him away and opened the door to the driver seat and pressed the start button, then she winds down the window. "If you don''t enter now, I will leave you stranded again," Yu Yan said then she wind up the window, he smiled at her feistiness and walked over to the seat next to the driving seat, immediately he buckled his seat belt, she started driving at a fast speed. "Why are you driving so fast?" he asked "Isn''t I obvious? so that I wouldn''t have to spend up to one hour with you in the same car when we arrive at your house or should I say your mansion, I will drop your car then I will take the bus back home and you still haven''t told me what is going on with my car" Yu Yan answered "Wait...why do you dislike me so much but you like my cousin?" Han Chen asked "I don''t dislike you, I just don''t like the fact that we are becoming too close" Yu Yan answered frankly, he had known that she was going to tell him the truth. "What is wrong with being too close to me, aren''t you close to Ji Chen and the other guy in your friend group?" Han Chen asked in a sentimental tone, she turned to look at him for a second then she returned her attention to the wheel. "You are different, you....are not like them" Yu Yan replied "and how am I different, don''t say I am too handsome or charming, I am very aware of that" Han Chen said jokingly then she turned to look at him with her lips pursed then she rolled her eyes at him and returned her focus to the wheel. "That is exactly why you are different, you joke with everything," Yu Yan said then she increased her speed and overtook the car in front of her. "I am sure you don''t know this but this car has been unused for a long time so it has not been serviced, if you keep driving so aggressively, we might end up spending the night out or having to take the bus," Han Chen reminded then he closed his eyes and leaned his head on the headboard. She turned to look at him again but his eyes were already closed, so she fixed her eyes on him for a while..... "at this rate, we are going to get into an accident miss Yu Yan, if you want to continue looking at me then change it to a self-driving mode," Han Chen said with a teasing smile, she quickly turned her face forward. "narcissistic..." "I can hear you...." "Like I care" Chapter 123 - Boundaries!! She drove for about an hour and thirty minutes before they finally arrived at his house, she got off the car to open the gate but before she could open it, the gate had already opened automatically... "I forgot about that..." She remarked then she returned to the car and drove it into the mansion, she leaned her head on the headboard of her seat and heaved a sigh of relief with her eyes closed and her chest rising up and down.?? "I can''t believe I abandoned my work because of him," she said then she opened her eyes and turned her head to the side to look at him, she had almost forgotten that he was in the car with her through the whole journey since he didn''t say anything throughout the drive or make a sound, he had his hands crossed on his chest and his seat leaned backwards as he slept the whole time. After staring at him for some seconds, she turned her body to the side and moved closer to him with her head still resting on the headboard, she fluttered her lashes as he eyes gazed at him from his hairline to his jaw. "He is really handsome though..." she remarked then her eyes landed on the little scar that seemed like a scar gotten from a cut on his neck slightly under the collar of his shirt, she wouldn''t have been able to see it if not for the rays of sunlight entering the car that highlighted every one of his facial features. "That....that feels familiar...." she said then she raised her index finger to touch the scar but just as her finger was about to touch his neck, he grabbed her hand tightly and pulled her closer to him, her eyes widened at his touch, she definitely didn''t expect him to wake up at that moment. She struggled to release her hand but he wouldn''t let her go, he opened his eyes and turned his head... "What are you trying to do...." he questioned with his eyes staring right into hers but her face went blank as though she is in a daze..... ----------------- "Why did you save me?" a feminine figure whose face she couldn''t see clearly asked, but she seemed to be wearing a school uniform that resembles her high school uniform. "I guess I just wanted to be the hero who saves the damsel...." another voice answered ------ She cleans the cut on his neck with her handkerchief and blows on it... -------- "What in the world was that?" Yu Yan asked herself, as she stared intently at the little scar on his neck, she could swear that she has seen the wound before and the brief and vague flashes in her head were just too familiar even though she couldn''t see their faces, she could feel something indescribable. "What are you talking about?" he asked when he saw that she seemed to be mumbling about something and she is also staring at his scar. "That scar, where did you get it?" Yu Yan asked with her rapt attention still focused on the scar, he bent his head to look at the scar then he looked up at her again with a quizzical expression on his face. "Do you remember this scar?" he asked with his eyes narrowed at her, every part of him wished that she would say yes and then she would be able to recover her lost memory of him. "I....I...wait, why would you ask that, why should I remember that scar when I have never met you before our meeting at the villa or have I?" she asked "No...No, there is no reason why you should, I was just teasing you but you took it seriously, I got this scar when I was still in high school, it was during a fight, you know.....the work of testosterone and masculinity..." he answered with few breaks in his sentence, which made her really suspicious but she didn''t want to ask further. "Yeah....testosterone and masculinity....something tells me not to ask further than I already have," She said then she opened the door and came out of the car then she placed her Versace shoulder bag on her shoulder and waited for him to come out. "Now that we are here and I have returned your car, I will take my leave now, I hope we don''t ever have any reason for such unnecessary meetings again..." Yu Yan said then she turned to leave but he quickly rushed over to her side and held her hand. "Why...did I do something wrong," Han Chen asked with a pitiful look on his face that would have managed to melt her heart if not that she is someone who is always resolute once she makes a decision. "This is the reason why..." she looked down at his hand holding hers then he quickly released her hand. "You keep crossing my boundaries and surprisingly, I keep letting you off and that is something I don''t normally do unless I have a good reason to but with you, I don''t have any reason, so, therefore, I need to distance myself from you" Yu Yan answered, then she turned to leave again. "So, because I am an anomaly to you, you want to distance yourself from me, that is not something someone who is a surgeon should do, don''t you agree," he questioned, she stopped at his remark while he walked to her front. "What you should do is find out why and not run away from it and obviously, you don''t have to be suspect that I have feelings for you or something, I know you have a boyfriend who according to Jia Yu you are deeply in love with, I don''t waste my time on such things so fret not," Han Chen added. "Truthfully, I was beginning to speculate that you are having feelings for me or a tingle but I am happy to know that you are not, Jia Yu is like a sister to me and I don''t want any entanglement that might separate us, since you have reassured me then I have no problem with finding out why, I hope your feelings remain that cos..." she hesitated for a while then she gave him a confident smile which told him that whatever she is about to say is surely narcissistic. "Guys fall in love with me easily...." she concluded to his surprise. "Okay! that doesn''t sound good to my ears but I will be sure to keep it that way, so...to thank you for your help today, I would like to invite you in for a drink," Han Chen said "I think you are mistaken here...as a surgeon, I don''t drink, I only made an exception because my friends had just arrived and I wouldn''t be on duty for a while, thanks but I will pass" She answered. "Then you can have juice while I drink" Han Chen insisted, she paused for a while before answering. "Alright then, considering the stress you put me through, I deserve it, you can tell me about your heroic adventure with your sidekicks that has got the whole country talking about you over the drink," Yu Yan said "They are not my sidekicks, the word friends will be the better expression to use" "Oooh! forgive me, I assumed that since the little one kept calling you boss" "That is because in the mili....ehmmn! I won''t bother explaining, it is too complicated" he held her wrist and pulled her as he walked towards the entrance but she suddenly stopped, he turned back to see why she stopped but he traced her gaze to her hand. "Boundaries..." "oooh sorry, I am getting quite used to that" "Do you always hold women''s hand without their permission?" She asked with her eyes squinted "I was thinking that Jia Yu would have told you lots of bad stuff about me but I am not really close to any woman enough to hold their hand unless necessary so you are the only one apart from my mother as far as I can recall," he answered with an apologetic look in his eyes. "Hmmnn...I don''t think so, you must have been used to this" Yu Yan said then she walked to his front and continued walking towards the entrance of his house while he just stood there watching her. "I was really used to it back then," he whispered then he ran to catch up with her. After entering the house, the lights automatically went on while he removed his suit jacket and rushed to the kitchen to get the juice and alcohol for himself, he arrived later at his balcony where she was seated, he placed the glass cup and drinks on the table then he sat on the chair opposite hers. "The view here is really nice" she said then glanced at the table to see what juice he had brought her. "I thought I said I won''t be drinking" "about that, I couldn''t find any juice so I brought you fruit wine" he replied "How nice of you" "Sarcasm!" She held the bottle of wine and tried opening it with the wine opener but he gripped the bottle of wine. "Let me, I am the host" he opened the wine then he poured a little into the glass cup, he passed the glass of wine and held his beer can up. "Cheers!" she lifted her glass and clinked his beer can, she sipped the wine gently and then placed it on the table. "Do you realize that the whole country is singing your praise for your heroic act, you should really be proud of yourself," "Trust me, the last thing I want is to be in the face of the media or have the whole country singing my praise for a heroic act that I couldn''t bear to not do," Han Chen replied then he gulped down his beer. "Why, you should be proud of it at least Jia Yu is, it won''t be long before she starts telling our colleagues that you are actually are cousin, you know what she is like," "I don''t think so, she has learnt her lesson from high school so she won''t be doing that, I basically stole her shine when she was in high school" Han Chen replied "So if you were going for an interview, how did you get into that mess," she asked, noticing that she had already finished the wine he poured her, he poured her another glass while he opened another can of beer for himself. "Long story short, I asked Roy and Shi Fen to follow me to the interview, we entered two or three traffics which lasted for more than four hours then we saw the accident in the last traffic, the rescue team were just too slow and I couldn''t watch them, so I took actions with the help of my friends after the whole ordeal passed, we slept in the car and the next morning, the car ran out of fuel and we didn''t have our phones or wallet" he narrated while she kept nodding her head and keeping her eyes narrowed. "That is quite a tale you have to tell and it makes me wonder, Jia Yu is the daughter of a conglomerate just like Ji Chen and the others and you are her cousin, I was assuming that you also have your own company or your parents have their own companies, how come you are job-seeking and you have a mansion as big as this and those cars," Yu Yan asked then she gulped down her wine instead of sipping it. "Let''s just say my deceased parents are not good entrepreneurs like my aunt and uncle, as for my house and cars, my uncle got them for me, so you can just say I am living off my uncle," Han Chen replied "I am so sorry, I didn''t know that your parents are late, I wouldn''t have mentioned them if I did" Yu Yan apologized. "It''s alright, you couldn''t have known unless you were told, they actually passed away when I was very little so there is no need for me to whine about it" Han Chen replied, he gulped down what was left of his beer then he squeezed his can and threw it on the floor. "You know what, I don''t think one can of beer can make me drunk" she hinted "are you saying you want to drink?" "Maybe" "I will take that as a yes" Han Chen said then he opened one can of beer and handed it to her, the both of them clinked their cans together and gulped it down. "So why don''t we talk about you now, what is going on with your life or your job," Han Chen asked "I don''t think we are that close to telling you what is going on in my life as I said, boundaries..." Yu Yan stressed. "You are awkwardly straightforward," Han Chen remarked then he leaned his back on his seat. "But I think it wouldn''t be bad to share my work problems, I am actually having trouble with making a decision between doing something I desperately want to do but if it fails it might ruin my career or not doing it at all and saving myself from the risk," Yu Yan said then she leaned forward with her hands crossed on the table, while he followed suit. "That is indeed a very serious decision to make, it depends on what that is, I think a little more detail will help me advise you better" "We have a VIP patient who needs a heart surgery, he is a very influential and powerful politician and also an investor in the hospital, his children are also the same, he needs a total artificial heart surgery but he has had one heart transplant and one biventricular artificial heart surgery, I want to take the case but..." "You can''t because of the difficulty and you fear that if it fails then his status and his children might destroy your career, I am guessing that your friends have also tried to convince you against doing it" Han Chen interjected. "Bingo!" "Part of me wants to agree with them but I need to put myself in your shoes, you want the experience and the achievement but such a procedure has a high failure rate, with your level of experience and as a general surgeon, you might not be fit for such surgery and the hospital will never let you take that case" Han Chen stated while she nodded in agreement to his hypothesis. Chapter 124 - TALES! "Sect Leader Meng, why don''t you just chop the nails and sever the iron, what exactly are you trying to say" She replied in a very calm voice but with a serious expression. "Since you have asked me to be straightforward then I will do just that, Your flame sect has been hidden away from the world for years and you have disregarded the sect alliance on my occasions, your husband has not attended of the meetings where the sect leaders are supposed to attend even though it concerns the safety of the world not to talk of Tang dynasty and you haven''t made any contribution to the sect alliance for years, do you really think you are worthy to attend this meeting or to claim that you are still part of the sect alliance" Sect leader Meng stated with obvious contempt in her voice as she directed all the blame on her without even facing the elders who accompanied her.?? "That is right, Sect leader Meng must have read our minds to have mentioned all the questions that everyone here has for you, no sect is forbidden from being secluded from the world but the sect alliance has its rule that no member of the sect alliance can disobey, even the white jade sword sect has always been following the rules of the sect alliance despite their seclusion but your flame sect arrogance knows no bound" Sect leader Wu added with his fingers pointing at her and the elders while everyone else nodded their head in agreement. Despite their accusations, she still maintained and calm composure and the smile on her lips while she looked around to see the expressions on their faces which will decide those who are here as their enemy, friend or neutral. Arrogant fools!! She screamed in her mind, if not for the sake of the considering the whole situation, she would have lashed out on everyone that dared to point fingers at her or the flame sect but she still maintained her calm demeanour while her fingernails did the venting on her palm forming crescent marks on her palm. "When the late sect leader of the flame sect was seating on the seat of the alliance leader, every sect performed their duty and obeyed every rule of the alliance but now that the person seating on that seat has changed, the flame sect has revealed their arrogant side by ignoring the alliance rules and committing evils, however, the alliance still gave you all another chance but you have disrespected the alliance over and over again," One of the sect leaders of another minor sect accused after gaining the boldness from the other two sect leaders that accused the flame sect otherwise, he wouldn''t have had the courage to blame the flame sect as long as they haven''t confirmed just how strong they are yet. { I am quite surprised that she still hasn''t lashed out yet, Huo Jingyu oh Huo Jingyu, just how strong or weak is the flame sect now that you have even learnt to restrain yourself, that smile on your face cannot be this simple, I wonder what intentions you are hiding} Sect leader Zhou said in his mind while he waved his fan forth and back as he observed all that is going all in the hall. "I hope everyone will be at peace with...." "How dare you accuse the flame sect, aside from sect leader Meng, the rest of you are not worthy of questioning my sect!" Sect madam Huo interjected before sect leader Lin could conclude his sentence with her voice slightly raised, the whole hall becomes silent as soon as she spoke, they all fixed their eyes on her with fear, hatred and shock written on their faces. Those widened eyes and glare was something that they haven''t seen for years so of course, they have forgotten how obedient they used to be when she spoke, she scoffed and ran her eyes through them before straightening her head and lifting her head majestically with authority and female power evident in every one of her actions. "Although my flame sect has indeed disregarded all the rules of the alliance, you have not given us any chance to explain ourselves now that I have attended the meeting on behalf of my sect after eleven years, we were accused of committing several evils in the world back then and many pieces of evidence were presented to convict my sect but did anyone ever see any of my disciples committing any of those deeds, this was my argument back then and it will remain the same. As for the crime of ignoring the alliance for years, I admit it on behalf of my sect but we didn''t want to show ourselves until we were sure that the world has changed its view of the flame sect..." she stopped for a while and swept her eyes through them with an accusing look in her eyes, the hall became even quieter as her look made them feel guilty apart from very few of them. "But it appears that you still think the same way then my attendance in this meeting is just for nought since I accepted the alliance leader''s goodwill by especially reminding us of the meeting" she concluded then she closed her eyes and took in a heavy breath before opening them again. {I am quite amazed at your eloquence Junior sister you have not only managed to kill their determination but you have also managed to restore the respect and fear they once had for you, I just hope it will remain that way after the meeting} Sect Leader Lin thought to himself while they stared at each other intently. {Lin YuanLang! watch how I will slowly destroy your plan to ruin my sect and take revenge on you, this is Just the beginning} She said in her mind! with a death glare directed at sect leader Lin "Junior sister, I am very well aware of your difficulties but I would still like to ask why your husband and your twin daughter are not here at this meeting, your guardians can be absent but...." Sect leader Zhou questioned in a very casual manner to prevent both sides from turning against him, he still isn''t sure of how strong the flame sect is, so he can''t show that he is also against the flame sect. "Since everyone is curious about this, I will just answer you, my husband is cultivating in seclusion, as for my daughter, you all don''t need to fret, she will soon be here within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, just be patient" she asserted then she sat back while she waited for someone else to speak. "Who would have known that everyone here would be so interested in seeing our humble young mistress even though one of them is being held in the wind sect, Sect leader Lin, we can only hope that you have not treated her like a war hostage?" the first elder said with an indirect accusation directed at Sect leader Lin who smiled and stretched his hand forwards in an assuring gesture to reply him. "You do not need to worry about that, back then, the emperor decreed that she should be left in the wind sect not as a prisoner but for us to tame the power inside her which is what we have always been doing, if not for his majesty''s decree, I would have allowed you to see her but it is beyond my power" Sect leader Lin answered with a hypocritical and assuring look on his face that would have fooled them if they hadn''t discovered his secret. "I hope it is as you say and I won''t find it otherwise when the time comes for me to see her" Sect madam Huo remarked. "Junior sister, from what you have just said, could it be that you have already found a way to make the emperor give your second daughter back to you?" Sect leader Zhou asked with his eyes squinted and his eyebrow raised, although he wasn''t satisfied that the second young mistress of the flame sect was handed over to the wind sect, he still doesn''t want the flame sect to have her back, he prefers their powers to be balanced so that he would find it easy to take both sects out and then become the alliance leader, hence making his sect the top sect. Their ears stood erected to hear what she was going to say including sect leader Lin who had a nervous expression on his face and Lin Bohai who seemed half nervous and half happy with the idea of her returning to her sect. "I wish that were the case but it is unfortunately not, but I believe that when the emperor''s heart has been softened which is very soon, he will once again let us have the possession of my daughter" she answered in a sentimental tone that showed her sorrow as a mother but the sorrow in her voice showed didn''t last for long. "I believe this meeting wasn''t called to discuss the flame sect, since I have relieved you of your curiosity, the meeting should start, or is there nothing else to discuss?" she chimed in while giving sect leader Lin a deep frown like she was accusing him of something. "You are right junior sister, we were almost carried away by the updates you have given us, it can''t be helped since we haven''t been able to hear any news from your sect, I announce that the meeting to discuss the infiltration of the vitality sect and the death of the governmental officer which was caused by a cultivator will now begin" the sect leader announced then he used a rod to hit the golden bell on the table which represents the symbol of his leadership. "I hope I haven''t missed anything," a voice said in a playful tone as footsteps emerged from the side of the hall, from the sound of the voice, they could already tell who that playful voice belonged to. "He is here..." "This meeting would have been better off without that joke of a sect leader" "What was his father thinking to have handed his seat as the sect leader to such a playful and irresponsible son" "I am deeply sorry for my late attendance once again, alliance leader, although my father has made me the sect leader to cultivate in seclusion for the rest of his life until he receives the thunder tribulation, I still haven''t gotten used to these events and my guards failed to remind me of this meeting earlier..." he turned back with his index finger pointed at his four guards in a scolding manner then he turned to face sect leader Lin again. "I will make sure that it never repeats itself again, I hope all the representatives from each sect will pardon my recklessness" he concluded then he cupped his hands together and raised them above his chest while he bowed ninety-degrees. They all nodded their head in agreement and disagreement at his apology which seemed sincere and at the same time insincere while some of them waved their fingers at they pointed at him and his guards with a rebuking expression on their faces. "Since you have apologised, there is no need to remain to stand, please take your seat," Sect leader Lin said with his hands pointing towards the direction of the seat at the end of the hall. He turned his head to look at the direction he was pointing at, he smirked at the sight of the position of his seat then he turned forward with a smile on his lips. "then...I will take my seat now" he turned back and walked towards the end of the hall then he suddenly stopped with his index finger pointing heavenward. "I suddenly remember seeing three young people wearing masks and heading towards this place and....they are wearing the flame sect uniform, could it be that....." Mo Yuhan hinted lazily as his eyes shifted to sect madam Huo who looked at him as though she was seeing him for the first time. He quickly walked towards her seat as soon as his eyes caught her, then he bowed his head and cupped his hand above his chest. "I am assuming you are the sect madam of the flame sect," he said with his head still bowed in an enthusiastic manner. "You are right but I wonder why the young hero is so excited and you are...." she paused while she waited for him to speak. "aah...I am Mo Yuhan from the azure demon sect, I have long heard tales of your skills and your beauty which has earned the reputation of the most talented female in the nation during your generation, Mo Yuhan is honoured to have had the chance to see you here today, the tales are just as they have been told" he praised with his enthusiasm amazing the audience that filled the hall. "What is this boy up to again" "Aaah! don''t mind him" {Since when did Mo Yuhan adore Huo Jingyu so much...could it be that they actually know each other} Sect leader Lin thought to himself! {This brat is really good at causing a scene} Sect madam Huo said in her mind while she struggled to maintain her perfect expression as she was already feeling the urge to burst into laughter, the elders were also trying their best to not give his act out. "Young hero, your praise has exceeded my capability, I am guessing you are the young master of the azure demon sect, may I ask why sect leader Mo isn''t here today?" Sect madam Huo asked to clear their doubts. "Senior, you might not know this since you have been secluded but father has decided to cultivate in seclusion until he has gotten the thunder tribulation or else he will have to cultivate in seclusion for the rest of his life, hence, he made me the sect leader of the azure demon sect" he explained with his head still bowed and respect resounding in each word he pronounced, from what they had seen, it was obvious that the amount of respect and admiration he has for her is even greater than what he has for the alliance leader and this is exactly the outcome he wanted. Chapter 125 - You Are The One Who Needs To Be Educated!! "So that is how it is, it is such a pity that I couldn''t see him before he went into seclusion, seeing as he has passed his position to you, he must believe in your leadership skills, I hope you do him proud" she counselled, with gestures that assured that the both of them are surely meeting for the first time. "I definitely will Senior....ehmmn....those people I saw, could they possibly be the guardians of the flame sect and the young mistress?" Mo Yuhan asked with uncertainty in his voice while he stood upright.?? "You are right, I wonder how sect leader Mo managed to guess that?" the question she just asked is what everyone also wanted so they listened with rapt attention while they anticipated his reply. "I have longed admired the flame sect so I read many things about the sect, the emblem of the guardians and the young mistress is different, they all have the emblem of the golden eagle on their uniforms but the golden eagle of the guardians has eight red feathers underneath his wings while the young mistress has twelve, am I right senior?" asked Mo Yuhan with a confident look in his eyes. "You are indeed correct" a young feminine voice answered, they all turned to see who it was, they were flabbergasted at the sight of the three masked people he was just talking about standing at the entrance of the hall, the question they all wanted to ask is ''how and when did they get there without being noticed''. "May I ask who you are?" Sect leader Lin asked while fixing his eyes on them with a deep frown on his face that expressed the displeasure he was feeling at the moment with Mo Yuhan delaying the meeting with his endless conversation with Huo Jingyu and the appearance of the three people standing at the entrance of the hall whose identities are quite obvious. "It is my honour to see you today sect leader Lin as well as as other sect leaders gathered here today, I am Huo Ying, the young mistress of the flame sect, I would have arrived here with my mother and the elders but we had some trivial things to take care of in the sect before coming here" Huo Ying answered with a clear and powerful feminine voice just like her mother and a light bow. To them, it was unfortunate that the flame mask covered half of their face so they couldn''t see their face clearly, however seeing the mask itself reminded them of the glory of the flame sect in days gone by, that mask that made people tremble at the sight of it has once again appeared. The mask is made in the form of the golden eagle and it cannot be removed unless someone who is very powerful shatters the mask and there are other ways to remove it but the mask cannot be removed ordinarily. "I am Huo Qiang, one of the four guardians of the flame sect, it is my honour to meet everyone present here today" Huo Qiang introduced himself with a slight bow and his cupped hands raised in front of him. "I am Huo Mei, one of the four guardians of the flame sect, it is my honour to meet everyone present here today" she introduced with the same posture as Huo Qiang. Everyone in the hall didn''t know what to say as they just watched them, were they supposed to welcome them or to show their disapproval of them? Although his plans for the meeting has gone awry right from the start, sect leader Lin still felt that there is a chance that he might get the end result he wanted seeing as she even brought their guardians here but it depends on his witnesses to do the job. He would have tried to bribe them to testify against the flame sect regardless of what the truth is but that would soil his reputation as a righteous alliance leader but since he was sure that they were the culprit, he had no need for that. "Since you are here, I believe that there is nothing else we have to wait for, please take your seats young heroes," Sect Leader Lin said with his hand gesturing towards the extra seats the disciples had brought in before, the three of them walked to their seats then they sat down and turned to look at their sect madam with a look that says ''we have nothing to worry about''. "I would like to announce once again that the agenda of the meeting is to find out the culprits behind the infiltration of the vitality sect and the murder of a governmental official which has been confirmed to have been the work of a cultivator, before the emperor finds out about this, I have decided to find out the culprits and then hand them over to the emperor, to avoid any reason for conflict between the court and the sects" Sect Leader Lin concluded then he gave Bohai a hand over look. He stepped forward after his father spoke then he bowed his head and cupped his hands together then he raised his hands above his chest. "From the last alliance meeting that was held, the flame sect is considered to be the main suspect of these crimes, we...." "What is the meaning of this alliance leader, are you accusing my sect of infiltrating the vitality sect and killing a governmental officer when we haven''t even been out of the mountain for eleven years, can''t you hear absurd and funny your accusation is?" Sect madam Huo interjected before Bohai could even complete his statement upon hearing that they are the main suspect. "Junior sister, it seems like you haven''t changed your character all these years, you are still as impulsive as you were before, we wouldn''t have made this accusation on a baseless ground, there are evidence and witnesses, holding this meeting today is to give you a chance to explain yourself and not to convict you without giving you a chance" Sect leader Lin entreated "What evidence do you have to accuse my sect of committing these crimes?" Sect madam Huo questioned "On the day of the second appearance of the flame sect, the captain was killed and according to witnesses, the golden eagle landed in Yu-Shan where the captain was killed and the golden eagle also appeared immediately after my sect was robbed, the three people who caused a scene in Yu-Shan were the same ones who killed the captain and robbed my sect, Junior sister, will you still insist that our accusation is baseless?" Sect Leader Yang restored sharply with his anger resounding in his voice while he pointed his finger at her and waved it at the elders and Huo Ying. "I don''t know which sect you are from but judging from what you have just said, I wonder how your disciples'' are being taught, are you saying that your reason for suspecting the flame sect is because of the appearance of the golden eagle which confidentially matches the day these crimes were committed? I don''t think it is reasonable for you to make that conclusion based on these useless guesses" Huo Ying snapped back without any itch of respect for him even though he is her senior, her rude way of speaking shocked them and they all frowned at her mannerless speech and her straightforwardness. "You, how dare you speak to me in that manner, it seems like your mother has failed to educate you" Sect leader Yang shouted in return after her rude remark with his index finger pointing at her while everyone in the hall started making their own comment and nodding their heads. "Senior, forgive me but truthfully, you are the one who needs to be educated, how can you make such an accusation against our sect because of such an unreasonable guess?" Huo Ying queried without minding that he is actually old enough to be her grandfather. "You...." infuriated sect leader Yan started coughing as soon as he opened his mouth to rebuke her but she didn''t even act like she had done anything wrong against him. "Sect leader Yang, take it easy..." then he turned to Huo Ying. "Miss Huo Ying, you should watch your speech and attitude in this meeting, most of the people in this hall are your elders, you should be mindful of that" Sect leader Lin cautioned, but she scoffed and turned away from him. {Like mother like daughter.." Sect Leader Zhou remarked in his mind! "Huo Ying restrain yourself, it is not your turn to speak while I and the elders are seated" her mother cautioned then she turned to face sect leader Yang with an apologetic look on her face. "I apologise for my daughter''s rudeness, being away from the world has made her lose her manners" her mother apologised on her behalf, then Huo Ying bowed her head to compliment her mother''s effort to apologise on her behalf but the look in her eye said otherwise, apart from Bohai, no one looked into the holes of the mask so they couldn''t see the sinister look she had in her eyes as though she had an evil intention in mind. Sect leader Yang scoffed at their apology then he flipped his sleeve and placed his hand on the handle of his chair angrily. "The golden eagle did leave the sect on the day these incidents took place but I can assure you that it was a coincidence and the flame sect has nothing to do with" Sect madam Huo assured "Are we supposed to believe you based on your words alone?" Sect leader Wu queried while spreading his hands wide to indicate that he was speaking on behalf of everyone present. "Are you not also accusing my sect based on your words, up till now, I still haven''t seen any physical evidence or witness that can attest to your accusation, so why can''t I defend my sect using my words alone?" sect madam Huo questioned with her brewing anger evident in her voice. "That is not the case Junior martial sister, since the other sect leaders made their speculations in the last meeting, I decided to investigate this matter further to give you a fair and just trial, my disciples travelled to Yu-Shan city and they have brought back witnesses" he paused for a moment while he turned to look at Bohai with a nod. "Bring them in!" Bohai ordered Four disciples in the sect uniform entered the hall with one man and a woman following behind them, they walked to the front of the hall then they greeted the sect leader and retreated, leaving the witnesses behind, as soon as they entered the hall, the witnesses had already started scanning the room to look at those that are present at the meeting, seeing how many influential people were present, they felt assured that if they do find the culprit and someone powerful is behind them then these influential people would be able to protect them. "Sect Leader Lin!!" they chorused in unison and bowed. "Please be at ease!" "Thank you, sect leader Lin!" they replied then they raised their heads. "I am very sure you know why you are here, my disciples have informed me that both of you were present at the scene when the culprits who killed the captain in Yu-Shan city forced their way into the city, is that correct?" he questioned in a calm and reassuring voice that assured them that it is safe to say the truth without getting killed later or get implicated. "That is correct, on that day, my husband and I were selling street foods on that day to save enough money to treat our sick children but three young people were being escorted by some soldier and all of a sudden, they started attacking the soldiers, the whole market was scattered and destroyed by them, If I see them again, I will definitely be able to recognise them, we lost a lot of fortune on that day because of them, even our children are sick and we can''t pay their treatment fees because of our loss on that day," the woman complained in bitterness with her hands placed on her navel, if she had her way, she would have sat on the floor and wailed loudly for everyone to hear. "I have heard you when the culprits are caught, I will seek justice for you, as long as you can identify the culprit here today, I will make sure that the culprits are punished and your loss is compensated," Sect leader Lin assured "Sect Leader Lin, my wife might not have seen their face clearly on that day but I ran after them after our stalls were destroyed, I personally witnessed the captain chasing them into the forest but I ran back after then, there is no way I wouldn''t be able to identify them," the man added, the loss he was feeling was too evident in his voice that they couldn''t help but wonder how much damage the culprits must have caused him and his wife. "If that is so then I am relieved, I permit you to check everyone present here today to find the culprits, please look carefully so that that you don''t point out the wrong person," Sect leader Lin cautioned. "There is no need to check everyone here, I just need to examine the young people that are present here today," he remarked confidently. "Sect leader Lin, I don''t think this is right, as we all know, it has been the tradition of the flame sect disciples to always keep their masks on, how are they supposed to see their faces with their masks on?" sect leader Meng questioned in a very lucid manner, she is the only person who has never hidden her true intention regardless of the strength of the flame sect and this is the only reason why sect madam Huo has more respect for her than everyone else present at the meeting, if not for loving the same man, they would have been close friends in the past. Chapter 126 - A Voice In Her Mind!! They all started murmuring around the hall, they hadn''t really considered the masks before and now that they are reminded, they couldn''t help but wonder how the witnesses are supposed to check the guardians and their young mistress, all eyes were fixed on sect ma''am Huo at the moment as they were all expecting her to say something in regards to sect leader Meng''s comment. "Sect leader Lin, what sect leader Meng has just said is indeed the case, it has been the tradition of the flame sect disciples to always wear the flame mask and it is also the first rule of our sect, I am sorry but they cannot remove their mask," Sect madam Huo said in a resolute manner.?? "This matter affects every sect here, I hope you will take into consideration that if the witnesses are unable to check your guardians, you might be convicted," Sect leader Lin threatened but he made it sound like a friendly reminder. "Sect leader Lin, are you trying to threaten me....or are you trying to threaten my sect?" she asked with a blank look on her face while she faced him with no emotion whatsoever in her eyes, which made him unsure of what kind of tone she is speaking with. "Junior sister, you have misunderstood me, I am just trying to remind you, your disciples not showing their faces might make everyone suspect that you have something to hide, to prevent that, I ask that your disciples remove their mask," Sect leader Lin persuaded, while he convinced others at the same time that he really wants to give them a just and fair trial. "Alliance leader, even before I was born, it has always been a rule for every disciple to wear the mask unless they fall in love, the only way for the mask to be removed is for the sect patriarchs to remove it after the love test, this is has been the rule for decades, you can''t expect us to violate our sect rule just because of your accusations," Huo Ying stated with her resolution resounding in her voice while the elder and her mother nodded in agreement to her statement. "Alliance leader, why are we even bothering with them, why don''t you just remove the mask by force, the mask can''t be removed but it can be shattered..." Sect leader Wu suggested while raising his voice. "I dare you!!!!" Sect madam Huo shouted with her hand slamming the handle of the chair, the handle immediately fell off the chair, they were all alarmed by her outburst to the point that the hall became as quiet as a graveyard while everyone''s eyes fell on the wooden handle that has been shattered to pieces by her. "Junior sister, you should really learn to control your temper, sect leader Wu surely didn''t mean what he said, don''t take it to heart" Sect leader Zhou interceded while he fans himself casually despite the graveyard atmosphere in the hall. "I hope that is the case because if anyone tries to forcefully take off the mask, I will make sure that I break that person''s hand and render the person useless....." she fixed her eyes and sect leader Wu who was already feeling threatened by her warning then she slowly turned her eyes towards sect leader Lin... "Whosoever that might be...." She concluded with her eyes boring into him. Seeing as the atmosphere had changed, the two witnesses have already started fretting, they wondered if they should be standing in the hall despite the trouble that seemed to be brewing in the hall at that moment. "Everyone....ehmmm...I don''t think it is necessary to see their faces, there were two males and one female, I do have a way to recognise one of them, but I will not say it now, in case if the culprit tries to get rid of it" the man quickly put forth before their anger explodes and they start fighting, he surely didn''t want to be barbequed by the flame or sect or be blown away by the wind sect. "oooh.....is that so?" sect leader Zhou questioned casually which annoyed them that he just kept fanning himself and taking all that was going on the hall unseriously. "It is indeed as I have said, if Sect leader Lin would trust me, I will make sure that I find the culprit and when I do, I will show you my means of identification," the man assured confidently, the look in his eyes showed that he is as desperate as they are to find the culprits. This greatly disturbed Huo Ying and the others, if the man is speaking the truth and he has a way to identify them, then it would be troublesome for them, she turned to glance at Huo Qiang nervously but he nodded his head at her to assure her that nothing is going to go wrong while he was also feeling nervous. The elders fixed their eyes on the sect madam but she ignored their stare and continued glaring at sect leader Lin confidently... "If that is so, then you should start now" they were now confused at her confidence, she was even telling the witnesses to start examining them, does it mean that the flame sect really has nothing to do with the incident? Sect leader Zhou and sect leader Lin were more confused, her confidence hasn''t faltered ever since she came in through the door despite all that has been said and even the witnesses present, sect leader Lin had already started regretting that he didn''t bribe the witnesses at the beginning to point out the flame sect disciples from the beginning, if the result doesn''t turn out to be what he thought it would be then all his planning and scheming would be for waste and he will have to see the arrogant look on Huo Jingyu face... "You may start" Sect leader Lin ordered "Alright" the both of them replied "Remember, you have to look carefully, so you don''t point out the wrong people" Sect leader Lin cautioned as soon as they took one step forward. "We understand" the man replied then he walked to the middle of the hall. " I would like to ask that all the young people part from the elders and sect leader should step forward," the man requested humbly. All the youths in the hall stepped forward, they all lined up in front of their sect leaders and elders while they wore a confident look on their faces, all the disciples were out except for the vitality sect disciples. "Sect leader Yang, why are you disciples not stepping forward?" Sect madam Huo questioned "Do you think we would rob our own sect?" Sect leader Yang answered "In this world we live in, nothing is impossible, what if this is an act that your sect has carefully planned out so that you can remove my sect from the world even after we have been in seclusion?" she hinted straightforwardly. "Are you trying to say that I lied about my sect being robbed and I even sent my disciples to wreak havoc in Yu-Shan city just to incriminate the flame sect?" "Nothing can be decided yet, sect leader Yang, you should send your disciples forward now" she answered calmly. "You...." "Sect leader Yang, send your disciples forward" Sect leader Lin ordered, he turned back and gave a nod to the disciples behind him then they stepped forward to be examined, coincidentally, they were standing opposite Huo Ying and both guardian, as soon s they stepped forward, she gave them an evil smirk which put them off, they would have rushed forward to hit her at that moment but the situation didn''t allow them to. "You may begin now" Sect leader Lin instructed. The woman first stepped forward to examine them, she walked past them one after the other while carefully examining their faces, she examined their faces, their height and their build but she still couldn''t find the culprits, not long, she was already standing in front of the vitality sect disciples. She walked back and forth round them to fully examine them but she didn''t find anything that could point them out to be the culprits then she moved on to Huo Ying and the others, she was slightly afraid of them, after all, they were the strongest sect and they are known for numerous evil despite the help they offered the people in the past, but their goodness couldn''t outdo their evils. "Madam, you don''t have to be afraid, as we cannot remove our mask, please make sure you examine us closely after this is over, we will provide whatever you need for your children''s treatment," Huo Ying said knowing that the others would be infuriated by her kind gesture. "Huo Ying, what are you trying to do, are you trying to bribe the witness right in front of us all," Tang Fan snapped at her kind gesture, she quickly got rid of the warm smile on her face and change it into a deep frown while she glared at Tang Fan. "Who are you?" She inquired in a very belittling manner, the other youths have already begun chuckling at the indirect insult she directed at him while the elders in the hall frowned at her. "Since you don''t know then I will tell you, I am Tang Fan, the young master of the thunder sect, now that you already know my identity, answer my question, what are you trying to do by offering to pay for her children''s treatment?" he queried with arrogance written on his face but she didn''t need much energy to burst his bubble. "You are not qualified to receive my answer!" she replied without even looking at him in the face, his face turned red immediately and his face almost as if he was going to explode at any minute, even sect leader Zhou had a serious reaction this time. "Junior sister, you should caution your daughter....the newborn calf doesn''t fear the tiger but it should be careful of the danger..." sect leader Zhou cautioned with his fangs bared and his claws brandished at her insult towards his son. "Senior brother, you don''t need to be angered by her comment, the alliance leader invited the witnesses to point out the culprit but their worries were not resolved beforehand when they have such a heavy burden in their heart, how can they find the culprits, my daughter is only trying to make sure that they don''t feel pressured so that they won''t point out the wrong person but your son didn''t hesitate to make a careless assumption, he should be the one to caution himself," Sect madam Huo replied making him unable to make an argument, he folded his fan in anger while he dropped the issue. "You may continue" Sect leader Lin instructed after waiting for their stupid interjection to end. The woman went around them as she examined them, her intuition told her that they are the culprits and she felt like she has seen them before even though she couldn''t see their faces but she couldn''t be sure of her guess, besides their offer to help really moved her, if she ends up accusing them wrongly then she wouldn''t be able to handle the guilt, she decided to leave it to her husband since he saw them more clearly then she did. "Sect leader Lin, I am sorry but I am unable to identify the culprits among those who are present here, maybe my husband will be able to" she apologized then she moved on to stand beside her husband after which she gave him a handover nod, he stepped forward and started examining the youths. He moved around them and examined their hands unknownst to them but sect leader Zhou, sect leader Lin and sect madam Huo noticed it, she suddenly remembered something, she quickly turned to look at Huo Qiang''s hand, then she saw the old scar on the back of his hand, her eyes immediately widened, sect leader Lin and sect leader Zhou were both alerted at the sight of the slight change in her confident expression but she had already moved her eyes away from his scar before they traced her gaze to it knowing fully well that they were monitoring her. "Sect madam, what is it?" the first elder whispered in her ear when he noticed her alarmed expression. "It is nothing" she lied but he knew that she wasn''t telling the truth, he decided to not ask further. The man passed by the disciples of the Wudang sect then he moved on to the disciples of the vitality sect, he couldn''t help but agree with what sect madam Huo has said before, humans are indeed unpredictable so the vitality sect cannot be excluded from the list of suspects. He shook his head when he checked their hand which slightly alarmed their sect leader but he moved past them making him relieved, as soon as he got to Huo Mei''s front, his brows furrowed slightly as though he didn''t approve of the flame sect, after checking her hand and confirming that his means of identification isn''t present on her hand, he moved on to Huo Ying. He specially examined her hand carefully, longer than he did for the others, this showed his bias towards the flame sect but Huo Ying didn''t feel the need to be bothered, he later moved on to Huo Qiang. Strangely, he didn''t examine his hand first, as soon as he stood in front of him, he felt sure that he has seen him somewhere before, he glanced at the mask first then his eyes landed on his hand. His back was turned at the others and blocking their sight so only Huo Ying, the two guardians and one of the disciples of the vitality sect can see them from that angle, the others were stretching their necks to monitor them to avoid being misled by the flame sect tricks. As the man took a closer look at the back of his hand, his eyes widened at the sight of the large scar on Huo Qiang''s hand, Huo Ying noticed the change in his expression so she traced his gaze to Huo Qiang''s hand, her eyes gaped when she noticed the distinctive feature on his hand and the attention the man was paying to it. "Sec...." "Sir!" Huo Ying quickly called before the man could make his report, the man turned to look at her with a deep frown on his face, his eyes met hers immediately he looked at her, her eyeball turned red at the moment but the man was blocking their view so they didn''t notice it. {You don''t remember the scar on his hand and you will not be able to recognise the rest either, you couldn''t find the culprits no matter how hard you searched, you will forget anything you know about this case} A voice in her mind said!! his pupils began shrinking at her compellation while he stood in front of her soullessly. it went on for about ten seconds and they had already started wondering what was happened, Huo Qiang and Huo Mei noticed the man''s pupils shrinking but they couldn''t understand what was going on either, they raised their eyebrows in confusion while they stared at Huo Ying who also seemed to be standing soullessly. "Sir, what is it?" Sect leader Lin questioned when he noticed that something went wrong the moment Huo Ying called him. Chapter 127 - Loophole! Their connection immediately went off the moment sect leader Lin called the man, the both of them blinked their eyes in the confusion of what had just transpired, her eyes changed back to normal. "ah ah...I have concluded the search, sect leader Lin, I have not been able to find the culprit among those that are present here today," the man quickly reported even though he was still in a muddled state, he squinted his eyes and tilted his head in an attempt to remember something.?? He couldn''t help but feel that there is something he had forgotten and he couldn''t remember what transpired between him and Huo Ying from the moment she called him, he turned back to look at her then he faced forward again and swallowed his saliva to keep calm. "Are you sure about that?" Sect leader Lin asked fixing his eyes on him to find any sign that might show that he is not telling the truth but the man knew better than to let it show, then he looked towards Huo Ying''s direction. "I can assure you that I didn''t make any mistake during the search, I searched for my means of identification but I still couldn''t find anyone who has it," the man answered, but he suddenly felt that he couldn''t remember his means of identification anymore, he decided to solve the issue with his memory later. "Alliance leader, are we clear now since your witnesses cannot find the culprits here, perhaps the culprit is just an itinerant cultivator, if the witnesses are your only evidence then it is over" Sect madam Huo chimed in after the man spoke with a triumphant look on her face that didn''t fail its purpose as sect leader Lin frowned at her arrogance, had he known that they would suddenly appear at the meeting and the witnesses would be so useless, he would have made other preparation. {I originally planned to use the culprits for myself, if they could cause such chaos and cause such severe casualties in the vitality sect then they would be useful to me, if the culprits are really not from the flame sect then I still lose nothing} Sect leader Zhou thought in his mind! "Junior sister, be patient, we can''t confirm that your sect is completely innocent since all your guardians are not here, not to talk of your disciples, until the witnesses check them all, you still can''t be cleared," Sect leader Lin persisted to her annoyance. "That is not right!" Sect madam Huo flipped immediately. "ohoh! what is not right about it?" Sect leader Lin questioned with a satisfied look in his eyes given her reaction. "Why does it have to be only my disciples and guardians that have to be checked, all the other sect only brought few people to the meeting, so why wouldn''t their disciples be checked?" she queried with her hand tightly gripping only handle left on the chair. "If you are talking about that, then you don''t need to feel unfairly treated, as I told you before, before this meeting, I have already investigated this matter, I have checked the activities of every sect and I can assure you that no sect sent out their disciples on both days except for Tang Fan who visited Nangong street and some disciples from the vitality sect but I have confirmed that they were after the culprits, since I couldn''t find out anything from your sect so you still remain the only suspected sect," Sect leader Lin concluded, she glared at him intensely knowing that she has no other excuse to give but she is very well aware of his intention. He is trying to kill two birds with one stone, firstly, he and the other sect leaders will have the opportunity to enter the flame mountain using the excuse of acting as witnesses, then they will be able to clearly decipher their condition and on the other hand, they will be able to find the culprits. But she would never let him have his way! "If that is so, then I can''t refuse, apart from my beginner disciples, we have more than five hundred disciples, choose the date and I will make them descend the mountain for the examination," sect madam Huo responded with a neutral look on her face that showed her confidence knowing that he wouldn''t have any other excuse to enter the flame mountain not to talk of the flame sect. Sect leader Zhou who originally agreed with sect leader Lin''s had requested also had a frown on his face as soon as she spoke, he was also thinking of using the opportunity to see the sects condition but she just popped his bubble. "Sect madam Huo, are you saying that you are going to bring all your disciples down the mountain, isn''t that going to be too much of a charade, why don''t we conduct the search in your sect or is there something you are trying to hide...?" Sect leader Meng chimed in since she was also curious to know what is going on with their sect. "What secret would I have to hide from you? we have not received any visitor for years so we might not be able to receive you and the sect is in a bad condition soI am ashamed to let you see us in such condition, but if sect leader Meng thinks it would be too much of a charade then you can conduct the search just outside the flame mountain, before my husband went into seclusion, he forgot to remove the barrier so apart from the people from my sect, no one else can go in or leave the sect," She explained with an entreated smile etched on her lips. {You bitch! what else do you have to say?" Sect madam Huo swore in her mind!. "If that is so then we have no other choice but to do it as you have said," then he scanned around the hall for any expression of discontentment that might be useful to him but he couldn''t find any, although it is a pity that they wouldn''t be able to use the chance to enter the flame sect, they had no other alternative. "Alliance leader" Sect leader Meng called out with her eyes fixed on sect madam Huo. "I don''t think anyone of them present in this meeting should be allowed to personally inform their sect of the search, what if they get rid of the evidence before the search, it would then be impossible for anyone to find out the truth," she continued while the others nodded their head in agreement, that is definitely one loophole she managed to find, if they are not allowed to inform the sect of the search then how are they supposed to descend the mountain. She couldn''t help but display the fine triumphant smirk she has always wanted to show Huo Jingyu. "I agree with sect leader Meng, if such a thing happens then the lead will be gone, I don''t know if sect leader agrees with what sect leader Meng has said" Sect leader Yang added. "I..." "Everyone, there is no need to worry about that, it so happens that when I was leaving the sect, I took one transmission talisman which was among the gifts that sect leader Meng gave to me on my wedding day, who would have known that we would actually have a use for it today, this way, we won''t have to trouble anyone, I really owe it to sect leader Meng" the smile on her face has never been more taunting and annoying than it is at this moment for sect leader Meng, she actually said that in front of her knowing how bitter she is till this moment that sect leader Huo actually chose Huo Jingyu over Her. She clenched her fist under her sleeve tightly while she dug into her palm with her nails forming crescent marks on her palm, she would never forget the pain of having to present gifts to them on her wedding day, if not for preserving the face of her sect, she would never have given them any gift. "Since sect madam Huo has a solution for that then we are all relieved," she replied pretending like she wasn''t affected by what she said. "Since you have concluded that we can''t be allowed to return to our sect until the search then where do you suggest we stay overnight, we didn''t think that all this would happen today so we didn''t bring any money with us or make any preparation for accommodation when we left the sect," sect madam Huo asked "you don''t need to worry about that, I will arrange for the best rooms for you in any of the inns you want," Sect leader Lin answered. "There is no need for that!" Huo Ying voiced, then they all turned to her. "Huo Ying, what are you saying?" her mother questioned in a low voice but she only nodded her head reassuringly to her question while she faced forward to continue. "Since the wind sect is big enough to accommodate us, why do we need to waste money on an inn," she continued to their surprise, why in the world would she want to stay in the wind sect and be under the surveillance of her enemy when she can just stay somewhere else. "What are you saying?" Her mother scolded in a whisper with a frown on her face but she didn''t reply to her mother, instead, she continued looking towards sect leader Lin''s direction. {what is this girl planning, there is no way she would want to stay here without any other intention} Bohai thought to himself then he turned to look at his father in anticipation of what he would say next. "If that is what miss Huo Ying wants then there is no problem, I will arrange for your accommodation here tonight, you can be rest assured," Sect leader Lin answered, having them in his sect and under is sect wasn''t a bad idea for him. "Then we would have to trouble sect leader Lin," Huo Ying replied with her cupped hands raised above her chest in fake gratitude. She had already planned out all her actions before she attended the meeting but she lied to her mother that she had something to take care of and her mother didn''t think it would be a bad idea for them to follow behind her since it would create suspense during the meeting but in fact, her real plan is something that only she knows. "Since that has been resolved then I will bring the meeting to an end now, I would like to appreciate all the sect leaders who are present here today for their cooperation and I would also like to thank sect madam Huo for making it to this meeting even though her sect has already been cut off from the world beforehand," he was definitely questioning how she knew about the meeting even though they haven''t left the flame mountain but only those from the flame sect and Mo Yuhan could understand his intentions. She decided not to answer his question since that would only result into another word battle, she had already grown tired of staying in the hall while everyone kept attacking her and her followers, what she really wants at the moment is to leave the hall so that she can question Huo Ying on whatever had transpired between her and the man. Sect leader Lin stood up from his seat then he walked down the two stairs leading to where he sat majestically and long strides while Lin Bohai followed behind him with every one of his steps proving that he truly takes after his father, while he walked past the audience, the young female cultivators who are present in the hall, started drooling at his demeanour, they couldn''t wait for the meeting to be over so that they will be able to steal the opportunity of speaking to him but Meng Hui didn''t fail to keep her guard up, as soon as he stepped down with his father, she gummed herself to him with a sweet smile on her face while she said something inaudible to Bohai, making him respond with a smile on his face. This made all the girls present to despise her, for them, she is the only stumbling block that is preventing them from becoming close with their Bohai, seeing as her mission is accomplished, she decided to add further details to express their closeness and intimacy to it, she linked her arm with his when they were just a step away from leaving the hall, he glanced down at her arm linked with his but he decided not to unlink their arms until they leave the hall to save her face. He knew just what her intentions were and he had always hated this about her but as always, he would never refuse her in public, in fact, he would always go along with her actions or even add his own acts to it, just to please his father. As the meeting had come to an end, most of the sect leaders wanted to speak with sect madam Huo or probe her for more gossips about the flame sect, but her furrowed brows told them otherwise, but sect leader Zhou isn''t one to be put off by her unsettled expression. He walked to where the stood while he still fanned himself with Tang Fan and Yun Biyu following behind him. "Junior sis...." "Huo Ying, come with me" Sect madam Huo interjected, she wasn''t even aware that he was standing in front of her and she didn''t care to notice but all she wanted at that moment is to question her daughter. She and the elders stood up from their seat following Huo Ying and the other two, then they left the hall. He folded his fan in anger and embarrassment, then he turned towards the exit to watch her leave the hall, he couldn''t believe that she is still as arrogant as she was before even after what happened to the flame sect, it was this her arrogance that made him swear years ago that he would definitely surpass Huo Jing who is the sect leader of the Flame sect. "Let us go" he ordered. Chapter 128 - Secret Memories! "You have said it all, I really don''t know what to do and since everyone keeps saying the same thing to me, I think I am going to have to drop the idea of performing the surgery" she fiddled with the beer can while she waited for him to say something encouraging or would he... "Then why did you ask for my advice?" Han Chen asked, from what she had just said, it seemed like she had already made up her mind on the issue so he wondered why she still asked him.?? "You said it yourself...." "What did I say?" Han Chen asked with a confused look in his eyes. "You told me that you are an anomaly, so I was thinking that you might say something different" She answered, then she spun the beer can on the table playfully, he chuckled as he uncrossed his hands on the table and ran his hand through his already loose hair then he leaned his body forward again. "If I tell you what you want to hear, what difference does it make, after all, I am not as close as Jia Yu is to you or...or your boyfriend so would my advice really make a difference to you?" he had this accusing smile on his lips that made her really feel guilty as she pondered on his question. {What difference would it make to me....?} She questioned in her mind! Now that he mentioned it, she realized that she doesn''t even know her intentions for asking him for his advice in the first place but now, it seemed to her that his answer might really make a difference in her decision making. "Yes..." "What...." "It would, it would make a difference, if one person can just tell me that it is okay to take the risk, I might change my mind," the smile on his face slowly disappeared, he was expecting one of her straightforward and awkwardly cruel answers but she seemed to be telling the truth, even if she didn''t directly say that only his answer would make a difference, he is still happy to hear her say that. His answer might really make a difference for her... "Then tell me, what do you want?" he asked with a soft and gentle look in his eyes that she felt familiar with or maybe it was with Chen Kai. "If I tell you what I want, will you grant my wish?" "I am not a genie but If you tell me what you want then I might help you make a difference" he answered with the same affectionate look in his eyes. "I want to perform the surgery" Yu Yan replied with an earnest expression on her face as though she desperately needed him to support her cause, even she wondered why she is so desperate to hear him say that she can do it. "I can assure you that you have asked the right person for advice, follow me," he said then he stood up from his seat and entered the parlour while he walked swiftly to the stairs, then he turned back to make sure that she was following behind him, after seeing that she was, he continued walking up the stairs, then he opened a brown door with golden handle and decorations on it. "Wow..." she brawled without being aware of herself, she only saw the rooms that are in the second floor but the third floor of his mansion looked to magnificent that she couldn''t control her urge to ''wow''. "Is this your bedroom?" she asked after passing through the brown door amidst many doors on the third floor. "Yes" "Then what am I doing here?" she asked, activating her sense of danger. "Don''t think anything stupid, I just want to give you the solution to your crisis" he replied "What solution...." he twisted the horse statue on his bookshelf then the bookshelf divided, exposing an even more magnificent and large room, she opened her mouth wide agape as they entered into the room, she has never seen anyone having such a hidden place in their house, it almost felt like she is in one of those wuxia dramas where the lords normally have this kind of hidden compartment in their manors. After entering farther into the room, she looked around only to find that the room behind the bookshelf wasn''t like hat she had imagined it would look like, it seemed more like a research lab....no no.....an operation theatre....or she just couldn''t describe it. The big screen in the room, the Ct scan machine, the operation table and different monitors, and the different technologies in the room amazed her and aroused many questions in her mind, as she walked past them, she touched their surfaces to appreciate them while she looked around for other things that might catch her attention. "The solution to your problem is here, fortunately for you, I have personally operated on a similar patient two years ago under the supervision of a german specialist cardiologist and a Russian Cardiologist, do you...." he turned back only to find that she was nowhere near him, he looked around but he couldn''t find her anywhere in the room, despite the brightness of the light lighting the whole room and creating a professional atmosphere for the room. He walked away from the table of the instruments he was fiddling with then he walked around the large room with different compartment, he couldn''t help but worry after searching for five minutes without finding her, the only thing reassuring him is the fact that she got lost in his home so there can''t be any real danger except if she messes with any dangerous equipment. A few minutes later, he was now inside his main bedroom, he entered his wardrobe room to find her but he still couldn''t find her there, he placed his hands on his waist and lowered his head in frustration, had he known that she was such a wanderer, he would have ignored the word boundaries and held her hand, in his mind, he decided that this is a lesson for him. He was about to leave the bedroom for downstairs when his eyes caught an open space inside one of his closet, he dimmed his eyes and widened them as he turned around to make sure that he was seeing right, could she have... He quickly walked swiftly to the closet then a red light blinked three times above the wardrobe before opening the door to the secret compartment behind the closet, the closet closed itself immediately after he entered the secret compartment. That compartment is the most personal part of his life and no one has ever been able to enter that room, except for one person, the only person he has ever loved and cherished, the only thing he kept chanting in his mind is ''I hope she didn''t see it''. He swiftly walked to where he kept the things that were pertaining to his high school life which only contains the memory of him and Yu Yan and his parents, the different collections of paintings, gemstones and many other things that his parents also collected for years before they died were also kept in the room. He couldn''t imagine what kind of explanation he would give to her if she sees the pictures, the clothes they shopped together and the couples teddy bears they bought when they were still in high school, even the portraits the drew of each other and their cute couple kiss pictures, even the potteries they made. All those memories, he couldn''t let her find it, he finally saw her standing in front of the large mural painting of a girl on the wall, he heaved a half sigh of relief with his eyes shut, then she moved forward to press the button on the wall, wondering what sort of wonder pressing that button will bring her after everything she had seen in the compartment, he quickly sprinted to where she stood after he opened his eyes. "Don''t!!" he screamed and quickly dashed to her then he finally caught hold of her hand that was just one cm away from the blue button on the mural wall, he heaved a heavy sigh of relief as he fixed his eyes on the blue button not realizing that he had almost scared her to death. She held her breath and her mouth slightly opened as she gazed at his face staring at the blue button, she was terrified and at the same time wondering what was so special about the button that he had to scare her to death. "What are you doing, you almost scared me to death?" she snapped at him seeing that he wasn''t even thinking of releasing her hand anytime soon. "oh...sorry for that, I was in a hurry just now" he apologized, then he released her hand and rubbed his hands on his trouser. "Just because I wanted to press the button, I almost lost my life, do you even realize that?" she retorted angrily this time around, she just didn''t like the feeling after he stopped her from pressing the button like she didn''t like that he was keeping it from her but she questioned herself... {why am I angry, this is his house...} Then she relaxed her tense face and got rid of the victim look on her face, seeing as her expression has changed, he could tell that she must have realized that she is in the wrong and she was supposed to apologize for walking off in someone else''s house instead of flipping out at the owner. "I can guess that you have already answered your own question in your mind already" he answered with his arms folded and his eyes staring down at her, making her seem shorter than she really is. "Is it that obvious" she fluttered her lashes in guilt then she smiled awkwardly with her white teeth exposed and her mouth grinning. "I am sorry, I just felt a sense of familiarity the moment I entered this room or should I say deja-vu..." "Deja-vu" he repeated with one of his brows raised. "I won''t bother explaining since I can''t say I was in a trance, sorry for trespassing, I am not someone who walks into someone else''s personal space, this is a one time mistake, I can assure you" she frantically explained with a chagrin feeling, she herself couldn''t explain why she had trailed off in his house and she strangely knew that there is a compartment behind the closet, the feeling of familiarity she felt....have I been here before? she asked herself but she shook her head dispelling the impossible thought. "This is actually the second time," he said in an inaudible voice. "What?" "Nothing, anyways, your apology has been accepted, I understand that with all these collections, you might have been tempted, so it isn''t actually your fault" he replied then he made towards the door while she watched him walk away with a wronged expression on her face. He stopped and turned back when he noticed that she wasn''t following. "What are you waiting for?" "I said it was a mistake, I wasn''t tempted by your collections, I am not a materialistic person who is easily carried away by things like this" the look on her face seemed like a child who had just been accused wrongly, he chuckled at her childish attitude then he nodded his head and walked away leaving her frustrated at his attitude towards her. She closed her eyes and balled her fist, after taking a deep breath, she made towards the exit then she suddenly stopped and turned back to look at the mural, from what she could see, it is the back view of a young girl...maybe a teenager wearing a pink hoodie with the inscription Han Yu that is illustrated on the mural, then she left the room. She returned to the working room where he had originally brought her to, then she found him trying to set up the projector in front of the big screen in the room, the moment the projection focused on the big white screen, a picture of him in a green surgical top and trouser is the first thing she saw. "What is this?" she asked as she walked closer to him. "I was saying earlier that I have carried out the surgery with a similar case as your patient under the supervisor of a german specialist cardiologist and a Russian Cardiologist, so I will can help you having experience of the surgery, my advice for you is to perform the surgery if that is what you want," he concluded then he placed the remote on the operating table in front of him and turned to see the unbelieving look on her face. "Are you saying that you have actually performed a surgical operation with such rare case when you don''t even have a license," Yu Yan queried, part of her wished what he was saying his true but he just didn''t give her that vibe that would make her believe him. "Seeing is believing" he pressed the play button on the remote then he sat down on the couch in the room and tapped the seat beside him, then she followed suit and sat beside him. "§´§Ö§á§Ö§â§î §à§á§Ö§â§Ñ§è§Ú§ñ §ß§Ñ§é§ß§Ö§ä§ã§ñ," a voice in the video said, as different people moved around the room frantically. "What did he just say?" Yu Yan asked in confusion, she could tell that the language is Russian but she had no clue of what the man in the video had just said. "He just asked us to begin the operation," Han Chen answered in Russian to tease her and of course, she reacted as expected. "Are you toying with me right now?" she questioned with a serious expression on her face and her eyes narrowed. "Is it that obvious?" he replied sarcastically, she pouted her lips and folded her arm on her chest to show her frustration then he smiled and told her what it really was that the Russian man had said. " he is just announcing the commencement of the surgery" Han Chen replied then the both of them faced forwards to continue watching the video, as soon as they faced the screen, a young man in green surgery outfit appeared, he walked in the midst of some soldiers who saluted him as he walked by. "Cap...." He walked fast-forwarded the video before she fully heard what they called him, she felt like there is something suspicious about it so she gave him a doubtful look, feeling her stare boring into him, he turned to face her. "You will soon have to go home so we can''t waste time" since his excuse made sense, she decided to believe him, then he played the video again, recognising that he is the man that had just walked in in the video, she cast a glance at him, wondering if he is truly telling the truth, after all, he didn''t seem like a serious person to her. The man in the video made a large incision in the patient''s stomach to begin the surgery while the cardiologists supervising him kept speaking to him from outside the surgery room through the microphone in two different languages, the soldiers marching around was also visible but Yu Yan didn''t care to ask any question about that at the moment, she just wanted to find out if he was telling the truth about having performed the operation. She watched as he carefully and skillfully operated on the patient, by now, she wasn''t even surprised that he was telling the truth, what surprised her is the preciseness and speed he used while performing the surgery. She has always been commended for her speed and her preciseness during her surgeries but seeing him in the video, she knew that she can''t be compared to him, she stared at him in shock and unwilling to believe that he is actually such a good surgeon and she can''t even be compared to him. "You are awesome!" she exclaimed all of a sudden, he knew that she would be impressed but he didn''t expect her to praise him. "What did you just say?" he asked, itching to hear her praise him again. Chapter 129 - Eavesdropping! "Let us go," he ordered Everyone watched as they walked away from the hall but seeing her expression, they weren''t sure if it is actually a good idea to try striking a conversation with her, from all that had transpired in the hall, they had realized that anything might have changed but the fact that she is still that untamed, strong and badass woman hasn''t changed even though it was very obvious to them that she had tried her best to suppress her character and prevent herself from roasting them all.?? Walking past their eyes, they finally arrived at a place where no one could interfere with them or hear them, she didn''t even bother to send the elders and the guardians away before asking her about what had happened back in the hall, standing under a willow tree centred in the middle of a garden they gathered round about Huo Ying, sect madam Huo wasn''t the only curious one, the elders were also curious but the first elder could tell that there is something going on that he isn''t aware of or even the whole sect is oblivious to it. "Mother, why have we come here?" Huo Ying asked, wondering why her mother was leading them away from everyone''s eyes when the plan was to make them visible to the other sect so as to remind them of the flame sect past glory. "Huo Ying, what happened back then?" sect madam Huo asked while the elders and the two guardians turned to look at her as though they all had the same question to ask her. "What do you mean?" Huo Ying asked, feigning ignorance even though she is very well aware of what they were asking but how can she tell them the truth when she herself doesn''t understand what had just happened and how is she supposed to tell them that the same thing happened when they were testing the reason for her sudden increase in cultivation, moreover, she couldn''t let anything mess up her plans for today. "The witness must have recognised Huo Qiang by his scar and I could tell that he was about to tell it to Lin Yuanlang but the moment you called him, the both of you spaced out and he didn''t report what had happened again, what did you do?" she queried, she had a rough guess of what had happened during the time, it is either she is already beginning to display the powers of the flame demon as her cultivation is increasing or she secretly cultivated a demonic technique that could make the man do what she wants. "Mother, you are overthinking it, I noticed that he must have recognised Huo Qiang using his scar, so I called him at that moment to stop him from spilling the truth, that was when we were both staring at each other, after seeing his reaction to me calling him, I realized that he didn''t find anything" she explained in hopes that they would take her words for it and not ask her further questions. "Are you telling the truth?" part of her believed Huo Ying and another part of her didn''t believe her but she really wished that she is telling the truth, the moment the power of the flame demon starts manifesting, she would be at risk of being discovered and the whole world will be terrified of her and her sister, only her sect will stay with her forever since their root is from the flame demon but this is something that is not known to other sects.. "I can assure you that every word I have just said is the truth" she confidently replied, hiding her deceit behind her reassuring voice. "Who is there!!" Huo Qiang suddenly shouted then he picked a stone from the ground and threw it in the direction of the tree opposite where they stood, a young and startled disciple immediately appeared in front of them after managing to dodge the hit, realizing that he had been caught, he quickly scanned for excuses in his head while he walked out from the back of the tree he was hiding. "I...I didn''t eavesdrop just now, sect leader instructed me to guide you to your various rooms but seeing as you were busy discussing, I decided to not interrupt you so I waited until you were done with your discussion," he scanned their expression to see if they believed anything he had just said but seeing the doubtful expression on the elders face, he cowered his head in surrender and gave up on his excuse. "We didn''t even ask you anything and yet you have already started defending yourself, seems like the disciples of the wind sect are not as well behaved as the world thinks they are, despite being the largest sect and the leader of all the sects you actually had the nerve to eavesdrop on our conversation, if others hear of this, what do you think will become of your sect reputation," Huo Ying scolded, her lambast way of speaking as she criticized him made the disciples feel like he had just committed a very heinous crime, being a disciple of the strongest sect, he immediately shuddered and fell to his knees and cupped his hand then he raised them above his head with an apologetic and remorseful look on his face. "I apologize for my unruly behaviour, I will make sure it doesn''t repeat itself again, I hope you will be merciful and forgive me for this mistake" the disciples pleaded, his voice rang fear instead of sorry, if she reports his behaviour to his sect leader who has always tried to paint the wind sect as the most honourable sect, he might end up getting punished or being expelled since he is one of the disciples that had just passed the test to become a disciple in the wind sect, he wouldn''t want to risk being expelled. Huo Mei and Huo Qiang smiled at his cowardly behaviour and nodded their head in disappointment after Huo Ying scolded him, he should have tried to refute the charge and stick with his excuse but he didn''t even have the nerve to deny it, his cowardly behaviour couldn''t appear to be more laughable and disgraceful to his seat than it already is, they wished others were there to see the scene then they would realize that the wind sect disciples are not as brave as people think they are. "How did you become a disciple with such a cowardly behaviour, if it is a disciple of the flame sect who is in your position, they would never succumb to such...." "You are indeed correct, it is such a disgrace to see a disciple of my sect behaving so cowardly," Bohai interjected as he walked into the scene with a charming and composed smile on his lips, with one of his hands folded at his back while the other is also arched on his waist. Huo Qiang frowned at his interjection while he was scolding the disciple. "You must be the son of the alliance leader, seeing as you stood beside him in the hall and your composure and demeanour also resembles him, like father like son," sect madam Huo commented as he arrived at the scene and greeted her and the elders with a light bow. "I am indeed the son of the alliance leader but you have given me too much praise, how can I be compared to my father, there are still many things I have to learn to reach the stage of my father," Bohai replied humbly to which Huo Ying smirked at. "insidious..." she muttered underneath her breath "You arrived here just in time, the people outside have always respected the wind sect and your reputation around the world is unrivalled but today, your disciple has shown otherwise, has the wind sect trained their disciples to eavesdrop on other peoples conversation?" sect madam Huo queried in a gentle manner that made her seem different from the kind of person she has always been described as, even the elders were almost fooled. "I apologise on behalf of the sect for his unruly behaviour, I will make sure that he is duly punished for his actions" he turned back to face the disciples with a glare that tells him that he won''t be able to escape the punishment for bringing such a disgrace to their sect, his father sent the disciple to use the excuse of bringing them to their room to eavesdrop on them but he actually got caught. "Go and await your punishment," Bohai said to the disciples with a dismissal nod which sent the disciples dashing away as fast as he could. "Seems like you are also scrupulous, I trust that you will handle this matter well but I wonder what brought young master Lin this way, it couldn''t be a coincidence that you were passing by just as we were about to punish that disciple?" Sect madam Huo questioned, hinting at his coincidental appearance which meant that might have followed them there for the same purpose. "It is indeed a coincidence, father originally sent the disciple to escort you to your rooms but who would have thought that he would try to eavesdrop on your conversation, seeing as he wasn''t back in time, father sent me to check up on the situation," Bohai answered without any blemish in his statement, sect madam Huo turned back to glare at Huo Ying, she had originally forgotten to ask her the reason why she had suggested that they stay in the flame sect then she faced forward again with a look of gratitude. "If that is so then we would have to bother young master Lin to guide us," she replied "One more thing...ah....I have almost forgotten to relay my father''s message to you" "What message does sect leader Lin have for us that couldn''t be said in the hall?" Huo Ying asked "Earlier on, he had forgotten to inform you that the witnesses will be checking your disciples tomorrow so you should do as you have said earlier on," he scanned their expression but seeing as they weren''t faltering, he felt relieved. If the flame sect falls, then Huo Lan might have to die and this is the last thing he wants to happen. "If that is the alliance leader''s decision then he can be rest assured," sect madam Huo answered, He smiled and stretched his hand forward, gesturing them to follow after him while he guides them to their rooms, seeing how gentlemanly is character is, she couldn''t help but admit that he is different from his father, if they weren''t enemies, she might have considered him as her son or someone she would like to mentor but amidst his gentlemanly behaviour, she could sense something else, something that she can''t describe and this feeling about him really put her off. After a while, the elders and sect madam Huo had already been allocated their rooms in a large quarter that is befitting for their status, if they didn''t know better, they would have thought that sect leader Lin really sees them as an honoured guest who is worthy of being respected. After taking them to their rooms, he was now left with only Huo Ying, since her room is farther than the others, he had no choice but to walk with her alone even though he felt uneasy with her walking behind him, watching him from the back, she could tell that he is feeling uneasy, she smirked and walked forward until she could walk at the same line with him. "Are you feeling uneasy?" he was almost startled by her sudden appearance by his side but he managed to keep his calm, he didn''t hesitate to give her the charming smile that has always worked its wonders in enchanting the hearts of many females but she isn''t just any female. "I wonder what miss Huo Ying means by that?" Bohai questioned. she smiled gently with her deep red lipstick enhancing every features of her lips, looking at her lips, he could tell that they are indeed twins, her lips had the exact same shape as Huo Lan''s lips and not only her lips but everything about her looked like Huo Lan, if he could see the upper part of her face then it would be the same as seeing Huo Lan, he stared at her for a while, he was almost taking her for Huo Lan. "I saw that you kept rubbing your hand all through the way so I thought I should ask you if you if you were feeling uneasy because of me," Huo Ying said in a really friendly manner that surprised him, they are supposed to be enemies but surprisingly, he couldn''t feel that they are enemies, but he won''t be fooled, he knows that there is more to her than she is showing. "You are overthinking, I was just bothered by some trivial sect affairs, you don''t need to feel that it is because of you," Bohai replied in the same manner in which she spoke to him. "If that is the case then I am relieved," Huo Ying replied, just as they arrived in front of her quarter, Meng Hui sighted them, they were both smiling at each other and that ignited the jealousy in her, she swiftly walked to their front and cleared her throat to draw their attention. The both of them turned in her direction while they dispelled the smile on their lips. "Meng Hui, what are you doing here?" Bohai asked "I thought the young mistress of the flame sect would have arrived at her quarter so I just came here to greet her but it appears that the both of you have been taking your time to become closer to each other," Meng Hui said with a frown on her face as she glared at Huo Ying instead of Bohai who she is talking to. { seems like she has feelings for him, this is going to be fun} Huo Ying said in her mind with an inward smirk! Chapter 130 - Flirting! "They were far away from their quarters so I had to look for them, that is why we are just arriving at her quarters now," Bohai explained to prevent her from doing anything that would embarrass him or herself in front of Huo Ying but Meng Hui didn''t seem like she was going to let matters be, the way she glared at Huo Ying showed that if she could have her way, she would have already started pulling her hair by now. "Bohai and I have always been intimate ever since we were little kids, although he is much admired among many men in the nation, he is very dedicated to me and our bond cannot be broken..." she walked close to him then she linked her arms with his and smiled in a really sassy manner that infuriated Bohai, having talked with Huo Ying, he could tell one or two things about her character, she definitely is not the kind of girl that would be shaken by such nonsense, he took in a deep breath to prevent himself from flipping out on her which would really embarrass her, but seeing Huo Ying glancing at their linked arms, he felt guilty as though she is Huo Lan and she is accusing him of something.?? "Young master Bohai, this is....." "oh, this is Meng Hui, the daughter of the first elder and the head of disciples" Bohai introduced, then Huo Ying cupped her hands and raised them above her chest to greet her but even though she expected Meng Hui to do the same considering the difference in their status, she didn''t, despite the nudging from Bohai, urging her to greet Huo Ying. "I am really pleased to meet miss Meng Hui today, although you are just the daughter of an elder, seeing how young master Bohai introduced you as the head of the disciples, you must also be very talented and skilful," Huo Ying said with a little reminder of her lowly status which cannot be compared with hers. "I am also pleased to meet you, I have heard many tales about the young mistress being a blood-sucking monster, an ugly lady and a witch who likes to roast humans alive but it seems like those rumours are bot true after all," Meng Hui replied in hopes that Huo Ying would be shaken by her comments or react to the comment but she didn''t show any hint of discontentment of what she said. "I cannot blame the people for spreading such rumours, the flame sect has been hidden for a long time so it is inevitable that there will be some people who would spread such rumours, not that we have appeared outside the sect, I am sure that such rumours will be refuted without me having to intervene," Huo Ying replied gently, Bohai smiled at how skillfully she had replied Meng Hui despite her attempt to insult her but Meng Hui was infuriated by her eloquence. He slowly brushed her arm away then he positioned one of his arms at his back and arched the other on his waist, before raising his head to face Huo Ying, Meng Hui was extremely shocked at his action, she has always been aware of the fact that he didn''t like it when she starts becoming possessive of him but he has never refused her in front of other people, yet he actually did that in front of Huo Ying. She raised her head with her eyes blazing in anger, while she gnashed her teeth, at Huo Ying, it seemed to her that she has already found her weak point, she didn''t even care to maintain a perfect image in front of Huo Ying, to add oil to the fire, she walked closer to Bohai with a seductive smile on her dark red lip, she leaned her body towards him leaving only two centimetres gap between them, then she stared into his eyes. He held his breath and fixed his eyes on the holes in her mask, those eyes.....Huo Lan, it was almost as if she is Huo Lan, he couldn''t ask her to move away from him or push her away when he had the opportunity to stare into those eyes, Meng Hui clenched her fist and bit her lower lips as she watched the both of them, never for once has she seen Lin Bohai being so lenient except for the times when he would debate in favour of Huo Lan and now her sister is flirting with him. She tilted her head to his side and plucked out the thread hanging on his shoulder, then she slowly moved away from him while she raised the thread for the both of them to see in order to infuriate Meng Hui. "I am sorry, my eyes caught the thread and I could not bear to leave it be," she said in a flirtatious way then she blew the thread away, while Bohai face still remained blank as he tried to digest whatever had happened at that moment, somehow he keeps imagining her as Huo Lan, Meng Hui looked at his face with confusion and anger, she has never seen him looking so spaced out because of a girl before, she clenched her fist tighter and finally decided to bring him out of his daydream before she explodes. "Bohai ge!" he immediately returned to his senses then he smiled directly at Huo Ying with a really charming smile and gratitude written on his face but as Meng Hui watched him, she could see that he didn''t just have gratitude on his face, there is something else and whatever it is she is very sure that he has never smiled at her like that or looked at her in that manner, if she can''t have it then no one else is qualified to have it. "It is alright, you were doing me a favour after all" Bohai replied looking smitten "In that case then I will leave you both alone, it seems like miss Meng Hui would like some time alone with you," she glanced at Meng Hui with a taunting smile on her lips then she moved two steps forward towards her quarter before Bohai called her. "Miss Huo Ying!" Bohai called as if he had forgotten to tell her something, Meng Hui glared at him wondering why he seems so smitten by Huo Ying that he wouldn''t even let her leave, the jealousy she felt hearing Bohai call Huo Ying in an endearing tone has already reached her limit, there is no way she would be able to hold it in any longer, normally, Bohai has always been watchful of this but this time, he didn''t even bother about her. "Does Young master Bohai need me for something else?" Huo Ying asked "I....no...I just wanted to tell you that if you feel bored then you can feel free to seek me out, I can take you for a walk around the garden, I can assure you that you won''t be disappointed by the beautiful scenery the wind sect has," Bohai entreated casually to her surprise, she didn''t think that he would be so nice to her when she was only trying to make Meng Hui jealous just for fun, what seems strange the most is that he looked at her as though he is looking at someone else, there is no way he would look at her with those endearing eyes when they are just meeting for the first time, but it wouldn''t hurt to play along. "I really appreciate your kind gesture but I don''t think I would feel bored today since my sect members are also here, I wouldn''t have believed it if someone told me ~that the young master of the wind sect is so kind, unfortunately, we have been shut from the world for a long time if not, I am sure that we would have been close friends," Huo Ying said then she walked up to him and held his hand then she closed it up with her other hand. "Thanks for the kind gesture, no one except for my sect members has ever treated me as nice as you have, I can be assured that with someone as kind as you are here, my sister is in good hands, even though I can''t see her, I hope young master Bohai can help me pass a message to her" she stopped for a moment to notice Meng Hui''s reaction before continuing, she might as well just use this chance to pass a message to her sister and at the same time, sow discord between the both of them. "Tell her that.....I love her and I know that one day, we will be together once again" Huo Ying said then she stopped to sniff her nose, every time she thinks or mentions her sister, she can''t help but shed tears and she definitely wouldn''t let them see her shedding tears, Bohai also pitied her at this moment, he might be enemies with the flame sect but in front of both sisters, he finds himself unable to hate them. "Miss Huo Ying, I would like to help you but without my father''s permission, no one is allowed to see your sister, I am afraid that I cannot help you with this matter," Bohai answered then he slowly brushed her hand away from his hand but she held his hand tightly making him give up on the attempt, hence making Meng Hui lose all the cords that held her anger in reins the whole time she watched her flirt with Bohai using her sister as an excuse. "Actually, my real intention in requesting to stay in the wind sect is that the moment I met you, I felt hope, I don''t know why but I could feel the kindness in you, I was hoping that I would be able to ask you for this favour if I stayed here but it seems like you do not have the power to see my sister even as the young master of the flame sect....." BAM! Bohai turned to look at Meng Hui with his eyes widened at her sudden violent action, she was still breathing heavily with her lips pursed while the anger in her just couldn''t be quenched by just hitting her in the chest in the middle of her statement. She landed Huo Ying a heavy hit on the left side of her chest without any hint or warning in the middle of her sentence causing her to drag her feet backwards while she tried to regain her stamina, she lowered her head and placed her hand on the left side on her chest with an evil smile on her lips which is hidden from their sight because of her lowered head. She has accomplished her mission! The chance to fight someone from the wind sect is something that she couldn''t wait to get and that was her original intention in taunting Meng Hui after hearing that she is the head of the disciples, the time for fun has arrived but she has to make it look like she is the victim so that even sect leader Lin wouldn''t have any reason to blame her when he learns of their fight. "Meng Hui, what are you doing?!!!!" Bohai shouted with a volume that she has never seen him shouting with, her body shook at the sound of his loud voice and her eyes widened at him in shock, she wasn''t sure before but now she is now sure of the fact that he feels something for Huo Ying, the anger in her grew more seeing his reaction to her hitting Huo Ying while Huo Ying just remained inches away from them while she tried to recover from the hit. {ohoh...I didn''t expect him to react this way because of me but it just makes this more interesting} Huo Ying said in her mind! while she raised her head a little causing Meng Hui to get a glimpse of the evil smile on her lips, she bit her lower lips and clenched her fist at the sight of that taunting smile on her lips. What is so funny? she asked underneath her breath, then she took a few steps forward to deal her another hit, seeing the look in her eyes, Bohai quickly stepped forward and held her wrist to stop her. "What do you think you are doing?" Bohai asked again with anger fully evident in his eyes. "Bohai, you have never acted like this towards me but because of this witch, you shouted at me for the first time since I have known you, you are just meeting her for the first time but she even means more than I do in your heart?" Meng Hui complained with a victimized and accusing look in her eyes, she has always had hope that one day, she would be able to win his heart because he has never treated anyone the way he treats her even if it is because she is the daughter of the first elder but seeing him react this way because of Huo Ying made her container of anger topple over. "What nonsense are you talking about? she is our guest and the young mistress of the flame sect, as the daughter of an elder, you have to respect her but you actually dared to hit her, do you know that what you did can cause strife between both sects," Bohai scolded in a loud voice again but whatever he says to her at that moment will only sound like he is taking her side in her ears, she just can''t be reasoned with. "What...you are actually telling me to respect this witch, the wind sect is the head of all the sects, even if I am the daughter of an elder, she doesn''t deserve my respect, moreover, the flame sect committed so many evils in the world, the only reason why they have not been associated with the blood moon sect is because of the royal relation between the royal family and the flame sect, do they still think they deserve anyone''s respect?" Meng Hui chided without restrained and her eyes boring into her, if Bohai wasn''t restraining her, she would have given Huo Ying another hit. Chapter 131 - We Can Never Exist Under The Same Sky! 1 "Miss Meng Hui, I don''t know what I did to make you so angry but I don''t think it is right for you to bring my sect into this matter," Huo Ying said in a very calm manner which is very unlike her character but what she would gain by keeping reins of her urge to hit Meng Hui is greater than what she would gain by letting her urge take over her. "Miss Huo Ying, I apologise on her behalf, she has really offended you but I hope that this will not cause problems between both sects?" Bohai apologised with a really concerned look on his face as he watched her try to recover from the pain of the hit, if Meng Hui hadn''t used her internal force to hit her then it wouldn''t have hurt her so much but Huo Ying wasn''t expecting the sudden hit.?? How could she have known that the head of disciples of the wind sect has such little tolerance? "Young master Bohai, we are all meeting for the first time but miss Meng Hui didn''t hesitate to proclaim my sect as an enemy to the wind sect, she has gone too far with insulting my sect, If miss Meng Hui would apologize for her insult towards my sect then I am willing to let this matter go but if not....." Huo Ying stopped to heat up the moment with her gaze shooting a gentle deadly and sinister look at Meng Hui, Meng Hui scoffed and pushed his hand away from her wrist then she gazed fiercely at Huo Ying with a look that showed that she wasn''t going to apologize anytime soon. "Meng Hui, what are you waiting for?" Bohai urged knowing fully well that at this stage, there is nothing he can do to make Meng Hui apologize unless if the sect leader orders her to apologize ''Meng Hui'' he urged calmly this time praying in his heart that she would just do as Huo Ying said so that his father wouldn''t find out about her stupid actions which will bring punishment for the both of them. "apologise....." she repeated softly then she broke into a burst of hysterical laughter while Huo Ying and Bohai just watched her with a confused look on their faces while Bohai tried to figure out what was so funny about the whole situation that is making her laugh but unlike Bohai, Huo Ying was just too happy with Meng Hui attitude towards her, she was quite disappointed when Bohai apologized because she thought Meng Hui was going to give in to her easily but it turns out that she is such a stubborn mull. "It turns out that you are exactly like your sister..." Huo Ying eyes lit up immediately she heard her statement, "back then, your sister was detained in the wind sect because of her evil powers but the both of you are not different at all, I wondered why Bohai was always speaking for her but..." "Meng Hui!" Bohai quickly called out to prevent her from spilling what she shouldn''t spill while Huo Ying moved a step forward in an aggressive manner to question her when she noticed that he stopped her from completing her statement. "What do you mean by that, why would he speak for her?" Huo Ying questioned loudly, her desperation could be heard in her voice and this is exactly the result that Meng Hui wanted, to see her anxious and desperate. "hmmph! with such an evil sister like her, you are surely not different from her, the both of you should have been dead a long time ago since the battle between the sects, but don''t worry, it won''t be long now before you will all be executed...Including that witch sister of yours" Meng Hui concluded boldly while Huo Ying shot her a death glare that even her mask couldn''t hide, she wished she could just remove the mask to show them the anger burning in her eyes but it is not within her power to do so. "You can insult me or insult my sect but you will not insult my sister, this is my last warning to you..." Huo Ying hiss ordered in a threatening tone that made them feel the threat in her voice, looking into the holes of her mask, those eyes didn''t seem like they belonged to someone you would want to mess with. But Meng Hui wasn''t prepared to back down, the exhilaration she felt from seeing Huo Ying angry just like she was when she was flirting with Bohai was just too satisfying for her to stop now. "Do you think you can threaten me easily, the days of the flame sect is over, the moment you are convicted, that is the moment that execution of your beloved sister will be announced to the world, she is nothing more than a demon, even after she took the lives of our disciples when she was being sent to the sect, her life was still spared and you should be grateful for that," Meng Hui continued taunting, but she sure wasn''t aware of the deep mess she is getting herself into. Her anger had already reached its limit at this moment, she has never taken it easy with anyone who dares to speak of her sister in such manner but she knows how important it is for her to control her anger to prevent whatever is in her from exhibiting itself, she clenched her finger with her chest rising up and down as she tried to control herself but it didn''t seem like it was working. The both of them looked downwards to look at her clenched hands, only to see bright red blood dripping from her hands, she tried so hard to control herself to the extent of clenching her fist too hard, with her fingernails digging into her palm and causing her to bleed but her eyes were still fixed on Meng Hui like she wasn''t feeling the pain. "Who would have known that such little things are enough to infuriate you to the point of dirtying our sect with your filthy blood?" Meng Hui remarked. This time, she lost it! "You are courting death!" she said aloud, before they could blink their eyes twice she had already appeared before Meng Hui and pulled her back to where she was standing before, away from Bohai with her eyeball slowly turning into a crimson red colour, showing her anger level at the moment, inside her, she knew that if she ends up killing her then she would come to regret it but the urge to finish her off was too hard to resist and she wasn''t making it easy for her by continually running her mouth. Meng Hui eyes widened as she noticed the colour of her eyeballs while she struggled to free herself from her grip. Her eyes read fear after noticing that she has a red eyeball just like her sister which could only mean one thing.....she is as dangerously powerful as her sister. She repeatedly tapped her hands but Huo Ying still didn''t budge, her death glare still remained the same and the crimson red eyeballs gave her the feeling that Huo Ying isn''t in her right mind and she wouldn''t mind strangling her to death. "Miss Huo Ying, Meng Hui has indeed offended you but you have taken it too far, please release her" Bohai pleaDed gently, he didn''t want the situation to escalate to the point where he would have to use force to make her release Meng Hui. "She doesn''t deserve to live, no one is allowed to insult my sister in such manner, I will help you end your lowly life so that you never have the chance to spout such nonsense again," Huo Ying bellowed aloud without even looking at him, he felt uneasy with his indecisiveness, seeing as Meng Hui struggled to breathe with Huo Ying holding her neck tightly while lifting her above the ground. "Miss Huo Ying, if you don''t release her then you leave me with no choice but to use force against you," Bohai warned but in his heart, he desperately wished that she would just do as he had said, although he can''t bear to hurt her, he also can''t watch her strangle Meng Hui to death. {Meng Hui is at the seventh level of the core formation stage but she cant even free herself from her...with such speed and strength, she must have entered the nascent stage, it seems like she is stronger than we thought she would be} Bohai thought in his mind! "Use force....why don''t you try it, killing the both of you is as easy as lifting my hand" Huo Ying threatened, the tone she spoke in made him confused, how could she change so much in a matter of minutes. But he had no choice..... He dashed towards her with his hand stretched out in front of him and his other hand propelling him forward, she tilted her lips into a sinister smirk after sensing him coming towards her, she moved Meng Hui to the side with her body still hanging in the hall and her legs dangling while she still struggled to breathe with Huo Ying tight grip on her neck. She held out the other hand and slammed it against Bohai''s palm as soon as he came close to her, he immediately moves backwards with his legs sliding on the ground to maintain his balance, after maintaining his balance, he looked up at her in surprise. He didn''t use his full strength because he undermined her straight compared to his strength but he was shocked that she could even retaliate with such a powerful palm strike, his eyes met her tilted dark red lips with an evil aura emerging around her with a powerful killing intent then she looked to her side again at Meng Hui who is still struggling. "With such a weak palm strike, do you think you can stop me...in your dreams, didn''t you say that my flame sect cannot be compared to the wind sect but who would have thought that the young master of the wind sect is so weak?" Huo Ying criticized with a taunting smile on her lips as she fixed her eyes on Meng Hui who was trying her very best to remain alive. The satisfying feeling she felt at the moment seeing Meng Hui is something that she hasn''t felt ever since she burnt the man who insulted her sister to death, the sight of her struggling in desperation to live was just too exhilarating for her. Bohai was already infuriated at the fact that she was undermining him, he has always pretended to not care about the praises people gave him but hearing Huo Ying undermine and belittle him made him feel a tingle of anger, he turned back at the sound of murmurs behind. Some of the wind sect disciples had already gathered around the scene, the scene of Huo Ying gripping their head of disciples by her neck definitely wasn''t the best sight for them, they all had an accusing look on their faces but after watching Bohai slid back after Huo Ying retaliation, they felt disappointed, they have always regarded him as a genius but the young mistress of the flame sect could actually defeat him without using much force. "Mis Huo Ying, I held back before but if you don''t let her go then you will really leave me no choice but to hurt you" Bohai warned to regain his perfect image in front of the disciples, while the disciples started cheering for him behind. She scoffed at them then she walked forward towards him with a smirk hanging on her lips while she still held Meng Hui in her hand like a weightless object, they immediately stopped cheering when she started coming towards Bohai. "Do you think you can hurt me with just your ability? hmmph! just because we secluded ourselves. you think you can compare yourself to me the young mistress of the flame sect, today I will let you test the strenght of the flame sect so that you will know that the difference between my sect and your sect is as different as heaven and earth and we cannot live under the same sky just like your head of disciples has said," her sudden change of character surprised him to the point that he wasn''t even sure if she was the same person he had just escorted, who just praised him for being kindhearted and even asked him for a favour, even if it was all an act, there is no way she would become so different in minutes. Could she be....possessed? He asked himself! But he knew that he can''t hold back any longer or Meng Hui would end up being dead and the disciples would be sure to say that he just watched her die without doing anything to help her, he balled his fist in resolution and sharpened his gaze to show that he has been his decision. "Seems like you are ready to give it your best" Huo Ying remarked with a smirk. "Young master, teach her a lesson!" "teach her lesson!!" the disciples started chanting "Teach the demoness a lesson!" a disciples shouted then Huo Ying glared towards the direction where the voice came from, her eyes met with the disciples eyes, sending shivers down the male disciple''s spine. Taking in a deep breath she dropped Meng Hui to the ground and fixed her eyes on the disciple who had already noticed the deadly glare in her eyes but he didn''t want to seem like a coward in front of her so he stood his ground. Gasp! Gasp! Gasp! Meng Hui held her chest tightly as she tried to breath freely again, she has never been strangled like that in her whole life or even been beaten up by anyone except for the trainings, experiencing that for the first time showed her how horrible it is for someone to be strangled, she rubbed her hands around her neck, in an attempt to wipe away the feeling of being strangled but she only stained her hand with the blood Huo Ying left on her neck from her palm. Huo Ying slowly walking forward with her eyes still fixed on the disciple, Bohai heaved a sigh of relief seeing that she has finally released Meng Hui without having to hurt her but he realized that she still had her killing intent, he slowly traced her gaze to the disciples behind him then his eyes fell on one of the disciple who is breaking out in sweat. He could tell that the disciple is being surpresed by her killing intent, for her to have so much killing intent at her age, he really couldn''t tell if his cultivation is really higher than hers or not, he hasn''t even managed to cultivate his killing intent to such level even though he is regared as the genius cultivator of the younger generation. Somehow, he felt envy seeing the disciple being surpressed and the urge to show that he is powerful than her arose from within his heart. Chapter 132 - We Can Never Exist Under The Same Sky! 2 "Did you just call me a demoness...alright...I will show you how a demoness looks like" Huo Ying said then she conjured flames in her palm, the disciples immediately moved back as soon as they saw the flames on her hand. Considering the damage that Huo Lan''s flames have done to some of their senior disciples, they can''t be sure that Huo Ying''s flame wouldn''t have the same effect as her sister''s flame, Bohai sense of danger immediately lit up then he quickly ran to her front to stop her.?? She glanced at him from the side with a threatening look in her eyes but that couldn''t scare him away, how can he be scared of her when he doesn''t even consider her to be more powerful than him but he still reminded himself to be careful of her flames, they still can''t be sure of how powerful her flame is. "Miss Huo Ying, I urge you to stop right at this moment, I can ignore what you did to Meng Hui but I will not let you harm any disciple, You are a guest in this sect, you should mind your actions before you are convicted," Bohai warned with a resolute look in his eyes, this time, he was determined to do whatever it takes to stop her from doing whatever it is that she intends to do, seeing as she has repeatedly undermined his ability when she hasn''t even seen him at his best and the fact that he might take her for her sister but she is not really Huo Lan made him resolute in his decision to do whatever it takes to stop her. She turned to face him with a smirk on her lips... "Okay, seeing as your disciples are cheering you on, they must be very confident of your abilities, I will start with you first then maybe it will serve as a lesson to every disciple of the wind sect to watch what they say about the flame sect" as soon as she concluded her statement, she conjured flames in her other hand and increased the intensity of the flame that even the disciples that were far behind could feel the heat but Bohai isn''t any weaker... Seeing that she doesn''t have any intention of listening to him, he raised his hands and waved them over his head, drawing an arc in the air then he brought his hands together with one over the other, a light blue aura appeared in the middle of his hands, increasing his spiritual force, the blue aura started blowing around in the shape of a tornado. "It seems like I will also be having a taste of what the wind power of the wind sect is like, raising her hand into the air and forming an arc in the air, she brought her hands together in a clap and brought them apart with her red flames appearing in the middle of her hand, she swept one of her legs backwards and directed the flames at him, his widened immediately he saw her flames coming towards him, he quickly pushed his hand out, blocking her flames with his wind. "I will see how long you can last," Huo Ying remarked with a smirk on her face as she continued directing her flame at him, while Bohai still kept his confident look on his face, he wouldn''t believe that there is someone who can surpass him among his generation, he has always held pride in his title as the genius cultivator of his generations, of course, he won''t concede to her. "I urge you to stop now, I am not using my full power against you because I don''t want to cause a rift between both sect but if you won''t listen then you really leave me with no choice" Bohai warned again. "Do you think I am even using up to thirty per cent of my power against you, you are not worth it, as I previously told you, killing you is as easy as lifting my hand but I don''t want to kill you...at least not now" Huo Ying replied {she can''t be telling the truth, I can already feel the intensity of her flame but she is not using....no way...she must be bluffing} He couldn''t help the feeling of wanting to show her that she cannot be compared to him but it didn''t seem like he would be able to, he wasn''t using all his strength because using all his strength would make her his worthy opponent and he didn''t want that to happen, whether or not she is the same person he had escorted, he needed to prove himself. "Young mistress!!" two voiced shouted from the sideless with their eyes widened while a small figure dashed towards Huo Ying with her brandished sword pointing at Huo Ying from behind, the both of them shifted their eyes from Huo Ying to the figure coming towards her then they both bolted towards Huo Ying to stop her from doing further harm and to rescue her from the sneak attack. Huo Qiang held her by her wrist and pulled her to his side then he conjured his flames in full force and bolted it towards Bohai who quickly waved his hands, trapping the flames in between the blue aura in his hand to quench it while his legs slid backwards due to the pressure of his power. Huo Mei on the other hand quickly stepped in front of Huo Ying to take the stab for her, the long and slender silver sword, piercing through her chest. Meng Hui eyes lit up at the realization of what she has done, Huo Mei held the middle of the sword with bare hands and blood dripping from her palm with her eyes looking down on the sword, she slowly raised her head up to meet the guilty eyes of Meng Hui. Using her spiritual force, she landed her a palm strike on the left side of her chest, causing her to fly backwards and eventually landing on the floor, while Huo Mei pulled the sword out of her chest and pressed her hand against the wound on the left side of her chest. "Huo Mei!" Huo Ying called out, after regaining her senses, the urge to kill had already left her and she became more aware of herself, looking around her, she came to the sudden realization of the drama she had caused. Huo Qiang still held her wrist to restrain her in case if she still hasn''t returned to her sense but the horrified look she had in her eyes seeing Huo Mei bloodied chest confirmed that she is back to being herself, he released her wrist then the both of them quickly ran to support Huo Mei before she falls to the ground. They both held her with both arms as they knelt on the ground together to support her, Huo Ying placed her hands on the injury as tears flowed out of her eyes and dropped on the wound, the disciples ran to Meng Hui side as they saw that she had started coughing up blood. The dark and thick blood that dripped out of the side of the mouth as she struggled to stand up with her hand against her chest, showed that if Huo Mei had slightly increased the force she used in hitting her then she would have lost her life. "Senior disciple!" they all chorused as they watched her wince in pain while Bohai stood between both parties in confusion, now that the only causality is on the flame sect side and Meng Hui was the one who started the whole fight, he would surely have to bear the responsibility of what happened. "Fool....why did you take the stab for me, what if you lose your life?" Huo Ying scolded amidst her tears, while she pressed her hand against Huo Mei''s chest to stop the wound from bleeding, Huo Qiang removed his sleeve band and folded it into a small ball before pressing it against her chest. "My life is yours, if anything happens to you then I won''t be able to face the sect madam...I...I..." she slowly closed her eye with her head leaning on her lap, Huo Ying opened her eye widely to make sure that she was seeing well. "Huo Mei, Huo Mei!!" she shouted to wake her up but to no avail, then she slowly turned her head towards Meng Hui''s direction with a deadly look in her eyes, that showed her killing intent very clearly, Meng Hui almost fell to the ground as the guilt she felt seeing Huo Mei close her eyes made her legs almost lose their function. "It wasn''t me.....I didn''t do anything" she repeatedly said then she ran to Bohai''s side, she held his hand tightly with a desperate look on her face. "Bohai, you saw it right, I didn''t mean to stab her, she just ran in front of me" Meng Hui insisted in hopes that he would reassure her that she is blameless but his eyes told her otherwise, he didn''t know what to say but he definitely knows that she is the cause of all that had transpired, if only she would just let Huo Ying retire to her quarters in peace after thanking him then none of this would have happened. "I will kill you..." her chest moved up and down as she took in a deep breath that failed its function, she balled her fist and pressed her fingernails against her palm, at the moment, she didn''t need whatever was inside her, she truly wanted to kill Meng Hui for hurting her person. This time, Huo Qiang is fully aware that she is being herself, the Huo Ying that would do anything for her people and the one who would do anything to take revenge on whoever hurts her loved ones, he looked into her eyes and seeing that they weren''t red, he confirmed that she is herself. "I will rip you to pieces and burn your carcass.....no...no I have a better way to make you feel immeasurable pain, you don''t deserve to die easily with what you have done," She stood up to attack Meng Hui but Huo Qiang pulled her down. "Let me go!" she shouted at him in anger "Don''t you think I would have finished her off if she had truly killed Huo Mei but she is still alive, this means that Huo Mei isn''t dead, she still has a pulse but it is weak, if we don''t treat her now, she might really die," Huo Qiang persuaded, she held out her fingers to feel her pulse when she confirmed that he was speaking the truth, she carried Huo Mei in her arms and stood up swiftly then she started walking into her quarter with Huo Qiang following behind her. She suddenly stopped halfway and turned back... "This is not the end of it, if anything happens to her then I promise that I will make you feel immeasurable pain, you had better pray..." then she continued walking forward, after she had disappeared into her quarters, they all released their breath that they had been holding ever since she made her threat. Meng Hui couldn''t believe that she was actually terrified by her threat when she has Bohai and the whole of the wind sect behind her, her feeling of guilt immediately disappeared as soon as Huo Ying went out of sight and the fear inside her disappeared almost immediately. "Do you see what your foolishness has caused you?" Bohai scolded as he brushed her hand away from his hand with his anger evident on his face, if only she had listened to him at the start... "What are you saying she was the one who strangled me first?" Meng Hui retorted while the disciples nodded their head in affirmation. "Hmmph...I thought you were feeling guilty for what you did a moment ago but it appears that you don''t, if you didn''t say all those things in front of her to the extent of almost spilling the things that you should say, would all of this had happened?" Bohai queried, this time, he raised his voice at her to their surprise since they weren''t there the first time he did. "What....do you actually have feelings for her despite meeting her for the first time, who do you think the sect leader will blame, I was trying to uphold the honour of our sect while you sided with her the whole time, as the young master of the wind sect, you forgot your purpose just because of her seduction, what gives you the right to blame it on me?" The disciple started murmuring... Does he really have feelings for the flame sect witch? It couldn''t be. What is she talking about? Bohai looked around in embarrassment but he wouldn''t let her have her way. "Meng Hui, you must have forgotten your place in the sect, you are the head of disciples and I am the young master, as the head of the disciples, you have failed in your duty and have disrespected my authority over you by disobeying me, your actions have endangered the sect plans, do you or do you not deserve to be punished?" She couldn''t believe her ears, ever since she had known him, he has never used his authority over her but he actually.....she could tell that he meant every word he said and she couldn''t afford to mess with him at this moment. She moved back and cupped her hands together in front of her chest with her head slightly bowed... "I admit my fault...young master," she answered. Their jaws dropped at her answer... YOUNG MASTER!!!! They have never heard her calling him that but today.....they could tell that so many things had happened before they arrived, the female disciples were happy that he has finally put her in her place, now they can finally approach him without having her in their way. "You are injured so I will not punish you but it will be the last time such a thing would occur, I will personally report this incident to the sect leader, you may return to your quarter to get treated," without further ado, he walked away with long strides that reminded them that he is indeed the genius young master of their sect, while Meng Hui kept her head bowed until he was out of sight. Chapter 133 - Please....wake Up! Placing her body on the bed, with her blood dyeing the white embroidered bedsheet red, she pushed the strands of hair lingering on her face then she tapped Huo Mei''s cheek with her bloodied hand and her tears smeared on Huo Mei''s face to wake her up but she still didn''t show any sign of regaining her consciousness. "Huo Mei, you really have to wake up, if you die like this, what am I supposed to tell Huo Lian, you promised that we are going to welcome my sister back to the sect one day...Please don''t go," Huo Ying pleaded while crying aloud not caring that Huo Qiang is also in the room.?? "I will get the blood revival pill from the sect madam, In the meantime...I trust that you know what to do" He paused for a while to see if she will stop crying and start getting Huo Mei treated but Huo Ying still hugged her body tightly and brushed the strand of hair that kept falling on her face while her tears flooded Huo Mei''s cheeks. "Huo Ying!" Huo Qiang called out aloud to remind her that they might truly lose Huo Mei if she doesn''t start doing what she is supposed to do, Huo Ying slowly laid Huo Mei''s head on the pillow then she stood up from the bed where she sat with Huo Mei on her laps. "Alright...make sure you return soon" Huo Ying answered, she wiped the tears on her face with her hand while Huo Qiang gave her an affirmative nod before dashing out of the room, Huo Ying returned to the bedside, then she pulled the robe Huo Mei was wearing up to her shoulder, staring closely at the wound, she doubted that Huo Mei would be able to make it, she couldn''t tell if the sword had penetrated her heart since she wasn''t an expert like Huo Mei and Huo Lian and she has never truly paid attention to the practice but she was sure that the wound is surely fatal enough to make her lose her life. She removed her robe and tore it into two, she pressed one piece on the wound to stop it from bleeding then she dipped her hand into the chest pocket of her undergarment, she brought out a small jade bottle then she removed the cover with her mouth and poured it on the wound, after making sure that the powder has spread around the wound, she used the other piece of her robe to bandage the wound then she pulled Huo Mei''s robe over her shoulder and loosely tied her robe back in place. She frantically dropped the bottle on the ground, she raised her hands to feel her pulse, she realized that she was already losing her as her pulse was already too weak, Huo Ying bit her lips helplessly, she just couldn''t think of what next to do when every minute counts in saving her. She sat on the bed and pulled Huo Mei''s body up then she raised her hand into the air and drew an arc in the air before bringing them close together with one hand over the other then she reversed them and brought her hands back before pushing them forward on Huo Mei''s back. She channelled her internal force into Huo Mei''s body while she bit her lips hard, her mind was just blank at the moment, she wondered if she was doing the right thing or not, she looked towards the door in hopes that Huo Qiang would walk through the door with the only medicine that can resuscitate Huo Mei before she dies. Seeing that Huo Mei wasn''t regaining her consciousness after thirty minutes of transferring her inner power, she increased her internal force and directed it into her body again, she had already tried her best to hold back her tears but it just wouldn''t stop falling, seeing someone who has always been a friend and a sister to her even though she found her nagging annoying sometimes sitting in front of her unconsciously and just a step away from the gates of hell, she couldn''t stop herself from crying. She looked towards the direction of the door again in hopes of seeing Huo Qiang but she still couldn''t see any sign of him entering the door at the moment, she had just recuperated from her previous illness so she still hasn''t fully regained her full internal force, transferring her internal force to Huo Mei is something that might bring her back to the previous illness but she didn''t care. "Huo Mei.....Please....wake up...I beg you" Huo Ying mumbled with her tears falling uncontrollably while she waved her hand back and forth again before placing it on her back, she couldn''t stop the feeling of guilt growing inside her... "Young mistress...I will always be there for you...whenever you need me" Huo Mei said with her hand caressing Huo Ying''s hands and a gentle look in her eyes --------- "I will always be your sister whenever you need one, don''t worry," that same gentle and caring voice said to her in a reassuring tone that comforted her almost immediately. ---------- "Don''t cry....the day you decide to fight for your sister, I will fight by your side," ---------- "even if I wasn''t a guardian, I will gladly lay down my life for you," she spoke softly into her ears with her arms wrapped around her in a tight hug and her hand caressing her hair, while Huo Ying tears dropped on her back. All these memories of Huo Mei flowed through her mind as she increased the internal force she channelled into her body in a desperate to save her, she shook her head continuously while she prayed in her mind that Huo Mei would just open her eyes. "Please...Huo Mei...open your eyes please," Huo Ying repeatedly pleaded, then she raised the volume of her cry louder than it was before to the point that anyone outside the quarter would be able to hear her. Creek!! She turned towards the door immediately and her eyes glowing with hope, she smiled as soon as she saw Huo Qiang walk through the door, she scanned both of his hands and seeing that he wasn''t holding anything, she frowned slightly then she considered that he might have kept the bottle in his sleeve or in his robe, he walked into the room with an apologetic look on his face that made her slowly get rid of the hopeful look on her face and her eyes narrowing. "Where is it?" Huo Ying inquired softly "I am sorry..." "Why are you telling me that, you just need to hand it over to me?" Huo Ying yelled "I am sorry, we didn''t bring it with us while leaving the sect, I searched everywhere but it is nowhere to be found, unless I return to the sect....." Huo Qian answered softly with the regret in his voice echoing in her ears. "Return to the sect.....she would die before you even get to the sect!" Huo Ying yelled again "I...." at this point, he didn''t know what to say anymore, it wasn''t his fault that Huo Mei is in that condition but he still felt helpless and guilty. Her shoulders dropped at his speechlessness, she has been channelling her internal force into her body for over an hour now and her face was already drowned in sweat, causing her baby hair to sleek down on her forehead, making her look even more pretty than she has always looked but he wasn''t in the mood to notice this. The disappointed look on her face felt like a stab to his chest but knowing that he couldn''t do anything to help Huo Mei made him feel much worse, he looked downwards to avert her eyes but he couldn''t resist the temptation to look at this sorrowful eyes of hers, she slowed down the channelling and put her Qi at rest then she slowly stood up from the bed. Her sweat-drenched white undergarment made her look really sorrowful pitiful as she walked towards him. "Are you telling me that she is going to die?" Huo Ying asked with her eyes widened But Huo Qiang just stared blankly into her sorrowful eyes, he regretted giving her hopes by mentioning the blood revival pill, the pill was made by Huo Mei''s mother along with the blueprint of the vitality sect to thank the sect leader for saving her, apart from the vitality sect which has only two pills, they only have one blood revival pill but no one has ever used it so they can''t be sure that it actually works. He went into the sect madam quarter to tell her about what had happened but she wasn''t in, he searched what was left in her room but he couldn''t find it, he was about to look for her in other areas of the sect when he realized that she had stopped carrying the pill around with her years back and she placed it in the treasure room of the flame sect, that was when he returned... "It is all my fault....all my fault," Huo Ying broke down and started sobbing, she balled her hand into a fist and pounded her chest in guilt. "It wasn''t your fault, Huo Mei sacrificed herself for you not to see you breaking down like this, we can still do something to save her until the sect madam arrives, she will surely hear the news if she is still within the premises," Huo Qiang said in an attempt to comfort her knowing full well that his words would never help in consoling unless Huo Mei wakes up... "Huo...Huo Ying....." a voice mumbled behind her, she straightened her body at the sound of the voice, swallowing her saliva with her fist still on her chest, she looked up to glance at Huo Qiang to confirm that he had heard what she just heard. His eyes no longer showed the sadness and regret it showed when he entered the room, it seemed more like....surprise, she hurriedly turned her back to see if the voice is truly from Huo Mei, she opened her mouth wide agape seeing Huo Mei''s eyes slightly opened and her lips struggling to open, she hurriedly moved closer to the bed and knelt down beside the bed, she held her hand and squeezed it tightly in excitement and mixed feelings. "Huo Mei...Huo Mei" Huo Ying pronounced to hear her voice once again. "I...I am really happy to see that you are alright" Huo Mei mumbled, Huo Ying lips spread into a smile upon hearing her voice again, she would never have imagined that she would still be able to wake up without the blood revival pill despite the fatality of the stab. Huo Qiang who was also surprised quickly moved to the bed, standing behind Huo Ying, he smiled broadly, seeing those eyes open again, Huo Mei has always been the most supportive and caring of them all and she has never failed to take note of what they liked and they didn''t like. "You are really awake...." Huo Ying and Huo Qiang said in unison then she raised her head to glance at him while he looked down at her at the realization that they just synced, Huo Mei watched the prolonged eye contact between them then they three of them chuckled happily, while Huo Ying sniffed her nose to return the tears that were about to fall back into her eyes. "The both of you...." "You really scared me, I thought you were going to die!" Huo Ying yelled after interjecting Huo Mei with a smile on her face, then she heaved a sigh of relief. "I can''t die so easily, there are still many things that we have to do together," Huo Mei replied with a chuckle then she squeezed Huo Ying hand. "You are such a fool, why would you take the stab for me?" "Do you really need me to say it, I have said it so many times now, no matter what, I will willingly sacrifice my life for you," Huo Mei replied weakly. "Fool..." "That reminds me, did you...." Huo Mei hesitated "Yes, that bitch kept speaking against Huo Lan, I tried my best to withhold my anger but I couldn''t take it for long and I ended up endangering your life because of it, I am really sorry," Huo Ying said with an apologetic look in her eyes. "You don''t need to be sorry, I trust you, you wouldn''t have given in if you could handle it, it is just that she might have seen your eyes since she was too close to you," Huo Mei said in a concerned tone. "I had almost forgotten that, I am definitely sure that she saw your eyes, Huo Ying" Huo Qiang added. "She...she did, but no one will believe her even if she says anything, so we don''t have to be concerned," Huo Ying reassured confidently. "If you are confident then there is no problem," Huo Mei said then she suddenly winced making the both of them alert. "What''s wrong?" "I think I need to sleep...." Huo Mei mumbled then she slowly closed her eyes, Huo Ying called her name repeatedly to wake her up but she still didn''t open her eyes. "Huo Qiang, what''s wrong with her...is she?" Huo Ying asked with a terrified look on her face. "She is just asleep, you don''t need to worry" Huo Qiang answered, in response to her obvious question, Huo Ying heaved a sigh of relief then she laid Huo Mei''s hand on the bed and tried to stand up but her legs trembled halfway, making her almost drop to the ground but Huo Qiang quickly held her hand and pulled her up, with both of her hands landing on his chest. She raised her head to look at his face then their eyes met, she fluttered her lashes nervously while swallowing her saliva as her eyes fell on his adam''s apple, she has always been close to him since they were little kids but she hasn''t been this close up to his face for as long as she can remember. She shifted her eyes left and right, still swallowing her saliva. "Huo Ying...." he called softly Chapter 134 - Excuse! "hmmmn..." she answered softly, he lowered his eyes to his chest then she traced his gaze, realizing what he was trying to say, she quickly moved her hands away from his chest in embarrassment while she bit her lower lips, and her eyes avoiding his. He took notice of her sleeked hair on her forehead, making her look really pretty and innocent, he couldn''t help but be taken aback by her beauty at that moment, he has always known her to be the most beautiful lady in his life but at this moment, she seemed more pretty than she has ever been to him.?? Without any hint or warning, he pulled her arm and wrapped his hands around her shoulders and placed her head on his chest with one of his hand holding the back of her head, her eyes went round at the sudden hug as soon as he pulled her, she didn''t know what to do at the moment, was she supposed to remain like this or to wrap her arm around his waist which will show that she is happy with the hug. "I will lend you my body to rest on," Huo Qiang said in a gentle voice that mesmerized her, it was almost like he was trying to make her sleep with his gentle voice and his manliness made her feel a tingle in her heart. She wrapped her arm around his lower back without further hesitation with a broad smile on her lips, she has always wanted to hug him like this so many times but she has never been able to, his broad chest seemed very comfortable for her as she closed her eyes and took in a deep breath to dispel all the stress she had piled up in her chest. Huo Qiang smiled, he felt like he has accomplished something great by taking the initiative to hug her in such a romantic way, previously, when she hugged him casually, he has never been able to breathe, having her too close to him always made him feel nervous but right now, he feels like he is floating on a cloud. "I am sorry" Huo Ying mumbled with her eyes still shut "For what?" "for everything...I have caused you all so much trouble because of my anger and I am the reason why we are in this situation" Huo Ying answered with a remorseful voice. "You don''t have to take the blame for everything, if Huo Li didn''t do those things then we wouldn''t be in this situation and we should have stopped her....so we are also at fault" Huo Qiang replied, soothingly. "Do you know...I was really scared of losing Huo Mei today, I wouldn''t have been able to bear the guilt if she had really lost her life because of me, don''t ever do what she did today because I wouldn''t be able to bear seeing you injured" "As long as you are in danger, I will do the same...we will all do the same" Huo Qiang replied, he was really happy that she is pouring out her heart to him. "Fool, the both of you are really stupid, you are all stupid," Huo Ying remarked softly then she tightened her grip on him, while he caressed her hair in a way that made her feel really comforted, she took in another deep breath to inhale the sweet scent on his body with a smile on her lips. Then she suddenly remembered something... She gasped and quickly pulled away from him! He felt embarrassed seeing her pull away from him in a hurry but he still wondered why she suddenly pulled away from him, she wrapped her arm around her chest and turned her back at him with her face scrunched up, only then did he notice why she had pulled away from him, he quickly turned his back as soon as he realized it. "Sorry...I am sorry, I didn''t notice that you weren''t.... weren''t fully dressed," Huo Qiang stuttered, the both of them were too preoccupied to notice that she was in her undergarment, she bit her lower lips in embarrassment, she just wished the ground would open and swallow her to save her from the situation, apart from the twins and Huo Li, no other person has seen her like that but he actually... "turn back!" Huo Ying commanded in a low voice that showed how embarrassed she was, after all, she is also a woman even though she sometimes behaves otherwise. "oh...Okay," he answered then he turned to the front again while she turned at the same time, both of their eyes widened as they faced each other again, she furrowed her eyebrows at him and slightly opened her mouth. "Didn''t I ask you to turn back, what are you still looking at?" Huo Ying questioned in a drawled voice, if she had her chance, she would have moved closer to him to slap at the moment. "no...no, I had already turned back before...I was just confused" Huo Qiang stuttered frantically, while he stood like he was frozen to the spot, then she started moving her eyebrows as though she was trying to tell him something but he just tilted his head in confusion. "What are you still looking at?" Huo Ying questioned again, she couldn''t understand why he was acting dumb and still looking at her. "uhh..." "You.....pervert!!" she yelled, he quickly moved closer to her and held her by her shoulder then he covered her mouth using his hand, but she slipped back and ended up leaning against the wall, she widened her eyes in shock of his action. He leaned against her body while her back leaned against the wall, they both stared into each other''s eyes, at this point, he doesn''t even know why he had done that and she was just shocked by his sudden change of attitude, previously, she has always been the one giving him friendly hugs and acting unrestrained in front of him but today, he seemed totally different, he is the one making the advances, despite the fact that he has always been keeping their master and subject relationship clear most of the time. "What are you doing?!!!" she yelled, then she brushed his hand away from her mouth pushing aside the thing in between their faces, his lips landed on her lips! The both of them seemed immobile like the statue of a couple kissing without intending to, their eyes went round, about the same size. We kissed!! That is the only thought that ran through their mind, the feeling of their lips touching felt too good, the both of them smiled inwardly knowing that they just had their first kiss even though they have been pretending not to have feelings for each other. He moved away from her while she straightened her back and moved away from the wall, she placed her hands on her lips and caressed it gently, then she raised her head to look at him but he just had a startled look on his face, a look that didn''t show that he was happy to have kissed her, more like he just committed a crime, she furrowed her eyebrow at his expression, while she wondered if he really doesn''t have any feelings for her. "Do...." "I suppose young mistress doesn''t have extra clothing, I will get you a new set of clothing," he said after interjecting her sentence, then he swiftly walked towards the door. "You...." she tried to say something but he had already left the room, she walked over to the bed disheartened and sat next to Huo Mei, she cupped her face in her hand and lowered her head in sadness. Seeing how loose he was with her, she had already assumed that he also had feelings for her and she is not the one who has a one-sided feeling for him, they even kissed and he just acted like he just kissed his enemy or someone he doesn''t have any feelings for. "How could he run away after kissing me? my first kiss," Huo Ying complained, feeling dejected. After some minute, she heard a knock on the door so she walked towards the door, expecting to see him but after she opened the door, she only saw a young lady who seemed like she is a wind sect disciple, she frowned her face at the sight of the disciple. "What is it?" Huo Ying asked, staring down at the tray of clothing in the girl''s hand. "your guardian asked me to deliver these clothing to you" the girl answered then she raised the tray forward to prevent their eyes from meeting, she was also one of the disciples who witnessed the drama between her and Bohai, she couldn''t help being terrified in front of her. "thank you, you may leave," Huo Ying replied then she collected the tray from the girl and closed the door before she could even say anything else, she walked angrily into the room and placed the tray on the table. "hmmph! do you hate that we kissed so much that you wouldn''t even come here yourself?" Huo Ying asked rhetorically, she slammed her hand on the table angrily then she glanced at Huo Mei who winced at the noise she made. After changing into the new set of cloth, she ordered a bowl of water and a towel to wipe Huo Mei''s face and body, then she got another knock on the door, she opened the door only to see the person she has been terrified of meeting ever since the incident. " Moth...." before she could even finish her greeting, her mother burst into the room angrily, she balled her fist anxiously and walked into the room after her mother, she didn''t know what her mother''s reaction to finding out what had happened will be but she just knew that it wouldn''t be good. "Huo Mei!" her mother called with a worried look on her face, almost the same worried look she had on her face when Huo Ying was ill and on the verge of death, she raised her hand to check her pulse, seeing that her pulse is strong, she placed her hand on the bed and turned to face Huo Ying with a frown on her face. "Mother" Huo Ying pronounced then she quickly fell on her knees. "Don''t call me mother, you are impulsive and hot-tempered, you don''t know how to control your urge to kill, you don''t deserve to call me mother," Her mother scolded angrily in a loud voice and her index finger pointing at Huo Ying. She cupped her hands together and pushed them forward. "I know I have acted irresponsibly but I hope mother will forgive me, I didn''t do it intentionally, she...." "Do you want to say that she spoke against your sister?" her mother questioned in rage, Huo Ying raised her head at her mother''s question, indeed, she has been using this as her excuse every time she does something wrong, always her sister, she has never thought of it before but hearing her mother, she realized that she has made her sister the sole reason for all her problems but somehow it always felt like it is her first instinct to fight for her sister. "Has it ever occurred to you that you have only been using your sister as an excuse, you have made her your weakness and not your strength when she is released by the emperor and she finds out that she has always been your reason for killing and changing into something that you are not, how do you think she will feel?" she didn''t know what to say, everything her mother said was right, she has always made her sister a weakness instead of her strength and her purpose, how would her sister feel when she finally returns home and finds out? She questioned herself! "Do you think she cannot leave the wind sect on her own? she can but your sister has remained here because she is scared of her own power and she feels guilty for holding the sect back, when she finds out that her existence has become a reason for your atrocity, don''t you think she will even hate herself more?" she raged in a loud voice, never has Huo Ying seen her mother speak to her in this matter, reflecting on herself, she realised that she has made both her mother and father angry because of her recklessness. "I am sorry," Huo Ying said remorsefully, she has never felt this way after turning aggressive but after listening to her mother, a sudden feeling of guilt overcame her. "Everyone in the sect sees you as a future leader but your recent behaviours shows otherwise, although the guardians are supposed to sacrifice their lives for you, a true leader would never let such a situation arise, the one you should be sorry to is Huo Mei," her mother responded in a disappointed tone then she turned back and headed towards the door without giving Huo Ying a chance to say anything. "Sect madam..." Huo Qiang called as soon as she left the room, he was listening to everything the sect madam said to Huo Ying from outside the room and he knows just how sad she is at the moment after hearing all that scolding, she turned to glance at him while she softened the angry look on her face. "I know what you are about to do but I advise you not to, you have all been indulging her for too long and that is why she has continually endangered you all," from her tone, it seemed pretty obvious to him that she is really angry with her this time and if Huo Ying doesn''t find a way to absolve her anger towards her, they might remain at odds for a long time. Chapter 135 - We Shouldnt Have Kissed! "I understand," Huo Qiang replied with his head slightly bowed, then she walked away after wearing the same angry expression she had on her face moments ago, he watched her until her back disappeared from his sight then he turned to look inside the room through the window that could only give him a glimpse of her shadow. He could see her sitting on the edge of the bed with her face cupped in between her hands, she raised her head and bent it back as though she was trying to stop her tears from falling, at that moment, he was tempted to go in, he just couldn''t bear to stand there and watch her being sad, he moved his legs forward but he suddenly stopped when he remembered what the sect madam said to him, she really needed to learn how to be more responsible, although they are always ready to sacrifice their life for her, she still has to learn to be responsible for the sake of the disciples who are going to be under her leadership in the future.?? He balled his fist tightly to stop himself from entering the room, his heart ached, he just couldn''t stand there, but going in might cause her more problem, moreover...they just kissed, how can he console her if that awkwardness is still there, he knew that the sect madam words might have sounded like a friendly reminder but it is an order that he mustn''t go against. He finally decided to leave, he turned around and walked away slowly. She raised her head and caught a glimpse of his backside, she originally thought that he would come in to console her but seeing as he just left, she was deeply convinced that he really doesn''t feel anything for you, all her foolish assumptions and imaginations were all her wishful thinking. "We shouldn''t have kissed...." Huo Ying said in regret she has had several imaginations of their first kiss but she didn''t think that it would be this awkward and unfeeling, she lied down beside Huo Mei and cuddled her to console herself. Bohai walked out from behind the tree he was hiding from, he has been standing there ever since the sect madam left the room so he didn''t hear her conversation with Huo Ying, from what she told Huo Qiang and her shadow, he could deduce that Huo Ying has just been scolded. "Seems like we are both the same after all....we have responsibilities to bear and we have to show others our perfect side," he remarked then he walked out of her quarter before he is discovered by anyone. The next day..... The sect leader of the four major sects and the sect leader of the vitality sect all gathered in the wind sect, they couldn''t wait for the examination of the flame sect disciples to come but it would have been better if they could enter the mountain between the flame sect and the outside world. They were all dressed to impress except for sect madam Huo, the elders and Huo Qiang, since Huo Mei was injured, she didn''t have to leave the wind sect for the search even though she persuaded Huo Ying and the sect madam to let her come along. She was worried that if Huo Lian doesn''t see her and she finds out about what happened, she might get angry and end up telling Huo Ying in a fit of rage about how she used her healing blood on her but she told Huo Ying and Huo Qiang not to tell her sister about her injury. The commoners and those from the noble families in Lanzhou and Suzhou where the wind sect and the flame sect are somehow managed to hear the news of the flame sect disciples coming out for the examination even though they weren''t aware if the reason, those in Suzhou didn''t fail to gather outside the flame mountain just to catch a glimpse of them, if a visitor had just entered the city, they would have thought that the emperor himself had arrived at Suzhou. "I suppose sect madam Huo has made all the necessary preparations for today''s examination?" Sect Leader Lin inquired doubtfully in a friendly fashion. "of course, alliance leader has given my sect a chance to redeem ourselves, how can we afford to fail your expectations for us," Sect madam Huo replied in a reassuring manner. They both stared at each other while different thoughts ran through their mind, sect leader Lin couldn''t help but worry about his witness, he felt that there is something wrong but he just can''t point out what it is, especially after seeing how confused his witness seemed after Huo Ying called him, he would have thought that she has used some wicked way to confuse the witness but as far as he was concerned, he has never heard of the flame sect possessing such a technique. "I hope that is the case, if the witness points out any of your disciples today and he proves that it is one of your disciples that committed the crime then I won''t be able to help you anymore," he added in a tone that made him sound like he was giving a friendly reminder and also threatening her. "I can assure you that there wouldn''t be any cause for that," Sect madam Huo replied with no emotion whatsoever in her eyes, without waiting for him to say anymore, she nodded her head at the elders, Huo Qiang and Huo Mei then she started walking out of the sect. They all mounted their horses outside the wind sect and started riding, while the people watched them, if they had their way, they would have followed them all the way to Suzhou to see the flame sect disciples, they could easily identify those from the flame sect through the flame mask, except for those who were born after the ever night battle, the others could clearly recognise the woman leading the parade. The famous Huo Jingyu! "Isn''t that Huo Jingyu," "She is truly the one" "After years of waiting, we can finally see our female champion again and the most beautiful woman in the entire Tang dynasty" one of the men in the crowd shouted, while the others turned to look at him with a frown on their faces. "What are you saying, have you forgotten the evils she and her husband committed back then?" another man snapped "There is no one who would be able to forget but that doesn''t change that fact that she was once the female champion of the dynasty," "That is true, I remember that back then, the kings and princes from other countries came here just to see her and they even proposed marriage to her but she rejected them all," "That is true, she had all of them wrapped around her fingers," another man said "hmmph! that is why they say beautiful women are the most dangerous and sinister creatures on earth," They all turned to look at the woman who had just spoken but they just shook her head at their comment while some women who were jealous of the praises she was being given spoke in favour of the woman. "Junior sister, it seems like the people still remember you even after all these years," sect leader Zhou commented after hastening his horse to ride close to her and her followers. "Although they remember me, it doesn''t change the fact that in their hearts everyone from the flame sect are all evil beings and demons," Sect madam Huo replied "Why do you say so? from what I can hear, they are all talking about your chivalry and your beauty during the days of your youth," Sect leader Zhou said in false assurance while he fanned himself with one of his hand. "If that is so then they have given me too much praise, many years have passed and I am surely not the same person I was in the past, I am afraid that they will be disappointed," Sect madam Huo replied with a gentle smile on her face, she wished he would just back off but it didn''t seem like he was going to at any minute. "hmmph! trying to flirt with my mother" Huo Ying scoffed inwardly, unwilling to watch them continue, she waited for all of them to ride in front of her while she rode her horse behind them, looking forward, her eyes landed on Huo Qiang. She has managed to ignore his existence until now but now that she is riding behind them, noticing him is something she couldn''t help, she held the reins of her horse tightly and slowed down her horse while she sighed depressingly. Part of her wished that he would notice that she has left the front and she is now riding at the back and part of her wished that he would just disappear from her sight, the feeling of anger she felt seeing him after what he did yesterday still bothered her. She didn''t stop thinking about it until she sensed someone riding beside her, she turned to look at who it was and alas....Lin Bohai. Even though he couldn''t see the upper part of her face because of the mask, her reaction upon seeing him gave her dissatisfaction away, he smiled gently in a friendly manner knowing that it is now clear to the both of them that they are enemies not the friends they pretended to be yesterday and Huo Ying didn''t intend to keep up the act. "Lin Bohai, what are you doing here?" Huo Ying questioned in an obviously hostile manner to assure him that she doesn''t see him as a friend or someone she wants to ride with at this point in time. "From miss Huo Ying''s tone, it is quite clear that my presence here is something you do not appreciate?" Bohai indirectly remarked "I am happy to know that you are aware of that," Huo Ying replied, he narrowed his eyes and widened his smile at her straightforward answer and hostile attitude towards him but it only made her more interesting for him. "I should be the one asking the question, you are supposed to be leading us to your sect but instead, you are riding behind everyone, what is your reason for that?" Bohai questioned in a neutral tone. "As the young mistress of the flame sect, I don''t think I am subjected to answering your questions just because you asked me, what I am doing here is none of you business, I hope young master Bohai will return to his original position," Huo Ying replied without looking at him, instead, she fixed her eyes on Huo Qiang. "What is she doing with him?" Huo Qiang asked rhetorically, he couldn''t turn back to look at them and he can''t even complain because of the sect madam but he felt really anxious, knowing that Lin Bohai left his position after Huo Ying went back, he was sure that they are definitely riding together, he felt uneasy just knowing that. He was about to turn back but he decided not to again, what if she was still angry with him for his misbehaviour towards her yesterday? He asked himself! He had avoided her yesterday before she lashed out at him for kissing her, what is he going to say to her even if he turns back? "You don''t have to answer my question but I also think I can ride beside you if I wish to," Bohai replied to her answer he wished she would be more friendly to him but she didn''t seem like she has any intention of being friendly with him. After the incident yesterday, he sorted out his feelings to prevent himself from being confused by both sisters, the one he loves is Huo Lan and not Huo Ying, as for Huo Ying, he only sees as someone who he thinks is capable of understanding him since they both share the same responsibility. She is the friend he needs to have! Even though he has only seen Huo Lan twice since she arrived at the wind sect, it didn''t take him more than one glance to fall in love with her, he first met her when they were just little kids after she arrived at the sect and at that moment, he fell in love with her. "Do as you wish" Huo Ying remarked at his annoying presence. After hours of riding, they finally arrived at Suzhou, the commoners stood at the side of the street as they rode by with their fingers pointing at the different people from the sects but those from the flame sect were of course given more attention. "eh eh eh...look, Huo Jingyu" some people screamed with their fingers pointing at the parade, the crowd had different expressions on their faces, some showed admiration for the woman leading the parade, while others showed anger and discontentment especially the women and those whose families were affected before the ever night. "She is really the one, I thought I would never be able to see her before I die" "What is good about seeing her, the appearance of the flame sect in Jianghu might cause another bloodshed again" "That is true, without them, the world has been peaceful but with their appearance again, no one can tell if we will still enjoy the peace we have always been enjoying" "Which of them is the young mistress of the flame sect" the question had the crowd looking around and causing more commotion as they passed by. "There is only one female wearing the flame mask, she must be the one" "I agree, If her sister was here, we might all end up being roasted" with just that comment, they started pointing at her and calling her names underneath their breath, since she was behind the parade, she could hear what they were saying but she tried her very best to shut her ears. They finally arrived outside the flame sect! Chapter 136 - Heavens Net Is Wide! They finally arrived at the flame sect! They were all taken aback by the line up of the hundreds of disciple outside the flame mountain, they all wore the red and black uniform of the flame sect and the flame mask, what made the scene more glorious is their red cape that kept blowing around because of the wind, they slowed down their horses as they approached the flame mountain, the only building visible to them is the Mind destroying pagoda and the sacred pinnacle where the golden eagle resides, looking at the pagoda, it brought back the memories of how terrified everyone was of being taken into the pagoda, they either lose their minds after coming out or be consumes by their demons and end up dying.?? They dismounted their horses and walked up to the disciples with their eyes scanning around them to make sure that there is no hidden danger around the mountain, sect leader Lin frowned at the multitude of disciples standing in front of him, if he could count them, they would probably be almost the same number with the number of disciples he has in his sect, they were all expecting the flame sect to have very little disciples especially after the battle but who would have thought that they are actually this much, when she told them she had over five hundred disciples in the flame sect, they had originally thought she was bluffing. After they arrived in front of the flame mountain, the remaining two guardians and Wu Que walked out of the crowd of disciples through the paved way, the two guardians had the same uniform with Huo Mei and Huo Qiang so they could tell that the both of them are guardians but the third one isn''t. "Sect madam, elders, Young mistress!" the three of them greeted in unison with their hands cupped in front of them and a slight bow, they raised their head after sect madam Huo raised her hand to put them at ease. "Alliance leader, this is the last two guardians and this is one of the advanced disciples of the flame sect," sect madam Huo introduced with her hands gesturing at them, the sect leader turned to face each other, they whispered aloud to each other in surprise that the flame sect actually has advanced disciples. "They even have advanced disciples....hmmph! Huo Jing, it seems like your sect is not to be underestimated," Sect leader Lin said inwardly with a false smile on his face, then he turned to face her. "It is unexpected that the flame sect has this much disciples not to talk of advanced disciples, I remember back then, in the battle, the advanced disciples of your sect were the ones who stood at the front line to fight, who would have thought that you will still have advanced disciples?" Sect leader Lin remarked, the other sect leaders immediately understood what he was hinting at, there is definitely no way the flame sect would have this much disciples after the battle. After the battle, no one would be willing to be recruited into the flame sect and since they haven''t been out for years, they definitely didn''t have the chance to recruit disciples and it is also impossible for them to cater for this much disciples without coming out of the flame mountain regardless of how much resources the flame mountain has. Could it be that these disciples are part of the puppets they made years ago! They were all thinking the same thing and she knew exactly the direction of their thoughts but she didn''t have the time to fuss with them, she just wanted them to finish their business and leave her territory, she nodded her head at Bingchen to make him introduce himself. "I am Huo Bingchen the fourth guardian of the flame sect, it is my honour to meet the elders from the sect alliance today" he introduced in a very bold manner and clear voice. "I am Huo Mei, the third guardian of the flame sect, it is my honour to meet the elders from the sect alliance today" Huo Mei introduced in the same manner as Bingchen. "I am Hua Wu Que an advanced disciple, it is my privilege to have the opportunity to meet the elders from the sect alliance today," Wu Que introduced. "It seems like your disciples are as coordinated and intimidating as before, even their line up makes them seem like a battalion of soldiers," sect leader Zhou commented while he fanned himself playfully. "That is an overestimation, it would really be great if we can return to our glorious years but as you can see, we are far from it," Sect madam Huo replied. {no matter how many disciples you have, they are just like shrimp soldiers and crab generals} Sect leader Meng said inwardly while she watched sect madam Huo discuss quietly with sect leader with a gentle smile on her lips, that same smile that made Huo Jing fall for her. --------------------- "Why would you chose her, what does she have that I don''t, isn''t it just her beauty?" Meng Li Yao said in a sorrowful voice after she heard that the man she has loved since she was little was going to marry Huo Jingyu. "Li Yao, you are a great woman but I don''t love Jingyu for her beauty, the love I have for her is indescribable, I only need to see her smile for all my burdens and troubles to disappear," Huo Jing replied then he brushed her hand away from his arm and walked away, leaving her to drop to the ground in tears. ------------------ Since that day, she has always loathed Huo Jingyu smile, every time she smiles, it reminds her of that moment when he destroyed all the hopes of marrying him that she had, she has loved him ever since they were still children and she sacrificed so much even to the point of wanting to give up her position as the future sect leader of the talisman sect since the sect leader of the talisman sect cannot fall in love, but he still ended up choosing her, her efforts and sacrifice turned out to be nothing compared to her smile. "If there is nothing else, then I suggest that you begin the examination," Sect madam Huo said aloud, then the witnesses came out of from behind the sect leaders with two wind sect disciples escorting them, as for Lin Bohai, he remained by Huo Ying side. "I will say this once again, there should be no attempt to remove my disciples mask since the witness has confirmed that he doesn''t need to see their face to recognise them, I trust that this is is not a problem," Sect madam Huo reminded. "Rest assured, there will be no such thing" sect leader Lin assured then he nodded to the both of them to begin the search, they both walked forward slowly, they were nervous just seeing so many flame sect disciples in the flame mask but they had a task to perform, the man still felt confused but he assured himself that if he sees the mark then he will be able to identify it even though he doesn''t know what it is anymore. Bingchen glanced at Huo Qiang nervously, he has previously been informed through the talisman that the witness has a way of identifying bu he just couldn''t be sure of it was since Huo Li is still in the mind-destroying pagoda then, then the only suspect is him since Huo Qiang has been checked. Huo Qiang nodded at him in a manner that told him that they can''t be sure of what the result will be then he scanned through the visitors to find Huo Ying upon sighting her, she gave him a reassuring nod then he looked away. Bohai who had been watching them was suspicious of her the moment she nodded reassuringly at Bingchen, he just couldn''t figure out why she was so confident if they were really the ones who committed the crimes, he couldn''t see her eyes so he glanced down at her lips, unexpectedly she had a tilted smile on her lips that showed her confidence. Although she hasn''t managed to figure out what the voice in her mind is, she was sure that the witness would be unable to identify them, so she remained relaxed all through the journey, she noticed a pair of eye boring into her so she looked to her side, only to find him staring at her, without further ado, she left his side and walked forward to where her people stood. "You had better pray that the witnesses don''t point out any of your disciples, otherwise, the consequences would be too much for you and the whole of your sect to bear," Sect leader Meng said softly as she walked to sect madam Huo''s side, she didn''t even need to turn to know who it was that had just spoken. Who else would be so direct when expressing their contempt for her among all the sect leaders, she turned to her with a smile on her lips but with an unpretentious look in her eyes, when it some to Meng Li Yao, she has never had a reason to pretend in front of her, they were once close friends before but ever since she found out that Huo Jing loved Jingyu, the both of them became enemies, even before the battle between the sects. "It turns out that it is sect leader Meng, I was already starting to think that you weren''t here today since you have been quiet," sect madam Huo remarked "Heaven''s net is wide and none can escape its mesh, Huo Jingyu, you had better prepare yourself for the aftermath," sect leader Meng said straightforwardly with a taunting smirk on her lips but it wouldn''t work on her. "from what you said, it seems like you are convinced that my sect is responsible for the crimes, but it is such a pity that we will have to disappoint you since we are not guilty there is nothing to prepare for," she replied confidently to her disgust. "oooh! I hope you will still have that smile on your lips when the examination is over," Sect leader Meng said, the fact that she mentioned her smile made it obvious that she still bears a grudge against her because of her husband. "You don''t need to worry about that but it is such a pity that my husband isn''t here with us today, it would have been a reunion for the three of us, I remember how close we were back then, and we both loved the same man but now that many years have passed, I trust that you no longer bear a grudge because of us," sect madam Huo commented, she knew just where to strike her and how much impact it would have on her, if she is still the Meng Li Yao of the past, she will surely flip out in front of everyone. "The memories of our relationship back then is like a kite with its string cut to me, everyone has moved on so why should I still remain attached to the past, If your sect didn''t cause another trouble again, everyone''s life would have been peaceful but like before, you just wouldn''t leave your evil ways," Sect leader Meng answered. {You have now learnt to control yourself, Meng Li Yao, if we didn''t love the same man, we might still be the friends that we were before but the rice has already been cooked, there is nothing we can change} Sect madam Huo said inwardly with a second''s affectionate look in her eyes. "I don''t think there is a need for me to say anymore, the outcome will speak for itself," Sect madam Huo replied in a manner that made it obvious that she has no intention of continuing the conversation. "What are both of them talking about?" Huo Ying asked absentmindedly, she has been staring at her mother and sect leader Meng while they were speaking to each other that she has already forgotten who she is standing with. "I don''t know but I don''t think it is anything good," Huo Qiang replied absentmindedly, how could he have the courage to stand next to her or even speak with her if he was in his right mind when he has been avoiding her after the awkward incident. "This is strange, mother would never converse with someone that she isn''t friends with in such a friendly but hateful manner, there is something fishy about the both of them, do you thi....." she turned to her side to glance at the person she was speaking to her eyes went round when she realized that she has been speaking to Huo Qiang but then he also shifted his attention to her with the same reaction as hers. "Why are you...." "I am sorry," he quickly interjected then he moved away from her side hurriedly. "Jerk," Huo Ying remarked in an inaudible voice, Bohai who had been watching the both of them from afar, rubbed his fingers together as he watched them, he couldn''t help but feel that the relationship between the both of them is not as simple as young mistress and guardian. "They were still close yesterday but why do they seem so distant today?" Bohai asked rhetorically, he watched the angry and wronged expression on her face when he came to the conclusion that something must have transpired between them after the incident and he didn''t like the thought of that. Chapter 137 - The Order Of The Emperor! The sect leader and others present at the scene watched as the witnesses went from one disciple to another, the man just kept checking their hands, the only thing he could remember is the culprit''s hand but he couldn''t tell exactly what it was about the culprit''s hand that he needed to remember. "At this rate, are you sure that your witnesses would be able to identify any of the disciples?" Sect leader Zhou asked in a low voice as he approached sect leader Lin and as usual, he has his fan with the scenery of mountains and rivers drawn on it.?? "If they are guilty then we have nothing to worry about but if they are not then there is nothing we can do about it," Sect leader Lin replied, not wanting to make it obvious to him that he wasn''t happy with the direction things were heading, after all, they are not very close. "I wonder what the emperor would do when he finds out about it, he has barely gotten rid of his fear of the flame sect and now, we have given them a reason to come out of their shell without any way of convicting them?" Sect leader Zhou remarked casually even though it sounded quite the opposite for sect leader Lin. "Your vague manner of speaking has made me confused once again, sect leader Zhou, why don''t you get to the point," Sect leader Lin replied, if what he is thinking is correct then sect leader Zhou might be aware of his dealings with the emperor in the past but he really hoped that it isn''t what he was thinking, based on his knowledge, he would definitely try to make bargains with him using his collaboration with the emperor. "Everyone might not know but the both of us should know how wary the emperor is of the four major sects, the founder of the four major sects were all princes except for the talisman sect which was founded by a princess so it can be said that we are all of the royal bloodlines, if one of us is too powerful than the others and the people are also on one side, the emperor would definitely look for a way to destroy that sect, I am not sure of how much the emperor was involved in the downfall of the flame sect but he definitely had a hand in it, if your witnesses are unable to identify any of them then...the emperor''s effort in bringing peace to the nation has been wasted," sect leader Zhou explained but sect leader Lin couldn''t help but think that there is another meaning hidden in his explanation, if he truly knows his involvement in the plot with the emperor then he needs to find out at all cost. "based on what you have said, my sect should be the next targeted sect since the wind sect is now the leading sect in the alliance," Sect leader Lin remarked with a neutral expression on his face, while he searched his eyes to see his reaction but as usual sect leader Zhou expression remained as casual as it was at the beginning of the conversation. "Alliance leader, I doubt that you have anything to worry about, back then, the flame sect was so prosperous that the people regarded them as the government and ignored the court, everyone both young and old strived to enter the flame sect, their weapons were even the best in the country that other countries came to trade weapons with them but they refused, with the peoples love and their extraordinary weaponry, they were fully capable of overthrowing the court, in my opinion, I don''t think the wind sect is anywhere near that," Sect leader Zhou answered, his words felt arrows pierced into his chest, he was indirectly comparing the flame sect to the wind sect and his conclusion only meant that the wind sect has failed to catch up to what the flame sect was like even though they are the leader of the sects, he clenched his fist underneath his sleeve but maintained his calm and majestic composure, although he had no intention of overthrowing the court, he was still determined to become the second in command after the court throughout the dynasty. "Then I should thank sect leader Zhou for your thorough evaluation, this way, I won''t have anything to be worried about, as for the emperor, if the alliance finds them guilty or not guilty, the case will still be taken to the emperor, although the sects and the courts are not supposed to interfere with each other, this matter concerns both parties," Sect Leader Lin replied. "That is a wise move to make, then it is up to the emperor to get rid of his nemesis, it seems like we have nothing to be worried about," Sect leader Zhou remarked once again. "We...I thought sect leader Zhou was supportive of the flame sect but from what you have said, it doesn''t seem so," Sect leader Lin said, hinting at his previous behaviours in the hall when he was speaking with sect madam Huo. "I am afraid that you have misunderstood my intentions, I am only speaking from the perspective of the emperor, as for me, as long as they are innocent, I have no problem with the flame sect," Sect leader Zhou replied. {Does he really not know or is he feigning ignorance...} Sect leader Lin asked inwardly with his eyes searching his eyes for any hint that might help him know if he really means all he just said. "Sect Leader Lin, we have checked all the disciples but there is no one with the identification mark in all the disciples," the witnesses announced in front of everyone, the disciple immediately heaved a sigh of relief, especially Huo Bingchen and Huo Mei, they weren''t worried that the mark will be found on them since they weren''t at the crime scene except for Bingchen but they were worried that the witnesses might point them as the culprits even if they are not the culprits. Sect madam Huo and the elder exchanged glances in relief, the smile on their faces showed how distressed they were seeing the witnesses go from one disciple to another especially when it reached Bingchen''s turn to be examined but sect leader Lin and the other sect leaders had a different expression on their faces, their faces all showed their discontentment with the witnesses conclusion. "How is that possible, they are definitely the culprits, they must have done something hideous to get rid of the evidence?" Sect leader Yang criticized aloud with his finger pointing at sect madam Huo, the other sect leaders murmured in agreement to his statement while sect leader Lin fumed inwardly in anger. He deeply regretted that he didn''t bribe the witnesses from the start or look for other alternatives, now that his so-called witnesses have failed to identify any of the flame sect disciples as the culprits, he has no other way to convict them now. "Sect leader Yang, don''t you think you are making a baseless accusation, You accused my sect of infiltrating your sects and killing a captain but I still allowed you to search my disciples, what right do you have to claim that we have used wicked ways to get rid of the evidence?" Sect madam Huo questioned in a low but fierce voice. "How are we supposed to get rid of the evidence when we don''t even know what it is?" Huo Ying added confidently while she stood firmly beside her mother. "You...you must have done something, there is no way the culprits are not among you" Sect leader Yang insisted aloud, then he turned to face sect leader Lin. "Alliance leader, please don''t be fooled by them, my sect has suffered injustice and the court has also been offended, you must absolutely not allow them to go scot-free," Sect leader Yang beseeched with his hands cupped and raised above his chest, his voice sounded like someone whose family has just been murdered without any culprits apprehended. Sect leader Lin furrowed his forehead with the corners of his eyes crinkled, he was already annoyed with the witnesses not finding anything and he has to be bothered by the idiot of a sect leader, he wished he could just lash out at him and tell him to be quiet. "Sect leader Yang, the investigation will not stop here but now that they are unable to find the evidence of the flame sect involvement with the death of the captain and the infiltration of the vitality sect, I would like to ask the witnesses to disclose what the evidence is," Sect leader Lin with his eyes fixed on the man, he was certain that something had gone wrong at the last meeting so if the man is unable to state what his evidence is then he might be able to turn the situation around. He immediately raised his head and widened his eyes in fear of the sudden question, if he could remember what is it then it wouldn''t have been a problem but now that he is unable to state it, he might be in trouble for deceiving the alliance or accused of aiding the culprits in misleading the alliance, he ransacked his brain for an answer to give while he fiddled with his hands, the sect leaders and everyone present at the scene watched him in silence but they confused his nervousness, they were already beginning to suspect that something had really gone wrong. Huo Ying tried to make eye contact with the man to test if the voice in her mind might work again but the man kept shifting his gaze from one place to another so she just couldn''t lock her eyes with his eyes, her mother turned to her side to look at her then she realized that even Huo Ying had a nervous look on her face, she faced forward again, ignoring the intuition that tells her that Huo Ying definitely did something to the man. "One of the culprits had a burn scar on his left hand," the man answered as soon as he made up his mind to lie or be in trouble. "Are you sure of this?" Sect leader Lin asked with his eyes squinted at the witness in suspicion of his answer. "I...I am very sure of this sect leader Lin," the man answered, summoning all the courage he could gather to lie before the four major sects. "There is no disciple with a burn scar in my sect, I don''t think there is further verification needed, hence, my sect will no longer bear or tolerate further accusations made by the alliance," Sect madam Huo announced as she slowly stood up from her seat in an authoritative and firm manner. "I disagree with you sect madam Huo," a strong and masculine voice said behind them, then they all turned to see who it was, they didn''t even need to see the person to know that the person who had just spoken is a person of influence and might judging from the voice, seeing who it was, they were all astonished by the presence of this person in the territory of the flame sect. "Regional commander!" the sect leaders greeted in unison as the regional commanders and the soldiers following behind him approached them, he stopped when he got to where sect madam Huo stood then he cupped his hands and pushed it forward to greet her first before turning to sect leader Lin to greet him. "he doesn''t even put the alliance leader in his eyes, how could he greet sect madam Huo first," one of the sect leaders of the minor sect who followed the four major sect leaders to the flame mountain whispered to his partner. "He has gone too far," his partner whispered but his words flew into sect leader Lin''s ear, he was already embarrassed by the regional commander''s actions but hearing the gossip between those two made him infuriated. With a false smile on his face, sect leader Lin arched his sleeved in front of his waist and walked to the front of the regional commander who was giving all his attention to sect madam Huo with his face showing how pleased he was to see her and the elders, the sect leaders could see from his expression that the both of them must have been familiar with each other. "I wonder what has brought the regional commander to the flame sect today, it so happens that your visit coincides with the alliance gathering at the flame sect?" sect leader Lin inquired, the bright expression on the regional commanders face immediately turned dark at the mention of the purpose of his visit, he cleared his throat and turned to face sect leader Lin. "I am here for the same reason why the alliance has gathered here today," he replied vaguely, not wanting to make the issue to seem as serious as it really is, sect madam Huo looked at him with a serious expression as she heard his answer, if it is for the same reason then it means that... "Regional commander, you mean..." "Yes, I am here by the order of the emperor to summon the flame sect leader to the court to investigate the flame sect involvement with the death of captain Wang Shang," the regional commander announced with a regretful look in his eyes as he avoided her gaze because of his past relationship with the flame sect which no one knows about, he couldn''t bear to look into her eyes and he felt ashamed to tell her that he came to the flame sect to bring them to the court. However, the sect leaders of the three major sects and the vitality sect were overjoyed with this news even though they concealed the joy on their faces, seeing as the case has reached the emperor, they no longer have to get rid of the flame sect themselves since the issue no longer concerns the alliance but also the court. "Regional commander, may I know why the emperor suspects my sect of this crime, we have been in seclusion for years and now both the alliance and the court are suspecting my sect of causing trouble again, don''t you think I deserve an explanation?" She asked with a wronged expression on her face, she has barely managed to exonerate her sect from the alliance accusation but now the court is also suspecting the flame sect too, she knows that if the court suspects the flame sect then there must be a solid reason for it and this is exactly why she is terrified of being investigated by the court. Chapter 138 - 100 Rolls Of Silk! "The minister of justice reported that the captain mentioned the word Huo before he died and the incident coincides with the appearance of the golden eagle in Yu-Shan city, sect madam Huo, you don''t have to worry, there is no evidence that directly points out the flame sect as the perpetrators," the regional commander answered in a reassuring tone but sect leader Lin frowned inwardly at his answer, he was expecting the court to have evidence that could convict them but if they don''t then there is a chance that they might get out of it again. {This is Huo Qiang''s fault, he should have just allowed Huo Li to complete what she started}?? Huo Ying blamed inwardly! but the person she blames was also blaming himself inwardly. "If that is the case then my sect will cooperate with the investigation, but I don''t think the alliance will have anything to do with the investigation," Sect madam Huo said, hinting at her unwillingness to allow the alliance to get involved with her sect being investigated by the court. "This matter concerns only the court so the alliance will not be involved with the investigation but I wonder why sect leader Huo is not here today," the regional commander inquired with his face showing his curiosity as he scanned around for her husband. "ooh....my husband has gone into seclusion, so I am afraid he is not able to grace you with his presence today," Sect madam Huo replied elegantly, the regional commander nodded his head as she spoke then his eyes caught Huo Ying who was standing by her side stiffly. "This is..." "This is my daughter Huo Ying," she introduced then she turned to Huo Ying, she gave her a look signalling her to introduce herself. "I am Huo Ying, It is my honour to meet you today regional commander, I have heard many tales of your bravery and victory in countless battles," Huo Ying greeted then the regional commander laughed at her sweet mouthed greeting while the other sect leader sneered at her sneakily seeing as she is already using the chance to seek favour with the regional commander. Bohai fondled with his finger in nervousness, he was previously happy that his father''s plan has gone awry which means that Huo Lan is considered to be safe but now that the court has also gotten involved, her safety can no longer be guaranteed, he was quite happy with the fact that she seemed to be currying favour with him since it might help her save her sister''s head when they are found guilty. "Huo Qiang and Bingchen, you will follow the alliance leader back to the wind sect to get Huo Mei, the rest of you should return to the sect, Huo Ying will go with me" Sect madam Huo announced then she turned to the regional commander. "Please lead the way," she said to the regional commander with her lips curved into a gentle smile, the regional commander turned back with his hand gesturing her to move in front while the soldiers behind divided into two, leaving a space in the middle of her to walk by, everyone''s gaze followed them as they walked, when they got to where the horses were left they were surprised to see that the regional commander even brought two carriages along with him, they were fascinated by the amount of respect he seemed to be giving her. "Please..." the regional commander said in a gentlemanly manner and his hand gesturing at the carriage, then he held her hand while she hopped into the carriage, looking at the both of them, Huo Ying was already beginning to wonder if the both of them were past lovers before she married her father, but she didn''t dare ask anything not when her relationship with her mother is still cold. She walked up to a horse and rubbed his forehead then she pulled the reins and placed on of her foot on the anchor, she was about to climb unto the horse when the regional commander sighted her, he quickly walked up to her and held the rein before she climbed. "How can I let Miss Huo Ying ride a horse, the other carriage is yours," the regional commander said in a really casual way that made her feel warm and weird at the same time that he sounded too close for someone she was just meeting for the first time, she quickly dropped the horse rein and removed her leg from the anchor. "Thank you," Huo Ying said then she walked up to the horse, she felt that the regional commander was walking behind her so she walked swiftly and entered the carriage before he does the same thing he did to her mother which will make her feel quite uncomfortable. The regional commander climbed unto his horse and started riding, the others watched as they rode away with mixed feelings even the disciples and guardians, they couldn''t understand why the regional commander was treating their sect madam with so much respect that he even considered bringing a carriage for her and the sect leader since the sect leader wasn''t there, they couldn''t tell if it was because of his admiration or for other reasons but the three elders and older disciples of the flame sect were very well aware of the relationship between the flame sect and the regional commander. "Since there is nothing else to check, we will now return to our abode, the two guardians will escort alliance leader back to the wind sect, we are thankful for your accommodation and the effort you put into helping the flame sect to be exonerated," the first elder said, then he stretched out his hand and gestured towards the exit of the territory, to them, he was basically kicking them out indirectly, sect leader Lin and the other sect leaders flicked their sleeve in anger then they turned and headed towards their horses while Huo Qiang and Bingchen cupped their hands and raised them forward to salute the elders before leaving with those from the wind sect. Sect leader Meng walked forward then she turned back with a sentimental look in her eyes and her head raised to look at the flame sect again before leaving, her main reason for wanting to enter the sect was to see Huo Jing even though she has always lied to herself that the only feeling she has in her heart for him is hatred. Meanwhile, Huo Lian was confused by what the sect madam meant when she instructed them to bring Huo mei back to the sect, she was wondering why Huo Mei wasn''t with them in the first place but hearing her sect madam instruction., she couldn''t help but feel that something must have gone wrong with her sister, as soon as the visitors left, she quickly walked up to the elders, she saluted them then raised her head with a fretful look on her face. "elders, may I ask why my sister didn''t return with you all?" Huo Lian asked with a concerned look in her eyes, the elders glanced at each other with a quizzical look on their faces as though they weren''t sure of the reason themselves, they had vaguely heard what happened but they weren''t sure of how serious Huo Mei''s condition so they weren''t sure if they were in the best position to tell her. "We are not sure of the reason but it seems like the sect madam left her behind for a mission, you don''t have to be worried," the third elder replied, but she still couldn''t help but doubt his answer, if her sister was sent on a mission then they wouldn''t need to send anyone to bring her back, she decided to just take their answer for the meantime. --------------- On the way to the capital where the palace is situated, they rode and moved with great speed in order to reach the capital in time, the emperor gave him five days to bring the leaders from the flame sect to the court and it was already the fourth day, knowing that it might take two days for them to reach Chang-an in time, he decided to move at a fast speed. After hours of riding, they finally arrived at a hotel in Dongping, the regional commander sent in the soldiers in to book the rooms for them before they entered the hotel after they arrived at the hotel, they all ate and drank before sleeping but Huo Ying still tried to avoid her mother, she just couldn''t understand why her mother would take her alone on this journey even though she is still angry with her but she was more grateful to her mother for not making Huo Qiang come with them. The next day, they began the journey again, after hours of riding, they finally arrived at the capital, the people watched as they rode past the street while they wondered who the regional commander was escorting, for the person to sit in a carriage, they concluded that it must be a very important person but if only they knew that it was the sect madam and the rumoured young mistress of the flame sect in both carriage, they would have crowded the street just to catch a glimpse of them and maybe curse at them. After arriving at the palace, the regional commander escorted them into the imperial hall, all eyes were on them as they walked into the hall with long strides that showed their confident demeanour, their eyes were all lit up at the sight of Huo Jingyu, the pride of the Tang dynasty in years gone by and as usual, they started murmuring amongst themselves. "greetings to the emperor!" the three of them chorused in unison with their heads bowed then they raised their heads only to meet the dark look in the emperor''s eyes, looking at the emperor, Huo Ying could feel that he doesn''t seem like a friend and he didn''t seem like a foe either but judging from the look in his eyes, she could tell that he is someone with a very dark inner self. "Please be at ease," the emperor implored with his hands gesturing them to stand at ease. "Your majesty, as per your order, I have brought the sect madam and the young mistress of the flame sect to the court, the regional commander said then he paused to see the expression on the emperor''s face, looking at his squinted eyes and the way he rubbed his fingers together, he could tell that the emperor still doubts him. "Regional commander, it has been said that the flame sect has disconnected themselves from the outside world but you still managed to bring them to court, you have shown your competence and loyalty to me but how were you able to bring them here if they have been disconnected from the outside world," the emperor questioned doubtfully, his expression showed his suspiciousness while the prime minster smirked at this, to him, all emperors are the same, they always fear that their close ones would betray them, judging from the emperor''s look, he could tell that the seed of doubt he planted is already bringing forth fruits. "Your majesty, I recently sent some soldiers to Suzhou to inquire any news about the flame sect, my men reported to me that the alliance would be arriving at Suzhou so I decided to pay a visit to the flame sect then I took the chance to bring them here, all this is due to your majesty''s grace," the regional commander tactfully replied, the suspicion on the emperor''s face disappeared almost as soon as he heard his answer, since it was a coincidence then it doesn''t prove that the regional commander really has a relationship with the flame sect, seeing a change in his eyes, the prime minister frowned deeply. {It seems like the regional commander was being suspected of dealing privately with my sect} Huo Ying remarked inwardly. "So that is how it is, you have worked hard and you will be rewarded," the emperor said then he paused for a second before continuing. "The regional commander will be rewarded with hundred rolls of silk and he can choose any horse he desires from the imperial stable," the emperor announced with a biased smile on his lips as though he has once again regained the trust he had in his most trusted minister and advisor. "Your grace is immeasurable!" the regional commander answered in gratitude, the other ministers were not even surprised by the emperor''s generosity towards him since it has already become the norm for the regional commander to be rewarded regardless of how small or big the tasks he completed is but inwardly, they still complained. {100 rolls of silk!....just for bringing I and my mother to court} Huo Ying exclaimed inwardly with a surprised look on her face but she quickly got rid of it when the emperor shifted his gaze to her and then to his mother before his lips curved into a smile that didn''t seem sincere to her, she couldn''t help but feel a hint of threat in every gesture the emperor makes. Chapter 139 - Female Threat! 1 "Sect madam Huo, it has been a long time since we saw each other last but it seems like you haven''t aged a bit in years gone by," the emperor remarked with his lips curved into a half-smile, she raised his head at his praise in an elegant manner. "Your majesty has given me more praise than I deserve, how could I not have aged a bit for eleven years," she replied with a controlled smile, not wanting to say more than she is required to, to prevent unnecessary conversations.?? "If you say it like that then it can only mean that I am blind and unable to see you clearly, although you wore a mask during the days of being a disciple, after your mask was removed during a spar with the regional commander, everyone in the nation recognised you for your beauty so it is impossible that I am unable to know if you have aged or not," the emperor insisted, she surveyed his face to see if he truly meant what he said or it is some sort of wordplay that she isn''t interested in getting into, Huo Ying just stood there in confusion, since she hasn''t had the chance to know how famous her mother was during the years of her youth, she couldn''t understand why everyone seemed to be looking at her mother like she was some kind female idol. "Since your majesty says so then I will have to accept your praise even though I am not worthy of your praise," Sect madam Huo replied humbly. {Why is mother being so different before the emperor...} Huo Ying thought inwardly as her eyes scanned the both of them, she wanted to turn her head to scan the ministers but she didn''t think it was the right thing to do before the emperor, she didn''t want to get into another trouble with her mother. "I suppose this is the young mistress of the flame sect," the emperor said with one of his eyes squinted, then he lowered his gaze at her, she felt like he was looking at her with searching eyes that didn''t seem approving. "I am Huo Ying, the young mistress of the flame sect," Huo Ying quickly said to break the icy look in his eyes as he glanced over her and cupped her hands, she pushed them forward with her head bowed. "Please be at ease," the emperor replied "Thank you, your majesty" Huo Ying replied "I wonder why the sect leader of the flame sect is not here today?" the emperor questioned in a slightly dissatisfied tone and his lips squeezed to the side. "My husband has gone into seclusion so he is unable to come with us, I hope your majesty will not mind," she replied. "If that is the case then it is alright but I suppose the regional commander has already informed you of the reason why I have summoned you to court," "Yes, your majesty" Huo Ying and her mother replied "and what do you have to say about it?" the emperor asked with his back now straightened and both of his hands placed on each of his laps as though he meant business, the serious expression on his face showed that he was no longer in the mood for any dillydallying. "Your majesty, This news is coming as a surprise to me too, I am deeply shocked that both the alliance and the court would suspect that the flame sect is responsible for murdering a captain who has been appointed by your majesty but I can assure you that my sect has nothing to do with this incident," sect madam Huo answered in a tone that showed that she really is innocent but the emperor is not one to just think that the flame sect is really innocent because of what she said, his eyes still bored into her face with a searching look in his eyes. "Then how do you explain the appearance of the golden eagle in Yu-Shan city on the day the captain was killed, the golden eagle hasn''t appeared outside for years but why did it suddenly appear for the second time on the day the captain died?" the emperor questioned with his doubt and suspiciousness evident in his eyes. Since the prime minister doesn''t have any grievance with the flame sect, he and the other ministers just kept quiet while the emperor did the questioning, for the prime minister, he was quite happy with the reappearance of the flame sect since the emperor considers them as a threat to his reign, they can be a good ally for him as long as they pass this crisis, he has no reason to dispose of them. "Your majesty, the appearance of the golden eagle in Yu-Shan wasn''t our intention, the golden eagle left the sect the first without our knowledge and he returned to the sect on the same day but my daughter was too wild and reckless so she followed the golden eagle the second time he left the sect, I decided to send the guardians to follow the golden eagle and order her to return to the sect but who would have thought that my guardians would find the golden eagle In Yu-Shan where the captain was killed, I beseech your majesty to please not make a judgment based on this coincidence," Sect madam Huo narrated, the ministers in the hall began to whisper to each other, if what she said is true then the flame sect might be innocent since that is the only thing that connects them to the incident, the prime minister and the regional commander just watched the whole drama with a neutral look on their faces, although the regional commander is concerned about the flame sect, he didn''t dare to show his worry on his face to prevent any suspicions growing in the emperor''s heart again. "Minister of justice, can what she said be confirmed?" the emperor inquired doubtfully with his gaze now on the minister of justice who quickly stepped forward with his head bowed and his hands cupped and raised forward. "Your majesty, we cannot confirm what she said but there is indeed no evidence that can prove that anyone from the flame sect was at the scene," the minister of justice answered then he raised his gaze to look at the emperor''s face to see what the reaction to his answer is. "Your majesty, what my mother said is indeed the truth, I have never left the sect since I was little, hence I decided to see what the outside world is like so I followed the golden eagle out of the sect but I couldn''t control the golden eagle, my mother was concerned so she sent the guardians after us," Huo Ying asserted with her confidence ringing in her voice, hearing her confident answer, it reminded him of her mother''s confident way of speaking in the past and how she repeatedly defied his commands without being afraid of him or his royal status. "How much of a coincidence could it be that the captain said the word Huo just before he died and you were also in Yu-Shan city, don''t you think it is too much of a coincidence?" the emperor questioned, his voice sounded hostile this time and it seemed like he has already concluded in his heart that the flame sect is surely responsible for the incident, at that moment, she realized that if she continues to be passive, the emperor will have the upper hand and then she will no longer be able to protect her sect. "Your majesty, there are many people with the surname Huo in Yu-Shan city and all over the country, how is it that my sect is being accused of this crime just because of the surname, the captain might have meant something else other than someone''s name, your majesty is wise and your wisdom is equal only to the gods, I hope your majesty would make a wise decision regarding this matter," Sect madam Huo implored then she raised her head to meet his gaze while the emperor squinted his eyes, he really couldn''t tell what kind of attitude she is giving him at the moment, on one hand, she seems to be sincerely praising him and the other hand, she seemed to be attacking him with her words. "hmmmn, sect madam Huo, how can you prove that your guardians and daughter weren''t at the site of the incident?" the emperor questioned, the minister focused all their attention on her at this moment, in anticipation of her answer, especially the regional commander. She straightened her back and raised her head confidently with a sharp look in her eyes, she brought down her hands which was still cupped and raised forward then she folded them on her navel and smiled faintly. "Then I suppose your majesty has evidence that suggests that anyone from my sect is responsible for murdering your captain?" she queried without any hint of respect in her voice, this broke the silence that had originally settled in the hall, the ministers glanced at each other at her boldness, they couldn''t believe that she is still this daring to speak to the emperor in that way, as for the emperor, his face became devoid of any colour as soon as she concluded her statement. {Wow...she is truly my mother} Huo Ying remarked proudly in her mind, she hated the fact that her mother seemed too humble the moment she entered the court but now that her mother has changed into her original self, she became hyped and couldn''t wait for a drama to unfold in the court. "It seems like you still haven''t changed after all these years," the emperor remarked in a supposedly calm manner while she widened the smile on her dark red lips. "How dare you speak to the emperor in such manner?" the minister of justice rebuked aloud while the minister murmured in agreement with him, they have always known her as Huo Jingyu the most daring woman in the country and they have always hated her guts, if not for the fact that she belongs to the sect alliance, she might have managed to become the only woman in the court but they didn''t expect her to still be this daring after so long especially after the downfall of the flame sect. "If you think I said anything wrong then you can tell me, none of you can present any evidence that incriminates my sect but you have already concluded that the flame sect is responsible for this incident," she raged angrily in a very loud voice, she turned around to face the ministers with an accusing look on her face then she turned back to face the emperor with a glare, and her lips tilted into a smirk before suddenly burst into an elegant but hysterical laugh. "Your majesty, don''t you think it is laughable how the alliance and the court has accused my sect of committing such atrocity just because of our appearance, the reason why my sent went into seclusion after the war was to prevent such things from happening but who would have thought that our one-time appearance will lead to such accusations, I don''t have any evidence that can prove that my statement is true but if the court doesn''t have any evidence to incriminate the flame sect, then the court accusation against my sect is invalid just like the alliance accusation is," Sect madam Huo concluded in an assertive tone and her eyes widely glaring at the emperor. The regional commander watched her as she raged in anger then he shifted his gaze to the emperor, he wasn''t sure if it is a good idea for her to suddenly burst out in front of the emperor but he hoped that things wouldn''t escalate beyond her control. The emperor clenched his fist tightly on his laps and fixed his gaze on her, it seemed almost as if the both of them were in a staring contest, he lifted his chin in anger and smirked faintly, then he narrowed his eyes at her and glanced at Huo Ying before shifting his gaze back to her mother. {Mother has really exceeded my expectation this time but this emperor doesn''t seem like he is going to let things slide} Huo Ying thought inwardly! "Huo Jingyu....oh.....Huo Jingyu...." the emperor pronounced as he stood up slowly and walked down his throne, all the ministers immediately developed a sense of crisis as he stepped down from his throne with a dangerous look on his face. Indeed, no one has spoken to the emperor in such a manner ever since the flame sect went into seclusion, Huo Jingyu! he has always considered her as a threat to him ever since the competition between her and the regional commander. Back then, the regional commander just returned from the border and the sects were invited to the palace for a banquet to celebrate his return when the emperor who was proud of his right hand asked if anyone would like to spar with the regional commander, Huo Jingyu unexpectedly raised her hand. While they were sparring, both of them exchanged weapons during the fight then the regional commander mistakenly shattered her mask using the whip, although she was already regarded as a female champion, at the sight of her face, they all had their mouths wide opened. The emperor who was previously considering making her his concubine because of her extraordinary abilities was also mesmerized by her beauty, he decided that with someone like her by his side, she would definitely be able to use her wisdom, talents and even the flame sect resources to his advantage but if she doesn''t become his then she is a threat to him. But she already knew his intentions and in order to prevent the emperor from forcibly getting married to her, she slept with Huo Jing before they even decided to get married, the moment the emperor found out about it, he decided that she is a threat he needed to get rid of even if she is a female. - - - "Huo Jingyu....oh.....Huo Jingyu," he pronounced slowly as he walked to her front, he stopped in front of her and looked into her eyes with a dangerous glare but she didn''t even falter a bit, she gave him the same look he gave her. Chapter 140 - Female Threat! 2 "Do you think I am incapable of sentencing you to death for speaking rudely to the emperor?" the emperor snarled in a soft voice but with an icy look in his eyes, as their eyes still remained locked, he shifted his gaze from one of her eyes to the other but she still didn''t show fear, her lips curled up into a fearless but controlled smile while she raised her chin up. "Does your majesty think you can sentence me to death?....." she questioned then she shifted her eyes from one of his eyes to the other, the emperor squinted his eyes at her guts, while he twisted the large gold ring on his finger and scoffed silently. Huo Ying who was standing beside the both of them swallowed her saliva tensely, she could feel the threatening and tense mood in the hall, she was proud of her mother but she wondered if her mother was taking it too far, after all, their fate kind of rests in the emperor''s hand. "Your majesty, my...." "Your majesty surely wouldn''t because you know I am speaking the truth, in the sight of your majesty, I am indeed inferior but I trust that your majesty will not ignore the truth," her mother interjected with her eyes still locked with the emperor''s, after three seconds of no reaction, his lips curved up into a smile but Huo Ying couldn''t read the meaning of his smile. {Is he angry or what?} Huo Ying asked inwardly! She couldn''t wait for the emperor to at least say something so she can know how much damage her mother has done and how much hope they still have, even the ministers were anxious to know what the emperor would do next. {You are using this same tactic to corner me, whether now or then, you are still a threat to me, it seems like I was too lenient back then} The emperor said inwardly! "You are right, the only reason why you are standing before me is that there is no concrete evidence to incriminate the flame sect...." he turned back and climbed the stairs leading to the throne, standing in front of his throne, he turned back... "You had better hope I don''t find any," he concluded then he sat on his throne while Huo Ying heaved a sigh of relief, she had initially thought that the emperor was going to order the soldiers to throw them into prison but it seemed like whatever her mother was thinking worked. "In that case, what decision will your majesty make?" sect madam Huo questioned, not minding that the whole hall literally just froze because of her, the ministers shook their head at her outrageousness as they recovered the memory of her daring self again. "What do you suggest?" the emperor asked with a serious expression on his face, the ministers were literally just standing on one spot without getting involved in their conversation, it almost seemed as if they were there as decorations for the hall but they wondered why he was asking her that when he is supposed to be hostile towards her. They just couldn''t read the emperor''s thought! "Since your majesty has asked for my suggestion then I will give you my suggestion If the court can find any evidence that incriminates my sect within a day, you can punish us however you want but If you can''t then you should compensate my sect," Sect madam Huo answered with a frank expression on her expression, the hall immediately became rowdy as the ministers discussed her suggestion. "She is really going too far" "How dare she try to negotiate with the court?" "She really doesn''t know her place" She turned her head back slightly, making them shut their mouths. "Are you trying to negotiate with me?" the emperor asked with an amused look on his face, he had expected her to beseech the emperor to let her sect off since there is no evidence but she even dared to give them a limited time to find evidence. "How can I dare to negotiate with your majesty, but since there is no evidence that points at my sect as the perpetrators, there is no reason for us to be held responsible, I am only giving the court a chance to prove that we are guilty and show that it is competent but if you can''t then you will have to compensate my sect for accusing us wrongly. "Sect madam Huo, you are really too amusing, what punishment do you think you deserve if the court finds evidence to convict the flame sect?" the prime minister asked, he wasn''t among those who are fascinated by her beauty but he just liked that she is bold and outrageous, everything about her since she entered the hall amused him. "What does prime minster suggest?" she asked, turning her back to face him with a confident smile on her lips. "Everyone in the flame sect should be executed!" the prime minister answered, although he wasn''t serious about punishing her, he still wanted to hear what her reply would be, if she is really confident then he doesn''t have to worry about making her an ally in the future. "Is prime minister suggesting that every living being in the flame sect should be executed? hmmph....but have you considered that there are hundreds of lives in the flame sects, you plan to execute the innocent disciples that might not have been aware of the incident, seems like the court doesn''t think of the lives at the flame sect as citizens of Tang?" she said with her voice slightly raised and the look in her eyes accusing the prime minister. "Prime minister...." the emperor brawled at his stupid answer, giving sect madam Huo a reason to condemn the court. "I am afraid you have misunderstood the meaning behind my suggestion, I only meant that the leaders of the sect should be executed," the prime minister quickly added, he frowned his face as her crude condemnation but he quenched his anger knowing that she wasn''t going against him directly. "In that case, then I agree with the prime minister, if my sect is found guilty then the leaders of the sect will be executed but if not, I hope your majesty will give my sect the due compensation we deserve for having our name dragged in soil," Sect madam Huo concluded in a firm and resolute voice. "I wonder what compensation sect madam Huo is referring to?" the emperor asked with one of his eyebrows raised in anticipation of another outrageous answer. "Let my second daughter return to the flame sect!" she stated and brought her knees to the ground in an instant with her hands cupped and raised forward, in a moment, the mood in the hall changed. The ministers once again started discussing amongst themselves, they couldn''t believe that she actually asked for that as their compensation, she is really overestimating herself! Huo Ying followed after her mother almost immediately, she even bowed her head to the ground and raised her head again with her cupped hands raised in front of her and an expectant look on her face as she fixed her eyes on the emperor in anticipation of his answer, she had originally thought that her mother had forgotten the plan to get her sister back since she was being bold in front of the emperor but it turns out that her mother still had the plan in mind. {Please...] She pleaded in her mind! The emperor felt on top of the world once again seeing her on her knees, he had almost forgotten the second reason why he has the upper hand over her, he smiled inwardly but maintained a serious expression on his face. "I cannot grant your request even if the court is unable to find any evidence against you," the emperor replied firmly. "Why not, my sister has been in the wind sect for eleven years!" Huo Ying snapped loudly as soon as she heard his answer. "How dare you?! mind your manners before the emperor," the prime minister rebuked almost immediately. "Forgive me, your majesty, I beseech you to please let my sister return back to the flame sect," Huo Ying pleaded then she bowed her head again while her mother frowned her face at her submissiveness but remained still. "I commanded your sister to be taken to the wind sect not as a war prisoner but for her powers to be controlled, the wind sect is the only place where your sister''s powers can be curbed and sect leader Lin has assured me of this, your sister still remains a threat to the world as long as she can''t control her powers, as I have previously decreed, on her eighteenth birthday, she will be tested," the emperor answered, although he doesn''t like her mother, he liked how humble Huo Ying seems in front of him, she might not be like her mother after all... He thought to himself! "Your majesty, I would like to request that you allow my sister to be tested in the martial heroes tournaments in six months," Huo Ying beseeched aloud, her mother immediately turned to her with her eyed widened. "Huo Ying!" her mother cautioned but she couldn''t care less, she knew in her heart that if her sister can''t control her powers in the next six months then she can''t do it in the next two years, she doesn''t even care about her mother''s anger the moment they leave the court but she believed in her sister. "Are you sure about that?" the emperor asked "Yes and let us see her immediately we are found not guilty," Huo Ying affirmed and added, her mother looked at the emperor and glanced at her again then she realized that the emperor''s basically ignoring her and he will only listen to what Huo Ying says so she just kept quiet and allowed her to ride on. "Alright, If the flame sect is found not guilty, I will grant your request if no evidence can be found by noon tomorrow, for now, you will remain in the palace until tomorrow noon," the emperor concluded. "Thank you, your majesty," the both of them bowed then they stood up on their feet while Huo Ying seemed satisfied with the outcome, her mother still had a bitter look on her face so she didn''t dare look at her mother in the eye. "With that being said, minister of justice, I will give you a day to find any evidence against the flame sect, if you don''t find any then you will have to find the culprits behind captain Wang Shang death in a week," the emperor stated in resolution then he stood up from his throne and walked down the stairs with the head eunuch following behind him while everyone else bowed their heads as he walked past them. "How am I supposed to find evidence in a day?" the minister of justice lamented while everyone else left the hall, ignoring him. After Huo Ying and her mother were taken to one of the empty palaces to stay, the maid exited the room, leaving only the two of them in the room. "Huo Ying!" her mother bellowed in anger "Mother, please let me explain," Huo Ying quickly pleaded before her mother pounce on her. "What explanation do you have, do you know what you have done, despite everything I said to you, you still didn''t heed my advice," her mother raged, then she conjured flames in her hand, Huo Ying quickly moved back, she stretched out both of her hands in front of, gesturing her mother to calm down. The first ball of fire her mother threw at her landed on the flower vase, instantly burning it. "Mother calm down!!!" Huo Ying yelled, bringing her mother back to her sanity. "go ahead, explain," her mother said after taking in a deep breath to calm herself down. "I did what I did for her sake, if she can''t control her powers in six months then what difference does it make, she will never be able to come out of her shell unless we force her to, the reason why I made the emperor give us the chance to see her is that I wanted her to know about it, whether or not the emperor makes the decree, she will never be aware of it unless we tell her, this is all for her sake and our sake," Huo Ying explained, then she brought her hands down seeing that her mother has already composed herself. "You should have told me that before taking actions, do you know what mistake you could have made in the court," her mother questioned with a rebuking look in her eyes but Huo Ying still felt that she did the right thing by not telling her mother otherwise she might not agree with it, after all, the fight between her and Meng Hui ruined her plans of sneaking into wherever her sisters being kept in the wind sect to at least see her once. "I was only following after your steps," Huo Ying mumbled naughtily but her mother still heard what she said. "After my steps....hmmph!" Chapter 141 - Why Didnt You Just Wake Me Up! 1 The both of them sat in from of the big screen, engrossed in the video, although Han Chen seemed to be paying all his attention to the video, he was sneakily stealing glances at her while she focused all her attention on the video, she squinted her eyes and widened them at different moments of the video depending on how surprised or shocked she is by what she is watching in the video, she was deeply amazed by his suturing skills, his dissecting skills and his speed, the feeling of inferiority was soon replaced by reverence. However, it didn''t take up to three hours of the ten hours video for her to fall asleep, she didn''t even realise how stressed and tired she was from working continuously throughout the week with only a few moments of rest added with having to drive that far just to rescue stranded Han Chen, she slowly dozed until she gave in to her urge to sleep while her head fell on his shoulder.?? He turned his head to the side to see what was wrong with her, he called her name twice without any response then he raised her head and held her shoulders, calling her name again without response, only wince. "Yu Yan...Yu Yan" he called again while he wobbled her body but she only just pursed and scrunched up her lips and opened her eyes before closing them again. "I...want...to....sleep" she mumbled in a childish voice, he couldn''t help the urge to laugh at her cute self at the moment, if he wasn''t drinking with her, he would have thought that she was drunk, he chuckled and turned his face away to prevent himself from bursting into a burst of loud laughter that would wake her up. He turned to face her again but his eye fell on her scrunched lips but she had already gotten rid of it and her lips were now pursed together, he smiled looking at those rosy lips of hers, with the edges well defined, her lips didn''t seem too full or too thin and this is what made her lips a model lips for any woman, his mind drifted back to the first day they kissed. "You are really tempting me..." he said softly then he swallowed his saliva while his adam''s apple moved up and down, he really wanted to lock his lips with hers at that moment but he stopped himself from doing so, with much effort. "I will wait...until there are no boundaries between us" he mumbled softly then he smiled, he carried her in his arms and walked out of the compartment, he groaned when he realized how heavy she is even though she looks slightly skinny. He walked down the stair and ended up at the parlour where he laid her on one of the sofa''s while he gently placed her head on the edge of the sofa, he looked around the parlour for her shoulder bag, then his eyes caught it lying on the sofa opposite where he had laid her, he opened her bag and brought out her phone. He unlocked it since she didn''t have any password on her phone, his eyes widened at the sudden realization that time had already gone very fast and it was now nine in the night, he walked to the window and opened the curtain since he couldn''t believe the time on her phone but it was already dark. "Should I just leave her to sleep here?" he asked himself aloud, then he turned to look at her face again but she was like a baby sleeping in a cradle, her face seemed really small and her rosy pink lips made her look so innocent and babyish, he moved closer to her and knelt down on one knee in front of the sofa, he traced her face with his gaze from her hairline to her jaw, then his eyes drifted back to her eyelashes, he had almost forgotten that one trait that made him do anything for her the moment she flutters her lashes, she had really long and dark eyelashes that she doesn''t even have any need for mascara. He pushed aside the wavy hair on her face and clutched them behind her ear. "As much as I want to keep you here, I can imagine your reaction tomorrow morning when you find yourself in my house," his lips curved into a warm smile then he lifted her body into his arms and carried her out of his house, he laid her in the passenger''s seat next to the driver''s seat of his car and fastened her seat belt for her then he reclined the chair backwards to make her comfortable. Before he started driving, he dialled Jia Yu''s number on his car mobile since he doesn''t know her address and he doesn''t think she would like to find out that he personally drove her home to avoid misunderstanding in her parent''s side, he waited for a while for an answer on the other side then he heard a perpetually tired voice on the phone. "Hello, who is this?" Jia Yu asked in a drawled voice "you didn''t even check who it is before picking up the call," Han Chen said in a nagging tone, at the sound of his voice her tired eyes fully opened then she moved the phone away from her ear to confirm that the voice belongs to her cousin but she saw that it wasn''t his normal number he is calling her from. "Brother!" Jia Yu said aloud before placing the phone on her ear. "Are you just realizing that?" he answered in a disappointed tone "Brother! I have been calling you for the whole day but you didn''t pick your phone, you had me worried sick, do you know how worried I was, I almost went to the police station if not for your friends that informed me that you went to your company but you still weren''t picking your calls!" Jia Yu ranted in a tense voice, on the other side of the phone, she heaved a sigh of relief and rubbed her chest to get rid of the anxiety she has been feeling while she paraded Ji Chen''s balcony in hopes of hearing from her brother. "It seems like you were really worried but did those two idiots not tell you that I lost my phone, that is why I couldn''t see your missed calls or call you, I am currently calling you through my car''s mobile," Han Chen said in a soothing tone to ease her worries with a smile on his face, it has been long since he has heard his sister sound like that because she is worried about him. "anyways, you have to compensate me for the stress you put me through today," Jia Yu said in a childish voice. "Didn''t I tell you that he will be fine," Ji Chen said as he walked to the balcony then he wrapped his arms around her waist and gave her a peck on her cheeks, making her smile with her lips scrunched and pouted up, then she placed one of her hands on his hands around her waist. "hmmm...hmmm, I thought you said you were worried about me but it turns out that you are at your boyfriend''s house," Han Chen said jokingly. She removed her hand from his hands and pointed at her phone with an embarrassed look on her face then he unwrapped his hands from her waist and moved to her side with a slightly alarmed look on his face. "Your brother..." he whispered, then she nodded her head in affirmation. He covered his mouth with both of his hands at the sudden realization of the embarrassment he has caused both of them, he thought of how he was going to face her brother when next they meet even though they are adults. she is still his sister. "You can''t say anything now right and you still want compensation, why don''t I make a call to your mother and tell her about this," Han Chen threatened while he controlled his urge to laugh at how evil he is to threaten his sister. "Brother!" Jia Yu shouted "Alright, I won''t tell, I was just teasing you" "Better, why did you call me anyway?" she asked in a serious tone while Ji Chen walked out of the balcony in relief when he heard that he was just joking. "I had almost forgotten...." then he turned to look at Huo Ying who turned her face to the other side the moment he glanced at her. "Your friend is in my car but I don''t know her address, so text me her house address," Han Chen enquired without unduly curious. "Which of my friends are you talking about?" Jia Yu asked, the only female friend she has ever introduced to Han Chen is Yu Yan but she completely doubted that there is any chance that Yu Yan will be in Han Chen''s car, after all, they didn''t seem that close. "Which of your girlfriends am I acquainted with?" Han Chen questioned rhetorically, he knows that she must have guessed that he was talking about Yu Yan but she still asked him the stupid questions. "You are not referring to Yu Yan, are you?" Jia Yu asked in disbelief "now that you have made the right guess, can you tell me or text me her address, I don''t intend to spend the whole night in my car," Han Chen said, he was already starting to get annoyed at her questions but he wasn''t surprised that she was shocked by the revelation that Yu Yan is presently in his car since the both of them haven''t told her about their private meetings after they met for the first time. "What! are you telling me that Yu Yan is in your car, is she drunk or what, why will you drive her home, what did you do brother?" Jia Yu asked frantically without even giving him the chance to at least explain himself. "Hmmph! what sort of nonsense are you imagining in that little head of yours, I will explain to you later, just tell me her house address?" Han Chen answered with his voice slightly raised. "Trust me, you have a whole lot of explanation to give, she is living with her parents, what are they going to think when you drop her, is she drunk or what?" Jia Yu asked again, her tone sounding like is speaking to her child or junior brother. Han Chen took in a deep breath to prevent himself from bursting out, he just asked her a question but she has said more than she was required to say. "You know what...bye," Han Chen said then he disconnected the call and started the engine of the car, from the hint she gave him he already discovered her house address, if she is still living with her parents then she might still be living in the same place, he had initially planned to have Jia Yu follow him then there would be no problem when she wakes up and sees the both of them with her but since Jia Yu is with her boyfriend, he didn''t want to disturb her anyway. He fastened his seat belt and drove out of his compound with the gate automatically opening itself, he drove for about forty minutes while trying his best to recollect the way to her house, after all. he hasn''t been there for years. After driving for almost an hour, he finally arrived at a large apartment complex with a green environment as it is encircled by different green plants and walking parks, even the fountain is still the same, he smiled at the memory of the both of them getting drenched in that fountain. He unfastened his seat belt then he leaned towards her to unfasten hers but he stopped for a moment to glance at her again before she wakes up and changes from her innocent-looking self to the strong and feisty woman she is. Satisfied, he tapped her shoulder to wake her up but when she wouldn''t wake up, he decided to increase the volume of the music playing in the car but some middle-aged women passing by were frightened by the sudden increase in volume, they came close to the window and started cursing at him, he quickly reduced the volume while he bowed his head to apologise to them. He raised his head when he noticed that they had already walked away then he heard a soft groan from Huo Ying, he leaned back on his chair and waited for her to fully open her eyes before saying anything. "Where am I?" Huo Ying asked, she looked outside the car window, seeing as the outside view resembled the park outside her apartment complex, she looked around again and saw the fountain then her eyes fell on the seat belt, she realized that she is inside someone''s car, she turned to see who it is, she silently gasped when she saw Han Chen sitting right beside her. "Seems like you are fully awake now," Han Chen remarked "What are you doing here and why am I in your car?" Yu Yan asked with confusion written all over her face. "If you were drunk, I would have seen the need to answer that question but you are not" Han Chen replied coldly, he didn''t want her to get the right impression of him. "Why didn''t you just wake me up?" Yu Yan asked, then she removed the seatbelt and sat upright. "I did but you refused to open your eyes so I decided to take you home since I am the one who stressed you out," Han Chen answered in a neutral tone. Chapter 142 - Stressed! 1 "I am glad you know that....anyway thank you," she said then she looked to her side where she found her Versace shoulder bag, she opened the door and stepped one of her legs outside the door when something came into her mind, she turned around and closed the door with her eyes narrowed at him and her head slightly tilted, overall, she had a suspicious look on her face. "What is it?" he asked, seeing the suspicious look she is giving him.?? "I am just curious as to how you knew my house address, I mean...I don''t think I ever mentioned it to you did I?" Yu Yan asked. "oh....about that, ehmmn..." he itched the back of his head for an excuse to give while she doubtfully scrunched up her mouth and nodded her head in anticipation of his answer, his hesitation made her even more suspicious of him. "ehmmn....where else would I have gotten it from if not from Jia Yu?" Han Chen answered he sniffed his nose and swallowed his saliva while he slowly turned his head away from her, looking outside the glass window he prayed in his heart that she would just believe his lie and take it as it is. "Jia Yu...uhn" Yu Yan questioned seeing his suspicious behaviour but she also couldn''t think of another way he could have gotten her house address, he nodded his head in affirmation then she decided to take his answer for it, she turned back and opened the door, she raised her head as soon as she came out of the car but she was startled by the two teenagers standing outside the car with their hands crossed on their chest. "aaaarrgghhhhh!" she screamed then she quickly entered the car again and shut the car door, Han Chen furrowed his forehead when he heard her scream and enter the car again, he stretched his neck to look outside the window in order to find what or who had scared her but she held his face with both of her hands on each cheek and pulled his face away from their view. His mouth and cheeks were scrunched up by her hand but she had an embarrassed look on her face, then the both of them heard a knock on the car, he turned to look at who it is but she pulled his face back to her front with a scolding look in her eyes. The two teenagers walked around to the driver''s side to peek inside the car, seeing as they had already changed position, she held his face with more grip while she moved her eyebrows up and down to signal them to stop peeking into the car. "Aunt Yu Yan!" the two teenagers shouted as they knocked the window but they just made her more embarrassed, since he could hear what they were saying outside, he raised one of his eyebrows at the way they addressed her. "Aunt Yu Yan!" he pronounced with much effort since she used too much force in holding his face, his face had a quizzical look but she wasn''t in the mood to answer his question. "I am going to leave the car now, make sure you bury your face the moment I leave the car," Yu Yan instructed, the look on her face made it seem like her life depends on it and that just made him curious about the person or people outside. "Why should I? this is my car?" Han Chen mumbled, she was gripping his face too hard that he struggled to speak and his widened eyes made him look really funny like a Squidward, a small-headed cartoon character with big bulging eyes, she folded her lips together to stop herself from laughing because of his funny expression but he felt more wronged that she was even laughing at him even though it is her fault that his face is all squished up. Looking back at the two teenagers outside, the urge to laugh disappeared... "Shut up and just do as I say," She answered then she hurriedly opened the door and jolted out of the car, the teenagers hurriedly ran to the other side to see the man''s face but Yu Yan blocked their view by standing in front of the window and spreading out her arm even though Han Chen did as she ordered. "What are you looking at?" Yu Yan questioned with a guilty look on her face but Li Na and Li Jing still stretched their necks to see who the man inside the car is. "Aunt, didn''t you say you were going to the hospital, it turns out that you are on a date with a man," Li Na accused with a suspicious look in her eyes, she folded her arms on her chest and squinted her eyes at her aunt who was still protective of the man inside the car while Li Jing nodded their head in agreement. "Don''t say what you don''t know, who said I was on a date,?" Yu Yan retorted. "If not?" the both of them queried in unison. "What are you saying? he is just a colleague," Yu Yan lied and used one of her hand to brush away the wavy strands of hair floating around her face, then she clutched them behind her ear. "Your colleague..." the twins repeated then they glanced at each other with a doubtful smile on their lips before turning back to her. "If he is just a colleague then why don''t you introduce him to us?" they chorused in unison, Yu Yan was shocked by how synced they were, she couldn''t believe that the twins that were going against each other are so perfect when they are collaborating against her. "Are you two for real?...." "Yes, hundred per cent," Li Na replied with an evil smirk hanging on her lips, but before she could say anything else, the car had already started moving, the both of them unfolded their arms and stretched their neck to look at the man''s face before his car disappears but they only caught the side view of his face. "Are you done now?" Yu Yan questioned seeing as they were still trying their very best to see more of his face before the car disappears out of their sight, but Li Na looked dazed and lost in thoughts. "Aunt, that man is so handsome!" Li Na shouted but Yu Yan quickly covered her mouth and turned back to see many eyes staring at them, she smiled at them and nodded awkwardly to tell apologize to them then she glared at Li Na before removing her hand from her mouth. "oh my gosh! I don''t know about his front view but his side view is so handsome," Li Na drawled and swallowed her saliva with her eyes fixed on the direction the car drove towards but Yu Yan snapped her finger to bring her out of her thoughts and shook her body before she finally regained her senses, even her brother was staring at her in disbelief, he also thought that the side view of the man looked really handsome but he was irritated by his sister who is drawling for the side view of a man she hasn''t even seen his face fully. "Aunt please hook me up with him," Li Na pleaded with her hands clasped together and her lips pouted, Huo Ying and Li Jing exchanged glances with their mouths slightly opened. "Why...didn''t you say he is your colleague, then let me have him?" Li Na continued, Yu Yan nodded her head still in disbelief then she flicked her forehead to make her return to her senses. "Why did you do that?" Li Na screamed in pain as she rubbed her forehead. "How can you ask me to hook you up with someone who is old enough to be your uncle, do you realize that we are in the same age group and what did I tell you about teenage love?" Yu Yan scolded while Li Na bit her lips and folded her arm on her chest with a frown on her face. "You deserve it," Li Jing added but he turned the other way seeing her glare at him. "Let''s go in," Yu Yan said then she turned around to leave with Li Jing while Li Na still stood on the same spot. "How about I tell grandma and grandpa about your handsome colleague?" Li Na threatened with a sinister look on her face, making Yu Yan freeze, she quickly turned back with a terrified look on her face. "I dare you!" "Why can''t I, after all....he...is...just....your...colleague," "You...." "are you going to hook me up or not?" Li Na asked with a triumphant look on her face, seeing her pissed of aunt pointing at her while she bit her lower lips, Yu Yan shook her hand then she dropped her finger and straightened her face. "Very good...you have now learnt to threaten your aunt, isn''t it? even if you tattle, I will never hook you up," Yu Yan said in a resolution. "Why not?" Li Na sulked "Because I don''t want to," Yu Yan replied with her eyes widened at her nephew. "Alright..." Li Na conceded, knowing that even if she reports her to her parent, she wouldn''t gain anything and she was only bluffing by the way. "But you owe me one," "As long as you don''t ask for something immoral or something that goes against my conscience," "Really, isn''t that a historical drama line," "Whatever," "Alright then" Li Na agreed then the both of them started walking towards the apartment, leaving Li Jing who was watching their drama with his hands folded on his chest, he couldn''t believe that the both of them were acting like age mates, he shook his head and started walking behind them. "Mom, I am back," Yu Yan announced as she and the teens entered their apartment, they removed their shoes and changed into a pair of slippers before entering the living room, the twins immediately ran to the parlour while she took her time to walk around the house in search of her brother and her parents. "Mom, Dad, Brother!" Yu Yan called as she walked into the kitchen and then walked back to the parlour, she was surprised to see both of them fighting for the remote and pulling it like they are playing the tug of war. "What are both of you doing?" Yu Yan asked with a confused look on her face and her hands placed on her waist. "I took the remote first but he wouldn''t let me have it," Li Na complained then Yu Yan turned to Li Jing with a quizzical look on her face, he quickly understood the meaning behind the look. "Aunt...I took the remote first but she wouldn''t let go of it," "Liar, I took it first," "Liar, I took it first," "You are such a big liar, I am clearly the one who took it first but you dragged it from me when I took it," "Liar!" "You are the one lying, tch!" Yu Yan held her head with both of her hands, she shut her eyes tightly and bit her lower lips, the noise was already affecting her and she is in no mood to stand there and watch them fight. "Stop!!" she yelled, both of them instantly turned to her with a startled look on her face, they had almost forgotten that she is standing in front of them, she took in a deep breath to prevent herself from exploding and pouring out all the stress her body has accumulated for some time on them. "Are you kids, why would you be fighting for a remote?" Yu Yan asked with an angry look on her face, they were surprised by her change in character in just a few minutes, thinking back, she has never really been strict with them. "But I..." "No but, drop the remote on the shelf and retreat to your rooms immediately, I am in no mood for your quarrel tonight," Yu Yan said with her hands pointing at the direction of their rooms, Li Jing quickly did as she said, he wasn''t afraid of her since he is now a teenager but her change in character showed them how serious the situation is for her, they might have teased her and frustrated her on purpose sometimes but they loved her dearly. "Are you okay, Aunt?" Li Na asked with a concerned look on her face, she pushed her hair back with both hands and took in a deep breath. "I am okay, Just go," Yu Yan replied softly, the both of them nodded at each other then they walked away towards their room but they turned back to make sure that she is alright, seeing as she was massaging the side of her head, they could tell that she was stressed. Maybe she wasn''t on a date after all! Yu Yan pulled off her bag from her shoulder, then she held it in her hand while she retired to her room with the bag sweeping on the ground, she undressed and changed into her thick and furry mickey mouse bathrobe with her wavy hair tied behind her back using her mickey mouse scrunchy, dragging her feet, she entered the bathroom. She stood in front of the mirror and stared at her reflection in the mirror with her hands resting on the bathroom sink installed on the wall, she bent her head and closed her eyes, taking in another deep breath, she felt stuffed and troubled but she couldn''t tell what was troubling her, she has always been stressed ever since she became a general surgeon and she is already quite used to it but these feelings felt worse. Just then, a thought popped into her head... Chapter 143 - Stressed! 2 Just then a thought popped into her head! "You are really starting to fall for me, aren''t you, it hasn''t even been six months since we met each other..."?? "Wait...why do you dislike me so much but you like my cousin?" "You are really starting to fall for me, aren''t you, it hasn''t even been six months since we met each other..." the thought came into her head again. "What you should do is find out why and not run away from it and obviously, you don''t have to be suspect that I have feelings for you or something, I know you have a boyfriend who according to Jia Yu you are deeply in love with, I don''t waste my time on such things so fret not," She raised her head to look at her reflection again then she shook her head frantically, trying to brush the thoughts away from her mind, she balled her fist on the sink tightly, she was still trying to battle the horrendous thoughts in her mind. "Why exactly am I thinking about him?" she straightened her back and cupped her face in her hand, even the darkness couldn''t stop her from thinking about those lines, he was invading her mind and her thought and she didn''t like it, she feels horrible knowing that she cannot stop these thoughts. "Stop! Stop! Stop!" she screamed, it just felt wrong to her, everything about him feels wrong, the only man she should be feeling that way towards is Chen Kai and no one else, dropping to the ground, she sat on the floor with her back resting against the glass door separating the shower and the other parts of the bathroom. The thoughts disappeared! She stood up and removed her bathrobe and the scrunchy holding her hair before entering into the shower cubicle, she didn''t even bother to wear her shower cap to protect her hair, putting on the shower in full pressure, she ran her hand from her face into her hair, down to the back of her neck, sleeking down her wavy hair. - - - "That....that feels familiar...." "Why did you save me?" a feminine figure whose face she couldn''t see clearly asked, but she seemed to be wearing a school uniform that resembles her high school uniform. "I guess I just wanted to be the hero who saves the damsel...." another voice answered ------ She cleans the cut on his neck with her handkerchief and blows on it... "That scar, where did you get it?" "Do you remember this scar?" he asked with his eyes narrowed at her -------- "That''s right, he didn''t seem like he was joking, his face seemed very serious at that moment when he asked me if I remember the scar," Yu Yan said softly, she fluttered her lashes, trying to comprehend what happened at that moment, she had the feeling that she has seen that scar when it was just a fresh cut and those brief flashes felt too familiar for her to just ignore. She balled her fist and placed them on the wall while the water kept running, she closed her eyes, trying to remember those flashes again, she has never given up when she feels confused by something, she always tries to find the solution to the problems and this time isn''t an exemption, she tried picturing that moment again, the scar, the fresh cut....and the teenagers in the flashes, she could feel a deep sense of familiarity with the girl. "I am sure I have never seen that scene before, could it be that it is part of the memory I lost in high school," she opened her eyes and put off the shower, she came out of the bathroom in her bathrobe and a towel wrapped on her hair After drying her hair, she changed into her mickey house nightwear and a mickey mouse headband on her hair, she was about to lie on the bed when she remembered that she hasn''t seen her parents and her brother since she entered the house, she sighed and walked out of her room. Walking into the parlour, she saw the twins watching DDU show on the television, with a large popcorn bucket in between the sofa, she smiled seeing how lovely they look even though they just quarrelled minutes ago, watching them immediately dispelled her troubles. She sneakily walked behind them, standing behind them, she wrapped her arms around the neck and snuggled their heads with her, they were startled but they chuckled recognising that she is the one from her scent. "My lovely niece and nephew," she ruffled their heads and walked to their front, she picked up the popcorn bucket from the chair and slumped into their middle with the popcorn bucket on her lap. "Didn''t I tell you both to go into your rooms?" She queried, scooping a handful of popcorn into her hand and stuffing it into her mouth. "We know you didn''t mean it," Li Na and Li Jing replied in unison then they scooped the popcorn from the bucket and stuffed it into their mouth. Yu Yan: "..." "Do you think we don''t know when you are actually angry or just stressed?" Li Na questioned with her eyes still fixed on the TV, they didn''t need to look at her face to know that she was taken aback by their reply. "Aunt, you are underestimating us, even though we haven''t seen each other for some years now, we still remember everything about you," Li Jing added, hearing her reply with the popcorn still stuffed in her mouth, she felt emotional hearing their answer, she didn''t know that her niece and nephew were so attached to her. "guys...." she sniffed her nose and attempted to hug both of them but they quickly pushed her hands down and shifted away from her. "Don''t get emotional now," Li Na said with a cautioning look on her face, scooping more popcorn from the bucket on her laps, then Yu Yan remembered the main reason why she came out of her room again. "Where did everyone go?" She asked, chewing more popcorn. "Dad has gone back to Yunnan and grandpa escorted him but grandma is sleeping in her room," Li Na answered "that explains why I haven''t seen her since I entered, wait...does that mean that my brother is going to live alone in that large house if both of you are staying here?" "No, he is going to Canada with mum for a business trip and they will be staying there for a long time so we are going to find a school nearby to go to and dad said you are in charge of that," Li Jing answered with an excited look on his face, while Yu Yan looked like she was dissatisfied with his answer. "Why should I be in charge of you two?" Yu Yan asked, looking at them. "Then who else should be in charge?" the both of them chorused in unison again to her annoyance. "Can you both stop saying the same thing at the same time, it is really starting to creep me out," Yu Yan complained. "No," they replied again in unison, she scrunched her lips and glared at the both of them, then she stood up from the sofa and walked back to her room in a feigned angry manner while the twins laughed at their success in teasing her. - - - - - - - - - - He retired to his luxurious bedroom as soon as he arrived at him without even bothering to remove his shoes, The entire room was painted gold including all the furniture and accessories in the room, his extra large king size bed and the large gold coloured headboard sculptured in the shape of petals made the room look even more magnificent with a golden coloured and thick duvet spread on the bed neatly, a large multi-tier crystal chandelier with droplets of light bulbs on it hung in the centre of the ceiling and one third of the floor was covered in a red fluffy carpet,, anyone placing their feet on the ground can feel the softness of the carpet making them feel like they are stepping on cotton candy, on the wall behind his bed, there is a yellowish gold mural of the back view of a girl wearing an oversized hoodie with the inscription Han Yu on the back of the hoodie, the girl''s hair is tied into a messy bun but even her back view is enough to entice anyone looking at the golden mural on the wall. He walked over to the balcony of the bedroom, as soon as he got to the gold curtain, the curtain opened automatically, revealing a breathtaking view that he has already gotten used to, a double-layered kidney-shaped 55 ft swimming pool centred in the middle of shallow green grasses with marble tiles surrounding the swimming pool and rays of rainbow coloured lights emitting from the fountain centred in the swimming pool into the swimming pool, including an underground music system. Outside the pool, there are blue beach chairs with fancy beach tables and umbrellas on top of them with flower pots and shrubs surrounding the outer area of the swimming pool. Looking outside the balcony, he remembered his loneliness, when his parents were still alive, every part of the mansion showed that it is home to a happy family but now, the mansion seemed more like a luxurious hotel to him and not a home. If not for the maids who always came in to clean the compound during his absence, the condition of the house would have been really bad but he never gave them access to clean inside the mansion, he had dispersed them from the mansion from the day he joined the military and only allowed a few of them to keep working there. He decided to call back some of the workers, especially his old nanny, maybe living with them will make the mansion look more homely, he looked around for the last time then he walked out of the balcony with the curtain closing behind him, soon, he changed into his bathrobe and walked towards the bathroom. He walked into the room outside the bathroom then he took out a wine from the one holders in the room and picked a glass cup with it, he turned the bottle of wine around to make sure he had picked the right thing...''1947 Chateau Cheval Blanc''. "My favourite..." he mumbled to himself with a faint smile Entering inside the bathroom, the lights automatically turned on and it started changing into a different colour, as soon a the colour changed to light blue, he flicked his hand then they sensor stopped, leaving the bathroom with blue coloured lighting. He undressed after entered into the bathtub and poured himself a glass of wine. Dipping himself into the soapy and foamy bath, he felt all the muscles in his body relaxed, he gently sipped the wine and placed it on the glass winery holder next to the bathtub, he relaxed his head on the headboard, cushioned with a fairly soft pillow. His thoughts returned to that moment... - - - "That scar, where did you get it?" - - "You keep crossing my boundaries and surprisingly, I keep letting you off and that is something I don''t normally do unless I have a good reason to but with you, I don''t have any reason, so, therefore, I need to distance myself from you" - - "If I tell you what you want to hear, what difference does it make, after all, I am not as close as Jia Yu is to you or...or your boyfriend so would my advice really make a difference to you?" "It would, it would make a difference...." ----- "Did she remember something, why would she ask me about the scar if she didn''t?" He questioned rhetorically, he is confused, if she remembered the scar for even one second then it might give him the hope of being able to be with her again, as long as he can help regain her memories...the memories of their love, he slowly brought the edge of the glass to his lips and gently sipped the wine. "Yu Yan, you don''t know how happy I am to make a difference to you or to be an anomaly in your life....but I want to be more than that," He said softly as though she is in front of him or listening to him. All of a sudden, he found himself being curious of who her boyfriend is, other than the fact that she loves someone other than him he has never really paid much attention to her supposed boyfriend, he decided that he is going to make use of his connections once again to find out more about her boyfriend, at least he needs to know how capable his competitor is but he knows that if Yu Yan chose him then he is surely someone worth being his competitor even though it might not be in the area of wealth and influence, knowing that Yu Yan doesn''t care about those things. He picked up the glass cup and poured the remaining content down his throat, after soaking himself in the bath for about twenty minutes, he put on his robe again and walked to the large mirror, occupying one sure of the entire wall surrounding the bathroom. He pulled out the band holding his hair and ruffled his slightly curled hair in front of the mirror, his hair wasn''t very long but it is at least almost reaching his jaw when he lets it down, he placed his hands on his waist and took in a deep breath. "Alright! Han Chen, from tomorrow, your mission is getting back the love of your life," He told himself with a charming curve on his lips, then he retreated back to his extra-large king-size bed for a deep nap, but he couldn''t help thinking that there is something he is forgetting. Chapter 144 - The Emperors Anger! 1 The next day at the imperial court. All the ministers gathered in the imperial hall as early as seven in the morning, they were all very aware that the emperor has lost his fight in this round since there is no way the ministry of justice will be able to investigate what happened in Yu-Shan in just a day and this is exactly what sect madam Huo used to her advantage if the court refuses the one day limit she gave them then it would mean that the court is not competent so, of course, the emperor has no choice but to concede to her demands.?? After all, the ministers had arrived and they were now standing in their position according to their ranks in influence, the head eunuch came into the hall to announce the emperor''s entrance, then they all turned their head towards the entrance of the hall, as the emperor entered the hall, they bowed their heads until he was now seated on his throne. "Greetings to your majesty!" the ministers chorused in unison with their heads bowed as soon as the emperor sat on his throne. "Please be at ease," The emperor responded with his hands raised as a dismissal signal. The emperor looked around to see if sect madam Huo and Huo Ying are in the hall, he was about to ask for their whereabouts but when he raised his head, he saw them walking into the hall with long strides, befitting for women of power, the both of them stopped after they got to the front of the hall then they bowed their heads. "Greetings to your majesty!" they chorused at the same time. "Be at ease," then they raised their heads with a faint smile on their lips, looking at their expression, he could tell that they are extremely confident that the ministry of justice would not be able to find anything in a day even if they try to get fake witnesses or evidence against them, that was exactly her plan, forcing them to do the impossible and then using the chance to win the fight but even if it gets out, it will only seem like the emperor gave them mercy. Typical Huo Jingyu! Although her smile seemed faint, he could tell the meaning behind that smile of hers, she has won and she would be able to see her daughter, the smile might be faint but it shows that she is feeling triumphant, with just a mere trick, she and her daughter have managed to give him no other choice, at first, he called them to the court to interrogate them but he ended up being a genie to satisfy their wish. "Judging from your look, I can tell that you are very confident that no evidence will be found against the flame sect," the emperor remarked with one of his brows raised, judging from his expression, they couldn''t tell if he meant what he said in a hostile way or in a friendly way but for Sect madam Huo, it doesn''t matter, what matters to her is that she has won this fight even before the result is announced. "Your majesty is indeed scrupulous, you have managed to tell my thoughts just by my expression since the flame sect has done nothing wrong, I have no reason to be afraid of today''s outcome," Sect madam Huo tactfully replied in a courteous tone, since that was how she started off yesterday in the court, they weren''t surprised at her courteousness. {you mean since you have played the game skillfully, you have nothing to fear} The emperor remarked in his mind, the triumphant smile on her lips irritated him, he knew that he has indeed lost today''s fight but he would do everything within his power to get rid of her and the flame sect, now that this case has made them come out of their shell. "Hmmn..." with a dark expression on his face, filled with expectations, he looked towards the minister of justice who sent several officers from the ministry of justice to investigate the case but didn''t get any report from them since they haven''t returned. "Minister of justice, do I need to ask for your report?" The emperor questioned with a deep frown on his face, he still has a little hope of hearing good news from the minister but in his heart, he knows that the chances of hearing what he wants to hear are very unlikely so he can only pour his anger on the minister of justice. "Your majesty...I have sent people to Yu-Shan to investigate the issue but it is impossible for them to get any news within a day, not to talk of delivering the reports of their investigation within a day," The minister reported after stepping forward with his hands cupped and raised in front of him and his head bowed, the emperor balled his fist while his anger boiled inside him, he has been played and deceived by this woman again, he hasn''t even thought of it if the minister of justice didn''t mention it. {even if they find anything, it would be impossible to deliver the news back to the court within a day, so any fake or real evidence they find is useless and the emperor cannot go back on his words,} Huo Ying said inwardly, after listening to the emperor''s report! {It turns out that this is exactly her plan, even if they get any evidence, the journey from Yu-Shan to Chang-an is too long, it is impossible to reach the capital in just a day, how cunning!} The regional commander commented in his mind, he smiled inwardly at her cunningness, he didn''t dare to show his amusement on his face to avoid suspicion from the emperor, everyone thought that she gave the court a day deadline because they might not be able to find any evidence within a day but no one thought about how the reports of the investigation will reach the capital within a day, if not, they would have added more days for the report to reach the court. They have all been played by her! The emperor who was planning to pour out his anger on the minister of justice if he fails to hear what he wants couldn''t even pour out his anger anymore, he fixed his eyes on her with a calm but deep look in his eyes, his current emotions are very far from calm but he mustn''t show it. "Since the result has been announced, I trust that your majesty will keep your word," Sect madam Huo remarked with a widespread smile on her lips, the anger boiling inside him increased, he clenched his fist tighter seeing that smile on her lips, other men might be enticed by her smile but he has always hated that smile on her lips from the moment she opposed him, his finger dug into his palm to the point that it started bleeding, the blood dropping on his golden royal robe dyes the spots red but since he was up high, those below him are unable to see it except for the head eunuch standing beside him. "Of course, I will send a letter to inform sect leader Lin of your visit instructing them to send a letter to you as soon as they receive my letter, your second daughter will be sent to the flame sect for one day," the emperor said, gritting his teeth while the lines of his veins were clearer than they have ever been on his neck. "Your graciousness is immeasurable," both mother and daughter responded in unison with their heads bowed, they were overjoyed at the thought of delivering the news to the sect, but it is such a pity that her father is in seclusion so he is unable to see Huo Lan. "Since the matter has been concluded, you may return to your sect today, I will not withhold you anymore," The emperor responded, trying very hard to put on a neutral expression, not showing his dissatisfaction, anger and the urge to rip her apart for making a fool out of him for the second time. "Your majesty...." The emperor lifted his hands with his eyes closed and his other hand rubbing his temple to interject the prime minister who had already walked forward and was about to make another report. "I will like to take a rest, the assembly is dismissed," the emperor said, opening his eyes with a perpetually tired look on his face, the ministers realized how much impact the issue has caused for him but the prime minister is amused, even though he and the emperor have indirectly been fighting against each other in the court, he has never seen the emperor so defeated, it amused him that with just one faceoff with Huo Jingyu, he is already looking so defeated, In his mind, he had already confirmed his intention to join hands with the flame sect. "Yes, your majesty" the prime minister replied, moving back to his position. "The regional commander will escort Sect madam Huo back to the sect," The emperor instructed then he stood up from his throne and walked down the steps with the head eunuch walking behind him, when he got to where sect madam Huo stood, he stopped and glared at her from the side of his eyes, then he walked out of the hall while the ministers bowed their heads. {Such a threatening glare} Huo Ying remarked inwardly but she couldn''t care less, after all, she doesn''t know the history between the emperor and her mother not to talk of her mother''s influence in the days of her youth. "Congratulation," the regional commander said as he walked to her side., but she only nodded her head at him with a controlled smile on her lips. "But you need to be careful from now on, I don''t know what is between the both of you but from what I know about him, he will never let it go," regional commander cautioned with a gentlemanly expression on his face, showing concern. "Thank you for your reminder," Sect madam Huo replied. The prime minister watched them converse from the sidelines although he can''t hear what they are saying, he couldn''t help getting the feeling that both of them are more acquainted than they seem, if they really have ties with the regional commander then it might be hard for him to join hands with them, he decided to make the first approach. "Sect madam Huo, it seems like your sect has escaped this crisis, congratulation," the prime minister commented as he approached her with a friendly look, which seemed quite different from what she remembers about him if her memory serves her well. She gave him a nod to show her appreciation. "It seems like the regional commander and sect madam Huo are acquainted," the prime minister hinted vaguely, looking at the regional commander and then glancing at her but the regional commander just smirked in response to his comment. "I am afraid that you have misunderstood, the regional commander escorted me to the capital which is the second time we are meeting after our duel years ago," Sect madam Huo answered with a polite smile and tone. "It seems like I have really misunderstood then, but now that you mentioned it, I remember that it was the regional commander who removed your flame mask during the duel," the prime minister remarked with a fake reminiscing look in his eyes, like it is a memory he finds important. "It is normal for mistakes to happen during duels since regional commander didn''t do it intentionally, there is no need for me to hold it against him," Sect madam Huo replied while Huo Ying just watched from the sidelines, she felt like she is invisible since they were only facing her mother. "That relieves my guilt, I was afraid that sect madam Huo might still be angry about the incident," the regional commander chimed in to make it seem like they haven''t met since then, the prime minister squinted his eyes at them in suspicion, seeing as they didn''t seem to be acquainted, he smiled inwardly. "If that is the case then I will leave you now, If I am chanced I will pay a visit to the flame sect," the prime minister said with an ending note. "Prime minister is always busy with the countries affairs, It would really be a shame for you to waste your precious time in visiting the flame sect," Sect madam Huo responded, with her head slightly lowered, showing her humbleness but he wouldn''t be fooled, no one can be fooled by Huo Jingyu''s humble act since she is not humble...not at all. "You have really undermined the flame sect, visiting the flame sect cannot be considered as a waste of time, it is rather an honour for me," the prime minister responded, she didn''t want to get into an unnecessarily prolonged conversation so she just bowed her head slightly in response. "Then I will take my leave," he repeated and turned around to leave. - - - - Entering into his palace, as he walked into the corridors, the attendant shivered knowing from his angry expression that someone must have angered the emperor so they can''t afford to make mistakes, even the attendants following him were trying their best to keep up with his angry steps ever since they left he imperial hall, the beads on his hat dangled loudly as he walked. The head eunuch quickly signalled the attendants standing by the door to the emperor''s chamber to open the door before he nears them which they quickly obeyed, flicking his sleeve, the emperor entered the room with his chest rising up and down. "Huo Jingyu!!!" the emperor shouted at the top of his voice in rage, he was now breathing too fast and heavily, he needs to vent his rage but he doesn''t know how, he turned to the head eunuch who seems like the only person who would enter the emperor''s chamber with him even though he is in an angry state. "Does she think I can''t do anything to her or the flame sect..." he stopped to gasp "She is undermining my power isn''t she?" the emperor questioned in rage, with his eyes bulging out of their sockets. "Your majesty please ease your anger," the head eunuch pleaded, bowing his hand and cupping his raised hands. "You are telling me to calm down, how can I calm down when that woman is making a fool out of me!" the emperor shouted then he walked to the table where he handles the minister petitions, breathing heavily, he scattered the table and swiped down everything that was on the table to the ground but he still wasn''t satisfied, he walked over to the flower vases and lifted them up one by one and smashed them on the ground. The attendants shook in fear hoping that the emperor''s anger will not be their doom. "Your majesty, please calm down!" the head eunuch pleaded again. Chapter 145 - Your Majesty...! The attendants shook in fear hoping that the emperor''s anger will not be their doom. "Your majesty, please calm down!" the head eunuch pleaded again.?? He walked around the room, destroying everything in sight but the eunuch couldn''t do anything to stop, except for pleading, standing in the middle of his chamber, he clenched his fist together until crescent marks formed in his palm, then he suddenly started yelling, the anger he was feeling is too much for him to vent, looking around the room for what else to destroy his eyes caught the golden sword hanging on the dragon sword holder, he walked to where the sword is placed while the head eunuch''s eyes widened seeing that the emperor has set his eyes on his sword, he quickly ran to his side to stop him from doing anything stupid. As soon as the emperor''s hand touched the sword, the eunuch quickly knelt beside him with his hands cupped and raised in front of him. "Your majesty, please ease your anger!" the head eunuch pleaded aloud, but the emperor kicked him aside and walked towards the chamber entrance while the head eunuch quickly sprung him from the ground and followed after him hurriedly. "Your majesty!" the head eunuch shouted aloud, but the emperor turned back to look at him with a threatening glare in his eyes and the golden sword scratching the ground as he walked closer to the head eunuch, he placed the tip of the sword on the head eunuch''s neck with both of them widening their eyes in fear and in rage. "If you dare take a step further, I won''t hesitate to slit your neck," the emperor threatened, the eunuch looked into his eyes but he could only see the rage in his eyes, the head eunuch realized that at this stage, he isn''t making an empty threat but it is his duty to stop the king from doing any harm to his reign because of his moment anger. "Your majesty....." "Her majesty, the empress is here!" the attendant outside the door announced, but the emperor still kept the tip of his sword on the eunuch''s neck without saying anything, after waiting without hearing the emperor''s order for her to enter, she decided to enter without his permission. The attendants opened the door for her while she walked in majestically, leaving the entourage of attendant following behind her outside the door, with both of her hands folded on her navel, she walked up to the emperor who didn''t bother looking back or dropping his sword from the eunuch''s neck while the eunuch heaved a sigh of relief. "Your majesty.." the empress called softly. She walks up to him, wearing a red long sleeved hanfu top, and a long hanfu skirt with golden embroideries on it and the skirt flowing on the ground as she walks, a red sash held her waist tightly, joining the edge of her top and skirt together and making her waist seem smaller than it is, a small gold sachet hanging on her waist fills the entire room with the scent of flowers. She clad her shoulder in a long red shawl covering her shoulder and reaching the tip of her shirt, the shawl is also decorated with golden embroideries, of flowers and birds, the accessories on her hair dangle with every step she takes, she held her lotus styled hair in place with a phoenix hairpin with chains of gold dangling on the edges as she walks, around the phoenix hairpin are flower hairpins with six petals. The emperor just fixed his eyes on the head eunuch, ignoring the empress who had just walked in, smiling even though she is being ignored, she walked over to his side and placed her hand on the hand pointing the sword at the eunuch''s neck, then she slowly brought down his hand, making him drop the sword to the ground while the eunuch quickly moved back with his head bowed. "Greetings your majesty!" the eunuch greeted with his head bowed, the empress gently smiled at him and nodded her head in response. "You may leave, tell the attendant to bring calming tea for the emperor," the empress instructed while standing beside the emperor whose robe was now loose because of his tantrum, the eunuch bowed his head and left the room hurriedly, thanking the empress in his mind for arriving in time to save him. "Your majesty, please take your seat," the empress entreated, with a gentle look on her face, he turned to her to glance at her face, only then did he notice her mesmerizing look that wouldn''t have any impact on him no matter how much makeup she uses or how hard she tries. Her eyebrows are shaped like silkworm and her eyes in the shape of a phoenix, her face is powdered in pink rouge and her cheeks dabbed with light red rouge, to highlight the appearance, her lips are coloured with a vermillion red rouge, making her look very sharp and attractive. The emperor took in a deep breath then he walked to his bed covered with a gold-coloured duvet and curtains. "Your majesty, why don''t I assist you in undressing?" the empress asked with a concerned look on her face, the emperor has barely started giving her and the other women in the imperial harem his attention ever since his love died, so she wasn''t sure if the emperor would allow her to help him undress but she still wanted to try her luck. The emperor lifted his gaze to look at her with a cold look in his eyes, then his eyes softened, giving her hope, the emperor moved his gaze away from her then he spread his arms wide, giving her a permissive nod, she smiled in excitement but she didn''t make it too obvious. She walked to his front and gently removed his head accessories, then she gently pulled off his robe and hung it on the wooden hanger for his imperial robe, after removing everything else except for his white undergarments, she walked to his side and bowed her head while an attendant walked in with a tray containing a jade tea kettle and a small jade cup. she knelt down beside the emperor and placed the tray on the small stool next to the bed, after receiving a dismissal wave from the empress, she exited the room. "Your majesty, I don''t know what has angered you but I hope you will drink this calming tea to calm your nerves," the empress entreated, pouring the kettle content into the jade cup, she picked the filled cup from the tray and held it in her hand with her hands stretched towards the emperor while she took her seat beside him on the bed. The emperor hesitated for a moment but after inhaling the calming scent of the tea, he decided to accept her kind gesture, he collected the cup from her and brought it to his lips, then he poured the content down his throat without minding that the tea is still hot. "If you are done then you can leave," the emperor said coldly as he passed the cup back to her without even looking her in the eye, her face immediately turned downcast, she was expecting him to at least share his worries with her seeing as he drank the tea and allowed her to help him undress. "Your majesty...." He placed his hand on his temples and massaged them and lifted his hand to stop her from talking. "Empress...as you can see, I am not in the mood for any argument, leave..." the emperor said in a tired voice, cowering her head, she stood up from his side and moved to his front, then she bowed her head and turned to leave the room, when she arrived at the entrance, she turned back to look at him but he was still massaging his temple so she just left the chamber looking downcast. After leaving his palace with her entourage, she changed her expression to an angry look, for years she has been trying to gain his love and attention even if he doesn''t love her the same way he loves the fourth prince mother, she was always ready to accept it but he has never shown her or any woman in the harem the same love except for the imperial consort, although he doesn''t love her, he still pours out his heart to her and spends the night with her. "After everything I have done for him, he still wouldn''t give me his attention," She complained bitterly while her entourage of attendants was still trying their best to catch up with her, the head attendant walked to her side and looked at her with a motherly concerned look in her eyes. She was the empress personal maid when she was still a maiden but after she entered the palace, she became the head attendant so she has seen the empress in her good and bad times and she has witnessed the cruel and cold way the emperor has always treated the empress. "Your majesty, please don''t be sad because of the emperor, one day, the void in his heart will be filled with your love in his heart, you just have to be patient," the head attendant entreated. "When exactly is that going to happen, I have been patient for over thirty years but he still wouldn''t give me even a little bit of his attention, I have forsaken my relationship with my father for his sake, I even helped him to bring down my own father but he still wouldn''t pay attention to me," the empress complained bitterly. If not for her, the emperor would never have been able to get rid of the prime minister influence over the court, the emperor used her love for him to make her divulge all of her father''s secret and bring him the list of all his properties and his supporters in court, blindly loving him, she did everything and even made her father lose everything that he had, since then the emperor has never given her any attention since he has used her for her purpose and her father has never given her any support because she betrayed him. "Your majesty, you have to be patient, one day, he will definitely see your worth," the head attendant entreated to make her regain her confidence, but she only sighed and continued heading towards her palace. "By the way, do you know if anything special happened in the imperial court today?" the empress asked, remembering that the emperor seemed to have been angered by someone or something. "Oh, I forgot to inform you of the arrival of the flame sect madam in the palace yesterday, It momentarily slipped my mind," the head attendant responded knowing that she might be scolded by the empress for not telling her such a piece of important news. The empress immediately halted along with her entourage after hearing the news! "What! how can you forget to inform me of something so important, where is she now?" the empress questioned, the look in her eyes showed how important the news is for her. "Your majesty, she arrived in the palace yesterday with her daughter to be interrogated regarding the death of a captain in Yu-Shan but she has left with her daughter early this morning after the morning assembly," the head attendant quickly recounted with her head cowered. "That means that the flame sect has been cleared of the charge, she must be the reason why the emperor was infuriated this morning, Huo Jingyu!" the empress said with an annoyed look on her face, she is also one of the women who has always hated Huo Jingyu''s guts and boldness. "It seems like your majesty has also heard about Huo Jingyu''s brief stay in the palace, it is such a pity that neither of us was informed or we would have paid her a visit," a voice said as it came closer to them, the empress and the attendants looked towards the direction then they saw the person who had just spoken. "Imperial noble consort," the empress softly pronounced while the other smiled gently as she approached the empress. "Your majesty," the imperial noble consort greeted with her hands folded on her navel and her head slightly bowed she was basically dressed in the same style with the empress, the only things different about them is the colour of their hanfu since the imperial noble consort is dressed in an all-blue combination. "What brings the imperial noble consort to my palace?" the empress asked with an indifferent look on her face, they had already arrived at her palace and the empress was about to enter into her chamber before the imperial noble consort arrived. "I realized that it has been long since I last visited your majesty in your place so I decided to pay you a visit today but I didn''t expect to meet you on your way in," the imperial noble consort answered in a polite tone, unlike her usual self. "If that is the case then why don''t we go in," the empress replied then she walked into her chamber without saying anything else while the imperial noble consort followed behind her with gentle steps. As soon as they arrived inside the empress chamber, the empress sat at the head of the small table on a small but well cushioned pillowed seat on the floor while the imperial noble consort who has a lower rank sat at the end on a cushioned pillowed seat. "Bring us tea and some snack," the empress ordered then the head attendant exited the room to do as she has said. Chapter 146 - The Imperial Harem! "Bring us tea and some snack," the empress ordered then the head attendant exited the room to do as she has said. "Your majesty, why don''t you share your beauty secrets with me, your face is looking so smooth and even more beautiful than the last time I visited you, I am really ashamed to show my face next to yours," the imperial noble consort coquettishly praised with her body making different gestures to praise the empress. Typical of women in a harem! "Imperial noble consort, you have overpraised me, it is just that I have less work to do since I have all of you in the harem to assist me with my job, that must be the reason why my face is as you have said, in that case, I should be blamed for stressing you all," the empress replied with a controlled smile on her face and her hands folded on her navel to make her look elegant and sophisticated. "That is not right your majesty, If you indeed left all the work for us, I won''t be able to visit you today, we are all enjoying your majesty''s grace," the imperial noble consort responded, she also had this sweet and controlled smile on her lips. the empress has never really bothered about her since she doesn''t enjoy the emperor''s favour, in fact, she has always been kind to all the women in the harem since they all share the same fate as her except for the imperial consort who has always been looked down upon because of her mediocre family status and mistreated in the palace for being the only woman the emperor ever shares his worries with or spends the night. "In that case then I have nothing else to say," the empress replied, then she turned towards the entrance when she heard the door opening, the head attendant walked in with a tray containing a kettle of chrysanthemum tea and sweet honey cake, she bowed her head and placed it on the table separating both women. "You may leave," the empress ordered, then the head attendant bowed her head again and exited the room. The imperial noble consort picked up the kettle from the tray then she filled the cups and handed one of them to the empress who nodded at her with a gentle curve on her lips. "I suppose you majesty is also aware of Huo Jingyu brief stay in the palace," the imperial noble consort remarked as she gently lifted the small jade cup to her lips and sipped the tea gently while the empress followed suit with her gaze lowered. "My attendant just informed me of it on my way back to the palace," the empress concisely replied, not wanting to say more than she is required to, to avoid useless gossips like most women in the harem do. "In that case, then you must have heard what transpired in the court this morning," the imperial noble consort added with her eyes staring intently at the empress as though she is searching for something on her face. "That I am not aware of, do you perhaps know what happened in court this morning?" the empress asked, she didn''t want to continue the conversation with the imperial noble consort but she had to give in to her curiosity seeing how enraged the emperor was. "Of course I am aware of it, a captain was murdered in Yu-Shan and it so happens that the golden eagle of the flame sect and the guardians of the flame sect were present in Yu-Shan at the time of his death, the emperor called her and her daughter in to be interrogated but....." she hesitated with a scoff as she raised the cup of tea again to her lips and sipped it gently, then she lowered the cup to meet the curious gaze of the empress, she smiled and placed the cup on the table. "That woman dared to negotiate with the court or should I say the emperor, she gave the court a day to present evidence that can prove that her sect is indeed involved, she demanded that the emperor should compensate the flame sect if the court can''t find any evidence," she continued and smirked at the ending of her narration, she raised her gaze to see the reaction of the empress and it is just as she thought it would be, what sort of woman wouldn''t be infuriated by Huo Jingyu''s gut. "Huo Jingyu, that woman still hasn''t changed!" the empress bellowed with her infuriation resounding in her voice ad her hands were now placed on the edge of the table and balled. "Your majesty doesn''t need to be infuriated by her, anyone who knows Huo Jingyu from the past wouldn''t be angry just hearing of this issue, what your majesty doesn''t know is that she made a fool of the court and the emperor, I suppose the emperor left the court feeling enraged," the imperial noble consort said and drank from the jade cup again. "How so?" the empress asked with her eyes showing her curiosity and the urge to know what made the emperor enraged. "Everyone in the court accepted her one day challenge, I suppose it is because they didn''t want to show that the court is incompetent but no one thought of how it is possible for any evidence or findings the ministry of justice makes to reach the court in a day considering how far Yu-Shan is to the capital," the imperial noble consort answered. "Very good Huo Jingyu! You are still the same as you were before, cunning and sly," the empress remarked in a drawled voice. "I remember back then, the emperor intended to marry her as one of his concubines after her mask was shattered by the regional commander, If she hadn''t lost her virginity to the sect leader of the flame sect, I wonder what the situation of the harem would be like if the emperor had indeed succeeded in having her as one of his concubines," "It terrifies me to even think of it, his majesty will probably never have a moment of peace and neither will the harem," the empress responded with a smile that shows that she doesn''t even want to think of it or imagine it in her head, she lifted the cup of tea to her lips and sipped it gently before placing it back on the table. ---------- In the imperial study palace. The imperial tutors finished tutoring the six princes then they bowed their heads and left the imperial study palace, the princes all have different personalities so while some were almost bored to death by the three hours study, the others paid full attention to the teachings of the tutors who are teaching them the values and skills they need in order to contribute towards the governing of the nation in the future irrespective of who will become the future king. In addition to Li Ruansong who is living in the blossom valley, there are seven main princes, meaning there are more than seven princes but the rest are given birth to by common concubines or drunken one night stands the emperor had with some of the female palace attendants so they don''t deserve to use the imperial study or call themselves princes in the palace. The emperor wouldn''t have had offsprings if not for the custom of drugging the emperor during the second auspicious day for the emperor to sleep with the women in the harem if the emperor doesn''t do as he is supposed to on the first night, this is the only reason why the empress has children and most of the women in the harem who are from notable families. Two of the princes, Li Changying and Li Chengguan are the sons of the empress, Li Changying is the firstborn of all the offspring in the harem and he''s aged twenty-two years old, when the empress first entered the palace, she didn''t have any use for drugging the emperor since they both had an agreement to destroy her father and she will earn his attention but Li Chengguan was born only because she made use of the custom and he is aged twenty years old. Three of the princes, Li Daiyu, Li Qingzhao and Li ShanQiu are the sons of the imperial noble consort, Li Daiyu and Li ShanQiu are twins and they are her firstborn, she never had the privilege that the empress had so she could only make use of the custom and the both of them are aged nineteen, her third son Li Qingzhao is seventeen and he can be regarded as the second to the last born of the harem since Li Changlin is sixteen years old and he is the son of the imperial consort. Li Ruansong is the son of the woman from nowhere, Bing Luli, his mother is not from any prestigious family, in fact, no one knows where her origin is from but he is regarded as one of the high ranking princes in the royal family because he is the favourite son of the emperor and he is well doted on until he decided to leave the palace to the blossom valley. The princes immediately stood up from the study area and entered into the chamber meant for games and playing, Li Changlin and Li ShanQiu are competing against each other in throwing darts while the other princes are playing the game of chess with serious expressions on their faces, Li Changying and Li Daiyu are competing against each other while Li ChengGuan and Li Qingzhao are competing against each other. "Li Qingzhao, I think you had better give up now, you don''t think you can win against me in a game of chess, do you?" Li Chengguan advised in a mocking tone while the others started laughing at Li Qiangzhao who has been trying to win Li Chengguan the second prince for years even though he is the second to the last born among the seven princes. "Qingzhao, you have been trying to win against second brother for years now, why don''t you just give up," Li ShanQiu added with a tone of mockery but Li Qingzhao didn''t seem affected by what they were saying or their laughter, he was determined to beat his second brother no matter what it takes or how long it takes, he has even invited the tutor in charge of teaching the princes how to play chess which will affect their thinking ability to teach him privately but even though he has been trying to beat Li Chengguan for three years at the game of chess, he has never succeeded. Li Chengguan has spent many years in the military since he was young, he only returned with the regional commander whom he accepted as his mentor to get close to his father and to learn military skills from him so he is a can be regarded as the best among the princes when it comes to the game of chess since he has to devise military strategies under his mentor. "I won''t be bothered by you all," Li Qingzhao responded to their mockery while he fixed his eyes on the board game and taking note of his pieces positions on a paper in case he ends up losing the game again then he will return to study the game and understand what his mistakes are but even though he has always used this method to devise his next step, Li Chengguan always changes his strategy so it ends up becoming useless. Among all the princes, he is the one who is most keen at learning but like the others. he also lacks the love of his father. "I am rooting for you!" Li Changlin said, even though his eyes are concentrated on the red spot on the dartboard, then he throws the dart right at the red spot. Lin Qingzhao raises his head to look at his sixth brother who is the only one that ever cheers him. "tch!" Li ShanQiu scoffed at his encouragement while Li Changying and Li Daiyu concentrated all their attention on their own game of chess. "Did anyone attend the court meeting before the study today?" Li Daiyu asked, then they all stopped their games and turned to face him since the tone he spoke in sounded like there was something special about the court meeting. "Didn''t father forbid any of us from attending the court meetings unless he permits us to?" Li Chengguan asked to make sure that he hasn''t been losing out on anything. "Why did you suddenly ask?" Li ShanQiu questioned "It seems like you all are not aware of the presence of the flame sect madam in the palace yesterday," Li Daiyu answered, placing his chess piece on the board and gesturing at Li Changying to play next. "Flame sect....isn''t that the sect that was battled against by all the sects for committing evils in the Jianghu world," "Haven''t they been in seclusion for eleven years now, why will their sect madam be in the palace," Li Qingzhao questioned, wondering why she will suddenly be in the palace after being in seclusion for eleven years. Chapter 147 - Returned To The Sect! "Flame sect....isn''t that the sect that was battled against by all the sects for committing evils in the Jianghu world," "Haven''t they been in seclusion for eleven years now, why will their sect madam be in the palace," Li Qingzhao questioned, wondering why she will suddenly be in the palace after being in seclusion for eleven years.?? "They just came out of the seclusion recently and Father invited them to the palace to be interrogated for the murder of captain Wang Shang who was murdered in Yu-Shan city," Li Daiyu explained, they all seemed surprised as though they weren''t aware of the incident since the emperor has forbidden the princes from getting involved with politics, they don''t have any way of knowing what happens in court unless they inquire about it through the different supporters in court. The emperor doesn''t want the court to be divided among the princes and he doesn''t want to give any one of the power because it might cause conflict and any one of them who has the most power might try to rebel or force him to abdicate, the emperor doesn''t have any feeling of love towards his children, he only sees them as offsprings for the line of the royal family to continue. "I wasn''t aware of that, in that case, why did father suspect them of murdering the captain, after all, they have no motive to do so and they haven''t shown themselves for eleven years, I don''t see any reason why father should suspect the flame sect," Li ChengGuan commented with a confused look on his face like the others who weren''t aware of the incident. Needless to ask, Li Daiyu found out about it from his mother who still has her connections in the court although the emperor has made it very hard for them to communicate with the minster but it is impossible for him to completely cut their source of connection front the court. "You all are not aware of this but the golden eagle and the guardians of the flame sect were in Yu-Shan city at the time of the incident but the main point is not the murder of the captain, it is Huo Jingyu the sect madam of the flame sect," Li Daiyu went on while placing his next piece on the chessboard which succeeded in replacing one of the first prince chess pieces. "Huo Jingyu...isn''t she the rumoured most famous and beautiful woman of the Tang dynasty and the most courageous woman during her youth," "It is said that she is stronger than almost all the men in the country including the cultivators, she even had a duel with the regional commander once without using her fire power but no winner was determined at the end," "I have always wanted to meet her, she is my idol," the sixth prince remarked with excitement and disappointment written on his face, he has always filled his library with written tales of Huo Jingyu and the outrageous things she has done even when she defied the emperor many times. "If that is really true then it seems like we missed a lot," Li Changying said with an evil smirk on his lips as he replaced one of Li Daiyu''s chess pieces with his chess piece, thus earning a glare from the third prince. "The main point is that she and her daughter made a fool of the emperor and the court," Li Daiyu continued with his hand toying with the round chess piece in his hand and the corner of his lips tilted up to show that he has something interesting to tell them, they all looked at him with curiosity written on their faces. "She came to the palace with her daughter! interesting...." "what does she look like, I have heard many stories of her daughter looks, some say she looks like a monster with red eyes and red long hair cascading her back while others say she is very beautiful with rosy red lips, it is really hard to know what to believe," Li Changying remarked excitedly. That''s right, the first prince is a womanizer but he is not a brainless womanizer. "That is what you care about, tch!" Li QingZhao responded with a scoff while the first prince glared at him but he isn''t afraid of his first brother at all, in fact, he doesn''t fear or respect anyone of them except for Li Ruansong. "That is the daughter who father decreed to be kept in the wind sect, the one she came with yesterday is the other twin but she was wearing the flame mask so no one could see her face, the main point is that the sect madam gave Father and the court a day ultimatum to find evidence that can prove the flame sect involvement with the death of the captain and of course, the court was unable to present any evidence but what they didn''t think of if the possibility of the witness or the evidence from Yu-Shan getting to Chang-an in just a day even if they manage to find any," Li Daiyu narrated with an amused expression on his face just like the others, they have all heard of how defiant and bold Huo Jingyu is but they have never heard of her confrontations with the emperor himself, they were quite surprised hearing the third prince narration. "She is quite bold, I have never heard of any minister not to talk of a woman, who dares to play with the emperor''s intellect," Li QingZhao said in a soft voice, he has always adored Huo Jingyu wisdom and talent but he never thought that such a thing would happen to his father who has always proclaimed himself as the high and mighty who has all the authority in the world. "She is indeed daring, father must have been enraged," Li ChangYing remarked with a scoff, while Li ChengGuan frowned at the narration, being in the military he has developed the same temperament as his father, he hated to hear that a mere woman dared to toy with the emperor''s intellect, he couldn''t understand why the others are amused by her when they are supposed to be angry when they heard the narration. Li Changlin just kept quiet listening to what the third prince has to say, he remembered the day he met the young mistress of the flame sect and the two sides of her he saw, if he told his brothers that he has met the young mistress of the flame sect, they will surely not believe him, a slanted curve formed on his lips as he thought of how nice it would be if he is able to tell Li Ruansong about it since he is always dying to know what is going on with the flame sect. - - - - - - "It is really not necessary for the emperor to make you escort us back to the sect, we have really troubled you," Sect madam Huo said with a gentle voice and her gaze lowered as she rode on the horse along with Huo Ying and the regional commander with few soldiers following behind them. "How can it be regarded as being troubled, the both of us are old acquaintances, this little things doesn''t matter between us," the regional commander replied with a gentlemanly voice and expression while Huo Ying rode by her mother''s side, she could hear their conversation but she really wanted to know what they meant by being old acquaintances, at last, she decides to give in to her curiosity. "How did regional commander get acquainted with my mother?" Huo Ying abruptly asked, her mother gave her a scolding look while the regional commander smiled hearing her question. "It seems like you are not aware of your mother''s fame and character when she was young, your mother is the most famous beauty of Tang and she is regarded as the most talented woman in the country...." the regional commander ended his sentence in hesitation. "But she was also known for being too bold and daring, I first met your mother when I first returned from the border years ago, the emperor held a banquet to celebrate my return but during the banquet, he asked someone to volunteer to spar with me," the regional commander added then he glanced at her mother who seemed like she didn''t want him to tell Huo Ying about her careless days. After all, she has always cautioned Huo Ying about her reckless character, if Huo Ying gets to know that she was exactly the same, wouldn''t she lose face. "I am guessing that my mother volunteered to spar with you," "That is right, the both of us fought but no winner was determined because I accidentally shattered your mother''s mask during the fight...." "What! you were the one who removed my mother''s mask?" Huo Ying interjected before he could even finish his sentence. "Mother, didn''t you say that father was the one who removed your mask?" "Huo Ying! don''t be rude" her mother cautioned, averting the regional commander eyes in guilt. "After then, I went back to war with the Mongolians but I was ambushed before I even went out of Tang, if not for your mother who rescued me and brought me to the flame sect, I would have died so I owe the flame sect my life," the regional commander ended with a note of gratitude. "By the way, it seems like the emperor already suspects your relationship with the flame sect," sect madam Huo said with a look of concern on her face while Huo Ying nodded her head in affirmation. " Sect madam Huo doesn''t need to be worried about it, before you were summoned to court, I spoke in favour of the flame sect which made the emperor suspicious of me but since I have proven myself, we have nothing to be worried about," the regional commander said in a reassuring tone. "In that case then I am assured," Sect madam Huo replied. Then they continued the rest of the journey in silence until they got to a hotel where they stayed the night before continuing the journey the next day, they arrived at the flame sect at noon the next day but the regional commander and his men were not allowed to go through the barrier of the flame mountain. Huo Mei and the other guardians were already out awaiting their return as though they had already guessed that they will be able to make it back to the sect on that day, the expressions on their faces showed how happy they were seeing the sect madam and Huo Ying walking towards the sect with happy expressions on their face, showing that everything went well and they have nothing to be worried about. "Sect madam, Young mistress!" the four of them chorused in unison with their heads bowed and their hands cupped and raised forward, they lifted their heads to meet the smile on the young mistress lips and the sect madam who seemed satisfied just returning back to their home. She didn''t want to ask Huo Mei about her injury in the presence of Huo Lian so she just nodded at her while Huo Mei nodded back, reassured that everything is well with them, they entered into the sect, the disciples bowed their heads as they watched them walk past then they continued what they were doing. They entered into the sect hall where the elders were already seated after hearing that the sect madam has returned, she took her seat at the high seat of the hall while the others sat below her. "We have nothing to be worried about now, everything has been resolved and neither the court nor the alliance will bother us regarding the infiltration and the death of the captain," "That is good," "That is good," "We have nothing to be worried about now," "Has Huo Li succeeded in coming out of the mind-destroying pagoda?" the sect madam asked with a look full of expectations in her eyes, although she didn''t say anything about it, she has been worried about Huo Li all through the way, three weeks has already passed. "Sect madam, she still hasn''t left the mind-destroying pagoda," Huo Qiang answered apologetically even if it wasn''t his fault or the fault of the others, he still felt that he and Bingchen should have taken a share in her punishment. With disappointment written on her face, she sighed disappointingly. "But we also succeeded in our plan," Huo Ying said to break the depressing mood in the hall, they looked at her with curiosity but her mother''s sad expression changed into a joyous one, remembering that she will be able to see her second daughter even if it is for a second. "The emperor has allowed Huo Lan to return to us for a day!" Huo Ying announced excitedly. "What!!!!!" they all chorused in unison. "Is young mistress serious about this?" Huo Mei asked. "Would I joke about this?" "This is great, very great," the third elder remarked while the other two filled their face with happiness. "It is such a pity that the sect leader is in seclusion so he is won''t be able to see the second young mistress," the first elder commented while the other nodded in agreement but nobody wanted to talk about Huo Li to prevent the sect madam''s happy mood from being sabotaged. Chapter 148 - Why Did He?! "Oh, s***!!" Han Chen exclaimed as he quickly opened the garage and hopped into the same car he used yesterday, the Volvo XC90 T8 Hybrid which is the last car he recently bought, he ruffled his perfectly styled hair and bit in his lips in anxiousness that his lie will be exposed. What happened??? He woke up from his sleep to meet the shining rays of sunlight that escaped the little space he left when he left the balcony last night reflecting on the glass vase in the room and eventually entering his eyes, he covered his eyes then he slowly stood up from his bed, he walked to the balcony of his room then the curtain automatically opened, he stretched his arms and yawned aloud before smiling at the lively view of the house now that the morning staffs are cleaning the mansion, he suddenly got reminded of his decision to authorize some of them to live in the staffs quarter to make the mansion look homely. He retired to the bathroom, standing in front of the sink, he ruffled his hair and bent his head to wash his face, he poured the water on his face using his hand and raised his head to admire his handsome look bestowed by his super handsome dad. But this isn''t something he does every day! strange. He suddenly started feeling like he has forgotten to do something very important but he still couldn''t figure out what it is. "I have already gotten suspended from work...so it can''t be anything related to that," "I have nothing to do at the company...so it can''t be related to that," "Nothing bad happened between Yu Yan and I....so it can''t be, no wait...Yu Yan Yu Yan, there is something I am definitely forgetting about her," he hissed loudly and scrunched his face in an attempt to remember what he had forgotten or omitted yesterday. He couldn''t ignore the feeling knowing that it is something that frequently happens when he needs to desperately remember something. Still confused, he removed his bathrobe that he slept in and entered the shower cubicle, he felt all his muscle relaxed as the cold water poured down from his hair to his toes, he took in a deep breath to relish the comfort as he ran his hand through his hair down his neck, making his hair sleek. He smiled to himself knowing that the only thought filling his mind at the moment is ''Yu Yan'', he kept chanting her name in his mind as the water ran through his body then he realized that he hasn''t actually started devising his plan to get back his woman. Yes, she has always been his, she will forever belong to him and he will forever belong to her. He took one step out of the cubicle, making the shower shut itself down, he put on his bathrobe again and retreated to his luxurious walk-in closet, which is big enough to be an apartment, still chanting her name in his mind, he walked into the walk-in closet full of smiles, he just couldn''t help himself from smiling when all he could think of is Yu Yan. It reminded him of the days when he failed his exams because he answered all the questions in the exam but the only answer he wrote for all the questions is ''Yu Yan'', all his teachers were confused but they didn''t know who Yu Yan is since they were going to different schools, in the end, he ended up getting suspended for a week for messing with his teachers and joking with his exams even though it wasn''t intentional. The round-shaped walk-in closet is of course not designed in a mediocre manner, every corner of the room was painted with a gold colour and the curtains in the closet are all coloured red, at the centre of the closet is an extra-large glass shelf filled with his jewellery, chains and cufflinks made of gold and silver, over fifty watches of different brands are displayed in another part of the shelf, some watches are diesel watches, gold, silver, titanium and others costing fortunes, accessories like bows and ties are also well arranged in the shelf. Round the closet are compartments for the different categories of clothing he possesses, the formal and informal ones are well arranged while the suits are kept in protective covers to prevent them from being damaged. He walked over to the compartment for his denim trousers, he ran his hand through their sides as he walked past them, trying to make a choice on what to wear when his eyes caught a jumped blue denim trouser, he decided to wear that then he walked over to the compartment for his turtle-necked top, he picked a black turtle neck top. Standing in front of the mirror, he was satisfied with what he picked, running his hands through his hair, he turned to look at his image from another angle and decided that it is indeed perfect for the new impression he wants to make on her....maybe not new, the old impression. The dark blue denim trouser reaching up to his ankle made the look even more casual, then he picked a perfect pair of dark blue sneakers reaching his ankle, he decided that it is the perfect match for a casual but serious look. His hands grazed through the glass edges of the glass shelf at the centre of the closet in search of nice looking watch that is not too flashy or too formal but he couldn''t find any until he got to the end of the shelf, he found just what he was looking for, a black quartz watch although very expensive, it doesn''t look its price, his look was now complete. The only thing left is to style his hair, he sat on the dresser containing all the things he needs to style his hair, he first of all trimmed his hair before anything else then he used a wave cream on his hair, he styled his hair in a messy wave then he ruffled it with his hand and pushed it back to make it look perfect. If his bros were there to see how meticulous he was in styling his hair, they would have fainted in shock, since he has never really cared about that, he entered his bedroom and picked up his wallet on his side table then the terrifying thought of what he had forgotten flashed into his head. His hands had just touched the wallet then he suddenly remembered the lie he told... -------- "ehmmn....where else would I have gotten it from if not from Jia Yu?" --------- He felt his head spinning around, he intended to call Jia Yu and ask her to send Yu Yan''s address again after he drops her home since she was bothering him with too much question but now that he didn''t, if Yu Yan eventually asks her Jia Yu would definitely spill the beans. Without thinking further, he picked up the wallet and ran downstairs like his life depends on it, the door at the entrance opened itself without wasting his time and he thanked the sensor for doing its job fast, the staffs in charge of cleaning downstairs greeted him as he ran past them but none of them got a reply, not even a nod, it felt like a gust of wind just blew past them. "Young master Han!" a woman in her sixties called out as she walked towards him, recognising the voice, he turned back with a helpless look on his face ''now is not the time nanny'', he turned to glance at her for a moment then he bowed his head. "nanny, I will speak to you later, feel free to enter the house!" he shouted then he turned back and continues running towards the garage, entering the garage and sighting the Volvo XC90 T8 Hybrid, he quickly hopped into it. "oh, s***!" he quickly pressed the start button of his car and drove out of the compound, he pressed another button to initiate the autopilot mode then he dialled Jia Yu''s mobile while the car drove itself out of the mansion, he bit his lower lips as he waited for Jia Yu to pick the call. "Hello, brother," Jia Yu''s cheerful voice sounded "oh thank God, did your friend call you or ask you anything?" Han Chen asked, referring to her as ''friend'' to make them sound not close and to avoid unnecessary questions from Jia Yu which is inevitable. "Brother, why were you two together yesterday?" Jia Yu curious self asked, she didn''t need to ask who he is referring to after last night. "Do you really have to ask? just answer my question first then I will answer yours," Han Chen answered, he was almost pissed off by her curious personality which makes her dig into everything she is ever curious of. "She came to work this morning and the first thing she did was ask if I told you her house address but I said no since you ended the call yesterday before I could tell you,why...." "oh my gosh!" Han Chen exclaimed "By the way, how did you find out about her house address?" Jia Yu asked again "Bye," Han Chen replied, ending the call. "Brother, Han Chen, Han Chen!" she moved the phone away from her ear realizing that he deceived her. "Jerk! tch," then she dipped her phone in the pocket of her white coat. "What in the world is going on between those two, they are both acting different and at the same time, there is definitely more to this than meets the eye," Jia Yu concluded but her pissed off look immediately changed as soon as she sighted him, she collected the cup of iced americano from Ji Chen who had just returned with one cup for her then she returned back to her department. ------- "I just knew it, what am I going to tell her now," he pressed the button again, removing the car from the autopilot mode, he drove speedily trying to rack his brains for an excuse to give when she interrogates him, he knows that once he loses her trust, he might not be able to gain it again so he has to be careful and faultless before her. "I asked the police for your address, no no no no stupid," "I asked Jia Yu''s boyfriend, no, she is no fool to believe that," "hmmmn, I was passing by that area when I saw you come out of that apartment that was how I found out.....she is going to think I am a pervert," "I need to find something, a better excuse..." he raised his head only to find that his car is only one inch away from the car in front of him. he quickly braked the car while his body jammed the steering wheel, then an idea came into his head. "Yeah, I can just say that I checked her phone GPS to check for her house address but I lied to her so that she wouldn''t find out that I invaded her privacy..." he leaned back for a moment to crosscheck his excuse. "Perfect!" then he started the car again and drove off not knowing that the person whose car he almost hit had already alighted from his car and was hitting his window to force him to come down from his car but because he was too engrossed with his search for an excuse, he didn''t notice him, leaving the man on the ground after he drove off. The man opened his mouth in shock thinking that the person inside the luxurious car had intended to kill by driving off even though he was standing by his window. - - - - - "I knew it, he lied to me there is something strange about him and I must figure it out..." she kept on ranting to herself as she walked past the nurses and patients she is familiar with without greeting them and ignoring their greetings, the only thing in her mind at the moment is how she is going to interrogate Han Chen to make him confess his intentions in getting close to her. "Firstly why would he give his sister''s friend his expensive car when we are not even close, secondly, why did he let me sleep in his house when I was drunk, why couldn''t he call Jia Yu to take me home, no no no no, why did he even call me to treat him in his house and I stupidly went there but of course, I wasn''t worried about him...." she kept on ranting, still speaking to her self with the cup of coffee in her hand and the patient''s chart in her other hand, she just wasn''t conscious of her surrounding anymore. {What is she talking about, is she referring to my brother?} Jia Yu asked inwardly, she had noticed Yu Yan walking absentmindedly after getting a cup of coffee from the vending machine, she called her repeatedly but it fell on deaf ears so she decided to follow her, as a result, she ended up hearing her absentminded soliloquy instead. "He even drove me to my house, he could have just woken me up, if we have never seen each other prior to our meeting in Jia Yu''s villa, why would he do that...?" "So if I hadn''t followed you, you wouldn''t have told me about you and my brother?" Jia Yu queried in a loud voice, startling Yu Yan who dropped her cup of coffee, spilling it on her white coat. "Jia Yu, since when did you arrive?" Yu Yan asked with her hands placed on her chest in relief. "Do you even know where you are?" Jia Yu asked, prompting Yu Yan to look around, she realized that she is in an elevator then she looked at the set of buttons to know what floor she is going to.... Chapter 149 - My Brother Has Fallen In Love! "Jia Yu, since when did you arrive?" Yu Yan asked with her hands placed on her chest in relief. "Do you even know where you are?" Jia Yu asked, prompting Yu Yan to look around, she realized that she is in an elevator then she looked at the set of buttons to know what floor she is going to...?? "first floor!" Yu Yan shouted in shock with her eyes widened, while Jia Yu crossed her arms on her chest with her lips scrunched up. "What am I doing here, this is the third time I am entering the elevator now?" Yu Yan asked loudly with her widened eyes gazing at Jia Yu. "Are you sure you should be asking me that question, don''t you think it is time we talk about you and my brother...no that jerk?" Jia Yu questioned with an accusing look in her eyes, Yu Yan stared at her without saying anything for some seconds then she realized that there is definitely no way out of what she has gotten herself into, once Jia Yu starts digging, you won''t rest until she finds out what she wants to know, she fluttered her lashes in guilt. "What are you talking about, why would I have anything to say about your brother?" Yu Yan questioned in guilt while her eyes averted Jia Yu''s accusing gaze. "Don''t bother lying to me, I heard everything you said just now, moreover you have to explain why you were with my brother last night," the look on her face was just too obvious that she won''t relent, at this point, Yu Yan realized that she has no other choice than to spill the truth before Han Chen ends up doing it and making the situation worse. Just then, the elevator door opened, arriving at the first floor, Jia Yu pulls Yu Yan''s hand and walked towards the cafe but just as they walked past the revolving door, Han Chen dashed past them with a distressed look on his face, the both of them stopped while they watched him take in a deep breath to compose himself like he was going for an interview, Jia Yu dropped Yu Yan''s hand while she folded her arms on her chest, Yu Yan scoffed upon seeing him and licked her lips, finally the person she wants to interrogate most is here, she had almost forgotten about Jia Yu''s case. "I didn''t even need to find you, very good...." Yu Yan muttered "Jerk!" "Han Chen!" the both of them chorused in unison, not minding the people that were passing by, everyone turned to look at them including Han Chen who was about to take a step forward, his shoulders dropped upon seeing the both of them together. "the interrogators..." he softly remarked, while everyone went about their business, Jia Yu turned to look at Yu Yan with an amused look but Yu Yan just looked at her confusingly, she didn''t understand what she did to earn that look. "Han Chen..." she scoffed, Yu Yan quickly realized her mistake, calling him Han Chen has made the situation worse. "Since when did you two become close that you now call him by his name, seems like you both have a lot of confessing and explanation to do..." Jia Yu softly spoke, returning her gaze to the terrified person standing away from them while Yu Yan followed suit, seeing as he still wasn''t coming to them., she decided to invite him. She slowly walked towards him with an evil smile on her lips, Han Chen realized at that moment that whatever she is planning to do, it certainly isn''t something good but he still couldn''t run away because of Yu Yan, he still has to clarify the situation. "Jerk, Liar...." standing on her toes, she managed to reach his ear, she pulled his ear and squeezed it while she walked back to where Yu Yan stood, Yu Yan widened her eyes in shock and covered her mouth with both hands, even the people passing by were also shocked at the sight of a well dressed and tall grown-up man being pulled by the ear by a female doctor of average build. "Jia Yu...Jia Yu wait, wait, you are embarrassing me..." Han Chen squealed, it has been long since he has gone through such a dilemma before, he might look like he is in charge but In truth, Jia Yu is the one in charge. "I don''t care, anyways, Ji Chen isn''t here to see this side of me, you lied to me," Jia Yu replied still pulling his ear, she was now standing with Yu Yan who was still looking shocked and somewhat terrified that her ear might also get pulled, she quickly uncovered her mouth to protect her ears. "Why are you..." "Jia Yu!" a voice called from behind, recognising the voice, her eyes widened, she slowly turned back with an innocent look on her face but her hand still pulling her helpless cousin''s ear. "Let me go..." Han Chen squealed again but this time, she quickly released his ear. "Ji Chen," she pronounced while her shoulders dropped, she couldn''t believe that he caught her pulling her cousin''s ear, she closed her eyes tightly and covered her face in shame but Ji Chen was amused, he just knew that she is someone who is capable of doing something so outrageous, an amused laugh escaped his mouth. ------ "So spill it, what is happening?" the both of them were now seated in front of the interrogators, Ji Chen and Jia Yu in a secluded part of the cafe, the both of them cowered their heads like teenagers who had just been caught in a secret rendezvous. "There is nothing going on, why are you so nosy? bye, I am taking my leave," Han Chen answered firmly, then he stood up from his seat while Jia Yu still had an evil smile lingering on her lips. "Are you sure you want to leave? when last did I speak to mum, she will be so excited when I tell her that you have returned home, from what I can see, It doesn''t seem like your stay will end anytime soon so why don''t I tell her that you have been suspended from the mili...." "Jia Yu!" Han Chen quickly shouted to stop her from spilling the beans, he quickly hushed with her eyes gazing at his seat, he immediately sat down obediently but helplessly. "go on..." Ji Chen watched in amusement as his girlfriend controlled her seemingly domineering older brother but he was also curious to know what was going on. "We..." "I will do the talking," Yu Yan interjected him. "It isn''t what you are thinking, we only met a few time after we hung out together, I was coming back from an appointment when I met him one day beating up some men, we transported them to a nearby hospital then we separated but he later called me to treat his wound...." Yu Yan hesitated, not wanting to tell them that she has actually been to his mansion. "Where?" Jia Yu asked seeing that she hesitated just at the denouement. "at my house," Han Chen replied, while the other two looked at him in shock. "Brother, you never let anyone into your house, I don''t even know when last I was allowed in there, why did you..." "What are you talking about, when did I say no one is allowed to come?" Han Chen quickly defended to avert the suspiciousness arousing in Yu Yan''s mind. "Brother..." "Do you still want to hear the story or not?" "Alright, go on," Jia Yu said still raising doubts in her mind. "so we drank together and we both got drunk so she slept at my house, her car broke down the next day so I lent her one of my cars to take to work, after that I got stranded so I pleaded with her to pick me up with my car which she did after much persuasion, when we got to my house I offered her a drink and she fell asleep so I took her home since that I am the cause of her stress, that is all!" Han Chen concluded, Yu Yan heaved a sigh of relief seeing how simple and short his narration was and he thankfully omitted some things. "So what you are saying is that you, the brother I know gave her your car, someone you just met and you let her into your mansion, when you were stranded, you didn''t call me but you called her to pick you up," Jia Yu summarized in surprise of her brother''s shocking narration, the brother she knows has never gotten close to any girl despite their huge family connections ever since he left high school not to talk of letting someone apart from her and her parents into his mansion, he even offered her drinks in his house. If this isn''t suspicious then what is! Ji Chen doesn''t know Han Chen that much except for the things Jia Yu told him about her brother but he was surprised that Yu Yan, whom he has known for years to be restrained when it comes to strangers or anyone outside their friend group actually let her guard down with Han Chen, she has never even gotten drunk with anyone apart from them. But she actually got drunk in his house! "Brother, are you in love with her?" "Don''t you love Chen Kai anymore?" The couple asked in unison. "Of course not, what are you talking about?!" the both of them answered in unison, they turned to glance at each other, they quickly averted each other''s gaze. "Brother, I told you that she has a boyfriend," Jia Yu stressed still convicted that her brother has finally fallen in love but with the wrong person. "I didn''t ask..." Han Chen drawled. "Brother in law..." Before he could even say anything to make the situation worse, Han Chen had already glared at him, he hastily swallowed his words back. "Jia Yu, this isn''t what you think it is, you are overthinking this issue," Yu Yan said in defence. "No, I am sure of what I am saying and you, this is not something you would do, If I wasn''t sure of your feelings for Chen Kai, I would have suspected that you are also in love with my brother," "nonsense, I am done!" Han Chen said in resolution then he stood up from his seat and held Yu Yan''s hand, pulling her up, he dragged her out of the cafe even though all eyes were on them seeing surgeon Yu Yan getting pulled by a charming and well-built guy, the rumours will definitely spread like fire. Jia Yu and Ji Chen turned back until both of them were out of sight, Jia Yu opened her mouth slightly in shock, she couldn''t believe it before but now, she has just confirmed it, her brother definitely is in love with Yu Yan, this would have been good news to her but considering how much Yu Yan loves Chen Kai, the both of them will never be. "Why are you taking this too seriously?" Ji Chen asked, looking at Jia Yu who is wearing a distressed look on her face. "You don''t know my brother, My brother has only fallen in love once in his life and my parents have been trying to help him open up with other girls but he has refused, he once had a girlfriend that he was going to introduce to us after my mum caught him sneaking her into his mansion but the next day, an accident occurred and he has never looked at any other female as a woman or even try to get close to them," Jia Yu explained, she felt sad knowing that the same thing that happened before might happen again, she felt the need to inform her parents of this before the situation gets worse but Ji Chen still couldn''t understand why she had such a reaction. "That is really bad but how does that concern the situation?" Ji Chen asked in confusion. "Don''t you get it? my brother who is always cold to women has never talked to any woman unless necessary or tried to get close to any woman but he allowed Yu Yan into his house and called her to treat him when he could have gone to a hospital or call me, I didn''t want Yu Yan to feel uncomfortable around him that was why I didn''t say this but...." she hesitated for a moment. "But what..." "My brother is not good at memorizing numbers but there is only one person''s number he has ever memorized and that is the girl he dated in high school before the accident, my brother said he lost his phone when he was stranded but how did he manage to call Yu Yan if he didn''t have her number?" "oh oh oh...he memorised her number" Ji Chen replied, if what Jia Yu said about her seemingly cold brother when it comes to women then he must really be in love with Yu Yan. "My brother has fallen in love again, which is a miracle but he and Yu Yan are never going to be," "Wait, are you shipping Yu Yan and Chen Kai instead of your brother, really, where does your loyalty lie?" Ji Chen asked, he has never really liked Chen Kai anyways so he is now a hundred per cent on his brother-in-law''s side. "This isn''t about my loyalty, don''t you know how much Yu Yan loves Chen Kai and how much he loves her, she will never fall in love with my brother" "That''s true, although I have never said this to Yu Yan, don''t you think Chen Kai is too selfish, he hasn''t introduced her to his parents even though they have been dating for so long and we all know that his parents might not accept her because of Xiaomeng," Chapter 150 - Shipping Han Yu! "This isn''t about my loyalty, don''t you know how much Yu Yan loves Chen Kai and how much he loves her, she will never fall in love with my brother" "That''s true, although I have never said this to Yu Yan, don''t you think Chen Kai is too selfish, he hasn''t introduced her to his parents even though they have been dating for so long and we all know that his parents might not accept her because of Xiaomeng," Ji Chen criticized, even if everyone thinks that Yu Yan and Chen Kai should still persist in their relationship, he has always held a different opinion from them, for him, Chen Kai and Yu Yan are not meant to be, moreover, the fact that he still hasn''t introduced her to his parents even though they have been dating ever since they were in university, for him, it felt like Chen Kai doesn''t have what it takes to stand against his parents if his parents refuse their relationship.?? "I also think the same way as you but it is really up to them to sort out their relationship, I wanted to speak to Yu Yan about it but you know how much she loved Chen Kai, if you tell her that she will feel sad so make sure you don''t say that in front of her," Jia Yu warned with a gentle look on her face, her brother''s love issue has made her too concerned to be happy for the rest of that day, seeing as her brows are still furrowed, he smiled inwardly at how caring and concerned she can be sometimes towards the people she loves. "Okay, come here..." he pulled her towards his chest and placed her head on his chest while he caressed her hair and sighed deeply, she could feel her worries disappear momentarily just by resting her head on his broad chest. "I just hope his feelings don''t go too far," she mumbled softly. - - - - - - "Let me go!" Yu Yan shouted as she flung her hand away from his grip with a deep frown on her face, not because she is angry but because of the embarrassment he has caused her while everyone''s eyes fell on them as he dragged her out of the hospital, into the park. He felt suffocated just hearing them ask those questions and probing him, Jia Yu reminded him of when he lost Yu Yan and he didn''t want to think of it nor be reminded of how he failed to protect her back then, he wanted to spill everything back there that Yu Yan is the girl he loved in high school and confess to her again or make her remember their past but he couldn''t not when he wasn''t sure if Yu Yan would be hurt in the process. "uh I am sorry," He apologized and composed himself to prevent her from suspecting that what they were saying is really true. "You, are you..." "Don''t think nonsense, don''t tell me you believe what Jia Yu is speculating," the look on his face showed that he is really serious but she couldn''t believe him, he has been too strange for her to believe that he really doesn''t have feelings for her, after all, most guys fancy her the moment they set their eyes on her, if not for her coldness and indifference towards them, she would have a cavalry of suitors following behind her, despite her middle-class status. "Are you sure?" she questioned in doubt with her eyes squinted at him, but he just scoffed. "Don''t you think I am the one who should be suspecting you, who said I was an anomaly and...." "In your dreams, You are the one who is single and I have already informed you that I have a boyfriend so you had better discard any feelings you have for me," Yu Yan quickly snapped, she inwardly acknowledged that she is indeed strange every time they are together, but in her heart, she is convinced that it doesn''t mean that she has any feelings for him. not even a tingle when she still has Chen Kai in her life. "Think whatever you want," Han Chen responded, not wanting to drag the issue for much longer. "Why did you pull my hand publicly, even though only a few people saw us, do you know what rumours the staffs are going to spread around the hospital now," Yu Yan complained, replacing the neutral look on her face with an embarrassed look, she doesn''t even know how she is going to walk around the hospital now that the few people that saw them are going to spread rumours about the both of them. "oh, I am sorry about that, I wanted to leave and at the same time tell you something so I wasn''t thinking very straight," she was amazed at how gentlemanly his apology, she wasn''t even expecting him to apologise, especially since they always bicker. "uh...what did you want to tell me?" "You must have asked Jia Yu to confirm if I really got your address from her so I just wanted to clarify that...." "Thank God you brought it up yourself, I am beginning to suspect you, why did you lie about how you found out about my address and confess how you really got it...now!" Yu Yan bellowed, the look in her eyes now showed her suspiciousness and the anger she is feeling towards him. "I...I checked your phone''s GPS and searched home in case if you have your house address in there, that was how I found it but I didn''t want you to know that I invaded your privacy," he ended his confession with a note of uncertainty, the last time he opened her phone he saw that she has a GPS app on her phone but he wasn''t sure if she has actually had her home address on the GPS. if she doesn''t then his lie would be busted straight away. "oh, you should have just said that before instead of lying to me, I almost thought you are a pervert," Yu Yan responded with a tone of relief resounding in her voice, she doesn''t understand why but she felt relieved that he is not someone she has to avoid for being creepy, while Han Chen who has been holding his breath while he waited to her to speak released his breath with a relieved smile on his lips. "Did you come to my workplace to tell me this or...." "Yes!" he replied abruptly, he stopped when he realized how abrupt his quick answer was even before she could complete her sentence, she was also surprised at his energetic answer but she didn''t want to dwell on it. "uh...my conscience kept bugging me for lying to you so I wanted to tell you the truth to let it off my chest," he quickly added to absolve the awkward situation while she nodded to his explanation, she dipped one of her hands into her coat pocket and used the other to brush her wavy hair away from her view. "I have to go in now and I still have to clean up the mess you have caused for me, I wonder how many people I will have to explain our relationship to, have a good day," She ended with a goodbye note and turned to leave, he had more to say but he didn''t bother stopping her, he just watched her back view until she was out of sight, the tone she spoke to him in was quite different from the usual way she would speak to him or someone she wants to keep her distance from, he realized that she is already starting to let down her guard when she is with him based on his previous understanding of her, she must not be aware of it herself. "Have a good day...." he reminisced her ending words again and dipped his hands into his denim pocket then he turned to leave with a lingering smile on his lips. Meanwhile, as soon as she entered the revolving doors of the hospital, all eyes were on her, if they are to rank all the female staffs by their beauty, everyone knows that Yu Yan would definitely rank first but they have never seen her with any guy in a way that would suggest that they have a special relationship but seeing the well built and super handsome guy with a sexy hairstyle drag surgeon Yu Yan out, they were all convinced that she has finally met her match, a prince who can match a princess. She pushed her hair back as she walked to the elevator in embarrassment, is she supposed to hold a mic and shout that they are all misunderstanding their relationship? "Surgeon Yu Yan, you didn''t tell us that you have a boyfriend, we are quite offended," Nurse song Yi remarked while some other nurses nodded in agreement to her remark. "Nurse Song, it isn''t what you guys are thinking, he is not my boyfriend, he is Jia Yu''s brother," Yu Yan explained, desperately hoping that they will just take it as she has said. "You mean surgeon Jia Yu...then that is even better, you shouldn''t miss him, he is too good-looking for you to miss," Nurse Song responded with a smile on her lips, Yu Yan understood the meaning behind that smile, in fact, she is going to have to see their smile on everyone''s face when they start shipping her and Han Chen. {Hopefully, Chen Kai doesn''t come back to meet this rumour} She remarked inwardly The last thing she wants is for Chen Kai to come back and hear everyone shipping her and Han Chen but she also didn''t want to continue the conversation knowing that the more you refute it, the more they won''t believe what you say, she simply nodded her head shyly and walked away while the nurses continued chatting as they watched her until they left her sight. She entered into her shared office only to find their eyes on her as soon as she opened the door except for Xiaomeng who is not in the office which she is quite relieved of considering the argument she will have to get into with Xiaomeng if she hears of this new guy, they looked at her with a quizzical look on their faces, she sighed knowing that they will also bombard her with questions, if she could, she would have closed the door and run away but it is better now than later...she thought. She closed the door and slumped on her seat with her hands folded. "Ask away," "What is up with you and the prince charming we heard about, almost everyone in the hospital is talking about the both of you, are you cheating on Chen Kai without us knowing," An Ke asked, her curiosity and nosy character has earned her the title of the best gossiper in their friend group, if An Ke doesn''t ask first then who else will? "Do you think I will cheat on Chen Kai?" She asked with a disappointed look in her eyes. "I kind of wish you did though since...." She stopped when she noticed Yu Yan''s glare and Li Chen''s scolding gaze then she raised her hand in surrender and covered her mouth. "They are talking about Jia Yu''s brother," She said after a soft chuckle at An Ke''s surrendering gestures. "You are going out with Jia Yu''s brother!!" the both of them questioned in unison and aloud, Yu an''s eyes bulged as she looked outside the glass door to see if anybody heard them, when she confirmed that no one was looking towards their office, she heaved a sigh of relief and turned to glare at the both of them who were still looking at her with shock written on their faces. "Are you guys for real? even if everyone misunderstands, I don''t expect you guys to," Yu Yan responded to their speculation which she considers really nonsensical considering their years of friendship, she was sort of disappointed that they don''t really know her enough. "But he is really handsome though and he has this charming and sturdy build, who wouldn''t like a guy like that, Jia Yu is really lucky that she gets to see that face..." An Ke remarked with her hands folded on her shoulder and her face in a dreamy state. "An Ke!" Li Chen snapped, he was jealous of seeing her imagining another guy in her head, she regained her senses then she suddenly placed her hands on her table and looked at them with a naughty look, they knew that whatever she wants to say is definitely not something good. "What do you think he will look like if he appears before you in a bathrobe after taking a bath, I can imagine seeing his abs and the water dripping from his hair...oh my gosh, that would be so sexy," An Ke said, her face looked like he was right in front of her in a bathrobe exposing his abs and drops of water dripping from his water but Li Chen just nodded his head at her not knowing what else to say. "Why are you asking me that, did I say I have seen it before?" Yu Yan retorted with a flustered look on her face and her eyes fluttering, she picked up the book on the table and started fanning herself but Li Chen and An Ke exchanged glances before looking at her again. {What is wrong with her} !! "Did anyone say you have seen him...or did you really see it?" An Ke and Li Chen gazed at her with suspiciousness in their eyes. "What are you saying? when did I and why will I?" Yu Yan snapped, trying to compose herself but the images of that day kept popping into her head. "If You say so, I have to leave now, I have a surgery to perform in twenty minutes time," An Ke said then she stood up from her seat while Li Chen did the same. "Me too," then both of them left the office, she dropped the book in her hand on the table... The image of him in the oversized red robe exposing his broad chest and the water dripping from his hair, the closeup view she got of him when she slipped... She shook her head to get rid of the thought. Chapter 151 - Father, I Will Show You! 1 In the wind sect, three days later. After the flame sect leaders were called to the court following the meeting, the news of the flame sect coming out of their seclusion has spread throughout the whole country, even the neighbouring countries heard about their sudden appearance, everyone had their own speculation of what the effect of the flame sect coming out of their shell is going to have on the country while some were thinking of how to use them to their benefit, people like the prime minister and neighbouring countries.?? After all, the world knows that the second young mistress of the flame was taken from the flame sect because of the emperor''s decree, considering how evil the sect is (in their hearts) they might be harbouring the intention of going against the emperor. All the sects were waiting for the news from the court, they were all aware of sect madam Huo and Huo Ying''s return to the flame sect but they just couldn''t tell what the emperor''s intention is, so they still had hope that the flame sect might still be eradicated if the court manages to convict the flame sect with substantial evidence or witness that they cannot refuse. Everyone except for the sect leader of the wind sect were anxious, he knows how much the emperor fears the past influence and power of the flame sect and considering Huo Jingyu influence back in the day, it is not impossible for their past glory to be revived, he was convinced that the emperor will surely do what is best, which is to use this chance to finally get rid of the flame sect, so everything and everyone in the wind sect weren''t bothered by the probability of the emperor bringing down the flame sect, except for Lin Bohai. Not a day passed by without him waiting anxiously for the news of what the court has decided since it determines the life and death of the woman he loves but has never had the chance to be with or spend time with. Meng Hui kept her distance away from him during these three days, she was almost like a walking dead sometimes or a ticking bomb, her change in character ever since Lin Bohai used his authority over her and treated her like she is just a normal fellow disciple to him, not someone he finds special. The disciples were always careful during their training whenever she is the one in charge of their training, any slight mistake and you will end up getting beaten up by her since she will use you as her sparring partner, after her father noticed her change in character he asked her about it and as usual, she complained to her father. This added more trouble to Lin Bohai''s plate who was already on his father''s bad side for allowing such a ridiculous fight to take place in the sect and allowing Huo Ying to have the upper hand, moreover, he still suspects Lin Bohai of divulging the information of his plan to the flame sect because of his initial opposition to his father''s plan and the fact that he is the only person his father told of his plan, hearing the first elder complain to him about the way he treated Meng Hui over Huo Ying enraged him even more. On the training ground, Lin Bohai was leading some of the high ranking disciples in their training with his hands crossed behind him while he watched them summon their Qi and use it to control the wind, the stronger the wind they control is, the stronger they are. He smiled seeing that the disciples of the wind sect are doing well but the image of his fight with Huo Ying and the guardian''s intervention flashed in his head frequently, the fact that he used his half of his real strength but he still couldn''t beat her disturbed him and it also made him feel angry towards himself, he spent the past three days training hard and today is only an exception because he has to lead the training. - - - - "Do you think I am even using up to thirty per cent of my power against you, you are not worth it, as I previously told you, killing you is as easy as lifting my hand but I don''t want to kill you...at least not now" "I will kill you..." "I will rip you to pieces and burn your carcass.....no...no I have a better way to make you feel immeasurable pain, you don''t deserve to die easily with what you have done," "This is not the end of it, if anything happens to her then I promise that I will make you feel immeasurable pain, you had better pray..." Although he didn''t see her eyes clearly, he was sure that he had seen a flash of red and the murderous intent he felt was too suppressing, he still wasn''t sure if she truly didn''t use up to thirty per cent of her power against him. He clenched his fist remembering the incident that day, his self-esteem and pride have greatly been affected and he felt the urge to grow stronger for the first time since he has been considered a genius for as long as he can remember. "Young master!" "Young master!" The disciple calling him glanced at the other disciples in confusion, he didn''t know what to do since the young master wasn''t answering him and they have also noticed that he had been absent-minded during the training since he only watched them a few times before drowning in his thoughts again. "Young master!!" the disciples called louder than he did before, he unclenched his fist and turned to look at who was calling him. "What is it?" he asked in a slightly annoyed tone. "I am sorry to disturb you but the sect leader has called for you," his brows furrowed at the mention of his father, his father hasn''t sought for him ever since he punished him and watched him train hard, in his mind, he concluded that whatever is father is calling him for is definitely not something good. He looked to his other side and turned to look at the disciples again. "Alright," he got down from the podium where he watched the disciples train but he was almost off the training ground when his eyes caught the domineering figure of his father coming towards him. {does this mean trouble} He thought inwardly! The deep frown on his father''s face as he came closer to him confirmed his suspicion. Three days ago... WHACK!! His father''s hand brushed crossed his face but he still cowered his head, not daring to look into his father''s eyes, this is what happens when his father''s pride has been hurt or he lost his face. "You not only gave sect leader Zhou a black spot on you, but you also made me lose face before the flame sect!" his father raged angrily, with chest rising up and down and his eyes widened. "Father, I can assure you that I have done nothing wrong to make you lose face, Tang Fan made a scene in the restaurant to make us compete so I had to agree to it but I didn''t think that he would suggest a gambling competition, I only did what I did too...." before he could say another word, another slap was sent across his face. "I am disappointed in you, I have spent many years trying to surpass the flame sect and now that I am almost there everything has started going wrong, as my son who I place all my expectations on, I expect you to assist me but you have failed me, get out!!" his father shouted with his back turned at him. "Father..." he mumbled softly Then he turned to leave. ----- {Is father going to do the same thing...} He pondered in his mind, the thought of his father hitting him in front of the disciples and the elders didn''t seem like something he would want to experience, with the dark and domineering figure of his father now standing in front of him, he lowered his head and raised his cupped hands. "Father," he greeted and raised his head a little to see his father''s expression again. "Sect leader!!" the disciples at the training ground chorused but the sect leader simply raised his hand to give a dismissal wave, then they raised their head but the sect leader''s lips unexpectedly curved into a faint smile. He truly didn''t know what that smile means, should he be relieved or alarmed? Then he felt his father touch on his shoulder, gently tapping his shoulder with his smile widening, he finally let his guard down and reciprocated the smile thinking that his father has regained his confidence and pride in him but the next thing he felt was a sharp pain running through his bones. He looked at his shoulder with a pained expression and turned to glance at his father again with a quizzical look on his face, his eyes meeting those dark eyes and yet with a smile on his lips making him realize that his father is very far from regaining his confidence in him but he knew better than to groan in pain or wince, he simply stood still with a faint smile on his lips while he endured the pain of his father Qi violently running through his shoulder. But everyone around was oblivious of his pain. He almost couldn''t take it anymore so he decided to break the silence before his shoulder becomes useless. "I wonder what business father has here today?" Lin Bohai questioned, leaving his father no choice but to stop the silent torture. "ah, I have been focusing on my cultivation that I have forgotten about my duties so today, I have decided to see how far the disciples have gotten and I am quite impressed," the sect leader answered with a proud smile on his lips, he is indeed proud of his disciple but not the son standing in front of him. "Thank you, sect leader" they chorused with pride. "Son, it has been long since I had a good look at your skills since I have been too busy, what about this, why don''t I test how good you have gotten after these years," sect leader Lin suggested with a fatherly look on his face but looking into his father''s eyes, he could tell that this is not just a test. {This is not a test} He reminded himself! "I am afraid that I might disappoint father, how could I possibly be compared to you, your years of cultivation and experience almost insurmountable," Lin Boahi responded with reverence and a little hint of fear that is only visible to his father showing on his face but the foolish disciples didn''t know what was going on, except for the first elder. "Senior disciple,!" "Senior disciple!" "Senior disciple," He turned his head slightly to glance at the disciples then he shut his eyes knowing that the foolish disciples are leaving him no way out of the trouble he is about to get into, he gritted his teeth and shut and eyes tightly before opening them again to look into his father''s dark orbs and the smile on his lips. At that moment, he regained confidence in himself, he wouldn''t believe that he won''t be able to do any harm to his father no matter how small it is even if he can''t win against him considering the huge gap between their cultivation level and his father''s fighting experiences. "If father insists then...please," his hands getsured towards the middle of the training ground, while his father smiled at him and followed his direction, he walked behind his father until they got to the middle of the training ground where is father removed his outer robe and handed it to one of the disciples. "I will not hold back my strength so you had better show me your real prowess," his father warned, he wasn''t expecting his father to hold back anyways but he was sure that he wouldn''t go as far as doing any great damage to his own son. {Father, I will show you that I am the only genius of my generation and a son who will be able to lead the wind sect to it''s glory, a son you should be proud of...} He said inwardly, but the look in his eyes conveyed his thoughts to his father who smirked at his confidence. "I will, father," he replied and summoned his Qi, to beat his father...no, to survive this fight and show everyone that he is not a pathetic loser who should be compared to the young mistress of the flame sect, he must not relent or hold back even one per cent of his power. Blue Qi filled the training ground while the wind stopped blowing in different directions, he waved both hands over each other above his head, then he brought his hands to his chest with one hand above the other, leaving a gap in the middle for his Qi. The wind gathered in the middle of his hand turned into a blue aura while it spun around, his father smirked again, he has always hated that smirk every time it was directed at him. "Hurricane wind!!" he yelled as he waved his hands in the air again while his father stood still. "aaah!!!" "The hurricane wind!" "Isnt that too strong for a test!" "I can''t believe he is going to use the hurricane wind!" "It is not everyday we get to see our young master in a duel, let''s watch in silence," He stretched his hands forwards and directed his power towards sect leader Lin who stood still, until the strong gust of wind reached him, he simply stretched one of his hands forwards and curbed the hurricane before directing it back at Lin Bohai who quickly did a backflip to avoid the impact which is much more stronger than what he used at first. {It didn''t take him any effort to evade my attack, seems like I have to go harder," He thought to himself! The disciple knew that the strength of their sect leader is very great so they were not surrpised at how easily he evaded their young miaster''s attack but the were still surprised that it didn''t even take him much effort, that is if he used any at all. Chapter 152 - Ruyi Pavillon! In Shannanxi. "Master, why do you suddenly want to go out today, it is very rare that you decide to leave the pavilion," Xiaodi questioned as she walked behind Li Ruansong while they roamed the market, she had several sticks of sugar-coated hawthorn in her hand and in her mouth making it hard for her to talk clearly. "One would think that you were forced to come along if they didn''t see you stuffing your self with sugar candies, it is really a pity that master has to take you along with him wherever he goes," Xi Feng remarked with his sword clutched at his side while Li Ruansong smiled at his comment, he had already known what Xiaodi next reaction would be. She joined the sugar candies in both hands together and raised the other hand to hit Xi Feng but Li Ruansong quickly held her hand and pulled her to his side like a father who is gently cautioning his daughter. "Stop being naughty," He remarked and patted her hand while she pouted her mouth and turned back to glare at Xi Feng who was still nodding his head at the spiritual beast turned human who is being pampered by her master like a child. "Sly fox," Xi Feng muttered "Eh...did you just call me a sly fox...master," Xiaodi complained while she sulled holding the hem of her master''s dress. "Xiaodi..." the fourth prince pronounced softly to caution her but she just folded her arms with her sugar-coated candies still in her hand, both men laughed at her childishness then they continued walking forward, leaving her behind. She had expected her master to take her side as he has always done or at least try to soothe her but he unexpectedly walked away with Xi Feng and they are even laughing at her. "hmmph!" she unfolded her hand and pulled all the sugar-coated hawthorn into her mouth before stomping her feet as she walked past them in an angry manner, the volume of Xi Feng laughter increased as he watched her walk past them in a fit of rage. "Xi Feng..." "I am sorry master but she is just too childish and I cannot hold myself from teasing her," Xi Feng apologised seeing that his master is back to being his spiritual beast doting master, Xiaodi is probably the most doted on spiritual beast in the world as far as those in the blossom Pavillion are concerned. She has always managed to get away with everything she does and Li Ruansong treats her like his biological sister, everyone in the blossom pavilion always cater to her needs to avoid her throwing a tantrum in the presence of the fourth prince but it has always been fun to tease her. "Xiaodi is a spirit beast and her senses are not yet fully developed, she is still like a child so you all should stop teasing her," Li Ruansong said in a soft tone while he walked faster to catch up with Xiaodi but it didn''t take much effort to find her since she was already distracted by the steamed buns stall in front of her but she didn''t have any money with her to pay for it so she has to wait for Li Ruansong to find her like he always does since their senses are connected. "Master!" she walked towards him excitedly, she nudged at his sleeve and pulled him to the steamed buns stall and pointed at the freshly cooked steamed buns with her mouth pouted and her lashes fluttering, he chuckled at her sudden cute act which has never failed its purpose then he gave her the whole pouch of money to order whatever she wants while Xi Feng widened his eyes at how generous his master is when it comes to the naughty spiritual beast. Seeing his envious expression, she stuck out her tongue and waggled it with her eyes closed and her hands placed behind her ear while she shook them to annoy him, he widened his eyes and tilted his head in annoyance seeing how ridiculous she is now that her master is once again doting on her. "Master, I want this, this and this," she said in an excited tone, pointing her finger at the steamed bun and some other pastries that are sold in the store. "You can have them all, I will leave with Xi Feng, make sure to find me when you are done," the fourth prince instructed softly then he nodded at Xi Feng who nodded back at him with a serious expression which means that they are back to serious business. "Hmmn," Xiaodi responded and turned to the stall owner to make her order while the fourth prince and Xi Feng walked away. They walked past many shops and stalls while almost every woman''s eyes were on them as they walked past, the people don''t know that he is the owner of the blossom pavilion nor his identity as the fourth prince since no one has never seen his face but they are stunned by the handsome duo walking past, they are more mesmerized by the handsomeness of the man in front who seems to be a noble judging from how he is dressed. His all-black dressing consisting of a black cape and black robe with a simple black pin to hold his hair in place while his coal-black hair relaxed on his back, the only thing tainting the all-black dressing is the gold waistband and the gold sleeve wrapped around his wrist. As he walked past them in a domineering manner, the ladies giggled and tried to get a proper look at his face before he walks past them, with every step he took he managed to captivate their hearts in just a second, they held their handkerchief tightly in their hand while they smiled with a little bit of shyness to get his attention or at least receive a glance from him. "Who is that man?" a young lady in a carriage asked, she looked out the window and noticed that all the ladies walking by are all staring at him even though he is almost out of sight so she couldn''t help but be curious about this person. "Young mistress, this man doesn''t seem like someone who is familiar in Shannanxi, I have always run errands for you but I have never seen him so I don''t know him but I suppose that is why so many women are looking at him," the young maid walking beside her carriage replied, the curious face of the young lady in the carriage glowed with a faint smile watching the man as her carriage went past him. "Does young mistress want me to find out more about him?" the maid asked seeing the faint smile on her young mistress face, the young lady looked out the window again with a little hint of interest in this man showing on her face but the sight of him entering a brothel made her face go dark, she turned away from him with a frown on her face. "Forget it, why will I take interest in a random stranger," she closed the window of the carriage and placed both of her hands on her laps. "Men...always indulging in sensual pleasures," the young lady remarked. The young and dignified ladies from prominent families frowned seeing the young men they were all drooling for entering Ruyi pavilion which is the most famous brothel in Shannanxi and is also known as a frequent visiting place for many prominent men, some even have to travel from the capital and other cities just to visit the brothel. "Young master!!" the female entertainers quickly rushed to meet him as soon as he and Xi Feng entered the brothel, but Xi Feng quickly blocked them with the hand holding his sword stretched in front of the fourth prince, the women quickly halted their steps in front of him while they eyed Xi Feng maliciously for stopping them from gaining a handsome customer. The fourth prince raised his hand to stop him from blocking them, then Xi Feng retreated behind him, the fourth prince gave them an inviting faint smile making them more drawn to him. "Young master, why don''t you come with me, I will..." "come with me young master, I am one of the highest-ranking entertainers, I will take good care of you," "Young master!" "Young master!" "Young master!" They were almost out of control since they weren''t willing to give him a chance to speak, the guest at the pavilion was already curious to know which guest is causing a commotion in the brothel but many entertainers who were already serving other men quickly rushed to see the stunning and charming handsome young man who had just walked into the brothel with his not so bad bodyguard beside him. Seeing the big commotion, the guests were already angry at how they were being ignored for a young man whose status is unknown but before they could do anything about it, a gentle and composed figure walked elegantly to the scene, as soon as she came close to them, the entertainer''s quickly paved way for her in the middle. Her light green dress sweeping the floor as she walked drew attention to her as she walked past the other male guest who had tried their best to get the opportunity to see her but failed several times without number, the gold accessories decorating and holding her hair in place dangled with every step she took and the forehead marking made her look even more beautiful. "young master seems to be a new customer, is there any particular girl you desire or would you like me to pick one for you," the sweet and gentle mesmerizing voice said in a gentle and elegant manner, all the men were immediately drowned in the sweetness of her voice, even Xi Feng was almost carried away but the fourth prince remained unfazed. "eh, who is this young man?" "He must be someone of an important status since he can even make the most beautiful entertainer of Ruyi pavilion to personally come out to greet him," "I doubt it, I have never seen him even though I know all the sons of the high ranking ministers in Shannanxi," "Could it be that he is from the capital," "Probably, he is so lucky to receive such honour," "Miss, you are..." the fourth prince asked, he has visited the pavilion some time ago but he hasn''t seen the lady standing in front of him before. "What!" "He doesn''t even know the most famous entertainer of Ruyi pavilion," "He mustn''t be from here," "Such a waste," The lady felt a bit embarrassed by his question since she is well known and sought after by many people including females but she still maintained a calm and gentle composure. "I am Hua Mexiang, the premium entertainer of Ruyi pavilion seems like young master is indeed not familiar," she answered in a tone that shows that she slightly offended but Xi Feng just smirked at her answer. {not familiar, my master is the owner of Ruyi pavilion, tch!"} He commented inwardly! "I would like to see the madam," Ruansong requested without paying much attention to her introduction even though he asked for it, making even the male guest offended by his indifference. "Madam...young master, not just everyone can walk into Ruyi pavilion and request to see the madam, you had better return if you don''t have any interest in the drinks or the women," she replied in a displeased tone then she turned to look at the entertainers who were still wishing they could have a chance to serve the handsome young man, she gave them a slight nod with a frown on her face, making them disperse while those who were previously serving some guest returned to their service. "eh, mind your tone," Xi Feng cautioned the ignorant young lady who still isn''t aware of his position which cannot be disclosed at least not yet. "It is alright," the fourth prince said before the young lady could reply Xi Feng "Miss, give this jade to your madam and tell her that a man is requesting to see her, she will tell you what to do then," the fourth prince said while Xi Feng stretched out his hand holding the jade with the shape of a maple leaf carved in the middle and suspended with a green fancy rope. "Does young master think that my master is lacking jade, why will she be interested in such a simple and insignificant jade," she said with an arrogant tone attached to every word she said from her mouth, if their conversation was audible to the guests present then they would have known her true character. "It won''t hurt to try, would it?" Ruansong questioned, she was quite surprised at his calmness even though he is standing before her, she reluctantly collected the jade from Xi Feng and walked away, Xi Feng nodded his head at her arrogance as he watched her climb the stairs. "master, why were you so lenient with that young lady, you are..." "Mind your words," "Understood, but..." "She is just an entertainer so there is no need to trouble myself, I still have to maintain a low profile so I cannot let anyone know of my relation with Ruyi pavilion, causing a scene here will only draw more attention," the fourth prince responded. Chapter 153 - Lose Pathetically! Wind sect. He swirled his arms around and brought them together in a clap, he widened his hands while the blue Qi in his hand slowly formed a long and slender sword in the middle of his hands, he grabbed the sword by the handle and swirled it swiftly, then he released it from his hand and turned his body around, he channelled his Qi into the sword, making it spin really fast, causing a large whirlwind, then he brought his hands towards his chest and pushed it forward, the sword moved with tremendous speed as it dashed towards sect leader Lin.?? He brought his hands together and conjured his sword in his hand with a light brighter than the one following Bohai sword emerging from his sword, he brought his hands to his chest and pushed it forward lightly, his sword quickly dashed to meet Lin Bohai sword, both swords clashed in different directions while father and son and controlled their swords by swinging their hands in the direction they wanted the sword to go, desperation could be seen on Bohai''s face, he knows he is going to lose against his father but he still didn''t want to lose pathetically. His father became tired of the cat and mouse game they were playing so he decided to give Bohai a cruel taste of failure, he increased his Qi and channelled it into his sword, causing his sword to move faster and with much fore than it moved before, Bohai widened his eyes in alarm, he knew that his sword wouldn''t be able to stand the impact of his father''s sword so he quickly moved back and summoned his sword to block his father''s attack. With his legs sliding back while his hands stretched out by his side, he dodged his father''s attack but his sword broke, meanwhile, his father''s sword kept pursuing, it was almost as if it wouldn''t stop until it pierces through its target, the spectators were now beginning to doubt that this is just a test. He propelled his body into the air and spun his body around while he summoned an array of sword using the wind to block the attack, his father also propelled himself into the air, while Bohai created an array of swords to protect himself, his father created another array of swords to attack him. Realizing the danger he was in, he quickly created another large sword using his Qi, then he dashed towards his father, their swords clinked while they both evaded each other''s attack, backflips, swirling and spinning followed after while they fought each other. Bohai has already used up his strength in fighting his father so he just decided to fight without any weapon, his sword array was destroyed so he dashed towards his father with his fist pointed forwards, his father dodged his fist attack but just when Bohai thought he had found a weak spot not knowing that his father intentionally let his weak spot show to deceive him, he swiftly aimed a blow at his father''s chest but his father caught his hand and spun his body around. He threw a punch at his lower abdomen, causing him to fall to the ground but before his body reached the ground, he caught him by his leg and spun his around again before landing multiple blows on his chest, causing him to spit out a mouthful of blood before he fell to the ground, with the blood from his mouth splurting on the ground. "Bohai!" Meng Hui who had just arrived at the scene screamed seeing his almost lifeless body dropping to the ground and the blood splurting on the ground. "Young master!" "Senior disciples!" "Senior disciples!" "Young master!" The disciples screamed in horror while some rushed to tend to him, including Meng Hui. Even when she was standing close to him, she didn''t dare to touch him without his permission after his previous flaunt of authority, she stood beside him while the disciples gathered around him, he struggled to pull himself to his feet but his legs were failing him. "Is this all you have, I am really disappointed in you, the young master of the wind sect should never be defeated so pathetically," his father remarked while staring down at his helpless self with his face full of spite and disappointment, Bohai looked into his father''s cold eyes in anger and despair until his father''s eyes left him and walked away while the elders followed beside him. Since the sect leader was now gone, the disciples tried to lift him up but he raised his hands to stop them, he wanted to get up on his own even though his ego, self-esteem and pride has been greatly stomped on, he gritted his teeth and clenched his fist while he gathered the little bit of strength he has left to pull himself up while Meng Hui watched him in sadness. Even if he pushed her away, she still couldn''t bear seeing the man she loves struggling in pain, the only part of the duel she watched was when his father landed him the multiple blows, she had covered her mouth in horror and widened her eyes at that moment, she was still hesitating to hold him up even though she desperately wanted to. He had finally managed to pull himself up but then, a metallic taste infiltrated his mouth but before he knew it, he vomited another mouthful of blood and slumped... "Bohai!" "Senior!" Meng Hui quickly pushed the disciples away from her way using her wind power then she held him by his arms before he fell and pulled him to her chest while she spun around before landing on the floor with his head on her laps. Seeing her face, he felt comforted, even though he doesn''t like her as a woman he loves and he has always pushed her away, he knows that she is the only one who wholehearted loves him not because of his position or status and she doesn''t expect anything from him, unlike his own father. "Bohai! are you okay, open your eyes," Meng Hui cried out, the tears were almost falling off her eyes but Bohai only winced in reply. "It is all my fault, my fault," "It isn''t your fault, you are not the sect leader so how is it your fault," Bohai replied, he didn''t even want to call the sect leader his father anymore at that moment and he wasn''t aware of the reason for the sudden beating that his father gave him in front of the disciples that were present at the training ground. "No..no...no it is my fault, I should have told my father about you shunning me," she sniffed her nose to send back the tears in her eyes. "I am sorry," she pleaded again but he just shut his eyes and winced at the realization of what had prompted his father to publicly embarrass him. - - - - - - - In Ruyi Pavillon. "Madam, I wonder what is causing the noise downstairs, it seems like an important guest has visited the pavilion," one of the young ladies massaging the body of a woman who seems to be in her thirties remarked while her eyes were fixed at the entrance of the brightly decorated room with red linens curtains covering the entrance and the bedside. The woman lay on her side with her hands holding her head up and resting on the pillow, while her eyes are shut as she enjoyed the scent coming from the incense in the room. "I have always told you girls times without number to stop disrupting the business when you see a rare customer comes in, it seems like I have to educate you all one of these days," the woman said, she was wearing a light red dress with a red shawl over her shoulder, flower ornaments surrounded her hair lotus styled hair while ornaments penetrating the middle of the lotus bun stuck out at each side of the bun, the ornaments she wore looked simple but elegant, on her neck are pearl chains of different sized placed over each other covering the view of her chest, the pearl and silver earrings on her ear dangled with every slight movement she made. "Madam, it must be those low rate entertainers that are making a fuss downstairs, why don''t I check it out," another young lady massaging her arms suggested to curry favour with the madam. "No need, I trust that Mexiang has already done what is necessary," she replied softly but with confidence in her most sought after entertainer, the other ladies looked at each other in envy of the most expensive entertainer of Ruyi pavilion, her existence to them is merely a bother since she won the competition to become the most rated entertainer of Ruyi pavilion. "Madam, I have a message for you," a gentle voice announced outside the curtain but the madam still kept her eyes close since she recognises the voice while the other ladies frowned deeply. {talk about the devil and the devil shall appear,}! "Come in," She walked into the room elegantly as she has always done. "Madam," she greeted with her head bowed and her hands folded on her navel. "What is it?" "An unfamiliar man came into the pavilion, causing the business to be disrupted but he doesn''t seem to be here for the drinks or the women and he requested to see you," Mexiang answered with her voice showing her discontentment with the man she is talking about. "oh oh, an unfamiliar man you say," She raised her hand, signalling the ladies to stop massaging her then she opened her eyes and sat up on the bed with the help of the ladies holding her hands, her fine set of cat-shaped eyes lined with black liner glanced sharply at Meixiang, her rare eyes made her a notable beauty among many women but only those who have managed to see her know how beautiful she actually is. Huo Jingyu might not even be a match for her with those exquisite set of eyes. "Yes madam, this man has a very striking appearance, worthy of praise and a sturdy build but I really cannot see through his intentions in his visit but he seems like someone who is able to attract many women," Meixaing narrated, her admiration amidst her discontentment in the man was pretty obvious from her description, hence, increasing her master''s interest in this unknown man. "did he state his reason for wanting to see me?" She questioned. "I am afraid not, but he gave me this piece of jade to show you," she stretched out her hands with the jade in the middle and her head slightly bowed. "He said you will tell me what to do once you see this jade," she raised her head to see her master''s expression but she was surprised seeing the reaction of her master, her eyes were widened and her body jerked forward, it seemed like she will rush to collect the jade at any minute so she took the initiative to move closer to her. She took the jade from her hand and examined it closely to make sure that she is not mistaken, she rubbed the surface of the carving to confirm her suspicion. "master...." she said in an inaudible voice while the ladies watched her in confusion, their madam has lots of jade so why is she interested in this simple piece of jade, they questioned in their heart!. "Madam, is anything wrong with this jade?" Mexiang asked curiously "Where is this man?" she asked with a serious and joyous expression on her face to their surprise. "he is still downstairs awaiting my reply," Meixiang replied with worry written on her face since she has already offended him, she was worried that he might be someone that she cannot bear to offend. She returned to her usual composure to prevent the ladies from making assumptions about the visitor in their minds, especially Meixiang. "give the jade back to him and leave him, he will come up here himself," then she turned to the girls who were massaging her body. "You may all leave," they turned to each other in confusion, wondering how great this visitor is that their madam would behave so strangely because of him, they stood up from their positions and bowed their head before following behind Meixiang. The six of them arrived downstairs with Meixiang and followed behind her closely to get a good look at this unknown man, they were all taken aback when Meixiang stopped in front of a man dressed in an article of almost all-black clothing, in one second, they were already grinning from ear to ear. "So handsome!" one of the ladies exclaimed without even caring that the man is right in front of them but Meixiang shot her a scolding glance which she doesn''t care about. "He must be from a very prominent family in the capital, where else can such a handsome man be found," "Even his bodyguard is also handsome," another commented while Xi Feng and Hua Meixiang frowned at their shamelessness, after all, they are just entertainers. "You may take your leave," Mexiang said to the six girls behind her, causing the smile on their faces to turn sour, they all eyed her and walked away. "I am sorry for the disrespect and the inconvenience I have caused you, I hope young master will not take it to heart," she apologised softly, although her character seems to be the judgemental and rude type, it is also clear that she knows when to bow her head and when to stand straight. "It doesn''t matter miss," Ruansong replied "Madam instructed me to give this jade to you, she says you will find your way so I suppose you are aware of where you need to go," she asked, hoping that he will say no then she will get the chance to lead him to the room and eavesdrop to hear their discussion in order to know who he really is and what relationship he has with the madam of Ruyi Pavillon. Chapter 154 - Give Yourself A Chance! "Miss, don''t bother yourself, I won''t disturb you any longer," he nodded to Xi Feng then he walked away with Xi Feng following behind him, she wanted to say something else but she felt her tongue was tied, she bit her lower lips in regret. Originally, she was sold by her step-mother to Ruyi Pavillon for just a measly sum of money and her father who is tied around her step-mum little finger couldn''t do anything about it, he just watched while his eldest daughter was sold to a prestigious brothel. The moment she stepped her foot into the brothel, she was determined to climb unto a high position where every other woman will have to raise their head to look at her, in just a year, she managed to overthrow all the entertainers who have been at Ruyi pavilion before her, so she was given the title of the premium entertainer of Ruyi Pavillon.?? Although Ruyi Pavillon is considered to be a lowly place to be in for other ladies from prominent families, the entertainers are not obliged to sleep with the men they serve unless it is of their own volition and this is the rule that has remained ever since Madam Ju established the pavilion but no one knows the true purpose of the Pavillon. The fourth prince climbed the stairs then he entered one of the rooms at the deep end of the corridor, if he was an outsider then it would have been clear to him the rooms in that area are not open for entry but as the owner, how can he not know about the secrets of the Pavillon. Xi Feng closed the door behind him while Ruansong walked deeper into the room to find the person he is seeking after, his lips curved into a faint smile seeing the beautiful woman standing in front of him, it is almost as if she didn''t age but she only got younger, considering her condition when he brought her in. "Master!" she greeted and immediately fell to her knees with her hands cupped in front of her and her head deeply bowed, since she couldn''t go to him, she has been waiting for his visit for over three years. He quickly walked up to her and held her by her arm to pull her up but she still wouldn''t rise from her knees. "Madam, you don''t need to be so courteous," the fourth prince insisted softly, the tone he spoke to her in showed that he really cares about the person kneeling in front of him. "No your highness, I owe you my life although I am been living in pleasure throughout these years, my heart has never stopped worrying about your highness and waiting for your visit," She maintained, her deep respect and gratitude were very obvious to Xi Feng and the fourth prince even though he hasn''t seen her for years. "Madam Ju..." She finally listened to him and stood up from her knees, she gestured her hands towards the round table in the middle of the large room with three chairs surrounding the table, Ruansong walked towards the chair and took his seat with Xi Feng following after him. She sat on the chair and waited for Ruasong to speak knowing that his presence here means that he surely has a use for her. "How have been all these years," he asked with concern written on his face. "What does your highness think," she answered with a smile on her crimson red lips. "It is indeed obvious that you have been doing well but what I see might not be the case" Ruansong responded. "Your highness doesn''t need to worry about me," she replied "Madam Ju, it seems like you haven''t trained your premium entertainer well, she dared to speak down on his..." "Xi Feng!" the fourth prince scolded with a frown on his face but he just bowed his head in apology. "If she has offended you, I hope your highness will forgive her and not take it to heart," Madam Ju interceded. "It is alright," "By the way, your highness visit here is for..." "I have been having some ominous feeling these days so I decided to come here and ask about her, the second young mistress of the flame sect," the fourth prince answered, at this point, his worries were pretty evident, Madam Ju smiled at his answer since she has already guessed that he must have come here for her, if not her then the only reason he would need any information is because of the royal family. "Your highness, It seems like you are still in love with her," Madam Ju remarked with a chuckle along with Xi Feng. "Even if I can''t be with her and she might not remember me, she is still the only one in my heart and I have to protect her," Ruansong said, making the mood change into a solemn mood while the smiles on their faces disappeared and changed into pity. "Madam Ju doesn''t need to pity me, I might be far away from her but my shadow is still there with her," he said with a reassuring smile on his face after noticing the look on her face "Your highness, if you leave your shadow with her for too long, your power will be consumed and you might not be able to get your shadow back, if one day you have to return to the palace, people might find out that you also have powers," Madam Ju remarked with worry on her face while Xi Feng shared the same worried expression. "Madam Ju doesn''t need to worry about that, the power of the ice saint is not something that can easily disappear, no matter how much power it takes for me to leave my shadow with her, nothing bad will happen to me so you don''t need to worry," "If your highness is having an ominous feeling then I suspect you have felt something from your shadow, does your highness suspect that her life is in danger," "I am not sure but some months ago, I noticed that my internal energy is being channelled into another vessel, the only conclusion I can come to is that her powers are unstable so my shadow has been using my ice power to stabilise her, if that is really the case then I suspect that something is triggering her flame power to make it unstable, if this continues, she will not be able to pass my royal father''s test in two years," "Although I know nothing about that, there is another news that might be able to reassure you, a few days ago, the sect alliance and the court accused the flame sect of infiltrating the vitality sect and murdering a captain who was recently awarded by the emperor," "What!" the fourth prince exclaimed with his calm composure flipped. "Your highness doesn''t need to worry, this issue has been taken care of meticulously by the sect madam of the flame sect, she is indeed worthy of her fame, my sources inside the palace informed me that she played the emperor''s card to her own advantage, making him compensate her sect by allowing her to see her daughter for a day and moving up the test," Madam Ju informed with an amused expression on her face, although she summarised the information she got when she informed him of it, she was deeply impressed by Huo Jingyu. "That is a relief but if the test has been moved up then that might not be good, if my speculation is right then she might not be able to pass the test," the fourth prince said as he stood up from the seat and paced around the room with one of his hands placed on his chest while his other elbow rested on his hand, he fiddled with his thumb and index finger, trying to think of a solution to this crisis. "If her mother allowed this to happen then she must have her won plan but if your highness is still worried then why don''t you return to the capital, using the emperor''s upcoming birthday as your reason for returning to prevent others from making speculations," Madam Ju suggested, she stood up from her seat and walked behind him with her hands folded on top of each other and placed on her navel with every one of her steps ringing elegance. "Your highness, I agree with madam Ju, the reason you left the palace is because of her because you have to leave your shadow with her, if she passes the test and regains her freedom then the both of will have a chance to be together," Xi Feng chimed in to convince him knowing that his master would never take her suggestion that easily. "Your highness, this young lady doesn''t know all you are doing for her, although I haven''t seen you for three years, I am aware that you have been using your internal energy to stop her from exploding because of her inability to withhold such powers within her, why don''t you give yourself a chance to be with her?" although he claims to be fine with leaving his shadow with her, he still can''t deceive her and Xi Feng, it took many years of his cultivation to be able to separate his shadow from his being, not to talk of sharing his internal energy and his ice power with his shadow, since his mother''s years of cultivation were transferred to him the moment he was born, it didn''t affect him that much but he will still have to experience a deep pain that is enough to make him lose his consciousness for years once every month until he summons back his shadow. "I don''t want her to know anything I have done for her but I do agree with you, I need to return to the capital, that is the only way I can really protect her," he turned back to face them with a determined look in his eyes, it seemed to them that he had already made up mind to be by her side. "I am glad that your highness has made up your mind to do so but your highness should still be careful, although you are the ice clan saint and you are immortal, if you are fatally injured, you will fall into a deep sleep," she had the look of a mother in her eyes, filled with concern and worry, he smiled seeing how she looked at him. "Madam Ju is still the same as before, you are always worried about things you shouldn''t be worried about...." he stopped halfway when he sensed her presence in the brothel. "It seems like she is here," the fourth prince remarked with a smile, earning a confused look from Madam Ju. "Who is your highness referring to?" "Madam Ju, master is referring to Xiaodi, the naughty spiritual..." he stopped when he sensed the fourth Prince piercing gaze at him, he pursed his mouth and avoided his master''s gaze. "ahhh, Xiaodi, has she...." she didn''t complete her sentence before Xiaodi came through the door with six girls following behind her. "Hey!" "Hey!" "Hey! where do you think you are going," "Master!" Xiaodi shouted as soon as she saw her master then she ran to him and linked arms with him while he and Xi Feng nodded his head at her naughtiness and raised his head to see the six ladies running after her. "Madam!" the ladies greeted in unison "We tried to stop her from coming in but she wouldn''t just...." she raised her hand to stop the lady speaking then she gave them a dismissing wave, they bowed their heads and left the room while Madam Ju turned to the seemingly young girl with a confused look. "Could this be...?" "Yes, she is Xiaodi, she transformed into a human on her hundredth birthday," the fourth Prince informed, then he turned to the spiritual beast who is still clutching his hands. "Xiaodi, behave," she unlinked her arms and slowly walked towards madam Ju, she circled her with a confused look on her face. "Master, I have seen this beautiful woman before but I can''t seem to remember where and when I saw her," she stopped in front of her before running back to her master. "Xiaodi, how can you not remember madam Ju?" then he turned to madam Ju, "Her senses are not fully developed, I hope madam Ju will not be offended," "Xiaodi....it seems like her temperament hasn''t changed even though she has transformed into a human," she replied with a tone that showed her amusement. "Master, I was wondering why you suddenly decided to leave the pavilion today, it turns out that you came here for this beautiful woman but you were never interested in women why..." "Don''t say nonsense," Xi Feng cautioned with a stern expression on his face but Xiaodi glared back at him. Madam Ju couldn''t hold her laughter anymore, she laughed loudly but elegantly seeing as there are no changes in the spiritual beast turned human. "If there is nothing else then I will take my leave now," the fourth prince said "I will escort you," Madam Ju said, taking a step forward. "There is no need for that, I don''t think that would be appropriate since it would draw too many people''s attention to my identity," "If your highness says so then I have no choice but to oblige, I wish you a safe journey back," she responded with her head slightly bowed. The fourth prince nodded and walked out of the room with his two followers, after he left the room she lifted her head and sighed, she hasn''t seen him for years but the first time she is seeing him after three years, he is still burdened by his love. Chapter 155 - Breaking Up A Couple! In Rosewood restaurant. Han Chen looked down at his wristwatch to check the time again since he has been waiting for over thirty minutes past their appointment time, if it was someone irrelevant, he would have left the restaurant in anger but he can''t do that this time since this person is someone he really respects, he ran his hand through his wave combed hair and ruffled it to make it wavier. He looked outside the glass wall of the hotel to see if she has arrived but he still couldn''t see her, bored, he placed both hands on the table and looked around the restaurant, he was about to return his gaze to his front when he felt that a pair of eyes has been following him around, he turned back again to confirm his suspicions and it was just as he thought. A slender lady in a red off shoulder bodycon gown with her wavy styled hair resting on her right shoulder fixed her gaze on him with a seductive smile, not minding the man in front of her, the red off-shoulder dress exposed her cleavage making her look even sexier. He furrowed his brows and returned his gaze to the seat in front of him with an irritated look on his face, his pursed his lips and sighed at how shameless some women can be, her man is sitting in front of her but she is still stealing glances at him, he came to the conclusion that the guy must be a pushover. "Love is really blind.." he remarked then his lips curved in a self-accusing self with a thought running through his mind. {I would do the same if that was Yu Yan} He thought to himself, he turned back again when he heard the creaking sound of the chair being drawn back. "excuse me, dear, I need to use the toilet real quick, I will be back soon," the guy said and leaned in with his hands around the back of her head to paste a kiss on her forehead as soon as his lips touched her forehead, she had an awkward look on her face while her eyes were still fixed on Han Chen, she quickly pulled away from him with a smile on her lips. "I will be waiting,". the guy smiled back at her and walked away after giving her a nod but the smile on her face immediately changed to a disgusted look, Han Chen wondered how the guy would feel if he was to see this look on her face. {Why toy with him if you don''t have feelings for him} He turned his head back to his front and shook his head in disapproval of this slutty lady, it didn''t take long before he heard the sound of heels approaching him, he had already guessed that the lady has taken the initiative to approach him in the absence of her boyfriend or whoever the man is to her. "Hi," her seductively sweet voice seemed pleasant to hear but such scopes can never work on Han Chen, he turned to look at her with a snobbish look on his face, devoid of any hint of friendliness, her smile turned faint at this, she has never seen any guy look at her like that but she broadened her smile again and pushed back her hair to one side of her shoulder. She didn''t wait for his invitation before taking her seat next to him, he raised one of his brows at her forward behaviour while he pitied her inwardly for messing with the wrong person. "Miss, don''t you think you are being too rude, I don''t remember asking you to sit," Han Chen said in an embarrassingly straightforward manner, her face almost went pale with his cold manner of speaking but she wouldn''t believe that he will be like this until the end. "Mister, you are really straightforward, if you are offended then I apologized but I am wearing heels so I didn''t want to stand for too long," with that, she crossed her legs over each other revealing a smooth side view of her laps, her skin is indeed smooth and looks soft even without touching it but how can she be compared to Yu Yan. She lightly caressed her laps before resting her elbow on the table to support her jaw, making her cleavage more exposed, the long slit on the long dress was exposing too much skin that other guys would have licked their lips for but Han Chen merely gazed at her with a demeaning look on his eyes, he looked at her from her legs to her face with a quizzical look on his face. This time, she is truly offended. {is he pretending to be dumb or he is actually dumb, such an idiot but it is okay as long as he is handsome} "I noticed that you were seating with a guy over there, why did you suddenly covet the seat next to me," "I really admire your straightforwardness but I just felt that it is a pity that a handsome guy like you is seating alone so I decided to accompany you until your date arrives or...who knows, we might end up leaving here together," "together....outrageous,". She frowned at his comment. {You are really good at playing hard to get} "I appreciate but I don''t think I will be needing your company, not to talk of us leaving here together, if you don''t mind, this seat is already reserved for someone," he continued, the tone he spoke in seemed harsh and rejecting but she has been the one rejecting the guys, never has she been rejected and she doesn''t plan on making this her first. "I think I understand what is going on here, if you are being cold because of my company, you don''t need to be," "I don''t understand, I thought he is your boyfriend?" Han Chen asked, pretending to be confused with his brows raised, he wanted her to say something demeaning about the guy. "He was...but now that I have met you, I think both of us are a better pair," She responded with her index finger twirling her hair seductively. "I don''t think this is right, from my point of view, he seems to be quite a satisfying young man, although he isn''t as handsome as I am," "He is just my sidekick and money machine who is infatuated with me, even if he finds the both of us together, he won''t be able to do anything about it, so don''t worry about him," she stood up from her seat and walked over to his side with her back leaning on the edge of the table. "I want you to be my main man, I am sure you also find me attractive, don''t you?" she pulled the slitted side of her dress, once again exposing her fair and smooth laps but he raised one of his brows again, her hands were reaching out to his shoulder but he held her hand and pulled her away from his side. "Why don''t we meet later?" he said with an approving smile on his face. {Bingo! I just knew you wouldn''t be able to resist me} She picked one of the tissue on the table and stretched out her hand. "Pen," He dug his hand into his chest pocket and brought out a ballpoint pen, then he handed it to her with a charming smile, making her trip for him again. She scribbled her phone number on the tissue and handed it back to him, she looked forward and noticed that her company was already returning to their seat so she smiled at him one last time and walked away to her table, while Han Chen looked at the tissue paper with an evil smile on his lips. Her boyfriend got to that table before her but he pretended not to see her come from Han Chen''s table, he greeted her with a smile while she took her seat. "What took you so long?" she questioned with a smile "Sorry, there was a little problem back there, where are you coming from?" "Why are you suddenly asking me that?" "it''s nothing, I just thought I saw you leaving that gentleman''s table," the guy replied in an intimidated tone. "I just went over to say hello since I was bored here," She replied and picked up her fork and knife to dig into the freshly served steak the waiter dropped on their table as soon as both of them returned to their seat. "Dig in," she said with a smile on her lips when she noticed the dissatisfied look on his face and like a puppet, he did as she said. He was about to cut a piece of steak when he noticed a figure standing beside the table, he looked up the tall figure to see the man his girlfriend claimed to have said hello to, he immediately frowned his face at Han Chen''s presence. He wasn''t jealous of Han Chen looks and build since he himself isn''t bad although he is not as handsome as Han Chen but it annoyed him to know that ever since they entered the restaurant, his woman''s attention has been on another man. She was quite surprised to see him standing beside them especially since her boyfriend is there, she wondered what he was doing there but she assumed that he was there to make a move on her and her guess was almost confirmed when she saw his lips curve into a smile. "Here," Han Chen said and placed the tissue on the table, the guy picked up the tissue to read his content then he realized that his girlfriend''s number is written on the tissue, he looked confusingly at his girlfriend who seemed to have a panicking look on her face then he looked back at Han Chen. "You deserve someone better than this," he remarked then he gave her a demeaning look before bringing out his phone from his pocket, she had now realized that he wasn''t attracted to her even a bit, instead, he just accepted her advances so that he can expose her in front of her boyfriend, she clenched her fist and pursed her fist nervously. "What are doing, weren''t you the one who asked me for my contact, I didn''t want to appear snobbish so I gave you the number, what do you think you are doing?" she snapped with a slightly angry look at on her face, her boyfriend glanced at her and then glanced back at Han Chen with a frown on his face. "I don''t think I need to defend myself," he tapped the screen of his phone then a familiar voice started speaking. {I noticed that you were seating with a guy over there, why did you suddenly covet the seat next to me,} {I really admire your straightforwardness but I noticed that a handsome guy like you is seating alone so I decided to accompany you until your date arrives or...who knows, we might end up leaving here together,} {together....outrageous,} - - - {He is just my sidekick and money machine who is infatuated with me, even if he finds the both of us together, he won''t be able to do anything about it, so don''t worry about him,} {I want you to be my main man, I am sure you also find me attractive, don''t you?} "What is this?" the man asked softly with a deep frown on his face, it was clear that he was hurt from the words he heard his girlfriend say, if she had just said she didn''t love him then it wouldn''t have hurt him as hearing her call him her sidekick and money machine. "Then I will take my leave and leave you both to sort it out yourself but I advise you not to let yourself be played," Han Chen said then he returned to his seat, satisfied with what he has done. "I....I...I didn''t mean what I said," "It seems like I have been really stupid to have ignored everything while lying to myself that you really love me but it turns out that you have just been using me," "No...No, sweetheart please listen to me," she tried to touch his hand but he pulled his hand away with a resolute look in his eyes. "Don''t you dare touch me, I don''t want to ever see you again," he stood up from his seat angrily and picked his car keys on the table before walking away, she quickly stood up and followed him while pleading amidst the many eyes looking at them, when she got to where Han Chen''s table is, she glared at him then she continued running after him. As soon as the broken-up couple left the restaurant, the person he had been waiting for arrived, he quickly sat up with a smile on his face while the person took her seat on the chair next to him. "I am really sorry I came late, I had a very busy day today with the surgeries," Mrs Nanjing apologized, dropping her bag on the seat opposite hers. "It is alright, I am the one who should be apologizing for inviting you out when you are busy," Han Chen apologized then he called the waiter to take their order, while Mrs Nanjing smiled at his gentlemanly attitude. Chapter 156 - Matchmaking! "Thank you," Han Chen said and passed the order tablet back to the waiter who replied with a polite nod and a smile he is used to giving out, Han Chen rubbed his hands on his palm and smiled looking at the woman in front of him. "It has been a long time since we dined together but I still remember what your favourites are...that is if they haven''t changed," Han Chen said while she nodded in affirmation, wearing a pleased look on her face. "You made the right order," She responded before casting a quizzical look on her face. "By the way, why did you suddenly invite me for lunch today, It has been two years now since I saw you and you didn''t contact me throughout those two years, it would be a lie if I say that your invitation didn''t come across as a suspicious surprise," Mrs Nanjing remarked doubtfully. "Senior, I am really ashamed to admit it but you are right, but I didn''t do it on purpose, I had a military operation abroad for two years and I only returned to China recently, If I wasn''t suspended, I wouldn''t have been able to invite you out," "What! you were suspended, hope it isn''t anything serious?" Mrs Nanjing inquired with concern written on her face. "No it isn''t, I just slacked off so I was suspended, it is nothing to be worried about but I don''t think I will be returning to duty anytime soon," Han Chen answered, then the waiter arrived with two trays in his hands, he placed the plate containing Thai fried fish topped with lemongrass sauce in her front and the other containing Italian classic spaghetti bolognese with meaty chilli sauce in his front while another waiter arrived with a bottle of red wine and wine glass. he was about to pour the wine into the glass but Han Chen raised his hand to stop him. "Enjoy," both waiters chorused in unison before bowing and walking away. Han Chen poured the wine into a glass and passed it to her, she smiled and nodded her head to thank him while she started digging into her food, she nodded her head in satisfaction of the taste of the food, Han Chen who was waiting for her to taste the food, smiled seeing that she enjoys the taste of the food. "exactly the way I like it," She remarked "I am relieved seeing that it is to your taste," Han Chen responded then he picked up his cutlery to dig into his food but he stopped when he heard the clinking sound of her cutlery on her plate, he raised his head to meet her quizzical gaze. "Now, why don''t you tell me the real reason why you invited me out, you are definitely not the type of guy who would do all this for no reason based on my experience," "I am not surprised that you caught on, it seems like you are still the same senior," Han Chen dropped his cutlery and raised his head with a look that showed that he was going to ask her for a favour so she had already prepared herself for whatever he is about to say. "Senior, I actually need a favour from you..." "I knew it, there is no way you would invite me out for lunch if you didn''t have a favour to ask, okay so spill it," "I want to get a job at Chen affiliated Hospital in your general surgery department," Han Chen stated, she tilted her head and raised one of her brows hearing the favour he needed to ask her, she wasn''t sure if she should be taking him seriously, she paused for a moment and studied his face but all she could see was determination. "Why would you want to work in my general surgery department, even though you have been suspended, you are still a military surgeon and I am sure you still haven''t gotten your license as a civilian surgeon, so?" Mrs Nanjing inquired doubtfully. "I have already gotten my license, my hand injury has been fully treated, please you have to do me this favour, it really means a lot to me," Han Chen responded "Why don''t you use this time you have to manage your company yourself, even if you want to work, your company has many medical subsidies, you don''t have to come to Chen affiliated hospital, if you have to work at Chen affiliated hospital, with your qualification you should be my senior even though I am older than you," Mrs Nanjing stressed, then she raised her glass to her lips and took a sip of wine. "Senior, that is exactly why I want to work under you, You know I don''t like using what my parents left for me to get everything I want, I just really want to work under you, please..." He insisted. "Even if I agree with this, don''t you think it would affect my team if the owner of a conglomerate such as you is working with them," "That is why I am asking you instead of getting employed directly, I want to keep my identity a secret but if I go through the front door, my identity will be disclosed, for the sake of the old times, please do me this favour," He placed his elbows on the table and clapped his hands together with a pleading look on his face, she sighed and looked away from him in thought, the competition of getting employed in Chen affiliated hospital is high so even if she pulls her strings, she might not be able to get him in, she poured down the remaining content in the glass down her throat and turned back to him. "Alright, I will try my best but I can''t guarantee that I will be able to get you in, if I am not able to then you might have to go in through the front door," she answered reluctantly. "That''s great!" Han Chen exclaimed then he filled her glass with a broad smile on his face. - - - - - She walked into each room with three nurses following behind her, the nurses recorded her observations while she checked the conditions of each patient, fortunately for her, most of her patients had already recovered and they were now ready to be discharged, she was most worried about the patients that were transferred into her care from another department because of reasons like their cases being too complicated and the other surgeons not wanting to take the risk. "Doctor, I want to go home, I am tired of staying in this place, the room reeks of medicine every day and I am getting tired of it," an old woman complained while Yu Yan checked the monitors to check her condition, Yu Yan smiled and sat next to the woman. "Grandma, you don''t need to be worried bout leaving the hospital anymore, your condition has gotten better, I will have the reception phone your son so he can come to complete the discharging process," Yu Yan responded with a heartwarming smile on her lips, holding the woman''s hand. "aiyaah..that is good, that is good, I don''t have to stay here anymore but it is such a pity that I won''t be able to see you anymore," the woman said with a downcast look on her face, the nurses were not surprised, every one of Yu Yan''s patients is always reluctant to leave because of her, her friendly and warm attitude when she is with them always gives them hope and makes them feel that there is still hope for them to be cured. "Grandma, you don''t have to worry about that, I can come to visit you at any time," Yu Yan responded, her face immediately lit up hearing that she was going to visit her, she held Yu Yan''s hand tightly with a broad smile on her slightly wrinkled face. "Really!" "Yes, grandma," "That is good, very good, when you come, I will introduce you to my grandson, he is a lawyer and I am sure you will like him," she said with an endearing look in her face, the nurses chucked at the matchmaking idea while Yu Yan now had an awkward look on her face. "Grandma, surgeon Yu Yan is already taken," one of the nurses said while the others chuckled aloud. Yu Yan glared at the nurse shyly then she turned back to the grandma. "Grandma, don''t mind them but I don''t think your son will like me so you don''t have to bother with that," Yu Yan responded, trying to be as polite as she can. "Why, do you already dislike my grandson, you haven''t even met him yet, I can assure you that you will like him, he is also tall and handsome," she insisted with a disappointed look on her face, it seemed pretty obvious that she was desperate to make Yu Yan her granddaughter in law. "No, no grandma, actually, I already have a boyfriend," Yu Yan said shyly, she plans to take care of the trouble at hand and then tell the nurses that she didn''t mean what she said later. "Aiyaah....what a pity, I really wanted you to be my granddaughter in law," "Yeah....it is really a pity" the nurses said in unison, Yu Yan understood that they were trying to tease her so she gave them a scolding look making them turn serious immediately. "Child, why don''t you leave your boyfriend for my grandson, he is really handsome and tall and he is a lawyer at that, why don''t you consider it," she insisted with an earnest look on her face. "Ah...grandma, I don''t think that is appropriate," "Grandma, you are saying that because you haven''t seen surgeon Yu Yan''s boyfriend, he is really..." "How many times do I have to tell you that he is not my boyfriend," Yu Yan interjected in a frustrated tone. "Oh," the nurse responded in a way that showed that she still wasn''t convinced. "Grandma, make sure you rest, I will make sure you get discharged in three days,". Yu Yan said then she stood up from the bed and walked out of the ward. "I only said I have a boyfriend to avoid the matchmaking, I trust that you wouldn''t spread rumours based on that," Yu Yan said as soon as they left the ward and she has closed the door. "Sure," the nurses replied in unison with an okay sign, she didn''t believe that they meant it but there is nothing she can do about it so she just nodded at them and walked away Chapter 157 - Avoiding! 1 She peeped through the window to see if she has a chance of sneaking into the alchemy class without getting caught by the third elder, She looked around to find the third elder then she finally found at the far end of the alchemy class, she smiled happily since that only makes it easy for her to sneak into the class without getting caught but just as she was about to raise her head to go through the door, the third elder turned around. She gasped in shock and quickly ducked before the third elder catches her sneaking into the class but her figure didn''t escape Huo Qiang''s eyes, the third elder turned towards the direction of the window with his eyes squinted suspiciously. "Who is there?" the third elder asked with a stern look on his face, up until that moment, he still hadn''t noticed that Huo Ying isn''t in the alchemy class and that is indeed her saving grace, the third elder walked towards the window with a searching look on his face. Huo Qiang panicked seeing that he is almost close to catching her, he rubbed his hands together frantically, unsure of what to do in order to stop him from going any further, Huo Mei who is sitting next to him noticed his uneasiness and his eyes fixed on the window which is quite unlike him. "What is wrong?" She inquired with a concerned look on her face. "Huo Ying, she is outside the window," Huo Qiang whispered, looking deeply worried, she has always been late to his alchemy class and the third elder has threatened to punish her regardless of her position as the young mistress of the sect. "What! she is late again, I didn''t even notice," Huo Mei exclaimed in a whisper then she turned towards the window. "Third elder!" both of them chorused in unison then they glanced at each other in surprise but they didn''t have the time to drag it on for long, the third elder stopped his tracks and turned to them with an annoyed look. "What is it?" he questioned "There is something I don''t understand about this refining process so I was hoping that third elder will explain it to me," Huo Qiang quickly responded, the third elder slumped his shoulder and gave him a doubtful look, he clearly asked him if he understood the process at the beginning of the class and he claimed he understood it and now he is saying he doesn''t understand. The third elder ignored him and continued walking towards the window, one more step and Huo Ying will be caught! "Third elder!" they called again in an alarming volume, the third elder was almost startled by them, he turned to them with an angry look this time, it wasn''t enough that he is being unnecessarily troublesome but they are now trying to scare him to death. "It is very important," Huo Qiang said in a low voice, realizing that he has pissed off the third elder, he can only hope that he won''t be punished but the probability of not getting punished is too small considering how strict the third elder is when it comes to his classes or training sessions. "Okay, but after this class, stay behind and light up the thousand layer cauldron until it is hot enough to refine hundred heartwarming pills," the third elder instructed, he looked towards the window and sighed before moving onto Huo Qiang. "Ahah thousand layers cauldron, isn''t that too hard to light up," Huo Mei whispered, she didn''t dare to say it aloud otherwise, she might also be given the same punishment. "It''s alright," Huo Qiang responded with a smile to ease her worries, then he turned to the third elder as he arrived at his seat. "What is it that you don''t understand," the third elder asked while Huo Qiang scanned for something to say when he finally found one. "Ah, third elder, I don''t understand the sequence of adding the herbs to the....." "Thank God, I thought I was really going to be punished," Huo Yin whispered to herself then she heaved a sigh of relief, with her head still ducked, she moved away from the window slowly towards the door, as soon as she reached the door and was about to sneak into the class, she realized that the third elder is too close to her seat so she quickly hid from sight, biting her lips, she suddenly realized that the person who called the third elder was Huo Qiang. "Did he see me by the window...?" she pondered, she really wished that was the case then she remembered that they haven''t even spoken since the incidence that occurred between them back in the wind sect, she frowned at the thought that she actually thought he called him over because of her. "No way, he hasn''t even spoken to me since then, why would he make the effort to rescue me," Huo Ying whispered with her back rested on the wall, she took a peep inside the classroom then she observed that the third elder was explaining how to use the spirit herbs to him, but unexpectedly, he turned to her direction for a moment and turned back to face the third elder. Then Huo Mei turned to look at her with a scolding look on her face while she bit her lower lips as a sign of repentance, Huo Mei nodded her head and turned back to her front, she gave Huo Qiang a slight nudge, signalling him to end the act. "ah...third elder, I understand now, thanks for your thorough explanation," Huo Qiang said to the third elder who nodded his head before walking back to the front of the class, Huo Mei quickly signalled Huo Ying to come into the class. She quickly crawled into the class and took her seat next to Huo Mei with her head lowered under the table. As soon as the third elder arrived in front of the class, she raised her head but her head banged the tip of the table, letting out a groan, the third elder eyes caught her as she raised her head, he tilted his head to both sides in confusion, he was sure that she wasn''t there a moment ago, in fact, he hasn''t been noticed her since the class began. "Huo Ying, where have you been?" he asked with a frown "aahah...I have been here all along," she answered "Impossible, I have just been there but you weren''t there," the third elder responded "Third elder, you must have been mistaken, I have been here all along but I was trying to pick my writing brush so my head was lowered," She lied, the elders and other masters in the sect are not required to call her the young mistress during the classes even though they have to outside the classes. "I don''t care, the fact that I didn''t see you means that you were not refining the spirit pills if not, why is the refining tripod on your table not heated?" the third elder answered with the stick in his hand pointing at the refining tripod on the table she is seated on, her shoulders slumped when she realized how stupid she was to have given such excuse with the tripod right in front of her. Huo Mei had the urge to tap her forehead at Huo Ying''s failed act but that would only let the third elder know that she was in on it, while Huo Qiang secretly glanced at her with worry written on his face. "hmmm! I am really disappointed in you, you will join Huo Qiang in lighting up the thousand layer cauldron, I will only give both of you one hour to complete this task," the third elder instructed. "aaahaaah!" the disciples in the class exclaimed with the other guardians, the thousand layer cauldron is one of the hardest cauldrons to light up when using the flame power and it consumes one''s internal force to make it the right temperature for use. "third elder, don''t you think the thousand layers is too..." "Third Elder, can we please do it separately," Huo Ying asked, interjecting Huo Mei who was about to intercede for them with an awkward side glance at Huo Qiang, she didn''t want to be alone with him in the same room, not with the air of awkwardness between them. "I have made my decision and it is final, you should be thankful that I am not giving you separate punishments, as a guardian and the young mistress of the sect, you are supposed to be setting good examples for the disciples but..." he shook his head in disappointment, leaving the both of them hanging their heads in the air. "by the next alchemy class, I want to see twenty lightning spirit pills from each of you," the third elder announced then he flicked his sleeve and left the class, still frowning. "Young mistress, it seems like the third elder is really angry with you this time, why were you late to class?" Huo Mei asked with a mixture of a concerned and scolding look on her face. "I woke up late and I was expecting one of you to wake me up but who would have known that you will all leave me behind," Huo Ying answered, it was pretty obvious that she is trying to shift the blame to them. "How is that our fault, you are the young mistress, you should learn to take responsibility for your own actions," Bingchen said as he and Huo Lian who were seated at another end of the class walked towards them, Huo Ying and Huo Mei glared at him. "I know you aren''t going to say anything supportive so don''t even bother saying anything at all," "I am just saying the truth, Huo Qiang has always been the one to wake you up so you should blame him if you want to blame anyone," she frowned hearing his name again while he looked away from her in guilt. "good luck with the thousand layer cauldron, I still have a research to make," they didn''t need him to say more to understand that he was talking about making the mind-destroying pagoda, the looks on their faces turned downcast almost immediately. "Alright, I will see you later," Bingchen said then he turned to leave while Huo Lian followed behind him, she lowkey glared at Huo Ying but no one saw the expression on her face at that moment. She found out after Huo Mei returned to the sect that she got injured because of Huo Ying, she didn''t need anyone to tell her that after seeing the injury on her twin''s shoulder, since then, she has been smiling in front of them but secretly despising Huo Ying in her heart. She watched how Huo Mei and Huo Qiang tried to cover up for her when she came in late and the worried look her sister gave Huo Ying after the punishment the third elder gave them, she felt that Huo Ying was taking all the love and attention she is supposed to receive from her sister. What annoyed her the most are the fact that Huo Mei activated her healing blood that hasn''t been cultivated which might have lead to the loss of her life back then and the fact that their life is somehow interconnected now whilst Huo Ying is oblivious of the fact annoyed her to the bones. {She only cares about her, she never looks at me like that} she thought inwardly while she watched them talk before she left. "Judging from the third elder''s mood, I don''t think I can help you with this young mistress," Huo Mei said. "You don''t have to but you can come with us, he didn''t say no one was allowed to come with us," it was clear from her tone that was trying to avoid something....or someone, Huo Mei glanced at Huo Qiang to see if he was also looking reluctant and it was just as she thought. {They are avoiding each other, I have to leave them alone or else this will go on forever} "Huo Ying, I just remembered that I have something urgent to do, I will leave you to it then, bye," Huo Mei responded then she quickly packed her things and stood up from her seat. "Huo Mei, Huo Mei!" Huo Ying called, hoping that she will return but she didn''t, now that the other disciples have left and they are now the only ones left in the class, an air of awkwardness filled the class, Huo Qiang rubbed his hands on his palms nervously, this is exactly the situation he has been trying to avoid. "Hmmn...." He turned to her to say something but before he could even say a word, she stood up from her seat and walked out of the class, his eyes followed her all the way until she was out of sight. He slumped his shoulders, feeling dejected, all this while, he thought she was still angry because of the accidental kiss so he has been avoiding her but seeing her attitude towards him, he is now sure that she is indeed angered by the incident. He followed behind her until they got to the refining chamber, filled with pill furnaces, cauldrons, tripods, pot and some herbs, it didn''t take long for them to find the thousand layers cauldron erected in the middle of the inner refining room. "I will..." once again, she ignored him, she summoned her Qi and waved her hands in the air in opposite directions then she brought it down to the front of her chest, she brought them apart, conjuring flame in her hand then she turned around and pushed her hands forward. The flame from her hand went towards the thousand layer cauldron with a stern look on her face, she wasn''t even sparing him a glance not to talk of talking to him, she really wanted to talk to him but she is afraid of hearing what he want to say. What if he wants to tell her that he is sorry for the kiss? What is he wants to tell her that he really doesn''t have feelings for her? What if....? She didn''t want to think about it anymore, she had already realized that him feeling the same way she feels about him is only her wishful thinking since his attitude towards her after they kissed has already made it clear to her. Chapter 158 - Avoiding! 2 He quickly summoned his Qi and conjured his flames then he directed it at the thousand layers cauldron, his mind wasn''t concentrated on the cauldron, all he could think about is Huo Ying, he wanted to speak but he didn''t know what to say and judging from how she has ignored him, she might not want to speak to him. Not concentrating his mind on the cauldron means that his flame might backfire on him, he knew this so he tried to keep his mind concentrated on the cauldron so that the flames can pass through the cauldron until it reaches the inner part of the cauldron. She waved her hands in the air again and pushed them towards the cauldron to increase the intensity of the flames, she kept her mind concentrated on the cauldron so as to finish the job as fast she can to escape being in the same room with him. He could feel that the hotness of her flame has increased so he was worried about her, increasing the hotness of her flame means using more internal force and this will cause her energy to deplete faster. He looked at her with worry, wanting to warn her of the danger, he couldn''t hold it anymore... "Young mistress, If you continue intensifying the hotness of your flames, your energy would be depleted," Huo Qiang warned, his voice showed concern but also too formal unlike how he normally speaks to her, she frowned at his tone of speaking. {Young mistress...you are even calling me that again,} Ever since she told them not to call her young mistress again, they haven''t called her that but hearing him call her young mistress even though he is worried about her made her angry to the bones, her mind is now distracted, she was now filled with anger and the urge to beat him hard, she was already fuming inside. "Young mistress..." Huo Qiang stressed again, seeing her increase the intensity of her flames again even after he warned her, he knew that the danger is already approaching her and if she doesn''t stop, it would bring about dire consequences for her. {What is wrong with them, why wouldn''t she listen to him,} Huo Mei who has been watching them from outside the refining room pondered, she had thought that Huo Qiang must have done something mild to annoy her but their arguments has never lasted this long, at least, they haven''t spoken to each other in a friendly way since they returned from the wind sect. {This won''t do, at this rate, she will injure herself,} She took a step forward but she paused, she turned away from the door to prevent them from seeing her. "If I go in now, wouldn''t I be running their chance of making up," she whispered to herself in thought, then she decided to wait back until something serious happens then she will interfere. "Young mistress, you need to stop now," Huo Qiang warned again, he had an alarming look on his face, the intensity of her flames is now ten times higher than what she started with and it meant that her internal energy is depleting, she was now sweating on her forehead. "Huo Ying!" "Leave me alone!" she roared, with her mind fully distracted from the thousand layer cauldron, the cauldron started shaking, the both of them quickly turned to it with their eyes widened, it seemed to them that the cauldron will overturn any time soon. Huo Mei who was still thinking of how to mend the duo wasn''t looking towards their direction so she wasn''t aware of it. "oh no..." Huo Ying mumbled, the cauldron had already started inclining towards her and the chances of her escaping it was too slim, Huo Qiang looked at her in fear then he quickly dashed to her front, standing in front of her, the cauldron finally tipped falling towards him, Huo Ying widened her eyes in fear, she didn''t expect him to try to take the hit for her, the cauldron lightly grazed his back. He held her hand and pulled her to his back while he stretched both hands forward to hold the cauldron up, the cauldron according to its name is too heavy for one man to hold, he gritted his teeth while he struggled to hold it up. Huo Ying stood behind him in a daze, he had just pulled her and almost took the hit for her even though it already grazed his back and he might still have to take the hit if he is unable to hold the cauldron up, she now has many questions and things to say to him. {Why...why is he doing this} She was now confused, he was confusing her but she didn''t have any time to waste in thought. "Hold on, I will go get help," She said and was about to run out of the room but he called her to stop. "Don''t, if they find out about this, you will be punished again,". More confusion, he would rather suffer for her than let her call some disciples or the elder to help him all because he doesn''t want her to get punished again, she scoffed this time in disbelief, he was toying with her emotions but she remembered at that moment that he has always been that way. Worried about her, scolding her when she does something wrong and taking blames for her, she realized that was thinking too much of his actions, it has always been that way even when they were still little kids before he became a guardian. She decided that she would let him suffer it, she was angry with him, she stood at the edge of the refining room with a cold look in her eyes, she wanted him to suffer a little for making her feel this much pain all because she loves him. Huo Mei turned to peep at them again but the sight her eyes caught terrified her, his shoulder was now strained and blood was dripping from his sleeve but Huo Ying failed to notice this. "Huo Qiang!" Huo Mei shouted then she ran into the room. She quickly summoned her Qi and used her internal force to support him, she didn''t think that the situation would have escalated to that point while she was distracted, she didn''t see what happened at the end but she could see that he is now standing in the position where Huo Ying was standing so he must have tried to take the hit for her. "Huo Ying, what are you doing, won''t you join in?!" Huo Mei shouted, seeing that Huo Mei was now in, she reluctantly joined them in holding it up, after some minutes, they managed to return the cauldron to its original erected position. The three of them heaved a sigh of relief then they turned around to see if there was anything destroyed or implicated, since there was nothing, they were relieved. Then Huo Qiang suddenly felt a sharp pain in the middle of his back, he remembered that the cauldron had lightly grazed his shoulder but with its weight, the injury on his back must be serious, he didn''t want Huo Ying to notice this so he silently walked out of the refining room. Huo Mei looked at Huo Ying angrily then she followed after him, she was sure that neither of them had noticed the bleeding on his shoulder, she didn''t want others to see it since that would implicate Huo Ying. She quickly caught up with him. "Your shoulder..." He glanced at his shoulder then he discovered that sleeve was dyed red with his blood, he looked around to make sure that no one had seen it, both of them sneakily walked to his quarters. "I will take care of it myself," Huo Qiang said as they got to his quarters. "That doesn''t seem like a small injury, let me treat it for you unless you want others to discover that she is responsible for your accident," Huo Mei threatened, she has always watched their hide and seek game from the sidelines. Even though Huo Ying has always denied that she has feelings for him, she has never managed to convince Huo Mei of it, but she has discovered all along that Huo Qiang also feels the same way about her so she can only use it to convince him this time. "Alright," he reluctantly answered. He sat down on the chair while she instructed a disciple to bring a medical box to the Huo Qiang''s quarter, She removed his cloth to see the wound on his back but was stunned to see a large scale wound on his back with blood continuously coming out of the wound, she couldn''t imagine how much pain he must be feeling even though he seems to be holding it in, she brought her hand forward to touch the sides of the wound in order to examine it more carefully but he winced in pain with just a slight touch and clenched his fist on his table to help him endure the pain. "Fool! why did you let yourself get this injured," Huo Mei scolded with worry written on her face, she has always been the mother among the guardians and the doctor and seeing one of them injured makes her feel sad and worried just like a mother would. Huo Qiang smiled and replied, "didn''t you do the same in the wind sect?", she pressed the side of his wound to punish him for bringing back what has passed. "that''s different, if the cauldron completely fell on you then you would have turned into a pancake," Huo Mei said with a hint of a joke, making his smile broader than it was. "I am here with the medical box," a voice shouted from outside his room, Huo Mei quickly went out to collect the box from the disciple but she was surprised to see that the disciple she sent wasn''t the one who returned with the medical box but Huo Ying, she frowned upon seeing her. "Why are you the one who returned with the box," Huo Mei asked coldly which is quite unusual of her. "I, I just wanted to see how he is doing, is the injury very bad, is he in pain?" She inquired with her face filled with worry and guilt, she felt guilty thinking that she actually didn''t support him before because she wanted him to suffer even though he was trying to help her, she felt vicious. Huo Mei scoffed and shook her head, "When you were being careless, why didn''t you think about him, his injury and the pain he must be feeling," "I...I didn''t know that was going to happen," Huo Ying responded with a voice that showed that she might burst into tears at any moment but Huo Mei didn''t intend to butter her up. "I am not angry with you because you caused the accident, I am angry with you because he warned you of the danger but you wouldn''t listen, you even went as far as standing in the sidelines when he was struggling to save you, what exactly was your intention?" Huo Mei questioned in anger and disappointment, she doesn''t mind getting injured or even dying for her but she didn''t think that it would be good for her to continue indulging her recklessness, her anger episodes are still understandable because she is out of control during those times but this time, it was very clear that she knew what she was doing. "It wasn''t my intention, I was just...just, I don''t know, I am sorry," Huo Ying pleaded she didn''t know what excuse to give since she couldn''t tell Huo Mei that she wanted to punish him for not reciprocating her feelings. "Tell that to him, when you see him," Huo mei replied coldly jacked the box from her hand before retreating back to the room, judging from her tone, she knew that she was telling her not to come in, her shoulders slumped in the disappointment of herself. Thinking back on what she did, she felt regret, she shouldn''t have done that but she wanted to see him to be sure that he is alright, she climbed the stairs leading to his room and peeped through the door but she could only see Huo Mei''s back since she is treating his wound. She was about to leave when Huo Mei moved away from his back to get water, she looked back into the room but gasped at the sight of the wound, she covered her mouth with both hands in fear of what she had caused. The tears she has been trying to hold in rolled down her cheeks without any control, she sniffed her nose to send back the tears but it just wouldn''t stop, she felt like a knife has just been stabbed into her chest seeing his bloodied injury, she couldn''t bear to look at it anymore os she quickly ran out of his quarters. "I heard you talking to someone when you went out, who was that?" Huo Qiang asked, as she dabbed his wound. "No one, you don''t have to worry about that," Huo Mei replied, knowing Huo Qiang, he will surely run after her if he knows that she was talking to Huo Ying. "What in the world went wrong between both of you in the wind sect, I have noticed that you have been avoiding and ignoring each other since you returned?" Huo Mei questioned, her urge to know what caused their beef was very obvious in her tone. "It is nothing, just a measly argument," Huo Qiang replied "a measly argument....both of you have always argued but it has never lasted this long since she always ends up conceding to you and this time she didn''t even try to help you when you were struggling with the cauldron, tell me the real reason and don''t try to lie to me," Huo Mei responded, he didn''t know if it was right to tell her that he disrespected her but he really wanted to tell someone about it so he can get a solution on how to solve the situation. Chapter 159 - But She Must Be Feeling Guilty...! 1 "Actually, I am the one at fault," Huo Qiang confessed, Huo Mei who is now applying the crushed herbs on the wound stopped at his confession. "What do you mean?" she inquired doubtfully, normally it is Huo Ying who always cause their arguments so she thought that he might be trying to take the blame for her. "I disrespected her while we were in the wind sect, on the day you got injured," Huo Qiang hesitated, he felt embarrassed to tell her that they accidentally kissed, even if it was just an accident and she is partly responsible for it because she brushed his hands away at that moment, he is the man so he felt that the blame should be on him. "On the day I got injured, weren''t you still at peace with each other when I woke up, when did this happen?" she inquired curiously. "After you fell asleep, I...I hugged to relieve her stress," "What! you hugged her, finally! I thought you were never going to make a move, you have finally realized it," Huo Mei interjected in excitement, she was now regretting that she fell asleep, she should have been awake to see them. "It isn''t what you think, I only hugged her as a guardian..no as a friend but she wasn''t in her undergarment so she pulled away and called me a pervert," "A pervert!" she left the herbs on his wounds and left his back to sit on the chair opposite him, she felt the need to concentrate on his story rather than his wound, she started laughing as soon as she sat down, she couldn''t imagine the scene when Huo Ying called him a pervert. "Continue," "So I rushed to cover her youth but she slipped back with her back against the wall while I...I was resting on her chest, she brushed my hands away from her mouth so our lips met," "What! you kissed her," Huo Mei exclaimed "No...I mean yes but it wasn''t intentional," he retorted. "well done, If you didn''t tell me this, I wouldn''t have known that you two have gone this far even though it is only a leap," Huo Mei said with a smile that seems to be praising him which made him confused. "Aren''t you supposed to be angry?" "Angry, why should I be, do you know how long I have been waiting to hear something like this?" "But she has been ignoring and avoiding me since then, what do you think I should do about this?"! Huo Qiang asked shyly. "She should be happy instead of ignoring you, are you sure you didn''t do anything else," Huo Mei answered, the smile on her face has now disappeared, Huo Ying has taken advantage of him many times when she hugs him so this should be something she is happy about and she couldn''t tell why Huo Ying would be angry because of their accidental kiss. "Why should she be happy, didn''t you hear what I said properly?" Huo Qiang asked in ignorance, she shook her head in disappointment. {It turns out that he still doesn''t know that she has feelings for him, really dumb} "Just tell me what you did after that and I will tell you the reason," "Nothing, I just used the excuse of getting her a change of clothing to leave the room," she cupped her face in her hand in speechlessness, she didn''t think that he would be so dumb to have done something like that. {really foolish} "How could you have left the room as soon as you..." she shook her head again, she was very disappointed in him, she originally thought that he was already making an effort to tell her that he has feelings for her but hearing this just made her disappointed. "I didn''t want her to flip out in anger so I left to avoid her," Huo Qiang responded in confusion, he couldn''t understand why she seemed to be disappointed in him when she should be praising him for doing the right thing. "Are you a fool? don''t you know that she feelings for you," Huo Mei shouted "How can that be, why would she have feelings for me?" Huo Qiang questioned in disbelief "How couldn''t you have noticed it all this while, apart from Mo Yuhan, have you ever seen her hug any other person other than you, she must have thought that you don''t feel the same way about her so you used that excuse to avoid her," "But I," "Don''t tell me that you see her only as the young mistress and not a woman, I can see it in everything you do, you love her so don''t deny it," "It seems like I really can''t keep anything from you but are you sure that she also feels the same way about me," he wanted her to be saying the truth but it seemed too good to be true. "She does, she has always loved you even before we became guardians, I am sure even the sect madam know this and most people in the sect know this, you are the only ignorant one here," "I really didn''t know, I thought she was angry because I disrespected her," "You really shouldn''t have left like that," she gave him a scolding side glance and shook her head. "I am going to her now," Huo Qiang said then he stood up from his seat, making some of the herbs fall from his wound. "sit!" Huo Mei ordered "Why?" "She still did wrong by leaving you to struggle with the cauldron, you shouldn''t let her have it so easy," Huo Mei answered. "But she must be feeling very guilty right now, I need to see her," Huo Qiang responded "Alright, but I have to finish wrapping you back and shoulder wound first unless you want others to see it," "Alright," he sat down reluctantly with a smile on his face. {She also feels the same,} He thought inwardly and smiled! "How long have you known?" Huo Qiang asked curiously, he still couldn''t believe that Huo Ying also sees him as someone who is more than a guardian or friend to her. "Everyone has known for a long time now, you are probably the only one who doesn''t know about it," Huo Mei replied as she wrapped the white piece of cloth around his shoulder and his chest to cover the wound on his back and his shoulder. "It seems like I am really slow, I shouldn''t have left with such an excuse, I can imagine how angry she must have been it is indeed all my fault," Huo Qiang said in reflection of his ignorance "But she still wouldn''t have left you without helping you in such a dangerous instance, you could have been seriously injured," Huo Qiang smiled and responded, "Even if she wanted me to be seriously injured, I will happily let that happen but it would have affected her so I couldn''t let that happen, you shouldn''t blame her too much," "You are really blinded by love, if you say it like that it then it makes me guilty for scolding her," Huo Mei said, not realizing that she had just made a confession to him, all of a sudden, he became quiet and it seemed strange to her then she realized that she had just spilt the truth. "So she was the one you were speaking to?" "Yes, I didn''t tell you so you wouldn''t run after her," Huo Mei answered remorsefully just as she finished wrapping his wound and helped him put on his clothing, he turned to look at her with a slightly angry look. "You should have told me, I know she did wrong but if even you scold her then I can''t imagine how bad she feels," Huo Qiang said with concern written on his face. "I only did that to make her feel bad, moreover I didn''t know about the reason for you avoiding each other, if you want to go after her then now is the right time," Huo Mei responded, not wanting him to continue stressing the issue but most importantly, she wants to see to it that they both confess their feelings to each other and stop playing the game of hide and seek. "This time, make sure you tell her how you feel directly so she doesn''t misunderstand you again," Huo Mei added, the tone she spoke in seemed to be stressing the importance of telling her in a direct and not a vague way which will only lead to further misunderstandings between them. "Hmmm," Huo Qiang replied with a nod and a smile then he stood up from the seat, just as he was about to leave the room, he turned to her again with a sentimental look filled with gratitude. "Thank you, Huo Mei, I really don''t know what we would all do without you," he said She smiled and lowered her head looking at the piece of cloth in her hand then she raised her head again and gave him a nod, he left the room with that. - - - - - - She walked back to her quarters looking dejected, the sun had already gone down and the whole place was now dark so she was sure that she could cry without anyone seeing her, before she got to her quarters, the rain had already started falling but not heavily, she could have taken cover under one of the large branched trees or the buildings but she wanted to get drenched, she wished the rain would fall heavier than it is falling at that moment and her wish was granted as though the heavens are answering her prayers. With her shoulders slumped, she took every step slowly, the image of the bloodied wound on his back and his strained shoulder dripping blood terrified her, she felt immense guilt just thinking about it and she regretted the fact that she tried to peep at them, if only she didn''t then she wouldn''t know just how serious his wounds are. "I shouldn''t have done that, I should have just listened to him instead of getting angry for no reason," she soliloquized while hitting her chest and her tears falling profusely without any control, she didn''t want to make much noise to avoid garnering attention to herself, she needed to find someplace quiet and hidden from sight where she can cry aloud as much as she wants to. "He is injured because of me, it is all my fault, I should have supported him after he tried to save me," "I can''t believe that I actually wanted him to suffer the pain," "Even if he doesn''t love me, it isn''t his fault but mine, I shouldn''t expect him to love me," She continued, still beating her chest. She finally found the right place ahead of her, the cherry blossom garden she took her sister to before she left the sect, Yes! that is indeed the right place for her at this moment, she didn''t even realize that a smile formed on her lips while she stared at the garden from afar, if there is any place in the sect that can calm her down or console her at this moment, it is definitely that garden. She walked towards the garden at a quick pace, she was crying and smiling at the same time, it seemed like the happiness she felt just by seeing the garden is balanced with the guilt and sadness she is also feeling. She swirled her body around as she arrived at the middle of the garden, the tears kept falling but inside her, she felt the guilt slowly disappearing but she also felt that it wrong for her to stop feeling guilty so soon. The flowers were replanted after her sister burnt them so they had gone back to the way they were, lively pink colours filling the garden with their brown stems, she sniffed the air in the garden and exhaled deeply, she didn''t want to think about her sister, she wanted to leave the joy she feels when she remembers that she is going to see her sister for the first time in a long while for later. She dropped to the ground with her legs spread on the ground and her long ponytailed hair held in place by a single black hairpin with gold tint scattered on her shoulder and back, the tears started again, that''s right, what she needs the most know is to cry it out, to vent and pour out her emotions, after all, she has never done well when it comes to keeping her emotions in her and that is why she flipped out on him. She leaned her back on the tree closest to her then she wrapped her hands around her legs with her head resting on her knees, she started pouring it all out. - - - - - He didn''t want to make a fuss so he quietly looked for her around the sect, he checked every nook and cranny in the sect on the way that leads to her quarters, she might have branched somewhere before getting to her quarter, he thought. In the fish ponds, the training grounds, the rooms, the pavilions, the gardens, he checked them all but he couldn''t find her and he was already approaching her quarters so he decided to check there since that is the most likely place she will be at. He knocked on the door leading to her room after arriving at her quarter, he wasn''t getting any reply and he wasn''t sure if it peeping into the room or forcefully opening the door would be the right thing to do, he was about to take the latter choice when he noticed something. Chapter 160 - But She Must Be Feeling Guilty...! 2 He knocked on the door leading to her room after arriving at her quarter, he wasn''t getting any reply and he wasn''t sure if it peeping into the room or forcefully opening the door would be the right thing to do, he was about to take the latter choice when he noticed something. The door isn''t fully closed, judging from her habit of closing the door fully when she is inside her room but failing to fully close the door when she leaves the room which is a habit they have always tried to correct but to no avail, he realized that she hasn''t returned to her quarters. "Huo Ying, where are you?" He asked rhetorically with his face filled with worry, he placed his hands on his waist while he looked around her quarter to try finding her, maybe in her pavilion or somewhere near the trees in her quarter but he still couldn''t find her, he decided to look for her in other places. "Huo Ying!" he softly called out as he searched the others places outside her quarters, he has now covered almost half of the sect but he still couldn''t find her, a strong seed of worry was now growing in his heart, he was already starting to blame himself and Huo Mei for scolding her, Huo Ying is someone who doesn''t mind getting scolded but if she gets scolded for doing harm to her close ones then the feeling of guilt always weighs her down. "Huo Ying!" "Huo Ying!" he called softly again, his entire clothing was now drenched by the rain pouring heavily and his hair sleeked on his back, he just realized that the rain was pouring heavily when he came out of his room but he was in a rush to find her so he didn''t return to get an umbrella but he was now regretting that he didn''t, the thought of her getting drenched in the rain too since she is not inside her rooms worries him. He had almost given up the idea of looking for her by himself and was about to return to get help from the other guardians when he heard the sound of someone crying, he turned around to see which direction the sound was coming from but he couldn''t see anyone. He looked around again frantically, hoping that he heard correctly and he wasn''t just having auditory hallucinations because he is worried about her, then his eyes caught the sight of the garden. "That''s right! the cherry blossom garden, why didn''t I think of this place sooner?" He questioned himself, looking at the cherry blossom garden from afar, he remembered that there is no place in the sect that holds as much meaning as this cherry blossom garden to her, a glimmer of hope appeared on his face as he hastily walked towards the garden. "Huo Ying!" he softly called out looking around the nooks and crannies of the garden in hopes of finding her there. "Huo Ying!" "Huo Ying!" "are you here?" he was starting to doubt that the sound was actually coming from the garden "Please answer me if you are here," he pleaded with desperation resounding in his voice but she was crying too loud in her corner for her to hear his calls which weren''t loud enough for her to hear since he didn''t want to garner attention to prevent anyone from finding out about the accident in the refining room. He was now getting deeper into the garden but was still looking around, he was about to look in another direction when he heard the sound of someone crying and sniffles clearly, he knew immediately that she is the one, he heaved a sigh of relief knowing that his efforts to find her actually paid off. The closer he got, the louder the sound of her crying grew, she was now in sight. He stood with his back straightened and his looking at her with compassion, love and sadness seeing her cry so loudly, he realized how guilty and disheartened she must have felt but he was now wondering if she actually saw his wound, he desperately wished she didn''t cause that would explain why she is crying so loud. He walked closer to her slowly until he was now standing in front of her but she still didn''t seem to realize his presence in the garden, even whilst standing in front of her. {She really lets her guard down here,} He said in his mind! "Why are you crying here alone?" He asked with a soft, gentle and warm voice that penetrated her soul immediately the sound travelled into her ear, she didn''t want to raise her head up in fear of seeing who the voice belongs to but she could already make a wild guess. Her entire body was drenched by the rain and her clothes seemed to be exposing more than it should since it was now plastered to her body and highlighting her features. He suddenly realized that he asked the wrong question, how stupid of him, of course, he knows why she is crying! He removed his outer robe and draped it over her shoulder, knowing that it wouldn''t do much since it is also wet but he still wanted to do it, she slowly raised her head feeling the wet clothing on her body, she didn''t want to meet his eyes quickly so she slowly lifted her head, upon meeting with his eyes, she mumbled, "Huo Qiang,". Her voice seemed shaky and it showed just how cold she already is but she didn''t leave the garden. {How foolish of her,} He felt the need to bundle her up and carry her back to her quarters to make her warm, he placed his cold hands on her shoulder to help her up but she didn''t want to budge. "Stand up," She nodded in refusal with a guilty look in her eyes. she definitely didn''t want to be found by anyone, especially not by him. "Stand up," he repeated again but this time with a slightly stern voice. "Can you please just let me be?" She asked, with her gaze lowered, not daring to meet his eyes. "No, don''t you realize that your body is very cold right now, you might fall sick if you continue staying under the rain," He insisted "Why are you still worried about that when I made you get such serious injuries on you back and shoulder and I even left you to struggle with it all by yourself, not minding that you were trying to save me, why?" "If you know you did wrong then it is enough, we can talk more about this in your quarter, for now, you have to leave the rain," he realized that she must have peeped into the room while Huo Mei was dressing his wound so it really does explain why she is here crying under the rain. "No, please just leave me be, you don''t even love me so why do you care so much, even if you are my guardian, you should still be angry at me, shout at me and scold me for not listening to you," she said, raising her voice at him and lifting her eyes to meet his gaze, she didn''t want him to be so nice to her even after she made him get hurt, it only makes her feel more guilt. "I do," he replied with a soft voice. "What?" she asked, now sure if she heard right or if he is referring to what she thinks he is referring to. "I said I do, I love you, not as a guardian but a woman I want to be with," Huo Qiang replied boldly and clearly, she was shocked and stunned by his answer, the tears seemed to have stopped falling on its own, in fact, she could feel everything around her stop except for her heart. It started beating faster than it normally does, she felt like it was going to explode at any minute. He was now confused, he couldn''t understand the meaning behind her reaction, was she angry, confused, surprise, or did he get her wrong? He pondered! but seeing as she was no longer stiffing her body, he took the opportunity to help her up but she just moved like a soulless body. "Huo Ying," he called to make sure that she is alright. "You...what did you just say?" she asked with her dark orbs boring intently his eyes, it felt too good to be true or to hear, she wanted to hear it again until she can be sure that she really heard the right thing, he looked into her eyes, more intently then she looked into his. Yes! he felt the urge to let her know how he really feels about her instead of letting his feelings coop up in his heart. "I said I love you, not a guardian but as a woman, I want to be with forever," He repeated again, stressing each word clearly for her to understand so she wouldn''t have him repeat the same words again, her lashed fluttered, the drops of rain on her lashes dropped to the ground while the water entered her eyes but her heartbeat kept increasing, she could feel the pressure of her heart against the walls of her chest. "But you clearly didn''t...you," "I have always loved you since we were little but I couldn''t bring myself to confess to you or tell you this aloud," "Then why are you suddenly...." "No, it isn''t sudden because I just found out that you also love me," Huo Qiang replied with a smile on his wet lips soaked in the rain, at that moment, both of them seemed oblivious to the fact that they are standing under the rain. "I...I" she didn''t know what to say but she still didn''t seem to believe him, the both of them stared intently into each other''s eyes, her eyes were still fixed on his gaze but she found his gaze slowly flickering from her eyes to her lips, the speed of her heartbeat increased again. {are we about to...} She paused her thought seeing him lean closer to her until their nose touched then he tilted his head and wrapped his hand around her neck, she felt every part of her body stiff, she has always dreamt of this but...but all this is too sudden for her to process at once. Their lips touched! She could feel the softness of his lips and nothing else, she had her hand still placed on her thigh not knowing what to do, she finally regained her senses knowing that this is their first real kiss, she couldn''t let the opportunity go the waste. Her body finally moved! She clutched the side of his robe as they kissed gently under the open sky, lost in a bubble of time and space, not even caring about the heavy rainfall pouring down on them while they were getting more soaked. "oh my gosh! this dumbass is really good, he actually..." she was speechless watching the both of them, she had only followed him to make sure that he doesn''t ruin things again but was shocked to see that he was very far from needing her help. She shook her head in surprise seeing the both of them kiss under the rain, she covered her mouth, suppressing the urge to look at them, she turned around, leaning her back on the tree she was hiding behind. "I wonder when I will also do that..." she pondered, touching her lips shyly, then she walked away not wanting to ruin their mood when they notice her presence. He slowly moved away from her with her eyes still closed but with his hand still wrapped around her neck, then she opened her eyes, she was too shy to look at him so she just lowered her gaze. "Do you believe me now?" he asked, smiling. "hmmm," she replied shyly then she suddenly raised her head aggressively with an angry look in her eyes. "Did why did you leave with such stupid excuse that time?" she asked now glaring at him with her head raised since he was much taller than her, he didn''t need to ask to know what time she is talking about. "I thought you were going to get angry at me, so I wanted to leave before you had the chance to say anything," he replied with a remorseful look. "tch!" she hit his shoulder then he winced in pain touching his shoulder, she was too engrossed in the moment that she had almost forgotten about his injury. "What, is it still hurting you, are you feeling pain?" she asked with a worried look on her face while stretched her legs to reach his shoulder, he smiled when her face came close to his with a teasing smile, she stopped when she noticed that he was just toying with her. "Now let''s get you back to your room, else you will really catch a cold," He said, holding her hand and pulling her away without hearing her answer first. She blushed behind him while looking at the side of his face, she didn''t think that it was going to go down in this direction not to talk of having a romantic kiss under the rain, she used her free hand to cover her mouth to prevent herself from laughing aloud in excitement. He was satisfied with his performance, he was even more shocked at his sudden boldness and manliness but the thought of him having already confessed his feelings made him stick a broad smile to his lips. Looking at the side of his face, she realized that he was also smiling. {Seems like he really loves me, this is not a dream} She said excitedly in her mind. Chapter 161 - Excited! {Seems like he really loves me, this is not a dream} She said excitedly in her mind. Soon after they arrived at her quarter and entered her room, he gently carried her and placed her on her bed, she couldn''t help but feel awkward with her sitting on the bed especially when they have just kissed, she cleared her throat to calm herself. He went away then he soon arrived with candles to heat the room up and duvet to cover her body, he was about to cover her body when he realized that her clothes were see-through so he quickly turned his face around, she wondered why he suddenly stopped then she traced his gaze and realized that her clothes are see-through, she quickly crossed her arms over chest. {as if being in underclothes once is not enough, now...so embarassing} She bit her lips in embarrassment while he smiled at the embarrassed look on her face and proceeded to cover her up with the duvet, then he knelt down in front of her, she was confused as to why he was kneeling in front of her until she felt his cold touch on her leg. He removed her boots her causing her to retract her leg but he pulled it back. "Don''t move" he ordered with a stern voice and she obediently followed his order, biting her lips. He removed her socks and rubbed her feet with his hand to warm her up but he didn''t know that is her weak spot, she was trying really hard not to crack up, he was infiltrating her weak spot since that is the place she is most ticklish. Then she couldn''t hold it anymore, she cracked up, bursting into a burst of loud resounding laughter, he looked up to see if she was alright then he saw her laughing frantically without any control, he guessed that she was ticklish but he still wanted to confirm his suspicion so he rubbed her feet again, making her crack into another burst of laughter. "Stop, stop, please stop, I can''t hold myself," she pleaded, still laughing but seeing as he had just discovered her weak spot, he didn''t plan on stopping, he continued rubbing her feet making her laugh again, she felt like her intestines were going to cut and pain in her lower abdomen because of the laughter. She had already overturned the blanket he covered her with in a fit of laughter and even he smiled as he watched her laughed to her heart content, he realized that it has been a long while since he saw her laugh freely like this. "Stop...sto....stop!" she pleaded while holding her abdomen to stop herself from laughing as she couldn''t help it, seeing as she seemed to be holding her stomach because of the pain she is feeling in her lower abdomen, he stopped but placed her leg on his thigh, while she tried to bring her laughter to a stop with a teary eye from laughing too much. "You, you should never do this again, please," she said in a weak voice, bringing her laughter to a stop but still clutching her stomach tightly to get rid of the pain, she was now smiling sweetly, remembering that she has just been confessed to. "You should laugh like this more often," Huo Qiang said with a teasing smile on his lips then he noticed the blanket has already been removed from her body, his eyes caught her accentuated upper figure, he quickly turned his head in another direction while she looked at him confusingly. "The blanket," he said, pointing forward but his fingers were pointed to her side since he wasn''t facing her but the moment she heard ''the blanket'', she realized what she meant, it was almost as if she is always in something inappropriate whenever they are alone. "ooh," she replied in embarrassment and quickly draped the blanket over her shoulder. "You can turn now,". She was already starting to feel shameless, even though he turned his head, he must have already seen it all by now, and since she was even in her undergarment once, is there anything that can be worse than that? She asked herself inwardly! He pulled another pair of socks over her legs and gently placed them on the bed, then he pulled the duvet on the bed over her legs, signalling her to prepare to sleep but she didn''t seem like she needed or wanted to sleep at that moment. After all that happened, she knew that there is no way she would be able to fall asleep without thinking of all that had transpired, she suddenly felt the need to have Huo Mei with her since she is the only person she can tell these things to without feeling too embarrassed about it. "You should sleep now," Huo Qiang instructed, he almost sounded like a father tucking his child in. "What of you?" oop! she exclaimed inwardly An air of awkwardness filled the room the moment she put out that question, she didn''t know what to say with that so she had just blurted out whatever came into her mouth, both of them looked away from each other embarrassingly, she couldn''t imagine what he was thinking in his mind after hearing her ask that question. She really felt like slapping herself! His adam''s apple bobbed in awkwardness, {How could she be so...} He couldn''t bring himself to finish his thought! "hmmm hmmm," he cleared his throat to speak, she clutched the duvet, not wanting to hear what his answer would be in case if it is something as stupid as her question, the situation shouldn''t get any worse than it already is. "What do you mean, of course, I will return to my room to get some sleep, I wouldn''t be sleeping here anyway," their eyes met then they looked away again. Why did he have to include the last phrase! {oh no...I made things even worse,} "Of course not," she retorted sharply "Then goodnight," he responded hurriedly and took a step forward but he felt something or someone holding him back, he turned to see her hand holding his finger to stop him from going any further, he turned to look at her in confusion. "are we...?" He understood what she wanted to ask, after all, he hasn''t been straightforward with her all this while and that lead to one misunderstanding, he wouldn''t want another misunderstanding to set in, he smiled sweetly and leaned forward to plant a kiss on her forehead, this time, she wasn''t surprised but she blushed, she had never seen this side of him before. "You don''t need to feel insecure, you are now my woman and I am yours," He responded to her unfinished questioned with his face still leaned forward, only an inch away from hers, she felt quite shy hearing his answer but he liked it, she liked how he made it sound like they only belong to each other and no one else. A broad and girly curve formed on her lips then she stretched her body to reach his forehead and planted a kiss on his forehead, sitting back on the bed, she was now grinning from ear to ear, he was surprised but he did like it. "hmmm," she hummed in response and quickly lied on her bed, covering her entire face with the duvet to prevent him from seeing the embarrassed look on her face, he smiled and straightened his poise. "Goodnight," then he turned to leave, not waiting for her to reply. As soon as she heard the creaking sound of the door closing, she removed the duvet from her face and looked towards the entrance of the room, when she confirmed that he was gone, she heaved a sigh of relief and pinched. {If it was all a dream then it is time for me to wake up,} She thought to herself then she pinched her cheeks but winced in pain. "It wasn''t a dream, this is real," she screamed in excitement. She jumped on her bed crazily in excitement, she has always dreamt of this day but it turned out to be better than she has always dreamt it was going to be, she was sure that at that moment, she is the happiest woman in the world, she threw the pillow on her bed and threw the duvet to the floor, in excitement, she didn''t want to hold it in, she really wanted to tell someone about it. He quickly moved away from the door when he saw her come down from her bed, he was peeping at her to see what she would do after he left but her reaction was more than what he expected it to Be, he was now more sure than ever that they both feel the same way, even though he wasn''t throwing things around like her, the excitement he feels in his heart is probably times two of hers. He retired to his room. She changed into another set of clothing and picked up an umbrella while she walked out of her room, she didn''t think it would be possible for her to survive the night if she doesn''t tell someone about it, and the only person she could possibly bother with this is Huo Mei, she had even forgotten that she had scolded her earlier for her mischief. Huo Lian and Huo Mei are sharing the same quarter but they have different rooms, however, Huo Lian likes to cuddle her twin to sleep so she always makes Huo Mei sleep in the same room with her, she gently knocked on the door, hoping that Huo mei would wake up without having to disturb Huo Lian who doesn''t seem to be very pleased with her these days. The door soon opened and she was relieved to see that Huo Mei is the one who answered the door. "Huo Ying, shouldn''t you be sleeping, what are you doing here?" Huo Mei asked with sleepy eyes. "I am sorry but I have something to tell you and I really can''t hold it in," she answered sounding apologetic and yet excited, Huo mei had already guessed what she needed her for so she just sighed deeply. "Why are you so excited like just drank chicken blood? I really want to sleep, we will talk about it tomorrow," she responded with sleepiness in her eyes, she could understand how excited Huo Ying must be feeling but she really wasn''t in the mood for girl''s gossip. "Huo Mei...." Huo Ying insisted, pulling her hand, then she finally decided to give in, she was also interested to know how she felt with the kiss and what happened after then so she just nodded her head in agreement and followed behind her, trying her best to wipe away the laggy feeling on her body. She had originally retired to her sister''s room and lied on the bed without even removing her dress, she lied beside her sister who was already asleep in her white undergarment and wrapped her arm around her body, cuddling her to sleep. Huo Lian opened her eye as soon as she felt her sister''s touch, she thought Huo Mei was going to sleep with Huo Ying today and abandon her to sleep all by herself, she secretly smiled, happy that her sister didn''t really leave her to sleep all by herself. She also woke up when Huo Ying knocked on the door and she heard their entire conversation, she was happy when she heard her sister refusing to go with Huo Ying but when she finally agreed to go with her, she clenched her fist and bit her lower lips. She stood up from the bed now that her sister is out of the room and walked to the door, she watched the duo walk out of sight with Huo Ying pulling laggy Huo Mei by the wrist. {She has it all but she just wouldn''t let me have my sister to myself, despicable} She cursed in her mind with her fist clenched more tightly! Huo Lian has always been one to easily get jealous and possessive when she has something she really wants or like, she has always wished she was in Huo Ying''s position as the young mistress of the flame sect and she envied the family relationship between her and her parent even though Huo Ying always acts like her family without her sister is incomplete, she has always thought of that as a joke. Being the child of a runaway disciple from the vitality sect, she has always wanted to grow stronger than anyone and even have more power than her peers but she is still the least powerful guardian in the sect, the only thing she found herself capable of being possessive of is her sister but she has always felt that Huo Ying has taken the better share of her sister''s love. "Just wait and see..." she drawled with a vengeful tone attached to her voice then she turned around to return to bed. - - - - - - "Sit here," Huo Ying ordered, pulling her to the bed then she dropped the umbrella and returned to sit with her on the bed. "You wouldn''t believe what happened today," Huo Ying said in excitement while she waited for Huo Mei to ask her what exciting news she had to tell her. "I know about everything," Huo Mei responded, she had already been pulled long enough for her sleepiness to disappear, but Huo Ying had a confused look on her face. "I was the one who told him to go after you and I saw the both of you kiss," she confessed. "What!" Huo Ying exclaimed. "I didn''t mean to spy on you two but I just wanted to make sure that no major misunderstanding occurs between the both of you so I followed behind him when he went after you, come to think of it, he didn''t even notice that I was following him because his head was too occupied with finding you," Huo Mei said teasingly, she definitely knew that Huo Ying would be embarrassed to know that she actually spied on them and that was what she wanted. Chapter 162 - The Nightmare! "I didn''t mean to spy on you two but I just wanted to make sure that no major misunderstanding occurs between the both of you so I followed behind him when he went after you, come to think of it, he didn''t even notice that I was following him because his head was too occupied with finding you," Huo Mei said teasingly, she definitely knew that Huo Ying would be embarrassed to know that she actually spied on them and that was what she wanted. "you just spoilt the fun, how could you have watched us do...do that," Huo Ying complained in embarrassment. "Don''t worry, I didn''t watch you both to the end, I left immediately I saw you two kiss, so you still have a lot to tell me, so...how long did it go on for?" "What...what are you saying?" Huo Ying asked in embarrassment with her cheeks flushed red. "Why? you were the one who brought me here to tell me about it, are you now embarrassed?" she enjoyed seeing this girly side of her, she couldn''t remember when last she seemed as happy as this, it seemed to her that Huo Qiang is perhaps the only one who can make her like this and of course, her sister, thinking about it now, she didn''t want to imagine what would happen if they end up separating, that is if they are even in a relationship already since they are both slow. "I really can''t be bothered to argue with you, anyways, after we kissed, he apologized for walking out on me after we accidentally kissed," she paused for a moment remembering that she didn''t fill Huo Mei in when that happened. "Oh I forgot, I didn''t tell you about it," she said with her face showing that she felt bad for not doing so even though she has always told Huo Mei everything. "I am still crossed at you for not telling me about that, Huo Qiang already told me about it so continue your story," Huo Mei responded, looking cross. "He really does know that he did wrong, he...he...he" then she smiled shyly and covered her face, she couldn''t hold in the excitement when she remembers him telling her that she is his woman and he is now her man. She jumped on the bed and covered her herself with the duvet, Huo mei shook her head and kissed her teeth knowing that she is really over-excited by his confession, she pulled the duvet away from her and pulled her up. "Could it be that you two went farther than you should?" Huo Mei questioned in doubt, seeing as she was reacting. "Of course not!"Huo Ying quickly snapped before her imagination goes further, remembering the awkwardness between them before he left, Huo Mei took in a sharp breath in relief that they didn''t cross the boundaries. "We are now officially together now, I really can''t tell me how excited I am right now, I was so angry and furious when I thought he didn''t love me because he walked out on our kiss, Huo Mei, you wouldn''t understand how painful it was for me," "But still, you shouldn''t have not listened to him, you had better pray that no one discovers his injury," Huo Mei reminded with a scolding look. "You just had to bring that up, I really didn''t want to remember I did that to him," Huo Ying said, biting her lower lip in guilt. "tch! I really don''t understand why he was still willing to go after you even though you made him seriously injured," Huo Mei responded to make her feel even more guilty so she won''t do something as stupid as that next time. "Because he loves me," Huo Ying narcissistically answered, Huo mei scoffed her newfound confidence, she was now beginning to wonder if she did the wrong thing by asking Huo Qiang to go after her, she nodded her head seeing that she has really turned upside down all because of his confession. "I am sleeping," Huo Ying said then she covered herself with the duvet before Huo Mei could even say anything with her face filled with smiles while she chuckled in excitement, Huo Mei nodded her head again and lied next to her, facing Huo Ying''s back, but Huo Ying turned to her front and wrapped her arms around her, it was clear that she might not be able to fall asleep if she keeps thinking of all that transpired between her and Huo Qiang. - - - - - Parallel world. She frantically turned from one side to another in her sleep with her forehead sweating profusely, it was clear that she was having an unpleasant dream, she clutched the duvet tightly with her face showing a terrified expression and her head moving from left to right and vice versa. Her dream started as a sweet and lovely one but it all changed drastically when the whole place seemed to be on fire... - - - - - - - - - Back to the ancient parallel world. She scrunched up her face as she turned left to right and vice versa frantically, her arms that were originally wrapped around Su Ci were now clutching Su Ci''s dress around her neck, the poor girl wasn''t even feeling that someone was pulling her cloth because she was already fast asleep. Her forehead had already been covered with sweat and her long red hair scattered over her shoulder and the bed. - - - - - Both of them were having the same dream. A little girl walked into the garden filled with pink flowers which they both recognised as cherry blossoms, both girls seemed happy upon entering the beautiful garden that seemed nothing less than pretty, vibrant and colourful. Both girls ran around the garden with their laughter echoing all over the garden until the girl who had gloves on her hand dropped the gloves. The whole garden was engulfed in fire, the little girl who set the garden on fire, looked around her in fear, she seemed horrified and terrified of her self, she quickly found he gloves and wore it back but the damage had already been done. She ran around the garden. "Sister! Sister!" calling out her sister but she didn''t get any answers. "Huo Lan," the little girl turned around when she heard her name but was shocked to see that the person who called her is herself, she still had a confused look on her face until the duplicated version of herself stated duplicating until it formed ten identical figures. She looked at the girls standing in front of her with looks and figures that are identical to hers with confusion. "You are a monster" the first identical image said with sinister and accusing voice, the little girl became terrified of herself when she heard the image of herself calling her a monster, she shook her head frantically in Denial. "No! I am not Monster," she yelled but the images had a mocking look on their faces with sinister curves on their lips, another one moved closer to her and walked around her. "If you are not a monster then why did you burn your sister to death?" the image accused still walking around her, the little girl turned back to look at the image with a terrifies look in her eyes. "I didn''t, I didn''t,I am not a monster," she snapped back but they started laughing all of a sudden, the next thing the little girl could see is a body of a young girl lying on the floor with her face utterly destroyed and unidentifiable, she fell to the ground in horror and covered her mouth. "That....that is not my sister," "How can you be sure about that When she is lying right in front of you? you have been deceiving yourself all along, you are nothing but monster," another one of the image accused but the little girl closed her eyes and lowered her head with her eyes shut. "Why else do you think you are being kept in a room all by yourself but your sister isn''t, everyone is afraid of you," another one accused, their voices were getting louder and echoing the garden making her more terrified. Then they started circling her with their voice getting louder with every seconds. "You are monster!" they chanted while she just kept shaking her head in denial and crying, she clutched her ear tightly to prevent their accusing voice from travelling into her ear but she just couldn''t stop it. "I m not a monster!" she roared - - - - - Parallel world. "I am not monster!" she yelled as her body jerked up on the bed, she widened her eyes, breathing irregularly and faster and her chest rising up and down. she sat up on her bed and switched on the bed lamp beside bed and took in a deep breath, she hasn''t had the dreams for a long time so she had originally thought that she didn''t have any reason to worry about the dream anymore. She cupped her face in her hand while she tried to slow down her breathing and calm herself down. She felt like she is the little girl in the dream, she could feel how terrified and guilty the little girl felt and the taunting voice of the replicated images of the girl made her feel even worse. She pulled the duvet away from her body and stood up from the bed, she walked into the bathroom and washed her face with the cold water running from the tap and the sweat on her forehead washing away. She raised her head to look at her self in the mirror then she sighed, the one thing that troubled her before had already returned and the dreams seemed even more vivid than it felt before. The fact that dream didn''t feel like a normal nightmare but one where she feels the emotions of the people in her dreams makes her feel like she is losing her mind, she might not think much of it if the setting of the dream is a modern world but her dreams are set in an ancient world and that makes it even much worse. She stopped contacting the psychologist after she stopped having the dreams but now, she felt the dire need to visit him again. She pushed her Mickey Mouse hairband back to her hair and dried her face with the white towel hanging on the door and returned to her bed. - - - - - "I am not a monster!" She sprung up from her bed, pulling Su Ci up with her, breathing heavily and panting with sweats breaking out on her forehead, Su Ci who was startled when she was suddenly pulled up from her sleep, rubbed her eyes and sighed, she knew it had happened again. "Young mistress, are you still having the same dream," Su Ci questioned with worry and concern written on her face, ever since her young mistress left the underground cave, she has been having the same dream ever since she met Lin Bohai. She nodded innocently to her question while Su Ci removed a handkerchief from her sleeve and used it to wipe her sweats. "Young mistress, I don''t know what happened to you when you left the cave but you should really try to forget it, if you keep having these nightmares, you might fall sick," Su Ci said, while she patted her hair down to make her relaxed. "hmmmn," Huo Lan replied with a nod, then she pulled her back to lie down and covered her with the duvet with her hand still patting her to sleep. Meanwhile, Bohai who had been sitting on a rock above the cave was watching the cave the entire night, she is the only means of his comfort even though he can''t see her, watching the cave is enough to make the despair and frustration he is feeling disappear even if it is just for a moment. He fixed his eyes on the cave with longing filling his eyes, he brought out the blue flute from his sleeve and positioned it close to his mouth to play it, as soon as he started playing it, the sweet melody from the flute filled the air, even he was mesmerized by his own music. Huo Lan who was still finding it hard to sleep found her urge to sleep as the faint sound of the flute travelled into her ear, she fluttered her lashes in drowsiness then she finally gave in to her desire to sleep, closing her eyes. Chapter 163 - The New School! 1 Mrs Huo placed and arranged the breakfasts on the table then she removed her apron and returned to the kitchen, she walked out of the kitchen, expecting them to have been seated on the dining table, she stood akimbo when she returned to the dining and they still weren''t out of their rooms yet. "Yu Yan, Li Na, Li Jing!" she called aloud, today is the first day for Li Na and Li Jing to start their school in the same city with their grandparent since their parents have travelled abroad so she had woken up very early to prepare their breakfast in order to prepare them for school as early as possible. The trio walked out of their bedrooms and walked to the dining with a drowsy look on their faces and their body showing how reluctant they are to leave their bed, she was surprised to see Yu Yan in her mickey mouse sleepwear and the twins still in their nightwear, as the trio took their seat on the dining table, she watched them with her hands crossed on her chest. "How are you all still in your nightwear, don''t tell me that you haven''t taken your bath yet?" she questioned with a frown on her face. "No," the trio chorused "What!" she slammed in her hand on the table in disbelief "Yu Yan, what are you going to do if they are late to school on their first day?" she questioned in disappointment. "Mum, you don''t have to worry about that, they still have about an hour and thirty minutes to get ready, as long as they finish their breakfast in time they can still make it," Yu Yan responded as though she had already made her calculation even though it is the opposite, because of her nightmare, she slept longer than she had planned to but thankfully, she still had some time before she takes them to school and resume work while the twins nodded in affirmation. "If that is the case then you had better dig in as fast as you can," her mother replied then she took her seat on the dining table and wished out their food on their plate before passing it to each of them. "By the way aunt, why haven''t I seen your car since we arrived?" Li Na asked after taking a bite out of the fried dough stick which she held with her hand, earning an irritated look from her grandmother even though she isn''t aware of it. "Li Na, why are you holding the dough stick in your hand?" her grandmother queried with a scolding, she took another bite from it and dropped it back on her plate with her mouth pouted, she has always been scolded by her hand for doing the same thing but it had already become a habit for her. Yu Yan sneakily dropped her''s on her plate before her mother notices that she is also holding the dough stick in her hand. "Birds of the same feather," she remarked while eyeing Yu Yan who averted her mother''s glare knowing that she had been caught. "You should be laying a good example for her but you are also doing the same thing she is doing, the both of you need to learn from Li Jing, just look at him using his chopstick skillfully," she scolded, while the both of them turned to look at Li Jing who was using his chopstick skillfully as his grandmother praised but he didn''t seem to be aware of his surrounding as he concentrated all his attention on the food. He raised his head while slurping the rice noodles, when he felt the eyes fixed on him, he dropped his chopstick after filling his mouth with the noodles and looked at them with confusion written on his face, the three of them shook their head at him and returned to eating their food including his grandmother who had just praised him. "I haven''t seen your car around, did something happen to it?" her mum asked. "Aunt, are you still using your old car?" Li Na inquired "Of course not, I just bought a new car two years ago but it has a little problem so you don''t need to worry about it mum," Yu Yan responded, she didn''t want to go into detail to avoid a situation where she would have to tell her mum about Han Chen using her car and the engine overheating. "You don''t need a car anyways," Li Na remarked with her attention fixed on her food, then the three of them turned to look at her in confusion. "What do you mean?" her grandmother asked "That handsome man can always pick you u...." she didn''t finish her sentence before Yu Yan pulled her closer to herself and covered her mouth with her palm to prevent her from spilling the entire thing, her mother glanced at the three of them in suspicion seeing as they all looked like they were hiding something from her but Yu Yan quickly smiled broadly to pretend like it is nothing but it wouldn''t fool her mother. "Why are you covering her mouth?" "Nothing mum, you don''t have to bother about it," she answered with a side glare at Li Na who had just realised that she had almost spilt the beans. "But..." "We have to go now else we will be late," Yu Yan interjected and hurriedly stood up from her seat before her mum starts probing her, the twins understood her intentions so they also stood up and followed after her. "You haven''t finished your food yet!" her mum shouted "We will finish it later," Yu Yan shouted as she disappeared into her room, it didn''t take long for her and the twins to come out after getting dressed for work and school. She secretly picked her mum keys on the dresser, then the three of them left the house after bidding her goodbye. After some minutes, they arrived at the school.....Legacy international school, one of the most prestigious schools in China with students from different countries and of course, the school is also very expensive but their father bring the CEO of a company makes them qualified to attend such a prestigious school. The twins were dressed in a casual but dandy way, Li Na was wearing a high waist ripped blue jean trouser with a black crop jumper while Li Jing wore a black chinos trouser with a formal black shirt, leaving the first two buttons open. As the trio walked onto the school, the students fixed their eyes on them while they whispered to each other, Yu Yan couldn''t understand why they were staring at them and she was now beginning to wonder if there is something wrong with their looks, she brushed wavy hair to one side of her shoulder giving them a perfect view of her neck. The male students seemed excited the moment she brushed her head aside while some female students stared at her with admiration and others with dislike, Li Na and Li Jing looked around them to see that more students were staring at them then they turned to Yu Yan. They now understood the reason for their stare, Li Na tapped Yu Yan and leaned towards her to whisper into her ear. "Aunt, can you please cover your neck, you are already attracting everyone attention even before we get formally enrolled," Li Na whispered, Yu Yan looked around to find their eyes on her so she quickly did as Li Na said. "Good morning miss..." "Miss Yu Yan," she replied. "and I am guessing these are the children you would like to enrol in ou school," the middle-aged women asked in a slightly demeaning tone and look in her eyes, she was dressed luxuriously and had her hair in a french updo, Yu Yan noticed this but she didn''t want to make a big deal out of it when she hasn''t done anything really offensive, she put on a smile on her face to answer her. "Yes ma, this is Li Na and Li Jing," Yu Yan replied politely, the woman then nodded and ushered them into the luxuriously designed office decorated with furniture of either black or brown colour, she sat at the head of the table and gestured them to take their seat, the three of them sat on the chairs opposite hers. "So miss Yu Yan, I would like to know the reason for their transfer?" she asked "Their parents are abroad so they have left them in my care, hence the change of school," Yu Yan replied concisely, she didn''t want to give too many details to her. "ooh I see...." then she shifted her gaze from Yu Yan to the twins with a disapproving look, she scanned the way they dressed, unlike the wealthy students from conglomerate families, both of them were dressed casually. "Is anything the matter?" Yu Yan questioned seeing the look she was giving the twins, the headmistress smiled and turned to her. "Nothing, but are you sure there is no problem with their family relationship?" she probed, earning a frown from Yu Yan and the twins but they knew better than to butt in. "What type of problem are you referring to?" Yu Yan asked with a dark look on her face. "I don''t mean to be rude but as a prestigious school known for having a good reputation, we have to take note of things like this so if there are any problems with their family such as...their parents getting divorced, please feel free to tell us," the headmistress answered, Yu Yan scoffed with her head lowered then she raised her head with a sharp look in her eyes. Chapter 164 - The New School! 2 "I don''t mean to be rude but as a prestigious school known for having a good reputation, we have to take note of things like this so if there are any problems with their family such as...their parents getting divorced, please feel free to tell us," the headmistress answered, Yu Yan scoffed with her head lowered then she raised her head with a sharp look in her eyes. "And what makes you think they might have any family problem?" Yu Yan questioned "well, I wouldn''t say there is anything in particular, it is just that the way they are dressed....". Yu Yan turned to their twins by her side to see if there is anything especially wrong with their dressing but the twins were folding their hands on their chest with a sharp glare directed at the headmistress who seemed oblivious of their glare. Yu Yan realized that if she doesn''t shut the headmistress up soon then the twins might say something rude to her. "Mrs, I don''t think it is necessary that you judge their family relationship by how they are dressed, I don''t even see how it relates but if you must know, their parents are still together and all is well with their family, just because they do not dress luxuriously like other rich kids don''t mean they are not one or they are below others," Yu Yan replied, the headmistress was flustered by her answer, she wasn''t expecting Yu Yan to talk back at her in such rude but polite manner, she composed herself with a sophisticated smile. "Please don''t be offended, I..." "Can they go to their classes now, I see no reason why we are still in your office when the enrollment process has been completed beforehand," Yu Yan interjected, the twins struggled to stop themselves from bursting into a loud burst of laughter, seeing how embarrassed the headmistress look but she still forced herself to smile. "No problem miss Yu Yan, that would be taken care of right away," she replied then she gently hit the metal button on the table. Ding!! "I would like the teacher for the home tutor for the emerald class to come to my office," she said, speaking into the table phone on the table, she ended that call and turned to Yu Yan. "By the way miss Yu Yan, I would like to ask a question, what conglomerate family are you from?" the headmistress asked, trying her best to sound as polite as possible, seeing the way Yu Yan spoke tp her, she was convinced that they must be from a very prominent family so she didn''t want to offend her....just yet. "I am not anyone special, just someone from an average class, as for them, their father who is my brother owns one of the best developing companies in this country, if he can afford your school then I don''t think there is a need to ask that," Yu Yan replied, the twins turned to themselves and joined their index fingertips together in excitement while the headmistress frowned at her answer. Now that she knows that they aren''t from any special family, she didn''t intend to be too polite anymore. "No wonder...." "I thought you called someone to come for them," Yu Yan interjected knowing that she was going to say something unpleasant and she didn''t want to make their conversation a big scale argument, she was frustrated seeing that Yu Yan didn''t even give her the chance to retaliate. "Please be patient, there are lots of important students to attend to, he will be here soon," the headmistress replied with a hint of insult, telling them that they are not as important as the other student. "I would very much appreciate that," After she spoke, a male teacher with average looks and a towering build came into the office after knocking on the door, he bowed his head slightly, standing by the headmistress, then he turned to look at Yu Yan who wasn''t even looking at his face. "Hi, I am Dave," he introduced with his hand stretched out, Yu Yan glanced at his hand and then raised her gaze to look at his face, then she raised her hand to his. "I am Yu Yan," she responded While the headmistress looked at him in confusion, since he has never been too friendly with anyone, not even his fellow students being a graduate of Harvard University, she removed her hands. "Mr Dave, this is..." "Li Na and Li Jing," Yu Yan completed even though she knew that she was just pretending not to remember their names, then the twins nodded their heads. "Nice to meet you," he replied "You will be in charge of them, Mr Dave," the headmistress instructed They left the office while Yu Yan left the school to her workplace. He took them to their class and walked them to the front of the class while the students who were originally discussing and grouping themselves turned to look at the newbies, they were surprised to see the supposed rich children dressing in such a casual way even though their clothes were from popular brands, it wasn''t obvious. "This is our new student, please introduce yourself," he said turning to them, Li Na lips curved into a smile to introduce herself. "I am Lina, please take care of me," she introduced as she always does, turning her name into an english name, but Li Jing didn''t bother smiling, he wore a stern face as he introduced himself. "Hello, I am Li Jing," He introduced, brushing the strands of hair hovering over his face, showing his charming and well-shaped hairline, the girls smiled immediately he brushed his hair away from his face and his stern look made him look even more handsome. Everyone in their family has always thought that Li Jing resembled Yu Yan when it comes to his looks. "Such a brief introduction," Mr Dave remarked seeing how concise their introduction is, he was surprised since other rich kids would mention their family companies and achievement and their mode of dressing on their first day of school will surely be extravagant will branded bags while the twins only carried two identical simple looking back bags. "They both seem really snobbish," a girl whispered to the girl seating beside her, the other girl pushed her hair behind her hair and smirked. "I bet they wouldn''t be able to last long," the other girl whispered but a little louder. "That would be such a pity since he is really handsome," "You can take your seat now... let''s see, Min Young, would you like to seat with Li Jing," he asked looking at the Korean girl sitting at the back of the class, they all turned to look at he to hear her response but the looks the girls were giving her seems threatening. she blinked, not knowing what to say. "I...I..." "I will take my seat next to her then," Li Jing said even before the girl could answer, he understood that they are threatening her and she seems to be different from the rest of them, even her style of dressing seemed really simple. "uh..." the girl uttered in a panic then she turned to look at the girls that are glaring at her, she immediately lowered her head, while the girls bit her lips in anger except for a female student sitting with her legs crossed and her elbow resting on the table. She was wearing an off white puffed long-sleeved shoulder dress, reaching up to her knee and a long white socks. He made his way to the girl''s seat, behind the class while Li Na scanned around the class for someone she would like to seat with. "As for you Lina, hmmmn..." his eyes caught the aloof prince of the school, he and two other guys in the class from very prominent families are regarded as the princes of the school. "You can seat with Han Li," As soon as he gave his instruction, everyone in the class glanced at Han Li who had his head on the table sleeping, they were surprised that the teacher actually gave him a seatmate when they have all been vying for that position, Li Na could see that the guy seems to be some big shot in the school but she couldn''t care less, she hasn''t even seen his face yet. She walked over to the seat and sat down beside the guy but she wondered why the teacher wasn''t complaining even though he is sleeping in the class as it is still morning. "Since that is settled then I will leave you all to it," he said and was about to leave the class when he stopped. "Min Young, since you are the class captain, I will trust you to take the new students around the school and tell them all that they need to know," he added while she responded with a nod then he left the class. "I think they are twins," "Of course, can''t you see how much alike they look," "But I have never seen them at the gatherings and balls held by the conglomerate families, have you?" a girl asked another. "No, I don''t think they are as wealthy as the rest of us, they might be scholarship students," "I don''t think so, they might be dressed in a simple way but the guy''s attitude says otherwise," "Don''t you think he is really handsome though?" "So annoying," Li Jing remarked in a low voice, Min Young who was still nervous sitting beside him didn''t know what to do or how to start a conversation with him but hearing his remark, she thought he was referring to her. "I am really sorry if I did anything to annoy you," she said turning to him with a bow, he was taken aback by her sudden apology when he hasn''t even said anything to her, the whole class turned to look at her with scorn on their faces, then they all began laughing. Chapter 165 - Keep Your Facts Straight! 1 "I am really sorry if I did anything to annoy you," she said turning to him with a bow, he was taken aback by her sudden apology when he hasn''t even said anything to her, the whole class turned to look at her with scorn on their faces, then they all began laughing. She lowered her head in embarrassment but Li Jing felt bad, he realized that she must have heard his remark and misunderstood him. "I wasn''t referring to you," he replied, amidst the many eyes looking at them, Li Na knew that this is just the start for the poor girl, any girl that gets too close with her brother has never met a good ending since she will have to face the envy and jealousy of the other girls. She sighed and shook her head, then she remembered her seatmate, she wondered what he looks like since she couldn''t see his face clearly. "Don''t look too much or your eyes will fall out," Lucy said with her eyes fixed on Lina who wasn''t sure if the person was referring to her so she just looked away from the guy and opened her bag, ignoring the girl who had just spoken. "tch!" she was annoyed by the attitude this new girl seems to be giving her. "Hey, I am talking to you," she said louder than before, Li Na was now convinced that the girl seemed to be talking to her, she turned to look at the girl and glanced at her from her head to her toe, the girl was flustered, she couldn''t believe that a no-name new student was giving her such attitude and she doesn''t intend to have it. "Be careful, although our prince seems gentle, he bites so you had better not look too much before you invite trouble to yourself," the girl warned with false friendliness. "Oh, I see," Li Na concisely replied and looked away from the girl. "I see....tch!" she couldn''t believe that this newbie is actually looking down on her. "Why don''t I show you around the school now?" Min Young quickly added before the issue escalated beyond her control, even though she has never had control over the class as the class captain. "That will be nice," Li Na replied and stood up from her seat then she walked out of the class with Li Jing and Min Young with furious gazes directed at them as they walked out of the class. "This is the art room," "and this is the chemistry laboratory," "ooh, it looks really nice," Li Na remarked as they passed through the passageway with classes at both sides, the students from the other classes watched them as they passed. "This is the physics lab and that is the biology lab," "You might not remember all this but don''t worry about that, there is a school map to guide you around," she added, seeing the confusion on Li Na''s face. "oh and this is the music room, that is the dance room, I wonder if you are interested in any," Min Young asked, trying her best to be social with them. "I am not but my brother plays the piano and guitar," Li Na replied and nudged her brother who seemed to be too quiet, not minding Min Young who still thinks that he has a problem with her especially since he hasn''t said anything throughout the tour. "Don''t mind my brother, he is not usually this quiet, he is only like this when he goes to a new school," Li Na whispered to Min Young, crossing over her brother who tried to listen in but couldn''t hear anything. "oh," she smiled, now realizing that it might not be a problem with her after all but she could tell that she is going to have a hard time with him as her seatmate. "But I am into karate," Li Na added to her surprise. "Karate," Min Young repeated "Yes, is there any karate club in this school," she asked, hoping she would say yes. "Did dad not say you shouldn''t...." "Yes there is one but...there are only boys in the karate club since no female student is interested," Min Young interjected. not realizing that she did. "That is quite a shame but I will make do with it," Li Na answered, she could tell that she is not a normal student from a wealthy family so she wondered if she is also a scholarship student like her. "Are you a scholarship student?" she asked "No, why did you ask?" Li Na questioned. "sorry but since the both of you don''t look like you are from wealthy families and you also have interest in karate unlike the other girls, I assumed that you are also a scholarship student like me," she replied, she was now beginning to regret asking that question. "oh you are a scholarship student, that explains why they are all acting that way towards you," Li Na remarked with a look that showed she pities the girl, Li Jing nudged at her with a scolding look, realizing that her comment might have been taken the wrong way, she hurried to defend herself. "Please don''t take it the wrong way, I am only saying that because I noticed that you seem to be outcasted from the class," "I alright, I am already used to it, by the way, you should be careful of lucy, she is the daughter of one of the leading petroleum companies, I don''t really know much about these things but her parents have a lot of influence and her mother is one of the board of directors," she warned with a concerned tone. "You don''t have to worry about that, although we may look like this, My dad is also very wealthy so she can''t intimidate me," "But you should still be careful," "From now on, I will be your friend, if anyone tries to trouble you or bully you, just tell me, as I told you before, I am a very good fighter although I may not look like it,". Li Jing nodded his head at how boastful she is while Min Young smiled in appreciation. "Judging from your name, you are Korean but your Chinese is so fluent," "I have been living in china since I was little," "It isn''t surprising then," "We are already done, I think it is time for class now so if there is anything else you need or don''t understand, please don''t hesitate to tell me," "We will," they chorused. - - - - - - She arrived at the parking lot and parked the car when she heard her phone ringing, she ransacked her bag for her phone, she finally found it. "Hello, am I speaking to miss Yu Yan," a masculine voice asked, she felt like the voice is familiar to her but she couldn''t remember where she had heard the voice from, she moved the phone away from her ear to look at the contact''s name but it was just numbers. "Yes, who is this?" she asked "This is Mr Lu, your psychologist, I guess," he answered in friendly tone without a hint of professionalism but that didn''t surprise her, judging from their first meeting, he didn''t seem like someone who has an air of professionalism attached to him. "Ooh, I didn''t even get your name back then, I was about to call you but I didn''t expect that you would call me even before I call," she responded, reciprocating his friendliness. "Seems, like minds think alike," Yu Yan chucked at his response, she finds him too unprofessional for a psychologist. "At the last appointment, I told you that I was going to make my research before contacting you for another appointment," "Yeah..." "I have concluded my research so I would like to invite you for another appointment," "That would be really nice, actually my dreams stopped for a while so I thought there was no need for another appointment but I have just recently had another one," "Then please contact me when you are ready, so I can leave a spot for you in my schedules," "That would be really great, thank you" Yu Yan replied then the call ended. She realised that she had forgotten her plan to contact the psychologist and she blamed the rude and arrogant headmistress for that. Hanging her bag on her shoulder, she hurried into the hospital, she was sure that she wouldn''t be busy throughout the day except for making her rounds and being on standby for emergency medical situations. She walked into the hospital, greeting all the nurses and surgeons she met on her way as soon as she entered the office, she saw that only Xiaomeng was inside the office, she wanted to turn around to leave but she felt it would be awkward if she does that. Staying along with Xiaomeng in the office has never meant anything good, especially since the rumours of her anonymous boyfriend whom everyone has been shipping her with has spread around the hospital, she will definitely have something to argue over with her. She placed her bag on the table and changed from her jacket into her white coat, she switched on the computer in front of her and fixed her eyes on it, hoping that this silence will remain the same but the chances of that happening seemed very slim. "Surgeon Yu Yan, what is this that I am hearing about you bringing your boyfriend to the hospital?" Xiaomeng asked, breaking the dead silence in the office, Yu Yan closed her eyes and sighed then she moved the laptop away from her sight to explain to her. Not that she is afraid of Xiaomeng but she wouldn''t want her to tell Chen Kai anything that would make him angry or feel insecure of their soon to end long-distance relationship, not when they will soon be together again. "There is nothing special you need to know about it, he is not my boyfriend as you already know but Jia Yu''s brother, even if everyone starts to spread rumours, You know better than they do so I hope you keep your facts straight," Yu Yan replied, definitely warning her not to say any nonsense to Chen Kai, that she cannot tolerate. "Are you warning me right now?" Xiaomeng questioned after a scoff, earning a smile from Yu Yan but not a friendly one. "You can take it however you want to but my only point is that you keep your facts straight," she answered "keep my facts straight.....tch!" "I personally saw you both flirting in the hospital park, should I still keep my facts straight cause it appears to me that you have been cheating or should I say flirting with other guys in Chen Kai''s absence," Bam! Chapter 166 - Li Hua! 1 "Xiaomeng!" she yelled "What!" she yelled back Yu Yan took in a deep breath and looked her in the eye with a threatening gaze, she can tolerate anything but she cannot withhold herself when it comes to Chen Kai. "I wasn''t flirting with anyone, I don''t know if you are talking about the same person but we are only friends, he is not even that close to me to be called my friend, he is an acquaintance, what you see might not always be the truth so please be careful," Yu Yan warned with her eyes widely opened, then the both of them suddenly entered a staring contest, until they heard a knock on the door but they still didn''t end the contest. "Come in," Yu Yan answered with their eyes still locked together, the nurse who had just entered was now confused, she didn''t know if she entered the office at the right time nor could she tell if this was just a friendly contest or they are really arguing. "ehhmnnn....surgeon Yu Yan," the nurse called "What is it?" "The teenage patient who was stabbed by the maniac has shown improvements in his condition so I wanted to ask if you would like to check up on him," the nurse answered "Okay, I will be on my way right now," Yu Yan responded then she moved her eyes away from Xioameng and walked out with the nurse. "Did you bring his last two charts?" Yu Yan asked "Yes, I knew you were going to ask for it so I brought it with me," "Okay," Yu Yan replied, still with a frown on her face. They haven''t even entered the ward when they heard the sound of laughter resounding across the hallway, she turned to look at the nurse with a quizzical look but the nurse shrugged her shoulder to show that she doesn''t know what is going on. She opened the door and slowly walked inside, with her head peeping inside the ward to see what was happening first, she wasn''t surprised when she saw Li Hua tickling the poor boy who has recently just recovered. "Li Hua, what are you doing?" Yu Yan questioned with her hand stretched out to collect Guo Yan''s chart from the nurse, she opened it as she walked towards Guo Yan''s bed while Li Hua quickly returned to hers. "You shouldn''t be laughing too hard, what if your stitches break open?" Yu Yan questioned with a scolding look. "I am sorry but it was Li Hua who kept tickling me, I told her to stop but she wouldn''t," Guo Yan answered shifting all the blame to her. "eh, weren''t you the one who started it first, I only did that to take revenge on you," she snapped immediately. "But..." "Alright, alright, let it end here, if you both start arguing, I won''t transfer the other to another ward so you had better live in this ward in peace," She looked into the heart monitors and recorded the readings with a positive nod, then she handed the chart to the nurse and collected the previous ones to compare his progress, she looked at him with a smile and closed the chart before handing it back to the nurse. "What of the orthopaedic examination result, has it come out yet?" she asked, turning to look at the nurse. "Yes, this is it," the nurse answered and handed the results to her, she glanced through it as she swiped through the pages and nodded positively, then a naughty thought entered her head, she smiled mischievously and closed the result before handing it over to the nurse with a sigh, which disturbed Guo Yan who had been hoping to hear a positive comment from her. "Doctor, is anything the matter?" Guo Yan asked, seeing the worried look on Yu Yan''s face while the nurse seemed confused, she has read the result before but there was nothing bad or out of the ordinary to be concerned about so she didn''t understand why Yu Yan was looking as if something bad has happened. "Your result...the result says that..." she hesitated and turned her back on him. "Doctor, is there anything wrong with me?" Guo Yan asked with fear written on his face, while her back is turned at him, she is facing Li Hua who noticed the smile trying to break out on her lips, she nodded her head at Yu Yan who signalled her not to say anything so she just hid her smile and turned back to face the boy. "I originally thought you have recovered but...but the orthopaedic examination says..." "Says what?" his heart was literally beating fast that even the heart monitor has already started showing signs that his heart rate is rising. "The results say that there is a problem with your knee and you might not be able to play football again but this injury might be something you sustained before the stab," Yu Yan announced, they all looked upon his reaction but his face went blank, she couldn''t understand what that means but she hoped it wasn''t anything serious. "Are you okay, Guo Yan?" Yu Yan asked, looking concerned but then, his look changed as though he was going to cry at any minute. "How is that even possible, football is my life, If I can''t play anymore then there is no...how can I?" he cupped his face in his palm and lowered his head to cry like a man would but Li Hua who had been suppressing her urge to cry couldn''t hold it anymore, she cracked up, bursting into a peal of loud resounding laughter then Yu Yan followed, the nurse who was confused now realized that she was just pranking him. Guo Yan raised his head to see why there were laughing but he still couldn''t understand, she noticed the confused look on his sad face so she decided to tell him the truth. "I was just pranking you," Yu Yan disclosed, he placed his hands on his chest and heaved a sigh of relief then he glared at Li Hua who was still laughing. "Your results came out good, after a week of further examination, you can get discharged," Yu Yan announced with a smile on her lips while the boy balled his fist and jerked it upwards in happiness but Li Hua stopped laughing with a sad look on her face. "What''s wrong Li Hua?" the nurse asked, seeing Li Hua sulk "Sister Yu Yan, am I going to be left alone again?" "You are also going to be discharged this Friday," Yu Yan disclosed to cheer her up "What! I don''t want to go home," "Where are you supposed to go then, you can''t stay in the hospital anymore, you have recovered," "But I don''t want to live with my family," Li Hua insisted, she hated her family for not giving her the attention she deserved so she has already gotten accustomed to staying in the hospital as long as Yu Yan still works there. "Li Hua...." "I don''t, why don''t I live with you, sister Yu Yan," She asked, standing up from her bed and walking up to Yu Yan, Guo Yan who had very much been wanting to go home couldn''t understand why she didn''t want to go home. {What kind of person would love to live in a hospital,} He pondered as he watched both of them in confusion. "Sister Yu Yan..." she drawled, holding Yu Yan''s hand. "You can''t Hua, even if I let you, your parents wouldn''t want that, why don''t you just talk to your parents and try to tell them about how you feel or I can help you talk to them if you wish?" Yu Yan suggested, initially, she had wanted to scold her family for not caring about her during her entire stay in the hospital but she feared that it might bring her trouble if the patient''s guardians complain, after all, she is the surgeon with the least connections in the hospital. "No! I am sixteen years old so I can make my own decision, If you won''t take me in then I will live in a hotel or on the streets, I am never going home," She yelled and ran out of the ward. "Li Hua!" Yu Yan yelled after her "Nurse, please finish up here, I will go after her," Yu Yan instructed then she ran out of the room after Li Hua with the patients and the staffs seeing them as they ran past them, the nurses were about to go after her too but Yu Yan raised her hand to stop them, within the past three months she spent in the hospital, she has observed Li Hua to be a very emotional teen who seeks love and attention especially that of her family, so if they all start going after her, she might not want to return with them. "Li Hua," Yu Yan called after they arrived at a hallway with an old man being wheeled in a wheelchair by a nurse, she had almost collided with the old man but Yu Yan''s call stopped her, she stopped and turned back to look at Yu Yan with a teary eye, after the nurse who was wheeling the man wheeled him out of the hallway, she moved closer to her and pulled her to a bench. She watched her for a moment as the tears slowly dropped from her eyes with her head lowered. "Sister Yu Yan, please let me just stay with you, I promise to be a good girl, I won''t disturb you, please..." she pleaded while she sniffed her nose to stop her tears, Yu Yan smiled at her and patted her hair. "Let me tell you a secret," Yu yan said then she leaned towards the girl to speak into her ear, while she leaned forward in curiosity. "I am a daddy''s girl so I am still living with my parents," Yu Yan disclosed then she moved away from her, smiling, while the girl looked surprised. "You are living with your parents," Li Hua repeated "Don''t be too loud or others will hear," "Don''t worry about that, I can buy a house for both of us to live in," "You are really silly, I have a house in my name but my parent won''t let me leave the house so there is no need for you to buy me a house," "Then I can live with you and your parents," "Silly, I also have a niece and nephew living with me," "hmmmn...It''s alright, I can still make do with it," "Li Hua..." "What, if you don''t want me to live with you then just let me live in the hospital then, my parents don''t care about the bill anyways," Chapter 167 - Li Hua! 2 "Li Hua, they are your family, sooner or later, you will still have to go to them and we can''t let you miss school more than you already have, so please..." "But...But" "I can talk to your brother when he comes to pick you up, they are your family so you have to manage them but if things still don''t change after that then we can still see each other, just come visit me at any time," she preferred and waited for her to accept her suggestion. "Okay, but if they don''t give me their attention this time, I am going to move out for real," she responded with resolution ringing in her voice, Yu Yan wasn''t sure if it was going to work but talking her put of moving out after this might make all her effort go to waste. "Alright," she responded then she stood up from the bench and held her by her hand until they reached the ward, she patted her hair after which she entered the ward. She sighed and made her way back to her office, after passing by a group of surgeons who greeted her politely but looked at her as though there was something on their mind to ask her, she didn''t need to ask to know what it is so to avoid unnecessary questions, she quickly moved along. She pressed the elevator button to return to her floor, after the door opened, she placed her hands in her coat pocket and looked downwards but just as the elevator door was about to close, someone stopped it from closing, she raised her gaze only to see Alan Chen standing in front of her, she couldn''t help but sigh deeply while he entered with a mischievous smile on his lips. "Assistant director," she greeted with a stern look on her face. "Yu Yan''a if someone sees your face right now, they will think I did something bad to you so please, relax your face," he remarked with his face facing his front but the smile on his lips only got broader. "You shouldn''t worry about that since there is no one here with us, after the elevator stops, I will put on a smile," she responded. "Exactly, that is the point, only the both of us are here so why do you have to put on a frown on your face, am I that unpleasant to be with," "As we are still at work, I won''t answer that question, after work you are free to ask me the same question again although I will prefer not to see you after work," she didn''t plan to hide her discomfort being with him. "If you say it like that then you really hurt my feelings but I will still change your view about me, that is my lifetime mission," "You are free to do as you wish," "I heard you brought your boyfriend to the hospital...". she closed her eyes and sighed deeply at the fact that she will have to explain their relationship again. "You should know better than to ask that question, my only boyfriend is still undergoing his training abroad so please don''t listen to what the rumours say," she answered, opening her eyes. "You never know, Chen Kai might not be your boyfriend anymore in a month''s time," he turned to her with his eyes fixed on her with a look she has always hated lurking around his gaze. "What do you mean by that?" Yu Yan responded but she didn''t want to face him. "If that rumoured boyfriend of yours really takes Chen Kai''s place in your heart then I don''t think I will have any problem with overthrowing him," he answered with confidence resounding in his voice, she scoffed and turned to him. "I promise you, that will never happen" the seriousness in her was too clear for him to understand but he still wouldn''t relent. "You can never be too sure of that, Huo Yu Yan," he responded with clarity "I would prefer if you call me surgeon Yu Yan at work please," she replied with a fierce look in her eyes, making him bat his lashes. Ding! She turned around and walked out of the elevator, putting off the frown on her face, she bowed her head slightly as she greeted the staffs she met on the way back to her office, she could still feel her anger boiling because of Alan Chen but she didn''t want to think about anything he said. She hated it when he makes her feel insecure about her future with Chen Kai and when he constantly reminds her of the possibility of his parent''s rejection, something she has always lied to herself about and she also knows that Chen Kai has always been avoiding the topic. "Surgeon Yu Yan," A voice called from behind, she turned around to see who it was calling her then she realized that it is the team leader calling her. "Team leader," she saluted as she walked closer to her. "Why were you looking so lost just now?" Mrs Nanjing asked with concern written on her face. "oh, it is nothing, I was just fantasising about something impossible," she lied "Is that so...." she gave her a doubtfully look while Yu Yan tried to avoid her gaze but she could only smile to diffuse her doubt. "Is there anything you want to tell me?" She inquired to avoid the topic. "Yes, actually there is a....you know what, let''s talk in my office," "Okay," Yu Yan responded, wondering why her team leader is being so mysterious but she really hoped it isn''t anything serious that would cause her or the team trouble. As they arrived at the office, Mrs Nanjing took her seat in front of the table, while Yu Yan closed the door and walked into the office, she placed her arms on her thigh as she waited for the team leader to speak, seeing how nervous she is, Mrs Nanjing couldn''t help but chuckle. "Yu Yan, why are you being so nervous?" "I am not nervous team leader, I am just anxious to know what you want to say since you are making it seem so mysterious," she bluntly replied earning another chuckle. "Did I? sorry, I didn''t mean to make it seem that way, please relax and take your seat," she responded, gesturing to one of the chairs in front of her office table. "Okay ma," she replied and took her seat. "I just wanted to inform you that we will be having a new general surgeon in my team so I just thought you all should be aware of this before he arrives," "Is he from another team or....?" they haven''t had a new member ever since they started working at the hospital so she wasn''t sure if she meant a newcomer like a fresh surgeon. "No, he is not from another team but a newly employed general surgeon, his qualifications are too good for this job but he wants to get into this team, so you all should brace yourself and don''t feel like you are inferior to him, alright?" "Understood, team leader" "You can go now," "When is the new member resuming?" Yu Yan asked, stopping when she had almost opened the door. "I am not sure about that yet but it would be soon," She nodded her head and walked out of the office, while Mrs Nanjing swirled her chair around, wondering what it is going to be like with Han Chen in her team, the both of them go way back when he was still a trainee and she was his trainee mentor back then, with his skills, she still couldn''t understand why he would fancy working at this hospital. "Guys we are having a new general surgeon recruit in our team," Yu Yan disclosed as soon as she slumped on her seat in the office. "Really!" An Ke exclaimed excitingly, if anyone, she has always wanted a new team member, especially a male general surgeon. "How old is he, is he tall, handsome, is he fit?" An Ke questioned while imagining what her dream recruit would look like. "Did I even say it is a male general surgeon, your imaginations really run wild, tall...handsome...fit" Yu Yan nodded her head at An Ke who ignored her scolding, she was now starting to pity the new recruit if he really turns out to be as An Ke described. "When did the team leader say the recruit is resuming?" Li Chen asked "The recruit is a male but she didn''t tell me when he is resuming, she just said very soon and she said the new recruit''s qualification is really good and superior to this team so I don''t really know what to expect," "You see, I just knew it is a male, I have been wishing for a male recruit for years now and my wish has finally been fulfilled,", both of them shook their head at how she never changes. "Li Chen, can you please inform Xiaomeng of this when you see her," Yu Yan requested, after their previous conversation, she has no desire whatsoever so speak to her at least not while she is still angry with her. She really hoped that Xiaomeng took her warning, otherwise, she wouldn''t know what to tell Chen Kai, even if she was sure that he would believe her, she still doesn''t want to cause any problem while they are still apart. "Why, did you two argue?" Li Chen asked, he knows that Yu Yan would never avoid speaking to Xiaomeng for not good reason. "It is nothing, just tell her when you see her, team leader says we have to brace ourselves for the arrival of the new recruit but I get the feeling that he is a big shot," "It doesn''t matter, team leader would never let someone who is not capable to enter the team no matter how much connection they have so I don''t think we will be having any problem with that," "I really don''t care about that, as long as he is handsome, everything else doesn''t matter,". An Ke remarked with her hand cupping her face while she imagined her dream recruit. Yu Yan and Li Chen glanced at each other before looking at her with a hopeless look knowing that she can''t be saved. Chapter 168 - The Emperors Decree! At the wind sect. The disciples were attending their training and classes under the guidance of the many masters in the sect, the day was almost going too well until the letter arrived at the sect. "Sect leader, it has been more than a week now since the flame sect has returned from the capital but there is still no news of the outcome" the second elder complained. "At this rate, we might not get any result at all and the flame sect coming out of their seclusion might turn out to be our bane," the first elder added. The sect leader took in a deep breath, twisting the green jade ring on his finger, he was thinking of what the elders have said, ever since the flame sect madam returned from the capital he has been concerned, he knows that the emperor will never let her return that easily if he found something on the flame sect. "I understand your concern but we can only wait until there is news from the palace," sect leader Lin responded. "Sect leader, there is news from the palace," a voice announced from outside the door while waiting for permission to go into the room. The elders glanced at each other before returning their gaze to the sect leader. "News..." "Could it be the news we have been waiting for," "Come in quickly," he ordered A female disciple entered the study with a gold-coloured scroll in her hand, their eyes fell on the scroll as she entered further into the study. "Sect leader, the...." "Bring it to me quickly," he ordered interjecting her with the urge to see the content of the scroll evident on his face, without hesitation, she walked up to him and handed him the scroll with her head slightly bowed. He waved his hand in a dismissal wave then the disciple retreated and exited the room while the sect elders were staring at the sect leader as he unrolled the scroll to see the content of the scroll, if they had their chance, they would have snatched it from him to read it first. {....The second young mistress of the flame sect has been permitted by the emperor himself to go back to the flame sect for a day, Decreed by the emperor himself!} His hands trembled as he read the content of the scroll while his face scrunched up in anger, he couldn''t believe that their trip to the capital actually worked against them, he squeezed the edge of the scroll tightly while the elders glanced at each other, wondering what might have caused him to be so angry. "Sect Leader, what does the scroll say?" the first elder asked in curiosity but the sect leader tightened his grip on the scroll while his chest moved up and down in anger. "Could it be that....." "Huo Jingyu, Flame sect!!!" he roared then he threw the scroll to the ground and stomped on it, the elders stood up with him, judging from his reaction, they could tell that the emperor must have found them innocent but it still doesn''t warrant the sect leader getting this angry. "Sect Leader...." the second elder called "Please calm down," the third elder added, but he turned to him with his eyes burning in anger "I should calm down, I should calm down, How am I supposed to calm down? see for yourself!" he yelled and swept the scroll towards their direction, the third elder sighed and bent his back to pick up the scroll but the first elder snatched it as soon as he picked it up. "First elder..." he complained but having no choice, he could only move close to him to read the scroll while the second elder did the same. "What!" "The second young mistress of the flame sect should return to the flame sect for a day, this....this...this," the second elder exclaimed, hanging his hand in the air with his sleeve dangling, they could now understand the reason for the sect leader''s anger. "How could it turn out this way, the emperor would never send such a decree, this must be a fake edict, that witch must be pulling some of her tricks again," the first elder remarked, the sect leader turned to face them with an irritated look in his eyes. "Trick, do you think she has the ability to fake the imperial stamp, this scroll has been stamped by the emperor himself," "If that is so, then the emperor must have been forced to make such a decree," "I agree, the emperor is the last person who wants the flame sect to gain the power and influence they once possessed, something must have happened in the court," "That Huo Jingyu, she is really sly and cunning, she actually used the situation to her favour, perhaps, we shouldn''t have summoned the flame sect to the alliance meeting, that way, they wouldn''t have come out of their seclusion," the first elder remarked in regret, not only him but even sect leader Lin was regretting his decision when he brought up the flame sect in the alliance meeting. {She has not only been acquitted but she had also made an appearance in the court, if I allow things to keep going this way, it will be bad} He thought inwardly! "I didn''t send a message to the flame sect before the meeting, someone must have informed her of the meeting," he disclosed while pacing up and down the room, while he pondered about who might have disclosed the information of the meeting to her. "But you said..." the second elder was stopped by the first elder, he had already known that the sect leader wasn''t planning on sending the disciples to inform the flame sect of the meeting, the second elder quickly understood his intention so he halted his sentence. "One of the sect leaders that attended the alliance meeting must have informed her of the meeting but all the sect leaders seem to be opposing the flame sect and they all joined the campaign against the flame sect back then, so it is really not easy to tell who the culprit is," the first elder commented "That is indeed true but there is one sect that didn''t participate in the campaign and is also on good terms with the flame sect or should I say Huo Jingyu," the third elder remarked while they turned to him. "You mean the azure demon sect," sect leader Lin responded "That is indeed not impossible, judging from how Mo Yuhan seems to worship Huo Jingyu and their refusal to take a stand during the campaign, they might have informed the flame sect of the meeting," the first leader added, with a look that showed that he is convicted of his conclusion. "No, it cannot be Mo Yuhan, after he left, I sent a disciple to visit the inn where he reportedly stayed in before the meeting and the disciple confirmed that he is at the inn, he couldn''t have informed the flame sect within the time he left the sect and the time I sent the disciple," sect leader Lin argued with confidence in his investigation. "If sect leader says so then it is really hard to tell who the culprit is," "There is one more person but I hope sect leader won''t be offended by what I am about to say," the first leader said but the sect leader could already guess what he was about to say. "You mean Bohai?" "It seems like sect leader is also thinking in the same direction, the young master seemed to be displeased with the alliance decision to investigate the flame sect and I have also noticed that he has been interceding for the demoness so I..." "Bohai would never do such a thing, I suppose first elder has been misunderstanding his intentions, his intentions in interceding for her is to ensure that we do not take the wrong actions and the emperor''s decree has proved him to be right," The disciple who has delivered the emperor''s decree to the sect leader was discussing with the other disciples when her words fell upon Bohai''s ears. "What did it say?" "I don''t know, do you think I will dare to open the emperor''s decree," "What are you talking about?" Bohai asked, interrupting their discussion. "Young master!" they greeted "What were you saying just now?" he probed, showing his disinterest in their greeting. "The emperor''s decree arrived at the sect this afternoon and I delivered it to the sect leader, I was only informing them about it," the disciple answered, hoping that Bohai wouldn''t scold them for slacking and lazying around. "The emperor''s decree," he repeated "Yes," "What did it say?" he asked with his urge to know what the decree entailed evident in his voice. "I didn''t dare to open the decree so I don''t know the content," the disciple answered. "Alright," Bohai responded and walked away, the disciples sighed in relief that they didn''t get scolded but they found it surprising. He walked towards his father''s study with worry written on his face, he really wanted to know what the decree entails but he didn''t think it would be the right thing to do if he goes to see his father to know what the decree says since that would only increase his father''s suspicion and dissatisfaction towards him. "Huo Lan, I really hope you will still be safe after this," he stopped on his tracks when he arrived in front of his father''s study, he was still trying to decide if it is the right decision to go in at that moment. Chapter 169 - Xi Fengs Past! The wind sect. He decided to go into his father''s study not caring about his father''s thoughts regarding where is loyalty and support lies, to him, knowing what is going to happen to the woman he loved is more important than anything else even if it earns him another beating from his father. "Sect leader, I would like to see you to discuss something,". Bohai announced from outside the study not wanting to sound endearing. "Come in," sect leader Lin answered with his back turned at the door while the elders sat back on the seats, he entered the study and bowed his head with his hand cupped in front of him to greet his father who still didn''t bother to turn around. "What is it?" he questioned, showing his dissatisfaction with his son but Bohai wasn''t concerned with his father''s cold attitude, he had already made up his mind to never regard him as his father again but the sect leader. "I heard from the disciples that the emperor''s decree has arrived at the sect so I decided to inquire about the content of the decree," Bohai answered. "It is really unexpected that you rushed here just to know the content of the decree, humph!" he turned around with a disappointed and quizzical look in his eyes as he fixed his eyes on his son, while the elders were wondering what his true intentions are. "As the young master of the sect, it is my duty to care about this matter as it affects not only our sect but the entire Jianghu world, I hope father will not misunderstand my intentions," his face showed that he meant every single word he had just spoken but his father still couldn''t help but feel that is not the only reason why he wants to know about the decree even if it is something everyone is eager to know. "In that case, see for yourself," he responded and signalled the first elder to hand the scroll over to Bohai who collected the scroll and hurriedly opened it. {....the second young mistress of the flame sect has been permitted by the emperor himself to return to the flame sect for a day, decreed by the emperor himself!} His eyes widened at the last sentence, he felt the urge to widen his lips into a smile but for the fear of his father, he constrained himself and smiled inwardly, he wished he could run out of the study right now and break the news to her. But he had to pretend with the elders and his father''s eyes on him. "How could this have happened?" He falsely complained with a frown on his face, his father squinted his eyes at him in suspicion, he paused looking at his face for a while to see if his discontentment is genuine. "I will never let that happen, Bohai, send a message to all the sect leaders and inform them of the content of the decree and my decision to appeal to the emperor regarding this issue, we can only use the excuse of her power not being stable to stop the flame sect from getting her back," Sect leader Lin instructed with resolution resounding in his voice, he feared that Huo Lan might disclose the secret that they tried to dispel her power. "Y-Yes father," he bowed his head and left the study with his father watching his back, the elders were still thinking of the sect leader''s decision. "Sect Leader, what if the emperor has his own difficulties and he refuses to renounce his decree?" the third leader questioned while the others fixed their gaze on the sect leader, awaiting his answer. "Then I can only use another card," sect leader Lin answered vaguely. "Another card...." Judging from his tone, it was quite obvious to them that he has no intention of telling them what his other card is so they can only leave the topic be. - - - - - - - - - Blossom Pavillon. Xi Feng stood in the middle of the garden, while he practised his sword techniques, he was still meditating before he started practising when the fourth prince entered into the garden wearing a black robe with his black hair cascading his back, his lips curved into a faint smile seeing Xi Feng meditate in a lotus position. He decided to sit back and watch how much this bodyguard of his has improved, he took his seat on the stone seat, just outside the open space in the garden and placed his elbow on the stone table while he fixed his eyes on the bodyguard. He raised his hands, prompting one of the servants in the pavilion to walk up to him, she bowed her head as soon as she arrived at his front. "Fourth prince," the servant greeted. "Get me peach blossom tea," the fourth prince ordered. "Understood," she answered and made her way towards the kitchen, just as she left, Xi Feng opened his eyes and sprang up from the lotus position, he swirled his body in the air with his unsheathed sword stretched in front of him, as he landed on the ground, he pushed his sword forwards and pulled it out of its sheath then he kicked the sheath to the ground. He swirled his swords around, causing the leaves from the trees to fall under the impact of his sword, the fourth prince watched him while he fondled with his fingers with keen concentration until the servant arrived with the clay pot of tea and a wooden teacup which she guessed he would prefer using to drink the peach blossom tea, compared to the jade cups. Extremely satisfied with the choice of teaware, he signalled her to place it on the stone table, she was about to pour the tea into the teacup when he waved his hand to dismiss her, she bowed her head again and walked away. Xi Feng who has already noticed the presence of his master was now doing his very best to impress his master and show the best of his skills, Xi Feng was born and bred in an assassin creed where he was trained to become a soulless and heartless killer, he was giving a mission to kill a whole family of more than thirty people and as he always does, he received the mission with no question, after he had killed everyone in the family and was about to leave, his eyes caught a young girl hiding under the many bodies of her family which he had killed. He immediately recognised the girl as the girl he had met a few days ago and told all of his struggles to, he realized that his superiors found out his newfound relationship with the girl so they ordered him to kill her family. He was about to leave, pretending like he didn''t see her when his superior and assassins came into the family manor, they had been watching him the whole time, one of them dragged the girl who was quivering in fear out and ordered him to kill her, she looked at him with fear and hatred in her eyes, for the first time in all his missions, he felt guilty of what he had done. Under the pressure of his superiors, he raised his sword to kill her but he couldn''t bring himself to bring the sword down on her, instead, he turned around and pointed his sword at his superiors while he pulled the girl to her feet. He has always done their bidding but he couldn''t believe that the one time his heart felt emotions, they will try to snatch it away from him, the head of the assassins ordered the others to kill him and the girl but he killed every one of them that raised their sword against the girl while receiving multiple cuts to his body, he ran away with her into the forest with the assassin creed at their heels. She couldn''t understand why he was trying to save her even after killing her family, his ears picked up the sound of a bow being stretched then he stopped and turned around only to see arrows being pointed at them, he quickly pulled the girl away but she was frightened so she snatched his sword and stabbed him in his chest while the arrows pierced through his back. She realized that he was only trying to protect her, she dropped the sword in fear of what she has done but he only smiled at her and told her to continue running while he stays behind to fend them off and that was the last he saw of her but the fourth prince saved him the next day, so his loyalty lied with the fourth prince since the day he opened his eyes in the blossom pavilion. "Master," a familiar voice called, he turned back to see Xiaodi running towards him, he sighed thinking of what trouble she might cause him again but he quickly smiled when she arrived at the stone table and took her seat next to him. "Didn''t I tell you to meditate in the meditation room, what are you doing out here?" "Master, I couldn''t concentrate so I decided to ask for your guidance," she replied while pulling the edge of his sleeve, he shook his head and flicked her forehead. "I have really spoiled you, you are already over a hundred years old but you can''t even meditate on your own, why can''t you just be like Xi Feng?". She pouted her mouth and humphed as she watched Xi Feng practice. Chapter 170 - You Are Both My Surbodinate! "Master, why do you always praise Xi Feng over me, I am the one who has been with you even before you were born but you are clearly favouring him over me," She complained with her arms folded on her chest, earning a chuckle from the fourth prince. "If you say it like that then it only means that you are my senior so I am supposed to be the one calling you master," the fourth prince responded with his head slightly bowed to tease the poor spiritual beast. "Master!!!" she yelled in complaint while the fourth prince couldn''t help but laugh at her silliness, he poured the tea into the cup and raises the cup to his lips, an idea popped into his head that moment, he raises his gaze to look at Xi Feng who was still swinging his sword around, he placed the teacup on the stone table gently and turned to Xiaodi. "If you think it is unfair that I compare you to him then why don''t you have a duel with him," the fourth prince suggested with an evil smirk on his lips, judging from her character, he knows that she will surely agree without hesitation. "Alright, then I will show you that I am better than him," she replied confidently and stood up from her seat, she walked up to Xi Feng and pointed her finger at him, causing him to stop his practice, he spun around and kicked his sheath up, he threw his sword into the air causing it to enter its sheath then he caught the sword. "What is it?" He questioned with a sigh "I want to challenge you to a duel," she declared with her finger still pointed at him, he looked at her with a look that showed that he wasn''t taking her seriously, he turned to the fourth prince knowing that Xiaodi will never try to spar with him unless she was provoked or challenged, seeing Ruansong smile as he sipped his tea, he understood what had prompted her to spar with him. "I don''t have time for your problems, move, I need to practice," he responded and ignored her, she walked to his front again and stood firmly in front of him with a confident look in her eyes. "Why? you don''t dare to duel with a hundred years old spirit fox," she confronted him looking straight into his eyes, she moved two steps back and arched her fingers in front of her face and drew them apart, showing her eyeballs which have changed into a pink colour, her nine pink tails slowly emerged and her entire body became surrounded with pink aura. Xi Feng who has never really seen her transform into a spiritual beast was taken aback by how seductive and beautiful she looks as a pink coloured nine-tailed fox but even the fourth prince who had seen her in her beast form has never seen her transforming in a human form ever since she became hundred years old. He smiled seeing how much she has changed, Xi Feng glanced at the fourth prince as though he is asking him for his permission before duelling with his dear spiritual pet, the fourth prince then nodded at him. He pushed his sword forward and drew it out of the sheath then he kicked the sheath away from the space, he took his fighting stance while Xiaodi''s lips curved into an evil smirk. She attacked him first, she spun around causing one of her tails to pull Xi Feng by his legs and pulled him close to her then she retracted her tail from his leg and pulled him by his neck with her claws at his neck, Xi Feng was taken aback by the special tactic of a fox. She slightly grazed his neck using her claw, he held her hand holding his neck and twirled her body around before giving her a hit to her chest which she blocked with her tails blocking her chest. "Don''t underestimate me," she warned seeing how taken aback he was by her agility and fierce attacks. "I really shouldn''t underestimate a fox but I don''t need to waste much energy on you," he propelled his body forwards and swung his sword at her which she dodged with a frown on her face, the fourth prince placed his elbow on the table and placed his jaw on his hand as he keenly observed them. {She has really improved} With each of her tails elongating themselves to strike him, he kept dodging her attacks while she dodged his, he dashed towards her and swung his sword at her neck but she tilted her neck to the side while he swung his sword to the other side causing her to tilt her neck to the other side, she took the opportunity to aim her claws at his neck but just as he was about to escape her claws, her claws ended up tearing his robe and grazing his chest. He looked down at his chest but she used the opportunity to land a hit to his chest, he was surprised at her speed, even as a former assassin, his speed and agility couldn''t be compared to hers and that gave her a great advantage compared to him. He spread his arms wide while he moved backwards then he balanced himself with his sword grazing the ground, he raised his gaze to look at her with surprise written on his face, while she met his gaze with a smirk. "I told you, don''t underestimate me, I know you still aren''t using your full strength against me," she was happy with her performance but she didn''t like that he was withholding himself, Xi Feng turned to the fourth prince with a look that showed him asking for permission then the fourth prince gave him a nod. "Okay, let''s determine the winner with one move but the winner should accept the result without further argument," he responded, stressing the last part of his sentence which Xiaodi frowned at. "What do you mean by that?" she questioned angrily. "Nothing, I am just saying that a certain person should not create a fuss when she loses," Xi Feng responded, he needed her to get riled up and that would make her act on impulse and reveal her weak spot. "you don''t need to worry about that, we will see who creates a fuss at the end," she replied with confidence. The fourth prince was quite surprised at her answer, he smiled in amusement. He originally understood Xi Feng intention by riling her up but he didn''t expect her to not act impulsively after his comment. {It seems like she does know when to keep her calm} "Then why don''t we start," "Remember, don''t withhold your strength, I will prove to master that you are not better than me," That being said, they both sprung into the air with Xi Feng aiming his sword at her and her aiming her claws at him, he swung his sword around with speed while she quickly escaped his attack and slashed her claws at him, he bent his body backwards and somersaulted in the air but her tails pulled him back. But he also pulled one of her hand with him causing the both of them to land on the ground at the same with her claws aimed at his neck and his sword aimed at hers. "A draw," the fourth prince remarked and scoffed, he didn''t think that Xiaodi would be able to come to a draw in a duel with Xi Feng, it now seemed to him that Xi Feng is the one who actually needs more training. Both of them widened their eyes at each other, they weren''t expecting a draw since their intention was to obtain a loser and a winner. "This doesn''t count!" Xiaodi snapped with a fierce look in her pink coloured eyes "Alright, let''s have another round then,". they moved away from each other and took their fighting stance again. "Enough!" the fourth prince ordered, both of them turned to look at him with a dissatisfied look, they are both his subordinates but he couldn''t understand why they were always against each other. "Master!" both of them complained, unwilling to accept the result of their duel as one wanted to win the other. The fourth prince stood up from his seat and walked into the open space, he patted Xi Feng shoulder and signalled him to sheath his sword, he obeyed without further objection. "I have given you both a chance to prove your abilities and you have entered a draw, why would you want to duel again?" the fourth prince questioned in a scolding tone. "But," "Enough! you are both my subordinates if one day you need to work together to achieve great things, will you continue to be against each other, how am I supposed to entrust important tasks to you both when you are always against each other?" he queried in feigned anger, they lowered their head in remorse. "One is a spiritual beast and the other is a well-trained assassin, I expect you both to know the importance of being coordinated by now, when we return to the capital and we are surrounded with enemies, will you be able to entrust your life to the other?" "We apologise for our misbehaviour which has greatly disappointed you, master," they apologized with their hands cupped in front of them and their heads bowed while Xioadi transformed back, the fourth prince turned his back at them and smiled faintly as how smoothly his plan has succeeded. "Both of you should stay in the mediation room until you have realized your mistake and worked out your difference, am I understood?" "Understood," they chorused then he walked away. . Chapter 171 - The Governors Grand Daughter! 1 Shannanxi, In the governor''s manor. "Young mistress, Young mistress," the maid called out, seeing her young mistress in a daze, with her elbow on the table and her hand supporting her jaw but the young mistress still didn''t come to her senses even with the loud call from her maid, so the maid had no choice but to tap her shoulder. "Young mistress!" she called again, this time louder than before. "What is it?" she queried just after coming back to her senses. "Young mistress, is there anything wrong, you have been in a daze for a while now and you didn''t even answer me when I called your name?" she inquired with concern written on her face, Ruo Rufei smiled in pretence, she didn''t want the maid to know who she had been thinking about. "It is nothing, by the way, why did you call me?" she just needed to change the topic. "I wanted to tell you that your father will be returning from the capital today since you told me to remind you on the day he is returning," the maid replied but her young mistress mind had wandered off again, she was now staring into space, she sighed again. "Young mistress!" the maid shouted to bring her back to her senses. "What is it?" she questioned with a startled look on her face. "Young mistress, are you sure you are alright, you have been spacing out for some time now, if you have anything bothering you, you can always talk to me about it and this servant will do her best to help you solve it," "Xixi, you don''t have to worry about me, actually, I have been having strange thoughts ever since we saw that man on the street the day I left the manor for sightseeing," Ruo Rufei confessed, standing up from her seat, she folded her hands on her navel and paced up and down the room while Xixi who is her personal maid followed her steps. "A man...." she was now trying to remember who her young mistress might be referring to then the handsome man that every woman in the street was looking at on the other day came to her mind. "Young mistress, could it be that you are referring to the handsome man you met on the street while you were in the carriage on the day you went sightseeing," she was quite surprised that a man she met for the first time would be capable of having such an influence on her young mistress who is the renowned intelligent and beautiful daughter of the governor of Shannanxi but considering ho handsome and noble the man looked, it wasn''t too surprising.. "You are right, though I am ashamed to admit, the man has somehow found his way into my thought, I can''t help the feeling that I have met him before," she answered, coming to a stop when she got to her princess bed then she gently took her seat on the edge of her bed. "Maybe young mistress has met him coincidentally but he is too irrelevant so you might not remember when," Xixi replied but in her heart, she was thinking something else. "Impossible, with a face like that it is impossible that I would forget where I met him, I have been trying to remember where I have met him before and aside from that, I keep feeling the urge to see him again," she admitted shyly, Xixi smiled, seeing her young mistress giving off a shy look which she has rarely seen on her young mistress''s face. "Maybe..." she paused for a while "Maybe what?" "Maybe he has managed to catch your interest," Xixi replied vaguely, not wanting to be too direct when speaking to her young mistress who has never been attracted to any man, even amongst the many young masters that have tried to get close to her. "What do you mean? many people and things have managed to catch my interest but never have any one of them lingered in my thought as he does," she responded with a confused look, Xixi slightly lowered her head and smiled faintly. "Young mistress might have fallen for him, after all, many ladies were also attracted to him the other day," Xixi answered "How dare you? are you putting me and those lowly ladies in the same category" Ruo Rufei snapped almost immediately with her eyes widened, Xixi immediately fell to her knees in fear that she has angered her mistress. "Please forgive my reckless guess," "How can you say such a thing, how can I thr granddaughter of the governor stoop so low to fall for such a lewd and shrewd person who is filled with the love of women, someone who picks the flowers and tramples the grass," she responded angrily, thinking back on when she saw him entering Ruyi pavilion the other day, she had a very proud side that makes her belittle everyone below her status, this is why Xixi was quite surprised when her young mistress claimed to be thinking of the stranger. She bit her lower lips and turned to the maid who was still kneeling. "Rise up" "thank you, young mistress," but she still couldn''t help her curiosity. "But what does young mistress mean by a lewd and shrewd man, didn''t young mistress say you don''t remember where you have met him before," she inquired in curiosity, she didn''t want to ask directly to avoid being scolded by her young mistress. "This is why I always tell you to notice things, shortly after I noticed him, I saw him entering Ruyi pavilion, what else is he if he is not shrewd person?" "Ruyi pavilion, isn''t that the famous entertainment pavilion in Shannanxi?" "Is there any other Ruyi pavilion in the whole of Tang," she questioned out of annoyance of the stupid question. "Xixi is really slow, I have angered you again," "Anyways, I have to get him out of my mind, no matter what it takes, he is just a lewd man, I cannot be associated with such a person regardless of if I have seen him anywhere before," "Young mistress is right but Ruyi pavilion is not a place for prostitution, they just entertain the men with music and dance, that is why they are very popular even though it is not located in the capital," she lowered her gaze after receiving a glare from her young mistress and immediately scolded herself for running her mouth. "It seems like you want to start working at Ruyi pavilion, don''t worry, I can send you there without collecting any payment," Ruo Rufei responded with a scolding tone but inside, she was quite convinced with what Xixi had just said, perhaps if the gentleman had just gone there to listen to music and watch the dance then there is nothing wrong....or is there? "Young mistress, I have to inform you of something, can I come in?" a servant inquired, she glanced at the door in annoyance and nodded at Xixi to answer since she couldn''t be bothered to. "Come in," Xixi answered, the servant opened the door and walked into the room with her head bowed. "What is it?" Xixi asked on behalf of her young mistress. "Old master had returned so I just came to inform you of the news," the servant replied "What! why wasn''t I informed of his arrival before now, Xixi?" "I just told you that, young mistress but you were too preoccupied with the thought of that..." "Seal your mouth," she snapped to stop Xixi from saying more than she should. "Where is he now?" she asked, turning to the servant who had just entered. "He has already entered the manor with a young noble following him," she responded "A young noble....do you know who he is?" "I am not sure of his identity but the other servants claim he is the son of the prime minister," the servant replied "The son of the prime minister!" Xixi exclaimed, earning a glare from Ruo Rufei. "What is the son of the prime minister doing in Shannanxi?" she asked rhetorically with a scoff. "He must have accompanied the old master to see you, I remember the old master once mentioned that the son of the prime minister inquired of you, young mistress is so lucky to have the son of the prime minister taking a liking to you," Xixi said with her face beaming with smiles at the thought of her young mistress becoming the wife of the prime minister''s son. "What are you saying? he does not deserve me, no one does and even if we marry, he would be the one lucky to marry me," Ruo Rufei snapped, Xixi sneakily shook her head at the proud side of her young mistress showing itself again, she just hoped that she would not act the same before the prime minister''s son, even though the governor is an old man who has been serving the government since his youth and is very appreciated by the emperor, everyone knows that the prime minister still remains the most powerful minister in court. "Yes, Yes, young mistress is right," "Lead the way," she ordered and followed after the maid. The old master accompanied by his private guards and the prime minister''s son walked into the manor with an air of nobility in every step they took while the old man arched his sleeve in front of him. "It is really a shame that young master Wei would accompany me to my humble manor all the way from the capital, I am really ashamed to receive you in such a humble place," the old master said with a false regretful tone. "Old master doesn''t need to..." "Grandfather, aren''t you undermining your own manor," Ruo Rufei interjected from afar while she walked towards her grandfather who had just entered the manor with delicate and brittle steps filled with elegance. Chapter 172 - The Governors Grand Daughter! 2 "Grandfather, aren''t you undermining your own manor," Ruo Rufei interjected from afar while she walked towards her grandfather who had just entered the manor with delicate and brittle steps filled with elegance. The old man''s lips curved into a fatherly smile, seeing his lovely granddaughter walking towards him, he had known all along that the prime minister''s son had come to see his daughter but he just pretended not to know. Her lips slowly curved into a wide smile as she got to her grandfather, she linked her arm with his. " Grandfather, it has been a while now since I saw you, granddaughter really missed you," she said in a lovely manner, making her grandfather realize how much he has missed this granddaughter of his. "Grandfather missed you too, I have been busy with handling political affairs in the capital so grandfather couldn''t spend more time with you, I hope you haven''t suffered during my absence," her grandfather responded, patting her hand, her smile widened at the doting actions of her grandfather, the both of them seemed lost in their own world, leaving the prime minister''s son still spaced out with his eyes fixed on Ruo Rufei, he had seen her when the governor visited the prime minister''s manor for the new year''s festival banquet a few years ago and he had taken a liking to her right there and then but he was still stupefied to see how big she has grown and how beautiful she is now. The peonies shaped hair dresses dangling and surrounding her cascading hair made her side view seem even more beautiful "It seems like governor really dotes in his granddaughter that even her presence makes me seem very insignificant," Wei Xianlu1 interjected to gain their attention, although he would love to watch her side view all day, he still doesn''t like that he hasn''t caught her attention yet. "Ah...this old man is really forgetful, I was too happy to see my granddaughter again that I forgot your presence in the manor, I hope young master Wei will not be too displeased. "You don''t need...." "Why, is it wrong for my grandfather to converse with his granddaughter after a tedious journey or is it that this noble young master deems himself too important," Ruo Rufei interjected again, Xixi shook her head in helplessness, indeed, her young mistress arrogance cannot be helped. "Fei Fei," her grandfather scolded gently "Grandfather," "Don''t speak in such a rude manner, this is Ruo Rufei my granddaughter, Fei Fei this is...." "You need not to the introduction for me, I will do it myself," Wei Xianlu interjected then turned to Rufei. "I am Wei Xianlu, the son of the prime minister, I have heard of how beautiful and intelligent the granddaughter of the governor is and seeing it for myself today, I must admit that the tales are quite true," Wei Xianlu stated with an amused look in his eyes which didn''t escape Rufei''s notice. "I appreciate your praise but young master Wei has overpraised me," Rufei responded, meaning the opposite, she made sure to smile elegantly with her pink glossy lips curved into a delicate smile. "I don''t agree with you but it seems like I have discovered something else apart from the things I said earlier," he paused to wait for her to ask what he meant but she didn''t so he had no choice but to speak. "It seems like miss Rufei also like to interject people when they speak, if this gets out, it might greatly affect your reputation," "Please don''t mind my granddaughter''s behaviour today, she is not usually like this, Fei Fei quickly apologise to young master Wei" her grandfather ordered with a scolding look on his face but she didn''t seem like she was going to do as he said, judging from the smile on her face, she raised her gaze to look at him straight in his eyes. "If young master Wei thinks my behaviour is not befitting for a well-refined young lady then I deeply apologize, perhaps it is because my grandfather has been away for long so I forgot my manners," she paused for a while to study the look on his face, seeing that he seemed pleased that she fears and respects him, her smile suddenly turned into a smirk. "But young master Wei, when my grandfather came into the manor, We were having our grandfather and granddaughter reunion but young master Wei just had to rudely interrupt us, that is also an act of disrespect, even if you are a general and your father is the powerful prime minister, don''t you think my grandfather who is older than you deserves your respect, if this gets out, I fear your reputation might also be ruined," she stated boldly, her grandfather buried his face in his palm in helplessness, there is really nothing he can do to change this attitude of his granddaughter. Xixi who was now worried about what Wei Xianlu would do after being disrespected was now fidgeting, she prayed in her mind that he would not decide to punish her young mistress. Wei Xainlu immediately burst into a loud burst of laughter, earning a confused look from them except Rufei who knew from the way he had been looking at her that he will definitely tolerate her rudeness, knowing the type of women that men like him would fall for, a bold, beautiful and intelligent type. "Miss Rufei is really eloquent, with just a few sentences you have made me realize my wrong," then he turned to the governor and slightly bowed his head. "Governor, miss Rufei is right, my actions earlier were really disrespectful, I hope the old governor will not hold it against me," he apologised to the governor''s surprise, Wei Xianlu has probably never had to apologize to anyone below his father''s status, to have Wei Xianlu bow his head in front of him is indeed an honour, he glanced at his granddaughter with a smile and proud look on his face. "Young master Wei need not be too formal," the governor replied then Wei Xianlu raised his head. "In that case, I would like to request that miss Rufei takes me around Shannanxi to sightsee, I heard that there are many beautiful places worthy of praise in Shannanxi, I hope miss Rufei wouldn''t reject my request," "How can I dare to refuse young master Wei, it is my honour to do so," she responded. - - - - - - - - - - In blossom pavilion. Two servants rushed into the room, following Xiaodi and Xi Feng with a concerned look on their faces, they soon found the fourth prince on the floor clothed in only a single layer of a black robe and his robe loosened, exposing his broad chest and abs with his hair scattered on his shoulders. Xi Feng quickly pulled him up, while Xiaodi held his hands tightly. "Quick, get me a bowl of water and towel," Xi Feng ordered the servants seeing the cold sweat breaking out on his forehead and chest, the servants quickly rushed out of the room. "Master, what is wrong?" Xiaodi asked with her eyes almost in tears. "Hurry, we must prepare to find the fire element grass," the fourth prince ordered still struggling to endure the heart-wrenching pain. "Fire element grass....what is master saying?" Xiaodi asked in confusion, then the servants arrived with the basin of water and towel. "You may leave," Xi Feng ordered then they exited the room, he squeezed the towel in the water and used it to dab his forehead. "I didn''t expect that this month, my saint transformation and the bounce back attack from my shadow will coincide at the same time, I need to get the fire element grass to stop one otherwise....." "Otherwise you will lose our consciousness and your spirit will be broken," Xiaodi completed. "It is good that you understand, now prepare, we have to leave now," the fourth prince ordered and attempted to stand up but his legs failed him, causing him to fall back to the ground. "Master!" they both exclaimed. "Why don''t you let us look for it and return to give it to you?" "No, You need my power to uproot the fire element grass," the fourth prince insisted but he suddenly felt a heart-wrenching pain in the middle of his chest, he screamed aloud and tightened his fist to endure the pain, they looked to his chest only to find blue coloured veins with branches slowly emerging up his chest. "Master!" they called in worry "Don''t mind it, Xiaodi quickly channel your internal energy to my body or I won''t be able to go with you,". she quickly stood up and waved her hands before placing it on his back. "Master, please hold on," Xi Feng whispered. After some minuted, the blue veins on his chest slowly disappeared but not all, since a little line still remained on his chest then he made an effort to stand on his feet which succeeded. He spread his arms instructing one of them to put on his robe for him since he is in a weak state, Xi Feng quickly arranged a black robe with gold tints for him to wear that he helped him put it on while Xiaodi combed his hair and held it up with a simple back hairpin with gold tints. "I don''t want anyone to recognise us this time, in case we do something unusual and we are seen, it will surely cause us trouble," "I understand master," They left the pavilion with their faces covered with a black hat with the cloth on it surrounding their faces but Xi Feng and Xiaodi were still worried that the attack might start again on the way since they have only witnessed his saint transformation and shadow attack once at a time. Chapter 173 - The Governors Grand Daughter! 3 Outside the governor''s manor, Ruo Rufei and Wei Xianlu climbed their horses followed by their few servants from the governor''s manor and Xianlu''s assistant who is also his bodyguard then they started out to tour the city. As they rode their horses across the street Rufei noticed that most times, his eyes were on her and not on what she is showing him or describing to him, she made sure to look attractive in front of him and behave elegantly as a well-refined young mistress would. "Young master Wei, I heard you have been at the border for years and you only returned from the border this time because you resolved the conflict between the bandits and the soldiers at the border, young master Wei should be resting in the capital, I wonder why you have accompanied my grandfather to this humble city," she probed in a gentle voice, Xianlu turned to her with a smile on his lips, he found her more attractive at that moment for being an informative woman. {She is really informative but I can''t tell her my real reason for coming to Shannanxi or my father''s effort might be ruined} He decided inwardly! "Young master Wei!" she called out seeing that he was spaced out even though he seemed to be staring at her. "ah...forgive my absentmindedness, regarding your question, I am sightseeing in Shannanxi, due to my inability to travel around the world because of my responsibility at the border, there are so many things and places that I haven''t seen, it so happens that I heard the governor was returning so I decided to come with him and also use the chance to see the famous governor''s daughter who is said to be intelligent, beautiful and brave," Wei Xianlu answered, although all he said wasn''t a lie, most of is a lie. "Once again, you have overpraised me, I only won a poetry competition held in the imperial palace two years ago, it is not a big deal that I have to praised," "You are really humble, miss Rufei,". she nodded her head and smiled widely in response to his praise. {Humble, hmph!} Xixi scoffed inwardly. As they rode past the stalls and circus groups performing, Rufei explained the origin of all the activities and snacks sold in the stalls, she pretended like she is a woman who loves to indulge in the lifestyle of the low borns which is rather the opposite of her real self. "Shannanxi is indeed a city worthy of being a tourist attraction, due to Miss Rufei''s thorough explanations, I have really broadened my knowledge and enjoyed myself today," "That is not so young master Wei, I could see that you already have some knowledge about these things, all I did was contribute more," they continued forward while they continued discussing their views on the things they saw and books, Wei Xianlu was becoming more attracted to her with each minute that passes by, they laughed when they see or say anything funny. Then they arrived in front of Ruyi pavilion, at the sight of the pavilion she couldn''t help but be reminded of the man she saw some days ago, she was now lost in her own thought thinking of the man. "What place is this, it seems very interesting?" he questioned with his eyes fixed on Ruyi Pavillon, he turned to look at her when he wasn''t receiving any reply but he noticed that although her eye was fixed on the pavilion, she seems to be absentminded. "Miss Rufei!" he called gently, snapping her back to her senses. "I was asking about this place, it looks interesting," "oh, this is Ruyi pavilion, a famous entertainment place but it is said that the women there don''t sleep with men they only entertain them with music and dance," although she gave a good description of the place, the tone she spoke in showed that she doesn''t like the sight of the Pavillon. {it seems like she is not fond of this place but just now...} "In that case, let''s move on" his horse moved forward but he noticed that she was still in the same spot, he turned around with a confused look on his face. "Miss Rufei, what is it?" "Young master Wei, why don''t we continue tomorrow I am not feeling quite well so I would like to return to the manor to take a rest," she placed her hand on her forehead in pretence. {I can''t afford to stop now, I still need her to lead me to the spirit Forest otherwise, it will be hard for me to complete the mission in time} He smiled and moved closer to her. "I will not hide the truth from you, actually, I heard a strange tale about a forest in Shannanxi, I think they call it the spirit forest so I was hoping that Miss Rufei will lead me to the forest," "the spirit forest is said to be filled with danger, most people don''t dare to go into the forest for fear of the rumoured creatures living in the forest, if young master Wei wants to visit the spirit forest out of curiosity then I advise you not to," {Judging from her tone, it seems like she is not willing to accompany me to the spirit forest but without her help, there is no way I will be able to enter the forest, I must find a way to convince her} "Miss Rufei, I heard you are the only one who has ever dared to enter the spirit forest and you also brought back a fire element grass to cure the ice poison in your grandfather''s body years ago, with your knowledge and my strength, I believe that we will be able to come out unharmed," he maintained although not wanting to sound pushy. {Why does he insist that I take him to the spirit forest and he mentioned the fire element that I got by chance from the spirit forest, could it be that he intends to take something from the forest,} "although there are difficulties one must encounter when you enter the spirit forest, I am sure that young master Wei can surely overcome them, due to grandfather''s absence, I have been worried and my body has gotten weaker, I am afraid I won''t be able to go with you," she urged her horse to turn around and signalled Xixi and the other servants to come with her but Xianlu held the reins of her horse. "does Miss Rufei not wish to be praised once again for her bravery for entering the spirit forest twice and you might even bring something priceless with you again, it has been my long time wish to see the spirit forest that everyone is afraid of, I hope miss Rufei will grant me this request," he looked at her with a pleading look in his eyes, she felt compelled to do accept his request not only because of his pleading but because of the reputation she will gain if she manages to enter the spirit forest again. Although this time would be the real one, years ago when her grandfather was poisoned by the ice poison, she didn''t want to lose her only remaining family so she took the risk to go into the spirit forest being the intelligent and wise young lady she is, she was able to solve the problems needed to enter the spirit forest but she didn''t make it deep into the forest before she was attacked by strange creatures which she still failed to recognise to this day. The fire element grass she got was obtained by killing the man she met who saved her from the creatures, his whole body was battered and he was seriously wounded when she met him but he already had a fire element grass in his hand, he met Ruo Rufei unluckily on his way out but she took advantage of his weak state and killed him to obtain his fire element grass. "Alright but young master Wei must guarantee that if any accident happens neither me nor my grandfather will be held responsible," "I give you my word," she nodded her head in response and turned her horse around then they started out to the forest. Meanwhile, the fourth prince, Xi Feng and Xiaodi had already arrived at the spirit forest, they had already managed to solve the chess problems and the trigram puzzle they needed to solve to enter the spirit forest since the fourth prince has been exploiting the spirit forest for years to help him get through the backlash, he has now become familiar with every nook and cranny of the forest. "Master, are you alright, do you want us to turn back?" Xiaodi asked in concern, seeing the fourth prince clutch his chest tightly, he balled his hand into a fist and placed it on his mouth to cough. "I am alright, we have to find a fire element grass in the spirit forest before my saint transformation starts otherwise...." he tried his very best to cough silently to prevent them from knowing just how serious his condition is and the severity of the pain he is feeling. "Don''t worry Master, although the fire element grass migrates from time to time, I am sure that with Xiaodi good sense of smell it won''t be long before we find it," Xi Feng assured while Xiaodi nodded her head confidently but a faint smile appeared on his lips which confused them. "It seems like the confinement in the meditation room really helped seeing as you are now praising her," They glanced at each other but they quickly looked away and cleared their throat shyly. Chapter 174 - The Spirit Forest! 1 They rode their horses to the desolate part of the city along with the servants but Ruo Rufei didn''t feel good with bringing their entourage along with them to such a dangerous adventure and she didn''t think she and the Xianlu can be responsible for so many people, she brought her horse to her stop, causing Xianlu to turn around. "Why did you suddenly stop, Miss Rufei?" he queried, he was quite uneasy knowing that his mission this time depends on her willingness to advance or return so he had to do his best to coerce her. "Young master Wei, I don''t think it is a good idea to bring so many people with us to the spirit forest in case of any danger, we might not be able to look after so many people," she brushed the strands of hair blowing on her face behind her hair and squinted her eyes at him. "That is true but what does Miss Rufei suggest we do?" after all, she is the only person he needs for the mission, he couldn''t care less what happens to the others. "I say we send them back to the mansion and leave only my personal maid and your bodyguard here, that way we won''t have so many people serving as a burden to us and since the sun is already setting, they can inform my grandfather that we might return late to the manor so he won''t be worried, what does young master Wei think?" although she made it sound like she needed his opinion, she had already fully made her decision, she knew that whatever his true reason for wanting to enter the forest is, he needs her and he will surely do as she says, after all, she is not so naive to believe his excuse. "If Miss Rufei has decided then there is no reason for me to disagree," he turned to his bodyguard. "Ke Yang, you and Miss Rufei''s personal maid will remain, tell the rest to return to the governor''s manor," he instructed while his bodyguard nodded in affirmation and walked to the back to instruct the servants following behind them. Xixi was quite happy and sad at the same time for her mistress decision, on one hand, she can monitor her young mistress actions when they enter the forest to make sure she doesn''t go over the top and on the other hand, she has a bad feeling about going into the spirit forest. "I believe now we can continue our journey," he remarked with a quizzical look while she nodded at him with a faint smile. "How long until we get to the spirit forest?" "We are almost there, just ahead is the signboard that says ''spirit forest," after answering his question she realized that she is close to danger itself and she is now back to the place where she first killed a human, something that has given her nightmares for years but only stopped this year, she was now starting to regret her decision to follow him. Looking at the expression on her face, he noticed that she seems terrified of entering the forest, he moved his horse closer to hers and placed his hands on hers, holding the rein of her horse, she raised her gaze to look at him with a startled look. "Miss Rufei doesn''t need to be terrified of this forest as long as I am here, no danger will come near you, you entered it once and you can do it again, trust me," he looked at her affectionately which got her stunned for a moment but she quickly snapped out of it being the unaffected young lady she is, she removed her hand from his. "You don''t have to worry about me young master Wei, as you said before, I entered it once and I can enter it again, I wouldn''t want us to spend the night out so let''s hurry into the forest," she rode her horse forward leaving him behind and Xixi shaking her head at her young mistress''s response, she was hoping she will say something that would reciprocate his heartfelt assurance. Meanwhile, the fourth prince and the other two were already going deeper into the forest, with Xiaodi''s keen sense of smell they were already getting close to finding a fire element grass, with every minute they spend in the forest, the fourth prince injury kept getting worse and the blue vein line on his chest kept extending. He clenched his fist tightly to endure the searing pain growing in his chest although he felt the metallic taste of blood in his mouth, he swallowed it back to avoid making them worried. "We will soon get to the statue maze, be alert and careful, the statues can appear at any time," "Understood," they chorused while Xiaodi kept sniffing her nose to find the fire element grass. "Have you caught the scent yet?" Xi Feng asked "I think so, the scent is not very clear yet but I smell something foul and I think the object is somewhere close," Xaiodi answered then she bent forward and walked faster to find the object she is smelling. "What do you mean, what does it smell like?" Xi Feng questioned "I can''t really describe it but I have definitely caught this scent before, I just can''t remember where and when," she answered with her attention now focused on finding the object. "Do you realize that your priority should be finding the fire element grass," he scolded, she immediately stopped and turned around with a guilty look on her face, she had almost forgotten about her original mission which is something she would never do unless she has really caught that smell before. "Forgive me, master, I was distracted for a moment," "It''s alright, let''s continue forward," "Okay!" she replied and continued trying to catch the scent of the fire element grass although the foul smell kept interfering with her effort. They had now arrived at the entrance of the forest, they climbed down their horses and walked forward, they stopped when they were just one step away from entering the forest, Rufei balled her fist to gather enough courage while Xianlu who had already fully prepared for the mission fixed his eyes on the forest with confidence in his eyes. "Let''s go in," Rufei said then the four of them walked into the forest, with their eyes looking around with every step they took while both men clutched their sword tightly in preparation for a fight if needed. "Make sure you lookout for the fire element grass, if we miss it then..." Wei Xianlu instructed in a whisper, leaning close to his bodyguard while Rufei watched them from her side glance trying to hear their conversation but to no avail. "I understand," she looked away immediately they stopped whispering. "By the way Miss Rufei, how did you find the fire element back then?" he asked, feigning curiosity. "Why is young master Wei suddenly interested in this, nobody has actually asked me this before?" she wasn''t the one who found it so she has to evade his question by any means. "I am just curious, I heard it is very hard to find the fire element grass so I was wondering how you found it all by yourself,". she smiled awkwardly and turned her head to the side to curse silently then an idea came into her head, she might as well just use what she has learnt from the books. "The fire element grass is very hard to find because it migrates every day and it hides but it also has a very customized combusting smell which makes it a little bit easier to find it, back then, I passed through many difficulties to go deep into the spirit forest but as the heavens were with me, I found the fire element grass next to a rock by coincidence," she prayed he would just take it as she had said and not ask further questions like how she uprooted it cause she really doesn''t know. "ooh, it seems like Miss Rufei is really lucky then," They arrived at a place with medium size rocks cloured black and white placed on the ground and square lines drawn around each stone, they were about to step on it when Rufei quickly cautioned them remembering her experience back then. "This is a chess problem we must solve before advancing otherwise every tree here will turn into monsters and start coming at us," Rufei elucidated with a confident smile on her lips. "Then what happens if we lose the game," "It is the same as not attempting the game at all," she moved forward, picked a white stone and placed it in one of the empty boxes then a black stone moved forward, Xianlu smiled seeing that she seems to know what she is doing. After making some moves, she took out three of the black stone while one of her white stone was taken out, she made another move eliminating two other black stone but with the next move the black stones made, two of her white stones were eliminated. She panicked but she managed to clam herself them knowing that she still has the lead but Xianlu was confident that she would be able to make so he didn''t worry, with three moves left, she used to of her moves and eliminated more black stone but the black stones had already caught up with her, she now had only one move to determine their life or death. "I believe in you,". she turned around and nodded confidently then she turned back to the stones she studied the situation before finally making her move but none of the stones moved after, they all waited in anxiousness but the stones still weren''t moving. She turned to him, "I am sorry, I think I failed," Chapter 175 - The Spirit Forest! 2 She turned to him, "I am sorry, I think I failed," "Young mistress!" Xixi screamed with her eyes fixed behind her, she turned back to see what had caused her to scream like that, her eyes widened in happiness seeing that she has managed to eliminate all the black stones with her last move. She smiled in disbelief, she has always taken pride in her intelligence but the moment she entered the forest, she felt like she had entered a nightmare, the place where she killed a human and it seemed to her that she has lost all her abilities to think and act. She turned back to look at Wei Xianlu who nodded his head and at her with a look that showed that he had always believed in her right from the beginning, winning the chess game made her regain a part of her confidence but thinking about the next hurdle they have to pass through she was now thinking if it is possible for her to help them pass through it just like she did before. "We can now move forward without worries all least for now," she informed then they continued forward but the men still didn''t let their guards down, they didn''t believe that their survival depends on the games only. "Does Miss Rufei know what game we have to play next?" he inquired but he ended up making his question sound unserious, Rufei stopped on her tracks and turned to him with a frown on her face, making everyone stop too. "Does Young master Wei think these things are just games? do you realise that one mistake might lead to the end of our lives, I don''t know how capable young master Wei is but I suggest you act carefully," her intense gaze made him feel like he had done something really wrong when all he did was ask a question if it was another woman who spoke to him in that manner, he knows exactly what he would have done to her. "Where are your manners when speaking to..." Wei Xianlu raised his hand, signalling his bodyguard to stop, then he smiled. "It seems like I have offended Miss Rufei with my tone of speaking but I assure you that I did not mean it that way, I am sorry if you have taken offence to my question. {Young master is apologizing...to a woman at that} Ke Yang questioned inwardly in disbelief, his master his well known for his cruelty just like his father and he has always demanded respect from everyone but seeing him apologize totally shocked him, Xixi who was nervous to hear his reply sighed in relief then she waited for her young mistress reply to dissolve the situation but Ruo Rufei still kept quiet with a frown still on her face. "Young mistress," Xixi mumbled, nudging her. "If I misunderstood then it is alright, forgive my rudeness, I am a bit tense," "I understand," he responded then they continued forward. The fourth prince and his followers were still walking around under Xiaodi''s guidance but they felt they have been walking around the same area even though they have been walking for a long time but neither of them thought they were thinking the same so they just kept quiet until they couldn''t hold it anymore. "I think we have been walking around the same area for some time now," the three of them chorused in unison, they glanced at each other in surprise before bursting into laughter which was shortlived because of the fourth prince coughing. "It seems like we all noticed the same thing," the fourth prince remarked. "Xiaodi what is wrong with you, you should be leading us to the fire element grass not walking around the same place repeatedly," Xi Feng scolded, earning a glare from Xiaodi who was already starting to get frustrated herself and the last thing she wanted to hear is his scolding. "Master, I am very sure that I have been following the trails of the scent but I think there is something wrong with this place," she stated, ignoring the person who asked her a question, the fourth prince nodded his head then he walked around the area while the rest stood at the same spot watching him, he knelt on the ground and scattered the sand on the ground then he lifted his head in alarm, he immediately stood from his knees and returned to where he was standing. "Our footprints are not on the ground even though we have been circling this place, it is the statue...." "Xiaodi, watch out!!" Xi Feng shouted, he immediately pulled her away from the spot she was standing and flung her petite body away from the stone statue that had appeared out of nowhere with its sword aiming at Xiaodi, he quickly held the sword with his hand and used his inner strength to push the statue back causing him to slide back. Before they could process the situation, more statues appeared from nowhere, they somersaulted out of the range of the statues but the more they moved back, the more surrounded they got so the fourth ordered both of them to stop. "This is the statue maze, do not panic, let them gather then we can find our way out, understood?" "Understood!" they replied in unison, but Xiaodi still hasn''t recovered from the timely rescue Xi Feng gave her, if he wasn''t fast enough, the statue would have ended up hurting him instead of her, she shook her head to shake her thoughts away knowing that she has to concentrate at least for now. The stone statues soon surrounded them completely, each statue seemed to be dressed in armour and holding a sword, the statues started circling them and swinging their sword in all directions, it didn''t take long for Xiaodi and Xi Feng to understand what they needed to do to get out of the situation. "Now!" the fourth prince ordered. They flew into the air then they all landed on top of the status, each on of one statue with their arms spread to maintain their balance as the statues were now spinning at a very fast speed, making it almost impossible for them to make any move. Escaping the statues is very easy for them but it would consume a lot of time which is something they don''t have to spare considering the fourth prince''s condition. "Master, what should we do?" Xiaodi questioned "I will use my ice power to freeze them, then we can pass through them without any trouble, that way we won''t have to waste much time," he responded then he closed his eyes and waved his hand in the air, he brought both hands together to his chest then he separated them, forming blue Qi between his palms. "Master you musn''t!" Xi Feng exclaimed, the fourth prince stopped for a moment and turned to him. "If you use your ice power now, you will speed up your transformation process and your pain will only get worse, whatever it takes, we will do our best to escape the statue maze in time so you don''t have to use your power," Xi Feng continued with a worried look in his eyes but part of him already knows that the fourth prince wouldn''t listen. The fourth prince hesitated for a while but the pain in his chest spiked up at that moment, making him taste a concentrated metallic taste in his mouth, realizing what it is, he quickly swallowed it back but pretended like he wasn''t feeling anything. Without saying anything, he propelled himself into the centre of the maze then he spun his body around and waved his hands in the air again before pushing them downward, at a fast speed, the frost from his hands quickly covered the statues, stopping them in their tracks. He stopped then he flew to the ground and the others followed after him with concern written on their faces, even though he is the powerful saint of the extinct ice clan with thousands of years worth of cultivation, they still couldn''t help being concerned about him since he is forsaking a lot for the sake of a girl who doesn''t even know him. "Are you alright, master?" Xi Feng asked but the fourth prince only nodded to his question, the both of them instantly felt there is something wrong, their eyes fell on his clenched fist then they realized that he must have been keeping something from them and they know just what it is. "Someone is here," Xi Feng shouted pointing behind the fourth prince. "Where?" the fourth prince asked, turning his back to see who was there but Xiaodi quickly took the opportunity to strike his back, his eyes widened as he turned back to see their faces which were still expecting a result. All of a sudden, a mouthful of deep red coagulated blood spurted out of his mouth, he waved his index finger at them in disbelief but Xiaodi landed him another hit on his back. "Xiaodi!" he shouted angrily but he stopped when he felt the metallic taste in his mouth again this time, he couldn''t control it, he vomited another mouthful of blood. Seeing how much blood he had vomited, they couldn''t believe that he was acting like he was fine all through the time they had entered the forest, angry, Xiaodi pulled the edges of his robe and pulled them apart taking advantage of his slightly weak and unguarded state. "Xiaodi, you are going too far!" he retorted angrily but her teary eyes met his furious gaze, seeing the blue branched lines on his chest almost reaching his heart. "Master, why didn''t you tell us that you were feeling so much pain, you could have said something at least, if you fall unconscious and never wake up, what is Xiaodi going to do?" Xiaodi yelled angrily with tears dropping down her cheeks. "Master..." "Don''t tell me you are also about to cry, Xi Feng," then he turned to Xiaodi, he flicked her forehead and removed her hands from the robe then he pulled her closer to him. "Don''t be stupid, I won''t be unconscious, not now not ever and even if I do, it won''t be forever only until my spirit has recuperated so don''t say something like that next time," he smiled to reassure them but they were no fools to fall for it again. Chapter 176 - The Spirit Forest! 3 "Don''t be stupid, I won''t be unconscious, not now and not ever, even if I do, it won''t be forever only until my spirit has recuperated so don''t say something like that next time," he smiled to reassure them but they were no fools to fall for it again. "Master...." she called while the tears welled out of her eyes, she wrapped her arms around his back, hugging him tightly, causing her tears to fall on his robe, he smiled warmly and reciprocated her hug, Xi Feng also felt like joining in but he couldn''t bring himself to, as a man. "If we keep hugging, we won''t be able to find the grass in time...." he waited for her to loosen her grips on him but she still hugged him, even tighter. the fourth prince sighed knowing that it would be hard to get her to release him. "Unless you want me to fall unconscious for hundred years," he added, this time, she quickly released him and started walking forward, both men glanced at each other and chuckled before following after her. They had now entered deeper into the forest with their eyes scanning their surrounding with every step they took, the only things they could see as they walked are big and tall trees with a pale green colour showing just how old the trees are, everyone apart from Ruo Rufei was wondering how it is possible that this forest is as dangerous as everyone says they are with the enchanting although old looking view of nature, they were already starting to let their guard down. "Stop!" Ruo Rufei ordered with her hand raised, they all stopped with their eyes looking at her in confusion. "Young mistress, we have been walking smoothly for some time now, why do you tell us to stop?" Xixi asked, looking around to see if there is something that made her young mistress stop but she couldn''t find anything ahead just like the others. "Something is wrong," she rubbed her fingers against each other and used her other hand to brush the branches away from her view as she walked forward with a scrutinizing gaze as she carefully examined the area. "What does Miss Rufei mean?" he followed behind her with his hand on the sheath of his sword, in preparation for the presence of danger, she hated his questions and his presence but she didn''t have a choice but to put up with it since she is also using him like he is using her even though he claims he wants to enter the forest out of curiosity. "Based on previous experience, the next problem we have to solve should be right here but the trigram puzzle isn''t here yet, something must have gone wrong," she answered reluctantly, even if she doesn''t remember anything about the forest, that one area is a place she would never forget, after all, she almost got killed when she couldn''t solve the trigram puzzle and that was where she killed the man who saved her. She was rather thankful that the trigram hadn''t appeared, that was the place that marked her tragic failure... "Miss Rufei!" Wei Xianlu called seeing how she was staring into space with her fist resting on the bark of a tree tightly clenched, she quickly snapped out of it with a smile hanging on her lips but it was too obvious that her smile isn''t sincere. "I only know of one thing that would cause the trigram not to appear, that is someone must have entered the spirit forest before us, I read about this in books but I don''t know what we have to do in this situation or if my guess is right," "Someone had already come before us..." he repeated in a slightly alarmed voice, she turned to see just how alarmed he looked while he and his bodyguard exchanged glances, this raised her suspicion, his bodyguard cleared his throat to warn him when he noticed that she was staring at them, understanding what he meant, they stopped looking at each other. "So what do we do now?" "I don''t know about that but I say we move forward," Ruo Rufei answered, turning back to see if they are willing to go forward, they nodded at each other in support of her suggestion then they started walking forward. Swoosh!!!! He felt a strong and swift presence rushing towards them from behind, he quickly deduced that it was rushing towards Rufei, he pulled her by her elbow and spun her to his chest before somersaulting backwards. "Stand back!" he warned, Ke Yang who also felt the strong presence rushing towards them pulled Xixi by her arms and pushed her back before somersaulting back. "What is it?" Rufei asked as they landed on the ground, still startled but Xianlu only nodded and looked forward, she traced his gaze only to see a golden figure standing in front of them with the golden aura surrounding the figure but the figure didn''t have a face. "What is this?" Xixi muttered with her eyes widened at the tall and overbearing figure standing in front of them. "I have no idea," she had a confused look on her face, when she got to this stage she didn''t see this golden figure when she failed to solve the puzzle but she was only attacked by faceless monsters, she was also as shocked as they were. "Who are you?" Xianlu took the initiative to ask, he had already figured out that Ruo Rufei also doesn''t have any idea what this figure is so he didn''t bother to ask her. "You don''t deserve to know, how dare you try to pass through without solving the puzzle first, you..." he turned to Rufei, her eyes widened when she realized that figure is referring to her. Her fearful gaze didn''t escape the figure, it extended it''s hand out, pulling her closer to him like a magnet, it happened in one swift moment that Wei Xianlu couldn''t stop or comprehend, a smile formed on the figure''s face then suddenly, a face appeared out of nowhere. Ruo Rufei would have fallen on her knees if she wasn''t pulled midair by the figure which she now recognises as the man she killed years ago, how can she forget his face? "You...." Wei Xianlu who was about to start a fight in her defence stopped when he heard her, he felt that everything about her had gone wrong the moment she mentioned the trigram and now it seems like she recognises the face the figure has taken on. An evil smirk appeared on his lips as he pulled her closer to him and whispered into her ear. "Why, did you think you would be able to get away with what you did?" she had originally thought she was tripping but hearing what he said, she realized that he is real, the man she killed is the one holding her up even though he is no longer normal. "I...I" She stumbled leaving the others confused since they couldn''t hear what the duo was saying. "Young mistress!" Xixi called out in fear that her mistress might be harmed. "What do you want?" she questioned with an unremorseful look on her face, she didn''t want to show that she was scared of him, she definitely confirmed his death with her own eyes so there is no way she would believe that he is real. "What do I want..." he broke into hysterical laughter which made her feel more terrified inside even though she wasn''t showing it, more than her life, she fears that her reputation would be soiled in the presence of Wei Xianlu who has been full of praise since he arrived at her manor. "What do you think I want? a life for a life," "Do you think you will benefit anything from killing me?" "I don''t need anything else, what I want is your life only and nothing else!!!" he tightened his grip on her neck, strangling her. Her legs dangled in the air with her hands pulling his hand as she struggled to breathe, she could feel her body slowly losing strength and her eyes slowly closing. "Miss Rufei! Miss Rufei!" he called "Young mistress!!!" Xixi shouted Her body jerked forward with her hands on her neck as she opened her eyes. Gasp! Her chest went down just as it came up, she looked around her in confusion with her mind filled with questions. "Where is he?" she questioned in confusion. "Who are you talking about?" Xixi asked with concern written on her face, her young mistress is doing the same thing she was doing when she returned from the spirit forest years ago, an uneasy feeling was starting to rise inside her again but it isn''t up to her to make any decision so she can only keep her thoughts to herself. {Was I hallucinating} She pondered! She scanned her environment to make sure that she was just hallucinating when her eyes caught Xianlu''s hand clutching his sheathed sword, just now, his sword wasn''t sheathed. She finally confirmed her suspicion. "Is anything wrong Miss Rufei, you look quite tensed?" "It is nothing, perhaps it is because I am reminded of the struggles I once experience in this forest so I was spaced out for a moment, where are we, what of the trigram?" she realized that they weren''t in the same area they were a moment ago. "It seems like what you said is true since you can''t remember that you just solved the trigram and it has disappeared but a golden light entered your forehead and you have been spaced out since then," "I did...." "Do you not remember?" "I...." {It seems like the findings I made after the first time has greatly helped me this time} "It is nothing, let''s move forward," Chapter 177 - The Spirit Forest! 4 "Master, I think we are now close to it, the scent of the fire element grass is becoming stronger," she announced with delight on her face, Xi Feng smiled broadly in happiness and quickly walked over to where she was. "Where is it?" "Somewhere here, I will find it very soon," she answered, then she started scrutinizing the area they stood, brushing away the shrubs and branches, the three of them started looking for the fire element grass together. "I found it!" Xiaodi screamed, they turned to look in her direction, the both of them quickly scurried over to where she stood with her hands pointing at the spot covered by green shrubs, the fourth prince knelt on one knee and brushed the shrubs away. A fiery red grass with long red leaves stood straight in a spot, the ground where it was planted looked like it was molten since it had a fiery red colour, he touched its leaves to check if it is truly the fire element grass since he has never taken anything else from the spirit forest except for the herbs he needs to suppress his ice power and stop him from having the appearance an ice saint should have. "Is that it, master?" Xi Feng asked with his hands rubbing against each other in nervousness, the fourth prince smiled and stood up from his knees, he was about to answer him when another cough escaped his mouth with blood spluttering out of his mouth. They widened their eyes in shock as they weren''t expecting that, he clutched his chest tightly as a sharp and burning pain ran through his chest, he pulled the edges of his robe slightly only to see the blue lines already reaching his heart. "Master!" both of them called in shock seeing the blue lines a little bit away from his heart, he closed his robe and wiped the blood from his mouth using his sleeve, since the colour of his robe is black, it wasn''t obvious that he had just wiped the blood with it. "I will use my ice power to freeze the grass, what you have to do is pluck it the moment I am done before it melts the ice then we leave the forest," he stated then he pushed his hands towards the ground, blue frost soon covered the ground, the fire element grass immediately turned into a reddish-white colour while Xi Feng quickly used the chance to pluck it from its root. "I have gotten it,". the fourth prince stopped then he took the fire element grass from him and sighed in relief, from the look on his face, they could tell that their mission had already been accomplished. "I don''t have much time left, let''s go now," he ordered then he and Xi Feng started out to leave the forest, the had walked quite a distance when they noticed that Xiaodi wasn''t following after them, they turned back only to see her staring intently at the spot where they found the fire element grass. "Xiaodi what are you doing?" Xi Feng questioned angrily, he couldn''t understand what else would be more important than the fourth prince treatment, the fourth prince noticed that Xiaodi seemed entranced by whatever she was looking at so he moved closer to her. "Xiaodi!" he called with a tap on her shoulder, her body jerked as she turned to see the fourth prince standing beside her, they became confused when they saw the little drops of tears on her face. "What is wrong Xiaodi, what happened to you?" the fourth prince questioned with both hands holding her shoulders, while Xi Feng stared at her with a quizzical look on his face, he oddly disliked the tears on her face. "Master...master" "I am here, why are you crying?" the fourth prince asked with a frustrated tone, he didn''t like that she looked like something serious had happened but she wasn''t saying anything, he scanned around to see what might have caused her to shed tears. "Not you....mistress," she turned to look in the direction of the spot where they had just uprooted the fire element grass while they traced her gaze, their eyes caught an icy blue flower with eight glimmering petals, they were shocked to see the single flower appear out of nowhere even though they had just left there a moment ago. "What is this?" the fourth prince asked, squinting his eyes at the flower, he could feel his power reacting to the presence of the flower but he couldn''t understand what connection they have and Xiaodi''s behaviour upon seeing the flower also added to his confusion. "That is the mistress soul," Xiaodi disclosed, both men turned to her with their eyes widened at her statement, the fourth prince who had walked forward to see the flower clearly slowly walked back towards her with a stir of emotions inside him. "Did you just say that is my mother''s soul?" he asked in disbelief, he didn''t get to fully know much about his mother, even though he wasn''t an infant when his mother died, he had forgotten everything about her, her touch, her voice and what she loos like, all he remembers is her back view and her long cascading ocean blue hair when she transformed in front of him once while he was still a child. Xiaodi nodded in affirmation to his question, she once belonged to his mother who saved her beast mother when she was just about to give birth, since then she has cared for and trained Xiaodi as best as she could even though she couldn''t risk letting anyone know she possesses a spiritual beast. Apart from the fourth prince, Xiaodi is the only person who can feel the connection with the flower, when she smelled the scent of the flower before, she just knew that she has smelt something like that before but she just couldn''t remember when she has smelt that scent before, now looking at the flower in front of them, she now realized the answer to her question. "Mother..." "Mistress used to take care of an eight petaled flower with an oddly foul smell, she cared for the flower just like she cared for me but she kept her soul inside the flower before the imperial consort came into her palace to take care of her, she died in the imperial consort''s arm after she entrusted her with the task of handing me over to you," "Why didn''t you tell me about this before?" the fourth prince questioned in a gentle tone with a hint of anger in his tone as he glared at her, Xi Feng who doesn''t know his mother personally just kept quiet as he watched them converse over a flower. "I couldn''t talk back then and I forgot about it after I turned into a human, the imperial consort was the only one who cared for the mistress back then but she couldn''t risk telling them about her identity as the ice saintess of the extinct ice clan, the imperial consort only knows about me being a spiritual pet, she doesn''t know anything about the ring and the jade flute she gave you," Xiaodi narrated, she couldn''t bring herself to stop talking about her old mistress past, she realized just how much she has enjoyed living with the fourth prince that she has forgotten the mistress who took care of her from the start. "what would happen if I take the flower with me," the fourth prince asked, knowing that Xiaodi is the only one who has the answer to all his questions. "taking the flower is the same as leaving it here, I suppose the mistress arranged the blossom pavilion and the spirit forest in the same city so you can find the flower here, she must have been the one who made this place a spirit forest," "It turns out that she went through the trouble for me," he uprooted the flower and handed it over to Xi Feng who collected it carefully and kept it inside the box they had arranged for the fire element grass. "Let''s return" Ruo Rufei was already worried that something unexpected might happen since she didn''t come this far when she first entered the spirit forest, she prayed in her mind that everything would go well without them finding out that she didn''t actually get the fire element grass with her own ability, she remembered how battered and covered in blood the man looked when he saved her, she was sure that there must be a more dangerous difficulty ahead of them. Just when she was in thought... "Watch out!" Wei Xianlu shouted she raised her gaze to see the statue of a soldier dashing towards her with a sword in its hand, the statue raised the sword and was about to bring it down on her but Wei Xianlu quickly pulled her elbow, helping her dodge the attack. "What is this?" she muttered with a deep breath, she certainly didn''t expect that a stone statue would appear out of nowhere, just while they were still trying to comprehend the situation, other stone statues started appearing out of nowhere. They moved back but they couldn''t escape the statues... "I sense other presence in this forest," the fourth prince remarked on their way back "No one has dared to enter this forest for years, who would be so brazen to enter the forest," Xi Feng responded. Chapter 178 - The Timely Rescue! 1 "I sense other presence in this forest," the fourth prince remarked on their way back "No one has dared to enter this forest for years, who would be so brazen to enter the forest," Xi Feng responded. "In my opinion, we shouldn''t wait to find out, treating your ailment is more important than anything else," she was sure that if she let him continue, he would surely want to get to the bottom of it and she wouldn''t risk letting that happen so it is better for her to caution him quickly, knowing her intentions, he pursed his lips and nodded approvingly at her. With a good sense of hearing, he could hear the sound of someone fighting or people but the sound seemed to get louder as they walked further out of the forest, like the cold and yet kindhearted person he is when the situation calls for it, he couldn''t help being concerned over the noises he was hearing. "They are fighting," he remarked while both of them turned to him with a quizzical look on their faces, it has been long since he mentioned the other presence in the forest so they had already forgotten about it. "What is your highness talking about?" Xi Feng asked in confusion "They are about four of them ahead but they seem to be fighting with other presence which I am not sure of," he answered, stopping his tracks, he looked ahead with a serious look on his face, he wasn''t well aware of the situation so he didn''t want to lead them to jump into a situation that might go wrong. "That is strange, apart from the daughter of the city governor, no one has ever dared to enter into the spirit forest, who could be so crazy to have the guts to enter the spirit forest," knowing how good their master''s sense of hearing is, they couldn''t doubt his judgement but at the same time, entering the spirit forest for normal people means death and of course with the exception of the fourth prince who is no normal person so they didn''t think that any sane person would enter the forest. "That''s right, even cultivators find it hard to enter the forest," they all furrowed their brows as they fixed their eyes on the road ahead of them, both of them were worried that they might end up wasting more time even though they don''t have much to spare considering how much blood the fourth prince vomited while they were in the forest. "That is the direction where the stone statues are, of all the problems in this forest, the stone statues are the hardest to overcome, mother must have made it this way because she knows I can use my ice power to freeze them," "But your highness...by freezing the statues, you must have left a trace there, what if those people..." Xi Feng speculated with a worried look on his face but the fourth prince smiled. "You don''t have to worry about that, I am in a weak state so I didn''t use my true ice power, I only freezed them for some seconds, if we hadn''t left in a hurry, the statues would have melted before we left," "That is a relief then," he sighed his relief following Xiaodi who was also worried about it, now they understand why their master was so careless to use his powers in the forest and also leave traces of it. "Let''s go, we can only see the situation to find out what is truly going on," They continued on their way out of the forest knowing that the trouble is waiting ahead for them to come, although the trouble isn''t meant for them. "What do we do now?" Ke Yang asked in a panic, they have been fighting with the statues for some time now while trying to protect the two ladies but things were already getting out of hand, no matter how capable their martial art is, they still couldn''t stop the statues or decrease their number. "I don''t want to die like this, I really don''t want to die!!!" Xixi cried aloud with tears welling down her cheeks, she was already starting to doubt that she is actually going to make it out of the forest, both men couldn''t be bothered with her since they were busy with the statues but Ruo Rufei glared at her angrily, she couldn''t believe that something so serious is happening and they might lose their lives at any time but her maid who is supposed to show the same braveness as her is actually wailing. "I just knew something was going to go wrong today, I just knew it...." she increased the volume of her wailing to Ruo Rufei''s irritation. "Won''t you shut your mouth right now?!!" Ruo Rufei roared in frustration, she has already had enough of her maid who has been shouting, crying and wailing ever since the statues came at them in full force. Xixi quickly closed her mouth but her body was still shaky, as she watched the swords clashed while the men tried their best to guard them. "Miss Rufei, don''t you know how to get rid of these statues?" Wei Xianlu inquired as he was now tired of having to fend off the statues which seemed to be forming a maze around them, no matter how hard they fought to make their way out of the area, the statues kept surrounding them and attacking them at the same time. "I...I" she couldn''t possibly tell him that she didn''t actually get the fire element grass with her own effort, she has spent years trying to find out what is beyond the trigram puzzle into the spirit forest but she has never found anything since all those who reached that point never returned. "It has been years and I didn''t even remember how I got through this place," she lied but her answer seemed doubtful to Wei Xianlu, he was about to pursue the matter further when he turned back to see a statue heading towards her direction, he quickly dashed towards her and blocked the statue''s sword with his sword then he used all his power to push the statue back while Ruo Rufei quickly moved back, realizing that this is the tenth time he is saving her life since the statues appeared. He did a backflip behind the statue which turned to continue attacking him, he spun his body around and propelled his body into the air before landing on the shoulder of the statue but another statue came to attack him whilst he was still standing on the statue''s shoulder, he jumped into the air to dodge the attack then he landed in between the multitude of statues. Many of them focused their attention on him as they all gathered around him wielding their swords to their sides, the first statue that raised its sword gave him a cut on his shoulder but he turned around and cut off the statue''s hand, ignoring the cut on his shoulder, he continued fighting with them, although Ke Yang wished to assist them, there was nothing he could do as he had to fend off the ones that were coming for him first. "Master!" Ke Yang called while the ladies widened their eyes seeing all the statues attacking him at the same time with their swords intertwined on his shoulder as he blocked their attack with his sword but their strength was too much for only him to handle, he slid back while they followed after him with their swords on his shoulder, he shouted as he tried to gather his strength. Ke Yang was about to leave the other statues to help him but... "Don''t come here, you must protect miss Rufei, I have been on many battles, this is no less than what I have experienced," "Al..." he hadn''t even finished his response when the statues he had abandoned appeared at his back and were about to cut his head off, he quickly tilted his head to the side, he swung his sword around as he tried to fend off the attacks of the statues on the ladies and protect himself at the same time. He pushed his legs back, creating a drag on the ground until his legs touched the tree, he stopped and used all his strength to raise their swords from his shoulder, he pushed them back with all his strength and did a spin around kick on them causing them to fall to the ground. He landed on the ground and dashed towards the other statues. Clink! Clink! Clink! Ruo Rufei was now starting to think highly of his ability, seeing how he fended off over a hundred statues with their swords on his shoulder on his own, she was now sure of his strength, even though he sustained some cut, his ability was still praiseworthy to her. Both men were now back to back against each other, they turned to face each other then they sighed in relief knowing that it wasn''t a statue behind them, they turned back to face the statues with their swords wielded at their side. "It has really been long since we have had such a noteworthy combat," "You are right, master" "Then why don''t we make this one another memorable combat," They swung their sword around and dashed towards the opposite side with full speed, they sliced the statues from their waist down causing them to fall to the ground but they continued multiplying. They were both focused on the statues before them that they didn''t notice the statues going towards the ladies but it was too late, the statues had already raised their swords accompanied by a scream from Xixi, the men quickly turned towards their direction and dashed towards them as fast as they could but it was too late, Ruo Rufei had already closed her eyes in preparation to die... "You can open your eyes now," she didn''t believe the voice telling her to open her eyes, perhaps her soul has already arrived at the gate of hell, she slowly opened her face only to see... Chapter 179 - The Timely Rescue! 2 "You can open your eyes now," she didn''t believe the voice telling her to open her eyes, perhaps her soul has already arrived at the gate of hell, she slowly opened her face only to see a veiled man holding her in his arms, she couldn''t see his entire face because of the veil on the hat but as the wind blew past them, the veil opened a little when she caught glimpse of his face and the faint smile on his lips. {He is the one} Her lashes fluttered with her lips slightly partitioned, the man who has been invading her thought for quite some time now is actually the one holding her, the one who saved her, Wei Xianlu and Xixi were confused by the strange look on her face while she fixed her eyes on this man, at that moment, she had a surprised but pleased look on her face, something that Xixi has never seen her give any other man and a look that Wei Xianlu has failed to get ever since he met her at the manor. Realizing that she doesn''t have any intention of leaving his arms or moving her gaze away from him, he decided to make the first call, he unwrapped his hands from her waist and moved a step backwards, his face was covered so they couldn''t tell their identity except for Ruo Rufei. They had almost forgotten the army of statues battling with them until another one dashed towards the duo, the fourth prince didn''t need to turn back to know what was going to happen, he pushed her farther away from him while the sword landed in their middle then he bent his body backwards to dodge another attack, he pulled her hand and spun her around until her hands were on his chest then he used her legs to hit the statue in front and spun her body three-sixty-degrees round to kick down all the statues coming at them, the others watched the scene in amusement while Wei Xianlu felt jealous deep inside him, seeing another man control her body while she willingly surrendered her every part of her to him, the look on her face showed that she liked it, she definitely liked being controlled by him. He brought her to the ground and twirled her body towards Xi Feng who quickly caught her, although he wasn''t looking, he could see the burning glare of anger Wei Xianlu directed at him and he could recognise who the person is. {The prime minister''s son, isn''t he supposed to be at the border, what is he doing here} He pondered! He didn''t have much time to meddle in their business since he needed to get treated as soon as possible, he decided to get them out of the forest as soon as possible. "Xi Feng, get them out of the forest, I will take care of the rest," he instructed and nodded at Xi Feng who understood what he meant, he threw his sword at him, the fourth prince unsheathed the sword and swung it around before wielding it by his side with his back turned at them. "Who are you?" Wei Xianlu questioned in an aloof tone, he hated the guts of the person standing in front of him, even though they had been fighting for some time now, they haven''t managed to get out of the maze the statues formed around them and this man actually intends to protect them. What a joke! tch! "You don''t need to know who I am, all you need to know is that I can save your ass so I suggest you leave the forest now," the fourth prince answered in a more cold and aloof tone, his confidence and superiority resounded in his tone and this made Ruo Rufei even more interested in him, she had this faint smile on her face as she fixed her eyes on him which Wei Xianlu noticed. "Save my ass...do you know who I am, how dare you to talk to me in such manner?!!" Wei Xianlu roared with his hands behind him and a composure exhibiting his superiority but how can he be compared to the fourth prince...? "Hey! who do you think you are to speak to his high...." "hmmmn," she stopped at the warning Xi Feng gave her. "The fact that I am the one who saved this young miss just now and I have passed through this stage before means I can deal with these statues, I am only interfering because of this young lady so you had better listen to me before it is too late, the moment anyone moves, the statues will start attacking again, so decide fast...." the fourth prince warned with a serious and domineering tone. Wei Xianlu clenched his hands in anger but he knew that every word this daring stranger just said is true if he still insists on staying, they might begin to suspect of having an ulterior motive in entering the spirit forest, however, he can''t risk not completing the task his father entrusted to him and more so, he can''t let this stranger have his way. "Master..." "Young master Wei, if we are offered help, we should kindly accept this mister kind intention to help, we originally came into this forest to explore it, as we have already come this far, I don''t think there is anything else we have to see unless if young master Wei wishes to take something from the forest," Ruo Rufei added, he turned to her with an angry gaze which he tried to feign as a calm look, even though Ruo Rufei is the type who would never accept anyone''s help, she certainly wouldn''t refuse this mister''s help considering the fact that he has been in her thoughts ever since she saw him. Xixi who was watching the drama as it unfolded was already feeling uneasy, she didn''t like that she and her young mistress are in the midst of such a tense situation, she was about to say something when she accidentally tripped on a stone, they all turned to her with their eyes widely opened. "Xixi, we weren''t even prepared to make our escape yet and you have already ruined it!" Ruo Rufei scolded knowing that the statues were going to continue their attack on them, and it happened, the statues began forming another formation round about them. "How good is your light body skill," the fourth prince questioned, without looking at the person he is talking to, Wei Xianlu scoffed inwardly at how bold this person is to ask him such a question, judging from his clothing, he could tell that he is a noble but he is still sure that this man cannot have a higher status than him. "Better than yours," he replied confidently. "hmmph! who do you think you are, even ten of you cannot measure up to his high...my master," "Lowly girl, who do you think you are talking to?" Ke Yang retorted, clutching his sword tightly. "Are you going to keep arguing until they finish their formation and start attacking or will you leave and save your skin?" "Mister, thank you for your rescue, I will wait for you outside the forest and await your safe return," Ruo Rufei answered in his place, making the decision even before Wei Xianlu had the chance to, her forwardness when it comes to this strange man that he suppose she is just meeting for the first time enraged him but he couldn''t let his intentions be known. "If that is what Miss Rufei wants then I will follow your decision," he responded, pretending to be the yielding man he is not., Rufei smiled faintly with a nod in response while the fourth prince nodded his head and signalled the other two to lead them out while he deals with the statues, they nodded their head in response. The fourth prince started attacking the statues with weak and yet smooth attacks while the others took the chance to propel themselves into the to escape with Wei Xianlu holding Ruo Rufei and his bodyguard holding Xixi. After they were out of sight, the fourth prince stopped attacking them knowing that it is just a waste of effort and time to do so, he gathered his Qi and pushed his hands forwards, then he spread his arms wide and spun his body around in the air, freezing all the statues, he landed on the ground seeing that his job there is done. After some minutes, they arrived outside the forest because of their light body skills, making it faster for them to leave the forest. "Who don''t we return to the manor now that we are outside the forest now, I suppose your grandfather must be worried about you," Wei Xanlu proposed but earned a disappointed look from her. "I didn''t think that young master Wei is one to disregard favours, I have given my word to wait outside the forest to await his safe return and I will do just that, that mister saved my life so I cannot ignore him and leave," Xixi raised one of her brows hearing her young mistress reply, one word that can be used to describe her young mistress is definitely ''proud'', she would never accept anyone''s help with gratitude or thank anyone for their favours unless if that person is considered important to her. "I didn''t intend..." "Miss, you don''t have to worry about our master, he is more than capable of entering and leaving the forest as he wishes so you can rest assured and return to your manor as this young master suggests," Xi Feng interjected, he found her behaviour suspicious, if she has seen his master''s face then the reason for her behaviour might be justified but she didn''t. "It seems like these young ladies no longer need to see my master''s face to fall in love with him, young miss, you shouldn''t miss this gentleman because of my master, he has no interest in women," Xiaodi cleanly added with confidence. Chapter 180 - You Cant Be Compared To My Master! "Hey watch your manner of speaking, my young mistress is the daughter of the governor who has many young masters of high status at her beck and call, who is your master that my young mistress would think so highly of him...tch! really outrageous," Xixi snapped, although she also felt that her young mistress behaviour seems strange, she wouldn''t believe that her young mistress really has an interest in this young man, she must definitely have a use for him. "Dogs**t! even if you multiply your young mistress by hundred, she is still not worthy of my master, you had better leave with your supposed suitor before my master comes out, he has no time to waste on someone like you," Xiaodi continued, she folded her arms over her chest, speaking in an unflinching tone even though she has just been informed of the young lady''s identity. Xi Feng didn''t bother to stop her since he also agrees with everything she just said, he turned to Wei Xianlu with a side glance and he noticed how tightly his fist is clenched, he smirked at the sight of it, he didn''t understand why the fourth prince would want to waste time in saving someone as irrelevant and ungrateful as that even though he is already running out of time. "Xixi, enough," she turned to Xiaodi with a gentle smile on her lips, although her smile seemed soft, behind that smile, they could see her unwillingness to let a commoner speak to her in such degrading manner. "Miss, we haven''t met before so I cannot understand your reason for speaking so rudely to me, I am the young mistress of the governor''s manor and this is the son of the prime ministers, or should I say a general who is well acknowledged by the emperor, we are not people of common status that you should act so rudely in front of us," she was slowly starting to raise her voice with a tone of authority resounding in every word she said, she fixed her eyes intently on Xiaodi to intimidate the girl seeing her small stature, even though she couldn''t see the girl face, she hated the fact that Xiaodi seemed really possessive of the young man. "I will let you go this time because you also saved our lives but there won''t be a second chance," Ruo Rufei concluded firmly, Wei Xianlu smiled seeing that she wasn''t tolerating their rude statement towards her, if it wasn''t for his intention to use this young man in order to get what he wants from the forest, he would have slit their throat the moment they spoke disrespectfully to him, he didn''t want to reveal his identity to them in case something goes wrong but now that she already has, he has no reason to hold back. "I DON''T NEED A SECOND CHANCE!" Xiaodi roared, disappearing from the spot she stood and appearing in front of her in just a second, Ruo Rufei held her breath seeing the small figured lady standing in front of her. Seeing how angry she sounded, Xi Feng realized that he had better stop her before she does anything damaging, he pitied the young lady who doesn''t know how possessive Xiaodi can be when it comes to the fourth prince and she definitely wouldn''t take it when someone tried to use their authority over her except for the fourth prince. With a nod from Wei Xianlu, Ke Yang dashed towards her with his sword tightly clutched in case he had any need to fight her but he didn''t think he would have to use much force considering how small she looks. "How dare you act so rudely, respect yourself before I teach you a lesson," Ke Yang warned with his hands on the sheath of his sword, but still Xiaodi didn''t budge, her eyes were still flaming in anger and staring intently into Ruo Rufei''s eyes. She composed her self and smiled broadly, she has never seen anyone in the whole city who dares to act so rudely in front of her, even the ladies and young masters from prominent families but this sidekick of an unknown person actually dared to look into her eyes. "I warned you, I wouldn''t give you another chance," she moved her gaze to Wei Xianlu who understood what he meant. "It seems like I wouldn''t be meeting your master here but in my manor," she added with an evil smile hanging on her lips while she moved away with Xixi, leaving Ke Yang to deal with her and Xi Feng, he nodded his head at how foolish they are to have infuriated Xiaodi who is like a ticking bomb without the fourth prince. He could see that Wei Xianlu is someone they shouldn''t mess with since he looks like someone with an extremely good martial art but his bodyguard is too small for Xiaodi to handle even if she doesn''t use her abilities as a fox, but if she includes that then she might be capable of defeating Wei Xianlu. Ke Yang was about to unsheath his sword but Xi Feng cleared his throat, making them turn to him. "I strongly advise you not to unsheath that sword or it will be your end," he warned in a gentle voice as though the bodyguard is not about to deal with the both of them. "She might look small but she is definitely more capable than you think, the only key to stopping her is still inside the forest so if you want to leave here with your whole body you had better not unsheath your sword," he continued, Ke Yang felt his pride badly damaged, how can this person compare him to such... "Don''t you think you are overestimating yourselves," Ruo Rufei chimed in, tilting her head slightly. "You can only find the answer to your question when this young man unsheaths his sword," he responded. "I was initially thinking of teaching you a lesson before and leaving you here but now it seems like you will suffer more than that, when he is done with you, I will use my horses to drag your battered bodies to the manor and torture you further," he paused for a moment and continues. "I have been at the border for many years with thousands of soldiers under my command, everyone who dared to disrespect me has never ended up well but I guess you will also be one of them now," Wei Xianlu bragged With that, he unsheathed his sword and raised his hand to attack her but Xiaodi smirked with her back turned at him, she was originally angry with Xi Feng for advising them but seeing as they didn''t take her advice, she couldn''t be happier. "You just dug your grave..." She raised her hand above her head, grasping his sword tightly, they were shocked that she actually dared to hold the sword on its edge, she swiftly turned around and used the sword as an anchor to propel herself into the air swiftly, then she came down with a flying kick which they thought was directed at Ke Yang but she actually landed on the sword, breaking it into pieces. Ke Yang watched the pieces of the sword fall with his mouth slightly partitioned, he couldn''t believe that the girl is actually that strong. "She...she broke the sword, how is that possible with her stature," Xixi muttered but it didn''t escape Xi Feng''s ear. "the moral lesson is don''t judge a book by its cover," he remarked. He quickly recovered from the shock when he saw her spinning his legs towards him, be bent his body backwards and slid under her legs while she flew over him, but seeing him slide, she didn''t land on the other side, she swiftly did a backflip and landed in front of him even before he could balance his body, she revealed her claws without transforming and slashed it at him but he rolled his body over to the side, he stood up from the ground and balled his fist then he dashed towards her swiftly. "Young master Wei, I don''t think this girl will be easy for your bodyguard to handle or is he holding back because she is a female?" Ruo Rufei remarked. "Rest assured, Miss Ruofei, he is someone I personally trained and he won''t lose to a tiny girl," he replied grudgingly, swearing to make sure they will wish they are dead by the time she gets defeated, with Xi Feng standing at the sideline, enjoying the show, he knew that Wei Xianlu would never come for him, rather he would make Ke Yang be the one to capture the both of them. He threw a punch towards her chest, she held his fist and attempted to throw him on the ground but it failed when he used his other hand to pull her wrist and spun her body around then he threw a punch to her chest, causing her to slide back. Xi Feng panicked a little with his body jerked forward while the others smiled at his feat, but he calmed himself down remembering that Xiaodi wasn''t doing half her best. "Once again, you have dug your grave even deeper," "enough nonsense!" He ran towards her while she stood on a spot with her eyes closed before he could land a punch on her left chest, he held his fist tightly, he struggled to free himself from her grips but he couldn''t, gritting his teeth, he added more effort to no avail. "What is happening?" Xixi muttered, while Wei Xianlu narrowed his eyes, he couldn''t believe that a small girl is actually strong enough to hold him when the soldiers they have fought in the past have never been able to do so. She opened her eyes sharply and disappeared from his front swiftly, then next thing he felt is a sting on his abdomen, he lowered his gaze to look at it only to see two long cuts on his abdomen, before he could turn back again, he felt another sting on his shoulder.... Chapter 181 - You Cant Be Compared To My Master! 2 She opened her eyes sharply and disappeared from his front swiftly, then next thing he felt is a sting on his abdomen, he lowered his gaze to look at it only to see two long cuts on his abdomen, before he could turn back again, he felt another sting on his shoulder. Their eyes tried to follow her seeing how swiftly her attacks are, she had already given him eight cuts on his body, she gave him another four on his legs, causing his to fall to the ground then she raised her hand and spun her body around to slash his neck. "Stop right now!" Wei Xianlu roared, seeing that she was about to kill him, she stopped her attack and raised her gaze to look at him with an evil tilt on her lips and one of her brows raised. "Why, didn''t you say you will drag us to the governor''s manor to torture us but I am not allowed to kill your bodyguard? what a joke!" she concluded and raised her hand to slash his neck but stopped at Xi Feng''s call. "That is enough!" Xi Feng ordered with his voice raised, she took in a deep breath, closing her eyes, she opened her eyes again, exhaling then she stopped and landed on the ground, she looked down on Ke Yang who was still struggling to stand up then she started walking towards Xi Feng. But Ke Yang took the chance, he gathered his strength and stood up swiftly, dashing towards her with a small knife in his hand, he was about to slit her neck when she glanced at him from the side then she bent her body and pulled his hand over her, pulling him to the ground, she twisted his arm around, breaking his bone and dislocating his arm. They widened their eyes at the sound of the bones cracking, anger burned through his veins, he had a murderous look in his eyes and the intention to rib her flesh apart and crush her bones, she raised her head to meet his eyes, even though he couldn''t see her face, he could feel her mocking gaze directed at him. While Ke Yang screamed in pain, she pulled his body up and punched him to the ground. Thud!! He spat out a mouthful of blood as his body landed on the ground, Wei Xianlu clenched his fist tighter seeing how smooth and cruel her moves her, her claws protruding out of her fist penetrated his abdomen but she cruelly pulled them out without caring about the pain he would feel. "It is enough!" Xi Feng warned this time firmly, ignoring his warning, she raised her hands to slash his neck with her bloodied claws. "If you end his life, master would be angry," Xi Feng warned again, making her stop, she raised her head... "No...master would be grateful," she answered in a whisper, We Xianlu who has already had it with her arrogance pulled his sword out of its sheath and rushed towards her at a great speed but it seemed like he was too late, she swiftly brought down her claws on his neck but the next thing they saw is a figure swiftly pull her off his body and fling her away from the poor bodyguard, she quickly regained her stamina midair and dragged her foot on the ground to regain her balance with her hands spread wide until she regained her balance. She turned around to see who it was... "Master..." she and Xi Feng called in unison. "Saviour!" Ruo Rufei called while Wei Xianlu who had already reached him placed his sword on his neck. "Put down your sword right now!" Xi Feng roared and was about to make his move but the fourth prince raised his hands to stop him, then he slowly turned to face Wei Xianlu. "Young master Wei, please put down your sword," He calmly pleaded in a rather humbly tone. "Today, I will show you commoners what happens when you anger this young master, a mere martial artist dares to injure my bodyguard!" Wei Xianlu responded with his murderous intentions clearly shown in his voice. "If my subordinates have offended you then I apologize on their behalf," "Apologize, even if you die ten thousand times, it is still not enough to atone for your sins, you have angered this young master and there is no way you will be able to keep your life after this, I have fought many martial artists and killed many people but none of their sins is as heavy as yours," he slowly withdrew his sword from his neck then he stretched it toward his chest. "Young master Wei, please halt!" He stopped at the sound of her voice, with his eyes still fixed on the fourth prince who could have escaped the stab but stood still knowing from his calculations that Ruo Rufei would surely stop him. "Why did you stop me, Miss Rufei, could it be that you have an interest in this man just like they speculated?", the fourth prince smirked at his jealousy. "Of course not, how can the daughter of the governor be interested in such a common person, but he called your name just name, I only disclosed your identity when we left the forest so how did he know who you are?" Ruo Rufei answered, she was quite offended and determined to end his subordinates if not for his sudden arrival but she didn''t want him dead, at least not yet. "That is true," he turned to the fourth prince. "How did you know my name?" "That is not something I can tell, I would like to take my leave now," he moved a step forward with Xiaodi and Xi Feng following behind him. "Stop right there, remove your hat," he ordered but the fourth prince ignored him, he walked towards him and attempted to removed his hat but Xi Feng pushed his hands away, Wei Xianlu used his other hand to land a hit on his chest, pushing him back. "Xi..." Xiaodi was about to call his name when she stopped. "Why are you hiding your identities, do I know you?" he asked but still didn''t get any reply, even Ruo Rufei was now curious to know what was going on, frustrated, he stretched his hand again to removed his hat but Xi Feng blocked him once more, Wei Xianlu pulled his hand and landed him another hit to his chest making him almost fall to the ground. With this, the difference in their strength was shown and Ruo Rufei was once more impressed. "Xi...." she stopped herself from spilling his name again, then she turned to the fourth prince, wondering why he wasn''t having any reaction to Xi Feng being beaten, she touched his shoulder and walked to his front, his face was already as pale as a sheet of paper and his fist was tightly clenched as though he was trying to endure something. She peeped at the hole in between his robe, her eyes widened at the sight of the blue lines already reaching his neck. "Master!" she screamed They were all confused as to why she screamed but the soon got their answers when he clutched his chest with his chest rising up and down, just when he couldn''t hold it anymore, his body jerked forward, with a mouthful of crimson red blood spluttering over Xiaodi''s face. "Master!" Xi Feng called in horror while Xiaodi stood still with her lips slightly partitioned. "Master..." she whispered softly but he looked at her with a lifeless look. Ruo Rufei and Xixi widened their eyes at the sight, she stepped forward to get a close look at him. "What is wro...." Splat! Splat! Splat! More blood splattered on her face and the ground, they were horrified at the sight of the blood on her veil, even though they couldn''t see her face, the blood on the black veil on her hat dripped to the ground slowly but she didn''t flinch. "oh my gosh!" Xixi screamed in horror. Xi Feng quickly rushed to his side, he held his arm just as he was about to slump to the ground. "Quick, we have to leave," they held his arms and flew into the air, landing on the horse in front of the forest, they assisted him onto the horse then Xi Feng climbed onto the horse holding the reins of the horse while the horse raised his front legs. Neigh!!! "Meet me at the pretty lady''s place," Xi Feng instructed then he rode off with the horse. "Stop right now," Wei Xianlu roared running towards them but Xiaodi quickly hopped on to one of the other horses and rode the horse towards him as though she was going heads up with him. Ruo Rufei was half happy that he was able to get away and half annoyed that she didn''t have her way with him. She rode at a fast speed towards Wei Xianlu but just as she was about to hit him, he pushed the horse''s head back with his legs dragging on the ground but the impact caused him to move back, using that chance she hurriedly turned the horse around and rode away, knowing that she might not be a match for him. Regaining his balance, he clenched his fist and yelled into the air in anger. "Please calm down, young master Wei, I am sure you will be able to find him, if we use the city soldiers, there is no way we won''t be able to find them, with his injured state, they won''t be able to get far," Rufei said reassuringly with her hand on his shoulder, he glanced at her hands on his shoulder which seemed to calm his mind and body down. "I understand, let''s leave now," he had already forgotten his father''s task since all he could think of his capturing them. Chapter 182 - Survival! 1 He rode at a very fast speed with the fourth prince seating in front of him, his body wobbled on the horse as he rode faster, and he had already vomited blood once while they were on the escape, he was terrified at this point that the fourth prince might not be able to survive the ordeal. He had already given up the thought of going to the blossom pavilion since that is much farther compared to Ruyi pavilion, he kicked the horse by the side to urge it to ride faster but he turned back when he heard the sound of another horse riding towards them, he was relieved and surprised to see that it was Xiaodi. "How is he?" she asked as she caught up with him but he nodded his head in response, she glanced at him for a moment then she urged her horse to go faster understanding that the fourth prince condition has gotten worse. They had now arrived at Ruyi Pavillon but considering the fact that they had just messed with Wei Xianlu whose ability they underestimated, he decided that it is best they enter the pavilion using the secret entrance his master informed him of. "Where are you going?" Xiaodi asked, seeing him take another way instead of the front door. "We can''t enter through the front door, if anyone sees the fourth prince in this state, it might cause unnecessary problems for us," Xi Feng replied, he and Xiaodi assisted the fourth prince to descend the horse.. They looked around them and when they had confirmed that there is no one seeing them, they removed the iron plate covering the hole in the ground, Xi Feng went down first then Xiaodi assisted the fourth prince down while she followed, they walked through the tunnels underground until they got to a door made of very strong metal with four bars around it, Xiaodi tried to turn the bars with all her strength but she couldn''t open it, she turned to Xi Feng with a helpless look on her face. He handed the fourth prince to her but she almost fell with the fourth prince, bearing his weight on her tiny body. "Be careful," she answered with a nod. He tried to turn the bars around, gritting his teeth but it also didn''t work, the fourth prince only told him of the passageway but he didn''t tell him how to get through it, he rubbed his forehead in an attempt to think of a solution. "What is wrong?" Xiaodi asked seeing the look on his face, he removed the hat and dropped it to the ground in frustration, the fourth prince consciousness is slowly slipping away but he found himself unable to do anything about it. "I can''t open it," he replied "What!" She helped him sit on the ground then she walked over to the door and combined her strength with Xi Feng to open the door but to no avail, they only stopped when they heard the fourth prince mumble, they turned back in surprise seeing that he was still conscious enough to speak. "Master!" "th..the door can only be opened wi..." he paused to cough, while Xiaodi patted his back, Xi Feng leaned towards him to hear what he is saying clearly. "take my blood and drop it in the hole in the middle of the bars to open the door," he mumbled with much effort, Xiaodi who couldn''t hear what he was saying was frowning while she waited for Xi Feng to tell her what he has heard. Seeing him raise his head with an alarming look, she was quite confused, looking at him with a quizzical look. "We have to use his blood," "He has already lost much blood, we can''t use his blood," "We have to, he is running out of time and his consciousness is slowly fading," With that, he used the tip of his sword to cut his finger then he opened his other hand to collect the blood, he walked over to the door and poured the blood into the hole, the bars started spinning then the door opened. They heaved a sigh of replied then they assisted him into the pavilion. Madam Ju was lying on her bed in her undergarment while the girls were massaging her legs, she smiled in pleasure but the maids were alarmed when her body jerked and she opened her eyes, she raised her hand to signal them to stop, then she changed to a sitting position, she adjusts her expression to prevent them from suspecting anything. "You girls may leave," she ordered "But we are not d...." "I said leave!" she insisted with her voice raised, the girls quickly stood up from the ground, they adjusted their dress then they bowed their heads and left the room in a single file, seeing that they had left, she stood up from the bed then she walked to the door and locked it. She returned to her bed, she pulled the covers and inserted the jade stone on her necklace into the small insignificant hole in her bed, the bed immediately divided into two, she looked down to see if the fourth prince is really the one coming from the secret passage since he doesn''t have any reason to use the secret passage. "Xi Feng!" she called out in a whisper, seeing him emerge out of the passageway as he climbed the stairs to come out of the passageway, he nodded his head at her then he moved away from her view, showing Xiaodi and the fourth prince who was covered in cold sweat resting on her shoulders. Her eyes widened at the sight, she quickly helped Xiaodi out then she removed the jade stone from the hole, making the bed revert to its original form, she laid him down on the bed and rushed over to her drawer to get a towel. "What happened to him?" she asked with concern written on her face as she dabbed the sweat on his face and proceeded to disrobe him. "He had his monthly attack because of his shadow today but it so happens that his saint transformation coincided with the attack," Xiaodi explained then she paused for a moment in hesitation. "When did this happen?" "It happened this morning," Xi Feng answered "Then why are you just bringing him now?" "The fourth prince said he needed to get the fire element grass from the spirit forest so we offered to go there on his behalf but he insisted that he follows us because the fire element grass cannot be uprooted without using his ice power," Xiaodi sobbed in the middle of her explanation so Xi Feng continued on her behalf. "We had already gotten the fire element grass when the fourth prince detected other presence in the forest, we got there only to see the prime minister''s son and the governor''s daughter under attack by the statues in the forest, we insisted that we leave them be but the fourth prince insisted that he has to save them, after we saved them we got into a fight with them which prolonged our return to the pavilion, the fourth prince started vomiting blood," Xi Feng concluded with a note of regret, they both regretted not stopping the fourth prince and saving such ungrateful people. "The fourth prince is not one to meddle in other''s business, why exactly must he save them at the expense of his own life," she pondered, she turned to them. "Did you say you got the fire element grass?" they nodded in answer to her question, Xi Feng inserted his hand into his robe then he brought out a small box, Madam Ju was quite confused seeing the small box since she is very well aware that there is no way the grass would be able to fit into a box that small, but her confusion was dispelled when the box expanded. She moved closer to examine the fiery red grass but she couldn''t touch it knowing that the grass is still hot. "I know how to use it on him but since his highness is weak and he can''t use his ice power to cool the grass then there is only one way to but it is too dangerous for his present condition," She covered the box and dropped it on the table with a concerned look on her face which made them more anxious. "What way, I am sure the fourth prince can withstand anything," Xi Feng assured "We have to use Gu ants," she disclosed with her hands folded on her navel then she walked over to a drawer, she removed a box from the drawer and returned to them then opened it. "Gu ants!" they chorused and glanced at each other. "These ants are resistant to hotness and coldness that is why they can resist the hotness of the fire element grass but they are very poisonous and even I haven''t found a cure for their poison even though I have been raising them ever since I was a teenager, if I make the ants feed on the fire element grass then I lay them on his chest, they will find their way into his heart and enter into his blood to feed on him, the fire element grass will enter into his highness''s blood," "But if they have no cure then his highness is going to die if they feed on him," Xiaodi stated in helplessness knowing that is the only way they can save his life but the risk is too much for them to bear. Chapter 183 - Survival! 2 "But if they have no cure then his highness is going to die if they feed on him," Xiaodi stated in helplessness knowing that is the only way they can save his life but the risk is too much for them to bear. "That might not necessarily happen, with his highness thousands of years of cultivation, the Gu ants might not be able to poison him to death," She remarked, turning back to face them with a serious yet hopeful expression on her face. "What do you mean?" "The Gu ants are very deadly for ordinary people but for someone like his highness it will take a lot of time for the ants to fully poison him, if Xiaodi channels her internal force into the fourth prince after the essence from the fire element grass has fully entered the fourth prince bloodstream then we might be able to force the Gu ants out but it is inevitable that they might secrete an insignificant amount of poison into his heart," "I have heard about the Mongolian Gu ants before, even a drop of poison from their body can kill a person, his highness is in a weak state now, what if his body is unable to withstand the poison? We must absolutely not take the risk," Xi Feng argued while Xiaodi nodded in agreement, both of them couldn''t risk taking such a risky chance. "You have known his highness for many years, are you saying that you don''t believe his highness is strong enough to overcome this," she paused for a moment and straightened her poise. "His highness has detached his shadow from himself since he left the palace just to protect a girl he loves but doesn''t even know he exists, it requires a thousand years of cultivation to be able to do that, by now, he should be nearing death considering how many years it has been but he still remained strong, the prince I know is definitely able to overcome this," she scanned their faces to see if they were willing to trust her method but they still had a reluctant look on their faces, she sighed and walked closer to them. "If you don''t trust me then at least trust the fourth prince,". They raised their head with a sentimental look on their faces, both of them glanced at each other then they nodded their head in agreement, she smiled and patted their shoulders. "Let''s begin, he doesn''t have much time left," He poured the Gu ants into the box containing the fire element grass and in no time, the grass was fully consumed by the ants then she helped the fourth prince up and disrobed his undergarment, exposing his broad chest, she placed the Gu ants on his chest while they bored their holes into his heart. The three of them waited for a while in anxiousness, they couldn''t risk taking too long and too short to let the Gu ants work their magic. They fixed their eyes on him without moving a bit, they could see the blue lines on his chest changing shape, it went up and reduced sometimes, Xiaodi bit her finger in anxiousness with her eyebrows furrowed. In her heart, she was not only blaming Ruo Rufei and Wei Xianlu but she was also blaming the flame sect young mistress for his predicament, if he didn''t leave the palace because he detached his shadow from his being to protect her then he wouldn''t be in this condition today. The thought of the young lady not knowing that the fourth prince is suffering because of her annoyed her to the point that she wished she could kill the girl with her own hand then the fourth prince won''t be burdened. "Until when do we have to wait, what if..." "Keep quiet, we have to be patient or our effort will be futile," Madam Ju cautioned in a stern tone and her eyes squinted at his chest, she observed every slight movement of the ants moving in his chest, as a Mongolian, she has mastered the art of poison but the fact that she has never been able to find the cure of the Gu ants poison burdened her even till this day. "But h...." SPLAT!! Their eyes went round at the sight of the shower of blood on the floor, dying the bedsheets and his undergarment crimson red, he regained his consciousness which is good news but the sudden shower of blood took them by surprise. "Quick Xiaodi!" Madam Ju shouted, understanding what she meant, she quickly moved to his back and sat behind him in a lotus position, she gathered her Qi and placed her hands on his back, channelling her Qi into his body. "You have to use your full strength to force the poisons out," she sat in front of him and wiped the blood off the side of his lips while he looked at them with a lifeless look in his eyes, she was already starting to sob but she held back knowing that is not the moment to cry. "Your highness, please hang on," she held his hand and squeezed it tightly, sniffing her nose. Meanwhile, Ruo Rufei and Wei Xianlu had already arrived at the governor''s manor, she requested her father''s tally then she took it with her to gather the city soldiers along with Wei Xianlu who lead them. As the soldiers walked across the street in search of the criminals, they harassed the people to inspect them in order to check for a girl with a small figure and an injured man wearing a black robe with gold tints. Wei Xianlu disorganised the entire street with Ruo Rufei seating in a carriage as the inspection went on, even if she admits that she is interested in this man it doesn''t mean that she would allow herself to be blinded by her desire, she would never go for anyone below her status since she even considers Wei Xianlu unworthy of her. "Young mistress, we have been looking for them for a while now but they are nowhere to be found, why don''t we just return to the manor and wait for Young master Wei to bring the news back," Xixi stylishly complained, she wished her young mistress would just agree so she can just rest in the manor instead of staying in the carriage all day. "No, I have to be there when he is caught or God knows what Wei Xianlu might do to him," she responded, looking outside the window and scanning around for him. "Young mistress, have you really fallen in love with this young man, you haven''t even seen his face," "Foolish, have you not been with me long enough to know my character, he is the same man we saw on the street that day so I recognise him, I don''t know if this is just a coincidence or fate but I must get him myself, It will really be interesting to have such a skilled and good-looking man by my side," Ruo Rufei answered with an evil an intrigued smile hanging on her lips and her elbow resting on the window while she rubbed her fingers together. Xixi observed her, then she finally understood what was going on, that is something her young mistress always does when she finds something interesting to play with or has an evil plan she can''t wait to execute, she sighed deeply, pitying the young man for crossing her young mistress. "What of Wei Xianlu, I think he is fit for you, he has really good martial art skills and he also has a powerful influence in court, young mistress must be considering him right?" "Wei Xianlu.....I have to wait to see if he is really useful to me and my grandfather, even though his father is the most powerful minister in the court right now, his power is still being restricted by the emperor, tides always change in the court," "So..." "Why are you so slow?" she turned to face her with a disappointed look on her face while Xixi bit her lower lips and lowered her head as she always does when she calls her ''slow''. "Wei Xianlu might be powerful now but no one can predict what will happen in the court, the only way for me to gain the power I want is to become someone greater than all the women in the country and overpower the men and to do that, I have to marry a prince," she concluded with her chin firmly raised and confidence written all over her face, it seemed to Xixi that her young mistress has really planned it all. "A prince!" "Yes, a prince and not just a prince, I must marry only the future emperor of this nation in order to become the empress," "But..." "There was a time when I had a crush on the fourth prince whom I had only seen once before he left the palace, back then, I didn''t set my heart on him only because of my feelings but because he is the most favoured prince but now that he had forgoed everything he had, there is no reason for me to set my heart on him anymore, I am on a hunt for the strongest," then she turned to Xixi with a serious look on her face. "That is why you need to be smarter, in the future I will need your help to achieve these things and then you will also have influence," she concluded and looked outside the window again, after hearing all the revelation, Xixi wasn''t surprised, after all, this is her young mistress we are talking about. Chapter 184 - Search! 1 "Sir, Sir" one of the soldiers called as he ran towards Wei Xianlu who looked at him with an expectant look in his eyes. "Young master Wei, someone said he saw a young man riding a horse with someone in front of the horse going towards the west and his description of the men and the horse fits the description you gave us," the soldier disclosed with pride knowing that if he finds the culprit then he might end up getting rewarded. "Is that so?" he questioned with a delightful look on his face. "Yes," the soldier responded with confidence. "Inform the others, let''s go," he returned to his horse next to the carriage Ruo Rufei is seated in, she looked at him with a quizzical look on her face as he approached the horse so he didn''t need her to ask to disclose the news to her. "Someone reported seeing them go west," he disclosed as he hopped on his horse. "That''s good, I told you we will be able to get them, rest assured," Ruo Rufei responded with a pleased smile on her lips which he doesn''t know how to interpret, on one hand, she seemed as though she really wanted to punish him and his subordinates for their actions and on the other hand, she was acting like she really cared about the young man. They hurried to the west of the city to find the criminals at the fastest speed they could since it was already getting dark, Ruo Rufei felt happy at the thought that she will be able to see the young man again but she has already decided that his attitude towards her is what will determine whether or not he keeps his head, as long as he is willing to stay by her side as an object she is interested in then she doesn''t mind forgiving him but she has already determined in her heart that both his subordinates must DIE. Meanwhile, Hua Meixiang who was sitting upstairs in her bedroom while she combed her long and silky hair, she had already gone into her deep thoughts again in no time. {I am sure this pavilion is definitely not what it seem} She raised her head and looked into the bronze mirror with her eyes squinted as she racked her brain to understand what exactly is amiss in the brothel, ever since she arrived at the brothel, she has noticed some of the girls visiting the madam privately and during those times, she is never allowed into the room and there is always a specific time when she won''t see some of the senior entertainers around and the madam will also not be in her room during those times. She has also noticed that most of the guest who comes into the brothel are always drowning in the music and dance and some of them always come to the pavilion even though they don''t want to listen to music or dance, she once spied on one of the entertainers who was serving about fvie men who seemed to be government officers. As soon as the girl finished playing the music, she walked over to them and poured them wine, after they drank, they started spilling all their secrets which was a surprise to her, even if they were drunk, it still didn''t seem normal to her that they would spill all their secrets. {that young man that visited the pavilion is the only one who didn''t follow this routine, there must be something I don''t know and they are all keeping it from me, if they won''t tell me then I will find out myself,} She decided! {The girls here might seem stupid but I know they are not...} Argghhh! She screamed as she came out of her thoughts, she glanced at her arm only to see a large cut on it, she quickly tore a piece of clothing front her white undergarment then she wrapped it around the cut, she looked around to see what might have caused her injury then she noticed that she swiped her arm across the edge of the mirror. She winced in pain but did her best to endure it to prevent others from finding out about the cut, she suddenly heard voices of some girls coming towards the room so she quickly tied the cloth around her wound and covered it with her sleeve. "Madam is really acting strange these days," "I agree, first she personally agreed to see an unknown man which she has never done and is identity is not even known," "I have never seen her be so aggressive when speaking to us like she was today," "She has never stopped us in the middle of a massage unless she has gotten enough of it but today, we haven''t even massaged for five minutes before she sent us out," "Do you think we did something to offend her?" "Certainly not, what..." "What are you girls talking about," She questioned, standing in front of the startled girls. "Senior sister," they greeted, even though the girls have been in the pavilion one year before her, because of her position in the pavilion, they have to respect her. "What were you saying?" she maintained, ignoring their greetings, the girls glanced at each other in hesitation. "Did I not ask you a question?" they clearly took the hint of threat in her voice. "We were giving the madam a massage but she suddenly sent us out aggressively without any reason which is not normal so we were just discussing it," one of them answered in a coquettish manner. "Are you sure you didn''t make any mistake," she questioned in suspicion, every entertainer in the pavilion knows how important the madam deems her massage which always lasts for five to six hours every day. "We are very sure, we didn''t even last for five minutes before she sent us out," another replied "Five minutes...you may leave," the girls bowed their heads and walked away hurriedly. "Something is definitely going on, I have to take this opportunity to find out what it is or I won''t get a chance like this again," she returned to her room to wear her veil then she hurried down the stairs. They inspected everyone as they rode towards the west with their eyes scrutinising everyone in the street. They stopped moving when they got to Ruyi pavilion. "Search!" Wei Xianlu ordered, the soldiers immediately started searching the streets and inspecting everyone and every shop. Ruo Rufei attention was drawn to Ruyi pavilion as she remembered that was where she saw the young man enter the first time she saw him. She suddenly had a suspicion arousing in her mind that he might be inside the pavilion, Wei Xianlu noticed that she was staring intently at the pavilion. "Miss Rufei seems to be interested in the pavilion," he remarked, indirectly asking why she was staring at the pavilion. "I have a suspicion that he might be in Ruyi pavilion, in fact, it is more than a suspicion," Ruo Rufei answered with her eyes still fixed on the pavilion. "If miss Rufei thinks so then there is no reason why we can''t search the pavilion," Wei Xianlu got down from his horse. "Follow me," he ordered then the soldiers formed a single line and followed him as they marched towards the pavilion, the people on the streets were confused while they wondered what criminal they are looking for, considering that Shannanxi is always peaceful. "Let''s go," she held her dress and got down from the carriage while Xixi followed behind her with a frown on her face. As soon as they got to the front of the pavilion, Wei Xianlu ordered the soldiers to search the surrounding of the pavilion while he entered the pavilion with some of the soldiers, as soon as they entered the pavilion all eyes fell on them considering the fact that about a hundred soldiers had entered the pavilion. He was amused seeing what the pavilion looked like, the girls were not lewdly dressed like the girls in the brothels and they looked very beautiful...every single one of them, the brothel was luxuriously decorated and it was clear that this is not just an entertainment place for people of high status considering the variety of people inside the pavilion. "It seems like young master Wei is also taken aback, seeing what the pavilion looks like," he was almost startled by her sudden arrival but he managed to cover it with a smile on his lips. "I won''t deny that I am quite taken aback by the scenery inside the pavilion, when you first described it to me I thought it is just like every high ranking brothel but this is so out of the world," Wei Xianlu answered, even if he has an interest in her, he didn''t think he has to pretend to be what he is not in front of her, after all, he has the power and the influence it takes to make her his. She was quite surprised that he admitted taken interest in the place and she admired him for it, at least she has found two good points in him. "This is also the first time I am coming into this place but I am surprised at how luxuriously decorated it is and how elegantly dressed the entertainers are, it is really a surprise to me," Ruo Rufei answered with a gentle smile on her lips, the bystanders in the pavilion were confused seeing the two of them converse with soldiers behind them. Chapter 185 - Search! 2 Why would someone bring a hundred soldiers with them just to have entertainment? "Young miss and lord, it seems like you both are not here for entertainment, may I ask why you have come to Ruyi pavilion with soldiers behind you?" One of the senior entertainers inquired as she walked up to the duo with elegance ringing in every step she took. With the lady standing in front of her, Ruo Rufei smirked, she couldn''t believe that a mere entertainer is almost dressed with the same luxury as her, everything she was wearing from the jewellery to the dress and flowered shoes all looked like things only high-class ladies like herself should have....{exactly how wealthy is this pavilion} The most outrageous thing is that she didn''t bow her head to greet her and she is even looking her in the eyes. She stepped forward and smiled broadly. "I think you are forgetting something, aren''t you supposed to bow your head and give your greetings at first sight," she stared intently at the young lady with authority resounding in her voice as she spoke. The young lady looked at her blankly for a moment then everyone in the hall started laughing, excluding the young lady in front of her, she and Wei Xianlu were confused as to what is so funny that they all started laughing at the same time. The young lady raised her hand to stop them from laughing then they stopped and continued what they were doing before the joke Ruo Rufei made. "Young miss, it seems like this is your first time of stepping your foot in Ruyi pavilion, no matter who you are or what your background is, as soon as you step your foot into this place, you are equal to everyone present here," the smile on her face as she spoke annoyed her to the bones, she couldn''t believe the utter nonsense she is uttering from her mouth. "How dare you utter such nonsense in front of my young mistress, you rude wench!" Xixi snapped with her finger pointing at the young lady. "Keep Quiet, what place do you think you are in, I see you are just here for trouble," one of the entertainers retorted angrily while the girls started murmuring in agreement with her. "This is the son of the prime minister and this is the daughter of the governor, how dare you be so rude, it seems like you don''t want your head on your neck," Xixi responded with pride, as she pointed at the both of them as she spoke, some of the guests hurriedly stood up and left the pavilion while the others who had no reason to fear them sat still with mocking gazes on their faces. "I am sorry for not recognising you but that doesn''t mean that you can come here and cause ruckus just because of your status, please state your reason for coming here or leave if you have none," she didn''t change her attitude towards them so did the guests and other entertainers, it almost seemed as though the names are insignificant to them, which was quite shocking to both of them. "Interesting..." Wei Xianlu softly remarked, it amused him that he hasn''t been reverenced ever since he entered the city and seeing that mere entertainers are even speaking to him such manner it really amused him, if it wasn''t for the emperor keeping watch over him, he would have killed every single one of them. "Now even mere entertainers dare speak to this young master in such master!" Wei Xianlu roared with his eyes bulged, the girls were almost frightened by his sudden outrage. "Young master, please watch your attitude here!" the lady roared back with the same mannerism and authority as him. Ruo Rufei was now burning with anger, she looked at the young lady with contempt in her eyes, Xixi could see the murderous look on her young mistress and she already got the feeling that something really bad is going to happen at any moment... And it did happen! She pulled a sword from one of the soldiers and placed it on the young ladies neck, the ladies in that hall screamed while the guest gathered at one part of the pavilion where they could watch what was going on. "Who do you think you are, wench...you are just mere entertainer," she drawled, Wei Xianlu was quite surprised seeing her place the sword on the lady''s neck. {She is really bold} "I advice you to drop the sword," the lady warned even with a sword on her neck, this made her even angrier, she drew the sword to slit her neck but just as she made a bruise on the lady''s neck, she was pushed back with a strong force. She slid back but just when she regained her stamina, she raised her head to see who it was. A veiled lady was holding the sword in her hand and she even placed the sword on her neck, she didn''t expect an entertainer to have such strength and even Wei Xianlu was taken aback. {Really....so many badass girls today} haha "Even if you are a princess, that doesn''t give you the right to cause a ruckus in the pavilion," Hua Meixiang remarked with no emotions in her eyes which is the only part of her face they could see but her clear and bright eyes depicted how much beauty is hiding under her veil. "Do I need to get madam?" the young lady who neck was bruised by Ruo Rufei inquired "There is no need to disturb her over such fuss when we have the emperor''s tally," she answered then she stretched out her hands, one of the girls handed the tally to her then she walked away with the young lady to get her neck treated before it causes a scar. Meixiang stretched out her hands to show them the tally. "This is the tally given to Ruyi pavilion by the emperor, no one is allowed to come here and show their authority, the moment you step your foot into this place, you have to obey the rules," Ruo Rufei''s squinted at the sight of the tally, she couldn''t believe that a mere entertainment pavilion has a tally from the emperor, seeing the tally, Wei Xianlu decided it is better for him to keep things low and not go as far as he intended to. "Young master Wei, we found two horses that fit the description at the back of the building with blood on one of them," a soldier announced as he ran into the pavilion with excitement, everyone was thrown into confusion with his announcement while Ruo Rufei and Wei Xianlu smiled triumphantly. "It seems like this is really the emperor''s tally but I am sure the emperor did not permit you to harbour criminals, where did you hide them?" "I don''t know what young master is talking about but I can assure that we do not harbour criminals here," "There is no rush... when I search the building and I don''t find the people I am looking for then I will quietly leave the pavilion with my soldiers but if it is confirmed that the criminals I am looking for are in here, I will make sure that every single one of you is beheaded," Wei Xianlu threatened with an evil tilt on his lips. "Search!" he ordered then the soldiers immediately dispersed, they scattered everything in sight in search of the criminals while the girls started screaming and the girls took their leave. "If you can''t find the criminals then be prepared to face the emperor, this tally represents his authority but you just disregarded it, I heard the emperor and the prime minister are at odds and the emperor has always guarded himself against the prime minister, it seems like he will have a good chance to get rid of the prime minister very soon," Hua Meixiang boldly remarked with her eyes fixed on Wei Xianlu with a threatening smile on her lips and her sword still placed on Ruo Rufei, she glanced at the girl who still glared at her with contempt then she dropped the sword on the ground. "You are really bold, you dare speak of what is going on in the court, do you know the punishment for crime of discussing political matters," he drawled. "I know, DEATH! but I don''t think you can threaten me with this, if I am beheaded then you will also be beheaded since I am discussing politics with you but considering that you are part of the court, neither of us will be beheaded so rest assured," They were shocked at her boldness, though she was selected as the premium entertainer based on her beauty and other skills, they haven''t seen this bold side of her before, they were now full of admiration for her. "Just wait..." He took a step forward to go up the stairs but she obstructed him. "Move!" "No one is allowed there, that is where the madam is residing," "I said move!" he warned again but she didn''t budge, he raised his hand to push her away but she held his hand and pushed it back, seeing that she seems to have martial skills, he decided to go the rough way. He used his internal strength to hit her chest but she tried to obstruct him with both hands which failed, she slid back but was held by some of her peers. {Damn...I didn''t think he is this strong} He and Ruo Rufei gingerly climbed up the stairs, hoping that they will find just what they are looking for and also get the chance to show the rude entertainers who the real boss is. Chapter 186 - Search! 3 He and Ruo Rufei gingerly climbed up the stairs, hoping that they will find just what they are looking for and also get the chance to show the rude entertainers who the real boss is. The soldiers following behind them barged into the rooms upstairs in search of the criminals while Wei Xianlu and Ruo Rufei walked ahead of them, some of the entertainers in their rooms where startled so the hallway was filled with screams. "Make sure you search every nook and cranny and leave no stone unturned," Wei Xianlu ordered, the senior entertainers followed them upstairs with Meixiang. Judging from what the girls told her, she has a feeling that the criminals they are looking for are inside the madam''s room so she hurried upstairs to inform her before she is caught unawares. Ruo Rufei''s eyes caught a room with a lavishly decorated front which is alienated from the other rooms. She started walking towards the room with her eyes narrowed while Wei Xianlu followed after her knowing that she has a hunch. Just as she was about to rudely push the door open, Meixiang held her wrist, she turned to look at her with a deadly glare on her eyes but that couldn''t scare the bold entertainer. "No one is permitted to enter that room without the permission of madam, even the governor won''t open that door carelessly" She warned with a threatening gaze in her eyes, she scoffed and fling her hand out of her hand. She paused her lips and nodded her head, the next thing they saw is her hand raised... THWACK! she held her cheeks and let out a deep breath, she couldn''t believe that she had just gotten slapped, even the other entertainers were startled at the sound of the slap. "If you dare talk down on me again, I will slit your neck," she emptily threatened and turned to open the door but it wouldn''t open, she turned to Wei Xianlu signalling him to open the door, he obliged with a smile and kicked the door open. They walked into the room but they were greeted by an elegantly decorated room with a tone of red surrounding the room, the room looked like the room that an empress would be living in, around the room traces of gold could be seen, they were already starting to wonder if they are really in an entertainment pavilion or not. As they walked further into the room, their eyes caught the sight of a woman''s back, she was sitting on a stool in front of what looks like a dressing table while combing her long hair cascading on her shoulders, the woman slightly turned her head. "Who is there?" she questioned pretending like she doesn''t know something had happened in the pavilion. "it seems like you are the madam of Ruyi pavilion after all," with that, she stood up from the stool and walked to her bed, they could see from the curtain that she is wearing white so they had already assumed that she is in her undergarment. Wei Xianlu felt the need to turn away even though there is a curtain separating them so Ruo Rufei doesn''t think he is a lewd man even though he won''t think of doing that if she wasn''t there. "oh oh, I haven''t had anyone barging into my room ever since I founded Ruyi pavilion, you must have some guts to dare enter my room without my permission," she chided in a rather calm and alluring voice. "I am sorry for my incompetence madam, I failed to stop them," Hua Meixiang hurriedly pleaded as soon as she entered the room. "I won''t drag this matter on for too long, this young master came to spend my time leisurely but I didn''t expect that I will have to go through so much trouble on the first day of my visit, I..." "I am sorry to hear your plight but what does that have to do with Ruyi pavilion. do you think this is a place you can just barge into if you feel like!" she reprimanded with her voice slightly raised. "It seems like the problem is from the root, no entertainment place in the capital dares to act so rudely in front of me but it seems like this young master will have to teach you all a lesson," Wei Xianlu bellowed with his hands firmly clutching his sword in anger. "Young master Wei, why don''t we deal with the matter at hand first then we can punish them however we like," she suggested holding his hand to stop him from bursting out in rage, she could see that he is almost the same as her, they both hate to be looked down upon. "Right...where are they?" "I don''t know what this young master is talking about, who exactly are you looking for," she replied, they couldn''t see her expression because of the curtain separating them but they could tell that the look on her face judging from her tone is not something they would like to see. "Alright...this young master will clearly explain to you, I am looking for two men and one small-statured girl, one of the man is seriously injured and I will only ask you this question one more time, where are they?" {Did that jerk just call me small statured} Xiaodi whispered from under the bed, she clutched her fist tightly as though she was ready to go out and beat the hell out of him but Xi Feng held her hand still with a warning glare in his eyes, she quickly took his warning obediently. "It seems to me that this young master is confused or you have been misled, my Ruyi pavilion has never harboured criminals before and such people you described will never be allowed entry into the pavilion so I suggest you continue your search somewhere else," she answered calmly and confidently. "I don''t think so, considering their horses are right behind your pavilion..." he walked closer to the curtain while the girls walked forward with him in preparation to stop him by all means if he tried to open the curtain. "I am sure they are inside this pavilion," "Young master Wei," one of the soldiers entered into the room and bowed his head. "Have you found them?" he asked with an expectant look in his eyes. "No, we have searched every nook and cranny but we couldn''t find them," he answered "Young master Wei!" another soldier came running in "We have searched everywhere but we couldn''t find them," the other soldiers soon followed after with the same news, the girls smiled triumphantly including Madam Ju and Hua Meixiang. "This doesn''t prove that they are innocent, we might have searched every nook and cranny of the pavilion but we still haven''t searched this room," Ruo Rufei commented. "Search!" Wei Xianlu ordered and the soldiers went into action immediately, the girls watched as they rummaged the room and scattered it but they obviously avoided breaking anything in the room since most of them looked like really expensive antiques. "you can search all you want but if you don''t find the people you are looking for them you will have to pay heavily for your actions," Madam Ju threatened calmly, they were itching to see her face, she is clearly angry and fuming inside and all of her words show this but her voice still sounds very alluring and calming to hear. Wei Xianlu was now thinking of opening the curtains separating them, he needed to see her face. He moved forward and swiftly opened the curtain but the woman inside was just as fast as he is, before he could fully open the curtain, her face was already covered with a veil, covering her entire face but it was transparent enough for her to see clearly. The entertainers and even Ruo Rufei were surprised by his action, they weren''t expecting him to suddenly open the curtain, not when the madam''s face has never been shown to anyone except for the entertainers in the pavilion. "How dare you," she bellowed angrily, this time with her voice raised. "Don''t you think this part of the room also needs to be searched," he responded with a smirk on his lips, he had a hunch that they are really in this room and his hunch has never failed him. "No one is allowed to search my personal space, I am in my undergarment and yet you opened the curtain, if young master is looking for a place to womanize, why don''t you visit the brothels, I am sure they can satisfy your sexual needs and harbour your lewdness,". At the realization of the situation he is in, he felt slightly embarrassed, he turned to see the expression Ruo Rufei has on her face but he realized that the look in her eyes also accused him. {I can only distract him with this, I hope he doesn''t go any further} She prayed in her mind. There is no wrong in the fourth prince getting caught since he is a prince but he has already started his ice transformation and if they see him in that state, they might find out his real identity, this she couldn''t risk. "I apologise for my rudeness but...." he stopped for a moment and bent his head to clearly see the red spots on the floor, he raised his head with a smirk on his lips. {I think he found us, we will just fight our way out} {No, remain still until he sees us} "I don''t think I have any reason to apologise, he opened the curtain wide to allow everyone have a view of what he had just seen, the girls quickly draped her shoulder with a robe while she held the edges to cover her body. They looked down to see what he meant but what their eyes saw is red spots on the floor...resembling blood. "I think they are really here," Ruo Rufei remarked. Chapter 187 - Search!4 They looked down to see what he meant but what their eyes saw is red spots on the floor, resembling blood. "I think they are really here," Ruo Rufei remarked. "I will ask you for the last time, where are they?" "I don''t know what you are talking about," she firmly maintained. "I will know after checking it for myself," he moved away from her and slowly bent his neck to look under the bed but everything seemed to be going in slow motion with loud and thrilling music in the room, they all followed his movement carefully, some prayed he finds them there while others prayed he doesn''t. "The blood is mine," a voice loudly confesses as she walked into the area behind the curtain with all eyes on her, she rolled up her sleeve and unwrapped the wound on her arm, throwing the piece of cloth on the ground. The room was filled with gasps. It was quite an unsightly scene to see an entertainer with such a large cut on her arm, not to talk of a the premium entertainer of a famous pavilion, Madam Ju widened her eyes at the sight of the wound but she quickly adjusted her expression to go along with her act. "I cut my arm right here some minutes before you came into the pavilion but I couldn''t take care of my wound because of your disruption so this blood is mine," she continued, with her arm stretched forward with a bold look on her face, the cut is something she is supposed to hide but she is actually showing it to everyone.....for her sake. Madam Ju was quite moved by her actions, she had previously alienated her from the secret affairs of the pavilion because she couldn''t trust her just yet, as the premium entertainer of the pavilion, she is supposed to be deeply involved in the secrets but they kept her in the same category as the new entertainers. "Since you have gotten your answer, what else do you have to say?" Madam Ju confidently queried looking straight into his eyes, Ruo Rufei didn''t believe her claim but she didn''t have any evidence to dispute it, she moved closer to them to look at the wound clearly but Meixiang quickly covered up her wound. "I don''t think my wound is something a noble young lady of high status like the governor''s daughter should look at,". Ruo Rufei looked away from her and moved her gaze to Wei Xianlu who didn''t know what to do next. "We still can''t be sure that they are not harbouring them, we have to search this place properly," she maintained, with that, he remembered that he was about to look under the bed when she interrupted him, he bent his head to look at it again but there was nothing there. Meixiang and Madam Ju held their breath seeing him look under the bed and they only let out their breath after he raised his head. "There is indeed no one there," "But we..." "It seems like we have really wronged you, we will take our leave with the soldiers now," he was already getting tired of her persistence when it was clear that they needed to escape the situation, he turned around to leave but stopped when Meixiang stopped him. "Do you think you can just cause a ruckus here and leave?" she moved closer to Ruo Rufei and looked deep into her eyes, then she suddenly raised her hand and sent it across the young lady''s face. Thwack! She held her face with her eyes widened, cold air escaped their mouths after the slap, they couldn''t believe that she had just slapped the governor''s daughter. "You..." Thwack! Thwack! She sent another two across her face simultaneously, her cheeks were now reddened but she felt stiff as a surge of anger flowed through her, Wei Xianlu was in awe of the girl''s boldness but he was already tired, he didn''t want to get involved in this too. "How dare you slap my young mistress," Xixi raised her hand to slap Meixiang but she held her hand and sent a slap across her face too, she gasped, with her hands on her cheeks and Ruo Rufei standing still in speechlessness, her brain was still finding it hard to process what had just happened. "The first slap is for the slap you gave me downstairs, the second slap is for causing a ruckus here and the third slap is for disrespecting my madam," she stopped and raised her gaze to look at Wei Xianlu. "I couldn''t be bothered to give you your own share of the punishment since you will be getting yours soon,". He scoffed at her statement but he understood the meaning behind what she said, he flicked his sleeve and exited the room angrily. Ruo Rufei still stood at a spot glaring at Meixiang, she had the urge to slap her back but it didn''t seem like she will have the upper hand and she didn''t want to ridicule herself, Xixi pulled her by her wrist and pulled her out of the room. They exited the pavilion in shame while everyone in the pavilion started cheering and dissing them as they left the pavilion. For sure, the incidence today will surely travel into everyone''s ears until it reaches the capital. "Madam..." "Everyone leave," Madam Ju ordered "Yes, madam," they all answered and turned to take their leave. "Meixiang, you stay,". Meixiang stopped and returned to the room while the other entertainers understood why she had called her back except for some of them who are still not good enough to be involved in the secret affairs of the pavilion. After they left, she removed her veil and turned to face her. "You can come out now," the two of them came out from behind the painting they were hiding, earlier when Hua Meixiang stopped Wei Xianlu from looking under the bed, they had taken the chance to move from under the bed. "Is it alright to allow her see us?" Xi Feng asked as he came out from their hiding space, Meixiang was quite surprised seeing that they were the same people who came into the madam''s room the last time but the fourth prince was now wearing a cloak so she couldn''t see his face but she could already guess he is the one wearing the cloak. But why are they holding him up? "You don''t have to worry about that, I trust her," Madam Ju responded "You can leave through the passageway since they will still be keeping watch over us,". Xiaodi and Xi Feng nodded then they exited through the passageway under the bed, Meixiang was stunned watching them leave, she couldn''t believe that something like that exists in this room and she could tell that is the least of the surprise she will be getting in this pavilion. After they were gone, Madam Ju turned to Meixiang with a pleased smile on her lips, Meixiang looked downward in fear that she might have seen something she is not supposed to, perhaps her mistress plans to kill her after this to silence her. "Raise your head...you don''t have to be afraid," Madam Ju proffered with her hands on her shoulder, Meixiang raised her head with her lashed fluttering in uneasiness, she had originally thought of investigating it herself but now that she was willingly showing this to her, she didn''t know what to think or do. "Why did you make the excuse for me at the cost of losing your reputation as the premium entertainer?" Madam Ju asked "I...I just felt that it is something I should do, I wasn''t sure if the people they are looking for are here but I couldn''t take the chance, I was sold to the pavilion by my step-mother but you didn''t treat me as an ordinary entertainer, I owe this to you and I will never be able to repay you," Meixiang answered, meaning every word from the bottom of her heart, most of the girls that were sold to the pavilion at the same time as her are still working as cleaners and lower class entertainers but she was choosing to serve the madam as soon as she arrived at the pavilion. Madam Ju smiled satisfactorily at her answer then she sighed and led her to the table in the middle of the room, as soon as they took their seat, she looked deep into the girl''s eyes. "Remove your veil,". she removed her veil and placed it on the table, showing her exquisite facial features, she had short but thick lashes making her eyes seem very sharp but delicate, her lips, unlike most ladies, are wide and luscious, her pink lipstick made them seem even more attractive. Madam Ju stood up from her seat and walked to one of her drawers then she returned with a small box. "Put your arm on the table," she instructed, Meixiang wasn''t sure of what she wanted to do but she still obeyed, madam Ju opened the box, containing little creatures that seemed like ants, Meixiang squinted her eyes in confusion. Madam Ju rolled her sleeve up, she examined the cut on her hand then she dipped her hand into the box of ants and raised them above her wound, she was expecting to see Mieixiang pull her hand back but she didn''t which surprised her. "Why aren''t you pulling your hand back even though I am about to place these creatures on your cut?" "I trust you madam, you won''t do anything you harm me," Chapter 188 - Secrets Of The Pavilion! "Why aren''t you pulling your hand back even though I am about to place these creatures on your cut?" "I trust you, madam, you won''t do anything you harm me," Meixiang replied, smiling, Madam Ju placed the creatures on her wound, she watched as they moved around the cut stinging her, she winced in pain but she didn''t want to make too much fuss. After some seconds, madam Ju removed the ants and placed them back into the box. "It seems like I have really misjudged you," Madam Ju remarked with her lips slightly tilted to the side. "What does madam mean? you have always treated me fairly," "When your step-mom first sold you to the pavilion, I saw the look in your eyes from the stairs, you looked angry and I could see that you are someone who had too much pride, you looked talented and intelligent so I immediately chose you to serve me at first sight," she paused for a while and scanned her face. "But...you also seemed dangerous, I could see your urge to attain power, the urge revenge on your step-mom and the cruel world that made you end up in this pavilion, I wanted to tell you the deepest secrets of the pavilion but I feared your desires....now I think it is the right time for me to tell everything to you," "Madam...." "But before I tell you these things, you have to promise me two things....you won''t covet power and you will remain loyal to me," "I promise," she responded, she was excited inwardly even though she didn''t show it, she really wanted to be part of everything no matter how dangerous it is. "I will start by telling you what most of your peers know then I will tell you the things no one but I know," she rolled down her ( Meixiang) sleeve and stood up from the seat while Meixiang followed behind her, she walked towards the end of the room, she placed her hand on the painting of mountain and oceans handing on the wall and the painting immediately divided into two. Meixiang was stunned, she has always seen the painting but she didn''t think it is something so awesome, she was starting to get quite thrilled. "Follow me," she entered into the painting following Meixiang then the painting sealed itself back. Madam Ju grabbed a torch at the entrance of what seemed like a large library, she pointed the torch forward, showing the large room filled with shelves, drawers and scrolls hanging at the edge of each shelf, the shelves are very high to the point that she had to totally bend her head backwards to see the end of it. "This is where the information we gather is kept, Ruyi pavilion is actually founded for gathering information and the key to gathering the information are these babies of mine..." she smiled and pointed the torch at the other end of the room, many small cages suitable for insects were hanged on the wall, the insects were white in colour with big red bulging eyes and small wings. Meixiang was almost frightened at the sight of the insects, she glanced at the woman in front of her but she could only see her smiling. [the insects before and now...who exactly is she} She pondered! "I know what you are thinking now, you are wondering about my real identity...I am originally a Mongolian, my father is Tarmashirin Togosemur, he is the most skilled poison doctor in the world, many poison doctors from different parts of the world, including the western people, have competed with him but none could match him," she paused and turned to face her, Meixiang could tell that her past must be a tragic one considering the look on her face. "Back then, the prince wanted to rebel against the khan to take the throne earlier than he should but the Khan had too many supporters so he could only resort to poison. however, he needed to use a poison that none would be able to find the source and cure so he decided to turn to my father, my father refused to help him so he stole one of my father''s poison and framed him for poisoning the emperor, my father was beheaded but the prince decided to take me in as his concubine for my beauty and poison skills, I ran away on the day he was supposed to wed me and was almost caught by him but someone saved me," she concluded her story and looked into Meixiang eyes. "You had the same look I had in my eyes after I was saved that was why I decided that you are dangerous," "Madam has really gone through a lot, what I went through in the hands of my stepmother cannot be compared to your past," "Ruyi pavilion trades this information to people who are in need of them in exchange of money, gold, diamond and many treasures," her mother proceeded to another end of the room, she placed her hand on the wall then the wall parted again, leading to another room. "This is where the treasures of the pavilion, everyone knows that Ruyi pavilion is wealthy but no one knows just how wealthy this pavilion, Tang''s wealth cannot be compared to ours," Meixiang eyes widened... {Tang''s wealth cannot be compared to the wealth of Ruyi pavilion} she repeated in disbelief but seeing the gold, diamond, ceramic, silver, pearls and other treasures in the room she couldn''t help believe but she doubted that this is all they have since Tang treasury must at least contain this much. "This is not all the treasures we own, most of them are stored elsewhere and the trading of information is carried out with another identity at the black market," Madam Ju explained seeing the confused look on her face. "Everything I have just told you are things that all the entertainers who were here before you know except for my past, but now I will tell you the things they don''t know," She didn''t know if she is supposed to close her ears or listen, the things she has just been told is enough to make her lose her life at any time, after all, the juicier the secret the more dangerous it is. "The person who saved me, who you just saw leave the pavilion through the secret passageway unconscious and the man who came here are the same person, he is the fourth prince of this country," Madam Ju disclosed. "He is the fourth prince!!" she repeated with a scream "Madam, the fourth prince is almost a tale in the country, everyone just knows the fourth prince exist, he has never appeared to the public ever since he was thirteen, how come he is...." she was confused and shocked at the news, everyone knows how dearly the emperor holds the fourth prince but ever since he became thirteen, his news was no longer heard. "You are right...he saved me when I was on the run and he is the one we serve, he is also the real owner of the pavilion and..." she paused just when she was about to reveal his other identity. She stopped knowing that is something she must not tell anyone no matter how much she trusts them. "He is the master of the pavilion!" she repeated with a scream, she couldn''t believe how awesome the pavilion is. She didn''t think she will hearing such bombing secrets. "I will introduce you to him when next I get the chance but he already has a bad impression of you because of your arrogant attitude towards him the last time....one thing you must get rid of is your pride and arrogance," she concluded with a scolding look in her eyes. "But...you just said I am dangerous, why are you telling me all this," "You are just like me...you are dangerous but it also has a good side, as long as you are willing to let go of your pride and hatred then you will make a good disciple," "Disciple...." "Yes, I want to impart my poison knowledge to you and teach you everything I know, I am much older than the fourth prince so if I am not around I need someone else to continue serving him and that other person is you," "Me..." "Yes, you are very intelligent and inquisitive, I have already discovered that you had already started suspecting so many things about this pavilion even before I told you these things, are you willing to become my disciple?" she really hoped the girl won''t refuse her, she could see the huge potential in her and letting her go would only be a waste of talents. Meixiang dropped to her knees and placed her hands on top of each other with her head bowed. "If madam would take me as your disciple, it would be a thousand years of luck and fortune spent," Meixiang replied, the delight and happiness on her face could not be hidden, she raised her face to meet the pleased look on her new mistress face. "Rise up," she held out her arm and helped her up. "The things I have told you today must never be told to any soul not even the dead, the other girls or..." "Madam need not say anymore, I know how important this is to you, your master is my master and I promise to always be loyal to you both, I would rather die than betray your trust and kindness towards me," she patted her shoulder in satisfaction. Chapter 189 - Overstepping My Bounds! She placed her elbow on the table with her jaw resting on her hand in deep thought, today is the day of the next meeting and she couldn''t make a decision to vie for the position of the leading surgeon of the operation on the VIP patients, after all, there are many experienced and older surgeons in the hospital who are more skilled than she is. "Yu Yan!" she waited a while for her answer but she didn''t get any. "Yu Yan!" An Ke called louder, Yu Yan immediately jerked out of her thoughts then she looked up to see An Ke standing beside her, she sighed and looked up again, she was very startled when she heard someone shouting her name but seeing that it was An Ke she was relieved. "What are you thinking about, we are going to be late for the meeting," An Ke queried with a quizzical look on her face, Yu Yan quickly dispelled the worried look on her face to avoid her dwelling on it. "It''s nothing, let''s go," she responded then she stood up from her seat and grabbed her coat from the hanger in the office then she pulled An Ke''s hand to leave the office seeing that she still had an inquisitive look on her face. They arrived at the meeting room then they took their seat next to their fellow third-year residents, as soon as everyone arrived the chief surgeon stood up to speak. "As we all know, this is the last meeting where we will decide the surgical crew of our VIP patient so this meeting will be a quick one because we have to do a simulation of the surgery before the surgery itself, is there anyone who would like to vie for the position of the leading surgeon," the chief surgeon looked around but everyone had a hesitant look on their faces. Although he is the chief surgeon, his area of speciality is not cardiology so he couldn''t take the position of the lead surgeon. "Is there no one among the specialist surgeons who think they can take the role?" the chief surgeon asked again, he couldn''t blame them for hesitating, after all, if the surgery is unsuccessful then the consequences the hospital and the surgical crew will have to bear won''t be small. {Should I...} ------ "I am not a genie but If you tell me what you want then I might help you make a difference" ---- {Should I trust him and take the risk?} She was too nervous to raise her hand, she worked hard to come this far, what if this one surgery waste''s all her effort. {No good thing comes without risks} "Is there..." "Surgeon Yu Yan what are you doing?" the chief surgeon asked in shock, seeing her hand raised, the other surgeons turned to her with their brows knitted and a confused look on their face. "I...I.." "Yu Yan, what are you doing?" An Ke whispered to her while nudging her shoulder, her other friends who had also joined the meeting were looking at her with round eyes and signalling her to drop her hand, she slowly brought it down then she raised it again. Seeing Yu Yan raise her hand, Yue Ling who was also contemplating whether she should take the role also raised her hand. "I would like to vie for the role of the leading surgeon!" Both of them chorused in unison they glanced at each other for a sec and turned to look at the chief surgeon. "Are you in your right mind?" Mrs Nanjing and the team leader of the cardiology blurted out in shock, then they composed themselves seeing the eyes looking at them. "Chief, they can''t be considered, they are just third-year residents and this surgery is too complicated for a specialist surgeon, not to talk of a third-year resident," Mrs Nanjing argued, she couldn''t risk letting a bright surgeon like Yu Yan destroy her career and implicating her team. "I agree," the team leader of the cardiology department added. "But..." Yu Yan wanted to argue but she was stopped when the chief surgeon raised his hand to silence her. "No resident surgeon will be allowed to participate in this surgery, his children have already stated that they only want the best of the best surgeon and the most experienced surgeon to assist them," the chief stated much to her disappointment. She lowered her hand and head in embarrassment and disappointment, she knew that they must be looking at her with a mocking gaze at the moment while her friends would still be surprised by her outrageousness, she regretted raising her hand and having that little bit of hope. {Even if anyone is chosen, it won''t be a middle-class surgeon like me} They have always given her the suicide cases and the lower class patients to handle so she was even laughing at herself for trying to operate on such a high-class patient, for the first time in a while she felt her confidence broken. "If we are talking about an experienced surgeon who is the best of the best, aren''t we referring to Mr Lian Wei..." one of the surgeons remarked, they all raised their eyes to look at her. That''s right...Mr Lian Wei is sitting right here so how could they have forgotten about him...? "Mr Lian Wei, you have performed this surgery overseas before, why did you remain silent through the meeting?" Mrs Lucy who is the team leader of the cardiology question inquired but the man in his forties didn''t seem to be listening. "Mr Lian Wei!" the chief surgeon called, then he finally brought his mind back to the meeting. "I don''t think you have been listening to everything we have been saying, We are asking you to lead the operation on our VIP patient," the chief surgeon announced but the man looked startled when he heard him. "Ehn...me, why suddenly?" "What are you talking about Mr Lian Wei, you are the most experienced and skilled Specialist cardiologist in this hospital," "Who else is more suitable for this operation than you, you have operated on many hopeless patients successfully both overseas and in China," "We believe you can do this," {Right...If I am leaving this field, I might as well make another record with my last surgery} "If that is what everyone thinks then I won''t refuse the role of the lead surgeon,} Tat! Tat! Tat! They all started clapping their hands with smiles on their faces even though some of them felt jealous of him, who wouldn''t be jealous of him when he is the most skilled cardiologist in the hospital and beyond the hospital, he has operated on many rare patients and he has very wide connections both home and abroad. "Why is he acting so humble today, this is quite unlike him?" An Ke whispered to Yu Yan but Yu Yan just nodded her head, she was in no mood for gossip, she just watched the man whose position seemed too far from hers. {Right...He is here,} She wished the meeting would end so she can just have a personal space for herself. "Since that is settled then I will appoint Mrs Lucy as the first assisting surgeon and Yue Ling as the second assisting surgeon, I will put out a list of the other surgeons who are part of the surgical crew later today, the surgery will be carried out on Friday," With that, the chief surgeon stood up from his seat and exited the meeting room, following murmurs and congratulations around the room. She glanced at Yue Ling who was being congratulated by others along with Mrs Lucy and Mr Lian Wei with envy, even Yue Ling was appointed as the second assisting surgeon clearly because of her high status, Yue Ling who noticed the stare turned towards her direction with a smirk on her lips and her brow raised. She is clearly mocking her! She immediately stood up from her seat and exited the meeting room with her friends following behind her, they clearly noticed the short moment of mockery. "Yu Yan!" Jia Yu called as they tried to catch up with her, she stopped and sniffed her nose with a fake smile on her face. "Are you okay," "Of course I am," "I thought we talked about this and we advised you not to, I know this might make you sadder, but even if you are clearly skilled, this surgery is too complicated for you," Ji Chen remarked. "I know that but...." she sniffed her nose to hold back her emotions "I really wanted to be in the surgical crew and I knew I was overstepping my bounds, even if it is the position of the second assisting surgeon, I wanted to be part of it," Ji Chen placed her head on his shoulder and hugged her with his hand patting her back. Her weakness....embarrassment and rejection. "I don''t know why you really wanted to do this but we still have long years ahead of us," Ji Chen comforted with a soft voice, then he released her from his hug, she saw that they still had a worried look on her face and she hated to see it. "You guys don''t have to be worried, I do understand that we have long years ahead of us," she assured to dispel her worry then she tried her hardest to put out the most sincere smile she could show at that moment. They felt reassured seeing her smile then they all departed to their departments. "This girl is really aspirational....just like him," Mrs Nanjing who has been watching them from a distance remarked. Chapter 190 - Held Her Hand To Run! After work she left work earlier then she would normally, she felt the need to drink but she shrugged off the idea because she still has to get to work the next day, she decided to walk home in the dark even though she could have gotten a ride from one of them. With her bag dangling as she swung her arms, she walked to the bridge with many couples admiring the scene away from the bridge, she rested her arms on the rail and looked towards the river under the bridge and the colourful lights around the tower far away from the bridge, the scene looked really beautiful and colourful and she felt that looking at this scene is probably going to take away her sadness, at least for that night. "Should I call him....no, he might be busy I shouldn''t disturb him," she removed her phone from her bag and stared at the contact with the name ''My love'' written on the screen, she really wanted to tap the part of the screen where it says ''Call'' but she was hesitating. "Chen Kai...." muttered to herself Meanwhile, Han Chen who was just returning from visiting the company drove past her but he reversed the car when he looked at the side mirror and saw a familiar figure standing by the railings of the bridge. "Isn''t that Yu Yan?" he pondered aloud when he got to the side of the bridge where he parked the car by the river. He dialled Jia Yu''s number but he stopped with a sigh. "She will just continue her rambling I had better not call her," he ended the call and continued looking outside the window, from how her head is bent backwards and her brooding look, he knew that something had definitely gone wrong. Yu Yan eventually decided to dial the number, the only person who she thinks is capable of making her cheer up at that moment is Chen Kai, she finally called him and placed the phone on her ear, expecting to hear his soothing voice from the other end. {User is busy if you had like to leave a voicemail dial...} She ended the call and dialled his number again but she still received the same answer, she decided to send him a voicemail. {When you see this message, please call me back I really need to speak to you,} she placed the phone in her bag and took in a deep breath as she stared out at the water below n the colourful lights. "I really wish you were here....with me" she mumbled "Is she talking about her boyfriend?" he whispered, he had come out of his car to walk up to her but he stopped when he saw the caller ID, he was literally standing behind her but she wasn''t even aware, she was about to look to her side when she saw a shadow behind her, she widened her eyes and pretended to not see the shadow, she slowly placed her hand into her bag to look for anything she could use as a weapon. She felt a sharp tip in her bag, she quickly grabbed the object and swiftly turned around to grab his neck and place the tip of the pen on his neck but just as she turned around with the tip of the pen aimed at him, he grabbed her arm and spun her around, he wrapped his arm around her in a back hug position while he held the arms tightly. "I have a faster reflex than you," he remarked softly with a whisper in her ear, she fluttered her lashes nervously, she felt the voice is familiar but she just couldn''t tell who the person is, she struggled to free herself from the man''s grip but he was just too strong compared to her. "Who are you?...let me go" she ordered with a hint of fear in her voice. "oooh, so you can actually be scared in this situation and I originally thought you were fearless," he responded with a teasing tone. "Let me go or I will scream," she threatened "Go ahead, scream," she felt his breath on her ear, she realized that she strangely like the feeling of his breath on her ear. [strange,} "Help, he wants to kidnap me!!" she screamed, everyone around immediately turned towards them but he smiled awkwardly at them hoping they won''t come for him. "Help...." he covered her mouth and nodded his head to diffuse their suspicion and accusing gazes but she was still muffling her screams. "Stop, it is me, Han Chen," her whispered into her ear and removed his hand from her mouth, he released her while she turned to confirm if it was truly him, she was startled seeing him standing in front of her. "Why are you..." "Hey, what are you trying to do to that young lady?" one guy questioned with an accusing gaze in his eyes. "I am...." "He must be trying to harass her," "What are we still waiting for, let''s get him!" another one shouted, then they started coming towards him, seeing how a young lady as beautiful as Yu Yan was about to be harmed, they didn''t hesitate to leave their partners for her sake. Sensing the danger in standing there, he quickly held her hand and started running away with her, she didn''t even know why they were running but she couldn''t free her hand from his grip and they were still chasing after them, she had forgotten that she screamed for help when he was still gripping her. "Hey, why are we run...." "Let''s get out of here first then we can talk," just as he finished talking, she broke her heels so she had no choice but to removed her heels and abandon them on the streets, she looked back to see that the men were still pursuing them but they were almost losing them. "Hey, stop right there!" "Stop!" they kept shouting but Han Chen didn''t listen to them, he just kept running, he had forgotten that he parked his car by the bridge. They finally lost them completely when they got to a children''s park, he stopped to catch his breath then he released her hand but her legs were already bruising from running barefooted, he didn''t even realize this when they were running. She took her seat on one of the swings and raised one of her legs to examine the bruise on her leg, he turned to her when he noticed the bruise on her leg, he quickly moved closer to her and knelt in front of the swing. "How did this happen, what of iyour heels?" he asked with a worried look on his face, he clearly saw her wearing heels by the bridge, he was about to hold her leg when she kicked him away making him fall to the ground. "You are crazy!" she yelled at him "What did I do?" "You are asking me..what did you do," "I really don''t know," he could see the anger in her eyes and the sharp gaze she directed at him but he was still confused. "Why did you hold my hand and start running, I was wearing a f***ing heels, you idiot," she looked like she was going to hit him at any time. "But they were coming for us," "They were coming for you not me, you made my heels break and I had to remove them while running," she stood on her feet to hit him again but her sore feet made her fall back on the swing. "Aarrgghh!" she winced in pain, he hurriedly stood up from the ground and rushed to her, he held her foot and placed them on his laps but she tired to retract them, he was stronger than her so it failed. "Let me go!" "Don''t be stubborn, let me check it," he looked really worried with his forehead creased, he dusted the sand on her feet and lowered his head to blow on her feet, feeling the ticklish feeling on her feet, she hardened her feet and tries her best to hold the laughter that was about to burst out. He pulled her leg to make her release it, he blew on her feet again setting it lose, she broke into a crack of laughter, holding her belly. He was startled by the sudden laughter so he raised his head to look at her, he blew on her feet again to test the waters but her laughter became louder. his mind wandered back to the past... ----- "Let me see your feet," "No, I told it''s fine," "That pin just entered your shoe, you might have a wound on your feet, let me just see it," he held her leg and removed her shoe and socks, seeing the small wound on her foot, he lowered his head to blow on it. HAHAHAHA!!!! He smiled seeing how hard she is laughing while holding her belly. ------- "I almost forgot you always get ticklish when I blow on your feet," he mumbled, but she stopped laughing when she heard his mumble. "What did you just say?" she asked, trying her best to stop herself from laughing again. "It''s nothing...why didn''t you tell me you are ticklish when I held your feet, I wouldn''t have blown on it if I knew," "That''s right...I didn''t know I get ticklish when someone blows on my feet," Chapter 191 - Held Her Hand To Run! 2 "It''s nothing...why didn''t you tell me you are ticklish when I held your feet, I wouldn''t have blown on it if I knew," "That''s right...I didn''t know I get ticklish when someone blows on my feet," {It seems I am the only one who has ever done this} he smiled inwardly but his happiness couldn''t be hidden, she noticed the pleased expression on his face so she wanted to ask why he was looking pleased with the fact but she halted when she heard her phone ringing. "I will go buy cream to apply on your feet, wait here...." he stood up from his knee and walked away but she didn''t even reply him, he turned back to see her smiling broadly while staring at her phone screen but he couldn''t waste time, he hurried to the convenience store. "I need a good cream for treating a sore foot," he told the shopkeeper at the convenience store, he walked to one of the shelves and returned with a small box and handed it to Han Chen who glanced at the name, he nodded satisfactorily and paid the shopkeeper then he left the shop to return to the park but he stopped and returned to the shop. "Do you have any flat shoe for a woman?" "En, I am sorry but we only see sandals for men," the shopkeeper replied, he sighed and bought one sandal then he left the shop. "I really felt sad when I was refused the position" He stopped when he got to the park and heard her speak then he waked to the back of the swing, he knew it is wrong to eavesdrop on her conversation but he felt like he needed to. "I am no longer bothered about it, you know how quickly I can cheer up but I just wish you were here, I really miss you and the times when we used to walk together to the coast," {You don''t have to anymore, I am returning in three days} "Three days!" "Three days..." Han repeated silently with an alarmed look on his face, his rival his returning in three days. "Are you for real, you are really returning in three days but you said you were coming back in three mon..." {That has changed, the program ended earlier than I thoughts it was going to and our services are no longer needed in the military zone so we are returning earlier than planned} "Chen Kai, I...I really wasn''t expecting that you will be returning so soon, you don''t know how happy I am," She fessed aloud not minding if someone outside the park hears her, at that moment, she was filled with excitement. {Are you so happy that he is returning} he felt a wrenching feeling in his heart seeing her so excited because of her supposed boyfriend, he has known her ever since they were in high school and he knows every meaning behind her actions, if he is so excited for something then it means....if she is so excited that he is coming back then he might not stand a chance against this rival. {I am also excited, finally, I will get to see you once again...Yu Yan, I really missed you and I am sorry for making you wait so long} "I am really happy Chen Kai, when you come back let''s tell your parents about our relationship," she said excitingly but she regretted it as soon as she said it, she should have said this to him when he comes back, she might have ruined the magic of the night. Silence reigned for a while... {Yu Yan, are you sure you want me to tell my parent about us, I am worried they might not agree to our relationship,} "So they are hiding it from his parent, that means she..." he clenched his fist tightly. "It''s fine, if you don''t want to we can talk about it when you come back, what time will your flight?" {By two in the afternoon according to China''s time} "Alright then, I will pick you up at the airport," she ended the call without waiting for him to say goodbye...at least. She bent her head backwards and inhaled the air deeply. "I really want us to receive your parent''s permission though..." "What are you thinking about?" Han Chen asked, pretending that he had just arrived with a smile on his face. "Where did you go?" "I told you I was going to get a cream for your sore feet, it seemed like you weren''t listening," He knelt on the ground and removed the box from the nylon then he removed the tube and pressed the tube to apply the cream on her feet. Hearing her wince, he rubbed it softly. "I am sorry I let you get injured," he apologized to her surprise "hmmmn..." for some reason he was being too gentle with her even when rubbing her feet, she liked the feeling strangely, she wasn''t comfortable with that fact so she quickly removed her leg from his lap as soon as he was done with applying the cream. Just before she dropped her leg on the ground, he held it again. "What are you doing?" she asked "Do you want to get your feet in the dust again, wait," he removed his shoe and wore it for her then he put on the sandals he had bought, she watched him in confusion. "The weather is so cold, how are you supposed to wear a sandal in the night," she had a worried look on her face but he didn''t think she was truly worried about him "I don''t think you can afford to worry about me right now, you should start going home now, I am sure you have to go to work tomorrow," he stood up and started walking out of the park with a frown on his face which she couldn''t understand. {Why his he acting like I did something wrong} She felt guilty! "Are you not coming?" he asked, turning back. "We are in my vicinity, I will stay here for a while and go home later," "If something happens to you it will be my fault, I will walk you home so let''s go now," he spoke to her in an authoritative voice that she felt she has to obey, she obediently stood up from her seat and quickly caught up with him. She glanced at her feet, his shoe is her size, she smiled at the thought and continue walking behind him, when they got to her apartment, he watched her walk into her apartment but when she turned back and waved him goodbye he didn''t respond, instead, he frowned his face and walked away. "What''s wrong with him?" she shrugged her shoulder and entered her apartment. He dialled Shi Fen''s number. "I parked my car by a bridge, I will send you the address please bring it to my house tomorrow morning," he sent the voicemail when he didn''t pick the call. Then he took a bus to his house. "Mum, Dad, I am back," she announced as soon as she entered her house and removed his shoe, she entered the parlour to see the twins seating in front of the television with a bowl of popcorn in between the sofa. "Aunt!" they called, she walked to the television and switched off the TV. "Aunt!" they yelled. "You are now going to school, you should be studying," "Aunt, we don''t have to read, we are still going to pass our exams anyway," Li Na responded following a sigh. "That''s right, I almost forgot you are both too intelligent but that doesn''t mean you shouldn''t read, you just started a new school, things might have changed you should at least read for an hour," "Aunt, you have really changed, you weren''t like this, where is our cool aunt?" Li Jing remarked while Li Na nodded in agreement. "She is still here but I don''t want your dad to blame me if you don''t do well in your studies, you know how strict he can be when it comes to education," "Of course we do but you can trust us we will definitely do well," Li Na responded then she got off the sofa and threw her arms around Yu Yan who reciprocated the hug. "You look really distressed aunt," she said, hugging her. "I am okay," Li Na released her from the hug "Where are mom and dad?" "They are already asleep, this is already eleven pm, aunt," Li Jing responded "That being said, you should go to your bedrooms now, you still have to go to school tomorrow," "We will" they chorused "Goodnight then," she retired to her bedroom. After taking a shower, she lied on her bed in thoughts, she couldn''t believe that her dream is actually coming true in three day''s time, the years they have spent part felt like an eternity for her and she just couldn''t believe that they will be able to each other face to face again. Then she thought about the end of their conversation. "What if they really don''t approve of our relationship?" she brushed off the thoughts and closed her eyes to sleep but his face came into her thoughts. she opened her eyes again. "Why did he suddenly change, did I do something to offend him?" she pondered for a while then she shook her head. "Wait....why am I bothered about him, he was the one who made me injured so I should be the angry one," pfft! She closed her eyes. Chapter 192 - I Am Not Losing To Xiaomeng! 1 Yu Yan arrived at the hospital at seven in the morning, as she entered the building, she was shocked to see that everyone was on the move and the ER department which is always filled seemed to be less busy today, she had a confused look as she walked to the office and even the elevators were cleared. "What in the world is going on, why is everyone running around?" she pondered, just as she arrived at the floor of her office, she greeted everyone she passed by but they didn''t respond to her greeting, rather, they were just running or walking fast past her. She was surer that something is definitely going on, she opened the door to her office and was about to tell them what was happening but she was shocked at the sight of their office, paintings that were never in the office was now hung up on the walls and their office seemed tidier and arranged than it normally is since they always have emergencies. Moreover, the three of them were dressed too official and posh and they all looked too good today, she tilted her head in doubt as she closed the office door then she dropped her bag on the table and hanged her coat on the hanger and took her seat. "Can someone tell me what is going on, why is everyone being so unsettled and you guys....look different?". An Ke and Li Chen nodded their head at her question while Xiaomeng nodded her head with a malicious look on her face. "You mustn''t have heard that the CEO Chen and his wife are visiting the hospital," Xiaomeng answered for the first time with an bitchy smile, Yu Yan eyes widened at her answer. "Didn''t you check your emails after work yesterday, they sent a mail yesterday telling everyone to look their best and make sure the hospital is presentable for their arrival?" An Ke questioned with a fed-up look on her face. Yu Yan never checks her messages not to talk of her mails unless she is expecting something and this is something they all know so they would rather call than text when they have something important to tell. "I didn''t, I was too tired so I just fell asleep, let me see.." she brought out her phone from her bag and checked her email and there it was. {To... The CEO and the Madam would be visiting the hospital after their business abroad, so everyone should make sure they look their extreme best and make sure their offices and spaces look presentable for their arrival} She sighed and cupped her face, she didn''t think that she would get into this mess today. Everyone including the nurses was all dressed luxuriously in expensive jewellery and sophisticated office wear but she only wore a flare purple trouser and a big white shirt with no buttons at the top of the shirt and no jewellery and even her hair is packed into a rough bun. "I am definitely in trouble" she lamented "It''s alright, you don''t look that bad, it is just a visit and they might not notice you," Li Chen comforted with a sigh. "That''s right, the hospital management just told us to look our best, it doesn''t mean that the CEO and his wife will care about how we are dressed, this is a hospital, not a company" An Ke added reassuringly, Yu Yan was already getting relieved but Xiaomeng just had to add in... "That is because you all don''t know what the CEO''s wife is like, she is my GODMOTHER so I know her best, she hates it when someone is dressed poorly next to her," Xiaomeng commented, maintaining the bitchy smile, if Yu Yan makes a bad impression on Chen Kai''s parent then that means she will be losing the game right from the beginning. "What do you mean?" Li Chen asked "Before you all started working here, I onCe came to visit my GODMOTHER but just as we were leaving the hospital, she passed by one of the surgeons but she called her back and asked which family she is from but the surgeon said she is not from any conglomerate family and my GODMOTHER fired her i.n.s.t.a.n.t.l.y.," Xiaomeng narrated with a very pleased expression. "Why would she do that, isn''t that against the labour code?" An Ke questioned in surprise. "Well, she was dressed too simple unlike how someone from a conglomerate family should so she was fired, you guys keep acting like you don''t know that only those from conglomerate families can work in this hospital but of course the skills matter, it seems like someone will be getting fired soon," she ended her explanation with her eyes fixed on Yu Yan and a sly tilt on her lips but Yu Yan glared at her angrily, she knew that Xiaomeng was referring to her and she was also scared of what was going to happen. "tch! what sort of stupid rule is that, we have been dressing casually ever since the start of our job but we have never heard of something that stupid," An Ke snapped, she could see Yu Yan rubbing her finger underneath the table which means she is anxious. "You all are really pretentious, before we knew Yu Yan in university this is not how you were, you always acted like the wealthy kids you are and An Ke, your mode of dressing is never modest, in fact, you always change your car every single day and you never wore the same cloth twice, you even abandon your cars after using them for about a month or week...." she paused to scoff. "but after we met Yu Yan in university, you started acting modest and you Li Chen, even in high school, you were known as the worst wealthy playboy ever, you always clubbed and spent money lavishly but after you met Yu Yan, you did the same, are you guys just pretending to be like her or you have really changed," "Xiaomeng!" An Ke yelled and slammed the table. Before they knew Yu Yan in university, they were all best friends since they were from the same circle except for Jia Yu since she didn''t go to the same schools as them until uni but ever since Yu Yan joined in uni, they broke up. "What! am I not telling the truth or am I lying, you are all acting modest just because you don''t want her to feel left out," she turned to Yu Yan. "Do you really think you got into the hospital just because of your skills and your brother''s recommendation, compared to everyone here you have the least status, don''t think too much of yourself cause Jia Yu also made her parents recommend you, this hospital doesn''t look at skills only, you have to get recommend by someone connected to the hospital and your brother...is in no way connected to the hospital," Xiaomeng laid all the facts down looking at Yu Yan straight into hre eyes. She (Xiaomeng ) wanted to break her confidence so she (Yu Yan) ends up making mistakes in front of his parent, today is the day she will pay her back some of the debts she owes her ( Xiaomeng). "Yu Yan, don''t listen to her, we changed because of you because you are a good influence on us," she turned to Xiaomeng with a glare and demeaning look. "As for her, she will never understand what friendship is when all she cares about is status," An Ke remarked. Nurse Song ran into the office without even knocking the door but she could see that she had just entered a very heated situation, however, there was no time to waste. "They are here!" she announced. They glared at each other one last time and hurriedly left the office except for Xiaomeng who didn''t see the need to be in a hurry. All the surgeons lined up in front of the hospital after the entrance while the nurses lined up behind them, until a Mercedes-Maybach S600 Pullman Guard pulled up in front of the hospital and the two figures they have been anxiously waiting for gingerly came out of the limousine. The woman wore a french updo styled hair, wearing a white body hug gown reaching her knee and a long overcoat with a sunglass, she was wearing a 24 gold carat ring and a L''Incomparable gold necklace with a matching gold bracelet. Elegance and beauty! She held her black and white purse by her side and walked majestically to the front of the car where she waited for the CEO to come out of the car, he was wearing a white suit but his impression isn''t as good as his wife. When they saw them coming through the door, they quickly looked away and bowed their head, as the couple entered through the revolving door, they all bowed ninety-degrees. "Welcome!" they all chorused in unison She removed her sunglasses and smiled elegantly at them, they were once again stunned by her beauty, she had a thick makeup on her face but she was looking quite young for someone who is middle-aged. "Honey, it really feels good to be back," she remarked, looking into her husband''s face who smiled at her. "You have all worked hard, chief surgeon, why don''t you show me around I will like to see the improvements, I am sure you are all busy so I won''t hold you anymore," he instructed with a gentlemanly smile. Yu Yan glanced at the couple, she felt discouraged seeing his mother, she could feel the elegance and the domineering aura the women is emitting, her eyes seemed to be scrutinizing them as she swept her gazes past them, Yu Yan quickly buried her head to make herself insignificant. Chapter 193 - I Am Not Losing To Xiaomeng! 2 "This way, please," the chief surgeon directed, then the couple started following after him, they all heaved a sigh of relief since there was no complaint from the couple, but from what the experienced ones know, that is not the end of it. An Ke patted Yu Yan''s back when she noticed the Yu Yan looked very anxious then she nodded at her reassuringly, they returned to their office and continued about their daily activities, another general surgery team were busy with the patients so the four of them were still in their offices, examining the cases of their patients. However, the tension in the room still remained amongst them, An Ke and Li Chen were worried that Yu Yan might be dwelling on what Xiaomeng said about them being pretentious but they were also exchanging malicious glances with Xiaomeng who still continued smiling, they hated that smile on their lips. "You had better focus your attention on your work and not on me, my FUTURE MOTHER-IN-LAW will soon be here and you won''t want her to see you slacking," Xiaomeng remarked "Your future mother-in-law....why didn''t I hear that you are now the one dating Chen Kai, you can remain in your illusion as long as you want but you and Chen Kai will never be and you are not possible," An Ke retorted. "Why don''t we wait and see, they might be doing their puppy love now but the reality still remains the reality, his parent''s decision is what matters," she responded confidently then she turned to Yu Yan. "I am sure you don''t know of this but his mother called my mother yesterday to discuss our engagement after Chen Kai comes back from his training program so it seems like I will soon be wearing an engagement ring," she fondled with her ring finger to irritate them further, they all glanced at her in shock but they couldn''t be sure if she is really telling the truth. "Engagement!" An Ke exclaimed "hmm hmm..." Xaiomeng nodded in affirmation, Yu Yan couldn''t stand it anymore so she quickly picked up her phone and left the office. "Yu Yan!" An Ke and Li Chen called after her but she didn''t stop, An Ke was about to go after her when Li Chen stopped her, holding her wrist. "You know her, she definitely doesn''t mind the bull***t she (Xiaomeng) is spewing," Li Chen assured so An Ke just sat back on her seat. Yu Yan walked as fast as she could while checking out for Chen Kai''s parent, she didn''t want then to see her yet, not in that situation when she doesn''t yet have the confidence to face them, she decided the only place she can go to avoid them is the cafe. As soon as she entered the cafe, she ordered ice americano to calm her nerves then she sat at the end of the cafe in a secluded corner, she sipped the americano and placed it on the table then she dialled Chen Kai''s number, she really prayed he would pick the call. {Hello} Her heart skipped a beat hearing his voice, she took in a deep breath and smiled to hide her anxiousness while speaking to him. {Hello, Chen Kai} Even though she tried her very best to hide it, her voice was still quite shaky, there are not many things that can make her sound like that so this made Chen Kai worried that something might have happened to her. {Are you alright, why does your voice sound shaky?} She rubbed her fingers together, a sign of her anxiousness, different thoughts ran through her mind, what if they rejected her? what if his mother thinks she is too lowly and not good enough for her son? she has tried her best to go along with this secret relationship which is only known her friends and family and of course the two beefers even though she wanted to be open about their relationship and she did all that only because she loves him....too much. "I...Your parents are at the hospital," she disclosed, he realized the reason why she sounded like that and he was also scared of what she had just told him. {Yu Yan, nothing is going to happen between me and Xiaomeng, I promise you} "What are you talking about, did anything happen between you and Xiaomeng?..." she was now suspecting that what Xiaomeng said was true and he also knows about it, if they are already planning to get engaged then what is going to become of her. {Nothing...I just thought you were concerned about her, Yu Yan, whatever she says, you have to trust me} "Does that mean the both of you are really getting engaged," Yu Yan asked, her tone sounded downhearted and hopeless, she was fervently praying in her mind that he would say no. "Yes...I mean No, my mother suggested it but you have to trust me when I return, I will make sure I introduce you to my parents and tell them confidently that you are the one I want to marry," he said reassuringly but there is still a teeny weeny bit of doubt in her heart. It''s no wonder why Xiaomeng spoke so confidently today! "Does that mean your parents are aware that you are returning in the next three days?" "They are aware of my return but I told them I would be returning in the next four days so you will be the one to pick me up," he waited for her to say something but it didn''t come so he took the initiative. "Yu Yan, I know I have really been the selfish one in this relationship and you have sacrificed a lot for me but I just want you to trust me, this time when I return I will make sure to announce to my parents no to the world that you are the one and only woman I want to marry," his reassuring voice soothed her mind but it still wasn''t enough to reassure her, he had once promised her that he will introduce her to his parents after they graduate but the moment his parents spoke of him becoming the next chairman of the Chen conglomerate after and only after he marries someone who is befitting of his status, he hid her (Yu Yan) behind him and persuaded her to introduce her another day. Moreover, even though she is not of a lowly status since her family is still a well to do family, she is still not worthy of him whose family has a net worth of billions. "I trust you, I always have and I will continue to trust you," then she ended the call, that is something she always does when she doesn''t want to continue the conversation. She poured the iced americano down her throat and decided to return to the office, she entered the elevator with two surgeons from another department. "The CEO''S wife is so beautiful and elegant, who would think she is in her early fifties," "That''s right, she doesn''t even look like he is past the age of thirty and guess what? her son is also as handsome as she is," "Really, when did you meet him?" "He came to the hospital a week before he went abroad for his training but it is such a pity that we can''t even dream about him, I heard that he is getting engaged to Surgeon Xiaomeng in the general surgery department," one of the ladies remarked and sighed. "That is really a pity but come to think of it, their families have been friends for a long time so their engagement doesn''t come as a surprise to me, that reminds me...did you see what she did to nurse Yiyi?" "Yeah, I saw, she is so pitiful, she must have felt very embarrassed..." Ding! The elevator door finally opened for Yu Yan who felt the ride was too stifling with their stuffing gossip making her face the truth over and over again, she had already exited the elevator but she turned and used her hand to stop the elevator from closing, the girls were surprised. "Don''t you think your gossip was too much for an elevator ride?" she questioned with a blank look on her face which they couldn''t read. "We...." "If it was someone else in the elevator with you, you would have gotten into serious trouble for your gossip, you didn''t even mind that I was in the ride with you and you just kept talking, please learn to take the ride quietly next time," they were stunned by her scolding, Surgeon Yu Yan who never cares about rules and work code is actually scolding them for gossiping in the elevator. They were speechless so they could only bow and apologise. She removed her hand then the elevator closed while she continued towards her office, she rubbed her forehead, she was too stressed from all she has heard, she has never felt so insecure about their relationship compared to today. But her heart stopped when she held the handle to the door of their office, she widened her eyes in shock, the elegant and beautiful CEO''S wife who is also Chen Kai''s mom is actually in the office! Like she heard her thoughts, the woman turned towards the door and their eyes met with Yu Yan who still has her eyes widened, she snapped out of her thoughts when she saw the woman tilt her head. "I am not losing to Xiaomeng," she stated resolutely and opened the door with a faint smile on her lips. "Who is..." Chapter 194 - In Your F.A.C.E! "I am not losing to Xiaomeng," she stated resolutely and opened the door with a faint smile on her lips. "Who is..." "I am Yu Yan, a general surgeon in this department," She quickly introduced herself even without the woman completing her question, the wide and enthusiastic smile on her lips caught the woman''s attention, she smiled at how lovely the lady looks...but who is she? "Godmother...." Xiaomeng walked closer to Mrs Chen and linked arms with her while the woman smiled elegantly seeing her goddaughter being close with her. "She is the most skilled and beautiful general surgeon in this hospital, I am sure you can also see that..." Xiaomeng introduced with a friendly look on her face while she fixed her eyes on Yu Yan who had a panicky look on her face, they all couldn''t understand what her intentions are. "Beautiful...I can really see that," Mrs Chen remarked, maintaining the elegant smile on her lips, on first sight, she noticed how beautiful and well-shaped Yu Yan looks but she didn''t want to praise her...not on first sight. "But she is also best friends with An Ke, Li Chen, Ji Chen and.....oh, do you know Jia Yu from the Jia family," Xiaomeng paused to let her godmother think first. "Jia family...isn''t that the family that manages the Chen and Jia conglomerate?" "Yes, she is very close with her in fact, they are like sisters, she is also well familiar with C.h.e.n. K.a.i," she made sure to stress her familiarity with Chen Kai, she knew just what she was doing, she would make sure to use her friendship with these people to turn Chen Kai''s mother against her. "Chen Kai...How do you know my son?" she asked, reducing the curve on her lips, any girl who is close to her son must be closely scrutinized first, she has never allowed just any female close to her son and all those who have managed to get close to her son has always been eliminated by her. "He...I, we are in a," "We went to the same university, Chen Kai was in the same class as her and they always contended for the best student award, she is the one who won the best graduate award for the medical department of Peking University," An Ke quickly interjected before Yu Yan could reveal their relationship, Yu Yan widened her eyes to argue with An Ke using their eyes contact but she nodded her head, she decided to go along with An Ke''s act....for now. "Oh, so you are that girl, I was wondering who managed to beat my son to the award, I didn''t think it would be a girl as beautiful as you, I am quite impressed seeing you have both the beauty and brains. You are my typical daughter-in-law," the woman blurted out the last sentence without even thinking, she smiled awkwardly when she realized what she had just said while Xiaomeng frowned deeply, Yu Yan was surprised to hear her say that but she was elated beyond question. "Actually I am Ch...." "Yu Yan is also the goddaughter of the Jia family," An Ke stressed, interjecting her again, they needed to bring out all her good point before she is introduced as his girlfriend, Mrs Chen didn''t even notice how simply she was dressed, all she could see before her is an elegant and beautiful lady who has broad connections but the question still lurked in her mind...What family is she from? "What family are you from? I have met all of them before in our gatherings and parties but your face...I have never seen," she inclined her head towards her shoulder with a quizzical look on her face but they froze at the mention of the question, they have brought out her good points but now--- Mrs Chen looked around when she wasn''t getting any answer from Yu Yan who seemed to be spaced out, she saw that An Ke and Li Chen also had the same look so she was about to ask again but she didn''t need to... "Godmother, she is---" "Mrs Chen, I have something important to discuss with you," Mrs Nanjing who appeared from nowhere announced, they released the breath they have been holding as soon as the team leader entered the room. "But...." Xioameng complained "Goddaughter, I will speak to you later, it seems like what your team leader has to say is really urgent," she tapped her and unlinked their arms then she went out with the team leader, Xiaomeng stomped her foot on the ground and returned to her seat. "That was so close," Li Chen remarked, with his hands on his chest. "I felt my heart was going to burst the moment she asked that question, Yu Yan, I was really terrified, she looks so sweet and friendly but I can also feel her domineering aura, it is almost like she has a villain halo behind her when she walks," An Ke added as she returned to her seat, but Yu Yan still didn''t like that An Ke didn''t let her introduce herself as Chen Kai''s girlfriend. "Why didn''t you let me tell her I am his girlfriend, I could have told her about it," Yu Yan complained as soon as she took her seat, she couldn''t understand An Ke''s motive but she could see that Li Chen seemed quite supportive of it. "I did it for your sake, this sly bitch was trying to make you seem like a golddigger to your future mother-in-law," An Ke responded, glaring at Xiaomeng, even if Yu Yan doesn''t understand what Xiaomeng''s motive, she clearly understood what she was planning. "You should be glad, what wealthy women fear the most is having golddiggers sticking to their sons, if she finds out that you are from a middle-classed family and yet you managed to come close to friends from prominent families, she will only think you are a leecher and parasite who is only after their money and connection...." she smiled slyly and leaned on her desk with her elbow on the table and her head resting on her hands. "Xiaomeng....." Yu Yan muttered, it wasn''t unbelievable that she would try to paint her a such a despicable person but she didn''t think she would really go as far as doing that. "That is not all, when she finds out that Jia Yu''s parent recommended you as a general surgeon using the Han family name because the hospital management didn''t want to employ a middle-class surgeon...." she nodded her head while clicking her tongue. "You will be o.u.t o.f t.h.e g.a.m.e," She waited for Yu Yan pitiful expression but she didn''t see any, rather, her blank look turned into a mocking gaze filled with confidence, she frowned at the sight of it. "You have shown just how despicable and lowly you can be, you claimed that I am a middle class so I am not worthy of Chen Kai and all my friends but you are only jealous that you are not in my position, they were all your friends before they met me but because you cared too much about your wealth and status, you couldn''t be friends with someone one like me but they didn''t care about my status at all, you talk like you are the victim of the episode but you are not, the reality is that you drove everyone away from you," She stopped for a moment and nodded with a pitying look directed at Xiaomeng who clenched her fist tightly with her eyes widened and her lips pursed. "If you are that jealous then change your view of life maybe then you might recover the friends you lost, I don''t have time to listen to your crap," she picked up some charts on the table, she swept away the strands of hair hovering on her face then she walked out of the office. "Now that is my girl..." An Ke remarked while their eyes followed Yu Yan as she left the office, it reminded her and Li Chen of why they so much wanted to be Yu Yan''s friend. "She is just too cool," Li Chen remarked with an idiotic smile but An Ke turned back to Xiaomeng who looked like she was going to scream in anger at any moment. "In your F.A.C.E!" she stuck out her tongue and wobbled it before leaving the office with the charts in her hands. "Xiaomeng, you are a friend I didn''t want to lose in the past, we might seem like we don''t care about you but we do, I, An Ke and Ji Chen, we are still your friends, if only you will abandon your prejudice towards Yu Yan," "Prejudice, how can you say that? She stole my friends, the man I love and you still say I am prejudiced towards her, Just watch..." she tightened her clenched and narrowed her gaze. "I will destroy her confidence and destroy the one thing she cares about the most," she stood up and left the office in anger, she needed a secluded place to scream and vent her anger. She has never been this determined to destroy Yu Yan as she is today. Chapter 195 - Scholarship Girl! 1 LIS (LEGACY INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL) Li Na and Min Young entered the school cafeteria but Min Young looked reluctant to enter the canteen, Li Na pulled her hand until she fully entered through the cafeteria. Initially, she had tricked her into entering the cafeteria using the excuse of escorting her into the cafeteria but the poor girl who has always avoided the cafeteria like a plague fell into her trap. She comes from a poor family so she doesn''t have enough money to afford the cafeteria meals and she has always eaten her packed lunch that she always brings from her mother''s food restaurant, the first time she tried entering the cafeteria using the meal money her mother saved up for her, she was cruelly bullied and humiliated by the other rich kids. "Just come in, I will pay for you," Li Na persuaded, they were now standing behind the queue in front of the machine where they have to include their order and pay then the staff would package in a tray and place it in front of the counter. "It''s not about the money, I really don''t want to use the cafeteria, I have my own home-cooked meal," Min Young argued while secretly struggling to release her hand from Li Na''s grip but they had already gotten to the front of the machine. "I promise, I will protect you if something happens, you are my only friend here, if you don''t eat with me, I won''t be able to eat," Li Na pleaded with a cutesy look on her face while she fluttered her lashes. "But your brother is here..." they both turned to see her brother pressing his phone with his meal in front of him, she scoffed at the sight of him. "Him....he doesn''t act like we are twins in school but when we are at home, he remembers that his twin sister exists, so just please join me...I will make the order now," She tapped the screen and moved away from the machine, signalling Min Young to make her order but the poor girl didn''t know what to have, the meals were all too expensive, finally, she managed to find less expensive meals so she quickly made the order, after Li Na swiped her meal card to pay for the order, she linked arms with her and walked to the counter. The students noticed her presence in the cafeteria as soon as she walked away from the machine, they started pointing fingers at them and murmuring with mocking gazes on their faces, they couldn''t believe that the scholarship girl actually dared to enter the cafeteria. "Isn''t that the scholarship girl, what is she doing here?" "Impressive...trouble didn''t find her but she decided to find trouble," Lucy remarked, following a scoff "That new girl...she seems to be close to the scholarship girl," Cecillia Wang, the queen of elegance and the princess of the school remarked with an indifferent gaze in her eyes as she stared at Li Na, for some reason she didn''t feel good about Li Na the minute she came into the class on her first day. Li Jing noticed how they were all looking towards the duo direction and he also heard their comments, he felt irritated but he didn''t want to get involved in it. After getting their meals, they picked up their trays then they turned towards the hall where everyone was seated, Min Young shook seeing how many eyes were on them but Li Na didn''t care to notice, she smiled at her brother seating at the corner of the cafeteria hall so she nudged Min Young to follow her to her brother''s seat. But she didn''t notice the fearful look on the girl''s face, she looked like she was going to drown in the sea of the many eyes looking at her, she clutched the tray tightly and lowered her head as she slowly took her steps, following behind Li Na. Li Na passed by the table where Lucy and Cecelia Wang along with some other wealthy girls from prominent families were seated, they didn''t bother with her but they waited for the scholarship girl to walk past the table. Crash! "Ah," she winced in pain, the hall suddenly became filled with laughter while they pointed fingers at the girl on the floor, Li Na stopped when she noticed that they were pointing behind her and the crash sound came from her back, she turned hurriedly. She dropped the tray on one of the tables and hurried to the girl''s side, she placed her hand on her shoulder with a worried look on her face. "Are you alright?" the girl nodded then Li Na''s eyes fell on the graze wound on her knee. "You hurt your knee!" she exclaimed, she took the tissue on the floor which had fallen from her tray, she used it to dab the wound carefully, but the students scoffed at her caringness. After cleaning the wound, she stood up with an angry gaze in her eyes, she looked to her side to see the one girl she hates, she looked down at her crossed leg then she realized what happened. "Did you make her fall?" An Ke question angrily with her fiery gaze directed at Lucy. "Oops! it seems like I mistakenly tripped our scholarship girl," she covered her mouth with her hand in feigned shock, then the other students started jesting again. "Aiyaah, Lucy, you should have been more careful, who knows when next she would be able to order such meals, what if you made her miss a one time chance," "It''s no big deal, it seems like our new classmate is very well capable of paying for her meals," "So you are saying that you unintentionally tripped her?" she balled her fist tightly, Li Jing was already seeing the need to get involved but he knows hat she can take care of herself even if it results into a fight. "I am really sorry newbie, it seems like your money has gone to waste, why don''t I give her back the meal she poured because of my carelessness," seeing the look on her face, Li Na could tell that she is about to do something really bad. Lucy picked the bowl of broiled chicken stew on her own tray then she stretched it out towards Min Young who was still on the ground, the girl knew the danger in collecting it so she didn''t dare accept it. "Since you wouldn''t take it from me then I can only...." her eyes turned sinister with an evil tilt on her lips, she slowly poured the broiled chicken stew on her head. WOOHOOO!!! The students hyped as they watched the stew flow from her hair down her face to her white top, the girl closed her eyes and inhaled her breath as the hot stew went down her body, Li Na froze on the spot, she couldn''t believe what was happening. "Are you crazy?!" she yelled as she pushed the bowl away from her hand but the entire content was now on Min Young''s body the students started laughing and jesting aloud while they called the poor girl different names. She felt the hot tears flow out of her eyes but she couldn''t open her eyes. Li Na quickly rushed to one of the tables and picked up the entire pack of the tissue on the table then she used it to wipe her face, she almost cried seeing the girl''s face and body covered in the stew with her body smelling like chicken, she blamed herself inwardly but she still didn''t feel that she was entirely wrong, even if she is a scholarship student, she still deserves to use the cafeteria. After wiping the girls face, she (Min Young) opened her eyes making the tears freely flow out, Li Na dabbed the stew on her top but it has already been absorbed, she could only remove the pieces of chicken and vegetables, she angrily stood up and glared at Lucy with anger written on her face. Right...this is what Li Jing fears, she will certainly lose her sanity. She smiled broadly at Lucy who was still looking at her in the eye fearlessly. "Is she crazy, why is she smiling like that?" "She is totally creeping me out," the girl hugged her body. She walked towards the counter and tapped on the machine, she swiped her meal card after tapping the machine then she glared back at them and walked towards the counter but they couldn''t understand what she is up to, whatever it is, they hoped it will be more fun. More fun than seeing a girl being bathed in broiled chicken stew. The staffs at the counter were baffled seeing the order. "Can I have my order?" Li Na asked seeing that they were still looking at her. "Student, are you sure you didn''t order the wrong meal" the woman at the counter couldn''t help but ask. "I am very sure, I ordered the entire pot of broiled chicken stew and stewed pork, I want both mixed into one big pot, I have already paid for it," She answered with an insane smile, the woman had no choice, she can''t afford to offend these children from wealthy families so she did as she said and mixed the half pot of chicken stew with stewed pork. Li Na went behind the counter to get her order which confused the students.... Chapter 196 - Scholarship Girl! 2 "I am very sure, I ordered the entire pot of broiled chicken stew and stewed pork, I want both mixed into one big pot, I have already paid for it," She answered with an insane smile, the woman had no choice, she can''t afford to offend these children from wealthy families so she did as she said and mixed the half pot of chicken stew with stewed pork. Li Na went behind the counter to get her order which confused the students, she came out with an extra-large pot which she clearly struggled to carry, even Min Young was now confused but Li Jing understood clearly what she is about to do. {It seems like aunt will have to visit the school very soon} "What is this crazy girl trying to do?" Lucy questioned as Li Na got closer to her but the girl smiled and glanced at Min Young. "You might want to move," she warned, Min Young didn''t know what she was about to do but she quickly took the advice, she back away as far as she could, then Li Na turned back to Lucy and the girls behind her with a sinister smile. "What are you..." Splat! "Arrrrgggghh!!" "Arrrgggghh!" "Aarrgghhhh!" The canteen was soon filled with screams, crazy Li Na literally bathed Lucy with the extra-large pot containing a mixture of stews, but it also splashed on the girls staying close to her, thankfully, Cecilia Wang was seating at the extreme end of the long table so she managed to escape it by a hair''s breadth. "You have really gone crazy, haven''t you?" one of the girls whose white top was now heavily stained with stew yelled. "Yes! I have gone crazy and I would do more than this if you try what you all did today again, If you want to know what extent I can really go to then try me," she dropped the steel pot to the floor which made a shrieking sound in their ears and walked towards Min Young, she held her hand but her eyes sighted her own tray of food, she picked it up and walked past Lucy who was still frozen with her eyes shut, she needed to shout but she couldn''t open her mouth because it was already stuffed with the stew content. They were supposed to laugh but her action still came as a shock to them, no one has ever dared to do such...not in LIS. She handed one piece of the wrapped pizza she had in her tray to Min Young then she took another one for herself, she walked towards the bin to dump the remaining content but she suddenly felt someone coming towards her. She disconnected her hand from Min Young and pushed her away then she turned around swiftly and swiped the tray across the person''s face, the guy held his face as he crashed on one of the tables due to the force she used in hitting him. They gapsed! at the sight! Seeing the tall guy standing in front of her now with his hands in his pocket and two of his upper button opened she realized the situation, she smirked. "A sidekick, really?" she remarked, pushing back her hair "You b***h, how dare you do that to my girlfriend?" he stared down on her with a threatening gaze in his eyes. "She is really interesting-" he remarked. "Uhn---" the two guys sitting in front of the aloof prince of the school uttered, did he just comment on the show going on in the cafeteria. "Did you just make a comment on--?" Xiu Chenric one of the princes questioned in surprise. "I didn''t say anything, I am leaving, "He pushed aside his tray and stood up from the seat, looking away from the scene beneath the upper floor of the cafeteria which is their private space in the cafeteria. "Why? at least let''s wait till the show is finished," Xiu Chenglun who is Chenric cousin protested but he ignored his protest and continued down the stairs, they had no choice but to follow him. "Your girlfriend, you mean that sly cock, sorry, I didn''t know she was your girlfriend," she turned and continued on her way, but she suddenly felt a tug on her collar, she held the pair of hands and twisted it then she threw the body to the ground. oooooh!! they exclaimed seeing another sidekick down. The boss signalled two other sidekicks to go forward, they threw their fist towards her but she swept one of them down with a swipe of her feet and blocked the first of the other with the tray in her hand, her back was now turned on the boss so she couldn''t see him walking towards her with a bottle of fruit wine under the eyes of the many students in the cafeteria who didn''t care to interfere, rather they wanted to see how far he would go with it---it is fun anyway. "Li Na!" Min Young screamed, seeing him raise the bottle against her head, Li Na quickly turned back but it was already too late, she closed her eyes and turned her head to the side, awaiting the pain or unconsciousness but it still didn''t come. "Brother..." she muttered seeing her brother hold the guy''s hand with his eyes fixed on her. "You are really something," he remarked then turned back to the guy who was still staring hard at him. "Were you planning on using that on my sister?" He questioned with a calm but threatening look in his eyes. ''His sister!'' Most of them were from other classes so they didn''t know that they were related but looking at it now, they really looked alike but they seemed too different, he seemed cold and quiet but she---well there is no need to say more. "I...No," he handed the bottle to Li Jing who collected it and placed it on the table next to them. "You made the right decision," he smiled and turned to his sister with a frown. "So much drama just for lunch, you are really something," he noticed her shirt is torn at the shoulder, he shook and head and took off his jacket then he draped it on her body. "Let''s leave," he walked past her while she obediently followed behind him, when he got to where Min Young was with her head lowered, he held her hand and pulled her with him, They widened their eyes at the sight including Li Na. The cafeteria became noisy again as soon as they walked out of the cafeteria, Lucy was still a sore sight to behold since everyone was still busy trying to recover from the shock of all that happened, the supposed boyfriend who has been asking her out but she has been rejecting rushed to her and helped her wipe her face. As soon as she had the stew off her face, she spat out the stew to the floor and started screaming while she scattered all the trays on the table, the girls quickly exited the cafeteria before she turns to them while Cecilia Wang shook her hand at how unsightly she looks and started making her way out of the cafeteria She stopped and looked up to see if the school prince is still upstairs but he had already disappeared. ------ "Hello," "Hello, I am glad you called Miss Yu Yan, I have been expecting your call for quite some time now, I take it you are ready to have a session," Mr Lu responded without leaving her the chance to say her purpose of her calling him. "Mr Lu, it seems like you always like to lead the conversation irrespective of who calls first," Yu Yan remarked with a playful tone which he found pleasing. "Well it is a work habit to lead my conversations since most of my patients are unwilling to tell their problems so I have to lead the conversation to force it out of them but thankfully I didn''t have to do that with you," Mr Lu responded in the same playful tone, she really found herself feeling lightweight with the playful sentences coming from a psychologist whom she is not very familiar with but she likes his sense of humour. "I guess I should take that as a compliment, as you guessed, I would like to come for my session tomorrow," Yu Yan ended the statement with the serious note which made Mr Li understand just how troubled she is by the dreams. "I made sure to leave a spot for you every day on my schedules so your late notice doesn''t make a difference since you have a very busy job, I made your appointment seven in the evening" "I really appreciate it, thank you, I will leave you to your work then..." she ended the call and dipped it into her pocket then she entered the ward she intended to enter before it crossed her mind to make the call. She smiled as she entered the ward, she was glad the see the old woman who had tried to match her with her grandson chatting happily with a young man who she guesses is her grandson. "This is my grandson," the grandmother enthusiastically introduced as soon as she saw Yu Yan come in, before her arrival she had spent the entire time telling her grandson about Yu Yan and showing her interest in her as a typical granddaughter-in-law. The grandson who originally thought his grandmother was exaggerating the whole time understood what she meant seeing Yu Yan. "Hi, I am surgeon Yu Yan," she introduced, extending her hands for a handshake, the young man smiled and held her hand. "I am John Stanford," the young man introduced but Yu Yan was surprised seeing that he has both an English name and surname, seeing her surprised expression he found the need to explain it to her. Chapter 197 - Was I Already Taking Him As A Friend! He smiled warmly, "Don''t be surprised, my father is half british and half Korean, I have a Chinese name but I prefer to use the English one,". She returned the smile, confirming in her mind that he seems to be a really friendly person since not everyone would want to explain their origin at the first meeting. "oh, I see, I was wondering why you looked like a mixed-race" she turned to the grandma "Grandma, you have a really handsome grandson," She complimented without looking at the gentleman who was smiling at how openminded she is to have praised his looks in his presence. "You see, that is why I told you to consider my grandson," she pulled his hand closer to her and use her other hand to swipe him from his head to toe. "Look, he is very handsome, he is also very tall and he is also a lawyer, why won''t you leave your boyfriend for him, is he even as handsome as my grandson?" the grandma persisted, it was very clear that she hasn''t given up matchmaking Yu Yan and her grandson, John stood still in confusion, what are they talking about? when did they talk about matchmaking both of them? He realized what was going on. Sigh! "Grandma, you can''t say something like that to her, how do you expect her to break up with her boyfriend just because you want to matchmake her with your grandson," he sighed and turned to Yu Yan. "I apologise on my grandma''s behalf, she is not usually like this so..." he had a guilty look on his face that Yu Yan wondered what type of person he really is, who wears such guilty expression for something as trivial as that. "You don''t have to apologize, Mr John, I really enjoyed your grandmother''s company in the hospital, it is such a pity that she would be getting discharged today-no I didn''t mean it that way, I meant I can''t bear to part with her," she quickly corrected herself seeing the questioning look on his face. But the next thing that followed is the sound of his grandma hitting him, John swiftly turned to his grandma when he felt the pain on his thigh, she just used a huge force to hit him on his thigh-Pity-he really looked wronged. "Naughty child, I am trying to persuade her to accept you but you are ruining my effort, where would you find a young woman as beautiful...." she turned to Yu Yan with an admiring smile on her wrinkled face. "Capable, respectful and sweet as her, you are really missing the golden chance right in front of you," she turned back to him with a deep and scolding frown on her face. Exactly why is his grandma so infatuated with Yu Yan? he looked at the young lady who was smiling awkwardly. She is indeed beautiful and she seems capable but is it enough to make her like this, his grandmother who has never hit him before actually did it for the first time because of-this lady. "Yu Yan child, don''t listen to him, do consider him, he might seem foolish but I can assure you that he is also a good-natured person, when he was in high school he won the award-----------------------------" his grandmother kept mentioning all his achievement from young till his present age. Yu Yan and John "..." they were both stunned as they watched her narrate his history, they exchanged glances for a second but John who was embarrassed could only smile awkwardly with a slight bow. "I understand grandma, for now, let''s complete your discharge process, I am sure you can''t wait to leave the hospital," she respectfully interjected when the old woman made her pause to recharge her breath, but the old woman sighed again. "If only I could take you with me as his wife, it would be so great," John "---" he smiled awkwardly again with his eyes shut in embarrassment. "Mr John, I have completed everything I need to do as her surgeon, all you need to do is check-out at the reception and sign the necessary documents then you are free to go, I have monitored her condition for a long time so I don''t think there would be any problem but if there is please don''t hesitate to bring her back, you should ensure she has her three square meals in a day and make sure she drinks a lot of water every day, ah! also make sure she sleeps early, lack of sleep might cause her to be stressed and I am sure we don''t want that," she concluded her cautioning with a doctorly smile directed at the patient''s guardian. {she is really meticulous,} "Right?" Yu Yan probed when she didn''t get an answer from him, making him snap out of his thoughts. "Of course we don''t, I will make sure she adheres to everything you just said now," "Good, If there is nothing else, I will take my leave now," "Grandma, please take care of yourself and tell your grandson if you feel uncomfortable any day," the old woman smiled in reply then she nodded her head and left the ward. Phew! {Thank God Chen Kai wasn''t here to witness his woman being joined with another guy} "Surgeon Yu Yan," someone called from behind her, she turned to see who it was but it turned out to be a nurse that she isn''t familiar with. "How can I help you?" she inquired. "There is someone in the reception who wants to see you," the nurse answered, Yu Yan creased her forehead hearing that. She wasn''t expecting anyone''s visit and she doesn''t think there is anyone who would visit her at her workplace except for her parents and the twins who are currently at school. "Who Is it?" "Hmmn-Your boyfriend," the nurse answered with a teasing smile, Yu Yan recognised that look that everyone has been given her ever since Han Chen was seen holding her hand. "My boyfriend?" she repeated to make sure she heard the right thing. "Yeah, the one who was holding your hand out of the hospital," the nurse replied, she was one of the nurses who had personally witnessed the scene, Yu Yan sighed and rolled her eyes, for a second, she thought Chen Kai was in the hospital. But then-no one knows he is her boyfriend. {Why is he here, wasn''t he frowning at me yesterday,} She somehow felt guilty remembering his frown and accusing gaze but she still couldn''t understand what she did wrong to make the atmosphere between them change. "Where is he?" "He is waiting for you at the reception," the nurse replied, Yu Yan nodded and started making her way to the reception but she stopped and turned with her finger pointing at the nurse and a threatening look in her eyes. "Firstly, he is not my boyfriend, I have said this too many times for it to not sink into your brains and secondly, you will not go around gossiping that he is here, would you?" she inclined her head to the side, demanding for an answer. The nurse gulped down her saliva and nodded her head, " Of course," "Of course..." "Of course, I wouldn''t go around telling anyone that your boyf...no your friend is here to see you," {Friend?} "Not friend, he is merely an acquaintance and nothing more,". the nurse nodded, indicating that she would use the appropriate term from now on but she could see that Yu Yan is denying something which she doesn''t want to admit. Watching her back, she couldn''t help but sigh. "Does who deny their feelings are really pitiful," she remarked --- She got to the reception and looked around for her supposed acquaintance, she found him facing the glass walls of the reception. {His back view is really attractive,} Like a reflex, she couldn''t stop her thoughts. "What am I thinking," she shook her head to remove the thought and walked up to him. "Hmmnhmmn-" He turned back to see her standing behind him, he styled his medium length hair to the back again. "What a pity, you looked better in the combed wave style--" {What did I just say?} She looked away awkwardly and shut her eyes tightly while he looked at her in shock, was she making a comment on his hairstyle? He smiled inwardly at the thought of it but he was still crossed knowing that she holds someone else dearly in her heart, the only person he wants her to think of and be excited for is him and him only. "What are you here for?" she quickly spoke before he mentions her comment, the tone she spoke to him in didn''t sound pleasant in his ears, the smile in his mind quickly faded away. "I just came to tell you that your car has been repaired, I parked it in the hospitals parking space, here," he handed a keychain to her. "This is the key," after she collected it, he turned around to leave. "Wai...." he had already gone out through the revolving door. "What exactly is wrong with him?" she questioned with a frustrated look on her face, before the running incident, they were always bickering, teasing, and speaking to in each other sometimes in a friendly manner but now he seems--too distant. {Was I already taking him as a friend?} She questioned herself. Chapter 198 - Appointment! "Young lady, are you here to make an appointment or to meet your appointment," a nurse at the reception asked with a broad smile on her face, she really admired and envied the beautiful woman in front of her. "I am here to attend my appointment with psychologist Lu," she answered "Please tell me what time your appointment with him is scheduled for," "Seven pm,". The nurse checked her wristwatch to confirm the time, she nodded affirmatively and directed Yu Yan to the direction of his office with her arm gestured at the door, Yu Yan thanked her and entered through the door, after passing by few offices, she knocked on the door which she recognised as his office since the last time she visited him for an appointment. "Come in,". she bent the knob, opening the door, as soon as she entered the office, she met with the pleasant smile of the psychologist who seems to have been solving a puzzle box. "It seems like I am interrupting your fun time," Yu Yan remarked as she took her seat in front of him without waiting for his permission. "Other people won''t call this a fun time seeing me trying to seriously solve this puzzle box, you are indeed different from others," the psychologist remarked, placing the puzzle box into his locker. "I will take your remark as a compliment," "I was about to retort that but I know that if I start retorting all your statements then we won''t be having a proper session today but a bickering session," he folded his hands on top of each other and placed his elbow on the desk. "I am glad you know that," "Then I supposed you want to start telling your experience now then I will tell you what I have made from my research," "I will start then, I didn''t have the dreams for some time then I suddenly started having them again, this time I dreamt of a little girl in a garden, she seemed to be playing with another girl but the garden suddenly was on fire and one of the girls went missing, the other girl kept calling out for her but she couldn''t find her then all of a sudden," she paused, remembering how terrified she was when she woke up from the dream, she felt the fear and anxiousness the girl felt when she was engulfed by the sea of voices. "She multiplied and her doppelgangers surrounded her, they were calling her a monster, they said she killed her sister" she stopped to breathe, their shouts and whispers made her find it hard to breathe, she fluttered her lashes in anxiousness, the dream was too vivid for her. "Did you see her kill her sister?" Mr Lu asked, seeing her reaction when narrating the dream, he could tell that the dream has seriously affected her mentally. "No, but I felt the guilt she felt, the fear, anxiousness and the urge to just-disappear," she ended her sentence, clutching her trouser. "You felt it-" "Yes, I am sure, since then, I have been having dreams in the same historical setting but not like the one I just told you about, the dreams just kept showing the girl that looks like my teenage self, she seemed to be in a cave with another girl, her appearance is still the same but unlike the other dreams I had before, she looked happy being with the other girl," she smiled when she ended her narration, Mr Lu narrowed his eyes at her, she was smiling and her eyes weren''t concentrated on him. {She really feels the emotions of the person in her dreams, this is not a usual case, I have seen people have nightmares about themselves and feel scared, even happiness, her dreams seem like every other dream where you imagine yourself in an impossible world that doesn''t exist but there is something wrong here, my research might not fit into her situation,} "Miss Yu Yan, people normally have dreams where they see themselves in impossible places and they also feel the emotions of the person in their dreams, what I need to know is- -do you feel the little girl and the teenage in your dream are your representation in your dreams," he focused his eyes on her to catch every one of her reaction, she pondered on his question, they look like her and everything about the young girl also looks like her childhood pictures which she checked after having the dream but they don''t feel like her. She has had dreams where she finds herself in strange places but not like this, these ones stay in her head, in her thought and even if she looks like she is normal, her dreams are still lingering in her mind. "No, Mr Lu, I know how normal nightmares and happy dreams feels but I feel like I am seeing somebody else''s life, they are definitely not me," she replied with deep and unshaken conviction, as a surgeon herself, she knows more or less about these things and when she decided to visit a psychologist she knew her dreams were not normal. "Based on my research I concluded that your nightmares must have been caused by past incidents which you may or may not have forgotten but these incidents are appearing n your dreams in other circumstances but now I doubt my research is correct," "Most psychologists don''t believe in a parallel universe but I do, I have an inch inside me that there is a parallel universe and you have a doppelganger in that universe," He stared into her face, waiting for her reaction but she just looked at him blankly. "Mr Lu, don''t you think your imaginations are too wide," she remarked with a smirk. "They might seem wild but they are not, I was once involved in parallel universe research, I joined as a psychologist amidst many scientists and physicists to explore humans contribution to the parallel universe but the research failed due to lack of budget and funding just when we were at the climax, we discovered a hole but we couldn''t show it to the world," his face showed genuine regret for not accomplishing that dream of his, even though he tried to forget about that research and lead his life as a normal psychologist, he still couldn''t help it. "If that is really your conclusion then I beg to differ, I don''t want to believe what you are saying not because I really don''t believe but I believe that this world has to be balanced, the existence of what you are speculating will only bring about imbalance, I would prefer to think I am dreaming of the past.....that sounds more plausible," the seriousness on her face showed her conviction, she wouldn''t allow anyone to mess with her view of this world and how it runs. "I understand you, I will continue making my research but If you need someone to talk to about your dreams then you can find me anytime, no one else will believe you," he spread out his arms, showing his willingness to help with a welcoming smile on his face. "I definitely will, but there is someone who will believe what I say," {Chen Kai} She stood up and nodded at him before leaving his office, he stood up from his seat after she left and walked to the door, staring at the glass space in the door, he watched her until she was out of sight. "Intriguing, I have never seen someone who managed to arouse the scientist in me, she will make a good experimental specimen" he smirked, pleased. - -- - - -- A black Toyota Land Cruiser Prado 150 parked on the side on the road and the person driving the car looked at the side mirror to confirm if the person he is waiting for is here, he was relieved to see him already coming towards the car. He pulled the doorknob and entered into the car with a frown on his face. "Boss, why do you look so gloomy?" Shi Fen asked "Many reasons, I realize the need to carefully plan my mission before plunging into it, this operation is not going to be easy, Shi Fen, I will need every help and encouragement I can get," he shook his head and sighed. Shi Fen "..." {What is he talking about,} "Boss, are you going on an operation, has your suspension been lifted?" he asked confusingly, Han Chen turned to him with a fed-up look on his face, he clicked his tongue and shook his head. "Don''t bother, your brain cannot comprehend what I am thinking right now," he turned back to the front of the car. "tch! even if you want me to bother, I wouldn''t," Shi Fen mumbled and eyes the guy seating beside him. "What did you say?" "Noth...oh! The major general has announced that he will only lift your suspension when he feels like and Chang Wei is going to take your position while you will get demoted after your suspension," "What! Is that senile old man crazy, I don''t even care about the suspension but demoting me...he has really gone too far," "Boss, calm down, actually, his reason has been justified, I was wondering why no one was talking about our heroic act but it appears that the military government ordered the video to be brought down even after it made the headlines, it didn''t manage to reach a lot of people before it was brought down," Chapter 199 - The Petitions! 1 "Then why aren''t you two getting punished? I did a heroic act. I should be rewarded not demoted" he felt the major general targeting him alone and using the incident as an excuse. "Have you forgotten that you belong to the special military force, we can''t just be in the media, in case our identity is leaked to the terrorist groups we fought off before, remember they are still on our tail and we didn''t get punished because the higher-ups said only you should be punished as our leader," "I am sure that senile old man pulled some strings to demote me, If I wasn''t keen on rising up in ranks with my own ability, I would have used my influence as the owner of Han Conglomerate," "Well, there is nothing we can do about it now, you just have to accept defeat," He clenched his fist tightly in anger. "Lets go," - - - - - - - - - The emperor''s study. He kept opening the petitions of the ministers and the petitions submitted by the sect leaders with furrowed brows, His hands were shaking in anger as he opened each of the petitions and closed them, he gritted his teeth while he read the contents of each petition. The head eunuch who was handing the petitions to him already saw from his reactions that trouble will soon come, he scrunched his face as he tried to read the content of the petitions but it is not his place to do so. "Those scums!" he thundered and flung the petition he was holding towards one of the flower vase, causing it to fall and shatter. "Please ease your anger," the head eunuch quickly entreated, he wouldn''t want to have another sword pointed at him. "Those so-called sects are trying to undermine my power, how dare they send petitions when I have already given my order!" he swiped all the things on the table to the ground including the remaining petitions he hasn''t opened. "Your majesty..." "They have divided my court into two even though I tried to keep it as one, Huo Jingyu! this is all your fault," he slammed his hands on the table and clenched his fist tightly, he needed something to destroy to vent his anger, his eyes caught the shadow of one of the maids waiting on him outside the door, he saw a slight curve of her lips. "How dare you laugh at me?" he stood up from his seat and grabbed his golden sword, he marched angrily towards the door. Eunuch "..." "Your majesty!" seeing the sword in his hand, the head eunuch knew that emperor is up to no good, he quickly rushed after him, the emperor pushed open the door with much force, startling the maids outside the door, seeing the sword in his hand they all started trembling especially when he is glaring at them. Gasp! Blood dripped from his sword while he tightly clutched it to the side, a lifeless body dropped the ground. Arrrggghhhh!!!!! They all started screaming with their entire bodies shaking, one of them has just gotten killed for no reason, they were originally gossiping about some of the eunuchs before his arrival and that was when the emperor saw the curve on the shadow''s lips. "Your majesty!" the eunuch called, he was flabbergasted at the sight of the young lady''s body with a large cut from her chest to her stomach. "You were all laughing at me, am I so funny to you," the girls nodded their head but he raised his sword again and slashed another maid''s neck, her body immediately dropped to the ground while blood seeped out of the cut. The remaining maids fell on their knees but his anger still wasn''t appeased, he raised his sword again but his hand was held by a soft hand, he recognised the touch so he turned to the woman standing by his side. "My consort..." The woman standing in front the emperor''s study with her hand on his sword widened her eyes at the sight of blood and two dead bodies on the floor, she watched him slowly drop the sword to the ground and regain his composure. "Your majesty...what is going on," she was terrified seeing the blood on his face, the maids were thankful for her intervention otherwise their dead bodies would have dropped to the ground, they all heaved a sigh of relief, after all, the only woman left in the palace who has his favour is the imperial consort. "Eunuch, clean up the bodies," he instructed and entered back into the room, she let out the breath she had been holding and followed him into the room while her maidservants waited outside the door, the emperor retired to his seat in front of his desk and placed his arm on the table. "Why, do you think I am cruel and evil?" "I would not dare think so but your majesty seems to have been angered, may I ask why your majesty was angered to point of killing your maidservants," her gentle voice and mannerisms soothed his mind, her voice always makes him feel calm-strangely. The emperor signalled her to come closer to him which she obeyed, she took her seat next to him on the large seat with her hands folded on her navel, her dove-like eyes made her look delicate and gentle without greed or contempt, the main reason why he favours her. "All my ministers and the sect leaders submitted petitions this morning, some were against my decree to allow Huo Jungyi to be with her daughter for a day while the others were agreeing to my decree," He clenched his fist tightly and pursed his lips, she placed her hand on his arm while she pondered on what he had said. "Huo Jingyu, Huo Jingyu, I think I have heard that name before...isn''t she the sect madam of the flame sect?" the imperial consort inquired with a quizzical look on her face while she faced him. "This is why you are the only one I trust in the harem, you don''t know too much and you don''t have greed for power, Huo Jingyu is indeed the sect madam of the flame sect," the emperor answered with his hands patting her hand on his arm. "I did hear that your majesty allowed the sect madam of the flame sect to see her daughter but I didn''t know her name, I should be ashamed for not knowing these things as your consort, how am I supposed to assist you?" she lowered her eyes in guilt, softening the emperor''s heart, he squeezed her hand. "You don''t have to blame yourself, all I need is your presence," she raised her eyes and met with his doting gaze, her lips widened into a smile. "Then is your majesty angry because the ministers are petitioning against your decree or because the court is divided with different opinions on this matter?" "I personally didn''t want to make the decree but I will lose face if I don''t, the ministers and sect leaders who are against the decree must have been instructed by Lin Yuanlang which means he already wields some power in my court, he must have gathered the other sect leaders and instructed them to petition against the decree while the ones who are for the decree must have been instructed by the prime minister, that sly old man," "It seems to be that your majesty really wants to allow Huo Jingyu to be with her daughter for a day but why does it seem like you are angry with the prime minister," the woman had a confused look on her face, for her, it is really hard to understand the matters of the court. "My consort, you don''t know what is going on in the court so it is natural that you don''t know what it means for the prime minister to support the flame sect, the prime minister would never meddle with this if he had nothing to gain from it, it can only mean that he wishes to join hands with the flame sect,". She stood up from the seat and walked to the front of the table, taking each step carefully. {The prime minister....} "The prime minister appears to be an eyesore in the court for you, with his current power in the court, if he joins hand with the flame sect, the result won''t be good for you," she turned to face the emperor. "The strength of the flame sect is not yet known but they are still to be feared- for now,". The emperor stood up from his seat and walked to where she is now standing. "You are right my consort, therefore, I must do something about this, I can''t take back the decree- I certainly can''t but I need to find a way to make both parties enemies even before they become partners, if the flame sect comes out with the same strength as before they will once again earn the people''s respect and with the prime minister as their partner, they will have authority in the court," the troubled look on the face was now clear, he sighed deeply and turned his back on her with his arm arched at his waist. "The prime minister has never interfered with the Wulin sects, now that he is petitioning on behalf of the flame sect it seems like you are correct but the flame sect and the prime minister doesn''t have any past grievance," she narrowed her gaze in search of a solution, after some seconds. her lips tilted into a satisfied smile. "I do know of a way to grant your majesty''s wish..." "What way?" he hurriedly turned to face her. "Before I speak of it, I hope your majesty won''t think of me a vile woman, my suggestion might sound too vile but I am thinking for your majesty''s sake," she raised her gaze to look him in the eye. Chapter 200 - The Petitions! 2 "What way?" he hurriedly turned to face her. "Before I speak of it, I hope your majesty won''t think of me a vile woman, my suggestion might sound too vile but I am thinking for your majesty''s sake," she raised her gaze to look him in the eye. "The best way to sow enmity between both parties is for one to kill the other..." "One to kill the other..." "If your majesty sends some soldiers to assassinate the flame sect second young mistress on her way to the flame sect and disguise them as the private soldiers in the prime minister''s manor, whether or not the assassination fails, the relationship between both parties will be impossible to achieve," She smiled faintly after concluding her suggestion but the smile showed just how reluctant and repentant she felt to have given him such advice but for her, that is the only way she can think of to make sure both parties never see eye to eye. "That is really wise, if the assassination is successful then the flame sect will lose a source of power but whether it fails or not, the flame sect will still get rid of the prime minister, really wise....but my consort, you have always been gentle and good-hearted, it seems like it has taken you lots of effort to bring up this idea, I blame myself..." the emperor lowered his gaze on her with an apologetic look on his face. "There is no need to, your majesty, I am just a woman from a middle-classed family but you helped me maintain my position in the harem by your favour, I should be grateful for your grace," her humble and gentle dove eyes managed to affect him again. "You are really the only one in my harem who thinks for me, if there is anything you need please don''t hesitate to inform me," "Your majesty grace is enough..." - - - - - - - A woman in long black apparel and a red cape flowing from her back to the ground was sitting on a throne-like seat, even larger than the emperor''s seat, she fiddled with her metal claws with her lips slanted into a sinister tilt. Blood! she needed to taste blood. A young man in all-black clothing walked into the room, others would shudder at the sight of the woman but he doesn''t need to, he has spent his whole life with this woman after all (It has been a while since I referred to the blood moon sect, you can find it in chapter 118 if you need a reminder). "Master," he greeted with a bow with his hands cupped together and pushed out in front of him, his face was filled with reverence for this woman, a very dangerous woman. "Have you made all the arrangements I asked you to make?" she asked without glancing at his face, she ran her claws over red crimson red lips. "Yes master, I have made sure all our disciples are well trained and ready for your plans, I have also sent for the left and right blood moon demons, they will be here by tomorrow," the young man answered. "Tomorrow..." she rolled her eyes and turned to him with an evil gaze which he could see from the eye hole in the mask. "Don''t you think that is too long, you as my dear disciple should know I am not patient, it seems like my laziness has made my left and right demons to forget how much I hate waiting," she placed her elbow on the armrest of her throne and pointed her claws at him. "Send a message to them, If they are not here by the end of today, tell them to consider themselves dead," "Understood master!" "Come up here," he raised his head to confirm her intentions when he saw the red glint in her eyes, he confirmed her reason for calling him up, he ascended the stairs leading to her throne and knelt on one knee before her. She bent her head to sniff his neck and inhaled the sweet scent of his blood, her fangs grew out with the tip pointed and sharp. He felt the cold shrill move up his body but this is his duty, something he cannot refuse as long as his master wants it. "I have drunk so many blood but none are still able to match the scent and taste of your blood my dear disciple, if not for my unwillingness to see you die, I fear I would have drunk every pint of blood in your body to the last," "If master so wishes then my life is yours," "You never fail to disappoint me..." she removed her fangs away from his neck and raised her head with a pleased smile, she gestured him to stand up while he obediently did as she commanded. "Go, get me some humans, I want them young and pretty....Just like you," her voice emitting hunger, and evilness. "But master..." she swiftly glared at him with a deep red glint in her eyes, the word ''but'' is something he never utters and she has never entertained it either. "You commanded us to not capture anyone so as not to make the Wulin sect remember us for a while, what is the reason behind your sudden change of mind," he feared she would misunderstand him so he tried to make himself sound as submissive as possible. "My dear disciple, have you forgotten the divination I had sometimes ago, If the Jianghu world is changing then it can only mean it is time for me to show myself again, this time I must make sure I totally bring down the sects and also all the empires, they must all belong to me," she turned to him with a tilt on her crimson red lips. "Then...." "Do as I have ordered, Oh! I also have another task for you, It appears that my dear senior brother who has reincarnated into a girl will be leaving the wind sect, we must take this chance to get her back, this time, I will take back the power and change him to his original form," the happiness and delight she felt could be seen on her half-covered face, finally, she has a chance to fulfil her long time obsession. "How would master like me to carry out this task?" "Take some disciples....no take many of them and go down the mountain, we will also be having other helpers so all you have to do is bring back the second young mistress of the flame sect--no---my dear old lover, bring him back to where he belongs," she fondled with her metal claws at the latter end of her sentence in delight just thinking of having him by her side again. "I will do as master has ordered," "Remember, I will entertain no failure" "Understood," he kowtowed and descended the stairs to leave the room. "Huo Yanjing, I will bring you back very soon---just wait," - - - - - - In the flame sect. A young lady with a battered body and tattered cloth stood in the middle of countless demons with her sword by her side, strands of hair that have escaped her rough ponytail now hovered in front of her face, with cuts on every part of her body and blood seeping out of them, the blisters on her lips made her thirst for water and her lips have already turned pale white. Her chest moved up and down as she tried to catch her breath, she turned her sword to the sharp side and held it against the demons now surrounding her, some had bodies while other existed in the form of spirits but they were all her enemy. She only has one more day to leave the pagoda alive and sane, she is exhausted--too exhausted, she has lost count of how many demons she has battled and killed from the first level of the pagoda to the thirteenth which she is now standing in but the thirteenth being the most difficult to pass through has held her in there for a week now, while she battled the demons non-stop. She weaved her sword against them but ended up falling on her knees, she couldn''t take it anymore, the urge to just drop to the ground and surrender to her inner demons ran through her mind and body but the image of her master painstakingly training her and channelling her spiritual power into her body every day for as many years as she has lived kept her going but now....blackout. - - - - "Child," a gentle and heartwarming voice called softly while the figure placed her hand on her shoulder, she could feel the gentle touch on her shoulder, she slowly opened her eyes with much effort while her long lashes fluttered. "W-who are y-you?" she mumbled, the woman in front of her looked really beautiful and she has really long hair just like hers, the woman placed her hand on her cheek. "I am your mother," she answered "My mother..." "Huo Li, you have to stand up and be strong, your master, friends and disciples are all waiting for you," the woman entreated, caressing her face. "I-I want to stand up but I can''t," "You can, think about the people you love who you have always wanted to protect and you will find the strength," the woman removed her hand from her cheek and disappeared. ------ The demons gathered around her and were about to stick their hand into her body but she opened her eyes at that moment she widened her eyes seeing that they are almost devouring her, she quickly raised her sword and blocked them, then she stood up on her feet. "I will never let you win," her face was filled with confidence, determination and the urge to fight. Chapter 201 - Introduction! "I will never let you win," her face was filled with confidence, determination and the urge to fight. They surrounded her and started attacking her in groups, she felt a surging flow of energy running through her veins at that moment, the thrill she has always wanted to get by fighting and sparring others is something she is now feeling with a tilt on her lips, she raised her sword and twirled it in her hand, the sword rotated very fast in her hand then she started her fight. With swift strokes, she slashed the army of demons in the thirteenth level of the pagoda with every step she took, she kept pushing forward with much strength in each of her strikes, she was now confident that she will be able to make it out of the pagoda tomorrow which is her last chance of remaining sane and alive. Meanwhile, everyone in the sect was feeling disturbed and worried about her, many of them gathered in front of the pagoda while they waited for her to come out of the pagoda, her one-month deadline will be ending tomorrow and she still hasn''t come out of the pagoda, her master was now regretting ever sending her into the pagoda. They rubbed their fingers together with anxious faces on their faces, Bingchen who has been researching in the sect library for ways to help her leave the pagoda without having to fight her way out didn''t make any discovery so he joined them in waiting outside. "Huo Li..." Huo Ying muttered, she licked her lips and balled her fist tightly, they wanted to hear something at least sounds of combat coming from the pagoda then they will at least know she is already in the thirteenth pagoda and close to leaving. "Is she going to make it?" Huo Lian questioned rhetorically staring at the top of the pagoda. "No one can say for sure, we just have to wait but she always keeps her promises so she will definitely honour this one too," Huo Mei answered, being the most matured minded person in the sect, she found the need to reassure everyone. The sect is preparing for a lot of things now and Huo Li being in the pagoda is only making them focused on her until she comes out of the pagoda, it doesn''t seem like anyone is going to leave. They all glanced at the sect madam who felt their stare but didn''t want to look back, the guilt in her heart was already eating her up and if she doesn''t see Huo Li out by the next morning, she has already made up her mind to enter the pagoda. "I can imagine how bad she feels right now?" Huo Qiang remarked, although they blamed her for ruthlessly sentencing the girl to the pagoda, they still realized that it is all for her sake after then, after all, she gets a chance to prevent herself from becoming an insane killer. "She really sees Huo Li as her own child, she will not be able to stay here knowing that she sent the child of her close friend to her death," Huo Ying added. looking at her mother. "You are right, I really hope she comes out in time," Bingchen added, the four of them turned to him with a surprised look on their faces, they found it strange that he keeps reading books about the pagoda probably for her sake and now he is actually worried about her----what happened to the selfish jerk? Sigh!!!!! "Sect madam!" the three elders called as they walked hurriedly towards where the sect madam is standing, the looked on their faces showed that they had good news to report, Hopefully, cause another bad news on top of Huo Li''s matter will not be very good. "What is it?" The woman answered with her hand folded on her navel, the elders handed her a scroll with smiles on their faces. "His majesty has refused to retract his decree so the second young mistress will be coming back to the sect for a day after all," the third elder disclosed, a faint smile appeared on all their faces hearing the good news. They were informed about some ministers and sect leaders petitioning against the emperor''s decree and calling the second young mistress a danger to the world, the sect madam heaved a sigh of relief hearing the good news then she read the content of the scroll. "What does it say, mother?" Huo Ying asked "Your sister will be escorted to the sect with some of the wind sect disciples following her in two days," her mother smiled in happiness, the mere thought of seeing what her daughter looks like after eleven years and holding her once again made her overjoyed but if only Huo Li would be there to share the happiness. - - - - - - - - "How is he doing?" Madan Ju asked, sitting beside the fourth prince on the majestic bed with Meixiang standing behind her, the fourth prince, as usual, was in a black thin robe and his hair lying straight on the bed. A few days ago, he still had his saint appearance, his hair had turned into a snow-white colour and his eyeball changed into an ocean blue colour, his head was adorned with a white crown surrounding his forehead with big blue stones on it and his lips colour changed into a blood-red colour. His entire body was emitting coldness making the entire room freezing but after some days he recovered and his appearance changed back to normal, which made it convenient for her to bring Meixiang along with her. "He has improved but I am still worried about him, he still hasn''t woken up," Xiaodi answered, looking worried. "Let me feel his pulse," she placed two fingers on his wrist to feel his pulse then she sighed. "What is it?" Xiaodi and Xi Feng chorused "His highness his fine but there is still a small amount of poison inside his body, it will not kill him but he still needs to be careful in the future," she answered with a reassuring look on her face. Cough, Cough!! They turned to him hearing the sound of him coughing... "Your highness!" they all chorused except for Meixiang who felt like an outsider watching them, seeing him awake, she found him really attractive--enough to steal the heart of every woman but she didn''t see him like someone she would want to have as her man, she felt elated knowing that this man would be her master. "I am really sorry to have bothered you to make the journey to the pavilion," the fourth prince apologised, gathering his strength to sit up on the bed. "I am always at your service, are you feeling better, Your highness,?" she questioned with a motherly expression on her face, if he didn''t have the imperial consort as a mother figure, he would have certainly taken her as one, not as a friend. "I am feeling much better thanks to you, I guess you must have used that method I told you of before to save me," "It is all due to your highness''s wisdom, all I did was make use of it," she bowed her head in reverence, Meixiang was quite surprised watching the whole scene, never has she seen her master bow to anyone or speak in this manner to anyone but this fourth prince who is half her age has managed to make her his underling. Really impressive! "Master, you really scared me, I thought you were going to die and leave me all alone," Xiaodi complained, wrapping her arms around him with tears of joy running down her cheek, Madam Ju covered her mouth slightly with a handkerchief in her hand while she chuckled at her childishness, Xi Feng couldn''t laugh at her since he also felt the same way. "Don''t be silly," he patted her arm, then she unwrapped her hand and wiped the tears on her face, it was then that he noticed Meixiang standing behind Madam Ju, seeing that he has finally noticed her, she decided to introduce Meixiang to him. "This is...." "I don''t think there is any need to introduce her to me, she is the premium entertainer of Ruyi pavilion," the fourth prince interjected, although he didn''t look displeased at the sight of her, his tone said it all. "Indeed, she was rude to you the other day, I hope your highness will forgive her impudence," "Why have you brought her to the pavilion?" he knew that Madam Ju would never bring her with her unless she has a very good reason for that which he assumes must be very important judging from the fact that no one knows his identity and now the young lady probably knows who he is. "Your highness, Meixiang is my disciple and I have told her everything she n.e.e.d.s. t.o. k.n.o.w, from now on, she would also serve you," Madam Ju answered, she needed him to know that she didn''t tell her too much. "You trust her that much?" "Master, she was the one who helped us to escape from the Ruyi pavilion by laying down her reputation," Xi Feng defended, although, he didn''t like the attitude she gave them the first time they met, the fact that she saved them is enough to atone for her rudeness. "How so?" "She exposed the cut on her arm to cover up for the bloodstains on the ground, this is something that might affect her position as the premium entertainer of the brothel," Madam Ju answered, Meixiang just kept her head bowed while they discuss her fate. Chapter 202 - I Like It! "How so?" "She exposed the cut on her hand to cover up for the bloodstains on the ground, this is something that might affect her position as the premium entertainer of the brothel," Madam Ju answered, Meixiang just kept her head bowed while they discuss her fate. The fourth prince glanced at her with a scrutinizing gaze, then he smiled faintly at her. "It seems like your character always changes according to the situation, that kind of dynamic personality...I like it,", the young lady raised her head in surprise, she didn''t know whether to take it as a compliment or not but it sounded more like a compliment so she decided to take it as it is. "If Madam Ju has chosen her then I trust your judgement, Do you have any news for me?" from the look on her face, he could tell that she definitely has something else to tell him. "Your highness is indeed wise, there is nothing much to report, some of the ministers and the sect alliance were petitioning against the emperor''s decree to let the second young mistress of the flame sect return to her sect for a day but the issue has been taken care of," "The emperor''s birthday is just some months away, I will be returning to the capital on that day, I would love to bring you along with me but it will raise suspicions so you can choose to abandon the Ruyi pavilion here and start over in the capital or you can stay here, I will not force you," "I will be wherever your highness is, by the way, what do we do about Wei Xianlu and Miss Rufei, it seems like they are both close but we can''t let them off after what they caused but I wonder why your highness went through such pain just to save them?" she couldn''t hold her curiosity since she has been wondering about that ever since the incident. "She...she once saved me when I was still in the palace, so all I did is return the favour," "Should I make this report to the emperor? if we tell him about Wei Xianlu defying his order then he will have another reason to punish him," Madam Ju suggested while the others nodded in agreement. "Wei Xianlu, I have no use for him and the prime minister is only a stumbling block, make the report to the emperor and make use of the emperor''s tally," he ordered, his plan to rebuild the Ice clan and make it stronger than any kingdom cannot be foiled by any power greedy person, so getting the prime minister out of his way is just by the way for him. "I will do as you have instructed," she stood up from the side of the bed and bowed her head following Meixaing then they left the pavilion. The fourth prince pinched his glabella in thoughts, he needed to make his plan for his life in the capital once he returns, knowing that his presence might trigger the fight for the throne and he also has to make preparations for what he is going to do when his father finds out about his future plans and turns against him. - - - - - - - - The elder and the sect leader were seated in the meeting hall with Lin Bohai and Meng Hui and other important disciples standing at the corners of the hall. "If his majesty has rejected our petition then we have no choice but to send her to the flame sect," the first elder suggested. "We can''t, if she tells them about the torture we give her every year, it will not be good for us, we have to find a way to keep it a secret from them," Meng Hui added in disagreement with her father, they were all in deep thoughts, trying to figure out a solution since disobeying the emperor''s decree would be an act of treason. "The only way we can do that is to make sure she doesn''t talk about it, therefore, we have to threaten her," she continued, she glanced at Bohai to see what his reaction would be but seeing that he didn''t flinch she assumed he doesn''t mind threatening her. "If we tell her that there might be another war because of her, she might not disclose the secret," the second elder suggested. "I agree with the second elder,", Bohai remarked, even though he has feelings for her, he still can''t allow her to rat them out. "Then we will do it that way, Feng Shui," he turned to the disciple who immediately bowed his head. "You will lead the some disciples selected by Bohai to escort her to the flame sect, make sure you ensure her utmost safety, if anything happens to her during this journey, the wind sect will be blamed," the sect leader ordered. "Understood," Lin Bohai wanted to argue, he needed to be the one to escort her back to her sect but knowing what would happen if he does, he decided to keep quiet. "Meng Hui, ensure she is well-groomed along with her attendant, just ensure she doesn''t look like someone who has been living in a cave," he further instructed. "I will do as you have ordered" Meng Hui answered, she didn''t like that she would have to take care of the witch but she has no choice at this point, she was just satisfied that Bohai didn''t intercede on the girl''s behalf. She and some of the female disciples entered the cave to bring her out, they were quite panicky seeing the condition of the cave which they assumed was caused by her frequent outburst whenever they try to dispel her power. They had already entered deep into the cave when Su Ci spotted them, she feared that they were here to torture her young mistress so she quickly obstructed their way. "Move," Meng Hui ordered in a cold manner "Who are you?" Su Ci questioned, with a defiant look in her eyes, she seemed like she was going to fight them at any minute but considering that the girl hasn''t received any formal training, they all scoffed at her boldness. "tch. I am the daughter of the first elder and I am here to take your young mistress," Meng Hui reluctantly answered with a demeaning look in her eyes. "Where are you taking her to?" "You will know soon enough," she eyes the girl and pushed her away then they walked past her, the way lead them to an open lake behind the cave, Huo Lan had her hair down and she was washing her face in the lake, the young girl smiled with her head bent backwards, giving them a beautiful and innocent side view of her face. "She looks beautiful..." one of the female disciples remarked with her mind spaced out as she stared at the girl bending down by the side of the lake, Meng Hui glared at the girl and clenched her fist, she has never seen the girl before but judging from the description she has heard, the girl is supposed to look ugly. {He might have seen her...is that why he likes her} "Su..." she stopped when she saw them standing behind her, she looked at them with fear in her eyes and her body had already started trembling, now looking at her from the front view, she does look abnormal, her red eyeball and blood-red lips make her look like a blood-sucking creature, even her deep red hair made it even more obvious. "W-who are you?" "You are going back to the flame sect," Meng Hui disclosed, looking at the girl with a clear irritated look in her eyes, she just didn''t want to beat around the bush. "What! we are going back to the flame sect?" Su Ci exclaimed while Huo Lan stood frozen at the same spot she stood with a blank expression on her face, she couldn''t believe it. "I will not repeat myself, I have been ordered to take you out to groom yourself and you will be given your own room to stay, you will be leaving the wind sect in the next two days and you will return the next day," she really hates to explain all these to someone she dislikes but she doesn''t have a choice since throwing a fit would not be the best option for her after picking up a fight with Huo Ying. "Huo Lan!" Su Ci screamed in excitement and ran to hug her, the both of them hugged each other tightly, even if they only have one hour to be in the flame sect, they still wouldn''t mind it, tears of happiness welled out of their eyes. "We will be leaving now," she turned around and left without giving them the chance to continue rejoicing, both of them hurriedly followed after her. After giving them a fresh bath, they changed into a new set of clothing and changed their updo into a neat and beautiful one, the both of them stared into the mirror in speechlessness, the disciples who were in charge of assisting them were quite terrified being with her, they couldn''t help the thought of being roasted if they make the mistake of messing with the gloves on her hand. Her red eyes terrified them but whenever she smiles, it reduced the awareness they felt in their heart. Meng Hui entered the room when they were done with grooming them, she hatefully glanced at the both of them, she already hated that Huo Ying looks beautiful more than she is but her twin is even more beautiful compared to her even though they look exactly the same way, the identical face reminded her of Huo Ying flirting with Bohai. Chapter 203 - Trauma Case! 1 "You must be very happy that you will be seeing your family very soon but I will warn you, a little slip of your tongue might start another war and this time, your family might be destroyed so if you want to preserve the peace, I advise you not to tell them about the torture," Meng Hui warned with an evil smile on her lips, Huo Lan avoided her gaze, she didn''t like the look the girl kept giving her, it makes her feel afraid and insecure. Su Ci scoffed and walked closer to her, "Are you threatening us right now, I guess you must be very afraid of my sect influence,", she raised the corner of her lips showing how confident and unmoved she is by her threat. "You can interpret it however you want to but you had better remember what sacrifice you had to make for the last battle, I am sure you won''t want the next sacrifice to be your lives, you know what to do to make sure that doesn''t happen," she inclined her head towards her shoulder, cueing her to give her answer. "I will do as you say," Su Ci replied in a conceding tone, Meng Hui scoffed and left the room, seeing how submissive she was in the end satisfied her and the look on Huo Lan''s face....she has power but she is such a dimwit. - - - - - - - - - Back to the modern world. As usual, the busy emergency department was having all the resident surgeons and other staffs on the move, Yu Yan placed her stethoscope on a girl''s chest and closed her eyes to hear the sound clearly, she took it off and frowned deeply, the girl''s heartbeat seemed too fast. She had an alarmed look on her face as she turned to the patient''s guardian who is standing beside her. "How long has she had such a rapid heartbeat?" Yu Yan questioned "She has been like this for a week now, we went to a doctor before but he prescribed a medication to help strengthen her heart contractions but the medication didn''t help much, her condition improved but it went back to being like this," the woman replied with a worried look on her face, from their resemblance, she could see that they are mother and daughter. She placed her hand on her forehead seeing the sweat on her head, she realized that the girl''s temperature is also high, she pressed the girl''s hand but the girl screamed in pain, attracting the attention of the other doctors who turned back to their work. "It''s alright," she said, patting her hair. She opened her sleeve, noticing the red spots on her arm. "Do you feel weak or tired most times?" Yu Yan asked, the girl nodded in answer to her question. "Has she unintendedly lost weight recently?" "Yes, doctor, she has lost 15kg in two weeks," the mother answered, anxiously, she glanced at the girl and then at the mother then she nodded and walked away. She knocked on the door as soon as she got to the team leader''s office, after getting the signal to enter, she entered the office. "I think we have a leukaemia patient, a sixteen years old girl, she has red spots on her arm, rapid heartbeat, weakness and fatigue and she has lost 15kg in just two weeks unintentionally," Yu Yan reported. "Well...we can''t know for sure until we conduct the test, request for CBC and a Reticulocyte test, Bone marrow biopsy and a CT scan will also be needed,". she quickly exited the office to carry out the instructions. She met Nurse Song on her way to the emergency department, she sighed in relief seeing someone to share her burden. "Nurse Song," "Yes, surgeon Yu Yan," "I would like you to go to the radiology department to request for a CT scan, a bone marrow biopsy, a CBC test and a Reticulocyte test for the patient on bed 11 in the emergency department, asap please," "Alright," they both went their different ways, Yu Yan went to attend to another patient but before she could start treating the patient, an alarm sounded, she looked in the direction of the reception, a nurse was holding the telephone to her ear. "There is a trauma case coming in, in five minutes, a train collided with a car, causing five cars and other passerby''s involved in the accident, there are two dozens, victims, three are dead and the other 21 victims are coming in soon," the nurse announced, all the resident doctors and other doctors on call lined up in front of the hospital entrance while they changed into a blue gown and cap. Everyone was nervous, a trauma case means no going home if the goes out of control and complete confusion in the ER, the chances of making mistakes while panicking are also very high, they soon began hearing the sirens coming from the ambulances transporting the victims of the accident to the hospital. "15 years old girl, impact to the head causing excess bleeding, blood pressure and heart rate are low needs immediate treatment," "55 years old man, his leg was ruptured by the door and his femur has been crushed, he has lost lots of blood," "impact to the..." "excessive bleeding...." "Crushed hand, excessive bleeding needs immediate....." "Jackson, Bo Na and Ju Shui, you will take the next incoming patients, three of you should handle these patients," A senior surgeon instructed, she assigned the victims to each doctor as they entered though the revolving door, the entire hospital was in chaos and the wailing and cries of the victims resounded throughout the ER department. Yu Yan watched as they were wheeled into the hospital, the tears and blood filing the whole place made her chest feel stuffy, she just stood rooted to one point, the wailing and shouts were all she could hear, she was now finding it hard to breathe, the same thing happened last year when there was a similar trauma case, she placed her hand on her chest and tried to regulate her breathing but the instruction the senior surgeons were given to the lower ones were filling her ears, all the sound mixed together!!!! she held her head with both hands and shut her eyes. "Han Chen, Han Chen!!!" "Student you have to stay back," a doctor warned "No, please save him, please save him," tears welled down her face and her uniform covered in blood. "Nurse hold her back," They held her hand to stop her from entering the operating room, but she kept struggling... "Please..." Gasp!!! "Student!!" "Her airway has been punctured, she can''t breathe," "Quick transfer her to the...." Blackout! ------- "Yu Yan, Yu Yan!" Mrs Nanjing called, she felt like she was being consumed by the voices she is hearing "Yu Yan, get a grip on yourself," she shouted, while shaking her body, she opened her eyes and let out a sigh of relief seeing her team leader in front of her, the voices she heard, the sounds, she heard them before then the last time they had a trauma case. Are the voices real?! "Han Chen...." she mumbled "Did you just say, ''Han Chen''" she questioned but there is no time to waste. "Yu Yan!" "Hmmn..." she quickly got on the move after regaining her sense but the name still didn''t disappear from her head, now that she remembers, she didn''t know who Han Chen was the last time but now that she knows who he is, why is she calling him and it sounded like there were in a hospital and... "34 years old female, blunt trauma to the abdomen, internal bleeding needs to be checked and...." "I will take the patient," Yu Yan said then she and the paramedic staff wheeled the patient to the ER and secured a bed, she applied pressure to her left abdomen and the left side of her chest wall but the woman screamed in pain, she gently pressed it again, she noticed that the side of her left abdomen is tender. "I need an ultrasound scan and a CT scan of this patient," she instructed, a nurse nearby hurriedly inform the radiology department of her orders then she moved on to another patient while she hasn''t gotten the CT scan result yet. "Where do you feel pain?" "On my stomach," the teenage girl replied, she raised her top and examined her belly. she was relieved to see only a slight cut that didn''t seem to have penetrated her organs, she applied pressure to other areas to ensure there is no internal bleeding caused by blunt trauma. "Are you feeling pain here?" "No," "Good, I will call a nurse to suture your wound," She looked around for an available one and soon found one. "Nurse Yi," "I need you to suture her wound," she went on to another patient but she hadn''t gotten to the patient when someone called her name, she turned around to see Nurse Song returning with some file in her hand. "The test result for the girl you ordered earlier,". Yu Yan collected the papers and flipped them. "Haemoglobin and reticulocyte count is low and the bone marrow test shows the presence of PH chromosome," Chapter 204 - Trauma Case! 2 "The test result for the girl you ordered earlier,". Yu Yan collected the papers and flipped them. "Haemoglobin and reticulocyte count is low and the bone marrow test shows the presence of PH chromosome," She handed the papers to Nurse Song with a downcast expression on her face, she hoped her diagnosis is wrong but everything was pointing to the condition she suspects. "Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia---all the results are pointing towards that direction," she sighed and turned to nurse Song. "Send the result to the team leader after the trauma cases are resolved and tell the mother to have a rest, it seems like she will have to here for a while and look after the girl, we never know when something might happen," "I understand," "Surgeon Yu Yan, the test results are here," Nurse Yi returned with the tests she ordered earlier before Nurse Song appearance, she collected the scan result and ultrasound scan result from her, she looked back at the lady who seemed who be groaning in pain then she turned back to the scans. "She feels pain the left side of her chest wall and abdomen, the scans shows that her spleen is ruptured but it doesn''t look like it is beyond repair, it seems like it has caused hypovolemia, if we don''t act fast, she might go into shock," she handed the results back to the nurse. "Nurse Song, prepare OR 2 for surgery and Nurse Yi, look for her guardian and inform them that she will be undergoing a spleen repair surgery and ask them for relevant information..." Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep!!! She turned around only to see the lady shaking on the bed and the machine beeping, her eyes widened seeing the straight line on the machine, she quickly dashed to the side of the bed. "She is going into shock!" she climbed on top of the bed and intertwined her fingers then she placed them on the lady''s chest and started pressing hard on it. "Nurse Yi, quick! look for her guardian or get their contact," she instructed, mustering her strength to give the lady a CPR, most of the bystanders in the ER fixed their attention on her, she glanced at the heart monitor as she continued pressing on the woman''s chest. "She is not coming up," Nurse Song immediately took the initiative to wear an oxygen mask for the patient. She continued pressing on her chest and praying inwardly that the patient would respond, after two minutes, the machine started beeping again, she turned to the machine and turned to the patient again. Gasp! The patient finally started breathing again, Yu Yan came down from the bed and placed her hands on her waist with her eyes fixed on the patient. "Blood flow to her brain has been decreased she needs an immediate blood transfusion, where is Nurse Yi," she looked around in frustration, then she saw Nurse Yi running towards her while Nurse Song changed the drip into a blood bag. "The paramedics have not been able to contact any of her family members so there is no guardian to give their permission," Nurse Yi informed with a distressed look on her face, now that there is no guardian and the patient is in no condition to give permission to surgery herself, there is now a complication on whether they should carry on with the surgery or not. "The patient''s condition is serious, if she doesn''t enter the operating room in thirty minutes, she might go into another cardiac shock and we wouldn''t want that happening, if her guardian isn''t here and cannot be contacted then I will have to perform the surgery without permission," her decision had the nurses'' eyes widened, if there is any complication during the surgery then she might be sued. "Surgeon Yu Yan, you can''t do that, if there is any problem..." "I know what you want to say but her life is more important," she argued even before she could finish her statement. "Why don''t we ask the team leader first, if anything happens then it won''t be completely your fault since you asked for permission," Nurse Yi suggested. "Alright, look after the patient Nurse Yi and Nurse Song, Inform the patient of the teenage girl I diagnosed with leukaemia about the situation so she doesn''t panic," she nodded her head and started looking for her team leader, even if her team leader doesn''t agree, in her mind, she had already made up her mind to perform the surgery. She soon sighted her team leader trying to stop a patient from bleeding, she quickly hurried to her side. "Team leader," she called but her team leader heaved a sigh of relief as soon as she saw her. "Thank God, Yu Yan quickly grab the gauze and help me apply pressure to his abdomen, I need to stop the bleeding on his thigh," she instructed, Yu Yan did as she asked while the team leader moved to the patient''s thigh. "Team leader, there is a patient with a ruptured spleen, I need to carry out a spleen repair surgery but her guardians cannot be reached and the patient is in no condition to give her permission to the surgery," she narrated while applying pressure to the wound but with her eyes fixed on the team leader who didn''t glance at her until she finished her sentence. "So?" "I intend to perform the surgery," Yu Yan answered concisely. "No, You can''t," "Why not, the patient just went into cardiac shock five minutes ago, if she doesn''t enter the operating room in the next twenty-five minutes, she might go into another cardiac shock," Yu Yan argued with a defiant expression and her voice slightly raised, she has always hated the fact that protocol and rules have to be chosen over someone''s life. After taking a deep breath, she realised that she just raised her voice at her team leader and some people in the ER were now staring at them. "You two, take over," Mrs Nanjing ordered two doctors who had just finished with their patients, Yu Yan took her hands off the patient with a guilty expression on her face. "Follow me," she turned around and started walking towards a more secluded area. "I am sorry," Yu Yan quickly apologised as soon as they got there. "How serious is the patient''s condition?" "Extremely serious, Blood flow to her brain has constricted as a result of the ruptured spleen and from the scans, it seems like the spleen can be repaired, the surgery isn''t complicated so I believe there will be no complications," "Alright, I will speak the higher-ups about this, Perform the surgery," she reluctantly permitted, Yu Yan smiled broadly and threw her arms around the team leader who was caught by surprise. "Thank you so much,". She cleared her throat... "Yu Yan----Professionalism,". Yu Yan quickly unwrapped her arms and quickly walked away, she sighed as she watched her back knowing that even if she disagreed, Yu Yan would still do the same thing. "Permission gotten, take her into the operation room now," Yu Yan instructed while she headed to the changing room to change leaving Nurse Yi to handle the other affairs. She was now in her green surgical uniform and green cap, she scrubbed her hand in front of the operating room and held her arm up as she entered, she nodded at the surgical crew already present in the operating room. "Surgery is to repair ruptured spleen of the patient, everyone agrees?" "Agreed," "Good, then I will begin the operation," "Anaesthetic has been administered two minutes before you arrived, you can begin the operation," the anesthesiologist informed, Yu Yan nodded her head at her then she turned to the patient. "Scalpel," she held out her hand while a surgical technician passed it to her She was about to make an incision on the stomach when the monitors started beeping loudly, Yu Yan turned to the machines behind the operating tables with her eyes widened. "Cardiac arrest!" the anaesthesiologist exclaimed, she quickly removed the intubation in the patient''s mouth and wore an oxygen mask over her mouth. She was confused, everything has been going well so there is no reason why the patient should be in a cardiac arrest unless there is something she doesn''t know, just while she was thinking, the telephone in the operating room rang, a nurse quickly picked the call but she widened her eyes hearing the message, she dropped the telephone and turned to Yu Yan. "Patient is allergic to anaesthesia," she disclosed "She is allergic to anaesthesia,...anaphylaxis, damn!" the anesthesiologist exclaimed "Defillbrator," she ordered, one of the assistants quickly wheeled it to her, she picked up the pad while the assistant set up the defibrillator to the right voltage, they didn''t need the warning to know they are supposed to step back. "1 2 3 clear," she placed the pads on her chest and shocked her, her body jerked up as she removed the pads from her chest, the patient still wasn''t responding, Yu Yan, bit her lips. "200 Joules,". The assistant did as she ordered and charged the pads to 300 Joules. "1 2 3 clear," she placed the pads on her chest again and removed it but the machine reading still remained the same. "300 Joules," "1 2 3 clear," she placed the pads on her chest again and shocked her, the patient was still unresponsive, in frustration, she dropped the pads and climbed the operating table to perform CPR again. She intertwined her finger and placed them on the patient''s chest while she pressed her hands against her chest, she knew she would get into serious trouble if the patient dies but that was just her secondary reason for desperately wanting to save her life, for her the patient''s life matters more than anything else. Chapter 205 - Trauma Case! 3 She intertwined her finger and placed them on the patient''s chest while she pressed her hands against her chest, she knew she would get into serious trouble if the woman dies but that was just her secondary reason for desperately wanting to save the woman''s life, for her the patient''s life matters more than anything else. "Please, wake up," she pleaded as she used more strength in performing the CPR, she was just thankful that she didn''t open up her stomach before the anaphylaxis or the situation would have been direr than it already is. "800 Volts," she ordered, the assistant did as she said and charged the pads then Yu Yan came down from the operating table and took the pads in her hands. "Shocking," she announced and placed the pads on the patient chest, she removed the pads while the patient''s body jerked up then Yu Yan climbed the operating table again to perform CPR, the rest of the members of the surgical crew just watched her with the same prayer in their mind. {She has to wake up,} She pressed her chest again with her breathing pace increasing... Beep!!! She raised her head to glance at the machine, she sighed in relief seeing that her stats have increased and she seemed to be back to normal, her tensed up body relaxed, taking a deep breath, she placed her hand on her chest and took in another deep breath, the surgical crew members were also relieved, they smiled as they fixed their eyes on her knowing that she was really desperate to save the patient''s life. After she left the operation room, she went straight to the team leaders office, she stormed into the office without knocking on the door... "The patient...." she stopped when she saw a man and woman seating in front of the team leaders with a worried look on their faces, the woman turned to her with a very angry glare. "Are you the surgeon who operated on my daughter?" the woman asked with a piercing gaze in her eyes as she stared hard at Yu Yan. "Yes, I a..." Thwack! Her team leader widened her eyes in shock with her hand placed on the desk while Yu Yan held her cheeks with her eyes closed, her body had been so tensed when she entered the office but the slap made her entirely relaxed but---it hurts. She slowly turned towards the woman with shock written all over her face, she couldn''t understand what exactly she had done to deserve the slap, she stood in front of her with a glare authority in her eyes, at that moment she understood what the situation is....she is being mistreated by an influential woman who probably thinks she was wrong to have operated on her daughter without her permission. "What is this about?" Yu Yan fearlessly asked, looking straight into the woman''s eyes. "What is this about?..." she repeated following a scoff Thwack! she landed another slap across her face. "Madam!" Mrs Nanjing called to warn the woman that she wouldn''t sit there and watch her slap her underling. "Hey!" Yu Yan retorted angrily, glaring into the woman''s eyes, she wanted to return the slap to her but considering that she is old enough to be her mother she held herself back with much effort. "What...Hey...Hey, Honey, did you hear that? she just addressed me as ''Hey''" she complained with a wronged look. "Mrs Nanjing, I am surprised that there is such a mannerless surgeon in this hospital, when you told me that she is from a middle-class family, I thought she would at least be competent, but it seems to me that she is very far from it," her husband complained, Yu Yan scoffed hearing them, she was now confused as to why Mrs Nanjing would tell them about her social status. Does it really matter that much? "Why, do you think you are allowed to slap every young lady from a middle-classed family, we are in the twenty-first century but it seems to me that your mentality still remains in the ''80s, if this is about your daughter then you should be thanking me, not hitting me," "I should be thanking you, are you possibly joking right now? you operated on my sweet and dear daughter without her permission or her family''s and you almost killed her on the operating table, you should be thanking God that you managed to save her just in time, otherwise....." "Otherwise you will end my career and make my life miserable or you will make me end up like your daughter, which one is it?" she scoffed and tilted her lips to the side, leaving the other three in shock at her manner of speaking. "You wealthy and influential people always have the same threat, it is always one or the other, you say I am incompetent and mannerless but you are the incompetent one," she moved a step closer to the woman. "As a mother, I expect you to thank me for at least doing something to save her life in time but it seems to me that you would rather watch her die than allow a middle-classed surgeon operate on your daughter, I really pity your daughter for having such parents, I might not belong to high-class society but as least my parents are not as incompetent as you are," "What..." the woman mumbled, she couldn''t believe that she just said that to her. "Yu Yan," her team leader cautioned "The same goes for you, the father is just as incompetent as the mother," she turned to him and shook her head, then she turned to her team leader. "It seems to me that the guardians would like a private time with you, team leader, I will return when it is convenient," she glanced at the parents again with a scornful look in her eyes when she left the office leaving them dumbstruck. As soon as she got out of the office, she scoffed aloud, she has been tolerating the stupid talk of class and status in the hospital but now she is just sick and tired of it, whenever she remembers that the only thing serving as a barrier between her and Chen Kai relationship is their difference in status, it infuriates her to the core. "We are not even in the republican years or the ancient times, I am so sick and tired of hearing the stupid class talk," she gritted her teeth and walked to the changing room. Meanwhile, the parents of the patient were infuriated by the words she said to them. "How dare she try to teach me, I want her out of this hospital immediately," the man demanded immediately, he balled his fist and slammed it on the table. "Yes, I don''t want to see that lady in this hospital," the woman added. "I am sorry but I don''t think you have the authority to request that," Mrs Nanjing defended, she knew that Yu Yan must have been angered by the fact that they mentioned her social status and they even made it a reason to hit her but she might get in trouble for that since the couple is not to be messed with as someone who is on par with the Chen family. "I am one of the investors in this hospital, I have the power to request that a middle-classed surgeon should be dismissed, come to think of it, this hospital is only meant for surgeons who are from notable and medical families to work in, the middle classes girl is only a stain to the reputation this hospital has spent years to build," the woman argued, ever since she heard of her status she had already been determined to evict her, as an influential person, she wouldn''t invest in a hospital with such a person as a surgeon. "Don''t you think you are going too far with this?" "Going too far....she dared question my competency as a parent and you say I am going too far," "I will not hear anymore, I want her out," the husband added. "You might not know this but Yu Yan is one of the skilled resident surgeons we have in this hospital and her connections are very powerful, she is acquainted with the Ji, An, Li, Meng, families, the children from each family have close bonds with her and most of all, she is the goddaughter of the Jia family who controls both the Jia conglomerate and the Han conglomerate which is the most powerful of all," she couldn''t help the situation so she can only use Yu Yan''s connection to save her ass. "What!" "There is no way that is true," "Why do you think a middle-classed lady as herself was allowed to get into this hospital as a residential surgeon amongst others? it is just and only because the Jia family recommended her, even my family wouldn''t dare offend them so I suggest you close the case and if you still don''t believe me, you can ask the chief surgeon yourself" She ended her sentence with a triumphant smile. She is also from a prominent family but she has always hated the class discrimination in the hospital and Yu Yan being a talented surgeon from a middle-classed family is enough reason for her to protect her. "No matter what, she still performed a surgery without consent, thus endangering my daughter''s life, she still has to be punished....this is the hospital''s rules," the woman continued "She asked for my permission as you were unreachable and your daughter''s life was in danger, I also informed the higher-ups about this so she is not at fault here," she glanced at them both "So you have no reason to request for her dismissal...I am afraid". Chapter 206 - The Same Dish! "So you have no reason to request for her dismissal...I am afraid," "If anything happens to my daughter then I really won''t let her go," the woman threatened and stood up from her seat then she glared at the team leader and angrily marched out of the office, it seemed very clear to her that the team leader is only trying to protect Yu Yan instead of disciplining her. The husband followed after her in the same angry mannerism but she only scoffed at them after they left the office, she sighed when she remembered how Yu Yan spoke to them after they mentioned her social status. She couldn''t help but wonder why she reacted that way even though she has never talked to anyone like that when they mentioned her status, she knew that something must have definitely triggered her and she felt sorry for the girl. Then something crossed her mind... "Come to think of it, I already sent him the message so why hasn''t he resumed work yet?" she asked rhetorically then she picked up her phone from the table and dialled a number with a frown on her face. "Is he being arrogant even before he resumes work? I just knew nothing good would come out of having the owner of the most powerful and wealthiest conglomerate as my underlying," she complained with another loud sigh but the person picked the call just as she sighed. "I wonder what or who is making my team leader sigh so loudly?" Han Chen questioned with a teasing tone in his voice. "Do you really not know, why haven''t you resumed work yet? I sent you the message days ago but you still haven''t resumed work, this can be counted as AWOL, don''t you think you should be penalised?!" her strict manner of scolding him with her voice raised reminded him of when he used to work under her before she discovered his real identity. He moved the phone away from his ear and shook his ear, he had almost forgotten how her loud scolding used to make his ear itch. "Team leader, I haven''t even resumed work yet and you are already scolding me fiercely, don''t you think you are going to scare me away?" "Scare you away....hmph! that is exactly what I want, if you get scared away then I won''t have the owner of the wealthiest conglomerate working under this humble team leader," "Then it seems like you will be disappointed, I will resume work on Friday and when I resume, you can punish me for being absent from work without permission," "Good, I will make sure I punish you nicely without any mercy, I am sure you don''t know this but I am stricter than I was before," "Team..." Beep! "Did she just cut the call on me? it seems like working under her is will be even harder than working in the military," he placed the phone on the table and turned to the managing director standing in front of him with a confused look on his face. "Why, do you want to ask something?" he asked seeing the look on his face. "Ah...it''s nothing, I was just confused since it sounded like you are planning on working under someone...." he lowkey stuttered, he wasn''t sure if it was the right thing to pry. "Yes, in fact, I will be working in a hospital as a general surgeon with the woman I love in the same team, aren''t you happy for me?" the smile on his face showed just how happy he is with the thought of working together with Yu Yan, the managing director who has only met him a few times before he arrived at the company didn''t know what to think. He didn''t want to bother asking how his boss turned out to be a surgeon. The smile on his face....he looks like a man in love but is he in love? "What..." "I asked are you happy for me?" "Of course I am, the lady must be so happy to have you...hehe, she is really lucky," the managing director answered with a wide smile on his face, another bootlicking habit of his. Han Chen sighed, "It is quite the opposite, I am the one who is lucky to have her and she will probably not like that I would be working in her team...I wonder how she would react when she knows about it," he looked downcasted, thinking of what the look on her face would be like. Will she smile or frown? "Wait...what....," "Everyone wants to know who the owner of Han conglomerate is and most young ladies from prominent families dream of meeting you, how is there such a lady?" he looked really confused, it definitely can''t be a one-sided love right? "There is and that is exactly why I love her so much," his smile broadened as he placed his head on the edge of his hand. The managing director shook his head and sighed.....he has fallen too deep! - - - - - - - -- In the large mansion with exquisite decorations, a middle-aged elegant woman is seated on a sofa in the parlour with another woman seating opposite her, she has her wavy long hair resting on her shoulder with a light red lipstick on her lips and a light blue lace bodycon long-sleeved dress with earrings of three shades of blue on her ear. "I guessed you would prefer tea over wine, please have a sip," Mrs Chen said as the maid placed the cups of tea in their front. "That is really thoughtful of you, I thought you would have forgotten my preference, after all, it has been a while since we met like this," the other woman responded. "How can I forget that," both women placed the edge of the cup on their lips as they sipped the tea lightly. "Hmmm...really mellow taste," she remarked as she placed the teacup on the plate "I am pleased to see you love it, I was passing by a renowned tea store in Japan known for making really quality ancient tea, it reminded me of you so I decided to buy it," "I am really thankful, didn''t you go to Australia for a business trip?" Xiaomeng mother, Mrs Song questioned. "I did but the deal ended quite early so I decided to go to Japan before returning to China," "That is also good, Xiaomeng has been bugging me to ask for when you were going to arrive but it was really hard to contact you after you left, if you didn''t call me the last time then I wouldn''t have known you were returning," "That reminds me, It seems like Xiaomeng is really doing well, she has grown more beautiful than she was the last time I saw her, I am sure Chen Kai would be surprised to see her when he returns," she crossed her legs and placed her hand on her lap. "I didn''t know you met her yet, You said Chen Kai is returning in the next two days right?" "Yes, he is, I was thinking of letting Xiaomeng pick him up, It would give them some time to catch up," "That is a wonderful idea, when I told her of their engagement, she was very excited so she will surely be happy to pick him up," "After he returns, we should make them get engaged as soon as possible, I want him to settle down with her as soon as possible then he can inherit the companies while I and his father travel around the world," "Have you spoken to him about the engagement?" "Of course, I did, they have been together since they were in kindergarten so there won''t be any problem, I am sure Xiaomeng is not the only one who has feelings for him, he surely does too," she answered with confidence, she has made sure he spends his whole life with her to make them bond so as to prevent any disagreement in the future. "I am really glad to hear that, I was worried that my daughter might be the only one who has feelings for him," "You don''t have anything to worry about," she smiled gently and sipped her tea again then she placed the cup on the table and looked to her side with a faint sigh. - - - - - - - - - "When the patient wakes up, let me know," she instructed Nurse Song and glanced at the lady for one last time before walking away, she pitied her for having such incompetent parents who only care about the status of the surgeon who is operating on their daughter and not her life. {I guess being born in a wealthy home comes with a price,} "Every time I regret not being born in a wealthy home, there is always a wealthy person who proves me wrong," she remarked softly as she entered the elevator and pressed the close button, she took in a deep breathe as the elevator moved up. She was worried that she might get scolded by the team leader for speaking in a rude manner to the patient''s guardian but she doesn''t regret it a bit, the fact that she got hit twice by a complete stranger and she couldn''t return the slap angered her to the bones. "Very good, from now on anyone who looks down on me will be served the same dish," she raised her chin in confidence, she has already hard it with the whole class discrimination thing. Ding! She got out of the elevator and passed by her office to the team leader''s office, she didn''t like that the team leader told them about her social status but she knew that the patient''s guardian must have asked her and their status must have been higher than hers so she has no choice but to tell them. Chapter 207 - Dinner! 1 She took in a deep breath before she knocked on the door, she felt the need to ready her mind, body and soul in preparation of the team leader''s scolding, she entered when she heard her team leader ask her to enter. She lowered her head as she stood in front of her desk with a remorseful expression on her face even though she doesn''t feel remorseful, not even a bit. "You can have your seat," she offered with her eyes fixed on the tablet in front of her, she was already expecting her to start lashing out on her so she didn''t dare to do ask she asked, maybe it is a trap. "Why are you not taking your seat?" "Huh..." she raised her head to glance at the woman who was now looking at her with a blank expression on her face and a light pen in her hand. "Oh...yeah," she hurriedly took her seat and cleared her throat. "So what were you going to talk to me about when you came into my office earlier?" she asked with her attention concentrated on the tablet, Yu Yan was quite confused, she is speaking to her in a gentle manner and her facial expression doesn''t show that she is angry....is she really not going to scold her? "Are you not going to scold me for my behaviour earlier?" she didn''t like the suspense so she would rather ask than freak out to death. "Is that why you seem nervous?" she asked, raising her gaze. "No...yes, I mean no...yes," she bit her lips and lowered her head in embarrassment, the team leader chuckled seeing how nervous she is because she thought she was going to get scolded. "You are indeed nervous, I am not angry so there is no reason to scold you, they went too far so they deserved it but you should learn to control yourself, now tell me the reason why you came into my office before," "Oh...I wanted to discuss the patient''s condition and also the teenage girl I diagnosed with leukaemia, as for the patient I almost performed surgery on, If she is allergic to anaesthesia then we cannot operate on her," Yu Yan informed with a worried expression on her face, she couldn''t imagine someone being operated on without anaesthesia to numb their body. "You will have to discuss with the anesthesiologist after she tests the patients for the cause of the allergy then you can carry out the operation, as for the leukaemia patient, we will need to discuss with the haematology and oncology department as soon as possible, I will assign the case to someone else so you don''t have to worry about that," "But I..." "Yu Yan, you need to remember that you are a resident surgeon, you can''t do all these things at once, you can be involved in the process but this case belongs to a specialist, do you understand?" "Yes, I will take my leave now," she stood up from her seat and bowed slightly before leaving the office, she agreed with what the team leader said but her greed for experience wouldn''t let her take her hands off the case. "I forgot to ask her why she mentioned Han Chen earlier...do they know each other?" Mrs Nanjing pondered, remembering when Yu Yan called Han Chen''s name, she placed her jaw on her hand in thought. She took the elevator to the top floor where the anesthesiologist that was in her surgical crew office is, she knocked on the door then she entered when she got the permission to enter. "Surgeon Yu Yan," the woman called seeing her enter the office with a pleasing smile. "I am sorry to disturb you but I need to..." "I know, you want to talk about the patient with the anaesthesia allergy, actually, I already ran some test on her to know what component of the anaesthesia she is allergic to," she brought out a tablet from her drawer and handed it to Yu Yan, showing some scans and test result. "She is allergic to the amide group of anaesthetics," Yu Yan remarked, reading the report on the tablet with a concerned look on her face. "Yes but that isn''t a problem now that we know the cause, we can just use an anaesthetic from the ester group so you can schedule another surgery soon," the woman assured with a smile, Yu Yan handed the tablet back to her and sighed deeply, she was worried that there might be no alternative but now that the anesthesiologist has confirmed that another surgery can be scheduled soon, she was relieved. "Thank you very much, I will take my leave now," she thanked as she stood up from her seat the woman broadened her smile in response then Yu Yan left the office. As soon as she entered the elevator to go to the next floor where her office is, she met Nurse Song who sighed in relief, she handed out a tablet in her hand and some files to her, Yu Yan collected them from her and scanned them. "This is the result of the blood test taken to confirm the leukaemia diagnosis of the teenage patient?" Yu Yan asked, seeing that the results of the test looked similar to what she saw before but the stats have decreased. "Yes, the radiology department conducted another test and it seems like her haemoglobin count has decreased, I thought I should show this to you since you are in charge of her case," Nurse Song responded but Yu Yan handed the tablet and files back to her with a sigh. "The team leader said she is going to assign the patient to another surgeon and I am guessing she is going to choose An Ke to work with the specialist surgeon, they will have to meet with the haematology and oncology department to discuss the patient''s condition so I suggest you show this to An Ke," she ended her statement with a smile but it didn''t seem genuine then the elevator opened, she nodded at her and got out of the elevator. "It seemed like she really wanted to be involved," Nurse Song remarked seeing her walk away as the elevator door closed. She checked her wristwatch, she realized that she was supposed to have ended her shift an hour ago but she was too preoccupied with the patients in her care that she didn''t even remember when her shift was ending. She entered the changing room and changed into a cotton black coat, a white top tucked in blue jeans and a knee-length boot with a black shoulder bag across her body and left the changing room but she stopped when she heard the sound of her key chain falling. She bent to pick it but then she noticed the car key hanging on the key chain, for some reason, she felt the car doesn''t seem familiar to her and even the keys even though they look identical to how they are before. Somehow, she felt her car has suddenly become more comfortable and smooth to drive, she placed the keys in her bag and left the hospital, she got to the parking lot where she parked her car, she started the car and drove off. She was in traffic when she heard her reminder ringing tone, she brought out her phone from her bag and checked the notification, she knitted her eyebrow, reading the notification. "How could I have forgotten about this?" she ran her fingers into her messy bun and placed them on her laps. {Reminder: Picking up Chen Kai at the airport tommorow} This is something she has waited for, for too long and she actually forgot about it. "Strange...I would never forget something like this," she sighed deeply in conclusion that the stressful day she just had must have caused her to forget something as important as Chen Kai''s return to China. She opened the door to the apartment but she was greeted with the fragrant scent of a delicious home-cooked meal, probably prepared by her mother, she was surprised when she got to the dining table to see Li Na serving the dishes, wearing an oversized apron that belongs to her mother. "Aunt," Li Na called seeing her arrive in the dining room like a ghost, the whole family turned back in surprise. "Why do you always walk like a ghost?" her mother complained with her hand on her chest, she initially thought Li Na was just trying to prank them. "Sorry," she walked to the dining table and sat beside her Li Jing at the table without bothering to change into something else first. "Won''t you take a shower first before you join us for dinner, you reek of medicines and antiseptic," Li Na complained with her hand over her nose with a disgusted look on her face, Yu Yan pouted her mouth at her remark and eyed her then she stood up from the seat and retreated to her room. "Really lazy...I wonder who she got it from?" all eyes fell on her dad as soon as her mother made the remark but he just pretended he didn''t notice them. She took a shower and changed into her mickey mouse pyjamas, she packed her hair into a bun at the back and wore her mickey mouse hairband then she returned to the dining table. "You are back," her father remarked "Hmmm," she took her seat and scooped a spoonful of sticky white rice from her plate like a hungry lion then she stuffed it into her mouth and started chewing like she was being pursued. "You must have been very stressed out today," her father remarked, placing a braised beef on her rice plate, she nodded in affirmation and scooped another spoonful of rice with the braised beef in her spoon then she stuffed into her mouth. "Chew gently my dear daughter," he deboned the lobster on the plate and placed it on her rice bowl, she smiled seeing her father doting on her once more, she was about to scoop it again but someone else used a chopstick to remove it from her plate and placed it on Li Jing''s plate. Her mother nodded her head, " Shouldn''t you be feeding yourself?" Chapter 208 - Dinner! 2 Her mother nodded her head, " Shouldn''t you be feeding yourself?" "Mom! this is exactly why I want to move out," she pouted her lips in complaint, her father placed a piece of kimchi in her placed and gave her a doting smile while the others looked at the duo with an irritated look on their faces. "My dear daughter, If you move out then I won''t be able to feed you like this," her father remarked with a worried expression in his eyes. "But I am already twenty-seven, If I don''t move out now then I am supposed to wait until I get married before I move out," "But...." "You can move out," her mother said, interjecting her father mid-sentence, they looked at her in surprise with their chopstick mid-air. "Is she really allowed to move out?" Li Na asked, knowing her grandmother. "Of course, the reason why she is still being childish is that she has been living with her father for too long, she needs to live alone and I am tired of watching the both of them at the dining table," her mother responded with her eyes still on her food. "Honey, I don''t agree with this, how am I going to live without my daughter?" her father protested, he has always pampered Yu Yan since she was a child and her being the last born made matters worse. "Dad, don''t worry, I will come to visit," "But still..." "No but, she is moving out and that is period," "Yes ma," Yu Yan responded with excitement written all over her face, she has never been able to invite her friends to her house for fun without her parents but she can do that now that her mother is allowing her to move out. She could have moved out without their permission but she has always felt bad that they will be left alone without anyone to take care of them but with the twins here she doesn''t have to worry about that anymore. "Wait...Aunt, do you even have a house yet?" Li Na questioned "I do, a very nice one in fact," she drank her chicken soup in delight, her mother''s permission to move out totally made her day even though it is almost coming to an end. "By the way, when is Aunt getting married?" she stopped when she heard Li Na''s question, no one has mentioned her marriage after her mother asked her about Chen Kai the last time, she placed the soup bowl on the table solemnly with a serious expression on her face. "That is exactly the question I want to ask," her mother added, Li Jing glared at Li Na with an accusing glared seeing how awkward the dinner table became after her question. "What is the rush, she is still young anyways," her father chimed in to help Yu Yan out. "Actually, Chen Kai is returning tomorrow," she disclosed, they looked at her in surprise. "Are you serious, why didn''t you tell us about this?" "I actually forgot," "You forgot? this is definitely not something you can forget, is there something you are not telling us?" her mother responded in suspicion, Yu Yan has been waiting for his return for a long time so she definitely can''t believe that she forgot his return. "I really forgot," "Is he the handsome boyfriend you were dating in university?" Li Na asked, her face showing she approves of Chen Kai. "Yes, I am going to pick him up at the airport tomorrow," "So have you guys decided to tell his parents about your relationship, if you can''t tell them this time one month after he returns then I won''t approve of this relationship anymore," her mother firmly declared, she doesn''t like the fact that they are hiding it from his parent because they prefer a lady from a wealthy family even though her daughter is much better than any other lady in her eyes. "Mum..." "Aunt, is this the situation like those dramas where the in-laws want someone from a wealthy family? tch! you are better than all the other ladies, you shouldn''t hide your relationship from them," Li Jing added, they have known Chen Kai since she was in university and they also know he comes from a wealthy family but he has never really like Chen Kai. Yu Yan smiled at him. "That is exactly what I have been telling her," she turned to Yu Yan "Even he agrees with me," "I know mum, I have already talked to him about it, we will tell his parents immediately he returns, she didn''t want to tell them she met his mother at the hospital to prevent them from asking more questions so she just had to reassure them. "Sigh!" Everyone turned to Li Na. "I guess it is true that even the smartest person can be foolish in love," She remarked, they all laughed at her remark but only Yu Yan glared at her. "Aunt, have you seen the head...." "Brother, have you completed your maths assignment," Li Na interrupted him mid-sentence, he was about to ask why she still hasn''t visited their school even though the headmistress has already sent her a mail to request her presence at the school. She gave him a look saying {You had better shut your mouth}, he took note of it so he just kept quiet about it.....it is her business anyways. "You were saying...." "Oh...its nothing," After dinner, Li Na did the dishes while the rest retired to their bedrooms, lying on her bed, she opened her Wechat to see if she has any message from Chen Kai, after their conversation the other day, she has lost her urge to speak to him and she doesn''t feel the same excitement she feels when he speaks to her. The pressure of having to make him introduce her to his parents as someone he wants to marry and his parent''s requirement for their daughter in law completely weighed her down, she knew her mother meant what she said and she has always been grateful to her parent for being able to tolerate her relationship. Her mother didn''t like Chen Kai the first time she brought him home and she hated the fact that her daughter is the one at a disadvantage in the relationship but since Yu Yan was too adamant to date him, she couldn''t help but give in. She opened his text when she saw the notification saying she has a text from him. {Are you still coming to pick me up, if you are busy then I can ask someone else to pick me up?} She had many things to say to him and many insecurities but she decided she would let it wait, now that he is returning she has become more worried than she was before he even told her he was returning. {I will, when you arrive at the airport send me a text} She sent the text and placed her phone on the table beside her bed then she switched on the night lamp and turned to the other side to sleep, somehow, she remembered the voices in her head when the trauma case came in. {Why did I call Han Chen name?} It now seemed suspicious to her how he became close to her as soon as they met which is quite different from what Jia Yu described him as but she doesn''t have any memory of him and Jia Yu also said she never introduced him to her. "The way he looked at me when I saw his scar.....there is definitely something off here, is he part of the memory I lost or not?" for the first time in a while she is feeling frustrated for not being able to remember the partial memory she lost of her high school years. "And his sudden change of behaviour...." she didn''t want to think of it anymore, the fact that she has had two flashes of her missing memory because of him bothers her (she had one when she saw his scar in the car in chap 123). "Whatever," she closed her eyes in determination to put the matter off her mind. Meanwhile, he was also finding it hard to sleep, he got up from his bed and walked to the mini wine shelf in his bedroom, he picked a bottle of 1811 Chateau d''Yquem with a wine glass then he walked to the red and gold coloured stool with two chairs of similar colours around it. He sat down and poured himself a glass of wine reaching just a little above the bottom of the glass as he stared at the mural of the girl in a hoodie hanging above his bed, all he could think of is Yu Yan, even his dreams were occupied by her, he hated to remember how excited she sounded when she heard he was returning soon. "How I wish I could just force you to remember me," he poured the glass of wine down his throat and poured himself another glass. "But it might not be of any use, we were just in high school then, so our past feelings might not mean anything to you...anymore," he lamented, he raised the glass to the mural and poured it down his throat, he felt the need to get drunk in order for him to sleep but he had too much to complain about. He previously thought that if only he could bring back her memories of him then they might come back together but now he realized that their past might be too little to stand in front of what she has now. "No matter what I will take you back...you are mine," he declared. He finished the entire bottle of wine before he finally felt sleepy but not drunk then he dragged himself to his bed and fell asleep. "Yu Yan...." he mumbled in his sleep. Chapter 209 - His Return! 1 "Yu Yan...." he mumbled in his sleep. The next morning. The D-day for her came, she couldn''t help her excitement at the thought of her being able to touch and see him again, she spent the whole time in the shower thinking of what her first reaction would be when she sets her eyes on him. They haven''t seen each other for three years ever since she started her residency and now she would be seeing him for the first time in three years, she wondered if he has changed...maybe in looks or character. She stood in front of her simple but exquisitely filled closet, looking for the right combination to choose and thinking of the right way to style her hair at the same time, she made sure to leave the entire day free so she can spend the whole day with him since he lied to his family that he would be returning the next day. She checked the mickey mouse clock in the room, it is already eleven and the drive to the airport might take about two hours, she needed to find the right combination and finish dressing up as soon as possible. She pulled the hangers apart and tried on different body hug dresses, flair flowered dresses, jean top and trousers and even formal wears but she couldn''t find anything, she ruffled her hair in frustration, she has never had it this hard to find something to wear and she has never really made an effort to look her best...Sigh! She slumped on her bed and buried her head in her palms making her hair fall to her face, she pushed her hair back and raised her head but her eyes caught a black puff sleeve blazer mini dress, she smiled broadly at the sight of the dress, she has had it for a while now but she never thought to wear it. She stood up from the bed and removed the hanger from the closet as she examined the dress, she tried the dress on and moved to the front of the large mirror in her room, she couldn''t help grinning widely at the image of herself in the mirror. "This is exactly my style," she remarked, admiring her image in the mirror, she had already forgotten that she was dressing to impress, in that dress, she could see her true self, the definition of her style, she grinned widely and turned around. "Now all I need is my favourite shoe type to match it," she moved on to her shoe rack where she displayed an entire set of boots with different colours but mostly black, she had an entire shoe rack filled with boots and another half-filled with heels and flat shoes. She moved from one boot to another then she stopped when she sighted a black thigh-high boot, she decided to go with it, she sighed in relief and moved on to pick a nice bag to go with it, she picked a black handbag with silver dots on it then she did a simple makeup with red lipstick and curled her hair, she also wore a simple silver necklace and silver hoop earring. She was the only one left in the house so she just went to the parking lot and drove out of the apartment. Meanwhile, while she was having a crisis someone else was also having a decision-making crisis, he had to choose between following her to the airport which is basically stalking her or just waiting until he sees her next and maybe with his rival but he didn''t like the thought of them being alone. He hurriedly ate the simple breakfast his old nanny of when he was young made him and force him to eat then he finally made up his mind to follow her to the airport that is stalking her...since he doesn''t know where she is going to be he just decided he is going to look for the flight that is arriving at two then he will try his best to keep her away from him...if it works. She arrived at the airport two hours later and she had just thirty minutes before his flight arrives, she hurriedly walked to the waiting area, she ruffled her hair in nervousness, with lots of thought filling her mind. She thought of speaking to him about introducing her to his parents but she doesn''t want to ruin the magic of the day so she decided to keep the discussion until later. Meanwhile, he arrived at the airport later, he started scanning the whole place for her, he checked the announcement station then he found the flight arriving at two, he moved to the waiting area then he started looking around the place. It didn''t take long before he found her standing in front of the waiting area, the way she is dressed...he was stunned, his lips curled into a fascinated smile, he decided to just wait back and admire the view and of course...ensuring she doesn''t see him or he will have lots of explaining to do. She checked her phone for the time and it was already thirty minutes past two, some of the passengers were already out of the plane already and they had already met with those that were going to pick them up. She furrowed her brows now that it was already three and she still hasn''t gotten a trace of him, she texted him asking him where he is but there wasn''t any reply, she was now worried. Han Chen also checked the time with an angry expression on his face, he couldn''t stand seeing her wait an extra hour for another man. He decided he was going to pull her out of the airport and then make an excuse for his sudden appearance later, he walked up to her... "Yu Yan," a young man called, he removed his sunglass and smiled broadly at her, she slowly turned towards the direction of the voice, her eyes widened at the sight of him, the man she has missed and yearned to touch for the past three years, he spread his arms with an inviting smile, not minding the many eyes around them, she ran towards him and jumped on him, they spun around with broad smiles on their lips. The people around them watched in amusement, they stopped spinning then they kissed passionately in front of everyone, for Yu Yan, the years she spent waiting for this moment was worth it now that she is living the moment. Wohooo!!! The people around them cheered while the parents around covered their children''s eyes but they still admired the lovely scene in front of them, Han Chen watched them with a downcast expression on his face, he dropped his feet which was lifted to take another step before Chen Kai appeared. The moment they locked their lips, he felt like his heart was pierced deeply with a knife, he wanted to look away but he couldn''t, that is his woman.....he wanted to go forward and scream at them to stop or pull them apart but his feet couldn''t move, he felt his body had gone numb....he could only watch them even after they stopped kissing and hugged passionately again. The couple intertwined their arms together then they turned to leave the airport with both of them grinning widely, both couldn''t hide their excitement seeing each other again, it was a dream come true for them. He quickly turned to the side to avoid her, they passed by him while they fixed their eyes on each other, time seemed like it was passing by in slow motion as they passed him, he wished he could just grab her other hand and pull her away. "Where is your luggage?" she asked Chen Kai as she passed him "Someone will pick it up later," Chen Kai answered, then he ran his hand over her hair while she broadened her smile, he turned back after they passed by him and watched them until they were out of sight. They got into her car then they drove out of the airport, this is definitely one of the happiest days of her life. "Where should we go now?" Yu Yan asked, spinning the wheel as she drove out of the parking lot. "Hmmm....anywhere you want," he replied. "Then let''s go to a restaurant first, by the way, I didn''t tell the others you were returning since I wanted to surprise them," "Good choice," he plastered a kiss on her lips making her suddenly flustered since she wasn''t expecting it. "Hey...I am driving," "I know," they both chuckled at his reply, she pulled over at the nearest restaurant to the airport, they had their lunch there with a simple lunch menu, she specifically ordered his favourites, seeing her now, he realized how much he missed her. "Your favourites..." she remarked as she placed the dishes in his front after the waiter placed the dishes in front of them with a bottle of red wine. "You still remember," "Of course I do," she poured the wine into his glass and then poured into hers, they lifted their glasses and cheered then they sipped from their glasses and placed it on the table. Chapter 210 - His Return! 2 "Of course I do," she poured the wine into his glass and then poured into hers, they lifted their glasses and cheered then they sipped from their glasses and placed it on the table. He couldn''t drive back to his mansion with the memory of what happened at the airport still in his head, he tried to shove it away but it just wouldn''t stop coming back, he realized that the only way he can forget it temporarily and at least stop the sharp pain he is feeling in his heart is to get himself drunk. He pulled the car over when he saw a club that looks like a high-end club on his way, he decided this is where he is going to get wasted. "Bartender, I need three bottles of your strongest beer, he ordered as he took his seat on the chair in front of the bar, the bartender was confused as too whether he really meant it but seeing that the customer didn''t say anything else, he decided he was going to give the customer his order. "Here," he placed the bottles in his front and opened them up then he placed a beer glass in front of him and walked away to attend to someone else, he filled the huge beer glass to the brim and started drinking, he didn''t even stop to take a break until he finished the whole glass of beer. Some of the people in the club watched him in amazement, for someone to gulp down that large glass of beer without a break must mean that he is really a good drinker, the ladies who admired him for his handsome looks set their eyes on him. He poured himself another glass, emptying one bottle and pouring half of the other in, the beer being the strongest they have in the bar should already make him drunk by now but he wasn''t getting drunk, the memory of the duo in the airport kept making him conscious. He poured another two glass of beer and gulped it down again under the many eyes filled with admiration for him, then he ordered two more bottles of the same beer, this time, he was already starting to feel dizzy but it wasn''t enough. The loud music and dancing in the club didn''t even manage to get his attention, all he did was drink since that was his purpose for coming here, one of the ladies who was seated with many other men took the initiative to dump the man she was seating with and go for him. She took her seat beside him and cued the bartender to take her order, he arrived later with a bottle of beer and a beer glass, she took it from his and winked at him. "Hi, handsome," she smiled seductively with her eyes fixed on him, he took a glance at her and them looked away from her, she didn''t like his indifference but it is okay after all, he is already drunk....though no wasted. "You look like you need a drinking partner...." she poured the beer into the beer glass and sipped from it, then she spun her chair around to face him. "Leave," he mumbled in his drunken state but she smiled again, she liked everything she could see about him, she decided to was going to make him hers tonight. He gulped down the remaining content of his glass but he kept shaking the glass to drink more, the lady chuckled at his drunken state then she ordered one more bottle of beer for him and poured it into his glass, he glanced at her and thanked her...he is now wasted. "You are welcome," she answered. After he got completely wasted, she winked at her friends and waved them goodbye then she hanged his arms on her shoulder and carried him out of the bar, he stumbled a few times but she didn''t mind, after all, he was too good looking to let go of. "W-wh-where are we going?" he mumbled as soon as they got out of the club "Somewhere nice," she answered, she searched his pocket in case he has a car key since she came with her friends originally and he doesn''t look like someone who doesn''t own a car...at least a decent one. She found his car key in the left pocket of his trousers, she smiled in satisfaction and pressed the button to see which car will react to the button, she heard a beep sound from one of the cars so she walked towards the direction of the sound, she was stunned when she saw a sturdy black jeep beeping with red lights, she opened her mouth in shock. "Wow....such an expensive-looking car," she dropped him by the side of the car and went around the car to make sure she is not mistaken, although she doesn''t know what model it is but from the looks of it she was sure that it would definitely be with millions of dollars. "Seems like I caught a big fish this time...he has both the looks and the money, my sufferings have come to an end," she excitedly turned back to where she dropped him, she opened the door next to the driver''s seat and helped him enter the car, then she turned around, taking the driver''s seat. She ran her hand through the dashboard, the mirrors and the other component of the car, even the smell of the car gives her money vibes, she looked around for a place to insert the key but she couldn''t find one, at last, she found a button with ''start'' on it. "As expected..." she pressed the button and spun the wheels around, she felt on top of the world just driving such an expensive car. Meanwhile, After they finished eating at the restaurant, the reunited couple went around some places to relax and have fun even though Yu Yan was against because she was thinking he might be jetlagged and fatigued but he insisted that they drive around. They finally arrived at a hotel close to where they were, Yu Yan was quite nervous that they were going to a hotel, at first she didn''t think much of it but now that they were already entering, she felt a bit hot. She decided she was going to ask for separate rooms as she isn''t ready yet, not now, especially when their future still remains undecided. "Welcome, what can I do for you?" the receptionist asked with a habitual smile on her lips. "We need a king-size room for a day," Chen Kai answered, the receptionist glanced at the both of them with a teasing look on her face, Yu Yan understood what she was thinking so she was embarrassed. "No!..." They glanced at her... "No...I mean we would like to have two rooms, please..." she scratched her neck in awkwardness, had she known things would end up like this, she would have made sure they returned as early as possible then they could have at least made it to his apartment before it got dark and the rain starts falling...but the rain made it even worse for her, if it wasn''t for the rain she would have insisted that they go to his apartment at least it wouldn''t be as awkward as it is now. "What are you talking about, why do we need to get two rooms?" he pouted his lips and turned to the reception. "We would like a king-sized room, please,". The receptionist glanced at Yu Yan who seemed awkward, seeing that she has no more objection, she handed them a gold card and bowed her head slightly, she watched as the couple made their way to their room. He swiped the gold card on the sensor on the door when he entered the room with Yu Yan following behind him. "I will take a shower first," "huh...a shower," she fluttered her lashes nervously, he realized she was being embarrassed, he moved closer to her and flicked her forehead, she touched her forehead then he inclined his head with his lips almost touching her ear. "I know you have been missing me but...you shouldn''t be having dirty thoughts the first time we meet after three years," "huh!" her face has turned red in embarrassment, he moved his head away and smiled teasingly at her, she was holding her breath, he nodded his head and walked towards the bathroom. She stood still, dumbfounded. Letting out the breath she had been holding, "You have really turned nasty," she scoffed and nodded her head then she took her seat on the chair around a small stool at the balcony and looked up at the sky. "The sky is really clear today," just then, she remembered something. Her mind returned to when she passed by the guy at the airport, she didn''t really care to take a look at him but the scent she smelled as she passed by him seemed familiar. "Where did I smell that scent," she tried hard to remember then she remembered... ---- When she met Han Chen in the hospital''s park....the scent he had on him When she drove him back to the city when he was stranded....the same...scent When he came to the hospital again to apologise to her...the same scent. Chapter 211 - His Return! 3 When he helped her apply the cream on her bruised feet after they ran... When he returned the car to her....all these times, he had the familiar scent on him, she even remembered admiring the scent of his perfume. "Strange...I have never smelled that scent before except on him, could he have..." she shook her head to shake off the thought. "No way...why would he be at the airport at the same time as me, someone else might have the same perfume," she decided to think that way. She stopped when they got to a renowned hotel in the area, his mind was a little bit clear but he was still in the same wasted condition, she helped him into the hotel and booked a room for them, she dropped him on the bed when they got to the room and sat by his side, she was already exhausted by having to hang his arms over her neck and pulling him into the room, she took in a deep breath and turned to look at him. "He is at least worth the trouble...." she started undressing to change into the bathrobe arranged in the room, he felt like his head was being pounded, he rubbed his forehead to erase the pain but it was just too much, he opened his eyes...meeting he ceiling. He couldn''t remember him driving to his house or anywhere else, he looked to the side of the room, the place...it looks like a hotel room but when did he drive to the hotel, he rubbed his forehead harder and turned to the other side, the sight of a half-naked lady standing in front of him made up almost puke, he quickly turned to the other side. "Who...who are you?" he asked in a panicky and muddled state, she smiled seeing that he is now conscious when she finished tying her robe, she moved closer to him and placed her delicate hands on his shoulder. "Yu Yan..." he muttered when he felt her touch on his shoulder. "Hmmm....are you awake now, I had a really hard time bringing you here, if I had known then I wouldn''t have let you drink so much," the hint of worry and concern in her voice melted his heart, he slowly turned to her side, his eyes watered looking at the woman scooting beside him with her hand on his shoulder. "Is that really you...Yu Yan?" he asked in doubt, her long silky brown hair scattered on her shoulder, her eyes, nose, lips and every other facial feature he missed were right in front of him but is it really her? "Yes, it is me," she answered. "But you were just with him, you kissed him right in front of me, right then I felt like my heart was being pricked by thousands of needles, you looked happy...too happy, I thought I had lost the fight before I could even start the fight," the tears in his eyes were starting to fall, he reached out his hand to touch her face, he caressed her face gently as though he is in a dream where she only exists in. {It turns out he is heartbroken....no wonder he drank so much,} "I am here now, am I not?" she smiled warmly at him, he swiftly pulled her by her hand towards him and jerked his body up, he wrapped his hands around her and hugged her tightly, she was almost starting to be suffocated by his hug. "Yu Yan...Yu Yan, I am so happy you are here, if this is a dream then I don''t want to wake up, I was too hurt seeing you with him, I lost all the confidence I had in just a second," the tears in his eyes fell uncontrollably as he tightened his grip on her, the lady slowly raised her hand to pat his back. She pitied him...wondering what woman could have managed to make him so heartbroken. "I am here now...so you don''t have to be worried," she reassuringly said with a gentle voice. He unwrapped his arms around her, holding her shoulders in front of him, he caressed her face, still unable to believe that she is actually with him, he couldn''t care less about where they are at this moment, all that matters to him is the fact that the woman he loves is right in front of him now....his gaze trailed to her lips. Her lips parted with a slight space between them they looked really attractive and he felt the urge to place his lips on hers and feel the softness of her lips....he place his finger on her lips and caressed her lips then he tilted his head as he brought his face closer to hers. But all of a sudden, the pain he was feeling before came back...he held his head as he groaned loudly in pain with his head lowered. "What is wrong, are you okay?" "My head...." he raised his head to look at her again, his vision started duplicating and the pain in his head increased, he was now having flashes of two women in front of him. In one second she is Yu Yan and the other she changes into someone else, he was confused but the pain hit him harder, he raised his head again to confirm if the woman in front of him is Yu Yan or not but he was still having the flashes. "Are you really Yu Yan?" "Huh...of course, I am Yu...Yu Yan," she answered "No...Yu Yan would never be here with me right now, she was so happy to see him earlier, there is no way she would leave him to be here with me," his tears started welling up again, the feeling of loss struck him again. {She is not Yu Yan...she is not Yu Yan,}, he reminded himself continuously. "Are you okay, what is wrong?" she asked as she placed her hand on his shoulder again but he aggressively pushed her hands away. "Don''t...Don''t touch me with those filthy hands of yours," he roared angrily with his eyes glaring at her, raising his head, he could now see who is really in front of him, a complete stranger that he doesn''t even recognise. {What exactly happened,} "What...filt..filthy hands, did you just call my hands filthy?" she scoffed in disbelief, he glared and her and looked away, he couldn''t be bothered to answer her, he frantically searched his pocket for his phone. "Where is my phone?" "How am I supposed to know where your phone is, moreover, you just called my hands filthy and you haven''t apologised?" he ignored her and continued looking for his phone, he bent over the side of the bed to see if he dropped it, he found it just at the edge of the bed. "Hey!" she screamed in anger and frustration, he was treating her as if she wasn''t there. He hurriedly picked up the phone and wiped the surface with his hand then he scrolled through the list of contacts in his phone. He dialled Jia Yu''s number first knowing that Shi Fen and Roy are on a military assignment so they won''t be able to answer his call for the meantime, he placed the phone on his ear but she wasn''t picking the call. He called her three more times but she still didn''t pick, he concluded that she might be on call at the hospital or with her boyfriend. "Hey, I am talking to you," He ignored her and continued looking for who to call. "If you got your heartbroken then don''t take it out on me, I just brought you here thinking I could have some fun tonight but it turned out to be like this...." she looked at him from up to down with a demeaning look. He still ignored her remark although her remark pricked his already wounded heart, he felt the urge to hit her but he was trying to tame his anger and the only way to do it is to ignore her, however...he is almost at his wit''s end. He found Yu Yan''s contact almost at the end of his contact list, he moved his thumb forward to press the screen but he hesitated...he was still in a drunk state but the only thing keeping him sane is that fact that the woman in front of him is not Yu Yan....some minutes more and the effect of the alcohol might take effect again. He tapped the screen and placed the phone on his ear...he is drunk so he can''t drive, in fact, his vision is blurry and he can only see her name clearly on his phone. "Hello," "Yu Yan..are you the one?" "Yes, why are you calling me now...didn''t you act like..." "I need you," he interjected mid-sentence. She was taken aback by his statement, somehow, her heart skipped a beat hearing him say he needs her. "W-what do you mean, where are you?" she sounded worried--it gave him hope. "What is the name of this hotel?" he questioned, turning to the lady still scooting in front of him and her anger evident in her eyes. Chapter 212 - His Return! 4 "Why would I tell you that?" He sighed and stood up from the bed, he stumbled to the ground as he got down from the bed but he stood up again, he tried looking for something that has the name of the hotel on it with his blurred vision. "Han Chen, what is going on, are you okay?" she asked hearing the sound of him falling to the ground, she balled her fist in nervousness. He rummaged through the drawer next to the bed but something fell from it, he swept his hands on the ground to search for what had fallen then he found it, his hands touched something with a sharp edge, he picked it up and recognising it is a card, he tried to read what is on it. The lady sitting on the bed watched in confusion, why is he acting like she kidnapped him? "Han Chen!" Yu Yan called, her heart was now beating fast, she was scared, scared that he is in danger and she was no longer thinking straight, she stood up from the chair to roam the room. "I am at...at King''s and Queens hotel at Chendong close, You..." she knocked the phone away from his hand and threw it to his ground. "Hello, Hello, Han Chen are you there?" "What are you doing?" he yelled, seeing the phone away from him with his eyes burning in anger. "I should be asking that question, I brought you to the hotel not by force but now you are acting like you didn''t want it, then why did you drink with me?" she queried, raising her voice, Yu Yan on the other side could hear their conversation. "What?" he muttered "You really have a strong will, I just drugged your beer with just a little drug, you shouldn''t be this aware of yourself right now but this woman called Yu Yan..." he quickly rushed to her and covered her mouth with his hand. "mmm..mmm" she mumbled "Han Chen, Han Chen...Han..." she quickly hid her phone behind her when she heard the bathroom door open, he came out of the bathroom with a broad smile on his lips, the bathrobe exposing his broad chest but she couldn''t care to notice it at the moment. "I..." she seemed like she was hiding something and she had a guilty expression on her face. "What''s wrong?" he seemed confused, she didn''t answer him, instead she hurriedly picked up her bag and held it tightly, she moved closer to him. "My Love," at that moment, she ended the call and turned to him with an apologetic look on her face. "I need to go somewhere urgently," she walked past him but he grabbed her hand and spun her around, her back landed on the wall and he wrapped his hand around her waist with his other hand on the wall. "Where are you going, we should spend the entire day together, after today we will both be busy so we might not have the chance to be together for an entire day for a while, I am sure the urgent matter can wait," he inclined his head towards her face and placed his hand at the back of her head, as soon as his lips touched hers, she slightly pushed him away. "I am sorry but I really need to go," she rushed out of the room. He brushed his hair back in disbelief, the Yu Yan he knows would never let go of such a chance to spend their entire day together for anything in the world. "Who exactly is Han Chen?" he asked rhetorically, he heard her calling his name with a worried tone. Meanwhile, Han Chen was hurt yet again, hearing her say ''my love'', his strong will now depleted and the drug started taking effect again. "tch!" she scoffed seeing his eyes turn as he lost consciousness. "Whoever that girl is, she must be really ruthless but you..." she knelt on one knee beside him and placed her fingers on his chin. "You are my golden ticket to a good life," she helped him to the bed and entered the shower. Yu Yan stepped on the brakes, increasing her speed, she seemed anxious, worried and her heart was thumping really fast, what is happening? who is the woman with him? what does she mean by she drugged him? "Annoying jerk! you had better be alright," she looked at the map on the car GPS, realizing she needed to make a left turn, she speedily turned the steering wheels and made the turn, she is just fifteen minutes away from the hotel he described. She increased her speed again. She came out of the bathroom minutes later with her bathrobe on, she lied on the bed next to him and caressed his face, even if she isn''t aware of the fact that he seems to be very wealthy, his looks and build is enough for anyone to fall for him. He opened his eyes slightly, he felt weak, throughout all his military operations, he has never been held captive or captured because he is always alert of his surrounding but today....what a joke, he is actually in this situation because of his heartbreak. He lost his will to resist the drugs in his system, she made him weak, all this is because he couldn''t forget a love that lasted for a short while, something that might not even matter to her anymore even if she remembers. "Don''t worry, I will make sure you have a good time," she whispered into his ear and started disrobing herself with her hair lying on one side of her shoulder and her fragrant scent filling the room...she really made an effort, a useless effort. She ran across the hall, looking for the room the receptionist mentioned after she lied to them that the man that was carried into the room is her brother and he is allergic to alcohol and she has his medication, after a lot of convincing, they told her the room number. "Room 710, room 710," she kept calling as she went from one door to the other, she looked to her side and finally found the room. Knock!!! She sighed in frustration, just when the fun was about to begin someone just had to interrupt. "Who is there?" she shouted "Yu---this is room service," she answered, deciding to be cautious in case if he is really in danger. "I didn''t request for room service," she answered then she continued her business, unbuttoning his shirt. Knock!!! "What the hell is your problem, I said I didn''t request for room service, what part of that don''t you understand?" she angrily retorted. "Ma''am, I am sorry to disturb you but the occupant of the room next to you filed a complaint against you for disturbing them with the noise coming from your room, can you please open the door so I..." she didn''t finish the sentence before the door got opened. "Who filed a complaint against me, aren''t the rooms soundproofed so how am I disturbing anyone?" "Exactly," Yu Yan remarked with a sinister tilt on her lips, she pushed the lady aside and barged into the room. "What are you doing?" she rushed in after her. Yu Yan stopped when she saw him lying on the bed with his eyes half-opened, she quickly rushed to his side and tapped his face frantically. "Are you alright, Han Chen?" "Who the hell are you?" the lady shouted in frustration, she has already had it with the interruptions. Yu Yan turned to her with a glare, then she started walking towards her. Thwack! She held her cheeks but another slap was sent across her other cheek. "You..." "How dare you drug him, I will make sure you get arrested for this," she declared and dialled the police line, the lady scoffed. "You must be Yu Yan, it is really surprising that you rushed all the way here even though you were with your lover minutes ago," she remarked, looking at her with an unremorseful look which annoyed Yu Yan to the bones. "What are you talking about?" "Are you really asking? If he wasn''t drunk because of you, do you think the little drug I used on him would have been effective, I wouldn''t have even gotten the chance to drug him," she smiled shrewdly. "I really pity him for being heartbroken because of you, I tell you what...he looked really pitiful earlier but I thought if I sleep with him then he would have no choice but to be responsible for me so of course, my life would change since he is wealthy," "What nonsense are you spewing right now?" she was too confused by what she was saying. "I won''t say more than that, are you going to take him and leave or are you still planning on calling the police, but if you ask me...his present condition is your fault, the drug only made him a little weaker," she crossed her arms on her chest, confident that Yu Yan would be too confused to call the police, that way she would be able to escape the situation unscathed. Chapter 213 - Cuddling Each Other To Sleep! She didn''t want to talk with her anymore, she is spewing nonsense and it is only adding to her confusion. Yu Yan went over to him and put his arms around her shoulders then she carried him out of the room, she laid him on the passenger''s seat and entered the driver''s seat when they got to her car, she stepped on the brakes and exited the hotel. Since it is already twelve in the midnight, she had no reason to not return back home so she decided to drive him to his mansion first, she still has to work tomorrow morning so instead of having to drive back when the day breaks she might as well just return now. She arrived at his mansion, since the gate has been programmed to open when it senses his cars she didn''t know if it would open and it didn''t seem like he has any servants working at his house but to her surprise, the gate opened automatically. She was surprised but she didn''t have the time to think much, she drove into the compound and parked her car in the huge compound, she turned to the back seat and pulled him out of the backseat after attempting to wake him up but to no avail. She painstakingly pulled him to the front of the door, the door opened as soon as she got to it, she dumped him on the sofa as soon as she entered the mansion, she slumped on the chair...trying to catch her breath, she was too tired...having to drive for so long and also carry a grown man. She opened her eyes when she heard the sound of someone coming down from the stairs, she thought someone had snuck into the house to burgle his home, she pretended to be unconscious...closing her eyes and waited until the person came near, when she felt the person''s presence close to her, she grabbed the person''s hand and dropped the figure on the sofa. She knitted her brows in confusion....a middle-aged woman, groaning. "aren''t you..." the woman stared deep into her eyes, she looked like she recognises her but Yu Yan was sure she has never met her before, she quickly freed the woman from her grip and stood up politely, bowing her head to apologise. "I am his nanny," "Nanny...I am sorry," "Don''t be mistaken, his childhood nanny, you are..." "Oh, I am Yu Yan...er...his friend," she answered "You look like her," she remarked, still staring at her. "Huh," "oh, it''s nothing...I will leave you to it then," she turned around and hurriedly walked through the entrance. "But..." she stood there helplessly, she was happy to see that someone is at home to take care of him but the woman suddenly left her to it. Seeing that she looked like his childhood lover, she decided to let them be and not interrupt them so she left Yu Yan to it. She looked at him in his pitiful state in frustration, the weather is cold so she thought it would be heartless to leave him on the sofa, she hanged his arm around her neck then she pulled him to the bedroom she entered last time. She dumped him on the bed and fell on the bed with him, she sighed in fatigue, his entire weight on her was just too heavy for her, she was lying beside him...realizing that she quickly sprung up from the bed, as soon as she stood up, he also stood up like a ghost and ran to the bathroom. She was startled seeing someone who was just unconscious suddenly waking up and running, she followed him to the bathroom where she saw him puking, she nodded her head, clicking her tongue and sighed. {That is what you get for drinking so much,} After he finished puking and flushed the toilet, he dropped the ground, she quickly entered the bathroom and carried him up then she moved him to his again, she looked at him in his messy state and sighed....why in the world is she stuck with him?. She went into the bathroom and filled a bowl with water then she picked a white towel with it, she placed the bowl and towel on the stool next to his bed, she removed his shoe then she moved on to unbutton his shirt and removed it. She flinched at the sight of his well-sculptured chest, her throat bobbed at the sight and her eyes couldn''t resist staring at his chest, she shook her head, reminding herself that was she is doing is wrong. She sat on the bed and squeezed the towel after dipping it in the bowl of water, she wiped his face gently with the towel as she bent closer to wipe it clearly, she stopped when her face got too close to his face...he looked really handsome and...pitiful. Somehow, she felt guilty seeing him in that state even though she couldn''t understand how it is her fault that he is in such a state and come to think of it, he has also been acting strange towards her. "What exactly is going on with you?" she sighed deeply, after cleaning his face, she placed the towel on the stool and stood up to leave but her eyes met the mural above his bed, she fixed her eyes on it...it is the same as the one she saw in the compartment. Does the girl on that painting mean something to him...she decided it was none of her concern so she turned to leave but she felt someone holding her wrist, she looked down at her wrist, seeing his hand holding her wrist...she looked at him. "Don''t go," he muttered "huh..." "Please don''t go," he sniffed his nose as tears started falling from his eyes but his eyes were closed, she moved closer to him go see if he is really awake but his eyes were shut tightly and the tears seeped out from the side of his eyes. She felt a tug in her heart... "W-why are you suddenly crying, are you feeling uncomfortable somewhere?" she sounded concerned, he pulled her hand forwards, placing her hand on his chest, her eyes widened seeing her hand...there. "W-what..." "It hurts here,". she wanted to struggle but she stopped hearing him...did he really get his heartbroken by someone, she placed her hand at the side of his face and wiped his tears...he really seemed pitiful. He pulled her to the bed, making her seat beside him then he wrapped his hands around her waist, and sniffed his nose with tears still falling, she raised her hands, not knowing where to place them, should she push him away or let him be? Now that she is too close to him, she could smell the trace of his perfume. "The same scent, could he really be the one I passed at the airport and come to think of it, the hotel he was at was close to where I was...is this really a coincidence?" she found herself questioning the situation. She slowly placed her hands on his bareback and patted his back then she wrapped her arms firmly around him...{just for a while then I will leave}. - - - - - - The next morning. "Han Chen, Miss, Han Chen," she called hoping one of them will at least wake up before their food gets cold, she entered the mansion earlier than usual because she wanted to cook a hangover soup for Han Chen and make sure he doesn''t escape breakfast now that he is going to the company. As soon as she entered, the sight of two people cuddling each other to sleep greeted her but what took her by surprise was the fact that he was shirtless, did they...by any chance did something happen last night. She cleared her throat and decided to give it another try. "Han Chen! Miss!" she yelled aloud, both of them woke up immediately but they scanned their surrounding first. "How did I get home, who is this?" "Don''t tell me I am still at...Wait who is this?" they turned to each other, their eyes widened. Arrrgggghhh!! They screamed, the nanny quickly blocked her ears with her finger. They unwrapped their hands from each other then she kicked him off the bed. "What are you doing here?" they chorused in unison. "Are you asking me, this is my house," he replied "Well then, why are you cuddling me to sleep...you pervert," "What...pervert, Hey, I was drunk last night, how am I supposed to know why I am cuddling you to sleep?" "That''s right, why am I cuddling him to sleep?" she asked herself, she ran her hand through her already scattered hair remembering that she was supposed to cuddle him for only a while but she must have fallen asleep. "Well...I will leave you both to freshen up and come downstairs," the nanny awkwardly said and hurriedly left the room. They sighed and turned to each other with a quizzical look in their eyes. "Well...you were crying last night then you suddenly cuddled me so I...I thought I should just play along for a while and leave but...I guess I fell asleep," she awkwardly explained. Chapter 214 - Cuddling Each Other To Sleep! 2 "Oh...I remember now, I called Jia Yu to pick me up but she wasn''t picking her call so...I called you," he ran his hand through his hair. "I am really sorry," he realized the situation they are in was his fault but inside he wasn''t feeling at all apologetic, he and Yu Yan spent the night cuddling each other to sleep...how can he regret it and she even left him (Chen Kai) because he called her. "Well then I will take my leave," she stood up from the bed to leave. "Are sure you want to go in that state..." she turned to him. "Well...you don''t look really good, why don''t you freshen up and eat breakfast with me, you can have a change of cloth...oh don''t misunderstand me, I just don''t want others to notice you are wearing the same thing as yesterday and you...you reek of alcohol because of me," he squinted his eyes, he wasn''t sure if he was saying the right thing but he hoped she would not refuse him. She lowered her head to sniff herself...she raised her gaze to glare at him, she really reeked of alcohol and it is all his fault. "If you want something to change in then you can find it in the closet in the guest bedroom you stayed in last time,". she looked at him quizzically with a questioning look. "I just thought it would be good to have some female clothing at home in case of situations...like this," he quickly explained. {Why does it sound like he bought them for me...or am I thinking too much} "Alright," she left the room. He exhaled deeply, he couldn''t believe that they actually spent the night together in each other''s arms, he covered his face and giggled in excitement, his deep dimples showing just how happy he actually is, he quickly stood up and walked to the mirror, he scrunched his face looking at his messy face. "Did I actually look like this?...what a mess," he shook his head at the messy image in front of the mirror, he ruffled his hair and entered the bathroom to freshen up. As soon as she got to the guestroom after going down to the second floor, she quickly rushed to the mirror in the bathroom, she ran her hand through her hair and pushed it up, she couldn''t believe he actually saw her in such a messy state. She freaked out for a while then she pretended not to care, she checked the drawer for an extra toothbrush or a kit but she was surprised to see that the entire drawer is filled with women toiletries, she started wondering if he has a girlfriend or there is a woman that comes to stay in the mansion...somewhere she felt a tinge of jealousy even though she isn''t aware of it. After she took her bath, she entered the walk-in closet, she gasped seeing the clothes, jewellery, bags and on the dressing table, different makeup accessories were placed, including many brands of perfumes. "Does he really have a girlfriend?" she wondered After going through the closets, she picked the one that caught her eyes, a V neck irregular blouse and a pencil bodycon black skirt, she chooses a simple chain earring with it, for a reason she isn''t aware of, she felt comfortable in his house. She took them to the bedroom but once she got thee she was met with a shocking scene...everything except the room painting had mickey mouse designs like they were made for her and come to think of it, most of the clothing in the closet is black, the shoes are mostly boots...is all these perhaps for her, isn''t is too much of a coincidence for her to dismiss. After dressing up, she decided she was going to ask him about it, Han Chen was already seated at the dining waiting for her under the quizzical look of his nanny who was standing beside him the whole time to question him but the both of them stopped when they heard the sound of heels descending the stairs. They raised their gazes but they couldn''t take their eyes off her, she looked really beautiful, Han Chen looked like he was going to start salivating and he couldn''t take his eyes off her, his eyes followed her until she got to the table and even after she took her seat...the nanny nudged him to make him take his eyes off her as the young lady had already started looking uncomfortable. "Huh..sorry," he said as he regained his senses, she smiled faintly with a nod in response. "I suppose you don''t need a hangover soup, young lady," the nanny remarked as she placed a bowl of soup in front of him, he frowned at the sight of the soup. "I have told you, I won''t have it," he protested, they had been arguing about that before Yu Yan arrived, she landed him a hit on his back and clicked her tongue. "Still whining like a child, drink up," he was surprised that she was still treating him like a child but Yu Yan suddenly burst into a real of laughter. "What is so funny?" he questioned with a wronged expression on his face, she waved her hands to apologise for laughing but she still couldn''t stop. "I am sorry, it is just too funny," "Grandma, this is all your fault," he complained but he still finished up the bowl of soup, she smiled warmly seeing him drink it up. "Since I have watched you drink it, I will take my leave now and leave you two," with that, she left the dining room, they bowed their head slightly to bid her goodbye. "Why...?" they smiled awkwardly seeing that they spoke at the same time. "You go first," he entreated. "Do you have a girlfriend...no...I mean any woman that comes to visit you, from what Jia Yu said, you don''t seem to have anyone like that?" "No, why do you ask?" he knew why she was asking but he still wanted to know maybe there is a secondary reason for her question...like jealousy. "If you don''t then why is the closet and the room decorated like it is meant for a woman...I don''t mean to intrude into your privacy," she lowered her voice, "it is just that everything in that room from the closet to the room decoration is according to my preference, so..." "So, you were thinking I made it that way for you, am I right?" "Well..not exactly but maybe," she felt shy to ask him. "You are not entirely wrong," his answer had a sentimental tone to it that she couldn''t miss, she lifted her gaze in surprise. "Huh," "The last time you came here, you reminded me of a friend I used to have when I was in high school, she is the only female who has stayed in my house except for my family members," he paused with a reminiscing smile on his face, from the looks on his face she could see that he is about to tell her something about his past. "She was a very precious friend to me, she used to come over secretly back then and she likes black clothing, her favourite shoe type are boots and she loves anything with mickey mouse illustrations on it," he raised his gaze and met her questioning gaze. "She is also very beautiful, intelligent and cheerful, she never lets go of something once she is determined to get it...many things about the both of your character are the same so I decided to buy those things in remembrance of her," he ended his statement and picked up his cutlery to cut the pancake. "Where is she now?". He stopped hearing her question. "I don''t know, we got separated a long time ago when we were still teenagers but I am sure she is still alive and well and maybe....with the dream job she has always wanted," he watched the curiosity in her eyes grow, he wanted her to connect the dots, he wanted her to remember him and from now on, he will continue doing this. He doesn''t plan to depend on their past to make her fall in love with him again but he wanted her to want to get close to him even if it is just to find out what she is missing then that way he will get the chance to get closer to her. "Her dream Job..." "Oh...she always told me she wanted to become a surgeon because of someone but I forgot who that is," he pretended like he is trying to remember something. "Her mom..." "I think that is it but I am not sure," he started cutting into the layers of pancake on his plate but he stopped when he heard her knife drop with a pale look on her face. "What is wrong?" he asked, he didn''t expect her to react in that way or he wouldn''t have told her all those. Chapter 215 - D-DAY Surgery! 1 "Do you have her picture or maybe something you can use to recognise her?" she asked with a fretful look on her face. What he just said combined with the flashes and voices...it can only mean one thing "No, I told you it it was a long time ago, I was still a teenager then," he watched the disappointed look on her face, he regretted his actions, he should have said that. "Are you alright?" "Yes I am fine, I probably need to get some rest as soon as possible," she tried to get a hold of herself then she started digging into the pancakes with a faint smile to pretend she wasn''t affected by him. {Who exactly are you to me, why do I feel worried, comfortable, and confused around you,} She has never gotten close to someone in just two months but with him, she remembers feeling an affinity that she wanted to deny, she had tolerated him and agreed to treat him in his house when they first met only because he is Jia Yu''s cousin but somewhere in her heart...she was concerned. She decided to find it all out. "I will drop you at the hospital," he offered "Huh..no, you don''t have to since I have my car with me,". He wanted to see that boyfriend of her''s again, to take a good look of what type of person he is and if he is even worth Yu Yan and also because today is the day he has to resume work at the hospital. "Exactly the reason I would like to go in your car, you must be very tired because of the stress I put you through today so I am offering to drive you to work," "I refuse, you don''t have any business at the hospital and I am still fully capable of driving myself..even with the stress," she frowned at him with an accusing gaze reminding him he is the cause of the soreness she is feeling in her body. "I can see you are crossed with me because of this, let me drive you or I will feel really bad for not repaying you, moreover, I do have business at the hospital," "What business?" "You will find out when we get there, by the way, I have been making more research for the total artificial heart surgery you talked about and arranging simulations for you,". Her face turned downcast the moment he mentioned it. "Actually...the higher-ups decided the case is too complicated for resident surgeons to handle so another skilled specialist surgeon is in charge of the case and the surgery is actually today that is why I have to be at the hospital early to watch the surgery," she explained, her face showed just how much she wanted to be involved but she sighed deeply and smiled again....always pretending like nothing matters. "Then it seems like my efforts have been wasted," "I am sorry, I should have told you about it," "If you are truly sorry then let me drive you to work," "Huh...Alright," although she doesn''t understand how this is supposed to compensate him she still agreed and she also doesn''t feel like driving anyways. After a long drive they finally arrived at the hospital, throughout the drive they both discussed comfortably about their lives for the first time since they met without any boundary, somehow he felt Yu Yan was only trying to find out the things she wants to know from him but surprisingly she also told him things about herself. "Do you want to go in first?" he asked knowing she might not want them to get associated together, she was quite surprised that he asked the question and it made her view him in another light again. "Yes..." she came out of the car then she smiled and nodded at him before walking away from the parking lot but after she walked afar, she came running towards the car, he was confused seeing her run back. "What is..." "I think we should go in together...I mean, you re Jia Yu''s brother so it doesn''t make sense that I am making you do things you don''t want to do," she wanted to sound as polite as possible, he smiled at her with a light chuckle...it seemed to him at that moment that she really wanted to get closer to him. "If you say so," He got out of the car and walked by her side while they continued smiling at each other while discussing on their way into the building. After they left the parking lot, a young man in a blue blazer and white top with a round glasses came down from a black car with a frown on his face. He had been calling her since the morning but she didn''t pick up so he decided he was going to go to the hospital on his own and he was even worried about her but she is here with this man he doesn''t recognise. "Is he perhaps Han Chen?" he pondered aloud, he nodded at the driver who had driven him to the hospital then he left the parking lot. After they entered the building, they went their separate ways, Yu Yan and the other surgeons who didn''t have a schedule that morning quickly put on their white coat and proceeded to the operation theatre where they all took their seat to watch the surgery from the observation seat above the operation room. Yu Yan greeted her friends, she sat beside them at the back seats where most of the resident surgeons were seated, they watched as the patient was wheeled into the operating room and the surgical crew entered the operating room. Just as everyone was set and ready for the operation, the patient''s wife and children arrived at the observation room even though they are not supposed to be there, an exception was made because of therestatus, they were given VIP seats at the front of the observation room, everyone was concerned and nervous since the operation means a lot to the hospital. "We will now commence the surgery, this surgery is the total heart replacement of the patient with a total artificial heart, agreed?" Surgeon Lian Wei questioned with his hands in the air. "Agreed!" they chorused. "Patient has been anaesthetized," the anesthesiologist announced "The patient''s heart has been stopped and is now on cardiopulmonary bypass," the team leader of the cardiologist department reported, surgeon Lian Wei nodded at her. "Then the operation will commence, this is ten''o clock in the morning," he moved closer to the patient then he took in a deep breath and glanced at his hands, he really hopes they won''t fail him at least for today. "Scalpel,". The surgical technician handed the scalpel to him then he made two small incisions in the left upper abdomen and he created intramuscular tunnels through the left rectus muscle for the total artificial heart drivelines, he stopped halfway then he glanced at his hands..they were shaky, he quickly tightened them and continued making the incision. "Electrocautery," he requested as he handed the scalpel to the surgical technician who handed the instrument to him. He dissected the layers of tissue to the chest bone, then he handed the instrument to the surgical technician and requested for a bone saw, he sawed the chest bone while Mrs Lucy the first assisting surgeon cauterized the bleeding blood vessels, then Yue Ling who is the second assisting surgeon picked the retractor and retracted the sawed chest bone, then Surgeon Lucy cauterized the blood underneath the chest wall. He was about to dissect the heart when Surgeon Lucy stopped him with an alarmed look on her face. "There is an intense inflammatory thickening of the pericardium, we might not be able to go on with mediastinal dissection," she quickly informed, Surgeon Lian Wei inclined his head forward to take a good look at the pericardium, he sighed. "We have to reconstruct the pericardium," he informed then he turned to the surgical technicians to provide the needed specimens and instrument. "Wait...what is he talking about?" the patient''s wife asked seeing that the surgery stopped all of a sudden with an alarmed tone in her voice, some of the surgeons reacted in the same way. "Ah..it is nothing serious, the membrane covering his heart has been inflamed so they have to reconstruct it to carry on with the dissection, as I said beforehand, Surgeon Lian Wei is a skilled surgeon and I am sure you have heard of him before so you have nothing to worry about," the chief surgeon answered reassuringly, he couldn''t afford to have her agitated. The woman placed her hand on her chest in relief while her children took in deep relief, some of the surgeons who didn''t understand the situation were also relieved while some took note of what he said...like Yu Yan but she isn''t aware of the two pairs of eyes watching her. After reconstructing the pericardium, surgeon Lian Wei took in a deep breath and proceeded to cannulate the superior and inferior vena cava through the right atrium but his hands shook again at that moment, Yue Ling who had noticed his hands shake before was alarmed, she looked up at him. "Are you alright, sir," she asked to confirm he is alright to carry on wit the surgery. "Huh..." "I noticed your hands a..." "It''s nothing, I am alright," he quickly defended before she could complete her statement. Chapter 216 - D-DAY Surgery! 2 "I noticed your hands a..." "It''s nothing, I am alright," he quickly defended before she could complete her statement, he batted his lashes frantically then he cleared his throat and turned back to the patient. "I will begin mediastinal dissection," he raised his head with his eyes on Yue Ling, he could see the suspecting gaze in her eyes directed at his hand, he tightened his hand and continued with the dissection, they were now three hours into the surgery. Yue Ling clamped the aorta, giving him a leeway to divide and separate the pulmonary artery and aorta at the level of the valvular commissures but his hands started shaking significantly, he widened his eyes and quickly hid them below the operating table but those close to the operating table were alarmed as they were sure they had just seen his hands shaking. "Surgeon Lian Wei..." Surgeon Lucy exclaimed softly, she couldn''t believe he had started the operation with such a condition. "You don''t have to mind it, I already took the medication before coming in," he gritted his teeth as he racked his brain to think of how he can control the situation especially now that those in the observation room might know of what is going on in the operation room. "Sir, what are you talking about?" Yue Ling questioned, with a look of disbelief in her eyes, she initially thought she had seen wrong beforehand, otherwise, even if she is after success, she still has her own moral code to follow and she would never have let him come this far if she was sure of it. "What is going on, chief surgeon?" the patient''s second son questioned with a deep frown and alarmed look on his face, the observation room was already filled with murmurs, some of the surgeons saw what had happened while others didn''t. "eh...eh, I am not sure of what is going on," he answered then he grabbed the mic in front of the observation room. "Surgeon Lian Wei, what is going on?" the chief surgeon questioned, the crew in the operation room looked up at the observation room, they couldn''t believe such a thing is happening in the middle of an important and complicated surgery that requires them to manage their time. "It is nothing, sir, I have already taken my medication, I am sure I can take care of the situation," he answered trying his best to sound reassuring but his shaky voice gave his fear away. The chief surgeon turned back at the patient''s family and all the surgeons seated in the observation room, this is not a surgery where they can easily switch surgeons, many simulation surgeries have been carried out once the surgical crew was determined and they have practised a lot...what is he going to do now? "It''s no wonder he was so humble when he was given the case," An Ke whispered to her friends seated around her, Yu Yan fixed her eyes on the operation room, she wished she was in the room but even if she is in there, what can she do? Chen Kai whose eyes was on her before had now fixed his eyes on the operation room, even though he was standing among the surgeons'' no one bothered with him since they don''t know all the surgeons in the hospital but Han Chen who was seated right beside Yu Yan with his surgical mask on without her knowing still watched her. He could see how much she earned to be in the operation and he plans to grant her wish. "Cheif Surgeon, if anything goes wrong with my father''s surgery, I will make sure everyone in this hospital takes responsibility for it," one of the patient''s children threatened. "Do you mean to say that the surgeon in charge has such a condition and no one was aware of it--- you even let such a person operate on my husband?" she collapsed in shock, her children quickly held her before she fell to the ground, some of the surgeons quickly assisted her out of the observation to get a drip while her children followed except for the eldest son. As soon as their mother was carried out, the eldest son walked up to where the chief surgeons were standing with an anxious look on his face, he stood face to face with him with an upward tilt on his lips, he (eldest son) dusted the collar of his (Chief surgeon) white coat and suddenly pulled his collar. "I can assure you that none of you will be able to escape unscathed if this surgery goes wrong," with that, he glared into his eyes with a dangerous glint in his eyes, the chief surgeon shook in fear even at his old age, the surgeons were also nervous, their fate might be depending on this one surgery since the patient is one of the famous business tycoons in the country and his sons and daughter are high ranking politicians and military personnel. "I...nothing will go wrong, please be rest assured," with that, he released his collar and straightened his collar then he gave him a threatening smile and returned to his seat. "He meant what he just said," someone beside Yu Yan whispered into her ear, she turned to the person in confusion, she gave him a strange look suggesting he is a weird person then she looked away from him. Surgeon Lian Wei returned to the operating table then he raised the scalpel above the open body, everyone''s eyes were on him, watching his every move and ready to clean up his mistakes, Yue Ling was filled with regret, had she known this sort of thing would happen, she would have let Yu Yan take her position. "I...I will proceed with the dissection," he stuttered, he has never been this nervous throughout his career, ever since his condition was diagnosed in another hospital, he kept it a secret but he decided to resign after this surgery at least he would be able to make a mark in the medical history if his condition is exposed after the surgery. "Sir, are you sure you can do this, would you like us to take over from here?" surgeon Lucy suggested in fear. "I am okay," he answered with his eyes still fixed on the heart, he lowered the scalpel into the open body, with his hands tightened, he divided the pulmonary artery and aorta but he was about to separate them when his hands shook again, causing him to rupture the pulmonary vein. They widened their eyes in shock, blood splurted out of the vein, splashing on their faces with their hands in the hair and their blue surgical gown, everyone in the observation room jerked out of their seat in shock. Blood started spurting out uncontrollably from the four pulmonary veins, they quickly took the gauze from the surgical technicians and placed them on the vein to stop the bleeding but it would stop, the blood kept spurting out. "Surgeon Lian Wei, what are you doing?" the chief surgeon screamed though the microphone, they couldn''t stop the bleeding during such a complicated surgery and such major mistake is enough to kill the patient. Yu Yan whose eyes was widened, fixed on the operation room felt someone holding her wrist, she turned to her side but the familiar face was covered by a mask so she could only see his eyes. {He looks familiar,} the person suddenly covered her mouth and pulled her out of the observation, since they were seated at the back and everyone was concentrating on the surgery, they easily left the observation room without anyone spotting them. He pulled her until they got to the front of the operation theatre, when she struggled to pull her hand away from his hand, she rubbed her wrist to relieve the pain then she glared at the person, he removed his mask with a smile on his face. "It is me," She gasped! "Han Chen!" she couldn''t believe he was the one who pulled her out of the observation room and the one who whispered into her ear earlier. "What are you doing here?" she was confused "That is not important right now, what is important is that we are going to go into the operating room to take over that surgery," he answered with a confident look in his eyes, she was stunned for a moment. "What are you saying?" "I have made all the preparations beforehand as I told you this morning, all you need to do is follow my instructions once we get in there," "Are you crazy, do you even know what you are talking about?" "I know and I also know you want to perform that surgery, I can fix the situation inside, I have done this many times on both civilians and mili...anyways, trust me, we can do this," he answered reassuringly but she was still looking at him as if he is crazy. "You are crazy," she turned around to leave but he grabbed her by the elbow. "Ask yourself if you want to do it, I know you haven''t prepared for this so I am going to help you, you watched the video, you saw me do it and I have done it many times before, If I instruct you on what to do we will definitely ace that surgery," Chapter 217 - D-DAY Surgery! 3 "But..." "You trust me, right?" "I...I...but I am not prepared for this, what if...what if, it..." he pulled her closer to him and placed his hands on both her shoulder with his eyes staring into her. She seemed conflicted internally, one part of her wants to trust him and do it but the other part is afraid the situation is too big for them to handle. "Do you trust me?" "I...I do," she took in a deep breath then they entered into the operation theatre, they wore the blue surgical gown and cap over their clothes then they sterilized their hands and walked into the operation room. Everyone turned to them as soon as they entered, including those above the operating room. "Who are you?" One of the surgical nurses in the room questioned "I will be taking over this surgery," he announced to their surprise, they immediately looked up to question the chief surgeon but seeing the confused look on his face they guessed this person is talking gibberish. "Who is that?" the chief surgeon questioned into the mic. "I am surgeon Han Chen and Surgeon Yu Yan will be assisting me in this surgery," They all turned to where Yu Yan was seated, seeing that she was no longer there, they looked back at the operating room until they heard a slam on the glass in front of the observation room. "Are you guys taking my father''s surgery for a joke?" the eldest son roared, the glint in his eyes showed his anger, they all shook at the sudden outburst, Surgeon Nanjing quickly walked up to him. "He is a new surgeon but he has performed many surgeries of this nature, you can trust him," she assured but he slowly turned to her with a cold glint in his eyes. "My father is lying in there, with his body opened and your incapable surgeons are still unable to stop the bleeding but you are here telling me to trust an unknown surgeon," he slammed the glass again causing her body to shake again, if the glass isn''t very strong, it would have shattered by now. "He..." "Salute, senior colonel," Han Chen saluted with his right hand at the side of his head, everyone turned to him immediately while the eldest son had a surprised look on his face, Han Chen took off his mask, exposing his out of the world face, the female surgeons opened their mouth in a ''wow'' shape as soon as he removed his mask while the males were left speechless. "Cap..." "If you trust me then I will proceed with the surgery," he said, still saluting him, the colonel immediately smiled seeing the face behind the mask. "What is going on?" they all started murmuring seeing the smile on his face. "Proceed," he answered, Han Chen smiled and dropped his hand at ease, Yu Yan was confused by the whole thing but she decided to save the questions for later, he moved to the front of the table while Surgeon Lian Wei moved away but as soon as he took a step from where he had stood frozen, he collapsed. "Take him out," Han Chen ordered the nurses standing behind the room, they immediately assisted him out of the surgical room. "But he is..." "He is definitely not incompetent as the rest of you are, after this surgery, we still have a score to settle," he glared at the chief surgeon who was about to protest then he took his seat again and took in a deep breath. Mrs Nanjing was the only one who wasn''t confused by the situation even though Jia Yu understood the reason why the senior colonel was assured, she couldn''t understand what he is doing at the hospital and why Mrs Nanjing spoke on his behalf. Yu Yan glanced at Yue Ling who was still taken aback by all that had just happened, she glared at her knowing that from now Yu Yan is the second in charge so she and her team leader are more or less just assistant nurses now. "I will begin now, I will be instructing surgeon Yu Yan, the process will be carried out by her and you two are to assist her, am I understood?" he spoke with an extreme tone of authority that they wondered if he is their senior, both cardiologists looked up in complaint but seeing that senior colonel and the helpless chief surgeon who is relying on this stranger to save the hospital, they had no choice but to comply. "Understood," "Stopping the bleeding is the secondary focus, Yu Yan suture the ruptured veins, you will continue stopping the bleeding while your focus will be transfusing blood into the patient''s vein," he instructed the three of them, then they started doing as he said. "Jia Yu, what is your brother doing there?" An Ke asked aloud, everyone in the observation room immediately turned to Jia Yu, she smiled at them awkwardly and turned to An Ke with a scolding look. "Your brother?" they questioned, except for Mrs Nanjing who sighed at the turn out of the whole situation "Yes...something like that," she awkwardly answered and nudged at An Ke who avoided her accusing glare. "Please let''s focus on the surgery," one of the head surgeons ordered then they immediately turned back. {Her brother...}, Chen Kai remarked inwardly. Under his instructions, they stopped the bleeding after much effort then they proceeded to complete the transplant process, to everyone''s surprise...well not everyone but she was too fast for someone who is being instructed, especially in such a dire situation. "He is very good...too good," one of the surgeons remarked aloud while others started murmuring in agreement, he made demonstrations as he spoke to the surgical crews while they followed his orders. The climax of the surgery had now arrived, everyone concentrated their full attention on the surgery this time, they had already dissected the heart, now all they need to do is place the artificial heart into the chest and connect it to the blood vessels. Yu Yan glanced at him in nervousness which he could see in her eyes but he nodded at her telling her to be confident, everyone in the operation watched their interaction, they knew something they don''t know is going on between the both of them. "Ready..." "Ready," she responded, taking a deep breath, the surgical technicians handed the parts of the artificial heart to the surgeons on by one while they sutured the parts they need to suture to the vessels, finally they finished placing the artificial heart in the chest and connecting it to all the vessels needed. She placed the aortic root vent and started low-pressure pumping of the left ventricle, she de-aired the artificial heart after being confirmed by transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) then she removed the aortic clamp and weaned the patient off cardiopulmonary bypass. The surgical technicians activated the total artificial heart...the moment everyone has been waiting for, everyone held their breath as they waited for the artificial heart to start pumping. "It is pumping," Yu Yan exclaimed, they all looked at it again, THE ARTIFICIAL HEART IS PUMPING. They all sighed in relief with smiles on all their faces, they all started rejoicing. Yu Yan excitedly turned around and hugged Han Chen with his hands in the air, he was startled, he expected her to be excited but not to that extent, everyone paused seeing her hug the new heartrob, her team leader sighed and moved to the mic. "Surgeon Yu Yan...professionalism, please," she said into the mic, Yu Yan opened her eyes which she had shut tight when she hugged him, she realized the situation so she quickly unwrapped her hands off him and smiled in embarrassment at the surgeons in the observation room. The senior colonel nodded satisfactorily at Han Chen who saluted him again, he stood up from his seat to meet his sister and brothers at the ward where their mother is receiving her drip. "Chief Surgeon, we still have a lot to talk about, don''t you think...?" "Of--of course," he nervously replied. "Then I will see you outside..." he turned back to the operating room. "-Later," he turned around and left. Seeing the senior colonel leave the observation room, Han Chen quickly removed his surgical gown and followed after him, he didn''t want to make his greeting in the presence of others since he still plans on lying to them. He finally caught up with him when he got to the hallway after the operating theatre. "Salute," he saluted with his right hand at the side of his head. "At ease, we are not in a military environment and we are both not on uniform so you don''t have to salute me,". With that, Han Chen put himself at ease. "I am glad you were present here today or I wonder what those stupid surgeons would have done," he sighed in relief and patted his shoulder. "Most of them are stupid but not all....like my assisting surgeon," he replied with a smile. "You mean the girl who followed you in, she does seems capable, her speed is almost on the some par with yours but I can see she just lacks the experience," Chapter 218 - Meeting The Rival! 1 "I am glad you were present here today or I wonder what those stupid surgeons would have done," he sighed in relief and patted his shoulder. "Most of them are stupid but not all....like my assisting surgeon," he replied with a smile. "You mean the girl who followed you in, she does seem capable, her speed is almost on par with yours but I can see she just lacks the experience," "You are right," "I can see there is something special going on between the both of you," "Well...something like that," "It seems like you have decided to work here after your suspension, I was not on duty so I couldn''t do anything about your suspension and I don''t think they know you are in the military so I will keep your secret," "Thank you sir, please when you give credit, please commend Yu Yan," "Hmm...I will," then he turned around and left. Yu Yan who had just arrived after following him out, called him, he turned around. "How do you know him?" she questioned immediately she arrived in front of him. "Well...er...I met him by accident years ago and I once operated on one of his subordinates with a very complicated case," "No wonder he trusts you so much," she lowered her head and raised it again. "Thank you so much for today," the look in her eyes showed him just how grateful she is to him. "If you are that thankful then from today you have to accept me as a friend and promise not to treat me as a stranger again,". She smiled and nodded her head in agreement almost immediately, well...he was surprised cause he was expecting her to argue at least a bit. "Pinkie promise," he extended his pinkie, she glanced at him then she connected her pinkie finger with his with a smile. "Yu Yan," someone called, they turned towards the direction the voice came from. "Chen Kai,". He walked forward towards them, then his eyes fell on their intertwined pinkie fingers, she realized what he was staring at so she quickly removed her finger. "What are you doing here, I wasn''t expecting you to arrive at the hospital so soon?" she seemed flustered like she is hiding something. "I just decided to come in early, who is this?" He asked with his eyes now gazing directly at Han Chen with a hostile look hidden behind the smile on his face, Yu Yan and Han Chen could notice his hostility but they pretended not to know. "He is..." "I am sure you already know me since you were present in the observation room," Han Chen interjected with a straight face, he has no intention to pretend to be friendly, unlike his rival who is hiding his hostility behind a smile. "You were there?" she questioned "Yes," Chen Kai answered {Then he saw me hug Han Chen,} "Hi, I am Chen Kai, Yu Yan''s boyfriend, not everyone knows this so I hope you keep it a secret," he introduced with his hands extended for a handshake, Han Chen smirked and held his hand. "As you already know, I am Han Chen, Yu Yan''s friend....for now, I will try keeping your secret," he replied with a smirk on his face. {For now...} He pondered on his statement. The look on his face annoyed him, he tightened his grip on Han Chen''s hand, Han Chen realizing what he was doing did the same, as a soldier he won''t lose to a mere civilian, of course, Chen Kai felt his bones almost fractured but he still wouldn''t let go of his hand, Yu Yan watched the tension between both guys in confusion. "Brother," a female voice called, they all turned towards the direction only to see Xiaomeng, she started walking towards them. "I was waiting for you at the airport but I was told you have already arrived at the hospital so I rushed down here immediately,". He took the opportunity to release his hand from Han Chen''s grip without making it look like he was defeated. "What a surprise, I wasn''t expecting to see the rumoured boyfriend here," Xiaomeng remarked with a smile directed at Yu Yan, Yu Yan was caught off guard by her sudden remark, she turned to Chen Kai. "Rumoured boyfriend...whose rumoured boyfriend?" Chen Kai asked "Oh...Most people at the hospital think he is Yu Yan''s boyfriend," Xiaomeng answered with a carefree tone like what she was saying wouldn''t have any impact, Chen Kai turned to Yu Yan with a questioning gaze but she just seemed speechless. {This b***ch,} She cursed inwardly with her fist balled. "It seems like you have seen me before but I don''t think I have ever seen you," Han Chen remarked with a flirtatious gaze at Xiaomeng, he already understood the situation from a glance and he wasn''t planning on letting Yu Yan lose to someone like her. "I have seen you before," she turned to Yu Yan. "In the hospital park, the both of you seemed really close judging from how touchy you both were in the park," she continued. "Xiaomeng!" Yu Yan snapped "I am sorry to have made you misunderstand her but you see..." he moved two steps closer to Xiaomeng with his face beside hers. "I tend to be very flirtatious when I see pretty ladies..." he moved away from her and turned to Yu Yan. "And she is by far the most beautiful lady I have ever seen...so it can''t be helped," he continued, he held her wrist while you stared at him not knowing what to say, Chen Kai and Xiaomeng glanced at his hand holding her wrist. "Let''s go, I suppose we still have lots of talking to do with the team leader or should I say our team leader," "You...you are the new general surgeon," "Bingo, I wanted to surprise you and Jia Yu but I didn''t have a choice but to reveal it beforehand," he pulled her wrist and walked away with her but her eyes were still on him (Han Chen) as they walked away, she just couldn''t understand him. "Why didn''t you tell me you were returning yesterday, I would have picked you up if I had known?" Xiaomeng questioned now that she is all alone with him. "oh...I had Yu Yan pick me up yesterday, I am sorry for having you wait," "It seems like you still have her in your heart, even though you have seen them I suppose you still trust her but sooner or later you will realize that I am the one for you," She declared and walked away from him with a sly smile appearing on her face as she walked away. Her new tactics to make him leave Yu Yan has already been planned out and Han Chen''s presence will only make things easier for her. They met the chief surgeons and some senior surgeons at the general surgery department as soon as they got there, the chief surgeons quickly walked up to them and held their hands with a satisfactory look on his face. "I heard from Mrs Nanjing that you are a very skilled surgeon but I didn''t think you were this good, I have spoken with Mrs Nanjing and we have decided that your qualifications are too high to put you under her team, so you will be given a higher position," the chief surgeon announced "No, I am quite happy to be under her team, I hope you let it stay that way," "But...Sigh! if that is what you want then I will leave it that way," he turned to Yu Yan. "The patient''s son praised you heavily for your good performance after your residency ends this year, you will be given a place and an immediate promotion," he announced, Yu Yan quickly bowed her head to thank him, she wasn''t expecting to get promoted after her residency and in fact, she has already concluded that she will not be able to get a promotion considering her status. "That is all, then I will leave you to continue your work," he turned to leave. "Sir, what is going to happen to Surgeon Lian Wei?" Mrs Nanjing asked "A disciplinary committee will be held but I am sure he is going to be dismissed and have his license revoked and if the patient''s family sues him then it will be much worse," he sighed and left the department. "This is the new general surgeon, Han Chen," Mrs Nanjing disclosed without further ado. "Really, I didn''t think you were the one, I wasn''t expecting it to be you Mr handsome," An Ke spouted almost immediately, they rolled their eyes at her while Han Chen smiled flirtatiously at her. "Since you are so excited then I hope we have a good time together," then he winked at her, she gasped with a wide smile on her lips. "Han Chen!" Mrs Nanjing cautioned, watching him flirt with An Ke who seems to like it. "It seems like you all have already met so I guess working together would not be an issue," "Of course not," An Ke and Li Chen chorused but Yu Yan just remained quiet with a confused look on her face. "Ehhmmn...I have a round to make, we will chat later, Mr Handsome," An Ke said Chapter 219 - Meeting The Rival! 2 "Me too, see you later," Li Chen said then he and An Ke left together. "You are really full of surprises, why did you decline the promotion?" "Maybe it''s because I want to be around people I know...especially you," he leaned closer to her and smirked then he walked away. Chen Kai who was watching them from afar balled his fist in anger, it didn''t seem to him that Han Chen is even hiding his intentions and Yu Yan doesn''t seem to be pushing him away either, his mind went back to the picture she sent him of the fun time they had together when Yu Yan first met Han Chen, now that he is thinking of it, Han Chen was also in the picture. "Exactly how close are you two and how much have I missed?" he questioned rhetorically while staring at her. After hours into the day, the chairman and the madam arrived at the hospital, since they didn''t announce their arrival beforehand this time, no one was prepared until they walked into the hospital, they had everyone bowing their heads as they walked into the reception. The chief surgeon and some of the senior surgeons immediately arrived at the reception to greet them. "Chairman, madam, what brought you here today?" the chief surgeon asked after a quick bow, smiled broadly showing that she definitely has something good to inform them of. "I just wanted to meet my son at the hospital, he arrived at the hospital this morning, so I was told..." she answered but they all looked confused. "Your son...I don''t really know what you are saying?" the chief surgeon answered with a confused look on his face when he turned to the surgeons beside him with a quizzical look on his face but they all nodded in affirmation. "Are you saying Chen Kai is not here yet?" the chairman queried with a stern expression, he was already crossed that he lied to them about his return date and now he can''t even be found. "I am afraid not," "godmother, godfather" Xiaoemeng called from afar seeing them wear a worried expression, she walked up to them with the welcoming smile of the couple. "Ah...Xiaomeng, I am glad you are here, I heard you waited at the airport for a long time but you couldn''t find him, I hope you are not angry with him?" Mrs Chen asked with an apologetic expression on her face as she held Xiaomeng''s hand in between hers. "How can I be angry, I met him earlier and he already said it was a mistake, he didn''t want to trouble you about it, haven''t you seen him yet?" she responded, making the couple and the surgeons around relieved. "Mom," Chen Kai called as soon as he came out of the revolving doors, he already knew his parents will surely visit the hospital so he just waited for them to arrive so he can have his remaining time of the day to himself. "Chen Kai, my son," she quickly embraced him with her eyes shut tightly, showing just how much she missed him, if not for the high expectations of her and his father, she would definitely not let him go away from her for so long. "Why didn''t you come home as soon as you arrived, I was very worried about you?" she questioned with her hands on his face, he didn''t like how dramatic she is acting but he just smiled to go along with her, he has never really liked his parents cause they never gave him his own breathing space and the right to make his own choice. "I just wanted to visit the hospital and I was able to witness the surgery this morning, it was really a sight to behold," He answered then he turned to the chief surgeon with a frown on his face, seeing the whole scene in the operation room was a disappointment for him, he couldn''t believe that such an important surgery turned out to be that way. The chief surgeon almost fainted hearing that he was also present, he fluttered his lashed nervously. {When did he arrive at the hospital....such an unlucky day} "I didn''t know young master Chen was here if not, I would have taken better care of you upon your arrival," "Of course you didn''t," Chen Kai responded. Yu Yan stood afar watching them converse with some surgeons also watching them, she didn''t like the way he looked while he was speaking to the chief surgeon. "Oh...I forgot to ask about the surgery, I hope it went well," The chairman questioned, he made sure he followed up on the surgery since the patient is not just a VIP patient but also a very influential person in terms of politics, business and military connections. "O-of course it went well," the chief surgeon answered nervously, averting Chen Kai''s gaze. "I am very happy to hear that," the chairman responded then he turned to Chen Kai with a stern look. "It is good that you already came to the hospital beforehand, the chief surgeon will get you familiarized with the hospital, resume to your office from tomorrow," "I will do that, Father," the both of them didn''t sound a bit close judging from the tone they spoke to each other in and even when he called him ''father'' it sounded too empty. "Anyways, I will be holding a welcome party for Chen Kai, I would like you to invite all the surgeons, I hope you inform everyone of my invitation, Chief surgeon," "I surely will, madam," "Then we will take our leave now, Xiaomeng, you should come home with Chen Kai, I would like to have a nice chat with you" "I will come by after work, godmother," She enthusiastically responded. She linked her arm with the Chen Kai who pretended to be okay with it then she turned to leave but she suddenly stopped and turned back with her index finger pointing upward. "Is there anything else madam?" the chief surgeon asked nervously. "That female surgeon...what is her name again, Yu--Yu something?" "Do you mean Yu Yan?" Chen Kai questioned, hoping she would say no. "Yes, Yu Yan, do you also know her?" she asked "We-We got acquainted in university, how do you know her mother?" the look in his eyes...he is scared that she must have found out about their relationship, he rubbed his hands nervously, the sight didn''t miss Yu Yan''s scrutinizing gaze and Han Chen who was also watching them from the top floor. "She did mention it, that girl is quite interesting, I would like her at the party too," she said, facing the chief surgeon, then she smiled and turned to leave. The chief surgeon and the senior surgeons were surprised at how quickly Yu Yan is already receiving recognitions, her reason for being at the hospital has now tripled. Xiaoemeng frowned seeing how interested she seemed in Yu Yan, she has never seen her godmother care about any young lady around Chen Kai except for her in such a way, the smile she struggled to maintain quickly faded as soon as her godmother turned her back with the chairman then she glanced at Chen Kai but...he heaved a sigh of relief and unlinked their arms. She scoffed. is he actually relieved his mother didn''t find out about their relationship? her faded smile returned, her confidence returned once again, she was relieved that the Chen Kai she knows still hasn''t changed, nothing comes before his ambitions and his ambition is to inherit his father''s companies and to do that he has to gain both his father and mother''s approval. The only reason he is so insecure is that his father suddenly brought home an illegitimate son who is already working as a managing director of the Chen companies. {Yu Yan, you really don''t know Chen Kai more than I do,} She turned to leave but her eyes met Yu Yan who was standing still with a downcasted look at Chen Kai, she scoffed at her and walked away, Chen Kai then realized Yu Yan was standing there all along, he forced a smile on his face and waved at her but...Han Chen suddenly appeared then he started talking to her. Since he was far away from them, he couldn''t hear what they were saying but Yu Yan walked away with him, ignoring him. He took out his phone and texted her. They entered the cafe'' and walked to the counter to make their order. "I would like two cups of double shot vanilla iced coffee," they chorused, they turned to each other but the young-looking barista chuckled. "It seems like you both have the same taste," he remarked, even though they both had their staff cards and white coat on, he could tell they have different chemistry other than being colleagues. "Yeah, we do, give us two cups of double shot vanilla iced coffee, please," Han Chen ordered then he swiped his cards on the machine after he brought their orders forward, she attempted to take it off the counter but he quickly carried it. Chapter 220 - Meeting The Rival! 3 After they arrived at a seat close to the glass wall of the coffee, he placed the tray on the table then they both took their seat and sat opposite each other. "Thanks for the coffee, it would be my treat next time," Yu Yan said as she picked her coffee from the tray and sipped it. "So there is going to be a next time, I am glad to hear that but just take it as my repayment for the trouble I put you through last night," he smiled gently. "Still, thanks," After they both sipped from the cup of coffee, they placed it on the table. "Why are you keeping your relationship a secret?" he hopes she would confide in him even though he has already accessed the situation, it would only prove to him that she is already taking him as a friend. "Do you think I will tell you?" "Yes, because you already promised to treat me as a friend and since your boyfriend doesn''t think he has to hide it from me a new surgeon he just met then I don''t think you have anything to lose if you tell me," he sipped the coffee again. She raised one of her brows and scoffed, he always has his ways with his words and somehow he always manages to justify himself. "I guess so, well since you have seen his parents earlier and you know my social status then I will just be straight forward, his parents want him to marry someone who is in the same social class as he his, someone like Xiaomeng, the girl you met earlier so we have to keep it a secret from his parent," She disclosed, she felt comfortable telling it to him even though she is not someone who would ever tell it to anyone else. "Are you planning on keeping it a secret forever, I don''t mean to intrude your personal life but..." "You are already intruding it," she interjected straightforwardly, he chuckled seeing her back to her normal self. "Then I will continue, do you really plan on keeping it a secret?" "No...but I have to wait for him, for him to tell his parents himself," "And do you think that is going to happen anytime soon, I am sure you saw him back there, I was looking at the both of you and you seemed...disappointed," her face froze when she heard him say that, she wanted to pretend she didn''t see him all tensed up when his mother mentioned her and relieved when he knew she didn''t find out about them. "I---I," Ting! She glanced at her phone. {Can we talk, I have something to say to you,} "I guess he is the one, Yu Yan, I have only met you for more than a month and even though we always seem to bicker every time, I think of you as a friend and I hope you can do what makes you happy," he picked his coffee and stood up from his seat, she raised her gaze. "I guess we will see each other next week then," then he turned to leave, her face turned downcast when he left, she was already pondering on his words when Chen Kai suddenly appeared in front of her. A moment ago. Han Chen was about to leave when he met Chen Kai standing afar watching them. "I really like iced coffee, I guess Yu Yan has the same taste," Han Chen randomly remarked then he sipped his coffee and walked past him with a smirk. She forced a smile on her face. "What are you doing here? I thought you would be with the chief surgeon now," she questioned, trying very hard to maintain her fake smile. "I have already seen all I need to see, the person I need to be with right now is you, Yu Yan," he answered sentimentally as he took his seat where Han Chen previously sat. "Oh," "Why didn''t you reply to my message?" "I didn''t check my phone, as you know, it is an old habit," she brought out her phone from her pocket and scrolled through it, pretending to check his message, he sighed and held her hand. "I saw you check your phone earlier and I am sure you already saw my message, are you angry about something, we were still okay last night?" he feigned confusion even though he already knew what it was all about. She removed her hand from his then she pushed her hair back and smiled. "Chen Kai, you know how much it kills me to keep my feelings bottled up, firstly, you were already here a while ago you saw me check my phone but you didn''t come to me, why is that?" her tone and gaze looked interrogative, He leaned closer to her. "Yu Yan, don''t misunderstand me, I just thought I shouldn''t interrupt you two so I came here as soon as he was gone," he tried to hold her hand again but she moved it further from him. "Really. You already told him you are my boyfriend so why do you think you have to wait for us to finish talking before you let me know you were here, you don''t trust me, do you?" the look in her eyes...she is definitely angry at him, one of the things she hates when someone close to her distrusts her. "It is not what you think Yu Yan, I-I just thought..." "You just thought we might have something between us while you were gone, just so you know, Han Chen appeared just one or two months ago and he is Jia Yu''s brother so, to me, he is a friend, nothing more than a friend, the first thing you do when you arrive is distrust me....". He held her hand and lowered his head then he raised it again with an appealing gaze. "I do trust you, it is just that he seems like someone with bad intentions so I was worried...about you," "You don''t have to, he doesn''t mean anything he says, trust me," "I do," "Other than that, there is another thing I would like us to discuss," "What is it?" he asked, hoping she wouldn''t talk about introducing her to his parents cause he isn''t ready for it...at least not yet. "I want you to introduce me to your parents on the day of your welcome party, I managed to make a good impression on your mother before you arrived, she wouldn''t disapprove of me," she held his hand tight with an expecting smile on her lips. "Yu Yan I..." "I saw you...the look on your face, you were scared," she leaned closer on the table, holding his hands tighter then she leaned her face to the side of his face. "Chen Kai...I can assure you if you don''t introduce me to your parents during your welcome party..." she moved away from his ear with her face almost touching his face. "We are done, I have waited long enough, I love you...too much but I don''t plan to keep my more than five years relationship a secret anymore," she sat back on her seat then she picked up her phone and walked away from the cafe''. He watched her back as she left then he turned back and buried his face in his palms, if he chooses her then he will fail to meet his parent''s expectations, that might mean the companies and all the inheritance will be going to his half-brother but he also can''t let go of his inheritance especially when his father plans on giving his company to one of his sons very soon. {I must find a way to coerce her} "Yu Yan, I am not losing neither you nor my inheritance," he clenched his fist and stared into space with a determined look in his face. After work, she returned home, by the time she got home, she met her family seating around the dining table. "You are back, Yu Yan," her mother said as she walked into the dining room and took her seat on the dining. "I am really stressed, mom," she remarked then she placed her bag on the chair next to hers. "You do look tired," Li Jing remarked and sighed. "I told you not to work too late but you wouldn''t listen," "Dad, do you think I have a choice?" "Where were you last night, Aunt?" Li Na who had already been brewing dirty thoughts since Yu Yan didn''t return home last night questioned. "Why are you asking?" "Cause I want to know?" her mother answered instead, as she placed a piece of kimchi on Li Na''s plate. "Mom, I just dropped Chen Kai at the hotel then I went to another friend who is living close by," she served herself then she started digging into her food. "A friend?" her mom and Li Na chorused, she glared at Li Na who seemed really enthusiastic in finding out about everything that happened last night. "Yes, just a friend so you don''t have anything to worry about," she drank the chicken soup then she started picking the braised beef on the plate. Chapter 221 - Surviving The Pagoda! 1 "If you say so," "Well, Li Na don''t you think there is something else aunt needs to know since you are so curious to know where she was last night?" Li Jing questioned, with a threatening smile at Li Na who froze at a spot the moment Li Jing threatened her. "Aunt, do you ever check your messages or mails?" Li Jing questioned "What are you talking about?" Yu Yan asked "Aunt, he is just asking because he messaged you that you should buy him some street food when you are returning but you didn''t respond so he was crossed, silly Li Jing," she grinned suspiciously then she turned to Li Jing, dimming and widening her eyes to signal him. {Please....} {If you do my homework for me...} {Alright, I will,} Their eyes did all the talking, Yu Yan just nodded her eyes, deciding to ignore whatever it is. "I will be going to bed now, good night," she stood up from her seat. "When is he visiting?" her mom questioned "If you are referring to Chen Kai then I don''t know, his parents just came by the hospital so it seems like he will be busy for a while, he will visit soon, don''t worry, mom," "And have you decided to tell his parents?" "Yes, next tomorrow," she picked up her bag and walked to her room. Slumped on her bed and buried her face in her palm, she was now wishing Chen Kai never returned then she would use his absence as a reason why he still hasn''t introduced her but the sigh of relief he heaved when he realized his mother didn''t find out about them bothered her. {What if he doesn''t do it....can I bear to leave him?} She pondered. She didn''t back out of the relationship after so long so she isn''t sure if she can do it now. - - - - - - Parallel world Tension filled the whole place as almost everyone without duty in the sect gathered in front of the mind-destroying pagoda, they all looked nervous, anxious, worried thinking that today is the D-day and if Huo Li doesn''t survive the pagoda or if she doesn''t come out now then they would have lost her forever. However, not everyone is praying for her to leave the pagoda, after all, if she disappears, her position in the sect will be given to someone else, especially now that the positions means more they are now open to the outside world. Wu Que squinted his eyes as he fixed his eyes on the pagoda while hoping she would just stay in the pagoda forever (If you don''t remember who he is, refer to chapter 114, he is the one who wants to replace Huo Li,). Li Bing who is standing beside him recognised the look on his face. (Li Bing character can also be found in chapter 114, she is Huo Li loyal underling). {This scumbag must be wishing she doesn''t come out, your wish will never come true} "If you are thinking she won''t come out then you can dream on..." she turned to him with a fierce and hateful glare on her eyes. "She can never be so easily defeated," she continued then she folded her arms on her chest and turned to her front but she turned to him again when she heard him scoff. "Why don''t we make a bet, If Huo Li comes out then I will leave you to do whatever you want to me but if she doesn''t then you will support me in becoming the next head disciple," he whispered into her ear to prevent the others from hearing. "support you..." "Yes, you see...since Huo Li used to take you as her most loyal underling, as long as you vote for me after the competition, everyone else will definitely support, so what do you say?" "I.n y.o.u.r d.r.e.a.m.s," she blankly whispered back to him with her hateful gaze showing just how determined she is and how much she spites the idea of ever helping him become the next head of the advanced disciples. "And here I was thinking you believed in her if you believe she is going to come out then why won''t you take the bet, it seems like your trust in her is very empty," the best way to make both girls do your bid is by taunting them since they are both hot-tempered. "You..." "You had better keep your voice down, you don''t want the guardians hearing our conversation," he whispered, holding down her hand that was about to hit him then he smirked and released her hand. "Alright...as long as you keep your own end of the bet, I will definitely treat you well the moment senior disciple Huo Li walks out of that pagoda," she curled up her lips then she moved away from him. "Do you think she is going to come out safely?" Huo Mei questioned the other guardians and Huo Ying who are standing behind the elders and the sect madam. "I believe she is going to come out, Huo Li is stronger than we all think but I am not sure of safely, no one has ever survived the pagoda so even if she comes out, we can only hope her condition won''t be out of our control," Huo Qiang answered, amongst them all, he is the only who looks calm despite the tense situation. Bingchen who was listening balled his fist hearing Huo Qiang statement, he really wished he could think of a way to bring her out of the pagoda without any complications, somehow, ever since Huo Li left for the pagoda, he has always felt restless and ache in his heart. {Huo Li....} His mind flashed back to when he pissed her off on the training ground. The moment of her lunging into the air and almost landing him a hit with a ball of flame in her hand until he turned his face away....the fierce and angry glint in her eyes when her attack was stopped by the sect madam, he missed it. The flashback of when they infiltrated the vitality sect when she almost fell off the tree and he lunged into the air to catch her with his hands around her waist....her startled expression. The moment she removed her hairpin when they infiltrated the vitality sect didn''t escape his memory, her long hair cascading her back...he really wanted to touch her hair back then....he chuckled inwardly....he was really scared she would flip out if he dared touch her hair without her permission. Inside the pagoda, Huo Li was still struggling to fight off the demons, the demons with bodies and the spirit demons in the thirteenth level of the pagoda are all of high levels and they cannot be underestimated. The only reason why she is still alive is because of the sudden surge of energy she felt after she woke up after fainting. "I-I will definitely leave here today and none of you will be able to STOP ME!" she ran towards them, lunging into the air, she threw her sword into the air then she grabbed it again, her flame power surged into her sword, making it more powerful then she landed with a tremendous hit on the ground, causing all the demons to fly in all directions. She swung her sword around then she slid under one of the demons, cutting it in half, blood spilt all over her dirtied face but she didn''t mind it, she continued taking out as much as she could, after all, the mind-destroying pagoda is just like a game, defeat all the demons and monsters in the pagoda, if you manage to leave then all the demons and monsters will be resurrected again for the next player. "You cannot escape this pagoda" the demons and monsters started chorusing continuously as they circled her with hysterical touches of laughter, their voices were tormenting her. She felt her anger starting to rise, knowing her anger would only make her give in to her inner demons, she tried to suppress her anger but they are pushing her limits. "Shut up! all of you shut up!" she screamed as she shut her ears. "You are just a child born from an evil and lustful disciple who defected, you are just the same...even worse," "You should give in, stop fighting it...fighting it would only make things worse," "Yes give in...it will only make you stronger, how do you feel when it takes control over you...remember how powerful you feel," "I SAID SHUT UP, ALL OF YOU," she screamed, shutting her eyes as tears fell out of her eyes while she dropped on her knees, their words were infuriating her and she could feel the urge to let it out...all her anger, her inner demons, letting them take control. She opened her eyes again but they were gone, all of them including the pagoda itself. She found herself standing in the midst of a dark mist without no boundary but then they appeared again this time, they are all spirit demons until a familiar face appeared. Chapter 222 - Surviving The Pagoda! 2 "Huo Li...my dear daughter," he reached out to hold her hand but she moved back. "Father...what are you doing here?" she questioned with confusion and doubt on her face but the hate and anger burning in her eyes upon setting her eyes on him fanned trouble. Outside the pagoda, the sect madam who was already getting impatient decided to go in, she took one step forward but the first elder held her hand back. "Sect madam," all eyes turned to her. "You mustn''t do this," he warned "Mother, what are you doing?" they all understood the situation and they had already expected it, they had already been waiting for a long time and now the sun is about to set but she still isn''t out, her mother would never forgive herself if she disappears. "I need to go in, I shouldn''t have sent her in," she responded then she tried to snap her hand out of the first elder grip but he still held her back. "What if something happens to you in the pagoda, the sect leader is currently in seclusion and the fate of the sect now relies on you until he is out, you absolutely cannot go," the first elder argued, they were quite surprised that he actually wants her to be safe when he should be the one who wants her out of the way. "Do you know what the most terrifying thing about the pagoda is?" she questioned, her eyes showed she fears something in particular. "Mother, is there something other than demons and monsters in the pagoda?" Huo Ying asked "The Mind destroyer...." Bingchen spurted out of his mouth with his eyes widened when he turned to Huo Ying. "It is all my fault I should have warned her of the mind destroyer, even if she defeats the monsters and demons in the pagoda, she will not be able to survive the mind destroyer," her mother answered, almost breaking down in tears with her other hand on her chest. "What is the mind destroyer?" Huo Mei questioned "I read it in one of the books, it says that the mind destroyer is a demon that can consume people mind with his voice and it can use your greatest source of hate and anger to make you give in to your inner demons, it tempts you with power and it can multiply," "If my memory serves me right, the mind destroyer is one of the highest-ranking demons, the only reason he is inside the pagoda is that he made a bet with one of the former sect leaders and he lost so it had no choice but to never leave the pagoda and it is also bounded to the pagoda," the third elder chimed in, the fears on their faces was too evident. Everyone knows how hot-tempered Huo Li is, if she is tempted with her greatest hate she will definitely not be able to resist it and considering how much she likes feeling powerful and full of strength, it will be really hard for her. "No...Huo Li will not give in," Yu Yan said with confidence then they all looked up at the pagoda. Huo Li circled her supposed father with a suspicious look in her eyes, she had thought her father had died after all this while and that is the only reason why she didn''t find him as soon as she started cultivating, her only wish at this moment if for him to be real, only then will she be able to rip him to pieces for doing something so inhumane to her mother and then abandoning her when trouble came. "It is me Huo Li, I am your father, you remember me, right?" He moved closer to her with his arms spread wide. "Of course I do, How can I ever forget your despicable and disgusting face," she clutched her sword tightly, thinking of how to destroy him. "That''s right...I abandoned you, you see...you were such a difficult and problematic child just like that whore of a mother you had but it is a relief that she is now dead," the smile on his face disgusted her to the bones, she couldn''t believe he actually doesn''t feel remorse. She raised her sword against his head while gritting her teeth, she really wanted to split his body into two at that moment, but she stopped, remembering that killing him will mean her inner demons will be able to take control of her. "Kill him...." a voice whispered behind her, she turned her head slightly to see a demon with two horns and really small pouted lips painted red. "Kill him....he is an evil man, remember he abandoned you and let your mother return to her death," "No...I can''t kill him," she refused with tears welling her face and her eyes had already turned red. "I just knew you won''t be able to kill me just like that mother of yours, the both of you have power but your minds are weak and not worthy of your power, back then I was just the senior disciple of the sect but no one gives me respect, however, you mother was different...." "What...." "She was powerful and everyone in the Jianghu world knew her for being the skilled and powerful guardian of the flame sect second to Huo Jingyu, so I thought I should deceive her then I will be able to absorb her cultivation even if I can''t have her flame power using a demonic method but I needed her to fall in love with me," he broke into a peal of hysterical laughter but Huo Li looked at him in disbelief. "So you are saying you did that to my mother because you wanted her cultivation...I am really disgusted to be the seed of your evil act," she lowered her sword against him but she stopped when it was just one centimetre away from his head. "You see...he is really despicable, he caused you mother death, let me show you, child," the demon placed his hands on her shoulder gently soothing her soul. - - - - - - - - "Are you happy now that you made me get expelled from the sect,?" Young Guo Jing who had just been expelled from his seat said, confronting her on their way after they left the Qiuhua sect. "Do you not even feel an ounce of guilt for what you did?...the only reason I have not killed you till now is that I don''t want this child to live without a father, otherwise, I would have ripped you to pieces, you piece of trash," she clenched her fist, glaring into his eyes with a flame of anger burning inside her but she withheld her self for the sake of the child in her arms. They stared into each other''s eyes for a while until she spat out blood. "You..." she looked down at her chest, where she had just been stabbed with a small hidden knife which he still held in his hand with the sharp edge in her chest, the thick coagulated blood seeped out of the side of her mouth. "You are really despicable and you can''t be saved, you still want to kill me..." she couldn''t lay her hands on him because she doesn''t want her child to be fatherless but the next thing she knew is that she was sent flying by another hit on the same side of the chest where he stabbed. She landed on the ground, holding her child in her arms then he walked towards her and knelt by her side. "I have been looked down on in my sect and I will not be looked down on by you, how dare you call me a piece of trash," "Do you think you are strong because you managed to defeat me, I am only letting you go for the sake of this child," she pushed him away then she hurriedly stood up and picked up the knife he dropped then she stabbed it into his chest, both of them slid back until his back hit the bark of a tree. "I will let you go but you will go with this child and you will treat her like your own blood, if you kill me then you will never be able to live since my sect will hunt you down but I will give you a chance only for the sake of this child," she pulled the knife out of his chest causing him to scream in pain, then she handed the child to him. "I would not leave this child to you if I wasn''t scared that she might be in danger if the flame sect finds about her, I will leave the child with you and return to my sect to receive my punishment, even if you are despicable I hope you will not raise her to be as despicable as you are," she dropped the knife and walked away with her bloodied chest while he watched her back until he was out of sight but as soon as she was out of sight, he glared at the child with hate in his eyes. Chapter 223 - Surviving The Pagoda! 3 "You are the reason why my life and ambitions have been ruined," he held her with one hand and used the other to strangle the poor child in his arms. The baby started crying but he didn''t care about her tears until a thought popped into his head. "I can''t trust the flame sect, what if they come for me, they are too terrifying to undermine," he looked at her again. "You will be my insurance," he removed his hands from her neck then he dipped his hands into his robe, he removed a bottle of pill then he took one of the pills and started fleeing. She had almost gotten to her sect when she spat out blood again, she looked at the wound on her chest but the blood on it had turned dark red. "Poison....that despicable piece of trash, he planned to kill me right from the beginning," she needed to reach the sect alive so she decided to strip herself of her cultivation in order to keep herself alive until she sees her sect leader. -------------- She slowly opened her eyes, she had thought he was despicable but she couldn''t believe he had done all that, even her sect madam doesn''t know what happened to her they only thought she died because she stripped herself of her cultivation after she gave birth but he actually poisoned her to death. "Now...do you still think you can let him leave, kill him and you feel more powerful than ever, you will also be filial by avenging your mother" the demon whispered into her ear. "You don''t deserve to live you despicable and evil monster...you even tried to kill your own child," her body shook in anger, she felt a sudden surge of power as her inner demon slowly engulfed her. "You can''t kill me, you are no match for me," he started laughing again, fueling up her anger. She lunged into the air and screamed aloud with her whole body engulfed in flame causing a blast sound to resound around the pagoda. Even those outside felt the impact. "Huo Li...she is in the thirteenth pagoda," the sect madam remarked looking up at the top of the pagoda. "That blast is not something she can ordinarily cause, the mind destroyer must have gotten to her and her inner demons have given her more strength," the third elder explained following a sigh. "No...No...Huo Li," Huo Ying ran forward, she blames herself inwardly for making them have to infiltrate the vitality sect, if it wasn''t for her, she would never have done what she did. "Huo Ying, what are you doing?" Huo Qiang shouted, following after her. "Huo Li, don''t give in, we believe in you!" she shouted with both hands at the side of her mouth. Inside the pagoda, Huo Li and her father had already started fighting, with every move she makes, a blast sound is sent across the pagoda and outside the pagoda. "I will definitely kill you, you monstrous man," she swung her sword around then she joined her index fingers together, infusing her flame power into the sword, the word spun very fast then it flew into the air, she lunged into the air, grabbing the sword then she descended fiercely on him. He caught her leg but she went into him, making a cut on his thigh. After exchanging a few moves with cuts all over her father''s body, she decided to end it all, she drooped her sword on the ground, wanting to kill him with her own hands, she balled her fist and took a fighting stance, she conjured her Qi and waved her hands around, a red aura could be seen around her then she sprinted towards him and lunged into the air with her hands going down on his head. "Huo Li, don''t do it!" Huo Ying shouted outside the pagoda when they felt another wave of power from the pagoda, Bingchen and the other guardians also came forward. "Huo Li, don''t let your inner demons take over you," Bingchen screamed "Huo Li!" the other guardians shouted Then all the disciples started chorusing her name and pleading with her not to do whatever it is she is about to do, they could only hope she can hear them. She stopped mid-air with her hand just above his head after she had made him immobile, her head spun in pain hearing the voices intruding her mind and thoughts. "Don''t listen to them, have you forgotten how your mother died, who will avenge her if you don''t?" the demon whispered into her ear with his hands on her shoulder. "But..." her head spun again. "No, don''t hesitate...did your master avenge your mother? did they bother to take revenge for the injustice you suffered, you don''t mean anything to your master, she is only using you, now kill him,". She shut her eyes and opened them again, this time, her eyes had turned red. She lowered her hands but she didn''t touch him when she heard the voices again. "Huo Li, don''t do it, please!" Huo Ying screamed again when they felt another wave of power. "Remember your promises and the times we spent together," Huo Mei screamed, even though they can''t see what is going on, they were sure she is already under the influence of the mind destroyer. "Don''t listen to them, do it now!" the mind destroyer whispered again, he was already getting impatient with her since no one has ever lasted for so long under his influence. "No...No, I can''t" she muttered, the memories of her time with them flashed through her head, she could see herself smiling with them, Huo Ying hugging her and herself in Bingchen''s arms, letting down her hair and giving him her hairpin. Her already dried up tears started falling again, she was resisting the power of the kind destroyer and it is killing her. "Kill him now!" the mind destroyer whispered aloud "I said...Kill him, he is despicable and evil, he caused your mother to die, have you forgotten about that?" "No!" she thundered then she screamed with her arms spread out and her head bent backwards, her scream pushed him out of her mind and caused a loud blast sound resounding outside the pagoda, Huo Ying and the guardians were sent flying back. They were quickly caught by the elder and her mother. "She has resisted the mind destroyer, she will make it," her mother said breaking into a peal of laughter in relief. They all looked at the pagoda with a smile on their faces. "I just knew she will make it, she is stronger than we all think," Bingchen remarked, smiling happily. As soon as she defeated the mind destroyer, she appeared outside the pagoda, they all watched her as she walked towards them, looking battered and tattered, she smiled with tears of joy seeping out of her eyes. She is looking at all of them again, the people who care for her and have always been with her, they were too happy to even take a step towards her. "Master...." she muttered as she stood in front of her master. "I knew you will make it, you are my disciple after all," she placed her hand on her cheeks and wiped her tears. "I made it...." she heaved a sigh of relief but her vision blurred. "Huo Li...." Bingchen mumbled seeing her again, he wanted to hug her at that moment but he couldn''t...not in front of everyone. But she blacked out and collapsed. "Huo Li!" "Huo Li!" "Huo Li!" they all started calling but Bingchen quickly caught her then he carried her on his back and started running as fast as he could while they followed behind him. Li Bing who was also following after them stopped when she got to where Wu Que was standing with a downcast and angry look on his face, he looked like he would have killed her right there if everyone was not around her. "You lost the bet," she remarked, standing by his side. "Leave me alone," he said in a soft but angry tone. "Have you forgotten...I am now the one who determines your position in this sect, so you are now under my control, I advise you not to mess with senior disciple Huo Li from now on or you won''t be able to remain an advanced disciple," she threatened, he clenched his fist and turned to her. "Don''t push your luck," he warned then he grabbed her elbow with their eyes staring deep into each other''s eyes. "No, you don''t push your luck, or you will have me to answer to," she retorted then she snapped her elbow from his grip, she smirked and walked away. The next morning. Everyone in the sect was celebrating her return and it so happens that today is the day the second young mistress, Huo Lan will be returning to the sect, their joy knew no bounds and they had already started preparing the sect for her return. Chapter 224 - Returning To The Sect!1 The next morning. Everyone in the sect was celebrating her return and it so happens that today is the day the second young mistress, Huo Lan will be returning to the sect, their joy knew no bounds and they had already started preparing the sect for her return. After hours in bed, she finally opened her eyes slightly, she could see the rays of sunlight coming from the opened windows but she didn''t know whether to believe the sunlight is real, after all, she has been in that dark and demon filled pagoda, fighting day and night without rest and even when she stops to rest, the demons start to probe her inner demons. She raised her hand slowly, blocking the rays of sunlight, seeing the reflection at that back of her hand, she smiled faintly...that was the least she could do in her weak state, she then remembered all that transpired in the pagoda yesterday, how she fought the demons and monsters with her bloodied body and almost exhausted strength, she remembered the look on everyone''s faces when she came back....her master''s hand on her cheek with tears trickling down her master''s cheeks. "I made it," she faintly remarked, still smiling at the reflection at the back of her hand. "You are awake," Bingchen spurted out seeing her smile faintly with her hand raised up, she turned to her side and just stared at him without answering him, he quickly walked to the side of her bed and sat beside her. He placed his hands on her forehead then he sighed in relief. "Your fever is already going down, after you collapsed your entire body was burning up, thanks to the sect madam who absorbed your heat, your body might have exploded," Bingchen disclosed with his hands still on her forehead, she quickly sat up on the bed. "Master...is she alright?" she questioned with a worried look on her face. "You are the sick one and yet you are asking about someone else, absorbing your heat won''t harm her, have you forgotten how formidable your master is," he responded then he flicked her forehead with a scolding gaze in his eyes, she rubbed her forehead and pouted her lips then she glared at him and raised her hand to hit him but he quickly held her hand up. "You are this sick and yet you still have enough strength to hit me, it seems like your condition has really improved. Sigh!. you have really suffered," his last phrase carried a sentimental tone in it, she looked at him with sadness in her eyes as they stared at each other for a while, the month she spent in the pagoda seemed like hell for her, she couldn''t eat or sleep and yet she has to constantly fight the demons and monsters and also resist them when they try to mess with her mind. "I thought you would be happy that I was gone, why does it seem like you were worried about me?" she spoke gently but her eyes showed she wanted to hear something from him...was he really worried about her? "I was worried about you, you don''t know how much I made researches to find a way to enter the pagoda and bring you out without your mind being affected but I couldn''t find anything, if you didn''t make it, I..." he didn''t finish his sentence when she wrapped her arms around his neck and started sobbing. "Huo Li....." he called softly, placing his hands on her back. The volume of her sob increased then it turned into a loud cry that almost startled him, he was confused. "Did I say anything to annoy you?" he asked, patting her back like a baby but his question only made matters worse, she started crying louder, he tightened his arms around her hoping she would stop crying. "What is it, Huo Li?" "It was very scary!" she muffled amidst her tears "Huh...." "I was very hungry, tired and I really wanted to sleep but I couldn''t, I missed being around all of you and I kept thinking of you all every day especially you, I was so scared and weak," she ranted, sniffing her nose and crying at the same time, he patted her back faster and hugged her tighter. "Okay, okay, okay, it''s alright now, you can now be around us for as long as you like and nothing is going to separate us again," he smiled patting her back, of course, he wouldn''t miss the most important part of what she had just said. {especially you...} She unwrapped her arms around up then she held his hand and looked into his eyes, he thought something was about to happen until she used his sleeve to blow her nose, he scrunched his face while he heard the sound of her blowing her nose, when she was done, he quickly smiled again. She picked his other sleeve and used it to wipe her tears then she sniffed her nose and turned to him. "Where are the others?" she questioned while she stretched her neck to look outside the door. "They are all preparing for the second young mistress''s return," he answered with a smiley face now that he is breaking the good news to her. "What! did the sect madam decide to attack the wind sect, what did I miss, I wasn''t in the fight?" she turned downcast immediately. "Relax, we didn''t attack the wind sect, Huo Ying made the emperor grant her a request then she requested to be with her sister for a day,". She was relieved that she didn''t miss such an important battle but she was also wished it wasn''t just for a day. "Just for a day, I say we should just attack the wind sect and take her back forever," She tried to stand up but he pulled her back to the bed. "You still haven''t changed, we should be happy we will be able to see her even for an hour and when she arrives, make sure you don''t say anything about attacking the wind sect," he chided, she pouted her lips and nodded in agreement. Even if she has been rid of her inner demons, one thing about her still remains the same and that is her urge to fight...Sigh! "I need to see my master and the young mistress," she hurriedly stood up from the bed before he could catch her but he grabbed her elbow and pulled her back before she could cross the door, he pinned her to the wall, making her startled. "I-I just wanted to see her..." she muttered, fluttering her lashed and swallowing her saliva. "The sect madam ordered me to make sure you don''t leave the room if you wake up while they are not here and she specifically said to use any method to make your stay...so I suppose now you will return to your bed obediently and lay down," his lips curled up tauntingly. "Huh..." her cheeks started flushing red, he realized her mind was already drifting somewhere else. "What are you thinking," he flicked her forehead again. "Nothing, I-I wasn''t thinking anything," she swallowed her non-existent saliva. "I meant for you to continue sleeping or do you want us to remain like this....it seems like you quite like this position," he leaned closer towards her, she held her breath and widened her eyes, having his face closer to her. {What is wrong with me? I can''t let him win} She smiled faintly but her lips soon curled up, he guessed she was about to do something he won''t...aaarrrrgghhh! He groaned, with his hand on his knee. "Now this is the position I like," she stomped harder on his foot then she folded her arms and smirked before returning to her bed. "You..." he held up his leg and groaned but he smiled, seeing her close her eyes as though she didn''t just stomp on his foot. {Huo Li will always be Huo Li, no matter what} "Huo Li!" the doors flung open as the other guardians and Huo Ying ran into the room, they heard Bingchen scream when they had almost gotten to the room so they guessed she must already be awake. "Huo Ying!" she quickly stood up from the bed and walked towards them, the girls wrapped their arms around her while Huo Qiang stood by the sideline, smiling broadly. "I am so happy you made it out, if not, I won''t be able to face the other members of the sect," Huo Ying said as they released her from their tight embrace. "Huo Li, we are all really happy to see you again," Huo Mei said while the other nodded in affirmation. "I am sorry to make all of you worried, I heard the second young mistress is returning today," "Yes, I and Huo Mei were originally supposed to wait outside the city to receive her but mother is worried something might happen on the way so she suggested I and Huo Li ride towards the wind sect until we meet them," the happiness on her face was too obvious, after all, this is the same sister she killed for and yearns for every day. Chapter 225 - Returnng To The Sect! 2 "It is such a pity that she cannot stay for long," Huo Li remarked "One day, I will surely get my sister back for good," she balled her fist and narrowed her gaze. "Huo Ying, let me go with you and Huo Mei," she requested "Didn''t you tell her?" Huo Ying questioned, turning to Bingchen. "I told her she is not allowed to leave her room per the sect madam''s orders but she is just too stubborn," "Huo Ying, I have already recovered my strength now," she insisted, Huo Ying sighed, lowering her head but she suddenly tried to strike her neck from the side, Huo Li who was about to quickly block the attack, raised her foot but almost stumbled as Huo Ying quickly held her up. "You see, you have not recovered yet, you have to rest, we are leaving," She and Huo Mei nodded at the others then they left the room. Meanwhile, in the wind sect, Huo Lan and Su Ci were being transported in a carriage, they were quite nervous that they would be seeing their families for the first time in eleven years but the threat Meng Hui gave them still made Huo Lan fear that she might cause trouble to her family. Feng Shui and few other disciples bowed to the sect leader and the elders as they were about to leave the sect but they had to halt the procession when Meng Hui suddenly came forward saying that she would like to escort them too. "Why the sudden decision?" Bohai questioned, he didn''t think that she would want to escort them out of a good heart. "Do I need to have a reason, as a disciple of this sect it is my duty to protect the sect''s interest, I am worried that Feng Shui and these few disciples might not be able to protect her alone if something happens," she answered quite plainly like there isn''t any hidden motive. "Father, even if anything is to happen, Meng Hui wouldn''t be able to change anything alone, I suggest she just remains in the sect," Bohai protested, turning to his father who looked like he was trying to make a decision. "Brother Bohai, don''t you think you are belittling me way too much, I might not be on par with you but my cultivation level is not too bad, Feng Shui has been affected by her flame, if she uses her flame during the transport, what do you think will happen?" she didn''t like that he just made her seem really irrelevant and useless in front of the others. "That''s right, why didn''t I think of this, if anything happens during the transport and Feng Shui is affected by her flame, there might be dire consequences," the sect leader sighed and turned to Meng Hui. "Child, you have really done well, you will lead them with Feng Shui assisting you and you will safely deliver those two to the flame sect, do you understand?" "Yes, sect leader, I won''t disappoint you," she smiled triumphantly, although she has nothing much to gain by going with them to the flame sect, she has considered every accident that might happen on the way in case the flame sect tries to play any trick, she definitely wouldn''t let any problem arise and she will make sure Huo Lan and Su Ci return to the wind sect after a day. She looked at Bohai accusingly then she turned around and climbed one of the horses, then the group set out. "Young mistress, are you nervous?" Su Ci asked seeing how Huo Lan kept rubbing her hand when they have not even reached half the journey. "I am not, who said I am nervous," she quickly denied but Su Ci''s gaze fell on her shaky hands with a teasing smile, realizing what she is looking at, Huo Lan covered her hands with her widespread sleeves. "Why are you suddenly calling me Young mistress?" she questioned, realizing that Su Ci who has always called her by her name except when she is worried about her is now calling her by her title. "If we get to the sect and I call you by your name, I might be punished," Su Ci answered. "Ooh...I wonder what my sister and my parents look like now," she thinned her lips and sighed. "you and your sister are twins so of course, you look the same except for the colour of your hair and your eyeball," Huo Lan always acts like a na?ve child, she must have forgotten that she and her sister are twins. "Do you think my sister wants to see me? I-I,". Su Ci reached out to her and held her hand. "I just knew you are very nervous, your sister will want definitely want to see you and I am sure the whole sect misses you, the reason why we are allowed to return must be because they requested it from the emperor so of course, they want to see you," she answered reassuringly then Huo Lan nodded in satisfaction with her answer. "You two seem to be having a very hearty chat," Meng Hui remarked as she appeared by the side of the carriage window on her horse. "What are you doing here?" Su Ci questioned, when they were about to leave, they also saw the male disciple leading them with some disciples but she was never there. "I can be wherever I want unlike you two who are still prisoners no matter what," she smiled tauntingly at them but Huo Lan looked away, every time she sees Meng Hui, she always feels like doing something bad to her but she knows she can''t do anything that will endanger her loved ones. "We are not prisoners, even though we are tied to the wind sect," Su Ci retorted with an angry gaze in her eyes, she didn''t like that Meng Hui kept taunting them even though they have no previous grievance. "Don''t think because your sly sister managed to make the emperor grant you a one day return to your sect, you can act all high and mighty, the both of you will forever be prisoners even if your sect is now out of their seclusion," "The sect is out of seclusion...." she sighed in relief, now that the leaders have decided to come out into the world then it won''t be long before she and Huo Lan can return to the sect permanently. "One sister is a timid coward while the other is an outrageous slut," she smirked glancing at Huo Lan who has been looking the other way since. "What did you just say?" Huo Lan questioned, turning back to her immediately she mentioned Huo Ying. "Don''t you dare disrespect the first young mistress!" Su Ci warned. "The both of you are exactly the same, the last time I mentioned you, she went crazy and now you are also glaring at me the moment I mentioned her, the both of you are witches and that fact will never change," she ended her taunt with an angry and grudging tone. "Miss Meng Hui, it seems like the first young mistress must have dealt you a serious lesson judging from your tone, you seem to have a grievance with her," Su Ci folded her hands and curled up her lips, she will never let Meng Hui have the last say. "Just her, she is not qualified," she quickly retorted and scoffed. "Miss Meng Hui, it seems like you have nothing better to do that is why you are looking for something to say, it seems to me that you are only jealous of me and my sister," Huo Lan spoke to her in an opaque tone, the seemingly timid girl turned confident. "Jealous...you are the ones who should be jealous of me," "If it is as you say then I suggest we end it here," she straightened her face then she pulled down the window cover and looked away from the window. "How dare you shut me out?" she thundered then she started slamming the window but Feng Shui knowing her temperament rode back to her. "Why don''t you ride in front, after all, you are more skilled than me," Feng Shui suggested before she starts a fight with them. She took in a deep breath to calm herself down then she glared at the window before following him to the front. Both girls kept silent for a while before they abruptly cracked into a peal of laughter, covering their mouth. "Young mistress, when did you start speaking so boldly, you were so good just now," Su Ci remarked amidst her laughter. "tch! How dare she try to be on the same level with my sister, my sister is the most awesome person I have ever met," she pushed out her hands with a thumbs-up sign and pouted her lips. Su Ci chuckled looking at the current Huo Lan, she wondered what if Huo Lan would have been a different person if she was raised in the sect and what her position as a guardian would have been like if she was also raised in the sect. Chapter 226 - Returning To The Sect! 3 Su Ci chuckled looking at the current Huo Lan, she wondered what if Huo Lan would have been a different person if she was raised in the sect and what her position as a guardian would have been like if she was also raised in the sect. She was the first child to be pronounced as a disciple since she was to escort Huo Lan to the wind sect and also protect her while they are there. ------------------------ A young man entered into the large eerie throne room with a woman in long apparel sitting on the throne behind the curtain. "Master," he greeted with his hands cupped together and raised them with his head bowed. "How is it?" the woman questioned "The disciples are ready to set out, we are just awaiting your command," Si Feng informed. "Hmmm...remember, you must bring her back unharmed after the task is completed, as I told you before, there are some people who will help you in this mission, after the task is completed, eliminate them all," "Yes, master," he turned to leave but he stopped when she called his name. "Si Feng, be careful, do not underestimate the strength of that girl, after all, he was once regarded as the most powerful man who ruled over many kingdoms," a tone of respect was present in her words and it reminded him to take her word seriously. "I thank Master for your warning," "It seems like the left and right blood moon demons no longer fear me, they actually dared to disobey my order, Si Feng, I need you to pay them a visit after this mission and bring me their heads," her anger resounded in her tone. "Master, the left and right blood moon demons have always obeyed your orders, I fear that they might have met a problem on their way, I suggest master waits for them to arrive before master decided what to do with them," he bowed his head and raised his cupped hand, he fears she might take it as he is going against her orders. "Alright, since you have interceded on their behalf, I will spare their lives.... for now," "Master is wise," then he turned around to leave. She placed one of her hand on her chin and she fondled with the metal claws on the other hand, she had a worried look on her face then she sighed deeply and looked towards the exit of the throne room. "Why do I have a bad feeling about this, what exactly is going to happen?" as a diviner who lost most of her power and can only feel but cannot see the future anymore, she still trusts her feelings and it has never failed her for once. Meanwhile, they have already been riding for over six hours now and they still haven''t gotten to the flame sect which is far away from the wind sect, Meng Hui was already getting frustrated, especially when she remembers how Huo Lan had the last say and she even dared to shut her up. "How long until we get to the flame sect?" she asked Feng Shi who was riding beside her. "Senior disciple Meng Hui, it will take about two more hours before we get to the flame sect, I suppose they must have made arrangements to receive us outside the sect since the flame forest is not open to outsiders," Feng Shui answered, informing her in advance that they might have to wait for a while before they are allowed into the flame forest. "Flame forest....very good, I will get the chance to see what the flame sect looks like, I am sure it cannot be compared to the wind sect in any aspect, they are just a fallen sect, what right do they think they have to keep us out of the flame forest," she scoffed, taking pride in her sect. "I don''t think that is the case though..." he muttered, not wanting her to hear his comment. "Let''s ride faster, I cannot keep riding for another two hours,". She hit the side of her horse with the sword in her hand then they started riding at a faster pace. Huo Lan and Su Ci were already asleep in the carriage, since this is their first time of coming out in so many years, they were excited to see the scenery outside the caves, they both giggled and pointed at the stalls, streets, rivers and trees they passed by. It was all too fascinating for them, they couldn''t help but imagine what it would be like to finally be able to settle down where they belong. "Stop!" Meng Hui ordered when she heard the rustling of leaves from the mountains above them. "What is it, senior disciple Meng Hui," Feng Shui asked. "Someone is here, be at alert," she whispered, both of them unsheathed their sword then they looked around them and above the mountain. Phish! They swiftly turned around when they heard an arrow hit the carriage, the disciples quickly unsheathed their swords in preparation to fight, many assassins in uniform with black masks over their faces, jumped down from the mountains, they surrounded them. "Who are you people?" Meng Hui questioned with her sword pointed at the assassins at the front. "Just hand her over and we will let you go," one of them answered. "If you are referring to the second young mistress of the flame sect then you are not in luck, I will like to hand her over but if she disappears then it will only bring trouble to my sect, leave now before you all lose your lives," she threatened. "I see words won''t work on you, then we can only do this the hard way," they dashed towards the disciples, Feng Shui and Meng Hui remained on their horses to fight, they were already outnumbered by the assassins who are five times their number. She killed them as soon as they neared their horses. "Protect them, if anything happens to them, I will not spare any of you!" she ordered the disciples, then she killed her way to the carriage, she hated to have to protect them but as their death or disappearance would affect their sect she has no choice, her priority right now is to make sure they are not harmed. She had almost gotten to the carriage when one of the assassins wounded her horse log, causing it to neigh and fall to the ground, she quickly backflipped from the horse and landed one on a knee, she rolled off the ground as two assasinators almost cut her into two with their swords. Just when they heard noises outside the carriage, both of them opened their eyes. "What is going on?" "I don''t know," Su Ci opened the window and peeped outside, just as she opened the window, one of the assassins almost stabbed her eyes with the sword, she quickly dodged it and slammed the window shutter on his hand, then she pushed his hand away while he groaned in pain. "Assassins!" Huo Lan exclaimed, they didn''t have the time to digest the situation before some swords pierced through the carriages, they both moved away but they weren''t taught martial skills for so long so they didn''t know if they should go out of the carriage or sit and wait for their death. The assassins started focusing their attack on the carriage, one of them almost pierced through Huo Lan''s chest but Feng Shui blocked the sword then he pulled it out of the carriage and killed the assassin. The assassins are very skilled and they are also outnumbered so it seemed really hard for them to protect both girls. "Feng Shui, take them away, I will take care of these ones," Meng Hui ordered. "But..." "Right now," He nodded in agreement then he killed his way to the horses controlling the carriage, he hopped on the horses and held the reins then he started riding the carriage away, half of the assassins followed them while the other half stayed to kill Meng Hi and the two of the disciples that were still alive. Meanwhile, Huo Ying and Huo Mei were still on their way to meet them hoping they won''t reach the city before they catch up with them. "Why haven''t we met them yet?" Huo Mei questioned in concern, they were already expecting to have seen them even before now but since they still can''t be seen, she was already getting worried. "I don''t have a good feeling about this, we have to hurry up," She flogged her horse with her rolled whip then she started riding at a faster pace while Huo mei followed suit. Feng Shui was riding the carriage while trying to fend off the assassins who are almost catching up with them, he looked ahead only to see a cliff at the end of the road, he looked around for another road to divert then he found one, he was about to make a turn when the horse stopped moving but the carriage was almost flipped if he didn''t steady the horse with his force. "What is happening, are we really going to die?" "We won''t, I will protect you," Su Ci reassured her while they held on to the bars at the side of the carriage to balance themselves. "What are you talking about, we don''t have good martial art, we can''t defeat those people," Chapter 227 - Returning To The Sect! 4 "But..." she was cut off when the carriage suddenly flipped up again and then landed on the ground with a high impact, causing them to slam their head on the board of the carriage. Feng Shui tried his very best to steady the horse but it seemed like they were using some kind of instrument to lift the carriage and stop it from moving. He could only turn his head back to check what it is, they had chained the carriage with hooks holding it very firmly, he now understood why he couldn''t steady the horse no matter how hard he tries, he was still thinking when the carriage got flipped, causing it to break loose from the horse, he hurriedly backflipped from the horse and landed on top of the toppled carriage. The assassins ran towards him so he could only fend them off alone, they had just started fighting but they had already given him numerous cuts on his body, although they were not fatal, they are still enough to weaken him. "Who are you people? your style of fighting and formation does not like that of ordinary assassins?" he questioned, with his sword on the carriage and one of his knees on the carriage. "If you want to know we will surely tell you, after all, you are already a dead man, we are the prime minister''s private soldiers and our only task is to kill the young mistress of the flame sect," one of the assassins answered, the fact that he disclosed that much information surprised Feng Shui but he had no reason to not believe him. "The prime minister...." "Enough nonsense!" they pulled out the chains from the carriage and lunged it towards him but he quickly dodged the hooked ends of the chains as fast as he could, they lunged all ten chains towards him at once, he bent his back, making all the chains go over his face, he spun his body around and sprung into the air while the chains followed him. He somersaulted to land on the ground but four chains hit him from the sides, causing to drop to the carriage with a loud slam. "Are we really going to die?" Huo Lan questioned again in fear that she might not be able to see her family before she dies, she almost started crying but Su Ci held her hand and hugged her tightly. "Huo Lan, you are the only one who can protect us now, that disciple will soon die and we don''t have good martial art so we can''t do anything right now," "What are you saying, I don''t..." "We have to use our flame power, only mine is not powerful to take them out, my cultivation is not good enough but even though you have poor cultivation, you can still do it," she explained, but Huo Lan immediately removed her hand from hers and nodded her head frantically. "No, no, I can''t, I can''t," she refused with fear clearly written on her face, Su Ci held her hand again. "Huo Lan! if you don''t, we will both die," she placed her hands on her shoulder and looked at her with desperation in her eyes but Huo Lan pushed her hands away aggressively with tears building up in her eyes. "I would rather die than use my power,". The determination mixed with brokenness assured Su Ci that she will definitely not use her power, she decided to do what she can to prolong time and protect Huo Lan. Feng Shui who was still being attacked despite the several injuries on his body, rolled on the ground to escape the hooks of the chains that were being lunged towards him but three of the chains pierced through his chest, causing him to spit out blood. Su Ci who had already sneaked out of the carriage and was hiding beside the carriage covered her mouth in fear, she has never seen someone attacked in such a cruel way but she decided to muster her courage. They pulled the chains, pulling him towards them, they were about to stab their swords into his stomach when they were attacked by Su Ci who had conjured her flames and directed it towards them, they quickly backed off but she lunged into the air and waved her hands in the air then she rolled them over each other and directed her flames at them. Since she was in the air, they only had to use the chain to pull her to the ground and they succeeded since the chains moved very fast, she fell to the ground with a loud thud. Huo Lan cooped up herself in the carriage and covered her ear, she was being tempted to use her flame power but remembering how she almost killed her sister, the stories of how she killed those who were supposed to take her to the wind sect and many other stories terrified her. They came closer to her while she tried to stand up but to no avail, one of them pulled her up and started strangling her, her legs wobbled in the air as she tried to free herself from his grip but they only mocked her. Just when she was almost gone, a slim sword pierced through his chest, they turned around to see Meng Hui whose cloth was covered in blood running towards them, she pulled her sword from the dead assassin and used it to cut the throat of another then she pulled up Su Ci and pushed her away. She was fleeing away from the assassins who had already killed the other disciples and were now focusing on her but she ended up at the cliff where they were fighting purposefully. She threw her sword into the air and raised her index and middle finger to the air then she brought down her fingers, causing the sword to fall, she infused blue aura into the sword, the blue aura enveloped the sword then she waved her hands, the sword dashed towards them at fast speed and slit all their throats, their bodies dropped to the ground in an instant. That was exactly her plan, to kill them all at once. "Mere assassins," she scoffed and turned back. "Impressive," a male voice remarked, she immediately turned back, clutching her sword tightly, her eyes widened seeing their black and red uniform with the red moon sign on their glabella. "Blood moon sect...how can it be?" she exclaimed, while Feng Shui gathered his strength and got up on his feet. "It seems like we aren''t forgotten yet," he moved closer with the disciples behind him following him. "You see...my master desires the young mistress of the flame sect, give her to me and I will let you die a peaceful death but if you refuse...then, I can only leave your death to my master," at the end of his sentence, he narrowed his eyes. They were all wearing a black and red mask on their nose which also covered their mouth. "Hmmph! it is really surprising that the blood moon sect which was rumoured to have disappeared overnight actually appeared because of this witch, it is such a pity that I cannot hand her over to you, I can this can only end with one of us dying," she positioned her sword by her side and ran towards him. "Foolish," he remarked then he pulled out two moon-shaped chakrams from his sides, he waited for her to attack him first. She attacked him fiercely with her sword but he blocked every move, just standing on one point, they hadn''t exchanged up to ten moves before he turned the unsharp edge of the charm and used both ends to hit her chest with little force, she immediately flew back and dropped to the ground. She immediately spat out thick coagulated blood, she held her chest and glared at him, his attack wasn''t that fierce but he managed to injure her badly. "Bring her here," he commanded two of his men who marched forward to bring Huo Lan out of the carriage but as soon as they neared the carriage, Su Ci grabbed their hands and conjured her flames, burning their hands immediately then she spun her hands around and landed them a fierce hit to the chest with her flames, causing them to die instantly since they weren''t expecting the attack. "Over my dead body will I let you take her," she declared, coming out from behind the carriage. "You, you, you, get her," he ordered three other disciples, who went forward without hesitation. Meng Hui and Feng Shui took actions this time but they were both injured badly so they couldn''t do much, the men got to Su Ci, one of them was about to kill her. "Don''t you dare!" a bold female voice thundered, they turned back to see Huo Ying and Huo Mei descending their horses. "ooh...," he remarked as both ladies walked over to the victim''s side. "You are...." Si Feng questioned (the only disciple of the blood moon sect leader). "I am Huo Ying, the young mistress of the flame sect, how dare you try to take my sister," she thundered angrily. Chapter 228 - Returning To The Sect! 5 "ooh...," he remarked as both ladies walked over to the other side. "You are...." Si Feng questioned (the only disciple of the blood moon sect leader). "I am Huo Ying, the young mistress of the flame sect, how dare you try to take my sister," she thundered angrily. "ooh..so it is the twin, it seems my master really has luck today, she wanted one but it seems like she will get two," "In your dreams," she unsheathed her sword and ran towards him. She attacked him with a much force, greater than Meng Hui''s, he still calmly defended her attacks with his chakram but it didn''t take long before he started defending her attacks seriously, he realized he underestimated her. Her sword got stuck in his chakram but she used it to pull him forward, the both of them dashed forwards with their weapons intertwined then she pulled out her sword and somersaulted into the air and descended with a down strike kick aiming at him, he quickly blocked it with his arms but he slipped back. "I really underestimated you," his eyes met one of the chains the assassins previously used, he kicked it up and lunged it towards the carriage, it hooked the carriage and sent it flying towards the cliff, intending to pull it back but the hook removed just when it went over the edge. Their eyes wide as the carriage went over the cliff. "Huo Lan!" Huo Ying screamed, terrified. She immediately released her whip, the whip extended and moved at a really fast speed that they almost couldn''t see the movement, the whip wrapped itself around the carriage then she pulled it back to bring the carriage back to the cliff. She ran towards the carriage but stopped and waited until the person inside comes out, Huo Lan who was already feeling dizzy after being moved about, stumbled out of the carriage, she brushed her scattered hair back and looked around. She has never seen this much people for eleven years now. Her red eyes ball, red hair and blood-red lips, she recognises them all. "Huo Lan, sister...." she called softly, Huo Lan turned to her, hearing the familiar voice which she has missed all these years. "Huo Ying..." she muttered. Huo Ying immediately dashed towards her and threw her arms around her, Huo Mei and Su Ci watched the sisters reunion with teary eyes. "I missed you so much," she caressed her hair and sniffled while smiling in extreme happiness. "I-I am really happy that I got to see you," "Me t...gasp!" she pushed Huo Lan back and turned to her back, he had sneaked attack her using the hook on another chain to stab her back which penetrated deep. "Scoundrel, you sneak attacked me,". He used his force to pull her towards him in an instant. "sneak attack...I am just a scoundrel," he laughed hysterically then he spun her around and placed his chakram on her neck. "I advise you to come over here or I am afraid I will have to end your reunion a bit early," he threatened, Huo Lan took a step forward, intending to submit herself, the two guardians couldn''t tell her to stop since both are equally important and it is dangerous for them to take any action. "Don''t come here, Huo Lan," Huo Ying screamed, causing her to stop but he slightly cut her neck, Huo Lan couldn''t take it seeing blood seeping from the wound. "Don''t hurt my sister!" she screamed in horror. Meng Hui who doesn''t mind Huo Ying dying held Huo Lan and pulled her back since her sect would be blamed if anything happens to Huo Lan. "Don''t go," she warned "Let me go," she snapped her wrist from her grip and continued walking forward. Tears flowed out of her eyes. "Huo Lan, I said don''t come closer, I will kill myself if you come nearer," she threatened but he only made another slight cut on her neck. "Stop!" Huo Lan screamed "If you hurt her again, I won''t let you go!" she threatened. "oooh...what can a girl who has been imprisoned for eleven years do?" he moved the chakram closer to her neck. "I warned you, I definitely warned you but you won''t listen," the red colour of her eyes darkened and her hair started blowing around even when there is no wind then she removed the gloves on her hand. "Huo Lan..." Huo Ying muttered softly, seeing as she is about to use her flame power. "Huo Lan, No! you will hurt your sister too," Su Ci and Huo Mei warned but she had already lost it. "Leave my SISTER!" she shouted as she pushed her hands towards Si Feng who was still holding Huo Ying captive, Huo Ying eyes widened as the flame travelling towards them reflected in her eyeball, she swiftly turned and stepped on his foot then she pushed him away and rolled away while loosening the chain, he swiftly somersaulted causing her flames to befall the disciples behind him. They were immediately consumed by the flames, they all burned to death almost instantly. They widened their eyes in terror looking at the barbequed bodies on the ground, but they soon snapped out of it when she started walking towards him and her flames still surrounding her hand. They didn''t mind her killing him so they didn''t bother to stop her, he knew there is no way he can escape her flames this time too he decided to fight her head-on, he held his chakram and dashed towards her, she waved her hands back and forth then she pushed out her hands, her hands managed to hit his chest but he had given her a cut on her shoulder before he flew back, landing on the ground with a loud thud. They all ran towards Huo Lan while he took the opportunity to flee seeing as the situation is not favourable before they turn his attention back to him. "Huo Lan...are you okay?" Huo Ying placed her hand on her shoulder but she still hadn''t calmed down. "Sister..." "It''s alright now, we can return home," She closed her eyes and opened them back again, her eyeballs returned to the original crimson colour while her hair stopped blowing around. "They said they were sent by the prime minister," Feng Shui informed with his hand on his abdomen to stop the bleeding there. "Their fighting pattern and their skills don''t seem like that of the prime minister''s private soldiers, we will investigate the issue further when we return to the sect," Meng Hui responded. "Young mistress!" both guardians chorused then they dropped on one of their knees to greet the young mistresses, Huo Mei greeted Huo Lan, while Su Ci greeted Huo Ying. "Second young mistress, I am really happy to see you again," Huo Mei said with an ecstatic look on her face. "Please stand on your feet, I¡­" she was embarrassed to see Huo Mei greeting her in such a way but Huo Mei still remained on her knee. "Huo Mei, you should stand up, I am sure my sister is the same as me and she is not used to this, you should also stand up Su Ci,". Both guardians stood up, Huo Ying held Su Ci''s hand and smiled broadly. "I am really grateful to you for looking after my sister, you have really suffered for the sect, the sect is indebted to you," the expression on her face turned into a mixed apologetic and thankful look. "No, I am the one who is lucky to have been sent with Huo Li¡­second young mistress, although there are so many things I missed, I will still agree to go with her if I am given a second chance," "That is really nice to hear, if Huo Li is okay with you calling her by her name, feel free do so but don''t call her by her name in front of the elders and mother," Huo Ying lowkey teased. Su Ci nodded in affirmation. "I am really thankful to Miss Meng Hui for protecting my sister but now that she is in our hands, we will take her with us," she held Huo Lan''s hand and walked away with Huo Mei and Su Ci following behind her. "Wait," Meng Hui shouted "Does Miss Meng Hui have anything else to say?" she spoke to her in a neutral tone, even though Meng Hui did her best in protecting Huo Lan and Su Ci, she is very well aware that she only did it for the wind sect and she still hasn''t forgotten what happened at the wind sect. "Miss Huo Ying, don''t you think you are a bit rude? I and the only disciple left are severely injured and you are just going to leave us here," she chided in a very dissatisfied tone. "I was too taken by my reunion with my sister to remember your condition, this is indeed my fault, how about you enter the city with us then we will provide treatment for you and book the best inn for you to stay at," Huo Ying responded with an apologetic tone that sounded sincere. "Inn¡­aren''t we staying at the flame sect?" Chapter 229 - Returning To The Sect! 6 "I was too taken by my reunion with my sister to remember your condition, this is indeed my fault, how about you enter the city with us then we will provide treatment for you and book the best inn for you to stay at," Huo Ying responded with an apologetic tone that sounded sincere. "Inn¡­aren''t we staying at the flame sect?" "You must be joking Miss Meng Hui, the flame forest has a protective shield over it that no outsider can go through except those with the flame power and disciples of the sect, I am afraid the only person who can let you in is the sect leader and he is in seclusion," she smiled faintly then she turned to Huo Mei. "Huo Mei, as soon as we arrive in the city book rooms for them in the best inn and pay all their expense," she turned back to Meng Hui who was still surprised that she really won''t get to enter the flame sect this time. "Since my sister has to return tomorrow, you can come and take her outside the flame forest, that is all," she turned back and they all started walking away, Meng Hui who was still dissatisfied had no choice but to do as she said and follow her after all, this is her city. After they got into the city, Huo Mei arranged accommodation for Meng Hui and Feng Shui then they continued to the sect, they arrived at the sect in no time, they entered the forest and arrived at the main entrance of the sect, they alighted the horses then they handed them to the disciples at the gate who were overjoyed at the sight of the second young mistress and the first guardian of the sect. As soon as they entered the sect, they headed towards the sect hall where everyone had been waiting for them to arrive. "Young mistress, Guardian Huo Mei...." the disciples in front of the hall greeted then they noticed Su Ci and Huo Lan standing behind the duo, they quickly bowed their heads and cupped their hands together. "This disciple greets the second young mistress and the first guardian!" the five disciples guarding the entrance chorused, Su Ci was surprised to see that they seemed so enthusiastic in greeting her and Huo Lan, it seemed to her that they are according her more respect than she deserves because she was named a guardian when she was still a child. The people inside the hall heard their greeting, they all started murmuring, anticipating the moment they will walk through the entrance of the sect hall. Su Ci and Huo Lan who were not used to the treatment bowed their heads to the disciples who also bowed their heads again, not daring to accept the bow from the second young mistress and the first guardian. Huo Ying and Huo Mei chuckled, then they pulled both girls into the hall, as soon as they passed through the door, everyone''s eyes fell on them, they all looked like they are seeing the long lost daughter for the first time since she was born, Huo Lan and SU Ci didn''t know what to do about the many eyes on them so they just lowered their heads. Her mother could hardly withhold her urge to sprint from the high seat and throw her arms around her daughter, tears almost dropped out of her eyes seeing her daughter all grown up. "Mother, I have escorted my sister back to the sect safely," Huo Ying remarked with her head bowed, her mother nodded satisfactorily at her with a look of mixed emotions on her face, Huo Lan and Su Ci slowly raised their heads as soon as they heard Huo Ying say the word ''mother''. Her eyes became teary as soon as she saw the woman seated on the high seat with the older men seating beside her and the empty chair beside the woman. "M-mother..." Huo Lan muttered, she has never called anyone that word for eleven years and now it sounded foreign to her ears. "Huo Lan," she couldn''t hold it anymore, she ran down from the short stairs and hurriedly walked towards Huo Lan who stood frozen at the spot, she threw her arms around her and stroked her hair gently with tears dropping from her eyes...tears of Joy. Everyone felt emotional seeing the scene in front of them, she had to sacrifice one of her twin daughters for the sake of the sect and also see Huo Ying every day who reminds of Huo Lan since they look the same. "Mother has really wronged you, I am sorry for letting you go, I am really sorry," she pursed her lips and closed her eyes tightly letting the tears flow freely, she has yearned for this moment for the past eleven years and now that she is living it....it seemed too unreal for her. "I-I missed you and sister and father," she finally managed to spurt out, wrapping her arms around her mother''s back, she red eyeball had a glint to it as her eyes shimmered with tears. Her mother finally stopped hugging her, she held her hand and smiled broadly, she wished she could hold her all day but she can''t be selfish since they only have until tomorrow with her, then she noticed Su Ci standing behind Huo Lan. The one person she is most grateful to. She released Huo Lan''s hands and held Su Ci''s hands. "Su Ci, you have sacrificed your freedom for the sake of the sect, even if you have not been in the sect for long, you are the most treasured guardian of this sect and the sect will forever be indebted to you," the look and words of gratitude she said to her fully overwhelmed her. She originally thought she would just be someone who has been forgotten, and she might also be a shame to the guardians when she returns since her skills might not be on par with them. "I only fulfilled my duty as a guardian, the sect doesn''t need to be indebted to me," Su Ci responded with utmost humility, unknown to her, everyone in the sect respects her because of her sacrifice, back then, when they needed someone of the same age group to follow Huo mei to the wind sect in order to guard her, they couldn''t bring themselves to force or chose any child to go with her. But Su Ci who was just seven years old then, offered herself to be Huo Mei''s guardian, even when the sect madam refused, she kept insisting. The advanced disciples stepped forwards and bowed their heads with their hands cupped together. "We greet the second young mistress and the first guardian!" they chorused, then Li Bing stepped forward. "We deeply respect the first guardian and we have learned a lot from your sacrifice, it is really an honour to be able to meet you today," She proclaimed then the disciples bowed their head lower in agreement with her. Su Ci looked at them with a bewildered expression, she didn''t think she would be accorded with such respect upon arriving at the sect, she could only smile in embarrassment. "A feast has been prepared to celebrate your return, let''s not waste any more time on greetings, we should make memories together instead," the third elder interrupted with excitement, then they all started cheering, they exited the hall and arrived at the designated place where they had arranged the feast. The third elder poured himself wine then he raised it to them. "I raise this cup of wine to the return of the second young mistress and the first guardian, even though you still have to leave..." "Do you have to ruin the mood from the beginning, why do you have to mention that?" the second elder scolded loudly, the third elder downheartedly dropped the cup and pouted his lips, making everyone burst into laughter. "Although drinking is not encouraged in the sect, today, I give everyone the permission to eat and drink to your heart content," she raised her cup of wine to them and smiled broadly. "Am I not part of this sect?" Huo Li who had just walked into the feast queried while relying on Bingchen''s support to walk. They were not surprised to see her at the feast, they were even surprised that she didn''t arrive earlier, after all, Bingchen is not capable of restraining her. "Didn''t I tell you to rest in bed until tomorrow?" her master queried. "But---master, this is not fair," she pouted her lips and fluttered her lashes but her master turned to Bingchen instead who looked like he had been abused before he finally gave up. "I couldn''t do anything to stop her, I tried my best but she---" he sighed and nodded his head, he left it to their imagination to imagine what she did to make him give up on restraining her. "Since you are here then you can join in," her master reluctantly agreed, Huo Li bowed her head then she hurried to find an empty seat while Bingchen sat beside her but she soon saw an unfamiliar face beside Huo Mei. "Is this the second young mistress?" Chapter 230 - Short Reunion! "Since you are here then you can join in," her master reluctantly agreed, Huo Li bowed her head then she hurried to find an empty seat while Bingchen sat beside her but she soon saw an unfamiliar face beside Huo Mei. "Is this the second young mistress?" Huo Ying nodded her head with a delighted smile on her lips, Huo Li quickly sprang to her feet but she fell back to the floor causing them to jerk forward out of concern but she waved her hands to tell them she is alright then she glared at Bingchen. "Hey! are you not supposed to help me up?" she scolded, Bingchen quickly held her hand to pull her up, they were surprised watching the both of them, they all had the same question in their minds as they exchanged quizzical glances. What is going on between both of them? Even his grandfather was speechless, he didn''t know if she should be scolding his grandson for being so submissive or blame Huo Li for taking advantage of his grandson, he could only nod his head. She finally stood up with the help of Bingchen, then she hurriedly walked over to her with a cup of wine. "Huo Li greets second young mistress," she knelt on one knee and bowed her head with her hands cupped together in front of the young lady who seems confused. But everyone suddenly started laughing. She looked around her in confusion as to why they were all laughing while Bingchen nodded his head at her stupidity with his hand on his forehead. "Stupid, that is the young mistress," he looked towards Huo Lan who chuckled seeing how she mistook Su Ci for her even though everyone knows the second young mistress of the flame sect has a strange appearance from birth. "Oh!" she scurried over to where Huo Lan was seated. "I am sorry, I failed to recognise second young mistress," Huo Li apologised with her head lowered in embarrassment while Huo Lan tried to control herself from laughing. "It is alright," "This is why mother told you to stay in bed, it is obvious that you still haven''t recovered," Huo Ying teased, Huo Li could only bury her head in embarrassment but she remembered that the other face was also unfamiliar. "If this is the second young mistress then this must be the first guardian Su Ci," she went over to where Su Ci was seated again. "I greet the first guardian, it is really an honour to be able to see you today,". Su Ci only smiled at her, accepting her greeting shyly, then she returned to her seat with Bingchen''s assistance. They started eating, drinking and making funny comments on each other, especially Su Ci and Huo Lan''s life in the wind sect, they only made sure to mention the happy things ao as not to ruin the mood of the night. "You probably don''t know this but young mistress has a habit of snoring in her sleep, I almost couldn''t sleep every night for eleven years," Su Ci disclosed, they all started laughing once again, with all the jokes out in the open, their stomachs had almost started hurting. "Su Ci, that is not true," Huo Lan denied "Second young mistress doesn''t need to be ashamed of this, your sister also snores in her sleep, it is really torture when she makes us sleep with her," Huo Mei added, they all started laughing again but Huo Ying was embarrassed, she stood up from her seat with her sword in her hand then she unsheathed her sword and pointed it at Huo Mei who hurriedly stood up and started running while Huo Ying pursued her in circles. The disciples and elders started cheering them on as they circled, finally, Huo Ying caught her but Huo Mei pulled her hand out of her grasp and ran behind the sect madam, who protected her from Huo Ying. They played musical instruments and danced for a long time, some of them continued to drink but not to the point where they are wasted, Huo Lan and Su Ci had almost forgotten that they had not been in the sect for eleven years. They linked their arms as they danced, circling the burning fire in the middle of the large space, the sect madam and the elders watched them with their faces filled with smiles. {it is such a pity that he chose to go into seclusion before he could see her} They chased each other around and threw the foods on themselves, at that moment, Huo Lan seemed like the person she has never been, she didn''t feel fear, anxiousness, sadness and internal conflict at that moment, she just wanted to live the moment like it is her last. After the celebration, they all retired to their rooms, all the guardians were slightly drunk except for Bingchen who was trying to stop Huo Li from being too excited because of the wine but she wouldn''t stop, he carried her on his back and carried her back to her room. Huo Li and Huo Ying also retired to their rooms. "Is this my bedroom?" Huo Lan questioned as she looked around the room but Huo Ying pulled her closer and placed her hands on her shoulder. "What are you talking about, we are sleeping together," "Sleeping together..." "Of course, we have never slept together since we were born because of your power, now that we have the chance to, we should waste it," "But...what if I accidentally,". Huo Ying shut her up with her hand covering her mouth. "Huo Lan, you won''t make any mistake, you should stop being scared of your power, everyone in the Huo family has the same power, yours is just stronger than ours," she said reassuringly but the girl still looked fretful. "But I..." "You protected me with your power today so I trust that as long as you have your glove on, nothing will happen," "If mother knows..." "She thinks we prepared your old room for you, you don''t have to worry about that, let''s go to sleep now," she pulled her to the bed and cuddled her, both girls chuckled, facing each other. "Sister, can I ask you something?" Huo Lan hesitantly asked "Ask away," "I snuck out of the cave I was imprisoned in one day..." "What! were you caught, how did you do it?" "Wait...I found this necklace on my neck one day but it can actually help me leave the cave, it takes me into another realm, although I still don''t understand it, that place is very beautiful," she fondled the crystal on the necklace, Huo Ying took it out of her hand and looked at it closely. "It looks normal to me but you have to be careful," she dropped it and looked at Huo Lan with worry in her eyes. "When I was returning one day, one of the disciples saw me," "What! did he report you" "Sister, let me finish," she complained following a sigh "I am sorry," "He didn''t report me but he looked very beautiful," she blushed, remembering when she slipped into his arms. "huh...you are blushing!" Huo Ying exclaimed but Huo Lan just looked at her in confusion. "What does that mean?" "It means...I don''t know how to explain it but we blush when we see or think of someone we like or someone who makes out heart beat really fast, it means you have taken a liking to that person, do you understand?" "No,". She sighed and signalled her to continue her story. "I am already used to being called a monster and seeing people afraid of me but he pretended he didn''t know me when he saw me but when I discovered he was lying I became really angry and...and my heart ached, tell me, why did I feel that way?" she looked really naive that Huo Ying almost burst into laughter, she didn''t think that anyone could be this naive. "It seems like my sister has also fallen in love," she chuckled but Huo Lan still seemed confused. "What is that?" "It means you want to see him every time and have him by your side, you also want to hold him every time you see him," "Ooooh....no wonder I keep remembering when I slipped into his arms and his face...I always wanted to see him every time I leave the cave but I didn''t see him after that day," she sighed and pouted her lips. {Wait...if he was able to go near the cave then he must be someone of a high position in the sect, could it be Lin Bohai, he was treating me strangely back at the sect, could it be because of my sister} "Sister..." she paused, if it is really Lin Bohai then it would never work out for them but she didn''t want to ruin her sister''s fantasy and first chance at love even if it means giving up her enmity towards Lin Bohai. (If the feeling is mutual then...sigh,} "But I don''t really understand what love means, can sister explain it further," "Love is...just like me and Huo Qiang, we always look at each other every second and we always want to see each other and...we even kissed," she covered her mouth, remembering that delightful night. Chapter 231 - Expel! 1 "Love is...just like me and Huo Qiang, we always look at each other every second, we always want to be by each other''s side, never apart and...we even kissed," she covered her mouth, remembering that delightful night. "Ohh...I think I understand what it means now," Meanwhile, Su Ci sneaked out of her room in the middle of the night and went straight to the sect madam''s chamber. "Sect madam!" she called outside the door. "Who is there?" "Su Ci," "Come in,". She entered the room, but she found the sect madam seating on a seat around the table instead of her bed, she bowed her head then she proceeded to seat after receiving the signal from the sect madam to take her seat. "What is it?" the look on her face told her that she definitely has something serious to report. "I have something to report to you," "Go on," she placed the book in her hand aside and leaned closer to her. "We were threatened before we left the sect not to tell you this, but I feel like I have to report this to you, the young mistress was frequently tortured in the wind sect, some disciples occasionally enter the cave to torture her," she clenched her fist, remembering her agonizing screams every time they place the needles in her head. The sect madam sighed and shut her eyes, taking a deep breath. "We already know of this," "How..." "Huo Ying and the guardians once encountered some disciples of the wind sect when they descended the mountain, they saw a disciple of the wind sect screaming in pain when he saw fire, but they also saw the phoenix symbol on him," she swallowed the pain of having to remember what that incident caused them. "That must have been caused by the young mistress outburst, they always insert three long needles in her head, I think they must be trying to get rid of her power," "We had already guessed that much but we didn''t know about the needles, it seems like the needles are capable of dispelling the flame power, if not they would not have tried to use it on her, Su Ci, you have done well," She stood up from her seat then she bowed her head and left the room. The sect madam buried her face in her palms after she left. - - - - - - Back to the modern world. "Student Li Na, the headmistress would like you in her office," Mr Dave the homeroom teacher informed as he entered the class looking worried, Min Young and Li Jing turned to Li Na with worry on their faces. "Li Na¡­" Min Young muttered in guilt, she has been blaming herself for the incident ever since Li Na was summoned to the headmistress and asked to summon her aunt to the school. "It''s alright," Li Na held her hand and smiled then she released her hand and stood up from the seat, her classmates sneered at her as she walked past but she stopped at the exit and smirked at them then she left. "What¡­what, did she just smirk at me," Lucy placed her hand on her chest and scoffed, she had never been so embarrassed as she was in the cafeteria that day. She knocked as she got to the front of the headmistress office and waited for her reply, then she entered after she got the permission to enter the office, she immediately took her seat as she entered without waiting for the permission to sit, knowing that the headmistress scolding will surely take long. "I heard you wanted me in your office, Ma''am," she crossed her legs. The headmistress sighed and rubbed her head seeing her nonchalant composure even though she knows the reason why she called her to the office as it has been over a week now since she has summoned her aunt to school. "Why haven''t you brought your aunt to the school yet?" she queried with a deep frown on her face. "My aunt is a surgeon, and her job requires her to be busy 247, by the way, you have already sent her a message, but she didn''t come, that shows how busy she is," she casually answered with hand gestures. "Student Li Na!" she thundered then she slammed the table causing Li Na to jerk up, startled. Her unfettered attitude towards her wrongdoing extremely angered the headmistress. "If your aunt doesn''t come to the school today, you will be expelled, so you had better get her to the school today," the headmistress threatened firmly. "Expelled! I already said they were the one who bullied Min Young first, you are not seeking justice for your students, yet you want to expel the student who decided to stand up for a fellow student, how outrageous," Li Na retorted, raising her voice at the headmistress who was flabbergasted at her rudeness. Mr Dave who had been listening in on them outside the office immediately took the cue to enter the office before the issue escalates. "Li Na," he cautioned then he turned to the headmistress. "Headmistress, I don''t think expelling her is the right step to make, from the CCTV tape, it has been confirmed that the students bullied Min Young first, although student Li Na went too far with her actions, I believe that she should be given a chance," Mr Dave interceded, hoping that the headmistress will listen to his suggestion. "Mr Dave, don''t you think you are overstepping your bounds here," "I am just suggesting what I think is best for the students as their homeroom teacher, even if she is to be expelled then Lucy should also be expelled for violating the school code by bullying a fellow student," he responded. "Do you know who her parents are? Li Na is to be expelled if her aunt does not come to the school today and my decision is final," her voice showed her resolution, but Mr Dave was in awe at how impartial she is just because of Lucy''s family background. Meanwhile, Yu Yan had just driven her car out of the parking lot, when she arrived outside the apartment, she was surprised to see Han Chen standing by the water fountain with an office bag in his hand. She looked around but she could not see his car, he saw her at that moment then he waved to her, but she just looked away. "He is not thinking of following me to work, is he?" she was snapped out of her thought when she heard a knock on her car''s window, she was startled seeing him standing outside the car with his face leaned on the glass. She rolled down the window. "What are you doing here?" she questioned. "I am quite tired today, so I decided to get a free ride from you," he answered, smiling. "Why didn''t you go to Jia Yu, don''t you think you are taking advantage of me?" she questioned, following a scoff. "I just thought your house is nearer so I decided to come to you, you should be honoured you are the first person I thought of when I needed help," "Honoured my foot," but he only raised his brow and turned over to the passenger''s seat, she sighed and opened the door for him seeing that she has no other choice. She started the car again and drove off, they had not gotten far from the apartment when she received a phone call. "Help me put on my ear pod," she pointed at the ear pod in the middle space between the seat, after he helped her put it on, she answered the call. "Hello, who is this?" {This is Mr Dave, the kid''s homeroom teacher} "Oh, Mr Dave, is anything the matter, it is quite early,". Han Chen turned to her. {There is a little problem at the school, student Li Na has been asked to bring her aunt to the school and she was given a letter, the school also sent you emails several times, but Li Na claimed you are busy at work,} he disclosed. Yu Yan stepped on the brakes immediately, hearing him, both jerked forward, almost slamming their heads on the dashboard. "What! I didn''t¡­." she remembered that she has seen several mail notifications on her phone during her rounds, but she ignored them thinking they were spam mails since she wasn''t expecting any. The vehicles behind her had already started pressing on their horns aggressively so she moved the car to the roadside. "It is my mistake but why do you need me at the school, did Li Na do anything wrong?" {Well...it is quite complicated, I suggest you come to the school first, the headmistress is quite determined to expel her if you do not visit the school today,} "Expel! are you kidding me, I am on my way," she cut the call and removed the ear pods then she turned to Han Chen with an agitated look on her face, who was quite confused by her own part of the conversation. "You will have to go on your own, I have a problem to attend to," "Is it that serious?" "It seems like my niece is in trouble in school," "Then let''s go together, it pays to have two people at times," he smiled encouragingly, she didn''t have the time to badger with him so she just reversed the car and started driving at a pretty fast speed. Chapter 232 - Expel! 2 "It seems like my niece is in trouble at school," "Then let''s go together, it pays to have two people at times," he smiled encouragingly, she did not have the time to badger with him, so she just reversed the car and started driving at a pretty fast speed. They arrived at the school in no time but as she was about to get down from the car, he held her back. "What?" "Is this your niece''s school?" He questioned with a look that showed he is quite reluctant to enter the school. "Yes, do you have a problem with it, you can stay in the car if you want," she tried to leave but he held her again. "What?" she questioned in a frustrated tone. {What if he sees me?} "It''s nothing, I am coming with you," he released her hand then he came down with her. As soon as they entered the school, Mr Dave quickly rushed towards her. "Mrs Yu Yan, I am glad you came," then he noticed Han Chen standing behind her. "This is¡­" "I am her friend," Han Chen answered "Other than guardians no other person is allowed to enter the school premises but if she is alright with you coming in with her as a co-guardian then there is no problem, this way please," he gestured towards the headmistress office. He knocked on the door and received the permission to come in, but the headmistress was surprised seeing Yu Yan and an unknown man comes in with Mr Dave. "Aunt¡­" Li Na muttered seeing her aunt enter with a frown on her face, she lowered her head in guilt then she stood up from the seat, but she noticed Han Chen. "Miss Yu Yan, it is quite¡­" "Please let''s get straight to the reason why you threatened to expel my niece," she said, interjecting the headmistress who squeezed her fingers at her interjection. "As you wish, student Li Na caused a ruckus in the canteen a week ago and I am sure the homeroom teacher has informed you of our several attempts to get you to come to the school," "He did, but that doesn''t explain why you want to expel my niece," she maintained. Mr Dave and Han Chen were thrilled by her manner of speaking. She opened her drawer and brought out a laptop, she opened a video. "This is the CCTV video of what she did in the canteen," she tapped on the play button. They watched how she carried the big pot of soup, how she smiled sinisterly before pouring the soup down a student''s head, splattering it on other student and the whole canteen turned into an uproar. Han Chen chuckled after the video ended then he looked up at Li Na. "The apple does not fall far from the tree," he was quite fascinated seeing what she did, but he soon stopped when Yu Yan glared at him. "Do you find it funny?" she questioned in a straight face. "No," he lowered his head and straightened his face. "This is the evidence of her outrageous act, she has violated the school code so she needs to be expelled," the headmistress remarked confidently, assuming that Yu Yan will have to plead with her now. "It seems like you expel every student who violates your school code but why is the beginning of the video missing?" she queried. "What do you mean?" "Cause and effect, for every event, there is always a reason behind it unless you are saying my niece has a psychological condition that made her so something like that without nay reason," Yu Yan answered. "Miss Yu Yan, the issue here is that your niece caused such an uproar in the canteen, you should be pleading not¡­" "Plead¡­why should I plead if my niece has done nothing wrong, as long as you show me the complete video and it is confirmed that my niece is in the wrong, I will get on knees and plead with you," "Yu Yan¡­" Han Chen cautioned but she looked at him with reassurance. "The complete video, please," The headmistress could not believe the turn of event, she scoffed and looked away. Han Chen and the homeroom teacher fixed their eyes on her with admiration in their eyes, Li Na raised her head confidently, she had always adored her aunt but seeing her in action now, she admiration for her increased. Tension filled the office. "Miss Yu Yan, do you realize what the consequences would be if she is expelled," the headmistress questioned, not knowing what else to say. "Of course, I do, but I suppose you don''t know what the consequences of your inability to produce the complete the video of that footage would be if you expel my niece," she responded casually like she was not making a threat. The headmistress placed her hand on her chest and looked away in disbelief and speechlessness, it seemed to her that no matter how hard she tries, she just will not be able to win over this lady. "I suppose this conversation is over then since you cannot provide the complete footage and I trust that my niece is still a dignified student of LIS without any blemish in her school record as of now," she picked up her bag from the floor then she stood up and smiled. "Li Na, come out," she ordered as though she is in complete control, Li Na beamed with admiration for her aunt once again, she nodded her head and followed her out of the office leaving Han Chen behind. "Well¡­how is he?" Han Chen asked "excuse me¡­" the headmistress who was still flabbergasted responded in confusion. "You can''t recognise me?" he questioned in surprise, the headmistress removed her glasses then she put them back on. "I don''t, if you have no other business please see yourself out," she gestured towards the door with Mr Dave still in the office to receive the brunt of her embarrassment. He stood up and left the office, he did not know if he should be happy or concerned that she cannot remember him. {It seems like I am really a bad brother,} he sighed. Meanwhile, outside the office, Yu Yan gave Li Na a high five, the scene he saw as soon as he left the office, he just stood afar to watch them. "You are really my niece, you didn''t disappoint me," she ruffled her hair with a proud look on her face. "Are you really not mad at me?" Li Na questioned in half-doubt. "Although you shouldn''t have done such at school, I still applaud you for dealing with such bullies head-on, I would have been really embarrassed if you were bullied.". Before, Han Chen arrived, Li Na had already explained what happened in the canteen before the uproar. "I just knew you are still a cool aunt," THAP!!! He clapped his hands as he approached them, it seemed to him that she is proud of her niece for what she did. "You are still here?" "If not, where should I be? But I must say, you two are really one of a kind," "You look really familiar¡­are you Chen Kai?" Li Na questioned with her hand on her jaw, she could swear she has seen him somewhere before. "Guess¡­" Han Chen responded "He is not Chen Kai, you are acting like you haven''t seen Chen Kai before," "How am I supposed to remember that ghost boyfriend of yours, but this uncle is really handsome," she moved closer to Han Chen. "I see you have a good eye," he winked at her, Li Na giggled at his charming wink while Yu Yan opened her mouth in disbelief that he is trying to flirt with a high school student. "I remember! You are that handsome guy who dropped her off," she exclaimed, pointing her index finger at him. "Enough, you should return to class," she quickly pulled Han Chen away before she makes a scene. "Wait, aunt!" "Why are you¡­?" Han Chen tried to resist. "Keep quiet," "Handsome brother, I will see you again!" she screamed, waving at him while he waved back at her, then she turned back to return to her class, but she found her classmates listening in on them in the hallway. "Li Na," Min Young called as she came out of her hiding spot while the other students pretended like they were not there all along. "Who is he?" she asked. "Him, he is my future boyfriend," she declared with her arms crossed but Li Jing appeared out of nowhere and flicked her forehead. "Li Jing!" she retorted. "Spouting nonsense," He scolded. "None of your business, tch!" she held Min Young''s hand and walked away, pouting her lips but Li Jing nodded his head in helplessness and walked behind them. After they were gone, Lucy and her girls gathered. "Her aunt is really stunning," one of the girls remarked with her face filled with admiration but Lucy glared at her and folded her arms. "I think that was her boyfriend earlier, he is really handsome, a perfect fit," another girl remarked with her fingers interlinked, absolutely rooting for both. Chapter 233 - Welcome Party! Lucy who couldn''t take it anymore, walked away without them, they were too engrossed to even notice her leaving but a tall figure watched the twin and Min Young until they were out of sight with contempt in his eyes. "He didn''t even bother to see me even though he was just here, but he actually came for her," he clenched his fist and walked away angrily. - - - - - - - - They were still on their way to the hospital, since she has wasted time they were sure that they would definitely be late, Yu Yan increases her driving speed and kept wearing a worried look throughout the drive while Han Chen just placed his head on the headboard and closed his eyes with his hands folded on his chest. She stopped the car as the traffic light turned red, she brushed her slightly wavy hair to the back and checked the time on her wristwatch in frustration, she has always avoided this traffic but because of Li Na, she has to face this traffic. "Why are you so quiet, are you not even worried?" she questioned, turning to look at him, she glanced at him for three seconds before scoffing in disbelief that she has been driving in frustration all along, but he has just been sleeping. "Unbelievable, I was wondering why he was quiet," she leaned closer to him and pinched his cheeks gently. "What type of man sleeps while a woman drives him?" "Me," he answered the rhetorical question like a dead who has just been awakened, her body jerked when she heard his voice and saw his eyes open while in the same position. "Did I startle you that much?" he questioned with a clueless look on his face. "What do you think?" she eyed him and returned to her position just as the traffic light turned yellow then green. "So, you have been pretending to be asleep?" she wanted to know if he was awake when she pinched his cheek. "No, I just woke up when you pinched my cheek but I didn''t know you had it in you¡­you know, pinching a grown man''s cheek," he answered teasingly, she turned to look at him, knowing he must be teasing her then she nodded her head and focused on the road. "There are many things you don''t know about me," "I don''t think that''s right, I know you much more than you think I do," He leaned closer towards her with his hands folded on his chest and a serious expression on his face. "You see, I have been stalking you for ten years," his tone sounded too serious, she unconsciously stepped on the brakes in the middle of the road. "What!" "I am sorry I didn''t tell you early on, but I became obsessed with you ten years ago, you looked really¡­" he leaned closer. "The drivers behind you are getting impatient," he remarked, then she noticed the cars horning, she quickly started driving again. "Hey, are you serious?" "Why don''t you take a guess?" he laid back on his seat. "You are joking right?" "I will leave it to your imagination," he closed his eyes and turned to his side. After they got to the hospital, they both headed to the caf¨¦ to grab a coffee before heading to the general surgery department, all the way, she kept bugging him to give her a proper answer to what he said in the car, but his reply remained the same. "You are not really a stalker, are you?" she pestered as they entered the office but he simply bowed his head slightly to greet everyone while they welcomed him with a broad smile except Xiaomeng. "Stalker, are you being stalked?" An Ke questioned right after remembering what Yu Yan said before she walked in. "There is a chance," she answered vaguely then she glared at him and sighed, she took a step forward to go to her desk, but she couldn''t find her desk. "Where is my desk?" she questioned in confusion. "Team leader moved your desk to a new office with Han Chen," Li Chen answered with a downcast look on his face. "What, why?" "Are you that displeased to share an office with me?" "No, it is just too sudden," "I am glad to hear that, I would have felt bad for suggesting that you and Han Chen share an office since ours would be too cramped if he moves in and you can also help him get used to things around here," Xiaomeng commented with a smile on her lips. "You¡­" she was about to move forward when Han Chen held her back. "I guess I should thank you then," he smiled and pulled Yu Yan out of the office, but she kept staring hard at Xiaomeng until she was out of sight. They found their names in front of an office, so they assumed it is theirs, they arranged their office and settled in before going about their duties. It was already lunch when they gathered at the cafeteria coincidentally since it is not every day they get the time to have lunch, they sat on the same table of just like they always do when they get the chance but with Han Chen the new member of the crew. "Brother, we really need to talk later" Jia Yu said amidst their lunch, the others turned to her thinking it might be something serious. "Is something wrong?" Yu Yan questioned in concern. "It is nothing serious, I just think my brother is not the same person I know, so I need to understand him more," Jia Yu answered with her eyes fixed on Han Chen. "I don''t have anything to say to you, dear cousin," he smiled briefly at her then he continued eating his veg meal. "But I do," "It seems like you still have the same rituals," Chen Kai who had just arrived at the table remarked. "Woah! You seem really different now," Meng Yao remarked, they are just seeing him for the first time after he arrived but they had already heard the news that he is back. "Not at all, I hope I still have a place on the lunch table," he turned to Yu Yan who seemed to be focusing on her food which is quite strange to them. "Of course, you are part of the crew too," Jia Yu answered with a welcoming expression, he went over to where Yu Yan was seated but Han Chen was already seating beside her while Ji Chen is at her other side. "Can you please move over?" he requested, looking at Han Chen who pretended not to notice his presence before. "I don''t think that is possible, I have taken a liking to this position," Han Chen bluntly responded then he turned back to his food, the atmosphere suddenly became awkward for them. "Brother, He is Yu Yan''s boyfriend, why don''t you come over here," Jai Yu chimed in hoping to save the awkward situation. "I know, he already introduced himself to me, but I really loved this position, maybe Ji Chen can move over if he wants to seat close to Yu Yan,". Chen Kai clutched the end of his tray tightly, he needed to contain the anger within him. "Why me, I like it here," Ji Chen retorted, they were not surprised, after all, he has always disliked Chen Kai. "Ji Chen," Jia Yu called, signalling him to come over to her side to save the situation, somehow, they could feel the tension between Han Chen and Ji Chen and the fact that Yu Yan is just focusing on her meal despite the situation confirmed their guess. Ji Chen sighed, being the obedient boyfriend he is, he picked up his tray and walked over to where Jia Yu is seated, Chen Kai reluctantly took his seat. "Are you all coming to my welcome party today," He questioned as soon as he took his seat. "Of course, an email was sent out over the weekend," An Ke responded while the others nodded in affirmation except Yu Yan and Han Chen. "Are you not coming, Yu Yan?" he asked. "How can I miss such an important event, of course, I will be there," Yu Yan enthusiastically replied, which they found odd since she was just acting indifferent. "Good you are all coming, frankly, these parties are always boring without you guys," "That doesn''t sound right, what of Miss Xiaomeng, it seemed like you both are really close," Han Chen casually remarked. "Brother," Jia Yu cautioned. "Actually, we are all close to her but she tends to be really annoying at times," Meng Yao chimed in. "Seems like the only gossip you could find for lunch has to be about me," Xiaomeng remarked, standing in front of them. "Don''t think too much of yourself," An Ke responded, then she rolled her eyes. "By the way Chen Kai, I had a really good time at your house over the weekend, it was such a pity that I was on call, I would have loved to spend the whole weekend at your house so we can discuss the engagement further," Chapter 234 - Welcome Party! 2 "Are we seriously doing this right now? You are just going to pretend it isn''t happening," Xiaomeng continued but the next thing they heard is Yu Yan slamming her cutlery on the table, attracting the attention of others in the canteen. "I am full," she turned to Xiaomeng. "Will you like to take my seat, after all, you always want what belongs to me," she smiled faintly and stood up from her seat like she was about to confront Xiaomeng. "I am also full, why don''t we go to the park why we still have some time?" he proposed to Yu Yan who nodded in agreement, then the duo walked away while Xiaomeng glared at term until they were out of sight, that last part of her sentence infuriated her. {I will surely snap that confidence out of you tonight,} "So, is this engagement really happening?" Jia Yu queried "It is not what you think¡­" he tried to defend himself seeing their accusing gazes directed at him. "I am extremely disappointed in you, it seems like Ji Chen was right, I just hope you didn''t just waste over five years of her life," she slammed her cutlery on the table and stood up then they all followed suit, leaving him alone with Xiaomeng. He pursed his lips and turned to the other side with his head buried in his palms, he was now extremely angry towards Xiaomeng, but he didn''t want to flip out on her in front of every one present in the cafeteria , he stood up from his seat aggressively attracting the attention of those in the cafeteria. He moved closer to her and looked at her with anger written all over his face. She unfolded her arms, seeing the look in his eyes. "We will talk about this later," he pushed the chair blocking his way and walked out of the canteen angrily. She turned to watch him leave the canteen with her mouth agape, the look in his eyes, it almost seemed as though he was going to hit her, she turned around her when she heard everyone murmuring. She stomped her feet and exited the cafeteria. It was already dark when the important and well-known surgeons from prominent families that were invited started getting off work, including An Ke and co. Since Yu Yan was scheduled to leave work last and hand over her duty to team B of the general surgery department, she handed over the duty and left for the parking lot but as she opened her car and entered, she dropped her bag on the other seat then she laid her head on the headboard and sighed. She could feel the muscles in her body sore. "You seem really tired," She was startled by the voice she had just heard, she grabbed the pen in her pocket and leaned closer to threaten whoever it is, but the person held her wrist up. "Why is your reflex always so fast?" he remarked, tilting his lips teasingly. She exhaled, recognising the person seating on the seat next to the driver''s seat. "How did you get in here?" she dropped the pen, but he was still holding her wrist. He smiled broadly but he noticed someone''s presence, he looked at the side mirror where he saw Chen Kai standing a little bit away from the car, watching them. {He really doesn''t have any trust in you} "You haven''t answered my question, what are you looking at?" she leaned over to see the mirror at his side, but they ended up being too close to each other, he held her face to stop her from seeing him. "I am quite skilled when it comes to breaking into cars," he quickly responded. "So, you broke into my car without my permission?" "Have you seen anyone get permission to break into someone else''s car, that is why it is called ''breaking into''". "I really can''t be bothered to argue with you, I have a party to get to," she snapped her wrist from his grip and moved over to her seat, Han Chen took the chance to look into the side mirror again, he smirked seeing the jealous expression on his rival''s face. He originally didn''t think Chen Kai was so easy to beat but seeing how things has been going smoothly, he doubted he won''t be able to win Yu Yan''s heart once again. "I am also going there," he informed. "You, why?" "I did a god job in supervising the operation the last time, so I was given a special invitation, moreover, I am also part of the Jia family so it only makes sense that they give me that much importance," he answered. "Oh, that makes sense," she pressed the start button and was about to start driving but he held her hand. "What is it this time?" "You are tired, let me drive," "Great," then they changed seats. "I am quite surprised that you agreed easily," "I told you I don''t have time to waste, I am late, I don''t want to make a bad impression," He started driving. "But you are still wearing your office wear, you are not planning on going to the party like this right?" "I am going to change in the car," "I didn''t think you are that¡­" "What are you thinking? You are going to get out of the car as soon as we get there," she scoffed and turned to the window as they passed a bridge. "I am guessing something important is going to happen tonight," he gave her a side glance, hinting at something she is very well aware of. "If you want to ask, just ask directly," "Is he getting his parent''s permission today?" "Yes, I really don''t know why I easily tell you these things, I am not the type of person to let just anyone know what is going on in my life," she answered then she pushed back her hair and turned to him. "I am not just anyone, I am your friend and I guess an anomaly at that, and it so happens that I am also a good listener," he responded, focusing his attention on the road. "That''s true, you always poke your nose but not too far," Both smiled at her comment. In no time, they got to the Chen''s mansion, he parked the car in a secluded place so she can comfortable change even though the car is tinted. "Thanks but wait¡­are you going to the party in a causal shirt and trouser?" she just noticed that he was also wearing the same thing he was wearing all day. "I though you wouldn''t notice, my tuxedo is in the boot," he answered, pointing at the boot, she wasn''t surprised that he managed to open the boot, so she didn''t bother asking how he managed to open it. "You can get out now, I suppose you also have to get changed," "That tone¡­bye," he exited the car, she opened the boot for him to get his tuxedo then he waved her bye and left with his tuxedo to change in the male''s bathroom after being directed by a servant in the mansion. In no time, they were both done with changing, as soon as they both stepped out (Han Chen, out of the bathroom and Yu Yan out of her car,) all eyes were on them, they hadn''t entered the hall yet. "You are done," Han Chen remarked, seeing her at hallway before they get to the hall, she stopped afar and glanced at him with a smile on her lips, she looked him down from the top of his head to his shoes. He looked stunning even in a not too classy black jacket, her smile widened the more she looked at him. (didn''t he say he was going to change into a tuxedo) She walked closer to him. "You look really stunning," he remarked. "I see you really like seeking attention, why aren''t you in a tuxedo like you said, your casual dressing will make you odd," "I am not really into tuxedos, I lied, lets go in, we can''t risk you missing your special moment," he arched his arm for her to link her arm, but she stared at his arm with a demeaning look. She slammed his arm down then she smiled at him again thinking he was joking around, both then walked through the entrance. "Yu Yan is here," Jia Yu announced¡­. too loud, everyone turned towards the entrance. They all looked at the duo with ''wow'' written on their faces, her full-length spaghetti black dress with a simple hairdo and few strands of hair at both sides gave her an elegant look, she had no jewellery on except for the small silver earring. While Han Chen just looked causal and chic, his simple dressing couldn''t hide his handsome and stunning look even his long hair made them swoon over him more. Apart from her friends, everyone thought they are couples, or they have something special between them seeing how well they complimented each other. She was already getting embarrassed seeing their eyes on her, she cleared her throat and lowered her head then she walked together with Han Chen to the table the others were gathered around. Chapter 235 - Welcome Party! 3 Apart from her friends, everyone thought they are a couple, or they have something special between them seeing how well they complimented each other. She was already getting embarrassed seeing their eyes on her, she cleared her throat and lowered her head then she walked together with Han Chen to the table the others were gathered around. Ji Chen and Li Chen still glued their eyes to her with their mouth wide agape. "Yu Yan, you look really pretty," An Ke remarked with her eyes filled with admiration. "Yeah, I was thinking I was going to look the most stunning in my dress, but you just outdid me," Meng Yao who has a very god sense of fashion in her sparkling dress added. "Don''t you think you are staring too much?" Han Chen queried with an accusing gaze directed at Ji Chen who still hasn''t taken his eyes off her with Li Chen, both cleared their throats and looked away, causing the others to chuckle lightly. "Why did the two of you come together?" Meng Yao asked "That''s right, both of you seem to close these days even closer than us," Li Chen added, they all turned to the duo with suspicious gazes. "We just met in the hallway on our way," Han Chen lied, she glanced at him in surprise that he actually lied but she was also going to lie to them, so it worked out well. "Yeah, we did meet outside,". She walked over to the heap of cocktail on a table, she picked the blue cocktail and walked back to the table, she could see that they had already found something to discuss about. Just as she got to the table, Xiaomeng and her godparents entered the hall, with broad smiles on their faces, as many important and prominent people from the medical, business and political world were all present, after all, it is a chance to get acquainted with prominent individuals. They soon started gaining attention as many walked over to them with wine glasses to congratulate them on their son''s return while they discussed other things. The chairman was soon taken aside by some businessmen while his wife walked around with Xiaomeng. "I didn''t think you would attend this party, I am really honoured to have you here," Mrs Chen said. "You are really exaggerating, I am more honoured to have been invited," a woman who is also in the high-class society replied then they both clinked classes. "This is Xiaomeng¡­" She smiled modestly and lowered her head slightly as she was being introduced. "She is my future daughter-in-law," Mrs Chen continued. "Oh, so you are the one, I was wondering why she refused when I offered to marry my daughter to her son, you are really beautiful and elegant," "Right, she is really suitable to be the daughter-in-law of the Chen family," another woman in the circle remarked, Mrs Chen placed her hand on Xiaomeng back while the women chuckled elegantly. They couldn''t hear what they were saying from afar, but they were sure that she is definitely taking Yu Yan''s place. Although she really looked elegant and beautiful in the full length straight elegant black dress with flowing sleeve, in truth, she can be considered as the third most beautiful in the friend group, after Meng Yao. "Yu Yan, is he really going along with the engagement?" An Ke inquired out of concern, the mood around the table changed as they all focused their eyes on her, she lowered her head awkwardly, not knowing what answer to give. "I¡ªI really don''t know but I guess we will get our answer before the end of today," she responded, they glanced at each other, trying to decipher the meaning behind her answer. "Is he not planning on attending his own party, why isn''t he here yet?" Ji Chen questioned, looking around for the celebrant. Just as the older women were chuckling for absolutely no reason like they always do, Mrs Chen noticed Yu Yan with the others at a table opposite her table but far away. The women noticed she seemed carried away, so they looked towards the direction she is staring at. "Who is that young lady, she looks really beautiful in such simple dressing and light makeup? One of the women inquired with an admiring gaze directed at Yu Yan. "Her, she is one of the surgeons at the hospital but I find her really interesting and she has wide connections, but I don''t know what family she is from," Mrs Chen answered. "She doesn''t seem familiar to me either," "I think I have seen her somewhere," one of the women said, although she was jealous seeing how they all seemed to have forgotten that they were just praising her for looking beautiful and elegant, she has already had her plan for the night prepared. "Where is that?" "At the Jia Mansion, she seemed to be their second daughter, but I am not sure about that," she answered. "Yu Yan is their goddaughter, not their second daughter," Xiaomeng quickly corrected before they accord her more respect and admiration than she deserves. "Excuse me," Mrs Chen picked a glass of white wine from one of the servers then she walked over to their table with Xiaomeng following behind her with the same glass of wine. "Mrs Chen," Jia Yu called seeing her behind them. "Mrs Chen," Yu Yan greeted after turning to see her standing behind them. "I must say you really look stunning, Miss Yu¡­Yu¡­" "Yu Yan," she reminded. "Miss Yu Yan, forgive me, I always seem to forget your name," "It''s alright, you look really young as always today also" Yu Yan responded and complimented in a modest tone. Mrs Chen chuckled covering her mouth with her hand highlighted by her red polished nails. "Cheers," She raised her glass to toast to Yu Yan, she raised the glass of cocktail and clinked their glasses. "Two people are wearing the same colour but why does one seem look better than the other, even with the heavy makeup and accessory," An Ke remarked, looking at Xiaomeng with a rather mocking smile. "An Ke," Yu Yan cautioned, nudging her while Xiaomeng cursed in her mind but maintained a friendly expression, Mrs Chen now understood that they don''t seem as close with Xiaomeng as they were before. "I didn''t get to hear your answer last time when I asked what family you are from," she said, indirectly asking her to give her answer now, they soon turned downcast, but Yu Yan didn''t seem worried at all, after all, it is now or never. "I am surnamed Huo, my mother is a retired surgeon while my dad is a superintendent in the police," she answered honestly and bluntly, waiting to see her reaction, they could see her smile fade away as soon as she answered. "Does that mean you are not from a prominent family?" Mrs Chen questioned with disappointment written on her face. "Well, we might not be a prominent family, but I have a good and loving family, I think that is all that matters," she responded confidently, she scoffed lightly and pushed her well straightened hair back then she turned to Yu Yan. "Excuse me," she left her glass of wine on their table and walked away with a frown on her face but Xiaomeng stayed behind, she moved closer to Yu Yan with a victorious tilt on her lips. "I told you the moment she finds out your background, she will only take you as a gold digger, someone who seeks connection so as to climb up the social ladder, it seems like it is game over for you but¡­" she leaned over, with her lips close to her ear. "I guess we still have to wait for Chen Kai to play his part before it really becomes game over for you," she moved away, then she looked at all of them and curled up her lips seeing them frown at her with hate. "This night is really going to be interesting, can''t wait for the real show to begin," she poured the wine down her throat then she placed the empty glass on the table and walked away. "That b***h," An Ke cursed seeing her walk away. "Yu Yan are you sure you want to be here tonight, I don''t have a good feeling about this," Meng Yao questioned with worry written on her face. "You don''t have to be worried, she is right, the real show is yet to begin," she raised her cocktail to her lips and sipped it gently, Han Chen watched her but he couldn''t help but feel unsettled. "Let''s welcome the man of the night," A young man announced as Chen Kai walked into the hall in a dark blue tuxedo and black bow. He walked gingerly to the front of the hall then he bowed to everyone present earning their claps and cheers especially from the young ladies and celebrities present. "I am really grateful and honoured to have every one of you here celebrating my return with my family, I hope we all support each other in future and maintain good relationships," he bowed and raised his head with a charming smile, they all clapped. Chapter 236 - Welcome Party! 4 "I am really grateful and honoured to have every one of you here celebrating my return with my family, I hope we all support each other in future and maintain good relationships," he bowed his head and raised his head with a charming smile, they all clapped. He walked over to where his father stood with some of his business associates. "Dad," he called. "This is my son...¡­" they talked about business and introduced him to some of his business partners and other prominent people before he was hijacked by his mother. Xiaomeng linked her arms with his, claiming him before other ladies have the chance to approach him. "I am really jealous of you Mrs Chen, you have such and handsome son who is a surgeon and also a beautiful future daughter-in-law, if only my son could be half as good as your son is," one of the women remarked, although he wasn''t comfortable, he went along with the act. Yu Yan and the others watched them in irritation and anger, Ji Chen almost lost it, but they stopped him from making a scene. "You are really according to me more praise than I deserve, if not for my parent''s support, I won''t be here today," he responded. "And he is even modest and filial," the women started chuckling aloud, they went on discussing amongst themselves before they entered the topic of his engagement which he tried to avoid. Mrs Chen then walked up to the front of the hall with a glass of wine in her hand. "I have an announcement to make," she announced, earning their attention. "Very soon, my son and his childhood friend, Xiaomeng will be getting engaged, the invitation will be sent out to every one of you that are present here as soon as the date is confirmed," she disclosed, the hall soon became filled with laughter and cheering as everyone turned to both especially with their arms linked. Just then, he spotted the friend group among the crowd, he stared at Yu Yan for a while with guilt in his eyes, but he decided to take care of her later, so he looked away and bowed with a smile on his face, basically admitting he is getting engaged to Xiaomeng. Disappointment and anger filled their faces as they watched them bow and being congratulated by many, both young and old. Yu Yan just stood frozen on the spot as she watched them, she felt like her heart was being torn apart watching them, tears dropped out of her eyes unconsciously even though she tried to stop it, she couldn''t, how can she when she is watching such a scene in front of her despite what she told him. "Yu Yan, are you crying?" Jia Yu asked seeing the tears, she quickly wiped her tears and hurriedly walked away. "Yu Yan!" they called but she didn''t turn back. Chen Kai who was still being congratulated, stylishly went after her, with the excuse that he needed to use the bathroom. The tears started flowing freely that she no longer had control over it, she clutched her dress tightly, she felt her knees becoming weak, she placed her hand on the wall in a random hallway then she slowly fell to the ground with her dress spread on the floor. She cried loudly, clutching her dress tighter, she covered her mouth to prevent anyone from hearing her cry, but she needed to pour it out. "Yu Yan," Chen Kai called softly, finding her cooped up in the hallway, she turned her head slowly, seeing that he is the one, she hurriedly stood up and tried to walk away but she held her back. "Let me go," she ordered with the tears still threatening to fall. "Yu Yan, I can explain," he pleaded but she still struggled to free her wrist from his grip. "You don''t need to explain anything, I already know what is more important to you," she snapped her wrist out of his grip, but he quickly walked over to her front. "Yu Yan, I had no choice but to act along, for the time being, if I can''t satisfy my father before my stepbrother secures the huge deal abroad, I will lose the companies including the companies," he explained frantically, holding her hand again. But she scoffed in disbelief. "I really can''t believe you actually just said that our relationship that is over five years¡­" "OVER FIVE YEARS OF MY LIFE!" she thundered, then she scoffed again. "...Is nothing compared to your inheritance that you are afraid of losing, Chen Kai, I really can''t believe you just gave me this explanation...no, I already knew what you really wanted but I kept hoping you will give it all up for me but..." she snapped her wrist from his grip then she walked past him, but he hurried to her front again. "Yu Yan, please let me explain, it is not what you think, I was planning to tell my mother about us, I¡­" "You agreed with the engagement right in front of everyone, what is that going to make me? The b***ch or slut who came in between you and your fianc¨¦," she moved closer to him. "Chen Kai, we are over, there is no us anymore," she turned around. "Is that why you prepared your second option?" She turned around with a confused expression on her face, hoping he doesn''t mean what she thinks. "What are you talking about?" she asked, he walked over to her. "You and that Han Chen guy, you seemed really close, in fact, too close, considering what type of person you are, it turns out that you already prepared another option after you break up with me," he responded with his index finger pointing at her accusingly. "Chen Kai!" she thundered, sending a slap across his face. He rubbed his inner cheek with his tongue then he turned to her. "I can''t believe that just came out of your mouth," the tears that had been gathering in her eyes dropped, the man she has loved and tolerated for over five years actually thinks so little of her. She clutched her dress and walked away, leaving him standing. "S**t!" he punched the wall before returning to the hall. "Godmother, I am really sorry for making you see this, he asked me to hide this from you so I couldn''t tell you,". Unknown to them, Xiaomeng also left the hall, pretending she was sobbing so her godmother went after her, but she led her to the hallway where Yu Yan and Chen Kai were arguing, they hid behind the wall until the duo left. "Xiaomeng, I am the one who is to be sorry, my son actually hurt your feelings all this while but you...don''t worry, I will make things right today," she held her hand and pulled her towards the hall while the latter curled up her lips, anticipating how big a scene her godmother will cause. She returned to the hall after consistently wiping her tears, that is the only place she can go without having him follow her and she really needed to disappear so she went to bid them goodbye. "Are you alright, Yu Yan?" Jia Yu questioned, walking over to her. While the other looked at her with pity and empathy in their eyes. "I-I am fine," she responded but they soon noticed Chen Kai entering the hall. "Did that jerk go after you?" Ji Chen questioned "Are you really alright?" An Ke inquired "How can she be alright after such a thing happened," Han Chen remarked seeing as they were starting to suffocate her with their questions and concerns, they turned to him while he just sipped his wine. "Guys, I really need to leave, I will see you later," she was about to leave when Jia Yu held her hand. "I can''t let you leave alone, I will come with you," Jia Yu said, sigh! "We will all come with you," Meng Yao added. "No, I think I need some time alone, I only returned to go away from him and I didn''t want you guys to be worried," she removed Jia Yu''s hand from hers then she turned to leave. But as soon as she turned around, a red liquid bathed her from the top of her head. Gasps! Everyone in the hall gasped at the sight of Mrs Chen pouring an entire decanter of red wine from the top of her head, she dropped the decanter to the ground causing it to shatter. She held her breath as the red liquid drenched her hair and flowed down her face to her dress with her eyes shut, the hateful look in her eyes assured them that she must have found out about their relationship especially with Xiaomeng standing beside her with a pitiful expression on her face. Chen Kai on the other hand rushed towards them, he quickly removed the handkerchief in his pocket and wiped her face, she slowly opened her eyes to see the narrow eyes glaring at her. She immediately pushed him away. "Mrs Chen, what are you doing?" she questioned, trying to be as calm as she can be. "You really have guts to be asking me that question, how dare you seduce my son!" she retorted, raising her voice, loud enough for everyone present to hear what she was saying. Chapter 237 - Welcome Party! 5 "You really have guts to be asking me that question, how dare you seduce my son!" she retorted, raising her voice, loud enough for everyone present to hear what she was saying. "Seduce¡­." Yu Yan repeated, then she turned to Chen Kai before looking back at the woman. "I never seduced you son, we have been dating for over five years, how is that called seduction," she responded, raising her voice. "Of course, you seduced him so you could win the best graduate award and now you are using him to climb the social ladder, I was wondering how a lowlife girl like has so many connections, it turns out you put your skills to good use," Mrs Chen continued, pointing an accusing finger at her. "Mrs Chen, you are going to far!" she retorted, clutching her dress. "You knew Xiaomeng is betrothed to Chen Kai and yet you still seduced him, and you say I am going to far," Mrs Chen continued, her friends watched the scene in complete disbelief, how did things turn out like this when she is the victim here. "What is going on?" the chairman questioned as he came closer to them, seeing how his wife caused a scene in front of important business and political allies. "Chen Kai, is it true? You have been dating her for over five years?" his father questioned, he narrowed his eyes at him as if telling him to think before he answers. They all turned to Chen Kai who was now the centre of attraction, he looked around him before he turned to Yu Yan, the red liquid mixed with her tears flowed down her cheeks. "I-I it is true that we have been dating for over five years since we were in university," he answered, not able to bear the look in Yu Yan''s eyes. "They are really dating," "I just knew something was suspicious," "That''s right, she always seemed to have a secret boyfriend," "Who would have thought she is like that, I really looked up to her," Some of the people that are from the hospital remarked. His mother moved closer to him then she leaned towards his ear. "You better get yourself together, are you really willing to forsake your ambitions for a woman you can easily have as a plaything," she moved away from his side. "So you are telling me that even though you knew you were going to get engaged to Xiaomeng, you still dated this girl," his father queried, giving Yu Yan a demeaning look. "Godfather, he didn''t do it intentionally, back then, she tried to get close to him by seducing him until he became infatuated with her, but I am sure he has returned to his senses now," Xiaomeng defended, pretending to wipe her tears. "Is that really true?" his father questioned. "Answer, I heard you say she prepared a second option when she breaks up with you, she seduced you to climb up the social ladder right?" his mother probed, giving him a threatening look. He licked his lips nervously then he turned to Yu Yan who looked like she was using her last trust in him. "Did you really say that?" Ji Chen queried, rushing over to his side, he grabbed his collar. "Ji Chen, let him go, he needs to answer," Yu Yan said softly, he gritted his teeth and released his collar. Han Chen balled his fist to hold himself, he wanted to rush over there and pull her away but he needed her to face this harsh reality so she can make space in her heart for him. "Can''t you answer?" his father thundered, his body shook, triggering his fear of his father again. "I-I¡­" he glanced at Yu Yan. {I am sorry Yu Yan but I have to forgo you¡­just for this moment} The look in his eyes¡­she could already tell what his answer is going to be but she just prayed he won''t say what she thinks he is about to say, even if she said she is going to break up with him, she doesn''t have the heart to break up with him¡­just yet but his answer remains the deciding factor. {Yu Yan¡­} Han Chen called in his heart. "Xiaomeng was telling the truth, she did seduce me for the award and my family''s wealth," he answered, averting her eyes. Her heart wrenched in pain, her face became pale. {I already expected this but why does it feel so¡­so painful} Their jaws dropped, they never thought he would admit it despite her sacrifice for their relationship. She moved closer to him. "Chen Kai, look into my eyes and repeat what you just said," "Why does he need to repeat it, you are really shameless" Xiaomeng snapped, moving forward. "Xiaomeng, shut up!" she thundered, fixing her eyes on Chen Kai. "You did seduce me and I put up with you for years, do you really need me to repeat it," Chen Kai maintained confidently, looking into her eyes. "Chen Kai!" Jia Yu cautioned, raising her voice. Yu Yan raised her head heavenward, she needed to send her tears back and control her mixed emotions, she wanted the ground to open and just swallow her. "You told me you loved me and I waited patiently for all these years, how can you say this to my face," she questioned but she got her reply when his mother sent a slap across her face. Gasp! Her friends covered their mouth in shock. She held her cheek with her face tilted. She felt her whole body go weak, she really has no more strength to continue, she turned around and walked away from the crowd, clutching her gown and holding it up to prevent herself from tripping. "Now that you have been exposed, you want to leave," Xiaomeng remarked, walking up to her, she stopped¡­she wanted to turn and defend herself, but the betrayal and denial left her speechless, she stepped forward to continue walking but she tripped, bringing down the wine filled table to fall on her. "Yu Yan!" Her friends exclaimed, they quickly rushed towards her. Han Chen removed his jacket and placed it on her shoulder, but she looked like her soul had left her body, he helped her up amidst the many eyes watching them with their eyes filled with scorn, mockery, pity and sympathy. She swallowed her non-existent saliva and stepped forward like nothing happened. "Yu Yan¡­" Jia Yu called softly. "Please, please don''t come after me," she quickened her pace before she started running out of the hall, they all watched her until she was out of sight. Thud! Chen Kai crashed into a table before falling to the ground. "What do you think you are doing?" Xiaomeng screamed. After Yu Yan left the hall, Han Chen rushed towards Chen Kai and punched him but he kneeled beside him and pulled his collars up before punching him continuously, bloodying his mouth without stopping. "Brother, that is enough," Jia Yu cautioned seeing that he has no intention of stopping then Ji Chen quickly pulled him from Chen Kai whose white shirt and tuxedo had already been stained with the blood. "I will make sure I sue you for assault," his mother threatened. "Go on, I will be waiting," he responded with a smirk. "Isn''t that blood," An Ke remarked, they turned towards the direction she is looking at, from the crashed table to the exit of the hall there is a trail of blood. "Yu Yan," Jia Yu called, she was about to go after her but Han Chen held her back. "I will go," then he ran out of the hall but they others followed after a while. - - - - - - - "Yu Yan!" he called, he arrived at the parking lot, but he still didn''t find her, he could only find her car there. "Yu Yan!" he called again then he suddenly remembered something, he saw her holding her phone, he used her GPS to track her phone when she was at his house the other. He took out his phone and opened the GPS, but the location of the phone is outside the mansion, he removed the copy of her car key he kept, he opened the car and drove out speedily. He stopped when he got to the location of the phone, but it was already raining, he exited the car and looked around the road before the highway where the GPS location is. "Yu Yan!" he called out again, the heavy downpour drenching his hair and his clothing. He entered the car back then he started driving but slowly, knowing that if she is not with her car then she wouldn''t have gone far, and she doesn''t have any money with her so she couldn''t have gotten a taxi. "The rain is so heavy, Yu Yan, where are you?" he ruffled his hair in frustration, he looked around both sides of the road as he drove, after a while, he saw someone in black walking on the roadside of the highway. "Yu Yan¡­" he quickly drove towards the person who he perceives to be Yu Yan, he now had a close view of her. Chapter 238 - Welcome Party! 6 "The rain is so heavy, Yu Yan, where are you?" he ruffled his hair in frustration, he looked around both sides of the road as he drove, after a while, he saw someone in black walking on the roadside of the highway. "Yu Yan¡­" he quickly drove towards the person who he perceives to be Yu Yan, he now had a close view of her. She is walking barefooted with her heels in her hand and a soulless expression on her face, the rain washed the blood from her wrist to the ground, mixing it with the raindrops. "Yu Yan¡­" he muttered softly seeing her miserable look and he also noticed how the other drivers on the highway were staring at her, but he is in no condition to park the car. After they had gotten off the highway and she started walking in a wide field with tall trees, he quickly parked the car and rushed towards her. "Yu Yan!" he called out, but she still continued walking on, after he got to her, he grabbed her hand. "Yu Yan," he called again, placing his hands on her shoulders to hold her still. "Let me go!" she retorted, pushing his hands away then she started walking away but he held her back. "The rain is too heavy for you to walk under and you are barefoot, lets get into the car first," he pulled her hand, but she snapped out of his grip. "What part of leave me alone don''t you understand!" "You are injured, your wrist is bleeding badly, you need to come with me now," "It is none of your business, why do you keep acting like you care!" "I care, please...stop resisting," "Why, do you think I am pitiful after what happened, if you come after me, I will hurt you," she turned to leave, he grabbed her hand from behind, but she swiftly turned, grazing his face with her heels. He turned to face her with the cut on his face, she dropped the heels, seeing blood seep out of his wound. "I am sorry, I didn''t mean to¡­" she started sobbing. "Just come with me, please¡­" "No! I really want to be alone, please leave me alone, don''t make me hurt you again," she resisted, crying aloud, looking at the cut on his face. "Why, do you feel bad for cutting my face, you are still the same Yu Yan, you hate seeing me hurt," he held her hand and placed it on his face where she made the cut. "This is not the first time," they stared into each other''s eyes as the rain continued drenching them until she dropped to the ground, with her fist on her chest, she started crying aloud. He kneeled beside her, he placed his hand on her cheek and wiped the tears mixed with raindrops on her face, she looked up at him then she threw her arms around his neck. "I-I am really foolish, I fooled myself all these years only to be end up like this," she said amidst her tears, he placed his hand on her shoulder. "You were foolish¡­" she unwrapped her arms from his neck. "But everyone can be foolish," he wiped her tears again then he caressed her face, amidst the pattering sound of the rain dropping to the ground, they could hear their own heart beat . She stared deep into his face, noticing every one of his features, she felt the pain in her heart fade away just by his touch, his eyes fell on her lips, they looked really tempting¡­leaned his face towards her until their nose almost touched but she kept looking into his eyes, he felt awkward thinking that he must have overstepped his bounds. "I am sorry¡­" he retracted his face, but she held the hem of his grey inner jacket and pulled in, locking his lips with hers. He widened his eyes in shock, feeling the soft texture of her lips, he tilted his head as their nose brushed against each other, taking control as he placed his hand at the back of her head, dominating her lips. They stopped kissing then she released the hem of his jacket with her head lowered, he smiled knowing that she must be feeling awkward, he removed his grey jacket and placed it on her bare shoulders then he helped her up and supported her as they walked towards the car, but she couldn''t look him in the face. He opened the door for her before entering the car, as soon as he entered, he held her hand again and scrutinized the cut on her wrist, he could see that the glass on the table must have cut her wrist. "This looks really bad, we have to get it treated soon," he placed his fingers near the cut but she retracted her hand. "I am fine,", he pulled her hand back. "How can you be fine after everything that happened, do you have a first aid kit in your car. "In there..." she answered, pointing to the compartment under the driver''s seat which is something no one would easily notice but he bent his head and pulled it out to her surprise since she wasn''t expecting him to see the compartment. He opened it then he removed a cotton bud and methylated spirit from the first aid kit, he leaned closer to her hand, gently dabbing the cut with the cotton bud, he was expecting her to at least wince because of the spirit but she didn''t. {how can this little pain be compared to her heartache,} After cleaning the wound, he placed cotton wool on it and plastered the wound, he was about to close the kit when she stopped him, she took out another cotton bud then she glanced at his face with a sorry look, she slowly extended her hands towards his face, cleaning the small cut on his face. He smiled faintly seeing the concerned look on her face, it dawned on him that she might have forgotten him but it doesn''t change the fact that he is the only one that can fill the space in her heart and it has always been his to fill. "Yu Yan¡­" "Shush¡­" she whispered, paying extra attention to the cut before she plastered it. They soon reached his mansion after driving for a while, he turned to her only to see her fast asleep, he sighed with a tinge of guilt in his heart, he could have saved her from that situation but his selfishness made him leave her to suffer such humiliation. He stared intensely at her but she opened her eyes to meet his gaze on her face. "We are here," he remarked before she could ask anything then he came down from the car, she looked around to see that they are in his mansion, she wanted to ask him why he brought her to his mansion again but she already knew the answer in her mind. Weirdly, it always seems like he knows her thought, where she wants to be and where she doesn''t want to be, she wouldn''t have wanted to go home in that state. She followed behind him as they entered the mansion. "You must be really cold, you can take a warm shower, I will make you something hot," he offered, his eyes were devoid of pity and it made her feel oddly comfortable with him although she wasn''t sure if it should feel oddly since she has always felt comfortable with him. "You are also drenched¡­because of me, you should also do the same," she responded, lowering her head, he smiled faintly and walked closer to her. "I would appreciate it if you see this place as your home¡­.even if it is just for tonight," she raised her head to meet his eyes, she could see the warmth in his eyes, everything about him just makes her want to hug him and cry her heart out until she no longer feels betrayed and disappointed. He turned to leave. In no time, she came out of the room in a long brown jumper and her fairly dried hair resting on one of her shoulders, she found him already leaving the kitchen in casual wear, he noticed her as he left the kitchen but her look at the moment mesmerized him, he stopped and fixed his eyes on her, feasting on her beauty. "Is anything wrong?" she asked seeing how he kept staring at her but he almost dropped the tray with the cups of tea. "Ah¡­its nothing," he dropped the tray on the table as they reached the parlour then he handed one cup to her and took the other. She sipped the tea gently, she liked the refreshing yet warm taste of the tea, she smiled placing the cup on the table. He didn''t like that she is not wearing enough to keep her warm, he picked the remote for the heater then he turned up the heat. "Thank you," "For what?" "For everything, I really don''t know what I would have done without you," she raised the cup to her lips and sipped. "Do you still want to be with him after tonight?" ¡­.. Chapter 239 - No Mercy! "Do you still want to be with him after tonight?" his tone showed that he really wants to know her answer, she smiled faintly and placed the cup on the table. "I don''t know, I don''t feel like my heart hurts because of his betrayal, I¡ªI just feel empty, the same way I felt before I met him, I feel like there is a void in my heart that was filled with something but I lost it overnight and Chen Kai¡­he was the one who filled that void but now¡­it feels empty again," she answered in a sentimental tone with her hand clutching the shirt on her chest. "A void¡­that sounds familiar," he muttered, remembering that was how he felt when he woke up from a coma but he couldn''t find her not until his investigation many years later revealed that she is one of his cousin''s friends. "You must be really tired, tomorrow might be worse than today if you are going to work so I suggest you rest early," "Now that you mention it¡­there is still tomorrow for me to face, I bet I am going to become the spectacle of their gossip tomorrow¡­sigh!" "You have never been afraid of such things before, as long as you remain the confident Yu Yan you have always been then I best you won''t have any problem," he stood up to leave. "Why aren''t you asking?" she questioned, he immediately understood what she means, he turned to face her. "I kissed you back there even after what happened, I thought you would at least ask why but you didn''t¡­" he fixed his eyes on her without saying anything, she felt awkward, she licked her lips and placed the cup of tea on the table then she stood up to face him. "You see¡­it bugs me when I leave things unsaid so if you have anything to say¡­or ask¡­" she stuttered, she fluttered her eyes nervously, she has never kissed anyone like that except for Chen Kai, at that moment she felt she was possessed. He turned completely and placed his hands in his pocket with a faint smile on his lips. "Do you have anything you want to say to me?" he questioned. "I¡­I do have something to say, I don''t want you to misunderstand me thinking I might have taken advantage of you because of the situation, I just¡­it just felt like I needed to do it¡­kiss you," she explained with much effort he stared at her intently for a while, but he suddenly started walking towards her, she fluttered her eyes nervously, not knowing what he intends to do. He stopped at her front, he was too close that she could feel his breath on her forehead when he sighed with his head looking down, Now that he is standing this close, she felt really short compared to him. "I am sorry," she blurted out, not knowing what else to say in this situation, he was looking at her with a straight face that she couldn''t read. "For what?" his voice sounded deep. "For taking advantage of you¡­" "Cute¡­" his lips spread into a charming smile that she fluttered her lashes upon looking up, his smile seemed to take away the emptiness she felt. "Huh¡­" "I wanted to kiss you first, but you seemed like you didn''t want it, if kissing me will make you feel better then I don''t mind, you can take advantage of me as much as you want," he widened his smile, tucking at her heart. Lub dub!!! She could feel her heart beating against her chest wall, her eyes remained focused at his lips strangely for a woman whose heart has just been broken, she swallowed her non-existent saliva still fixing her eyes on his lips before she slowly raised her gaze to meet his eyes. "Then¡­" she hadn''t finished her sentence when he held the back of her head and pulled her towards him, placing his lips on hers and softly running his lips over hers, she closed her eyes and clutched his arm, immersing herself in the moment, a part of her feels like everything about the moment is wrong but another part just wants to forget the consequences the moment will bring, how their relationship might change. {Is this because I am heartbroken or do I really need him?} She questioned herself. She removed her hands from his shirt then she wrapped her arm around his neck. - - - - - -- --- - The next morning, the mood in the sect turned from a happy and celebrative mood to a melancholic one, they all wore long faces, remembering that yesterday was just a fantasy and today their second young mistress and the first guardian will have to return to the flame sect. "Huo Lan, I promise that very soon you won''t have to leave again," Huo Ying promised, holding her hand, Huo Lan smiled faintly and nodded, saying she believes in her sister. Her mother also came forward and hugged her. "Mr dear daughter, I am sorry for being so powerless,", Huo Lan placed her hands on her back and patted her back gently. "Mother, I am thankful that you were willing to let me go, if you didn''t, everyone would have been in danger, but I believe in you all, one day, I will surely be able to stay with you," her mother unwrapped her arms from her back and looked at her sentimentally. "We will be leaving now," Huo Mei who is to escort her back to the wind sect with Huo Lian said, bowing her head. After the attack last time, the sect madam arranged for hundred disciples to go with them, but she forbade Huo Ying to go with them. "Protect them at all cost," the sect madam ordered. "We will make sure we escort her back safely," Huo Mei and Huo Lian chorused in unison then they turned to leave while the disciples bowed their heads as the disciples who are to guard them followed behind them. Huo Ying watched them pass through the gate with tears gathering in her eyes, she felt very peaceful and happy having her sister in her arms that she even told her she was smiling through the night, she really wished she won''t have to see her back again. Seeing her sister made her strengthen her resolution to become strong, strong enough to bring her sister back. After they passed through the flame forest, they met Meng Hui and Feng Shui already outside, with more wind sect disciples, they figured they must have requested for more disciples. "What are these disciples for?" Meng Hui questioned, the disciples all had the flame masks on that she couldn''t even differentiate them, since Huo Ying introduced herself, she was able to recognise Huo Ying but now that they are all in flame masks, they were confused. "I am Huo Mei, a guardian of the flame sect, we will be escorting the second young mistress to prevent any harm from coming to her like yesterday," Huo Mei answered. "As you can see, the wind sect has sent more disciples, so you have nothing to worry about, please return with your disciples and handover the second young mistress and her aide," Meng Hui ordered with full authority resounding in her voice but Huo Mei stepped forward. "We can''t do that unless we see the second young mistress arrive at the wind sect safely, I don''t think we can entrust the safety of our young mistress to people from the wind sect especially since you were incapable of protecting her," Huo Mei responded with equal authority resounding in her voice. Not knowing what else to say, she reluctantly turned to her disciples and raised her sword to signal them to set out for the wind sect, Huo Lan and Su Ci entered the carriage while the guardians rode on horses and the disciples on foot. - - - - - - - - - - "Useless!" She thundered, springing up from her throne, she disappeared to his front in an instant and grabbed his neck then she pushed him to the pillar. "Master¡­." He struggled to utter as he was almost going out of breath and he could hear his neck bones making a crunching sound, but he knew it is no use to struggle¡­against this woman, no one can win. "Don''t call me that, I didn''t raise you to become this useless, I had rather take your life this moment," she tightened her grip on his neck, he looked into the eye hole of her mask but the only emotion he could see is anger¡­no mercy. "I w-would have succ-ceeded but her twin su¡ªddenly arrived, she had an outburst and k-killed all the disciples," he struggled to explain, trying his best to catch his breath. "Shut up!" she flung him in a second causing him to hit his back on another pillar before dropping to the ground, he did not have time to gasp for hair before he spat out blood. She stepped forward but he quickly scurried to her before she reached him. "I warned you¡­I definitely warned you not to underestimate her, I underestimated him and that is the reason why I am in this situation now¡­," she kneeled on one knee then she lifted his chin with one of her metal claws. Chapter 240 - Repair Our Relationship! "I warned you¡­I definitely warned you not to underestimate her, I underestimated him and that is the reason why I am in this situation now¡­," she kneeled on one knee then she lifted his chin with one of her metal claws. His bloodied lips started quivering, he has learnt to observe over the years and at this point, he knows she is very well capable of killing him mercilessly. "Master¡­" his eyes pleaded on his behalf, she traced her metal claws from his jaw to his neck, creating a long thin cut then she placed her hand on top of his head and imposing pressure on the top of his head using her Qi as red aura flowed out of her hand. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fist to endure the pain it brought him, but she is too powerful, few seconds more and he will be dead. He clenched his fist tighter and bent his head backwards, screaming in agony. "I told you¡­no failure, if you can''t even handle this then in the future, you will only serve as a burden to me," she removed her hand, flinging him towards another direction in the room, his back crashed through the wall, he spat out blood again¡­clutching his chest. He inhaled deeply and started coughing. She stood up then she turned to him, she raised the metal claw stained with his blood to her lips then she licked it while he watched her before returning to her throne seat. "The only reason why I will spare your life is only because you are no match for him," she said as she spread her dress and took her seat on the throne seat, she placed her arm on her arm rest and supported her head with her hand. "Since I can''t get him back this time, it will be hard to get him again¡­" she turned to him again¡­watching him rub his neck. "Get out!" she roared. He quickly gathered his strength and hurried out of the room. - - - - - - - The emperor paced around his study chamber while rubbing his hands in uneasiness, he couldn''t help but feel that something must have gone wrong with the plan. He turned to the door immediately he heard the creaking sound. "Your majesty," the head eunuch called as he entered the room with his hand lowered and his horsetail whisk in between his hands. "Have you heard any news?" the emperor inquired as soon as he saw him with a troubled expression on his face. "Your majesty¡­that¡­that," "Won''t you hurry and speak!" the emperor shouted, unwilling to remain patient with his dawdling act. "I am afraid the second young mistress of the flame sect¡­got to the flame sect¡­safely and she is already on her way back to the wind sect," the eunuch answered, nervously. "What! How could that be, I sent some of the best soldiers, how can she return alive, what of the soldiers¡­what happened to them?" the disbelief and unwillingness to believe was evident in his expression. The eunuch raised his head slightly, upon seeing the emperor''s expression, he lowered his head again and sighed. "Won''t you answer?" the emperor demanded almost in rage, the eunuch quickly fell to his knees with a sorry expression. "The soldiers that were disguised as the prime minister''s private soldiers are all dead," the eunuch answered with a crying voice, the emperor moved backwards in disbelief and rage. He waved his hands around, destroying everything his hands hit, the vases all fell to the ground and shattered. "Please ease your anger!" the eunuch pleaded. "How is that possible, I lost the chance to drive a wedge between both parties!" he moved to his desk and swiped everything on it to the ground. "Your majesty¡­the plan hasn''t failed, as long as the flame sect is aware that the prime minister people were the ones who tried to kill their second young mistress" the eunuch chimed in, hoping it would save the situation to prevent another bloodshed. "That''s right¡­" he turned to the eunuch who is still on his knees. "Send someone to spy on the prime minister, I need to know all his movement," he walked to his seat and sat on it, heaving a sigh of relief. "There is something else, Your majesty," "What is it?" "Madam Ju of Ruyi pavilion sent you a letter," he informed "Madam Ju¡­" "She is the owner of Ruyi pavilion who treated you when you were poisoned two years ago, you even gave her the emperor''s tally," the eunuch went on to describe. The emperor''s face brightened immediately he remembered the woman the head eunuch is referring to, he remembered how similar the woman was to his deceased consort when she first entered the palace and he even tried to make her stay in the palace but she humbly declined, because of the interest he had in her, he decided to let her be. "Bring it here,". The head eunuch walked up to his study desk then he brought out the letter from his sleeve then he handed it to the emperor with both hands, the emperor took it from him then he opened it and started reading the content. The head eunuch raised his head to observe his expression, but he could see that the emperor seemed both angry and pleased to see the content of the letter. "Good of you Wei Xianlu¡­you even dared to disrespect my tally," he curled up his lips and clenched his fist. "Wei Xianlu¡­your majesty commanded Wei Xianlu to return to the capital, he should still be at the border if he hasn''t returned yet," the eunuch remarked thinking that is what made the emperor angry. "He is in Shannanxi, he even dared to leave the border without entering the palace first, Madam Ju wrote in her letter that he barged into the pavilion and demanded to see some criminals," "Criminals¡­they must have something important to do with him, his intentions are unknown" the head eunuch remarked. "Give my order to the regional commander, he should send some soldiers to arrest Wei Xianlu and bring him to the capital without the prime minister''s knowledge," the emperor ordered scrunching his lips then he smirked just by the thought of seeing the prime minister plead for his son''s life. "But your majesty, why¡­?" "Do you think the prime minister will just sit and watch his son get arrested, if he leaves Shannanxi before the regional commander gets there then there won''t be any proof of him defying my command and disrespecting the emperor''s tally," he held his head high with confidence, he had already deemed it in his heart to reward Madam Ju. "Yes, your majesty," he turned around to leave. "Wait¡­tell the regional commander to send my order to Madam Ju, she must move to the capital either as my person in the palace or she moves her pavilion to the capital, remember¡­it is an order not a request," he had almost forgotten about her but now that he remembers, she has brought his dead consort to his mind once again. "Yes, your majesty," he turned around to take his leave. "How is the investigation on the whereabouts of the fourth prince?" The head eunuch turned back again. "There is still no news of his whereabouts," the eunuch informed with his head lowered. "Useless!" he thundered, slamming the table while the head eunuch quickly took his leave. - - - - - - - "Your Majesty, the prime minister is here," the head attendant announced, the empress quickly stood up from her seat. "Let him in," she enthusiastically responded, she folded her hands over each other and placed them on her navel as she waited for her father to enter, the prime minister entered the room but the deep frown and reluctance to enter was very obvious. "Father¡­" she called as he was now standing in front of her. "Your majesty, I do not think you should still refer to this old man as your father anymore," the prime minister coldly responded, she lowered her head and gestured towards the seat opposite her for him to take his seat, he flapped the end of his robe then he took his seat. "I wonder why your majesty has summoned me?" the prime minister inquired. "Father, I wish for us to repair our relationship, after all, we are a family," she answered with remorse in her voice, but the prime minister started laughing. "Father¡­" "If the emperor hears this, he will think you are about to betray him next, I do not have the qualification to be your majesty''s family anymore," he cleared his throat then he hastily stood up from his seat and headed towards the door. "Father!" she shouted then she hurried to his front. She stood in front of him with a very pained expression on her face, the prime minister could see that she must have been lonely, but it is her own retribution for betraying her own father for a man who does not love her, according to him. She dropped to her knees, tightly clutching her dress, the prime minister was taken aback, she has not bothered with him or her brother for years, but she actually kneeled in front of him. Chapter 241 - Repair Our Relationship! 2 She stood in front of him with a very pained expression on her face, the prime minister could see that she must have been lonely, but it is her own retribution for betraying her own father for a man who does not love her, according to him. She dropped to her knees, tightly clutching her dress, the prime minister was taken aback, she has not bothered with him or her brother for years, but she actually kneeled in front of him. "What are you doing, your majesty? this is not befitting for an empress," "Father, I know I did wrong by betraying you and not fulfilling my filial duty all these years, please forgive me," she implored. "After all these years¡­it seems like your majesty really can''t take it anymore, the emperor whom you betrayed me for has not given you or your children any love for years, this is already expected," the prime minister coldly taunted. "Father, I admit my wrongdoing, but I really need you, the emperor only favours the imperial consort, and the noble consort has the great general behind her, if this goes on and the emperor decided to select the crown prince, my children might not stand a chance," she persisted in tears and sobbing, the prime minister sighed then he kneeled on one knee. "You are my daughter, even if I still have your brother, I won''t forsake, even though you betrayed me, I still have your best interest but from now on, your loyalty must lie with your family not the emperor who will still forsake you no matter what you do for him," she shook her head in response then he sighed and wiped her tears. He held her by her shoulder then he helped her up, she smiled broadly and heaved a sigh of relief. How can she not understand her father intention in forgiving her despite her betrayal, her father might still love her as his child but that alone is not enough to earn her father''s forgiveness, the only reason why he is wiling to have her back on his boat is only because of her children¡­he needs them to gain absolute power in the court. - - - - - - - - "Have you seen Yu Yan, she should be here by now?" Jia Yu inquired of An Ke as soon as An Ke entered her office, Jia Yu had been waiting to see her at least to confirm if she is alright but she has been waiting in front of Yu Yan and Han Chen''s office, but she still didn''t see her, so she decided to ask the others. "I haven''t, I thought she must have contacted you, did you hear anything from your cousin?" An Ke asked, she has just managed to take care of her patients without minding the rumours surrounding Yu Yan and Chen Kai that is going around the hospital. "No, I haven''t, and I have been calling him since yesterday¡­she was injured, what if something bad has happened to her?" she ruffled her hair and cupped her face in her hand. "Yu Yan is strong¡­" "Have you heard from Yu Yan yet?" Li Chen who was just entering the office after his round questioned as soon as he entered. "No, you haven''t heard from her either¡­this won''t do, I am going to her house," she turned around to leave but An Ke held her hand. "She definitely didn''t go home last night, I phoned her mother last night, but she said Yu Yan isn''t home yet, I had to lie to her to make her not pursue the matter," An Ke reported. "She must not want her parents to find out about what happened yesterday, after all, her mother strongly warned her against the relationship¡­. Chen Kai that d*mn Jerk," Li Chen cursed, just remembering how he denied her yesterday and even made her seem like a gold digger and slut in front of everyone. "Everyone is talking about what happened last night and I am worried that the team leader might be angry since she is not at work, I will go speak with her," An Ke offered. "There is no need, I have already informed the team leader that she won''t be coming to work throughout this week because she is sick," Han Chen informed as he entered the office, they all turned to him. "Brother, why didn''t you pick my calls?" "I didn''t know you called," he answered. "Sick, is it serious?" Li Chen inquired with worry written on their faces. "She just has a slight fever and I have already treated the cut on her wrist, it should be alright," "Her wrist¡­her hand is very important to her as a surgeon, I hope nothing goes wrong," Li Chen remarked. "Where is she now?" "At my house," he blankly answered. They all reacted to his answer but their concern for her is too big to make it a big deal. "Not that this is the first time¡­I will be coming to your house this evening then," "I doubt she will still be at my house by then, she didn''t want to stay at my house, but I had to persuade her," He lied, although she didn''t say anything, he could see that she seemed very comfortable in his house and with him, but he left the mansion as early as he could, so she won''t be awkward when she sees him. "That''s right, she is not the type to be comfortable there, I will have to wait until she picks up my call then," they all sighed. - - - - - - She entered the apartment, hoping her parents will not be home so she can use the chance to pack her things out of the house into her already furnished apartment, even if she has to break the news to them, she doesn''t want to do it while she still has to spend the night in the house with them. Fortunately for her, no one was at home, especially her mother who is mostly always at home or with the neighbours, she hurriedly packed her things in three large suitcase and one bag then she carried them to the parking lot in two trips. She had just closed the boot and was about to enter the car when she heard someone calling her name, from the voice, she knew it was her mother. "Mum," she answered, turning around with a forced smile. "Where are you going with that luggage?" she asked, seeing the suitcases in the boot before she shut them. "Mum, I am moving out today," she answered, lowering her head. She knit her eyebrows and moved closer to her, pressing the lock button of her car key. "Why all of a sudden, I know you were going to move out but you didn''t say you were moving out so soon and you almost left without informing us?" her mother questioned, with an interrogating look on her face. At this point, she knew she has no choice then to tell everything to her mum and leave her with the task of explaining it to her dad. "Let''s go in first," she collected the plastic bags filled with groceries from her mum then she walked ahead of her. As soon as they got the apartment, she placed the bags in the kitchen and returned to the parlour where her mum was seated, looking worried. "Go on, what happened yesterday and why are you leaving suddenly?" "Mum, I broke up with Chen Kai," she answered, her mother''s face turned blank as though she didn''t hear what she just said. "What did you just say?" "I broke up with Chen Kai yesterday," she repeated. Thwack! She held her cheek where she has just been slapped, she turned back to her mother with teary eyes. "Mum¡­." "I should slap you again, you don''t even need to tell me why he broke up with you because I already know why, his family either refused to let you two be together and disrespected you or he ended things with you," she stated, raising her voice with a pained expression in her eyes. The wronged look on her face faded away, hearing her mother, she understood why her mum slapped her. "Mum¡­" "I was against this relationship in the first place, I warned you that you were going to get hurt, this is how it always ends up, I warned you not to get hurt no matter what, but you still went on with it," her eyes started turning teary even though she tried to supress it. She doesn''t want to show that she pities her daughter, all she wants her to know is that she is very angry with her. "Mum..." "Why, why¡­why did you let yourself get hurt?" the question broke her completely, the strong fa?ade she was trying to maintain shattered as the tears started dropping. "I am sorry Mum, I should have listened to you but¡­" "But you thought he really loved you," the anger on her face was overtaken by sympathy for her daughter, she moved closer to her and wrapped her arms around her. "My dear daughter, I should have stopped you and maintained my stance then you wouldn''t have gotten hurt," she shut her eyes tightly letting the tears flow freely. Chapter 242 - Dear Daughter! "My dear daughter, I should have stopped you and maintained my stance then you wouldn''t have gotten hurt," she shut her eyes tightly letting the tears flow freely. Yu Yan wrapped her hands around her mother''s back, she knows how much her loves her and that is exactly the reason why her mum is angry with her. "I am really sorry mum for letting you regret and not listening to you," Her mother unwrapped her arms then she placed her hand on her cheeks and wiped her tears. "Mum, please tell dad when he comes back and please stop him from doing anything or going to see Chen Kai, I really don''t want this to get worse than it already is," "I will, do you still have feelings for him, you really loved him?" she clicked her tongue . "Strangely, I don''t feel the love I had for him but the fact that I cant express my anger or complain and the feeling of betrayal is what makes me hurt, and Han C¡­" she stopped before she lets on too much. "Han¡­" "It''s nothing mum, I have to leave now," "Are you sure you are okay alone, do you need me to pack you some side dishes?" "I am okay mum, I will send you the address later," she held her hands tightly then she pouted her lips and stood up to leave, she waved her mum goodbye and left the apartment. Even though she wasn''t expecting it to be this easy, she knows her mother and father will be hurt because of it especially her father and that is why she finds it hard to say it to his face. She already decided to send them her address later when things die down, so they don''t try to visit her for the meantime. After getting off work, he returned to his mansion, praying she is still there by the time he returns even though he knows there is no way she will stay in his house especially after last night. "Yu Yan!" he called as soon as he entered. "She is gone," one of the servants in the mansion called, he was almost startled but seeing her with cleaning equipment, he realized that she must have had work to do in the mansion. "Oh,". She bowed and took her leave. "Where could she have gone?" he took out his phone from his pocket then he dialled her number, although he wasn''t expecting her to pick the call¡­ {Hello} He was taken aback hearing her voice that sounds more gently than normal. "Hello," he responded, following a moment of silence filled with awkwardness, he decided to say something before she cuts the call on him. "Are you back at home?" he wasn''t sure if it was the right thing to ask, on the other side, she stood up from her couch and paced around the parlour in her new apartment. "Yes," "Then, I will come see you now," he picked up his car keys from the table and turned around to leave. "Don''t!..." "Is something wrong?" "I moved out of my house," she quickly added before he leaves. "Moved out then where are¡­" Beep! "Hello, Hello," he checked the phone to see that she has already cut the call, he realized that she must not want him to know where she is but he doesn''t plan on respecting that. He checked the GPS to check her location. "Huh, isn''t that the apartment complex owned by Han corporate group?" he dialled the general manager''s number. {Hello Chairman,} "I will send you an address, confirm if it belongs to the company and give me a reply immediately,} {Oka...} He cut the call. In less than five minutes, he called again. "Yes chairman, it is one of the luxurious apartment complexes owned by the company but there are very few occupants, why?" "I want you to confirm what apartment Yu Yan is staying, I mean Huo Yu Yan then arrange for me to take the closest apartment to hers," "I will work on it," He ended the call, he was about to go again when he stopped. "If I go now, she won''t believe it is a coincidence that I ended up in the same apartment as hers, I should probably wait till tomorrow," - - - - - --- - At the dinner table, her mother kept going back on forth on her decision to tell her husband about Yu Yan breaking up with Chen Kai, everyone on the table could see that there is something wrong since she wasn''t nagging about anyone''s eating habit and she is picking on her food. "Is anything the matter, you look absent?" her husband asked, dropping his cutlery to fully focus on her. "It is nothing, don''t mind me," she answered, forcing a smile on her face. "Is aunt not coming back home today?" Li Na asked, pointing at the empty sit opposite her using her chopstick, it was already ten which is in fact too late for them to be eating dinner. "That''s right, one of the neighbors said she saw Yu Yan moving some luggage out of the house, did you see her come home?" he asked, turning to her the only one who is always at home. "Actually...she moved out today," she disclosed, looking distressed. "What! Why didn''t she say before she left, there must be something else to this and you know about it, that is why you have been fiddling with your dinner," his face turned serious, knowing Yu Yan, she would never leave without prior notice like that. "That is really weird, aunt will never leave without telling us," Li Jing added, she dropped her chopstick on the plate and straightened her back, to break the news to them. "She broke up with her boyfriend," They all spaced out for a moment with looks of disbelief on their faces, even though he has always been a ghost boyfriend, they all know how much she loves Chen Kai and now suddenly hearing that she broke up with him, they found it hard to believe. "Why are you not saying anything?" she was worried that he might do something drastic or try to confront Chen Kai. "Are you joking, they have been fine all this while, why would they suddenly break up?" he still smiled, taking it for a joke or prank. "Honey, I am not joking, why would I joke with something as serious as this, they broke up last night and she came today to move out of the house, probably because she is ashamed," He slammed his hands on the table angrily, his eyes burned with anger, a guy dared to mess with his beloved daughter''s heart, that is definitely something he can''t take. "Did she break up with him or he broke up with her?" he queried, she turned away knowing her answer to the question will determine what extent he will go to in regards to this matter. "Isn''t it obvious, he clearly broke up with her.... sigh! poor aunt," Li Na causally answered, earning the scolding glare from her grandmother, she quickly hushed and continued eating. "Did he really break up with her?" he questioned. "She didn''t come home last night because of their breakup but I don''t really know what happened," "That bastard!" he slammed the table again, spilling the liquids on the table then he sprung up from the chair. "I must definitely teach that bastard a lesson," he was about to leave the dining when she held him back. "Where are you going?" "Where else, to find the bastard of course, do you think I will let him go after hurting my daughter?" "Sit down," she pulled him back to the seat when he still didn''t answer her. "She knew you were going to do this and that is why she moved out before you came home, she told me to make sure you don''t do anything stupid," "How is it stupid, I want to seek justice for my daughter?" his bulged eyes showed his resolution. "Isn''t it good she broke up with him, he is not even that great," Li Na chimed in but they all ignored her comment. "We have to respect her wish, the Yu Yan I know will surely not let him go scot free after hurting her, she is already grown now, we should let her have her own independence," she placed her hand on his hand and patted it to calm him down, he took in a deep breath to keep himself calm, knowing what his daughter is like, she will definitely not want him to cause a scene at the hospital or the Chen''s mansion. - - - - - - - - - In her nightgown, she stared out into the view of the balcony in her new apartment, the view is the main reason why she decided to buy the apartment with her own money despite the expensive price on it. Just like her old apartment, there is also a fountain outside the apartment and many green trees and flowers of different colors, the height of the building makes the lights from other building seem really colorful and arranged in an extremely beautiful pattern. Chapter 243 - Han Chen! Just like her old apartment, there is also a fountain outside the apartment and many green trees and flowers of different colours, the height of the building makes the lights from other building seem really colourful and arranged in an extremely beautiful pattern. The stars also made the scene look even more appealing and natural, she raised her head heavenward, glancing at the stars but the one image that keeps appearing in her sight is the image of Han Chen wiping her tears with a charming smile in the rain. When she spoke to him, she tried her best to make her voice sound composed when she was actually fretful when she was speaking to him, somehow, ever since the night, her thoughts and dream were filled with him. Ever since he found her under the rain, the empty space in her heart seemed to be occupied by him and she kept thinking about some of the things he said... - - - - - "Why, do you feel bad for cutting my face, you are still the same Yu Yan, you hate seeing me hurt," "You have never been afraid of such things before, as long as you remain the confident Yu Yan you have always been then I best you won''t have any problem," - - - - - - Remembering the things he said, she realized that he has always spoken to her like someone who knows her from the inside like he has known her for over years.....she folded her arms on her chest in deep thought. Ever since he appeared, she has always felt confused and the desire to recover her lost memory which she never cared about keeps growing inside her. When she is with him, she always feels familiar with him or gets flashes of her memory. {Do I really have a past with him or is it just my imagination,} She pondered. - - - - - "Good morning," "Good morning," She greeted everyone as she passed them by just like she has always done but although not surprisingly, they were all looking at her with different expressions on their face, accusation, pity, mockery, the look of admiration and envy they always showed her whenever she saw them had disappeared from their faces. {This is not going to be easy¡­} she concluded in her mind. She decided to ignore them and not greet anyone, she dipped her hand into her bag to bring out her phone, but she felt her body swing sideways in an instant, it was too sudden that she fell to the ground. Crack! She winced in pain as she fell to the ground with her hair falling over her face. "Oh my gosh, I am so sorry, I was in a hurry¡­are you alright?" a young lady in a white coat quickly apologised, with a concerned look on her face, she tried to stand up before giving her reply, but her ankle failed her causing her to fall to the ground. "S**T," She cursed, pushing her hair back then she looked up to see who it was that collided with her, but they were many people surrounding her, suddenly, she seemed to be the centre of attraction and she could not even recognise who it was that pushed her. She picked up her back and her phone and was about to stand up again, putting in more effort but she slumped back to the ground, she realized that she must have sprained something. She scrunched her face in frustration, wanting to quickly leave the place before the situation becomes more embarrassing for her. "I am really sorry, let me help you up," the young lady apologised and offered, she stretched her hands forward to Yu Yan to hold with a faint smile on her lips, Yu Yan sighed and thanked God that finally someone was being sensible to not just stand and watch her struggle, she extended her hand to hold the young lady''s hand but as soon as she stood up with her support, she snapped her hand away. She fell to the ground again and her phone slammed against the tiled floor, she raised her head with a questioning look on her face until she saw the mocking gaze on the young lady''s face. She remembered seeing that face before, she is one of the surgeons that were gossiping about the chairwoman and Chen Kai during her visit to the hospital, she bit her lower lips in frustration. "Hey, you should have told me you were dating him then I wouldn''t have said those things in the elevator," the young lady remarked with a fake apologetic look on her face. "I was wondering why she sounded so angry when we were just chatting, it turns out that she is the side chick," the other surgeon who was in the elevator added. "What are you talking about, she is not a side chick, she is just a slut who tried to raise her social status," the other lady chimed in, the others started laughing with mocking gazes directed at Yu Yan. She exhaled and mustered her strength to stand up, with much effort, she finally brought herself to her feet then the laughter stopped, the lady who pushed her moved closer to her. "You see...it is not so wrong that you tried to become someone you are not and you can never be but¡­" she swiped the hair hovering on Yu Yan''s face to the back of her ear then she smiled slyly. "You should still know your place," she concluded. "She must have thought she is someone important just because she managed to get into the general surgery department and even has strong connections¡­what a joke," the other added. She has experienced worse than this when she first arrived at the hospital, but she managed to earn their respect with her ability and her connections and now looking at their disgusting faces, she does not plan on letting all her effort go to waste. "I see you all don''t have any work to do, I have patients to attend to so please excuse me," she took a step forward brushing past her shoulder, causing the lady to almost trip but she quickly regained her balance, she smirked inwardly and was about to move forward when she felt someone restricting her. "You can''t just leave like that, don''t you think we have some talking to do," a male''s voice¡­she recognises the voice, in fact, she doesn''t need to turn back to know whose repulsive hand just held her wrist, she clenched her other fist tightly and exhaled deeply. She swiftly turned back and snapped her wrist away from his grip. "I don''t have anything to say to you," she walked towards the end of the stairs until she heard him speak. "I don''t think so, since you didn''t want to go out with me because of your so-called boyfriend who has now abandoned you, I am very sure you will accept me now¡­No, you want me," the corner of his mouth turned up and his eyes glowed with confidence and lust. They all started murmuring hearing what he had just said, if there is someone else who is happy with what happened, it is Alan Chen. She glared at him with her, clenching her fist tighter, her collar bone had already risen up and the veins in her neck becoming obvious. She really wants to punch him for making such comment, but she must restrain herself¡­.at least for now, while they are still at work. "So you have not only been dating the chairman''s son, but you have also been flirting with the assistant director, Yu Yan, you are really a genius," one of them remarked, the disgusted and demeaning look in their eyes with the smirks and scoffs totally made her feel so little in front of them. "I didn''t think she is this slutty," "Who knows if she actually used that beautiful face of hers to get to this stage," It has been too long since she has felt this way and this disgusting fool in front of her keeps glancing over her from head to toe. She looked heavenward, trying to restrain the tears gathering in her eyes from falling but she saw the one person who put into this mess watching them from afar across the stairs. She lowered her head with her eyes fixed on him, hatred, anger, pain, filled her eyes, she gritted her teeth, remembering she might have to see him every day even the fact that he has been standing there, watching them say these things to her without stepping forward to defend or at least do something to save her didn''t surprise her¡­that is after all who he really is. "Why¡­" he moved closer to her, she brought her eyes back to the irritating man standing in front of her, he lowered his eyes to her chest¡­in front of everyone, she felt insulted to the core. She looked at him in disbelief, he is actually humiliating her in such a way in front of them. {Alan Chen¡­I will definitely pay you back for this} Chapter 244 - Han Chen!! 2 "Why¡­" he moved closer to her, she brought her eyes back to the irritating man standing in front of her, he lowered his eyes to her chest¡­in front of everyone, she felt insulted to the core. She looked at him in disbelief, he is actually humiliating her in such a way in front of them. {Alan Chen¡­I will definitely pay you back} She swore in her mind. "Do you need me to make the first step?" he brought his hands to her neck, sweeping the hair from her neck to her back, she felt the hair on her body stand, she clenched her other fist. Chen Kai couldn''t take it anymore, watching him, he wanted to go forward but Xiaomeng who appeared from nowhere held him back. "If you want to achieve your purpose for denying her then you better stay still," she warned. "Take your hands off me," she warned, gritting her teeth. "You still won''t quit your hard-to-get fa?ade," the excited expression on his face faded, seeing the disgusted and furious look in her eyes. {She should want me now, she should be desperate, why is she looking at me like that?} "You disgusting fool," she pushed his hands away from her neck. The murmuring started again, she looked like she is going to flip out anytime soon, her eyes burned with anger and¡­a tear dropped from her eyes¡­Pain. "Hey, did you just push my hand away, who do you think you are?" he pushed her on the chest, she immediately lost her balance because of her already sprained ankle. She wobbled her hand trying to keep her foot on the ground but failed, she went over the stairs with their gasps filling the place as their gaze followed her as she fell down the long staircase. {save me¡­} She shut her eyes tightly until she felt her back hit someone, both fell down the stairs, he quickly extended his arm as they were about to fall so her head can land on his arm, they landed on the ground with a loud thud while those who witnessed the scene gasped and screamed. She winced in pain as she opened her eyes, she was thinking she should have lost consciousness by now, considering how long the stairs is, she struggled to move her body until she saw someone''s hand, she realized she fell on his arm. She turned to see who it was¡­ "Han Chen¡­." she called, with a shocked expression on her face. "Surgeon Han Chen," "Surgeon Han Chen," they called. His eyes were closed so they weren''t sure he is still conscious, but that fall is enough to make him suffer a head injury and his arm¡­. the impact to his arm might have caused a fracture. "Han Chen!" she called loudly, realizing the situation, she struggled to stand him then she raised his head, but she noticed the side of his head bleeding profusely. "Brother!" Jia Yu who had just arrived at the scene with their other friends exclaimed, they quickly rushed towards them. "What happened, why is he unconscious?" Jia Yu questioned but Yu Yan started crying, holding him up, she kept tapping his face to wake him up. "Quick, take him to the ER," Jia Yu ordered, Ji Chen and Li Chen quickly carried him from Yu Yan''s arms toward the ER while Yu Yan just sat still, looking at the blood on her hand. "Yu Yan," Jia Yu called but Yu Yan only looked up at the top of the stairs where those who had been mocking her were still standing, this time with fear on their faces. Of course, they were not sacred that they hurt her since she was fine but Han Chen¡­he is now the hospital prince and his family background is also sophisticated, her eyes fell on Alan Chen who looked horrified thinking that he might have killed someone, but he doesn''t have a hint of remorse in his eyes. She glared at him as though she would have stabbed him if she was right in front of him, those at the top of the stairs were intimidated seeing the look in her eyes. She stepped forward to climb up the stairs, but Jia Yu held her wrist. "Where are you going? you should get yourself checked,". She snapped her wrist out of her hand and walked up the stairs, maintaining the furious gaze in her eyes. As soon as she got to the top of the stairs, Alan Chen straightened his face. Thwack! He held his face with a shocked expression on his face. "A**hole," she muttered audibly and walked past him, brushing against his shoulder. - - - - - - - - The surgeon who is specialized in the area of head injuries opened his eyes and pointed the pen torch into his eyes, his pupils were unequal, the surgeon realized that the injury to his head might be serious. "Take his CT scan and bring me his result as soon as possible," the surgeon in charge of his case ordered, after some minutes, they CT scan was completed, and the result was handed to him. "There is blood pooling in his brain, Acute intracerebral haemorrhage, he needs immediate surgery," the surgeon remarked, examining the CT scan result in his hand. The doctors started preparing him to go into the operation room. "Where are you taking him to?" Yu Yan questioned upon arriving at the ER where she saw them moving him, looking at her bloodied hands and the stains on her coat, he understood that she might have been involved in whatever made a surgeon get injured in a hospital. "He has sustained an external injury to his head and acute intracerebral haemorrhage, he needs immediate surgery before his condition becomes worse," he signalled the doctors to continue moving him out of the ward. Jia Yu and Yu Yan stood on one spot with a stupefied expression on their faces. Yu Yan almost slumped hearing how serious his condition is but Jia Yu quickly held her up, even though Jia Yu is more closely related to him than she is, she felt like she was just hit by lightning. "Are you performing Craniotomy with open surgery...?" Jia Yu questioned, the neurosurgeon turned to face her, seeing the terrified look on her face, e sighed and smiled reassuringly. "Don''t worry, I will be performing a Stereotactic aspiration," he replied and continued walking, Jia Yu exhaled in relief knowing that they won''t have to open his skull. Like wildfire, news of what happened travelled around the hospital, in every department, even the higher-ups were notified of the incident while everyone had their own different version of the story. "Yu Yan..." Jia Yu muttered. "It is because of me, be...because of me," she moved forward, tears shimmering in her eyes, she watched them wheel him out of the ward then she turned back and ran out of the ER. She ran into the washroom and locked the door then placed her hands on the edge of the basin, she clutched the cloth on her chest and squeezed her eyes shut, she was starting to have difficulty breathing, she inhaled deeply and exhaled deeply. She scrunched her face, holding in her pain, she opened her eyes and looked into the mirror. She opened the tap and started washing the blood off her hand vigorously as though she had just murdered someone. "Han Chen..." she called, she started crying aloud as the tears ran down her cheek, she couldn''t hold it in anymore. When she saw him the moment she turned with his eyes closed and the blood on the side of his head, she felt...horrified. "Han Chen..." Just then, she felt a sharp pain in her head, she held her head with both hands with the water dripping on her face, she removed the other hand from her head and place it at the edge of the sink. - - - - - - - - "Yu Yan!" a young guy in school uniform screamed as he ran towards a young girl, she turned her head to glance at him but he had arrived at her back, he held both of her shoulders and blocked her back, in an instant, someone slammed a wooden chair on his head. She turned back, her eyes went round seeing blood dripped down his head, she quickly held him before he fell to the ground. He slowly closed his eyes, he raised his hand to touch her face but he lost consciousness. She placed her hands on his cheek. "Han Chen...Han Chen!" she screamed, tapping his face as tears welled down her face. "He...help! Help! Han Chen, please open your eyes," she pleaded as she cried loudly, still tapping his face. - - - - - "Han Chen...." she mumbled, opening her eyes, still clutching her head tightly. "Han Chen!" she pronounced as she slowly raised her gaze to the mirror. "I clearly called that name then," she brought her hand down from her head, she stood straight then she rushed out of the door. {I need to see it for myself,} She ran to the security room. Chapter 245 - Han Chen! 3 - - - - - "Han Chen...." she mumbled, opening her eyes, still clutching her head tightly. "Han Chen!" she pronounced as she slowly raised her gaze to the mirror. "I clearly called that name then," she brought her hand down from her head, she stood straight then she rushed out of the door. {I need to see it for myself,} She ran to the security room. "I want to see the CCTV footage of an accident that occurred on the second floor," she told the security men she met in the security office, her eyes showed she wasn''t joking, they nodded her eyes and signalled her to follow them into the CCTV room. She specified the time of the accident she wants to see then the security helped her find the clip. - - - - - - Han Chen was walking with three other nurses behind him with a chart in his hand, he seemed to be discussing the chart with the nurses until he saw Chen Kai fixing his eyes on something on the second floor, he traced his gaze only to see her being surrounded by some female doctors and Alan Chen who has his hands on her neck. He frowned immediately and handed the chart to the nurses then he instructed them to continue on their way while he walked towards the stair but as he got to the start of the stairs, Alan Chen had already pushed her off the stairs. He ran towards her with full speed then he waited at the middle of the stairs to catch her but the impact was too great so he ended falling down the stairs with her, he could have avoided her but she saw his eyes widened when she hit him. Just when they were about to reach the ground, he placed his hand below her head then her head landed on his arm, she saw the painful look on his face till he closed his eyes. ----- - - - - She covered her mouth the moment they reached the part where they both landed on the floor, the security guards in the room were not sure if they were watching a movie or something that just happened not too long ago. "This is...This..." the guard helping her stuttered, he couldn''t imagine himself sacrificing himself like that for someone. "He must really love you a lot, surgeon Yu Yan," a security guard who she is familiar with remarked, she turned to him with her knuckles on her lips. Hearing what he said made her question why he went through such length to save her, she turned around and ran out of the security office, she ran towards the operating theatre where she met Jia Yu sitting at the front with her face cupped in her arms. She quietly sat beside her and took her hand in hers, rubbing it warmly, Jia Yu raised her head to meet the guilty expression on her face, her eyes glistering with tears. "I am sorry," "You don''t have to be, those jerks should be the sorry ones," Jia Yu responded, wiping her own tears, she has only seen her cousin in such state once apart from then, he has always been a hero whom she admires but seeing him being wheeled to the operating room...hit her hard. "Jia Yu...." she called hesitatingly. "What is it?" "Have I ever...perhaps by chance, have I ever met your cousin when we were in high school?" "High school, I don''t think so, my brother has always avoided meeting my friends even when you came by to the house, you always missed each other, why?" "Then have I ever mentioned having a boyfriend...or a guy I am friends with, think hard?" she fixed her eyes in expectation, Jia Yu tilted her head up and down trying to remember if there is such a person. "Oh! There was this guy you kept talking about back then," she exclaimed. "Really, then have you ever seen him or did I ever tell you his name?" "No, ever since your accident, you stopped talking about him, why are suddenly asking about this?" Jia Yu questioned with a suspecting gaze in her eyes. "You see, I think...." she stopped abruptly and sighed. {I think your brother might have been that person,} Her mind went back to the flashback she had during the trauma cases, she was crying after a boy who was being wheeled in the hospital. "By any chance, did your brother have an accident around the time I had the accident?" "That is true, it just occurred to me that you both had an accident but my brother was assaulted while I only heard you were in an accident but no one knows how you were injured," "Assault..." {Then what I remembered in the washroom...is real,} "Why do you keep asking all this, and what does it have to do with Han Chen?" Jia Yu questioned. "I think..." she stopped. "Why do you keep stopping?" frustrated, she questioned. "Nothing, I was curious," she smiled faintly to disperse her suspicion, she raised her gaze to the glass door separating the operating theatre from the waiting area. {Please, be okay,} She stood up from the seat. "Where are you going?" "I have to see the team leader and also treat my sprained ankle," she answered then she glanced at the door again before walking away, when in truth, she was going to go to the park to collect her thoughts. If she wasn''t in then she is sure that her duty and patients must have been temporarily handed over to someone else. She took her seat on the bench in the park. "Everything adds up...it can''t be a coincidence, even when we first met, he looked at me like he found someone he had lost and..." her mind drifted to how the guest room was decorated and furnished in her preference and he told her the story of the female friend he had. "The description of that friends sounds like he was talking about me and he keeps referring to the past whenever he is talking to me," she soliloquized. "What is stranger is me, I got close to him faster than anyone else and I even kissed him..." her fingers lingered on her lips. "You kissed him?" a masculine voice queried, she raised her gaze to see who it is. "What are you doing here?" she questioned, her face morphing into a deep frown seeing the face of the one person she doesn''t want to see, the one who made her get looked down on and even led to Han Chen being in an operating room. "Yu Yan," he tried to hold her hand but she quickly jerked out of the bench. "I must have lost my mind asking that question, you practically own the hospital so you can be anywhere you want to be," she turned around to leave but he held her wrist. "I am really begging you, p.l.e.a.se l.e.t m.e g.o," she drawled, her voice sending the warning across to him. "Yu Yan, I..." she swiftly turned around and punched his face, he stumbled and fell to the ground in an instant, she exhaled deeply. He used his tongue to rub his inner cheek, her punch hurt...a lot even giving him a small bruise at the corner of his mouth. He stood on his feet. "Yu Yan..." She swiftly punched him again with more force than the first, he didn''t stumble but he fell straight to the ground. He groaned in pain, she has never actually hit him before so he never understood why the guys always seemed cautious of her but now feeling the impact of her punch, he felt his mouth almost go numb. She exhaled deeply again, she had the urge to sit on him and rain punches on his face but she held herself back. He brushed his thumb on his lips but he saw blood on his thumb, he realized the corner of his lips might be bleeding badly. "Yes, I kissed him but you don''t have the right to ask me that question," she turned around to leave while he was still taken aback by her change of attitude towards him but she turned back. "And please, never call my name from that disgusting mouth of yours, it makes my name sound disgusting too," she turned around and walked away. "Did she really just punch me...twice?" he questioned rhetorically, perhaps he is just hallucinating, Yu Yan might seem tough and badass to others but she has always been gentle and bold in front of him, she has always known very clearly she loves him more than he loves her. Considering that she kept their secret relationship for so many years, if she hit him then it must mean that she really doesn''t care about him anymore. "But how is that possible, she would never...how could she get over me so easily and quickly?" he had a look of disbelief on his face when he remembered what she said. "Han Chen," - - - - - - - - - She returned to the operating theatre, after three hours, the operation was concluded, the neurosurgeon came out first. She and Jia Yu hurried towards him. Chapter 246 - Han Chen! 4 "How is he?" they inquired in unison, the surgeon sighed then he smiled reassuringly, removing his mask. "The operation was successful but we still need to monitor his progress, you know the drills so I trust I don''t need to explain much," he smiled faintly and lowered his head then he walked away while they turned until his back disappeared from their sight, Just then, two doctors wheeled him out of the operating theatre. They rushed towards them, calling out his name. His face looked pale and his head was wrapped in a bandage, they followed them until they arrived a the intensive care unit and a tube which is connected to a ventilator was placed in his mouth, both watched him from outside the glass door with a concerned look in their eyes. After the doctors exited the ward, they entered the ward using their identities as surgeons, Jia Yu sat on the stool beside the bed while Yu Yan stood behind her. "Brother," she called, she took his hand in hers and placed it on her cheek. "You have to wake up soon, otherwise, mum and dad will be angry, if you don''t wake up, I will tell them you are in china and then you will have them nagging at you every day, so you had better wake up," she threatened, wishing he could hear her and strengthen his resolve to wake up from his unconscious state. "Jia Yu you are needed at the department," a female surgeon informed as she barged into the ward as though there is an emergency, Jia Yu nodded her head and turned to Yu Yan. "You can go, I will be here for a while," Yu Yan said, understanding what her gaze meant, she nodded at her again and exited the ward with the surgeon who had just barged into the ward, as soon as she left she took her seat on the stool and fixed her eyes on his face. Her eyes fell on the scar below his neck, the thought of the familiarity she felt when she first saw hat scar invaded her, she drew closer to him to get a clear view of the scar, she placed her hand on the scar and traced the scar. "If he is really the one then he must have gotten this scar because of me and the accident that caused me to lose part of my memory must have been because of him...No, I didn''t lose my memory, I just forgot everything about him," with her finger still on his neck, she raised her gaze to his face. - - - - - - - - - - - "This is the end of today''s lesson, in the next class, you will all be required to submit your group project next week, have a good day," the biology teacher exited the class then the class turned rowdy once again. Since Li Na''s seat is at the front of Min Young''s seat, both girls started chatting right away but her seatmate kept his eyes fixed on her with a deep frown on his face that others didn''t notice, after seeing his brother with her aunt, a seed of jealousy gree in his heart. She stood up from her seat and held Min Young''s hand then she pulled her out of the class since they don''t have any teacher coming in, he pushed his chair back and followed after her, once they were a little bit away from the class. He walked towards her and held her wrist, both girls were startled by his sudden appearance, they looked up to see who it was. "Huh...seatmate," Li Na exclaimed seeing him with a smile on her face, never for once has she seen him talk to anyone and he is always sleeping during the classes but was surprised her is that no one ever scolds him for that. "H-Han Li..." Min Young muttered with a shocked look on her face, the school prince is actually standing in front of them..right now...and...her eyes fell on his hand on Li Na''s wrist, he is even holding her hand, if others were to see this... "I need to talk to you," the stern look and frown on his face convinced her that whatever he wants to say but be something serious. "Actually...I need to go somewhere with Min Young, you can tell me whatever it is when we get back to the class,". Min Young was stunned hearing her answer if he said that to any girl in the school, they will definitely faint right on the spot, she is, of course, one of the girls who are crushing on him but she had never for once thought they were possible. "I need to talk to you now," he insisted, the grip on her hand tightened. "Hey you are hurting me," she complained but his grip only tightened, Min Young started getting scared thinking she might have angered him, after all, anyone who angers him has never met a good end. "For the last time, I need to talk to you," he insisted, with a tone of authority, her forehead creased as she was starting to get annoyed with this seatmate of hers. "Let me go," she snapped her wrist out of his grip then she rubbed it with a frown on her face. "Why are you so rude, do you have to be so rough the first time you talk to me?" she scolded. "What...rude, hey, who do you think you are?" he moved closer to him, his frown deepening, as he lowered his gaze on her. "I can''t be bothered with you," she eyed him and turned back to walk away, he watched her with a stupefied expression on his face, no one in the school has ever dared to talk to him in that way, except for his two friends but this girl who doesn''t even amount to him dared to talk to him in this way and she is even close to that brother of his. "Interesting...." They got to the school field where both girls sat on the grass. "Who does he think he is?" she coffed and rubbed her wrist again. "Li Na, don''t you know who he is, no one in the school dares to offend him or they might get targeted by the whole school, you might have gotten on his wrong side," concern filled her face. "tch! I don''t care and I have never been scared of anyone," "His brother is the owner of Han Corporate group, even the teachers and headmistress dare not offend him, when he first got to the school, he always got into fights every day and he never listens in class but do you know the surprising thing about him?" "What?" "He always comes first in class anyways, everyone suspects that the school probably gave him the answer to the exam questions before the exam but no one really knows the truth," "That must be it, he is always sleeping in class, how can he come first with his own ability," "But you should still be careful, getting on his wrong side is something everyone wants to avoid," "Hmmn..." - - - - - - - - - - She left the ward after a while then she headed straight to the team leader''s office, she locked on the door and entered after receiving permission. "Team leader," she greeted with a slight bow. "Take your seat," she responded, then Yu Yan took her seat opposite her. "Are you okay now, Han Chen told me you were sick so you couldn''t come to work?" "Yes, I am okay, I just wanted to apologise for my absence," "It''s alright...I heard about what happened at the party," As soon as she mentioned it, Yu Yan wondered if the team leader also thinks of her as a slut and a gold digger, she lowered her gaze in embarrassment. "Team l..." "I just want you to know that I do not believe any of the rumours surrounding you, I know you are not the type of girl to do something like that," her gaze on Yu Yan made her feel parental love, seeing that there is someone apart from her friends and family who trusts her really made her feel good. She raised her gaze to the team leader with a sentimental and touched look on his face. "Don''t look at me like that, I am still angry that you didn''t tell me you were dating someone, even though I am a bit strict with you all, I thought we were close enough for that," she teased folding her arms on her chest. "Huh...You always told us to never gossip at work," "Using my words against me...good job," they both chuckled at the not too funny joke, it might her mood lighten. "You can return to your work now, I handed your patients over to An Ke, now that you are back, you can be in charge of them again," "Alright," she stood up from the seat and bowed her head before leaving the office. The team leader smiled while watching her back until she was out of sight. Chapter 247 - You Do Not Deserve That Honour! The regional commander arrived in Shannanxi after some days with about a hundred soldiers behind him, after all, the emperor does not intend in making the regional commander drag him to the capital with respect, as he marched through the streets with his soldiers everyone dispersed to the side of the street, allowing them a smooth passage. They whispered and murmured to each other, wondering what had caused the valiant regional commander to come to Shannanxi which has always been peaceful, although they don''t know what he looks like seeing his horse and his armour, they quickly recognised him. "Governor, Governor!" a servant boy in the governor''s manor called out as he ran towards the governor''s study where the governor, Wei Xianlu and Ruo Rufei were discussing over tea, he ran into the study, panting. "How bold of you!" the governor scolded seeing the door flung open while the other two were startled, the servant boy fell on his knees and bowed his head in apology then the governor straightened his poise. "What is it?" "T-The regional commander, he is headed this way," he announced with urgency evident in his voice, suggesting that he is already close to the manor or he has already reached the manor. "The regional commander....are you seeing things, why will the regional commander be here?" the governor queried with a look of disbelief but Wei Xianlu had an alarmed look on his face that Ruo Rufei noticed at the mention of the regional commander. {Why does he seem to be scared of the regional commander?} "I am very sure he is the one, he is coming towards the manor with about a hundred soldiers," he insisted, trying to catch his breath, the aura of hostility surrounding the regional commander while he walked through the street assured them that he is definitely not here for a friendly visit. "The only one who can bring that many soldiers to Shannanxi must be the regional commander but what...?" "Excuse me, governor, I must take my leave," Wei Xianlu jerked out of his seat with a deep frown and look of urgency, he quickly exited the study before they could ask any question, the governor was speechless seeing him leave so quickly but he and his granddaughter quickly understood that the regional commander''s visit must have something to do with him. They rushed out of the study to welcome him without further ado with the intention of distracting him to give Wei Xianlu time to leave the manor with his belongings before the regional commander arrives. As they reached the gate, the regional commander has just arrived in front of the gate with his soldiers. "Regional commander," the grandfather and granddaughter duo greeted with their head bowed but he merely passed through them, ignoring their greeting, the prime minister is his enemy so he won''t miss the chance of he and his son getting punished by the emperor. "This..." the governor quickly rushed in after him, the regional commander stopped in the middle of his courtyard then he looked around, he raised his hand, signalling the soldiers to search the manor thoroughly. He turned to the grandfather and granddaughter duo. "Where is the prime minister''s son, Wei Xianlu?" he questioned, the seriousness in his tone assured them of how serious the situation is, they glanced at each other before turning back to him. "Isn''t he still at the border, how can the prime minister''s son be in my humble manor?" he smiled faintly although his intention was to reassure the regional commander, he failed to do so. "How bold of you!" he thundered, unsheathing his sword and aiming it at the old man''s neck, they were startled seeing the shiny blade, with the sun reflected on it, making the sight of it blinding. The governor raised his hands in submission while Ruo Rufei bowed her head. "Please ease your anger," she pleaded on behalf of her grandfather whose neck might be slit at any time but he didn''t even spare her a glance, he moved the sword closer to his neck, once the sharp side came in contact with his neck, it made a slight cut on his neck, causing blood to seep out. She widened her eyes seeing the blood on his neck. "You dare harbour a criminal wanted by the emperor, by the emperor''s will, I am to kill anyone who stands in my way and you, governor, you are doing just that," "Regional commander..." he muttered, he was just planning on getting on the prime minister''s good side but no one dares to stand on the prime minister''s side publicly or that would mean making the emperor your enemy. "I will ask for the last time, where is he?" the threatening gaze in his eyes terrified them. "He must have left through the back door," Ruo Rufei confesses quickly, she would rather give him out than protect a man who has to run away from someone who is mightier than him, if so, then he is useless to her. "Rufei..." her grandfather cautioned. "Lead the way," he ordered, then he placed the sword back in the sheath. Wei Xianlu quickly took the opportunity to return to the guest room where he had been lodging while using the chance to investigate the whereabouts of the criminals who managed to get out of the spirit forest unscathed since they are his last resort to getting into the forest unharmed. Leaving his military badge is the same as confessing to his crime but just when he was about to leave, the soldiers had surrounded the manor so he had no choice but to hide and wait for the opportunity to leave through the back door he saw while on a tour around the manor. As soon as the soldier were out of his way to search another place, he jumped the roofs and managed to get to the back door in time but just as he was about to leave.... "Wei Xianlu," he heard a very masculine and coarse voice call his name, he took another step to escape but the regional commander unsheathed his sword and flung it in his direction, Wei Xianlu quickly craned his back backwards with his hands widespread while the regional commander slid to his front and grabbed the sword, then he placed it on his neck. He widened his eyes seeing how bold the regional commander is, he could have killed him if he wasn''t agile enough, that alone was enough to tell him that he came here with the backing of the emperor. "You were called back to the capital but you came to Shannaxi before meeting with the emperor, disobeying the emperor''s decree is the same as committing treason, what are your intentions?" "You should watch your choice of words, you are defaming this young master," he retorted but the regional commander sheathed his sword then signalled his soldiers to tie him up with a rope but Wei Xianlu moved away. "If the emperor wants me then I will go on my own, I don''t need to be tied up," "You do not deserve that honour," the regional commander responded. "Regional commander!" he thundered angrily, hearing him talk down on him before the people present. "You will regret this," The regional commander scoffed and ordered the soldiers to tie him up again. "Let''s go," he ordered. The grandfather and granddaughter stood still as they watched him being pulled away by the soldiers despite his status, the sight made Rufei strengthen her resolve to marry someone who no one dares to touch, someone who can give her the ultimate power and bring her to the position where she never needs to bow before anyone. - - - - - - - - - "Madam!" one of the entertainers rushed towards her room but she didn''t dare enter without permission irrespective of how important the report is, she knocked on the door until she received permission to enter. As usual, upon entering, she met the girls massaging her just like they always do while she lied on the bed on her side with her elbow on the bed and her hand holding up her head with her eyes closed. "What is it?" The girls turned to her, including Hua Mexiang who just sat on a stool fanning her. "The regional commander is headed this way," she announces, she opened her eyes but not in shock, she was expecting the emperor to send someone and if he is to send anyone reliable, it will surely be the regional commander but if he is coming this way then... "Madam..." Meixiang muttered. "Dress me," she ordered, while Mexiang held her hand to help her up the bed. "When he arrives, inform him that I will be down soon, he must not come up here," she instructed, the girl bowed her head then she left the room. The regional commander knowing how much the emperor values the owner of Ruyi pavilion entered the pavilion with only two soldiers behind him who were holding Wei Xianlu, all to show her how much value the emperor attaches to her. "Regional commander," the girl who had just reported to Madam Ju along with some other girls greeted him before he could fully enter the pavilion. Chapter 248 - Out Of Plan! 1 "When he arrives, inform him that I will be down soon, he must not come up here," she instructed, the girl bowed her head then she left the room. The regional commander knowing how much the emperor values the owner of Ruyi pavilion entered the pavilion with only two soldiers behind him who were holding Wei Xianlu, all to show her how much value the emperor attaches to her. "Regional commander," the girl who had just reported to Madam Ju along with some other girls greeted him before he could fully enter the pavilion. The girls recognised Wei Xianlu who was desperately trying to hide his face, to at least, save him the face of being mocked by mere entertainers, the girl in front called Yue Hua raised her raised handkerchief to her mouth and coquettishly covered her mouth with a faint smile on her lips. "Isn''t this that young master Wei-Wei something.....?" she mocked, feigning ignorance, the other girls chuckled realizing her intentions, the regional commander understood that he must have really done something to offend them. "You...." he cursed under his breath with anger burning in his eyes but there is nothing he can do as long as the regional commander is here, he might be one of the top martial artists among the younger generation but he is definitely no match for the regional commander. "Hmmmph! Madam has asked that you wait here for her to arrive, she will soon be down," Yue Hua disclosed with a look of seriousness on her face. "oh oh, how did madam Ju know I was coming to Ruyi Pavilion?" a look of suspiciousness clouded his face thinking she might have spies in the palace or around him, after all, nothing is impossible in the world of politics. "Regional commander, this is not the capital, in this city, there is nothing that Ruyi pavilion does not know, as long as you are within the city gate, we will definitely know where you are coming from and where you are headed," she answered, knowing the meaning behind his question. "Does that mean your madam already knew the emperor was going to send me to arrest Wei Xianlu?" he squinted his eyes waiting for her answer but the girl knowing she has said too much and he was trying to sound her out cleared her throat and turned her face away. "Aren''t you exaggerating too much?" a sweet and matured feminine voice remarked, at the sound of her voice, everyone immediately looked up, numerous poems have been written about the sound of her voice even though they have never seen her, those who were present opened their mouth agape, seeing the woman who is presumably in her forties gingerly walk down the stairs with her hand held by the premium entertainer. "Madam Ju..." the regional commander muttered, he watched her with his mouth slightly agape and his eyes rounded until she arrived at his front, her dainty scarlet lips widened into a broad smile, the wine in their mouth started dripping out of the side of their mouth. If Hua Mexiang is a beauty then she must be a goddess. Her hair was styled in a manner that allowed strands at the side of her face and mounted twice at the peak with the remaining length cascading on her back, golden pins decorated her updo at all sides and in the middle is a large pin inserted, on her ear dangled long flowery gold earrings with two jade sachet dangling on her belt. She wore a black silky robe over her red robe with a deeper red colour sash around her waist, the black shadow over her phoenix eyes highlighted the sharpness of her eyes and the red rouge over her luscious lips made it more tempting to taste. She bowed her head slightly, maintaining the graceful smile and her elegant posture while Hua Mexiang did the same. "I wonder what brought the valiant regional commander to my humble pavilion or did you perhaps decide to pay this humble pavilion a visit before leaving for the capital?" she gave him a quizzical look also mixed with other intentions that he couldn''t read while she shifted her eyes to Wei Xianlu, her smile widened. "It is really funny how one''s position can change overnight, the last time we met, you were demanding to search the pavilion with many soldiers behind you but, today you are the one tied with a rope," she remarked with a mocking gaze directed at him, they quickly understood what she meant, Wei Xianlu clenched his fist tightly. Never has he had to suffer such humiliation to the point that even mere entertainers dare to mock him, from what he knows about the emperor, the regional commander would never treat in such lowly way unless the emperor already has plans to dispose of him. But how did the emperor know he was here? and of course, the governor wouldn''t have been so stupid to let the emperor know he is in Shannanxi unless... He remembered how she threatened to pay him back. "The emperor has ordered me to bring you back to the capital," the regional commander announced, they all looked at him in shock while a smug smile appeared on Wei Xianlu''s face thinking she is going down with him. "He has given you two options, you either return to the palace as his person or you move your business to the capital, this is not a request but an order," he added, reminding her that she is not allowed to chose like last time. "Huh..." the girls turned to her with an alarmed look on their faces the customers were wondering what would become of them if the business here is closed, they had already become addicted to the wine in the pavilion and the music without even realizing why they have always felt that way. She turned around in thought. {I didn''t think that the emperor still wants me in the palace...this has gone out of my plans, I have not discussed with the fourth prince yet,} the side glance of her face showed the troubled look on her face, the regional commander was wondering what is so important in Shannanxi that she would rather stay in the small city than leave to the capital and be by the emperor''s side where she will have more fame and riches than she already has here. "Is Madam Ju not willing to go to the capital per the emperor''s order?" he still questioned even though she has no choice. The girls could understand her, the intel business, their riches here and the secret chambers behind the painting if they go right now, does that mean everything will be left behind. "How can I be unwilling to obey the emperor''s order, if it is the emperor''s will that I move to the capital then I will go with you now," she answered no matter how unwilling she is, winning the emperor''s favour is part of the fourth prince plan so she must not foil it. "If so then if you are choosing the second option, I am afraid you must come with your girls," the regional commander added, the girls exclaimed with a frown on their faces knowing they have to go on such long journey without preparation. "I will obey but I hope you will let me leave one of them behind to tie the loose ends," she requested, turning to Hua Mexiang, she immediately understood the meaning behind her words without needing further explanation. The regional commander glanced at her then he hummed in approval. "Mexiang, when you are done, meet me in the capital with all that is necessary," she held her hand then she tapped it gently and walked forward, just when she was standing beside Wei Xianlu who has been confused throughout the entire conversation, she leaned towards him. "You should really learn from this lesson," she whispered and continued on her way while the girls followed behind her. Seeing the numerous carriages carried by soldiers as they marched through the streets, murmurs filled the street, the number one famous entertainment house was being closed down in an instant, this reminded them of the power the emperor wields. "Is Ruyi pavilion really closing down?" "It can''t be, what it will be of us when it is gone?" "Thank heavens it is finally closing down, we can have our husbands to ourselves," "Finally our business will be resurrected," "But, where are we supposed to find such beautiful and mesmerizing entertainers?" "You! are you not being unreasonable, Ruyi pavilion is the reason why our business is plummeting," "What do you know?" "If your business is plummeting then that can only mean your wine is not as good as that," "You, who do you think you are talking to?" While the carriages passed through the streets, murmurs, fights and heaviness filled the streets, some felt they can''t do without the girls and wine even though the girls do not serve them with their body. Chapter 249 - Out Of Plan! 2 "Master, Master!" Feng Shui called as he ran towards the mist pavilion, as soon as he got there, he saw the fourth prince, standing in the middle of the hot spring situated in the middle of the pavilion surrounded by rocks with a source of clear water flowing into the spring constantly, mist surrounded the spring, wetting the blossom flowers around the mist pavilion. His hair was neatly styled to the back with a single plain pin holding it down and the ends submerged into the spring, he closed his eyes with his hands above his waist and the white inner robe sticking to his body. Feng Shui stopped for a minute, remembering the fourth prince is meditating in the spring to heal his injuries from the last setback he had. "Master," he softly called. "What is it?" his voice sounded serene, revealing his state of mind, he moved closer to the spring and stood at the edge. "The emperor sent the regional commander to drag Wei Xianlu back to the capital...." he hesitated if he should tell him the other news, he clutched his sword tightly and sighed. "That we already know, what other news do you have...surely you did not disturb my meditation because of that news," he spoke gently, gently waving his hand in the water then he brought it down to the top of the water with much force, causing a disturbance in the spring. "But he ordered Madam Ju to be brought to the capital with her girls," he disclosed. He turned his head slightly, still with his eyes closed. "What!" "We didn''t think that he would want her in the capital at this time, what do we do now master," Feng Shui inquired with his forehead creased out of worry. "Master, a lady by the name Hua Meixiang is here to see you," a guard of the blossom pavilion announced upon entering the mist pavilion, he bowed his head, holding his sword in front of his face. "Let her in," Feng Shui answered, the guard nodded and walked away, then he turned back to the fourth prince. "She must be here concerning this matter, if Madam Ju left her here then we won''t have a hard time getting our hands on the secrets of Ruyi Pavilion," Just as he finished speaking, the young lady entered the mist pavilion with a large veiled hat on her head, covering her entire face. She bowed her head upon reaching the spring then she removed her veil but the instant the hat came off, her eyes were graced with the back view of the fourth prince wearing a single inner robe drenched in spring water. She gulped down her saliva, relishing the moment forgetting to say her greetings until Feng Shui nudged her. "Master," she greeted Blue glint flashed across his eyes as he opened it, he raised his hands in a circular motion and brought it down to the water, calming his spiritual power then he levitated out of the water, spiralling in the air with his hands widespread...her eyes widened seeing such scene before her eyes. His drenched robe exposing his chest and his hair fluttering in the air made the view even more breathtaking that she couldn''t take her eyes off him until he landed at the edge of the spring, he spread his arms while Feng Shui quickly took the cue to get him his fur coat on the blossom tree. He draped it over his body then the fourth prince turned to Hua Meixiang. "Let''s talk inside," he turned around and walked towards the inner pavilion while she absentmindedly followed behind him, she wished she could engrave what she had just seen in her mind forever and replay it in her head over and over again. As they got inside his chamber, she stood in the room with her hands placed over each other on her navel while Feng Shui helped him take off his robe...she raised her head to catch the view but Feng Shui quickly covered him, obstructing her view, she lowered her head again. The fourth prince smiled warmly seeing how this seemingly rude and feisty lady, at first sight, can be so nasty at times. "Feng Shui, if she wants to continue looking she can, after all, she must have seen it a lot," the fourth prince teased. "Master," he pronounced, knowing he is just teasing this young lady, Meixiang brought her head lower and bit her lips in embarrassment, she thought he is an aloof prince who has great plans for the future but seeing how he is teasing her, he must have other sides to him. In no time, he had already helped him to fully get dress, in his usual colour, black robe with a gold tint and a gold hoop holding his hair in a neat ponytail with a simple gold pin holding it tightly, the fourth prince then walked to the centre table in the middle of the room, he signalled them to take their seat. They all sat while he placed his elbow on the table and his fist under his jaw. "I am sure master already knows what has happened to the pavilion, madam left me behind with the intention of tying the loose ends so...what does master intend on doing next?" she inquired narrowing her eyes in anticipation of his answer. "Things did go in another direction to what we planned, gaining my imperial father''s favour has always been part of the plan but I didn''t expect that she will have to move to the capital so soon," the fourth prince expatiated, rubbing his fingers together. "What we have to do now is find a place to move the wealth and also the secret intels of the pavilion," Feng Shui suggested. "He is right master," Meixiang added. "We certainly can''t move it to the capital, no one knows what is going to happen in the near future and we can''t leave in Shannanxi either, if anything happens in the future then it will be easy for them to trace it to Shannanxi," "Although the intels are the real source of wealth, it is not impossible to move it to the capital but the wealth I am afraid we will have to find a secluded place to hide it in, if your highness trusts me then I would like to suggest a place," she offered with a ''trust me'' look on her face, the fourth prince dropped his hand and placed it on the table with a keen expression on his face. "Go on," "There is no better place to hide it than the blossom pavilion," "Blossom pavilion..." "Yes, although everyone knows your highness moved out of the palace at a young age, I presume no one knows you are actually the master of the blossom pavilion and I heard the emperor has been searching for you for years," "What is your point," Feng Shui urged. "Since no one knows you are the master of the blossom pavilion then it is the perfect place to hide it, as long as we create a secret chamber in the pavilion that no one knows of, even if anyone finds out you are the master of the pavilion, there won''t be any problem," she ended her statement in anticipation to hear what his reply would be. But the fourth prince scoffed then his lips widened into a fascinated smile. "I was wondering why Madam Ju took you as her disciple but now I see the reason why, Feng Shui, do as she suggested," "But your highness, it will require manpower to move them, how...?" "You don''t have to worry about that," the fourth prince assured, Feng Shui realized his plan to move it might be related to his other identity so he just played along. "Inform the servants, a room should be prepared for Miss Meixiang," she took the cue telling her to leave so she stood from her seat and bowed then she followed Feng Shui out of the room, after a while, Feng Shui returned to the room. The fourth prince was now standing with his back turned to the entrance. "Master," "Take the ring, although it should only be used for the things of the ice clan, you can use it to bring them in and inform Xiaodi so she can open the secret chamber since only she can open it," the fourth prince instructed. "Yes, master, but..." "Are you worried that I accepted her suggestion and I am trusting her easily?" "Yes, master," "You see, she is indeed different from you but I believe she is loyal, she knew suggesting that I bring them into blossom pavilion might make me suspicious of her but she still suggested it, she is one daring lady but even if she knows it is in the pavilion, she will never be able to know where it is so you don''t need to be worried," "As expected, you have taken everything into consideration," Take her with you but ensure she doesn''t see more than she is meant to see, she is the only one who knows where they are being kept," "Understood," - - - - - - - - - - "Your majesty, the seventh prince is here," the head eunuch announced. "Let him in," Chapter 250 - Kiss If You Love! Take her with you too but ensure she doesn''t see more than she is meant to see, she is the only one who knows where they are being kept," "Understood," - - - - - - - - - - "Your majesty, the seventh prince is here," the head eunuch announced. "Let him in," The door opened while the seventh prince entered the room, wondering why the emperor has suddenly summoned him. "Imperial father," he greeted with his head bowed. "Come up here," the emperor was seated on his bed with his elbow resting on his pillow, his bed-chamber is situated above the stairs leading to his bed that is indeed befitting of an emperor, the seventh prince swallowed his saliva before walking up the stairs with gentle footsteps. He stopped when he got to the side of the bed, he stood straight like a prince should but his lashed quivered. "I have been neglecting you for some time now, it is all my fault," "How can I dare to think that way, imperial father is busy with handling the court affairs, how dare I entertain such thoughts," he quickly refuted, bowing his head with his hands cupped and raised, the emperor smiled hearing his thoughtful words. "I have been having a lot of concerns but seeing you have put me at rest," "It is my pleasure," "I heard you left the palace...." "Imperial father, t-that was a long time ago," he quickly responded. "You and the fourth prince were the closest since you were little children, ever since he left the palace using the excuse that the wanted to roam the world for while, I have sent many people to find out his whereabouts but he still hasn''t been found, by any chance, did you go to see him?" the look of suspiciousness filled his eyes, he squinted his eyes to ready detect an ounce of lie in his words. The seventh batted his lashes, he realized that the emperor must be suspecting that he knows where the fourth prince is and knowing how observant the emperor, he must not be too revealing. "This useless son was just out of the palace to have fun if I knew where my fourth brother is, I would have told your majesty, how can I conceal such an important information," he straightened his poise, answering him confidently. "Really..." "I won''t dare lie to you," The emperor sighed and rubbed his forehead. - - - - - - - - - - - He felt exceptionally lonely throughout the day she wasn''t in the sect, even if he never had the chance to see her in the sect, not knowing she is in the same place with him made him feel like a part of him was missing. He withheld his urge to secretly enter the cave for some days but now he can''t seem to focus on anything else, he wants to at least see her and...and do nothing, knowing that his father and the elders are busy having discussions regarding the sects and he has been ousted from such meeting after losing his father''s trust, he decided to take the chance to sneak into the cave. It has been a few days now since she returned to the wind sect but it felt like half a year for her, after spending just a day outside this cave, she realised just how precious the chance to see the outside world, to be with her family, to feel the warmth of her mother''s hug, to play around with friends and to sleep in the embrace of her sister is. Holding her gown, she took each step lightly as she treaded on the narrow road filled with rock which leads to the entrance of the cave, for some reason, she could feel that the rocks are more slippery than they are normally. "At this rate, I might not return before Su Ci wakes up, I really don''t understand why this necklace always brings me out of the cave every time I come out of the dimension," she stopped and held the jade on the necklace, she examined it but as always, it looked faultless. She was about to take another step forward when someone called out her name, she missed her step and tripped but before she could fall to the ground, he held her and helped her stand straight. She heaved a sigh of relief but froze on the spot, if anyone knows her name here then it must be a disciple of the wind sect. {Does this mean I have gotten caught,} She clutched her gown tightly, not daring to turn back even though her hair has already revealed her identity. He walked to her front seeing that she is reluctant to look at him but she quickly turned back again, he sighed and walked to her front again but she quickly turned back, not having any other choice, he held her shoulders and turned her body to face him. She turned her face away swiftly. "Stupid, hiding your face won''t change anything," he smiled faintly, he wasn''t expecting to see the rat here but it also made it wonder how she managed to leave the cave when there is a spiritual barrier in the cave that no one can cross unless they are from the wind sect, regardless of how powerful you are. She slowly turned her head to face him, biting her lower lips, she raised her head to look into his face but her red orbs lightened upon seeing his face and her scarlet lips widened into a delighted smile. His lips parted slightly seeing that tender but vibrant look in her eyes, now that he is standing really close to her, those red orbs look...mesmerizing and tranquil, the innocent yet delighted gaze on him puzzled him, how can someone''s eyes be so clear and free of worries. "It''s you," she remarked, pointing her fingers at him. "Huh..." "You are the one I got angry at before, are you...going to report me," she pouted her lips and lowered her lips remembering this is the second time has caught her outside the cave even if she is not outside the sect. "You..." he was speechless, she seemed really innocent when she pouted her lips, even her pitiful gaze melted his heart, even if he was planning on doing so, he certainly wouldn''t be able to now. "If you tell me how you managed to leave the cave then I will let you go," he leaned his face closer to hers, in anticipation to hear her answer, ever since the last time he saw her out, he has been wondering how she managed to do it so he might as well, use this opportunity to find out. "The neck..." "Neck..." his eyes dropped to her neck, he noticed the necklace with a jade pendant. {I can''t tell him, sister told me not to tell anyone before I left the sect} "I just walked out of the cave," she quickly completed before he figures she was referring to her necklace. "Walked out...impossible," "Why is that impossible, are we not supposed to just walk through any exit unless...you can''t go out like me but I really wanted to leave the cave..." she bit her lower lips and fluttered her lashes with a pleading gaze in her eyes. "I..." He heard the footsteps of some people approaching so he quickly grabbed her hand and pulled her to the large rock then he pulled her down and squatted beside her with his arms around her shoulder, pulling her closer to him. He looked out of the rock to see if they were gone but he saw some disciples walking past the narrow road, he wondered what they were doing there since anyone rarely takes that path. Her eyes went round at the thought that infiltrated her head with her orbs glued his lips, she remembered what her sister said, she pulled his sleeve, he turned to her but his eyes met with that doe eyes of hers, her smile widened as she leaned forward and plastered a kiss on his lips. Then she giggled, pulling away from him, his eyes went round with a shocked look on his face. "You..." "My sister told me I love you," she naively whispered, seeing the shocked expression on his face. "Huh...what," "The last time I got angry at you, my heart ached a lot and I wanted to see you again..." she cupped his face. "And I missed your beautiful face," she remarked with her lips widening to form that naive smile again, he held her hand and brought it down from his face then he scoffed lightly, not knowing what to say. {Is this a confession...} "Do you know what love is?" She sprung up with her index finger pointed upwards and a confident look on her face, thankfully the disciples were out of sight. "Of course I know, although I didn''t know what it was before, I asked my sister and she told me that love is when you want to see someone every day, you want to be by his side and she also said she kissed Huo Qiang because she loves him so...." "So...." "That means I am supposed to kiss you if I love you," Chapter 251 - Kiss If You Love! 2 She sprung up with her index finger pointed upwards and a confident look on her face, thankfully the disciples were out of sight. "Of course I know, although I didn''t know what it was before, I asked my sister and she told me that love is when you want to see someone every day, you want to be by his side and she also said she kissed Huo Qiang because she loves him so...." "So...." "That means I am supposed to kiss you if I love you," He couldn''t help but let out a scoff in shock at what he just heard. {Is she really naive or is she pretending to be naive} "It seems like the young mistresses of the flame sect are really something, both of you are unrestrained and wild in character," he remarked, patting her head. He felt really happy to know that she also feels the same way even if he is not sure that she is not just playing around but it definitely made his day to hear what she had just said. His pat on her head made her heart really warm that she couldn''t help the wide smile on her lips, the person in front of her really makes her heart tingle but her naive heart could tell that she has fallen head over heels for him. Firstly, he is the first stranger to treat her nicely and even protect her and secondly...there is no secondly. "Ah!" she suddenly exclaimed, dimming her smile. "Ah...." "I shouldn''t have kissed you," she said with a downcast expression on her face, remembering that the relationship between Huo Qiang and her sister is mutual while she might have taken advantage of him. "Why?" the happy expression he had on his face after hearing her confession faded. "My sister says Huo Qiang also loves her but I didn''t ask if you love me, doesn''t that mean I took advantage of you?" the guilty expression on her face amused him, he subconsciously let out a scoff, how is it possible that there is someone like this in this world that seemingly seems peaceful but isn''t. For someone who has been locked up for so long, she should be filled with resentment, she should hate the world and even hate him but how come she is so innocent. Her doe eyes tugged at his heart. "Why are you so stupid and naive...?" "Huh...why are you saying the same thing as my sister and Su Ci, am I really stupid?" she scrunched her lips and itched her hair with a slight tilt. {Is she really thinking on it?} "It seems like that sister of yours who taught you these things didn''t teach you correctly, you should only kiss someone you love if they are willing to but it is fine...since I am the one," he ended his statement with a smile which she couldn''t interpret. "Does that mean you also love me, according to my sister you can only allow it if it is mutual....aiyahhh..this is too confusing," she lowered her head and sighed, then she folded her arms on her chest with a frustrated look on her face. "I love you," He confessed with a serious and piercing gaze in his eyes, he didn''t think that his trip to just get a glance of her and then leave will turn out to be this way, he thought he was the only one missing her when she might not even know he exists, after all, he has only seen her when she was brought to the sect and when he sneaked into the cave but was seriously punished by his father. She slowly raised her head, her eyes beamed with happiness and joy hearing those three words, her lips slowly curving into the most excited and joyful smile she has ever shown anyone, hearing those words, strangely, she felt butterflies in her stomach...like she is floating on the clouds. That look on her face...it made him wonder just how much she loves him that she is smiling so much, one would think she has been allowed to return to the flame sect if they see that smile on her lips. "Really!" she shouted excitedly, he quickly covered her mouth before she makes more noise that would cause others to discover them, he looked around to see if anyone was near then he turned to her and sighed but his breath hung....he fluttered his lashes and his eyeball seemed restless, looking into her guileless red orbs. She is the complete opposite of him. Her lashes fluttered, noticing every detail in his eyes....almond-shaped, gentle but complex brown eyes from afar but close up, his eyes seemed to have a detail of blue in it, the look in her eyes seemed confused. {Why do his eyes seem so complicated...anyways it doesn''t matter, as long as he loves me} Her innocent mind suppressed her questions. He slowly removed his hand from her mouth, he lowered his gaze to her lips and steadily tilted his head, she wondered what he was about to do...she took a step back but almost tripped, he wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her back but close to him. "Clumsy..." he completely lowered his head to her height, he titled his head, brushing his nose against her then their lips met, taking her lips into his. Her eyes went round and her toes curled up....{Why do I feel so...} She felt her heart ram against her chest wall, every lub dub the fist-sized muscular organ made, made her more aware of what she is feeling is at the moment, her breath hitched and her whole body seemed to be hot. {I might really explode if this continues} He could feel her erratic breath...he pulled away from her wondering if his impulsive actions were affecting her in a wrong way. "Are you alright?" he questioned seeing as her chest went up and down and her eyes still wide, she held his hand on placed it on her chest, he didn''t think she was going to do that but he stopped himself from pulling his hand away when he felt her heartbeat. "Your heart..." "I feel like my heart is going to explode and I am really hot," she complained, raising her head to look at his worried face. "I can feel it, but why...?" he realized she must have been flustered by his sudden impulsive kiss that went from innocent to passionate, he didn''t consider that, he licked his lips in regret then removed his hand from her chest. "I am sorry," "No...I have never felt this excited before, is this what it means to be...I can''t find the word for it," her cheeks had turned red but this young lady probably doesn''t even know she is blushing right now, he sighed and nodded his head with a faint smile, then a sudden realization hit him. "It is already late, I have to return now before they notice I am missing and you...you should also go back now before you are caught," he held her hand and pulled her away but she subconsciously followed him, her mind still hasn''t recovered from what happened. They had almost gotten to the cave when they heard someone shouting his name. "Bohai ge!" she kept shouting with both hands at the side of her mouth to make her voice louder, he became alarmed recognising who the voice belongs to. "Meng Hui..." he pronounced, he turned to her. "You have to go now, I will stop her so you better hurry back to the cave, if you are caught you know what is going to happen, let''s meet here in the next five days, go..." she nodded her head and quickly turned then she started running, he watched her until she was out of sight then he started walking forward but he hadn''t taken up to two steps when she appeared in front of him. "Bohai!" she called aloud with a look of relief on her face, she ran towards him but stopped when she got to him. "Where have you been, I have been looking for you all this while?" "Uh-I was just out here training," his eyeball quivered, she narrowed her eyes noticing it. "Why would you be out here training, this part of the sect is distant from the main sect?" she had a look of suspicion in her eyes. "That is exactly why I am training here, it is secluded so my mind will be clearer and I can concentrate better," he answered with an assuring smile. "Oh, if you are done then lets return," she didn''t actually believe him but she has no reason to doubt him either so she decided to let it go, she turned around to walk ahead while he followed behind her, she heard his footstep stop so she turned back...but she saw him looking towards the direction where she left. {That path leads to the cave,} She turned back to him, he just aroused the suspicion in her heart. "Bohai, you didn''t enter the cave, did you?" she knows she wouldn''t be able to sleep or concentrate on anything else if she doesn''t get rid of her suspicion. Chapter 252 - My Sister And Lin Bohai! They gathered in the sect hall to discuss the issue of the attack on Huo Lan and Su Ci on their way to the sect, if there is someone trying to harm their second young mistress then they definitely can''t let the person remain on the surface of this earth. "Sect madam, we have waited enough for the wind sect''s explanation," the first elder spoke in anger and frustration. "Mother, that so-called disciple of the wind sect said they are going to investigate the matter but we still haven''t heard anything from them after this explanation," Huo Ying added, she couldn''t understand why her mother demanded that they wait before requesting the emperor''s intervention or taking justice into their own hands. She gently picked the teacup from the stool next to her, she raised it to her lips and sipped it gently, seeing how composed she seemed even though the matter concerns Huo Lan, they just couldn''t understand what she wants. "You are all too impatient, do you think I will let the person who tried to kill my daughter live, even if the flame sect has been secluded for so long it doesn''t mean that we can now be stepped on, the flame sect has always repaid good and evil, surely, I won''t let this pass," she placed the teacup on the stool, curling up her lips. "Mother, we really can''t guess your intentions, you have always been impossible to read so please stop putting us in the dark," she was already frustrated to her limit, trying to guess what exactly her mother''s intention is. "This matter is too complex so I had to wait to see the truth myself, the wind sect did not bother themselves with this matter even if their disciple was injured, this can only mean one thing...." she stood up from her seat and walked down the three-step stairs with her red-polished fingers placed over each other delicately on her navel. "The person behind this must belong to the court, the entire martial sects are under the wind sect so it is impossible that Lin Yuanlong hasn''t sought justice for his disciples, the only reason why he would keep quiet is only if he doesn''t want to disrupt the court or get the sects involved with the court but...." "But...." she repeated after her mother, with her eyes fixed keenly on the woman standing in front of them. "There is another person who should have been involved but wasn''t involved, it is surely impossible that the emperor wouldn''t know what happened even if he is far away in the capital and the only person Lin Yuanlong would ignore the issue for is the emperor," she concluded her explanation with full confidence in her hypothesis. "But we examined their bodies, they were indeed wearing the prime minister''s private army uniform and they seemed like well-trained men, there is nothing that suggests the prime minister is not the culprit," Huo Qiang stated, unwilling the believe the evidence before them for her hypothesis, he has always been someone who relies on facts instead of speculations. "Mother is right, I saw the prime minister the last time we entered the palace, he doesn''t look like someone who is stupid enough to let the assassins wear his private army uniform, Mother! this must be a scheme," she concluded confidently, her mother turned to her and smiled. "I am guessing the reason why the emperor has gone this far is that he suspects me and the prime minister might be colluding," "How come, did sect madam have any private meeting with the prime minister?" the third elder questioned, hoping that she didn''t make any deals behind their back which will put the sect in a tight spot. "I know what the court is like, there is no way I would be stupid enough to do so but I did have a conversation with the prime minister and it seemed to me that he is indeed trying to rope the sect in," "So what are we going to do next?" Huo Mei questioned, she has listened to the entire conversation and from what she has deducted, the person responsible for the incident is the emperor but she wondered what plans the sect madam has for that issue now that the enemy has been confirmed especially now that he is the one person who seemingly has the ultimate power in the entire nation. "Of course we will...do nothing," "Do nothing! mother, how can we let this go?" Huo Ying retorted immediately, unwilling to take a step back. "If you want to survive in this world then you must know when to advance and retreat, the emperor has failed in his attempt and is plan is probably to turn the flame sect and the prime minister against each other but not doing anything will anger him and cause more damage to his pride," she responded reassuringly. She inhaled deeply, inside her, she desperately wants to remove the sect and all other dangers of going face to face with the emperor in her mind but considering that she has no proof to prove her speculation and confronting him might cause more damage than benefit, she decided to restrain herself. "But! this doesn''t mean that this matter will be forgotten, meanwhile, in five months, it so happens that will be the emperor''s birthday month and the martial hero competition will also be held in the same month this year, you must all prepare for both occasions. The martial world is not only about strength but the ability to make use of knowledge and learn the ways of the world," "Understood!" the guardians, Huo Li and Huo Ying chorused. She exhaled deeply, glancing outside the hall, she couldn''t help but worry about the challenges they might have to face after they make their official public appearance. "That reminds me!" she exclaimed with her eyes widened and a fearful look on her face. "What is it?" her mother questioned while they all fixed their eyes on her. "I intended to use the opportunity of Huo Lan returning to the sect to inform her that she will be tested on the day of the martial hero competition but we were too distracted that we forgot to tell her about it," she answered, she bit her finger in nervousness while the others also had a look of regret and guilt until she spoke again. "I have a way to let her know of this, surely, the wind sect will never let her know for they don''t want her to return but I know someone that will if mother will entrust me with this task?" she cupped her hands and lowered her head, they wondered who she was referring to but knowing that she would have mentioned the person''s name and not refer to the person as ''someone'' if she intended to tell them who it is, they decided not to question her. "Make no mistake, you must let her know the importance of this test," her mother answered. After they left the sect hall, Huo Ying returned to her quarter immediately, she sat down and dipped her brush into the ink ready to write a letter when she heard a knock on her door, she frowned, wondering who it is disturbing her at the moment. "Who is it?" "Huo Qiang," the masculine voice responded, she eyes brightened immediately, she dropped the brush next to the inkstone and cleared her throat. "Come in," He gingerly entered with a smile that any lovey-dovey couple will have during the first few months of dating, he folded his arms behind his back as he walked up to her and took his seat next to her on the table. "What are you doing?" he inquired, seeing the inkstone and paper on the table, she smiled and picked up the brush again then she started writing the letter she intended to write. "I am writing a letter to Lin Bohai," she disclosed unhesitantly, although she can''t bring her self to tell others about Huo Lan and Lin Bohai, she still can''t help herself as she can''t lie when it comes to Huo Qiang. "Lin Bohai...is this related to getting the information to Huo Lan, how is he going to help with that?" the quizzical expression on his face mixed with confusion, he couldn''t understand why Huo Ying who should hate and distrust someone like Lin Bohai who is the mutual enemy of the sect would trust him with such important task. Huo Ying sighed and dropped the brush at the edge of the inkstone again, she already knew he would ask this, she turned to him with a serious expression on her face. "Actually...I think there is a close relationship between my sister and Lin Bohai," she confessed but the confusion in his mind deepened, he raised his brows, asking her to give more explanation, she placed her arm on the table and moved closer to him. "When we attended the alliance meeting in the wind sect, I noticed that Lin Bohai seemed to be treating me differently from how I thought he would treat me and the way he looked at me... Chapter 253 - Sulking Out Of Jealousy! "Actually...I think there is a close relationship between my sister and Lin Bohai," she confessed but the confusion in his mind deepened, he raised his brows, asking her to give more explanation, she placed her arm on the table and moved closer to him. "When we attended the alliance meeting, I noticed that Lin Bohai seemed to be treating me differently from how I thought he would treat me and the way he looked at me, it was like he was seeing someone he has missed for years, but I found out from my sister that they actually met in the wind sect when she sneaked out of the cave," she narrated. "What! she sneaked out of the cave?" he repeated with fear written on his face, she held his hand to stop him from overreacting then she sighed again and picked up the brush to continue writing while his eyes followed her. "It is too complex to explain but Lin Bohai didn''t report her, rather, he helped her to not be found by the others and it seems like my sister has fallen in love with him from that incident," she concluded with her eyes glued on the letter while Huo Qiang stood up from his seat and walked behind her. "So you suspect that the feeling is mutual between Huo Lan and Lin Bohai...but you shouldn''t bet such an important task on this, what if it is not as you guessed?" he returned to his seat, looking anxious. "This is not a guess, I am sure of it, Lin Bohai might be the enemy of the flame sect but I am willing to overlook everything as long as my sister wants him, this is not only confirming my guess but it is the perfect way to get the news to my sister," "If so then how are you going to send him the letter without being found by his sect members?" "That is the main part, I will have one of the disciples send take the letter to Lanzhou and wait outside the wind sect, I don''t believe Lin Bohai will not leave his sect for once during this time," she finished writing the letter then she exhaled and folded it neatly while Huo Qiang watched her every movement, wondering why she is so confident with her plan but another thing bugged him. {That scum what if you are the one he has taken a liking to?} In his mind, he was sulking and hoping that Huo Lan is really the one Lin Bohai fancies otherwise, he won''t hesitate to dig out his eyes but he was also crossed with Huo Ying for not telling him about it after they returned to the sect. "Then who do you plan to send?" "That is indeed a good question..." she placed her elbow on the table and anchored her jaw on her fist in thought. "I suggest you send Li Bing, she can be trusted with this task," Huo Qiang suggested. "She indeed shares the same personality as Huo Li, her persistent nature is definitely suited for this task," she smiled, giving him the ''thank you'' look then she folded the paper into the envelope and sighed looking at it but she could feel something wrong with the mood. She turned to him but he was spaced out and his fist tightly balled, she raised her brows, wondering what he is thinking about that is making him look so angry. "You...do you have anything to say?" she inquired, fixing her eyes on him but he still wasn''t looking at her. "Nothing, I will take my leave now," he stood up from his seat but she quickly held his hand to stop him from going, she was quite surprised seeing how angry he turned in just a minute, she stood up from her seat and tightened her grip on his hand. "Did I say something wrong, you can''t just leave like this?" she pouted her lips and looked at him in a pitiful and cute look that melted his heart, one glance at her was enough to make him spill the words. "Why didn''t you tell me about it then, what if....?" he restrained himself and looked away again, exhaling. "Tell you about what?" she couldn''t understand what part of their conversation he was referring to, she could only examine his face to see if he is really angry at her or there is something else she doesn''t know of. "That Lin Bohai...." he tried to argue again but he couldn''t let her know he is being jealous because of something so trivial, she immediately understood what he was talking about, she pursed her lips to stop herself from bursting into laughter but the more she looked into his sulking face, the more tempted she is to laugh. Finally, she let it out! She laughed so hard that she held her belly to stop it from aching, he turned to her with a look of confusion and embarrassment. "Is it that funny?" "Of course, who would have thought that you can be this cute when you are jealous," she teased, trying to control her laughter but she couldn''t help it, he bit his lower head and shook his head then he pulled her hand and wrapped his hand around her waist. "Do you still think I am cute?" his charming gaze pierced through her heart, she pursed her lips with both of her fists on his chest. They could hear the thumping of her heart to which he smirked, she bit her lips and scrunched her lips seeing the triumphant look on his face but she didn''t want to give in. "Yes, I still think you are cute this way," she answered boldly with a smirk on her lips. "You..." he shook his head threateningly then she pulled her closer and tilted his head to meet her lips, the moment their lips met, she widened her eyes in shock that didn''t last when she smiled amidst the simple kiss. "Huo Ying!" Huo Mei called as she burst into the room in excitement but she was greeted with the scene of them kissing, they turned their eyes towards their door with their eyes widened but their position still maintained. "Both of you...." She accused, pointing her index finger at them, he quickly let her go of her waist, the both of them looked away in embarrassment. Huo Mei shook her head then she ran out of the room while the couple scrunched their faces in embarrassment. "I will take my leave," Huo Qiang quickly said then he hurriedly left the room to escape the aura of embarrassment in the room, she closed the door which he forgot to close in a hurry then she rested her back on the door and cupped her face in embarrassment. In her heart, she cursed Huo Mei for ruining the moment for them. - - - - - - - - The regional commander arrived at the palace with the criminal Wei Xianlu and madam Ju, he threw Wei Xianlu into the prison and then proceeded to the imperial hall with madam Ju and her girls, the girls waited outside the hall while he entered the hall with Madam Ju. "My respects to you, your majesty," Both greeted with their hands cupped and raised on an equal level with their head, the emperor who was initially studying the petitions submitted to him without noticing when they entered raised his head in excitement. "Rise," The duo raised their head and stood at ease, Madam Ju doing what she knows how to do best, broadened her lips with her hands placed on top of each other on her navel and her long lashes lowered to avoid meeting the emperor''s gaze. The emperor couldn''t help but smile looking at her, the resemblance she has to his late consort is indeed still there, he leaned forward almost in excitement but how can he show this as an emperor. "Regional commander, you have worked hard," he complimented. "It is my duty to share your worries," the regional commander answered, the emperor nodded his head in satisfaction then he turned his gaze to Madam Ju. "Madam Ju, it has been a while since we saw last," he remarked, searching her face for a hint of dissatisfaction. "This subject is still grateful for your majesty''s favour in granting Ruyi Pavilion the imperial tally," she responded, bowing her head lower, the emperor nodded in satisfaction knowing that she still has that incident in her heart and she has not forgotten his benevolence. "I hope Madam Ju doesn''t resent me for ordering you to move to the capital without preparation?" he questioned, squinting his eyes and leaning forward. "How can this humble subject dare to resent your majesty, it is already my honour to have such chance to by your emperor''s side but I am afraid this lowly subject is not qualified to become your majesty''s person in the palace, so I have chosen your second option," Although he wasn''t happy to hear that she would rather reopen her pavilion in the capital than live in the palace, he still appreciates the fact that she is still at his disposal in the capital. Chapter 254 - Forfeit! "How can this humble subject dare to resent your majesty, it is already my honour to have such chance to be by your majesty''s side but I am afraid this lowly subject is not qualified to become your majesty''s person in the palace, so I have chosen your second option," Although he wasn''t happy to hear that she would rather reopen her pavilion in the capital than live in the palace, he still appreciates the fact that she is still at his disposal in the capital. "Madam Ju need not be bothered about it, You can reside in the palace until you restart your business in the capital, as long as Madam Ju needs anything, please don''t hesitate to inform me," She dropped to her knees and waved her sleeves before cupping her hands together then she pushed them forward and bowed her head. "Your grace is immeasurable," "Please rise," She stood up from her knees then she bowed one last time and left the imperial hall, with worry still in her heart concerning all she left behind in Shannanxi. The emperor exhaled in satisfaction then he turned to the regional commander. "The prime minister will be here very soon, bring Wei Xianlu to the imperial hall," he ordered with a smirk on his lips, he couldn''t help the feeling of fulfilment and satisfaction he has already gotten just knowing that today he can make the prime minister powerless before him. Although arresting Wei Xianlu is not enough to make him completely lose his power and get rid of him because there is not enough evidence that he was doing something hideous in Shannanxi but it is at least enough to destroy the pride of the prime minister. "Yes, your majesty," he bowed and took his leave but as soon as he got to the entrance, the prime minister entered the imperial hall with a smug expression on his face as always, he stopped when he got to the same spot where the regional commander is standing, he gave him a side glance then both men smirked. The regional commander then left the hall but the prime minister stood still, wondering why the regional commander who was absent for some days now, suddenly appeared in the imperial hall. {What exactly are you two plotting?} He exhaled then he gingerly walked to the front of the hall and bowed his head. "Greetings, your majesty," "Rise," He raised his head only to see the emperor smiling, he creased his forehead in confusion, there has only been one expression on the emperor''s face whenever they met and that expression is always filled with contempt, fear and suspiciousness but today the emperor is actually smiling with his lips curled up. "Your majesty, I wonder why you have summoned this subject to the imperial hall at this hour?" the prime minister inquired with his head slightly lowered. "What do you mean, prime minister, you are my subject so it is only right that I summon you at any hour I desire or do you have a problem with that?" he raised his brow and his curled lips. "Of course, this subject did not mean it that way," "Prime minister, I summoned your son to the capital a long time ago but it appears that the general has ignored my order, what do you think I should do in this case?" The prime minister widened his eyes hearing the reason why he has been summoned, he wondered if the emperor has found out something about his whereabouts or not, or is he just sounding him out. "Your majesty, please forgive my son''s impudence, there have been cases of bandits inflicting sufferings on the people situated at the border, he failed to weigh the importance of your order compared to the people''s suffering so he stayed at the border to protect the people," he explained with a deeply apologetic tone in his voice and his face showing his fake sincerity, the emperor scoffed in his mind, seeing how concerned he looked when he is lying to his face. "If you say so prime minister then that makes me an irresponsible and vile emperor who has no care for his people?" "How can I dare, your majesty?" "If not then you have committed the crime of deceiving the emperor!" the emperor thundered, slamming the armrest of the throne with his eyes burning in anger. "Your majesty...." the speechless prime minister didn''t know what to say in this situation, just then, the regional commander entered the imperial hall with two soldiers behind him, dragging Wei Xianlu to the front of the hall. The prime minister widened his eyes at the sight of his son in his white under robe and his hands bound in shackles, he raised his gaze to glance at the emperor then he turned to the regional commander who had a smug look on his face and his gaze fixed on the prime minister without fear. "Regional commander, how dare you to treat my son like a criminal?!" he thundered angrily, pointing an accusing finger at the regional commander but the latter only scoffed and walked closer to him with his eyes looking into the prime minister''s eyes, implying a direct confrontation. "Prime minister, I think you are mistaken, I am not treating him like a criminal, he is a criminal and very soon, you will also be in the same state as he is," he tauntingly answered with his lips curled up at the end of his threat. The prime minister raised his brows at his bold answer, previously, he has always gone against him in the matters of the court but he has never directly confronted him in such bold manner. "You..." he turned to the emperor. "Your majesty, what is the meaning of this, what has my son done to deserve such treatment?" he queried, pointing his index finger at his son. "You have the guts to ask, you insisted that your son is at the border protecting the citizens from the bandits but it appears that he has been in Shannanxi and you dare ask me that question?" he thundered angrily, the prime minister passed a scolding glance at his son for being so stupid to have been caught. "Your majesty, Xian''A must have been on his way to the capital when the regional commander arrested him, please seek justice for my son who has served you wholeheartedly in protecting the border," he cupped his hands and bowed his head. "Your majesty, the governor himself confesses that general Wei arrived in Shannanxi a few days after you summoned him to the capital and he has been residing at his manor ever since then," the regional commander refuted strongly, Wei Xianlu who was very well aware that the governor never attested to such after he was caught could not let himself get buried in the mud without defending himself. "Your majesty, I don''t know why the regional commander is speaking such lies against me but I can assure you that I have done no such thing, I only passed by the governor''s manor on my way back so I decided to pay him a visit before continuing my journey to the capital," Wei Xianlu defended desperately. "Does that mean this is also a lie against you?!" he questioned, raising his voice then he flung the letter sent by Madam Ju to the ground, the prime minister stepped forward and picked up the letter then he opened it to read. "This....This....you majesty, will you believe the words of a mere entertainer to this servant that has served you for years," he threw the letter to the ground. "You are painting black white, do you think I am foolish?" "Your majesty...." "Regional commander, heed my order, Wei Xianlu has disobeyed my order and deceived the emperor, he is to be executed in three days," "Yes, your majesty!" the regional commander responded, the father and son duo widened their eyes while they glanced at each other in shock at how far the emperor has taken the matter. "Your majesty, please take back your order, this is a plot against my son!" "If prime minister wants to save general Wei then you will have to forfeit your private army to the government and instruct everyone in the cabinet of ministers to forfeit their private army, from this moment onward, no minister is allowed to keep their own private army," The prime minister clenched his fist tightly, he realized why the emperor has made such effort to make this a bigger issue than it is but the regional commander couldn''t understand why the emperor settled for something so little when he could order them to forfeit their private army personally. "Father...." Wei Xianlu muttered seeing his father''s pained expression, with their private army, they still have hope of dethroning the emperor in the future but once it is gone... "I will do as your majesty as ordered, in turn, please preserve my son''s life," the prime minister reluctantly answered, with much effort, he gritted his teeth to the point that the veins in his neck were clearly visible. Chapter 255 - Forfeit! 2 "Father...." Wei Xianlu muttered seeing his father''s pained expression, with their private army, they still have hope of dethroning the emperor in the future but once it is gone... "I will do as your majesty as ordered, in turn, please preserve my son''s life," the prime minister reluctantly answered, with much effort, he gritted his teeth to the point that the veins in his neck were clearly visible. "Heed my order, Wei Xianlu disobeyed my order, deceived the emperor and even disrespected the emperor''s tally which represents my presence, he deserves death but considering his years of service at the border, he shall be demoted to the position of captain, stripped of his salary for six years and flogged 150 times," "150 times!" he exclaimed, very few can survive such beating and even if he survives it, it will take a long time for his injury to heal, he exchanged glances with his helpless father who still gritted his teeth in anger. He could only blame that foolish daughter of his, if she didn''t collude with the emperor to strip him of his power then this day would not come. "The prime minister also aided his son in deceiving the emperor, he will also be stripped of seven years of his salary, one-quarter of his property will be donated to the people and he will be put in solitary confinement for two weeks starting from tomorrow," he completed with little satisfaction in his heart, he wished he found out the reason why Wei Xianlu would risk being found out to go to Shannanxi, maybe then he would be able to execute the father and son duo without any opposition. "Won''t you kneel and thank the emperor?" the regional commander scolded with a smug expression on his face, the prime minister gave him a side glance filled with contempt and the determination to take revenge for what he has suffered today. He dropped to his knees and kowtowed with his son. "Your grace is immeasurable, your majesty," they chorused gritting their teeth and clenching their teeth, Wei Xianlu on the other hand had blood seeping out of the crescent marks on his palm. With his father as the second most powerful in the court, he has never faced such disgrace as he faced today, the fact that a mere entertainer put in this situation vexed him to the core. "You may leave," the emperor ordered, the soldiers dragged Wei Xianlu back to the prison to be flogged while the emperor remained with the regional commander in the imperial hall who turned to him with confusion written on his face as soon as they were gone. "Your majesty, I don''t under..." "You don''t understand why I made him order the ministers to forfeit their soldiers instead of doing it myself," "Yes, your majesty," "If I personally ask them to forfeit their army, it will definitely cause commotion in the court and it might even cause them to revolt because they have the prime minister behind them and the Queen also has princes who can take my position after they dethrone me," "But they don''t have enough soldiers to revolt unless..." "Yes, they are all secretly training soldiers behind my back, they not only have their private soldiers but also other soldiers they are training behind my back, the prime minister surely knows that I don''t want only their trained soldiers but also their secret soldiers and with his son''s life in my hand, he will surely do as I said," the emperor explained with an accomplished smile on his curled lips, as soon as he saw Madam Ju''s letter, he immediately devised his plan to make them relinquish their private army. "Your majesty is truly wise," The same private army they used to make his brother and his father lose the throne so he has tried all he could to find their whereabouts to no avail, now with Wei Xianlu life in his hands, the prime minister will definitely understand his message. ------------------- The prime minister kept walking down the stairs leading down the imperial hall with his eyes focused on his steps but his mind filled with contempt, he kept his hand folded in his sleeves as he took each step slowly. He finally realized that the emperor he placed on the throne is no longer a cub who aims to bite but he is now a grown tiger who is very well capable of biting. {Your majesty, you have finally shown your claws and fangs if so then I won''t hesitate to show mine} He turned back to glance at the imperial hall. He has always wanted to sit on that throne but he has never obtained a good reason to revolt otherwise, his name will be called with contempt for generations and he will go down in history as a traitor. He decided to fully accept the Queen on his boat since he can''t become the emperor and possess the ultimate power now that his private army is gone, he can only put his grandsons on that seat at all cost and control them. - - - - - - - - - - Madam Ju and her girls were following behind one of the attendants to the palace where they will be residing when they met the imperial noble consort on her way to the emperor''s palace, the stopped upon sighting her and waited for her to get to where they are. "Greetings, Imperial noble consort," Madam Ju and the attendant greeted in unison while the girls bowed their heads, they have previously gathered information on the imperial noble consort and of course from the information they got, she will surely not see eye to eye with someone like their madam. "Who is this?" the imperial noble consort questioned the attendant, ignoring their greeting. "Replying imperial noble consort, she is madam Ju of Ruyi pavilion, the emperor has ordered that they reside in the palace of beauty," the attendant responded with her head still bowed, the imperial noble consort raised her gaze to meet the eyes of the stunning lady beside the attendant. She was wearing a yellow robe with silk scarf decorated with peals on her wide sleeves. many old accessories adorned her hair and her red rouge and brows were every thick, it showed just how many extravagance she puts into her dressing and also her personality. "Ruyi pavilion...madam Ju, are you perhaps the woman who saved the emperor some years back when he was poisoned?" she squinted her eyes in anticipation of her answer. "Yes, your majesty," she concisely answered. She exhaled aggressively with her eyes narrowed at her, she threatened Madam Ju years ago when the emperor wanted her to stay in the palace so she has always thought she didn''t accept the offer because of her threat but seeing her again made her wonder just how much the emperor values her to make her stay by his side after so long. "A mere entertainer even has the chance to reside in the palace, years ago, you refused to stay in the palace, I hope you still maintain the same thought," she gave her a threatening gaze which Madam Ju fully perceived but she didn''t want to retort or it will just cause unnecessary enmity. "You have nothing to worry about your majesty," she bowed her head, the imperial noble consort scoffed and walked past her but in fact, the worry in her heart was aroused once again, before it was the late imperial consort and the fourth who posed a threat to her position and it was certain that the fourth prince would definitely become the crown prince but since she died and the fourth prince disappeared, her insecurity disappeared. Seeing how the emperor seems to favour Madam Ju, if she becomes his concubine and births a prince then she will surely be a threat in the future. She stood still and turned back to watch her back as the girls and the attendant disappeared. The attendant escorted them to the palace of beauty then she left them to settle down. Madam Ju stood by the pond in the courtyard of the palace which caught her attention while the girls stood beside her. "Madam, are we really leaving the palace?" one of the girls who wanted to stay in the palace questioned. "You are only asking that because you don''t know how cruel the seemingly beautiful and luxurious palace is," she responded, dipping her hand into the pond and stirring the water. "I agree, moreover, we cannot continue our business in the palace," one of the girls added. "Meiniang, take this jade to Xian fu store, the owner will tell you what to do," she instructed, handing over the jade with maple leave carved on it to the girl. "What...?" "We are leaving the palace tomorrow," she disclosed. "Huh!" "We absolutely cannot stay in the palace for long," she responded, understanding their urge to stay in the palace at least for a while but from her experience of how the royal family works, she definitely doesn''t want to stay another day in the palace unless it is part of the fourth prince plans. Chapter 256 - Leaving The Sect! "We are leaving the palace tomorrow," she disclosed. "Huh!" "We absolutely cannot stay in the palace for long," she responded, understanding their urge to stay in the palace at least for a while but from her experience of how the royal family works, she definitely doesn''t want to stay another day in the palace unless it is part of the fourth prince plans. - - - - - - - - -- "If you can''t master this technique then don''t even dream of leaving here today!" Meng Hui threatened as she walked amidst the disciples who were training, her strictness today was worse than normal times, that is when she is angry. She was still bothered with the look he had on his face when she told him the disciples went to close to the cave to get some herbs, she folded her arms on her chest as her mind drifted in thought being unaffected by the breezy noise the disciple was making because of their wind skill practice. "Meng Hui," a voice called from behind, she turned around to see one of the masters of the wind sect in charge of their sword training standing behind her with his arms folded behind him, she quickly walked up to him. "Master," she greeted with a slight bow which he responded to with a faint smile. "Where is the young master?" he inquired, she dropped her hands and held her sword tighter, somehow, that question makes her feel uneasy even if she knows where he is and what he is doing. "He went outside the sect to take care of some matters, is anything wrong?" "Ah...it is nothing, I just wanted to have a talk with you two and the advanced disciples, the sect leader has instructed that everyone should start preparing for the martial hero''s competition," he answered with a faint smile on his lips. His answer brought her into deep thought, she remembered the reason why she has been practising so hard, it is not for herself to win the competition but to assist Lin Bohai in clearing the obstacles on his way to emerging as the winner. "Ah...don''t worry master, I will tell him when he returns," she responded with a reassuring look on her face, the master nodded his head in satisfaction then he took a glance at the disciples who were still training, he exhaled deeply and walked away. After he was gone, she folded her arms on her chest and exhaled deeply, she wondered what Bohai would do if he meets Huo Ying in the competition since he was so reluctant to fight her the last time. {Huo Ying, I will use the competition to show you that the wind sect is the supreme sect} Meanwhile, Bohai who was still worried about Huo Lan arrived at the spot where he promised to meet her at the same time they separated, he was nervous and anxious wondering what might have caused her to be late. He wanted to take her out of the sect to see what the bustling streets are like and what it feels like to really be free, despite the danger but he made sure he prepared everything in advance so they won''t be caught. {Did she get caught without my knowledge?} {Did something bad happen to her?} {Why isn''t she here yet} {Perharps she is unable to leave the cave} {It''s alright, she shouldn''t have been able to leave the cave in the first place} With all these thoughts running through his mind, he decided to leave, concluding that she must have had her own difficulty preventing her from meeting up, he turned around to leave when he heard her voice. "Bohai," she called in a soft tone with a bright smile on her lips, he turned back around and reciprocated the smile upon seeing her, he subconsciously let out a sigh of relief when he walked up to her at a fast pace. He stood still when he arrived at her front then he sighed again and pulled her to his chest, hugging her. He inhaled the smell of her hair that soothed his mind. He realized just how anxious and worried he was now that she is in his arms, she raised her arms in confusion at his sudden hug then she slowly wrapped her arms around his back. She felt everything she has ever thought about, cried about and concerned about just disappear like it never existed in his arms just like when she slept in her sister''s embrace. She didn''t think that anyone apart from her family and sect members can make her feel this way. "You...how did you know my name, I don''t remember telling you," he whispered into her ear. "I heard that person calling you Bohai so I figured that must be your name," He released her from his embrace and smiled faintly, he wished she didn''t have to hear his name from someone else mouth but from his own mouth. "Do you not want to know who I am and who that person was?" he questioned with a quizzical expression on his face, he wondered if she would still love him if she knows that he is not just a disciple of the sect but the young master of the wind sect which makes her his enemy and hin, her enemy as long as their families and sects remain hostile to each other. "Hmmm....No, I just want you to be my pretty face," she cupped his face and giggled heartily. He smiled but not heartily, he wasn''t sure if it is a good thing that she doesn''t care or a bad thing but for now, he decided not to tell her. "Do you want to leave the sect?" "Huh....what are you talking about, you know I can''t leave the sect unless..." her face turned downcast, his words reminded her of how beautiful the outside world seemed when she left the sect for a day. Although she didn''t have the chance to mingle with people or even see what the streets looked like, the memory is still etched in her heart. "If you want, I can take you out of the sect," he watched her expression keenly, even though he wasn''t sure of what he was looking for. "Really!" she exclaimed with a look of disbelief mixed with hope. "As long as you want it," he nodded in affirmation at which she nodded her head frantically. "I want to, I want to...but how," the excitement on her face faded remembering that it is impossible for her to appear in the public with her appearance not to talk of leaving the sect. "Change into this," he handed a piece of baggage to her, she curiously collected it and opened it but to her surprise, he prepared a female disciple''s uniform for her to wear and a hat with a long black veil over it but that still didn''t assure her it is entirely safe to go out of the sect. "But, I can''t leave the sect with this, what if I am recognised, I don''t want you to get into trouble because of me and..." "Don''t worry, I have everything arranged, just trust me," he placed his hands on her shoulders and leaned in plaster a kiss on her forehead. He drew back and gazed at her reassuringly to which she nodded and looked around for somewhere appropriate to change. He stood to watch and looked around for anyone passing by, that part of the sect is deserted and there are very few people passing by because of the effect of her outburst which can affect anyone inside and close to the cave except for Su Ci. "Done," she remarked as she walked to his front, she opened the parting in the veil to show her face with a hearty giggle. He smiled and covered the parting with a warning telling her not to open it even when they are outside. "Follow me," he held her hand and walked at a fast pace until they got to the place where the back gate of the sect is located, he hid her behind a closeby tree blocking the view of the guards at the gate then he squatted beside her and searched for a stone. "When I reach the guards, count to three and throw this stone towards that direction," he instructed and handed the stone to her while she nodded reassuringly then he stood up and walked gingerly towards the gate. "Young master," the disciples guarding the gate greeted as soon as they sighted him. "How are you doing?" The disciples were a bit flustered by his question, they glanced at each other before nodding positively. Thud! They flinched at the sound. "Go check it out," he instructed them, the two disciples immediately ran towards the direction where they heard the noise come from then he waved his hands, signalling her that it is safe to come out. She quickly scurried over to where he is then he held her hand and started sprinting before the disciples'' return. After a while of checking and cross-checking, they returned to their post but there were surprised to see that he was already gone. Chapter 257 - Leaving The Sect! 2 "Go check it out," he instructed them, the two disciples immediately ran towards the direction where they heard the noise come from then he waved his hands, signalling her that it is safe to come out. She quickly scurried over to where he is then he held her hand and started sprinting before the disciples'' return. After a while of checking and cross-checking, they returned to their post but there were surprised to see that he was already gone. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - As soon as they got away from the sect, he took her into one of the famous hotels in the street. He booked a room to stay in for an hour then he took her to the room. "What are we doing here?" she questioned with a confused look on her face but he just smirked in response and started unfastening the belt on his waist, she widened her eyes in shock and confusion then she quickly turned her back to him. "You...You...what are you doing?" she queried with a shaky and anxious tone in her voice in no time, he moved closer to her and held her shoulder then he turned her front to him while she still had her hands covering her face. "What are you thinking?" he teased From his tone, she wondered if she was mistaken so she slowly uncovered her face, she was surprised to see him wearing a white hat with a veil covering it and his sect uniform also disappeared, he was now wearing a blue tight fitted robe. "Why did you change?" "I can''t be recognised, now that I am not in my sect uniform, we can have fun freely," he answered, she nodded her head in support of his thorough thinking then she raised her gaze to meet his. "Then what are we going to do now?" "There will soon be a dance performance downstairs, when we are done with watching that, then we will go to the streets," she shook her head in excitement, just imagining what a dance performance looks like, she can''t wait to see it. He held her hand and pulled her down the stairs, as soon as they got there, they found a lot of people surrounding the stage where the dancers were going to perform, he looked around for a place with a good view of the performance and he found one at last. He pulled her to a seat and took his seat beside her. The drummers started beating the drums in unison while the dancers got into their formation. They were dressed in the tightly fitted skirt at the waist and really large sleeves with feathered fans in their hands. The dance started when the dancer started waving to the fans as they bent their back 180 degrees backwards in a flower-shaped formation, she cheered in excitement just seeing how artistic the scene looks. The dancers lifted their legs, causing their skirt to flow upwards in a swift movement, she sprung up from her seat and started cheering loudly and clapping her hands, everyone turned to her, seeing how enthusiastic she is, they wondered why a female is cheering so hard when the men are not even that excited. Bohai quickly pulled her back to the seat. "They are all looking," he cautioned. She quickly composed herself, not wanting to do anything that would make them stand out and then put themselves in trouble. After an hour, the performance finally ended. "Let''s go," he held her hand again then they left the hotel together. As soon as they got to the crowded streets, her eyes widened and her mouth agape at how crowded the street is, she felt she has never seen so many people in one place in her entire life, some were buying snacks on the street stalls, some were performing tricks to earn money, some fighting and some gossiping. Her eyes kept scanning everyone as she walked behind him even with his hand still holding hers. "What are you looking at?" he asked when he noticed that she is not walking with the same stride, she snapped out of her thought and turned to him. "I...I have never seen so many things going on in one place, those snacks and that magic shows, Su Ci always told me that there are many things I haven''t seen in this world and today I totally agree with her," she answered in a sentimental and sobbing tone, he knew that she must be crying tears of joy so he parted the veil a little to wipe her tears with his finger. "You can see many of those things you haven''t seen today, just tell me anything you want to do," "Then....can I have that?" she pointed her hands towards a direction so he turned to see what he is pointing out but it turned out that the sugar figured molded into different shapes, he let out a little chuckle seeing how childish her mind is. He nodded and pulled her towards the store. "Boss, can I have five of this," the boss handed it to him in no time then he gave it all to her but then she started pointing at almost all the stalls present in the streets, he wondered if she can finish everything he wants to buy but he still bought them for her. In no time, their hands were already filled with no way to hold anything else. "You see, there is no space to hold anything else, why don''t you finish these ones before we buy anything else," she shook her head in agreement then he started handing them to her little by little as they strolled while stopping to watching some magic trick shows and other performance at which she cheered really loudly, attracting more attention to her. He was already walking towards a restaurant when he noticed that she wasn''t behind him anymore, he became very anxious when he turned his back, he quickly went back in search of her until he found her standing in front of a circus performance. He quickly rushed to her. "You..." She swiftly turned to him in excitement and exhilaration, holding his hand tightly. "I want to try that," she requested, pointing to the mam doing some stunts while tightrope walking, his eyes widened, seeing what dangerous stuff she wants to try. "No, you can''t," he quickly refused. "Why..." her face turned downcast even though he couldn''t see it, he could imagine how her face looks when she is sulking. "That is too dangerous, what if you fall," "I won''t fall, have you forgotten that I really powerful, I might have poor cultivation but my flame power is really strong," she boasted, raising the thumb with confidence but he sighed and held her hand. "Huo Lan, your flame power cannot help you with this and if your glove falls off...." "It won''t, I am still going to do it no matter what you say," she folded her arms on her chest and looked away from him. "Alright...." he reluctantly agreed, deciding to catch her before she falls if anything dangerous happens then she turned to him with a smile even though he couldn''t see it, just then, the performers announced a chance for one of the spectators to try it out. She quickly raised her hands and started shouting on top of her voice for them to pick her, everyone turned to her because of her desperate shouts but when they saw a girl with an average height and size wanting to try something so dangerous, they all started to murmur. "Another girl wanting to try something so dangerous..." one of the performers remarked, remembering when Huo Ying did the same. "Let her try it," Lin Bohai interceded. The performers finally agreed, as soon as she climbed the rope his eyes became fixated on her, not willing to miss any move of hers. They all watched her intensely, just waiting for the moment when she falls. "How can a girl do this," "She will definitely fall..." "Children of nowadays don''t care for their lives," Bohai although unwilling to say anything personally agreed with them, he didn''t believe that someone who has always been confined and has never seen anything like this will be able to successful tightrope walk especially since she doesn''t have good cultivation. He rubbed his hands nervously until she took her first step slowly with her hands spread out in the air, then she took more steps steadily to their surprise but they were still expecting her to fall until she started walking at a fast pace. "What is she doing, that is dangerous?" "Is she crazy, who walks that fast on a tightrope?" "She must not want her life anymore," His eyes widened and his heart raced, he needed to call out her name and tell her to stop but he couldn''t call out her name and she looked too happy doing something so dangerous. "Slowly!" he shouted, hoping she can discern his voice. "This is just too much fun," she responded, recognising his voice, he finally regretted letting her try and he already braced himself for the moment when she falls until.... She started dancing on the rope! Chapter 258 - Panicked! "Slowly!" he shouted, hoping she can discern his voice. "This is just too much fun," she responded, recognising his voice, he finally regretted letting her try and he already braced himself for the moment when she falls until... She started dancing on the rope! She spun around on the rope while maintaining her stance steadily, she looked too happy just like a child who feels fun is all there is to the world, his anxiety slowly faded, somewhere in his heart, he knew she wouldn''t fall. She sprung into the air, causing them to gasps then she twirled her body as she landed back on the rope, their eyes caught every moment in awe. "Good!" "Good!" "Good!" They cheered aloud with claps resounding as more people came to watch her, the circus members were already starting to get worried that she is stealing their shine as they watched the place become more crowded and more people tipping them. They became tenser when she lifted her feet off the ground to do a somersault, their breath hung at their throat as they watch her land on the rope again only to do another one. "Young mistress, be careful!" a female voice screamed at the top of her voice, among the crowd. Lin Bohai scanned the crowd to look for the person who just called her ''young mistress'' when he spotted someone wearing a veiled hat just like him but the person soon noticed he had found her so she silently left the crowd while he followed after her, leaving Huo Lan to her excitement. After performing more stunts as the people cheered her on, she finally got tired and decided to stop even though they wanted her to continue. She was about to leave when one of the circus members quickly caught up with her. "Young miss!!" he shouted on top of his voice, she stopped and turned around. "Would you like to join our circus?" "Huh...sorry, I would like to but I can''t...I don''t have the freedom," she turned and walked away, leaving the man to think about what she meant by she doesn''t have the freedom, he scratched his head in confusion as he returned to his circus members. Meanwhile, Lin Bohai was still chasing the suspicious person. "Stop!" he shouted when they got to a secluded alleyway, the female stopped and turned to him then he slowly walked up to her. "Why did you just call her young mistress, are you from the flame sect?" he questioned with a suspicious look in his eyes. She dipped her hand into her robe and brought out a letter then she handed it to him without replying to him which he slowly collected in case she has a trick up her sleeve. She turned to leave but he grabbed her shoulder, she swiftly held his hand and drew him to her front then she aimed to kick him on his waist but he dodged her kick, he extended his hand to open her veil, he had already gripped her veil and was about to open it when she held his hand again and conjured her flame power then she balled her fist and was about to punch his chest but he swiftly pulled his hand away and somersaulted, by the time he landed she was already gone. He ran towards the end of the alleyway but she had disappeared, he opened the letter to read. {.....I will trust you to tell my sister about this...} "Why does she trust me enough to....?" he pondered until he remembered what Huo Lan said about her sister, he deduced that she must be testing him at the same time, he sighed and turned to return when he remembered that he actually left Huo Lan there. He hurriedly ran back there but by the time he got there, they were already getting ready to leave the place, he quickly walked up to them. "Where did the lady go," he questioned in an anxious tone. "What lady...oh, the one doing the tightrope walking?" one of the members responded. "Yes, Yes," "She went that way," he looked towards the direction they were pointing at them he thanked them and started looking for her. Meanwhile, she was also looking for him but since she was performing and she was too exhilarated to know when he left, she didn''t know where to start from but she slowly forgot her purpose as her nose led her to a restaurant, she totally forgot she was looking for anyone just as she inhaled the savoury smell of something she doesn''t know. Her mouth watered as she gulped down her non-existent saliva, she felt like something inside the restaurant is calling her to enter, her legs subconsciously led her into the restaurant. She looked around, not knowing what to do until the waiter walked up to her. "Young miss, what would you like?" "Huh...." she understood he was asking her what she would like to eat but she doesn''t know what to say or how to order, she looked around her to see what the others were eating. "I want that...." she responded, pointing to one of the customers. "One bowl of noodles and stir-fried pork," he clarified. "Hmmm..." she took her seat and waited for the order, after a few minutes of waiting, the waiter finally arrived with the order. She opened her veil enough for the food to enter her mouth freely then gulped down her saliva with the food in front of her, she picked up the chopstick and started slurping down the noodles as fast as she could while she stuffed the stir-fried pork into her mouth at the same time. The people in the restaurant were staring at her, wondering why a lady would be eating in such an unsightly manner but she remained indifferent to their stares until she was done with eating, she licked her lips to savour the lingering flavour of the food then she burped loudly. "What kind of lady eats this way?" "From how she is dressed, she seems like someone from a well to do family," "Seeing as her face is covered, she might not be well to do after all," "What a sight..." She drank the water in front of her and stood up to leave when the waiter held her back. "Customer, you haven''t paid yet," "Huh....am I supposed to pay?" The waiter was stunned to hear her response, he didn''t know whether to take it as a joke or a serious response but a frown found it''s way to his face. "Please don''t joke with this, pay up," "But...I don''t have any money," she sounded so pitiful but it didn''t touch the waiter, instead, the frown on his face deepened, he didn''t think that a young lady like her would turn out to be one of those people who try to eat and run. "Young lady, if you don''t pay then don''t even think of leaving here today," he threatened with his voice raised, the murmur in the restaurant started again with their fingers pointed at her, she started panicking just as she remembered that she was looking for Lin Bohai before she entered the restaurant. {Where are you....} from the look of things and the expression on their faces, she could tell she is in trouble. "I will pay you later," she pleaded, hoping it would help to pacify the situation but the waiter started laughing hysterically, he just couldn''t believe that someone as dumb as her is trying to run away after eating. "Young lady, while I am speaking nicely, you had better pay up otherwise, I will take you to the prefecture office" he turned to everyone seated in the restaurant. "Everyone here is my witness, this young lady is trying to run away after eating," he shouted loud enough for everyone to hear. In a panic, she flung her wrist out of his grip then she tried to make her way out of the restaurant as quickly as she could but she was too slow for the waiter who has experienced things like this, he pulled her hand back and flung her back in, causing her to land on one of the tables. She winced in pain as she tried to stand to her feet but her veil was slightly parted, making a small portion of her face visible. "Her eyes...." someone in the restaurant exclaimed, she quickly covered her veil and hurriedly stood up but then she noticed that her glove was gone. "I saw it just now, she has red eyes," the woman who saw her eyes insisted, she quickly looked away from them, covering her hand with the other hand which still has the gloves on. "Red eyes...is she....?" Their murmurs became louder and more fingers started pointing at her, her panic increased, she felt her heart ramming against her chest wall, she was scared of getting caught, implicating her sect and implicating him, she prayed in her mind that he would find her before things get out of hand. Chapter 259 - Guardian In The Necklace! Their murmurs became louder and more fingers started pointing at her, her panic increased, she felt her heart ramming against her chest wall, she was scared of getting caught, implicating her sect and implicating him, she prayed in her mind that he would find her before things get out of hand. "She must be the flame sect witch!" someone among them shouted. "The flame sect witch...does that mean we are all going to die," "Isn''t she supposed to be in the wind sect, how did she appear here, it can''t be," The waiter started coming closer to her while she moved back, she noticed her gloves still in his hands, she fixated her eyes on his hands, trying to devise a way to get her gloves back without causing any damage but before she could find a way, he had already gripped her elbow. "I don''t care if you are the flame sect witch or not, you better pay up," he threatened even though he knows very well that he is just bluffing. "Give me back my glove, I don''t want to hurt you...." "Pay me my money if you want it back," She could feel her body become hotter, a sign of danger, the feeling whenever her eyes become a deeper red colour and her hair also turns into a deeper red colour...she is feeling it at the moment. She was scared, terrified because she doesn''t know how to control it, most of all, she feared the man might lose his life if he doesn''t let her go. {Don''t....} A voice in her mind... {Hold it in...} "I...I can''t..." a sudden gust of wind flew across her face just as she was about to lose control, her veil parted and her face became clearly visible to them. One of her eyeballs had a red colour while the other is coloured azure blue, she completely lost it! Everyone in the restaurant started screaming and cursing at her, seeing her strange appearance, the waiter quickly dropped the gloves and moved away from her while some people who were nearby gathered at the scene to know what is happening. The whole place suddenly became cold and hot at the same time, she clenched her fist tightly to control herself, to control her power but she couldn''t when she doesn''t even know what is wrong with her. Her chest moved up and down and the veins on her neck could be clearly seen, in an instant, she spread her hands and let out a loud scream, flame-filled the whole place, accompanied by ice from both of her hand. They quickly ran for cover, the whole place blew up, fortunately, they had already evacuated the place before she lost it, everyone gathered to watch the sight but they couldn''t get a clear view because of the large extent of her outburst. {Calm down,} the voice in her mind repeated. {I...I can''t...} She muttered as the flames and ice consumed the place. {You can, breath slowly and empty your mind, don''t be scared,} She decided to trust the voice and do as it said, she steadily slowed down her breath and closed her eyes to think about the one things that make her happy, the moment when she danced and ate with her family and sect came into her mind. The flame and ice coming from her hands slowly ceased but the fumes filled the whole place so they couldn''t see her, she opened her eyes again to see herself surrounded by smoke....she widened her eyes at the extent of the damage she has caused, she used the chance to pick up her glove and escaped the place. By the time, the smoke cleared up, she was nowhere to be seen and soldiers had already arrived at the scene to find out what had destroyed many restaurants, shops and stalls nearby and also caused many people to be injured, if not dead. Not knowing where she is running to, she just kept moving, letting her legs and instinct take her to wherever they see fit until she got to a secluded narrow pathway, she was too tired to continue running, she slumped to the ground with her back against the wall as she tried to catch her breath. She remembered the voice in her mind. "Who are you?" she questioned, hoping she will get a reply. "I am...I am someone who wants you to be safe," the voice answered back, this time, she felt the voice was not coming from her mind but from something around her. "I possess only flame power...the strongest flame power but I have never been able to conjure ice, is this your doing?" she couldn''t think at that moment but she knew that her change was not normal and the ice in her hand was just impossible. "You are smart after all," "Where are you....are you a human or ghost?" she looked around her to see if someone is following her or it is really from her mind. "I am inside your necklace," She raised the jade pendant to her eyes and examined it closely, previously, she only discovered the necklace can take her to another dimension whenever she is asleep and strangely, she finds herself outside the cave every time that happens. She still remembered the first time it happened, she had to sneak back to the cave with much effort and fervent prayer despite the fear in her heart, thankfully, no one was around the cave, from then, she slowly found herself able to control when she enters the dimension but she has never for once seen anyone or any other creature in the dimension. "The necklace is connected to your mind, you just don''t know how to utilise it, concentrate your mind on the jade pendant, free your mind of all other thoughts and you will naturally enter by your will," the voice instructed. She decided to give it a try. She sat in a lotus position then she waved her hands around and brought it down, calming her spiritual force as she exhaled deeply. She opened her eyes only to find herself in the dimension but this time, it looked more extraordinary, it was now filled with more cherry blossoms and other flowers and the stream where she always swam looked bigger and steamier. Flowers floored the ground and the sky clearer...the beauty was just too extraordinary for her to behold, she then noticed someone at the edge of the stream, she continued forwards to see who it was. Just as she got to the other side of the stream, she got a clear view of him but her eyes went round at the beauty of the man in front of her and his strange appearance. His elbow was placed at the edge of the stream and his head resting on his fist with his eyes closed, his hair was coloured white but he looked really young and beautiful (in her terms), on his chest and forehead are two runes but the one on his chest looked larger. She squatted to get a close view of it, although she couldn''t see the one on his chest clearly because of his white robe she could see the patterns faintly. "You are strange...just like me..." she remarked with her eyes fixed on his chest, he opened his eyes only to reveal his azure coloured eyeballs, her lips slightly parted with a silent gasp leaving her mouth. "Your eyes are so beautiful...." she remarked with a fascinated smile on her lips, her handsome beauty swam to the other side of the stream where she was squatted then he stopped when he got to her. "Your eyes are also beautiful..." "Lies...if my eyes are also beautiful then no one will be scared of me," "They are only scared of you because you are stronger than them," "Are people scared of you?" she questioned naively. "No...because they don''t know I am stronger than them, you are the only one apart from my trusted ones who have seen my true form," the man answered with a faint smile on his lips but she turned very excited upon hearing him say that. "Does that mean this is a secret between us...and your friends?" The man nodded affirmatively in response. "How come you are inside my necklace and how did you make me conjure ice back there, are you...?" "Yes, I am the only one in this world who possesses ice power and you are the only one I have shared it with, I have been with you since seven years ago and I also gave you that necklace," "Does that mean you are the one who always calms me down whenever I have an outburst?" the expression on her face turned into one filled with gratitude and reverence. "Yes...you can call me your guardian or best friend," She stared at him for a while without saying anything but tearing up, he wondered why she was suddenly tearing up but he didn''t have enough time to think when she wrapped her hands around his neck. His eyes went round and his mouth agape. Chapter 260 - Awake! 2 "And what?" "And I remember calling your name probably when I was in high school, the scar on your neck was because of me and my accident is probably connected to you, you deceptive jerk!" rather than being grateful and sorry at this moment she couldn''t help being angry at him for keeping her in the dark despite telling him she lost part of her memory. "Yu Yan, I..." he was cut short by Jia Yu who dashed into the ward. They turned to her immediately, her chest rising up and down and the precipitation on her forehead showed just how much she must have ran, with a look that suggests she is about to break into tears, she placed her hand over her mouth and rushed to his side. "Brother," she pronounced and scrunched her face, getting ready to pour down the tears, Han Chen could only smile awkwardly, not knowing what to do in that situation when his cousin cries or throws tantrums. "D-don''t.." he warned but she wrapped her arms around his shoulder and squished his body against hers, he winced in pain but to no avail, Yu Yan took the cue to leave the ward in order to give them their cousin to cousin private time. "Brother, you are finally awake, you made all of us suffer from constant worry and..." she kept on ranting just like Yu Yan did without loosening her grip on him so he could only resign to his fate and let her vent all her frustration. She walked towards the nearest coffee vending machine and made herself a cup of black coffee, the one coffee she really hates but she resigned to since it always corresponds with her mood and feeling every time she leaves his ward in disappointment and guilt. With the cup of coffee in her hand, she returned to the hallway close to the ICU, she leaned her back against the wall and raised her head heavenward, letting out a deep exhale with her eyes shut. The thought of how much she took care of him, held his hands every day and prayed to God for him to wake up, how she blamed herself for being responsible for his condition and how frustrated she was for not being able to ask him anything about the fragments she remembers...she realized just how much of a nightmare it was. A week after the accident, she and Jia Yu took it in their hands to make sure Alan Chen gets punished for his actions but the hospital had already wiped the evidence of his crime and the police also couldn''t verify that he was responsible except for the security guard who testified after watching the CCTV video with Yu Yan. But because of his identity as Jia Yu''s cousin and the influence of the Jia family, they managed to suspend his medical license for three years but he still remained in his position so by the time his aunt and uncle returned from abroad the case was already closed. They threatened the hospital that if Han Chen doesn''t wake up soon then they should prepare to go bankrupt, considering the number of shares the Han Corporate group has in the hospital and the control the Jia family has over the Han Corporate group, so they invested all they could. She was still reminiscing all that happened within those months when she heard her name, she didn''t want to open her eyes because she already recognised the voice and she hasn''t prepared herself well but now she has no choice. "Godmother," she responded with a bow, behind her is the chief surgeon and many other higher-ups of the hospital, she was previously badgering with them concerning her niece condition when she got Jia Yu''s call then hurried to see him. "Hum...we will take our leave now," the chief surgeon understanding the intense stare she was directing at Yu Yan quickly cued the others to leave them alone. After they were gone, Mrs Jia moved closer to her and raised her hand against her face but she couldn''t bring herself to slap her, if there is anyone she treasures after Jia Yu and Chen Kai then it will be Yu Yan, in fact, she holds the same position they hold in her heart. "Do you think you successfully avoided me all these months, I was just waiting for you to come to me yourself," "godmother..." she muttered, ashamed to raise her head. "Are you ready to explain yourself now, what happened between you and him?" by him, Yu Yan easily understood who she is talking about. "Whatever they told you is not true, we have been dating since we were in university and you are also aware of that but I didn''t think that he will deny me in front of everyone to chose Xiaomeng," she concisely explained, Mrs Jia sighed and looked at her endearingly. "I fully trust you but I was very disappointed in you for not coming to me, I know your guilt for what happened to Han Chen is also part of it but both of you are the same to me," "I am truly sorry, godmother," she apologised and raised her head with a faint smile on her lips, Mrs Jia pouted her lips and exhaled deeply then she walked past her. The surgeons were expressing their apologies when Jia Yu told him his aunt will soon be here to see him. "What! Aunt his back, why didn''t you tell me that since?" he exclaimed. "Why, what would you have done if you knew I am back you rascal," she entered through the door with a deep frown on her face, the fact that he and Jia Yu including the managing director concealed the news of his arrival in china from her and his uncle still makes her infuriated. "Aunt..." he muttered Once again, they took the cue to leave in order to give them their private time. "Mum, I told you he forced me to keep it a secret," Jia Yu quickly made sure to defend herself since her mother never fails to blame her for it every time she brings it up. "Like you ever listen to whatever he says," she hissed and glared at her unruly niece. "Aunt, I just didn''t want you to get your hopes high since I will still be returning to the military," She took her seat on the stool beside the bed and pinched him hard making him let out a loud shriek. "Aunt, do you want me to return to a comatose state, I am a sick person," he complained after she stopped the pinch. "You rascal, do you plan on working me to death, how long do you plan to make me and your uncle take care of your company despite our old age?" "Aunt, you don''t have to worry about that, when I fully recover, I will leave the hospital and resume working at the company, then when I am ready to return to the military again I will find someone who is competent enough to run the company," "You are still planning to return!" she thundered, squishing his arm again then letting him go. "Aunt!" "I heard you took the fall for Yu Yan, is that part of your duty as a soldier or is there something else attached to it?" they quickly understood what she meant by something else but he wasn''t ready to let his aunt know anything yet until he wins her heart. "Mom, let me tell you, he has completely fallen for Yu Yan but he keeps denying it, now that she is no longer taken, you had better make your move cos there are other guys waiting in line," she chimed in as she linked arms with her mom who leaned closer to Han Chen. "You had better take this chance, Yu Yan is a very good girl, if not that she was with that pathetic fool, I already had plans to introduce you to each other so you had better take this chance," she cast him a threatening gaze which he very well perceived, gulping down his saliva. She picked up her bag and stood up from her seat. "I still have much to do thanks to someone, so I have to leave now, your uncle flew to Korea last month for another deal so it might take a while for you to see him," she informed, Han Chen bowed to show his gratitude. Even though he never shows it, he has always been thankful to his aunt and uncle for taking care of his parent''s hard work and effort. She turned around and left. "If you beg me, I can be your middleman as you already know, I am her best friend no- her sister so she will definitely take my advice into consideration," "Hmmph...taking favour from you is like using my life as collateral for a debt I can never pay, I will pass," he blandly rejected, she scoffed at his arrogance when he clearly needs her then she also stood up. "I don''t need any fortune teller to tell me the result of your pursuit, with such a snobbish character like yours, Yu Yan will never be yours," she scoffed away and marched out of the ward in annoyance. Chapter 261 - The Chess Piece! If the emperor brought up the idea of selecting the crown prince through a competition at the beginning then they would have argued the same but it is a different matter if the prime minister insinuates it. The court ended and once again throwing the inner palace into disarray, a competition means all the princes have a fair chance and that means not only the empress and imperial consort sons but also the sons of the lower ranking consorts except for the concubines without titles. "What! a competition!" the first prince exclaimed, overturning the table in front of him, he just got word from his mother who sent a servant to his mansion to deliver the news to him, he was enraged at his father''s injustice, despite believing that his father has a reason for treating them the way he does. "I am clearly the rightful heir to the throne and yet he will have me compete with my brothers!" with his anger just like his father''s, he picked one of the vases gifted to him by his mother then shattered it to the ground and more and more while his helpless servant stood away from him. "Your highness please calm down," his servant pleaded in fear that he might turn the entire mansion upside down. "It is all because of him, Li Ruansong..." he growled, curling his fingers into a fist then slamming it against the wall. Meanwhile, Li Ruansong had just moved into the new mansion bestowed upon him by the emperor, he was originally going to give him something more glamorous but he needed a place where he can operate secretly and renovate without anyone''s knowledge so he requested the mansion far away from the palace. He had already ordered Feng Shui to disguise some of the servants from the blossom valley as palace servants so he can choose them without being suspicious, the only people in his mansions are Xiaodi, Feng Shui, Meixiang, and a few servants from the blossom valley. He made sure to decorate the mansion with flowers and a hot spring operating with a turbine like the blossom valley and paintings drawn by him. "Your highness," Feng Shui called as he entered his room where he met the fourth prince playing chess all by himself. "What is it?" the fourth prince asked with his eyes fixed on the chessboard. "Madam Ju is here," he answered. "Seems like you finished making the secret passageway faster than I thought, let her in," he flashed him a smile of satisfaction then continued arranging the pieces. "Your highness," Madam Ju greeted with her head bowed as she entered the room while he gestures her to take her seat which she obliged to, she arranged her dress then lifted her veil with her crimson lips widening into a smile, without the need for an invitation, she picked one of the white pieces then placed it on the chessboard. "Seems like your highness has already guessed the emperor''s move or he told you himself," she remarked, placing another white piece after him, he smiled then dropped a black piece. "The empress and imperial noble consort must be cursing me for foiling their plan but if I had known that they would be discussing the crowning of the prince, I wouldn''t have returned yet," the current situation just disrupts his plan to watch the fight from the sidelines. Madam Ju broadened her smile, playing after him. "If the first prince succeeded in becoming the crown prince then it will only make your plans harder to execute, whether you like it or not, you are forever a thorn to him unless you have another candidate in mind," she flashed him a side glance, he raised his eyes to meet hers then nodded his head, this woman never failed to guess his thoughts. "Indeed but my candidate is not interested in power, I don''t want to drag him into this," he responded. "Is it by any chance the seventh prince?" she asked with her brow raised. The fourth prince was about to play but he dropped his black piece back into the round bowl then raised his gaze. "Changlin is not fit to become the crown prince, he has no leadership skills but he makes a good follower, his martial skills are good but his dream is to live a peaceful life while roaming the world, I don''t want him involved," he answered, showing deep sentiments on his face. "Is there any other prince that doesn''t hunger for power?" "The sixth prince, Li QingZhao, since young, his interest has always laid in books and chess, nothing more and nothing less," "A bookworm, it seems," Madam Ju remarked. "He is the perfect chess piece to put on the throne, he has always wanted to get close to me since young so he won''t affect our plan and he possesses good qualities," he placed a black piece in a critical position on the chessboard. "Seems like all your highness has helped the sixth prince win the competition them but from the information I gathered, the second prince excels over him in chess and he has poor martial art, he might be the best in terms of literary knowledge but the second prince has been accompanying the regional commander so he excels more in military strategy, seems like there is no hope for him," she commented, clearly expressing her disapproval in this chest piece of his as she placed another white piece which caused the fourth prince to move his black piece back. "That is why I plan to ensure that no prince is crowned," he placed another piece of the board, Madam Ju and Feng Shui raised their brow at what he did. "Checkmate," she remarked, glancing at the board then at him. "A smart move, your highness," Feng Shui added, earning a smile from the fourth prince. "Then what about your lover," Madam Ju asked with a tease, the fourth prince waved his black sleeve to return the chessboard to his spatial ring. Feng Shui could barely hold his laughter at her tease. "It won''t be long before we meet," he responded in a serious tone, a servant entered the room with a teapot and cups, she poured them tea then exited the room. Inside the large throne room of the blood moon sect, the sect leader sat on her throne with both arms on her crossed legs. "Master," the three men in the room chorused, one being her disciple, Si Feng and the newly appointed left and right demon. "You still haven''t find the one who murdered the left the right demon?" she queried, their replacement might have been the best amongst the others but they are not as good and experienced as the dead left and right demons who have been with her for a long time. "No master, it seems like they are very skilled itinerary masters," the newly appointed left demon answered. "Master, the martial heroes contest is in a week and the emperor has announced that the crown princes will be chosen through a competition," Si Feng mentioned, hoping she doesn''t dwell on the death of the left and right demon, after all, their death is to his advantage since they both of them look down on him and always create problems that he has to clean up. "Hmmn....that I already know, the fourth prince is someone I am yet to unravel so for now we should focus on giving the sects and the court a grand surprise," an evil smirk formed on her lips, leaving the three to wonder what evil plan she has brewed in their absence. The sects are already training their candidate''s ass out just to bring their A-game to the competition, everyone in the Jianghu world already knows the competition is between the wind sect and the flame sect as no one knows just how powerful the flame sect is compared to their previous strength which is enough to make the other sects cower in fear but the other sects are not willing to back out, every sect wants to at least gain recognition. Meanwhile, in the wind sect, Huo Lan was still trying to hone her power and with the help of Su Ci who has been hiding her declining health from her, she has managed to improve a bit but not enough to pass the test. She has been going back into the spirit realm in the necklace to find her guardian but she hasn''t seen him despite trying since the day they met, his beauty surpasses any man she has ever met including Lin Bohai whom she loves but has not been able to see her under the watchful eyes of his father and Meng Hui who is convinced that he has something to do with the explosion. "Do you think I am going to do well?" Huo Lan asked as Su Ci washed her hair in the lake where both girls are taking a swim and bathing. "You can and you will, I have confidence in you Huo Lan..." {Even if I lose my life, I will make sure you leave this place,} she said to herself in her mind. *Please review, gift and comment, your support is my motivation* Chapter 262 - Formidable Power! 1 "Thank you...for always being there for me," she sniffed her nose to send her tears back as she tightened her grip on his neck, he wanted to do the same but he would have to come out of the water. He just smiled, feeling her touch for the first time even if it is only his spiritual body in the dimension. She unwrapped her hands around his neck then she wiped her tears and sniffed her nose again. "Remember, don''t tell anyone what I told you today," he turned serious, her smile faded seeing the serious expression on his face even though she was already planning to tell Bohai and her sister about the guardian in her necklace. "Not even my sister and Bohai?" she questioned with a disappointed look on her face. "Not even them...Bohai...?" he clearly remembers that Bohai is the young master of the wind sect but the way she mentioned his name, he was sure there is something between them, he just hoped it isn''t what he thinks it is. "Yes, you are the most beautiful person I have ever seen and he is the second..." she leaned close to his ear to whisper "I love him," she coquettishly drew back from him, the way she spoke about him just showed how dear she holds him in her heart. He didn''t feel hurt since he wasn''t expecting anything in return for the love he has for her but he didn''t expect that she already has someone she loves since he has always thought he still has his chance when she becomes free but it turned out that the one she loves is her ultimate enemy. "You....why do you look like that?" she noticed the downcast expression on his face even with the faint fake smile on his lips. "Nothing, I am just happy to know there is a position in your heart where I am the first, I....." he clutched his chest and scrunched his face, a sharp piercing pain ran through his chest and could feel something squeezing his heart, she drew closer to him, holding his hand. "What is wrong?" "I have to go now, by now, your outer appearance would have changed back to normal, I assume you came out with Lin Bohai in that case, if he asks if you were the one who used ice and flame power back there, just deny it..." he tried to hold it in but the metallic taste in his mouth didn''t cease, he started coughing but he didn''t want to leave until she answers him. "D-Do you understand?" "...Yes," she answered with tears gathering in her eyes, he looked like he was really in pain and she could guess it is because of her. "D...." before she could say anything, she found herself catapulted out of the dimension, she opened her eyes and exhaled deeply, the tears that had previously gathered in her eyes dropped down her cheeks but the fear in her heart because of the person she met inside the dimension still remained. "I wonder if he is okay...but," she remembered his warning not to tell Lin Bihai about it, she didn''t want to lie to him but she feared that if she tells him she is the one then he might think she is even more of a monster so she decided to find him again after checking her hair to confirm that she now looks like a normal person. "He must have seen the restaurant by now...I should find him there," but she stopped abruptly after weighing the situation. "The wind sect must have gotten news of this and I am the first person they will suspect---it is better I return to the sect by all means," Meanwhile, Lin Bohai who had been searching for her just arrived at the scene of the destruction, he widened his eyes with a shocked look at the extent of the damage she has caused, most of the buildings around the restaurant were made with very strong building material to preserve them but she actually made everything crumble to the ground. {Except for my father and the elders who have already passed the saint stage, I am afraid no one in the sect can cause this much destruction, including me...} He couldn''t help but find himself being envious of her power even though he denies the fact in his heart. "I have to find her now or there will be trouble," but just as he took a step forward, he heard his name, he turned back to see who it was and indeed, his fears came true. Meng Hui and few other disciples were right behind him, he wasn''t surprised that she could recognise him even with the hat so he removed it and walked towards them, casting off anything that will make her suspect him. "You are here," he remarked "I thought you said you were going to take care of something outside the sect, how come you are also here?" she questioned with a suspicious gaze directed at him. "I happened to hear some rumours of an explosion so I decided to check it out, is there any problem with that?" he made use of his tone of authority again, reminding her that she doesn''t have the right to question him and that she clearly perceived but it only made her suspicion grow. {Bohai ge, I hope you really don''t have anything to do with this} She smiled and bowed her head slightly. "I don''t dare," she responded. He turned around to get a closer view of the scene while they followed behind him with Meng Hui walking on the same lane with him but when they got to the centre of the destruction, their eyes widened at what they saw and a look of disbelief filled their faces. "Ice and flames!" Bohai exclaimed inaudibly, it is of course no news that ever since the ice and flame clan were destroyed, hundreds of years ago, the power of ice has disappeared from the world and if not for the beasts with cores made from the flame of the flame demon, even the flame sect wouldn''t exist. "Impossible, how can anyone conjure ice not to talk of possessing both ice and flame power, this doesn''t make sense," Meng Hui added but while they were still bewildered, the soldiers sent from the prefecture office recognised them. "Young master Lin, miss Meng Hui," he greeted. "What happened here?" she quickly interrogated. "According to the restaurant owner, a young lady came to the restaurant but after she ate, she refused to pay his money so she destroyed the whole place using ice and flame from both hands, we suspect that the person in question is a cultivator," their head answered. {Fool, of course, she is a cultivator} "Bring the restaurant owner," Bohai ordered, the solider quickly went and returned with the man who was still trembling in fear and hugging his body tightly. "Young...Young master Lin," the man greeted. "Tell me, what did she look like?" Meng Hui could hear the anxiousness in his (Bohai) voice, they were all shocked by the scene in front of them but he seemed different as if he knows what happened or who committed the crime. "She has an average build and she was wearing a black-veiled hat but her eyes...her eyes...one of her eyeballs was coloured red and the other coloured azure blue," he rubbed his hands against each other in fear, the moment when she transformed right in front of him and the streaks of flame and ice threatening to erupt from her hands before he quickly left the place still terrified him. {It can''t be her..how can she conjure ice...} "Bohai ge, we have to report this to the sect leader immediately, we must confirm if the second young mistress of the flame sect is still in the cave," Meng Hui advised, clutching her sword tightly, she already hates the fact that Huo Lan has the strongest flame power but if she also has ice power then....that means she is a more of a formidable monster that everyone needs to fear. His heart jumped at her advise, if by chance Huo Ying is still outside the sect then they are doomed to find out that she left the sect and once they find out...she won''t be able to escape death. "No need to hurry, I suggest we search around for the perpetrator, perhaps she is not far away, if not then we can return to the sect," "But..." "Should risk letting such a dangerous person off because of your ridiculous suspicion, you are indirectly saying that the wind sect failed to guard her properly?" he retorted angrily but inside all he felt is fear, she could almost confirm her suspicion, the look on his face...this is the second time he is giving her that look and it is also because of the sisters. "I am sorry," He turned to the soldiers. Chapter 263 - Formidable Power! 2 "We shouldn''t spread unnecessary rumours around that will cause fear in the people''s heart, even if the government and the sect are not to interfere with each other, we both have an obligation to protect the people, please send your soldiers to search the city in case the perpetrator is not far away," he bowed his head and cupped his hands then he raised them to show his humility. Their head nodded affirmatively then he ordered the soldiers to search the city. "Disciples, listen, it is our duty to find this person who poses as a danger, you must do all you can to find the perpetrator!" he instructed, turning to the disciples. "Yes!" they chorused in unison then they dispersed, leaving only him and Meng Hui at the scene. Meanwhile, the fourth prince whose spiritual body is still in the dimension was heating up and his entire body precipitating, he had one of his palm held up and the other resting on it with two fingers held up. Blood seeped out of his mouth even though he tried to stop it but he couldn''t leave the dimension on his own, Feng Shui who had just returned from the mission he and Xiaodi were sent on entered the room only to find him seated in a lotus position with a single black robe on him and his hair held to the back. "Master!" he exclaimed as he rushed over to him, in front of the entrance, he could see the blood seeping from the side of his mouth and the precipitation on his forehead from the entrance. He knelt on one knee beside him and touched his shoulder to wake him up. "Master!!" he repeatedly called to no avail, he realized the situation. He stood up and went over to his back, he joined his index and third finger together then he hit the pressure points on his back to force him to spill the blood, his body jerked forward as the deep red coagulated blood splurted out his mouth. He slowly opened his mouth but his eyes had no strength in them, he seemed like someone who has just been working for months without rest, his face had turned as pale as snowdrift in the snow, he quickly rushed over to his front. "Master, what happened, your condition seems to have worsened?" he questioned, with worry and concern written all over his face. "I just used too much of my spiritual power, the dimension in her necklace is the perfect place for me to use my spiritual body to heal but unexpectedly, her power flared up, I...." he couldn''t finish his sentence before he vomited blood again. Feng Shui quickly brought out his handkerchief and tried to wipe the smear of blood on the side of his lips but the fourth prince took it from him and wiped it himself. "Master, did you perhaps...." "I had to, If I didn''t merge my ice power with her flame power through the necklace then...." the thick cough stopped him in the middle of his sentence. "Then she would have been exposed, now that she used both flame and ice at the same time, even if they suspect that she is the one, they won''t believe she possesses ice power which has already gone extinct hundreds of years ago," He exhaled strongly and stood up from the bed, Feng Shui quickly supported him until he got to where his favourite fur cloak was hung. He helped him to put it on then brought out his hair from underneath the cloak. "Master, you haven''t fully healed after your setback, I advise you to cease using your power until you are fully recovered, otherwise, your poor health will affect our plans in few months time," He sat on the chair with his elbow resting on the table in the middle of the room while Feng Shui poured him tea. "You are right," he smiled faintly and brought the jade teacup to his lips but the thought of what she said still bothered him, putting aside his feelings, he couldn''t help being worried when she has fallen in love with her ultimate enemy. {Lin Bohai...he cannot be trusted,} After combing to the entire scope to find the perpetrator of the destruction according to the description the restaurant owner gave them, they still couldn''t find her. He could feel his heart beating erratically in fear of what would happen if he can''t find her before they return to the sect, at least, he might be able to send her back without being noticed. "Bohai ge, I think we have searched enough, it is already close to one hour since we have been searching, by now, the perpetrator must have had the time to escape...this is all thanks to your thoughtful thinking," she ended with an accusing but conforming smile on her lips, deliberately to confront him. Even if she doesn''t believe Huo Lan possesses such power, the fact that he keeps stalling time makes her suspects that even if she isn''t the one, he might have something to do with the case. "What exactly are you trying to say?" he questioned, moving closer to her with his eyes narrowed, she smiled broadly and took a step closer to him, tilting her lips to his ear. "I am just trying to say.....if you have anything to do with this then you had better fess up, as long as it concerns you, I will give my all to help," she drew away from the side of his face and broadened her smile then she walked past him. He exhaled deeply and scrunched his lips before walking over to her front abruptly, then he grabbed her wrist. "I warn you, if you dare spout any nonsense because of your stupid and baseless speculation to the sect leader then...you had better be prepared for the consequences," he dropped her hand aggressively and sparked a gaze of warning with her widened eyes before walking away. "Let''s return to the sect," he announced then the disciples quickly came together, leaving Meng Hui in utter disbelief. {You have really changed...but I will prove you wrong} As soon as they got to the sect, they immediately headed to the sect leader''s study where he was seated with the elders and some of the masters of the sect to inform him of what happened, upon hearing the report, they all sprung up from their seat in shock, exclaiming ''Ice and flame!". They hurried to the cave. As soon as they got there, they quickly put on their guard in case she suddenly has an outburst, after all, they don''t want to end up like the disciples who were burned with her flames and her still haunted by it or the ones who died under her flames. Su Ci who was just going to the stream behind the cave with extra clothes for Huo Lan to put on after she finishes taking her bath which she was about to take froze upon seeing that many people in the cave, she dropped the clothes in fright, wondering what they want to do that they have to bring so many people. Her eyes scanned around but she could only recognise the elders, sect leader Lin, Meng Hui and Bohai, the elders and the sect leader were the ones who received them when they first arrived at the wind sect, the smirk of victory on his face is something she cannot bring herself to forget. "W-What do you want...?" she stuttered, failing to hide her fear. "Where is your young mistress?" Sect leader Lin questioned with a deep frown on his face, his gaze seemed to be weighing her down and making her unable to talk, she just froze at the spot as she balled her fist to remind herself that she has no reason to be scared but it failed. "Sect leader, since she is not answering it can only mean they are hiding something," Meng Hui remarked, the crease on his forehead deepened, she took the initiative to move forward in order to search the place but Su Ci held out her hand to stop her. "What do you think you are doing? move," she ordered but the girl adamantly obstructed her way without saying anything, she pushed her out of the way and proceeded to search the place for Huo Lan while the others followed after her, leaving Su Ci who fell to the ground in one push. Bohai couldn''t help the fear in his heart, he regretted taking her outside, he regretted leaving her alone to go after the suspicious person, he regretted being selfish just at that moment. {Huo Lan...} "How come you are here?" Meng Hui exclaimed, loud enough for them to hear, they quickly hurried over to where they heard the voice, there they saw Huo Lan squatting by the stream and Meng Hui standing in front of her with a deep frown on her face. Chapter 264 - Formidable Power! 3 "Young Miss Huo Lan," the sect leader called as they walked closer to where she was, she immediately stood up and paid her respect to the sect leader and the elders then she put on a confused look. He felt as if a boulder had been lifted up his chest when he saw her looking innocent as she scanned everyone present, he just couldn''t understand how she could conjure ice and flame and how she returned to the sect but he decided to leave the questions for later, for now, he needs to make sure they don''t find out. {Is she really the one,} If indeed she is the one then he will definitely do all he can to get rid of her, else with her, the flame sect will become formidable. He narrowed his gaze at her and scanned her appearance, her scarlet red hair and eyes still remained the same, according to the report he received from them, the person had one azure blue eyes and the other scarlet red just like hers. "I wonder what..." He struck her forehead abruptly before she could finish speaking, her entire body froze on the spot, Su Ci who had just arrived widened her eyes. "What do you think you are doing?" she queried but all paid no attention to her. He brought his hand from her forehead to both sides of her head, she immediately felt a sudden surge of energy flow through her body and her power stirred up inside her, she balled her fist together in fear of his purpose. Bohai who understood his father''s intention hung his breath at his throat, for fear of what will be revealed. He held up his index and third fingers and stuck her hand from her shoulder to her palm, with that move, she felt the same feeling of the danger she felt before, just as if a strong force is forcing her to bring out her inner power. She struggled for fear that what happened back there might happen again, but the man before her was just too strong, she could sense her body heating up and a gust of wind blowing towards her direction, her scarlet red hair started flying in a different direction while her eyes colour also deepened. The first eye changed...they held their breath, waiting for the second...then the second also changed into a deeper red colour. "She is not the one," Meng Hui muttered, she didn''t know if she should feel happy or sad that she is not the one who possesses such strange power. She glanced at Bohai to see what his reaction is but he just had the same look as them, she raised her brows. {Are you really not involved?} She pondered. "Forgive me, it was necessary," sect leader Lin apologised indifferently then he released her pressure point, she exhaled deeply as whatever he did previously made her unable to breathe, then they all turned and walked out but Lin Bohai waited for them to leave first without noticing him then he quickly turned to her. "The restaurant owner described someone who is similar to you, is it really not you?" he quickly whispered before they notice he is not with them. "What are you talking about, what restaurant owner...I was scared we might get found out as it was already getting late so I used the same method you used to distract the disciples at the gate to get into the sect," she responded, feigning ignorance. The look of confusion on her face assured him that she definitely isn''t the one, he heaved a sigh of relief before giving her an endearing gaze then he turned around after placing a letter in her hand and left the cave to quickly catch up with them. Su Ci quickly rushed up to her as soon as she watched him leave, she held her shoulder and examined her carefully with her face squeezed out of worry, Huo Lan watched her with a smile as she watched Su Ci scan her as a mother would. "Aiyaah...I am fine, you don''t need to check me like that," she removed her hands from her shoulder and held her hands instead. "Why did you..." she raised her voice but Huo Lan hugged her mid-sentence, making her hang her words in her throat. "I am sorry, I shouldn''t have gone out," she tightened her hands around her back, Su Ci who was angry at her could not help doing the same hearing her apologize. "You promised not to use the necklace again, how did you go outside the sect?" "Bohai took me out of the sect," she fessed. "What!" Su Ci exclaimed as she pulled away from her with shock written all over her face. "He took you out of the sect, don''t joke with this...?" "I am not joking, actually...there is something I did not tell you..." she bit her lips in hesitation and lowered her gaze, afraid to hear what Su Ci would say about it. "Actually...I am in love with him and he also told me he feels the same way about me so..." the gasps of disbelief Su Ci blurted out made her unable to continue, she took a few steps backwards and shook her head, unwilling to believe that she is actually saying something so foolish. "You don''t know what love is, Bohai is part of the wind sect, he is our enemy...how can you say you love him!" She queried, raising her voice at her, her body shook, hearing her raise her voice at her for the first time without minding their position. She raised her gaze only to see her eyes burning with anger, she moved closer to Su Ci and held her hand. "I know what love is, I told Huo Ying about it and she told me I love him, she also wasn''t against it...Su Ci, I..." she snapped her hand away. "Although I don''t know what position he holds he is definitely someone who is committed to his sect, if in the future, the flame sect and the wind sect are against each other, you will be torn between both sides do you know! I can''t watch you go through such torment...." she wasn''t angry that she is in love with her enemy but she just couldn''t watch Huo Lan devote herself to a love that will hurt her in the future. Her eyes lightened up, sensing the reason behind her reaction is not anger but worry. "Su Ci, I know you are worried about me but I trust Bohai, although we haven''t known each other for a long time, he definitely loves me if not why would he risk bringing me out of the sect and we even..." She halted, not wanting to disclose too much but it was already too late judging from the interrogating gaze Su Ci was directing at her. "We kissed..." "You have even gone that far, what are you thinking Huo Lan," she definitely sounded like a nagging grandmother. "Don''t nag me...Huo Ying also did that with Huo Qiang," she defended, bringing Huo Ying down with her. "The first young mistress and Huo Qiang! this is getting even more interesting, if the first young mistress knows about this and she is not against it then it can only mean she also trusts him but all I care about is that you don''t get hurt...no matter what," Huo Lan smiled broadly and wrapped her arms around her neck, snuggling her face against hers, just as that moment, she remembered he placed something in her hand so she pulled away and opened the letter. {....please make sure to inform my sister of the importance of her evaluation in the martial hero contest....} Their eyes widened as they raised their gaze to make each other.... "Huo Lan...." Su Ci muttered, the ghastly look on her face knowing that in few months time, she will have to show that she no longer poses as a danger to the world even though she hasn''t even mastered it yet. A loud gasp escaped her mouth as the letter dropped to the ground. They headed straight towards the sect hall to discuss the issue. "Sect leader, what do we do about this?" the second elder of the sect inquired while the others directed their focus on him anticipating his answer to the question. "Hmmn..this concerns the martial alliance and even the government but no matter what, this matter must not be leaked out of the city, the ice clan has already gone extinct and no one has ever since the ice power since then, I suspect that might be a trick played by someone," he brushed his fingers against his short beard and squinted his eyes in thoughts. "I agree with father, I will make sure no one knows of this issue," Bohai added with his head bowed, then the sect leader hummed and nodded his head in agreement. - - - - - - - - - - - As usual, she sat in front of the eerie decorated mirror in the dark throne room with her metal claws caressing her face but her mind in deep thoughts, scheming and planning what steps to take in order to remind the world of her existence. Her eyes darted to the side immediately she sensed another presence in the throne room, quickly recognising who it is, she stood up from the seat and strode down the stairs then she walked towards her dear disciple who she severely injured and yet spent great effort to heal him again. "Greetings, master," he greeted with his hands cupped and raised, she curled up her lips devilishly and moved closer to him. "Where are they?" Chapter 265 - Why Dont You Seat On The Throne! Her eyes darted to the side immediately she sensed another presence in the throne room, quickly recognising who it is, she stood up from the seat and strode down the stairs then she walked towards her dear disciple who she severely injured and yet spent great effort to heal him again. "Greeting, master," he greeted with his hands cupped and raised, she curled up her lips devilishly and moved closer to him. "Where are they?" He gulped down his saliva in hesitation, he had already prepared himself to die as soon as he entered the throne room since this is the second negative news he is bringing him. "I took the disciple to kill them but I found them already dead before we got to their abode," he disclosed then dropped to his knees immediately, her curled lips dropped upon hearing the news. "What do you mean, who dared to kill my subordinates?" "I checked their body but the killing method was too smooth for someone with ordinary skills, their necks were slit thinly, it seemed like the handiwork of an assassin," "Impossible, those two are even more powerful than you, I sent you alone because they will definitely give up their lives as long as I make the order but a mere assassin finished them off..." she gathered her claws into a fist, swearing to skin that person alive as long as she finds him. - - - - - - - - "How about the mission I sent you on?" the fourth prince inquired as he entered the maze of apricot blossoms and strode among the trees with Feng Shui close walking behind him. "Thanks to your snow blade, I was able to assassinate them in one strike," he responded. "Good, getting rid of those two is the same as cutting off her wings but I still can''t find much about her disciple," he exhaled deeply. "There is no need to rush things master, her disciple background is not yet known but I am sure we can find that out very soon," "She has been in seclusion for so long but she actually made the effort to seize the second young mistress of the flame sect...there must be a reason behind it, continue to find out what you can and leave no trace," he instructed but then they heard a breezy sound coming from a certain direction, both glanced at each other before going to see what is happening. They soon found Xiaodi training in the maze, her nine fox tails swept around as she spun her body around and landed on the ground, only then did she notice them watching her, she retracted her tails then walked towards them with a broad smile on her lips. "You didn''t come to report to me after finishing your mission but you came here to train...should I praise you or scold you?" he teased, maintaining a straight face. "Master...you should already know I took care of it, I have already transferred everything to the secret chamber without letting her know too much," she responded, linking her arm with his while Feng Shui rolled his eyes. This gummy character of hers is never-ending. "Then I should praise you," he patted her head with a brotherly smile. "There will be more to happen in a few months time, the real identity of the leader of the blood moon sect is unknown and if not for the information left behind by my mother I would also be oblivious, now that she has made a move she definitely has plans to bring her sect back to the spotlight..." he turned to Feng Shui with a serious expression on his face. "I will heal myself behind close doors as I would need to make great use of my power to help her pass the evaluation, Feng Shui, I will leave everything to you and...Xiaodi," he turned to her, reminding her that she can be playful but she should also take care of her responsibilities. Both came forward and dropped on or knee, they cupped their hands and lowered their heads. "We will not disappoint you," they chorused in unison. - - - -- - -- - - - In the imperial hall, the ministers were gathered in the hall including the prime minister who has ended his punishment of solitary confinement, the prime minister has already told them about the emperor''s decree to relinquish their private armies but they specially came to the meeting determined to go against the emperor and of course, they were depending on the prime minister. "Your majesty, the Khan has sent a letter saying they cannot afford the tribute for now as there is famine, he asks until your birthday to send the tribute," the minister of foreign affairs informed, the emperor hummed in response. "Now that the Mongolians have been taken care of, I trust my ministers has heard of my order from the prime minister, it is necessary that my ministers relinquish their army in order to strengthen the defence of the nation. One of the ministers from the prime minister''s side immediately stepped forward, the moment they have been awaiting finally came. "Your majesty, the ministers have been entitled to having our own private army since the reign of your ancestors, asking the minister''s to relinquish their army will only cause imbalance," the minister argued while the other murmured in support. "Do all of you think that same?" the emperor questioned with a cold glint in his eyes as he ran his gaze through them, they avoided his gaze as they glanced at each other then they chorused in unison. "Yes, your majesty!" The emperor downturned lips curled up before suddenly breaking into a peal of laughter resounding in the hall, they glanced at each other before glancing at him in the wonder of what was so funny about what they just said. He slowly brought himself to stop laughing, his eyes narrowed into a murderous glint as he glanced at each of them then finally landed on the prime minister. "Prime minister, what do you think of this?" he questioned, passing him a threatening look, the ministers turned to the prime minister who they were depending on to help them go against the emperor but his eyes darkened as he raised his head with his teeth grinding. "Prime minister, we trust you are in the best position to give the best counsel to the emperor, please do speak?" the regional commander provoked with a friendly expression on his face, this made the ministers confused as to what exactly is going on but they still believed the prime minister will never agree to such order. The prime minister then stepped forwards bowed his head while he cupped his hands and raised them. "We will do as your majesty as ordered," he dropped the bomb on them, causing everyone to fall into a state of confusion, he tightened his cupped hands with his head still bowed. "Prime minister, what are you saying t-t-this...is just outrageous," one of the ministers protested but earned the emperor''s icy glare. "How dare you!" the emperor thundered causing them all to fall into line and shut their mouths. "How dare you show contempt against my order...it seems like I am no longer the emperor that you would rather listen to the prime minister than the emperor sitting on this throne, if so then..." he stood up from the throne and dusted the seat under the head eunuch confused watch along with everyone present in the hall. "Prime minister, why don''t you take this seat then," he gestured his hands towards the throne, everyone in the hall widened their eyes at the outrageous proposal the emperor just made, both the servant, eunuchs and the minister''s all fell to their knees immediately. "Your majesty!" they chorused in unison but the prime minister still stood on the same spot with his head lowered, he slowly raised his head with his eyes fixed on the empty throne. {The seat I have always wanted is right there, if he is offering it to me then it is only right that I take my rightful place ----} He took a step forwards, disregarding everything and everyone in his sight but the throne...the icy glint in the emperor''s ice darkened as his eyes watched the prime minister''s foot slowly take a forward leap. The ministers and everyone present could also feel their heart thumping against their chest wall. He had almost gotten to the front of the stairs leading to the throne when... "Father, won''t you go on your knees!" a feminine voice resounded in the hall, making the moment freeze and the prime minister snap out of his senses, the emperor raised his gaze to see the empress hurriedly rush into the hall. The prime minister who was now in his right senses dropped to his knees and bowed his head. "Your majesty, please don''t make me into a sinner, how can I dare take your place on the throne," he refuted in a wailing voice, the empress heaved a sigh of relief while the emperor glanced at her before taking a seat on the throne. "That is all for today, you are dismissed," The ministers quickly scurried out of the hall, knowing that they no longer have rights over their army especially after what just happened, they just realized that the emperor really means to take back their power. After they all left, the emperor closed his eyes and took a deep breath before gazing coldly at the empress who still remained in the hall. "It seems like the empress has made up with the prime minister, why was I not informed of this good news?" he remarked as though he really meant it, she lowered her head and raised her cupped hands. "Please forgive me," "Why would the empress come to the imperial during a meeting with my ministers?" seeing as she came right on time, he was suspecting that she might have placed spies in the imperial hall to inform her of what is happening in the meetings. "I was about to visit you in your palace when I got the news you were in the imperial hall, it skipped my mind that you might be in a meeting with the ministers, please forgive me," she fluently answered, without her voice wavering. "Then what did empress want to talk about?" "Your majesty, I heard you summoned madam Ju of Ruyi pavilion to the palace, I was just about to visit her but it appears that she has left the palace," {She left so fast, it seems like she indeed doesn''t want to be in the palace,} "I gave her the freedom to leave the palace when she wants to, you need not worry about that," {Does he really not intend to make her take his late consort''s place,} She pondered. Chapter 266 - Awake! 1 Five months later. Beep!!!! Beep!!! Beep!!! The sound of the monitors, murmurs of the nurses in the hallway and the doctors discussing while passing by, his heavy yet slow breathing and the...soft breathing sound of someone beside him filled his ears, he felt his eyelids too heavy to lift. {Where am I, why is it so hard to open my eyes,} He questioned in his mind until he heard a soft voice beside him. "Han Chen..." The sound of someone calling his name seemed to supply him the strength and motivation, he moved his fingers as he tried to forcibly open his eyelids and slowly, the ray of light coming from the ceiling bulbs above his head reflected in his eye. Everything in sight seemed to be blurry, all he could see is the white ceiling and when he sightly turned his head, the blurred image of the monitors, the tubes connected to his mouth was making him feel extremely uncomfortable. The last time he felt this was when he was admitted to the hospital after the major injury he sustained so he could easily deduce he is in the hospital but who is the person sitting next to him, he turned his head towards her direction. His vision suddenly brightened, he could see his hand in hers and her head resting on the edge of the bed, he smiled inwardly but when he noticed the dark circles around her eyes his smile ceased, he wondered how much she stressed herself to look so tired. {How long have I been lying down like this?} He wondered. "Han Chen..." she muttered again in her sleep, he couldn''t help but smile again hearing his name escape her mouth even in her sleep. {Had I known all it took to hear you call my name in your sleep is to be in a coma, I would have done so since} She felt his fingers in her hand move, being used to waking up to every slight sound and movement, her eyes darted open again, she wiped her face and lazily glanced at him but his eyes were still closed, she lowered her head in disappointment for the nth time. Until she felt his grip on her hand, her eyes went round then she slowly looked up at him, his eyes were open-----her lashes fluttered in slowly, she wondered if she is dreaming since she has dreamt of him waking up so many times but it always turns out to be just a dream. "A-Are you a-awake?" she stuttered, still not willing to believe that this is not one of the many dreams she has had during his comatose state. He mocked her inwardly at how much of a doubting Thomas she is but with much effort, he shook his head to reassure her, her knee weakened causing her to almost stumble but she held on to the frame of the bed, she regained her balance and leaned closer to him then she cupped his face. This feeling....it really feels real, is this not a dream? She pinched her cheeks for further confirmation. "Ouch..." "This is indeed real," she smiled with her lips almost reaching her eyes as she threw her arms around his shoulder and hugged him tightly. "Thank God you are fine, how could you lie down for five months, do you know how scared I was, the guilt was killing me inside thinking that you might never wake up because of me but you...." she kept ranting while he tried to endure the pain he is feeling because of her squeeze. "Ah..." he winced when it got too much for him, she snapped into her senses and pulled away from him, brushing her hair behind her ear. Just then, she realised she skipped the basic thing she is supposed to do in that situation. She removed her pen torch from her pocket and opened his eyes wide then she shone it into his eyes. "Thank God you are fine," she exhaled then she checked the monitors, both showed good signs of recovery but since she is not specialised in the area of neurology she decided to call the surgeon in charge of him before anything else. She heaved a sigh of relieved before rushing out of the room. A few minutes later, she returned with the surgeon who also expressed his shock seeing him awake since they were concerned that he took so long to wake up after the surgery. The surgeon did a cross-check on him again before nodding in satisfaction. "It is sort of a miracle that there seems not to be any complications as of now, normally patients who took that long to wake up usually have a complication or two," then he turned to Han Chen. "You will have to remain in the intensive unit for a while for further observation and once it is confirmed that there are no complications you will be moved to another ward," he patted his shoulder and smiled encouragingly then he walked towards the door while Yu Yan followed him out when they reached the door, he turned to her. "I suggest you inform his cousin and his aunt about him waking up, a lot of pressure have been put on the hospital and I am sure you are aware of that," the surgeon who has been bugged every day and almost threatened because of his comatose state is finally relieved that all of that would end soon. Yu Yan was also in the same situation although hers was different because she had to constantly avoid her godmother and godfather out of guilt since their niece is in this state because of her and she also feared that they might misunderstand her since they heard about what happened with her ex-boyfriend at Chen Kai and Xiaomeng''s engagement party. They arrived in China one month after his surgery and they were immediately put on focus by the media so of course, Mrs Chen took the initiative to invite her to Chen Kai''s engagement party and also tainted Yu Yan image in front of her and since then they have tried to hear Yu Yan''s side of the story but she has avoided them since then. "Rest assured," she responded then the surgeon hummed in response and exited the ward. Yu Yan exhaled knowing she has no choice but the face her godmother and godfather, she returned to the side of the bed and sat on the stool. He turned to her lazily while she held his hand. "You..." she was about to speak when the nurses sent in by the surgeon to remove the monitors and leave only the necessary entered. After doing their job, they left the room while he stretched his mouth, he felt like he has opened his mouth for a year. He inhaled deeply then turned to her. "Are you alright?" He questioned seeing how distressed she look with tears gathering in her eyes. She raised her gaze to meet his. "Jerk! are you kidding me, how can I be alright when I know you were lying in a comatose state because of me!" She raised her voice at the end as the threatening tears strolled down her cheeks. He knew he still can''t move much but the sadness on her face pricked his heart, he leaned towards her and extended his hand to wipe her tears but she brushed his hands away and wiped her own tears. "Still trying to be a gentleman after what you did?" She hissed and glared at him then she dipped her hand into her pocket and dialled a number. "He is awake," she informed as soon as the person picked up the call. {who? wait! You don''t mean him, do you?} "I am talking about Han Chen, he..." she couldn''t complete her sentence when she heard the beeping sound of the call disconnected. "How many months have I been lying down for?" he inquired after she returned the phone into her pocket. "Five months" "Wow...." "You have a lot of explaining to do later," "Why do I always have explaining to do when it comes to you?" "Because you keep hiding things, we have known each other before we met at Jia Yu''s villa right?" She questioned in an interrogating tone, he subconsciously flinched. "What do you mean?" He probed in an attempt to know how much she knows or remembers. "Don''t try to play dumb with me, every time you speak to me you always use past tense in most cases as though we have known each other before and the female friend you described matches everything about me, when we first met in the b...bathroom, you looked at me as though you have just seen someone you have been looking for for years, and..." she halted contemplating if she should tell him about her memory flashes. "And what?" "And I remember calling your name in probably when I was in high school, the scar on your neck was... Chapter 267 - Our Past! "Hmmph...taking a favour from you is like using my life as collateral, I will pass," he blandly rejected, she scoffed at his arrogance when he clearly needs her then she also stood up. "I don''t need any fortune teller to tell me the result of your pursuit, with such a snobbish character like yours, Yu Yan will never be yours," she scoffed away and marched out of the ward in annoyance. {I can''t believe I had to get insulted by three women the moment I wake up, what a hard life I live} Just then, he remembered his conversation with Yu Yan. "Does she really remember everything, does that mean---" he stopped, reassessing the situation he is in, firstly, Yu Yan is someone who hates being kept in the dark and deceived so he has already offended her greatly and she is also not someone who will get back with him just because of a high school love memory she just recovered unless she still feels the same about him. "My life is really too hard, I have gotten on her bad side-" he sighed deeply. - - - - - - Two days later. In the Chen mansion, they were all seated at the dining hall including Xiaomeng who has been living in the same mansion despite them not being married yet just engaged. Although ever since Han Chen had the accident, Yu Yan and Chen kai have not been seen with each other, she still can''t help feeling insecure. If all it took for her to make Chen Kai leave Yu Yan and get engaged to her was to tell his mother about their relationship then she would have done so since but now not only is he still on good terms with Xiaomeng, he is also treating her well and making public appearances with her. But she knows that there is no way Chen Kai will be still be acting friendly towards her after what she did and his love for Yu Yan is not so little that he will let her go so easily. "Chen Kai, how has working at the hospital been?" his father inquired as he sliced the steak on his plate with a stern expression on his wrinkled face as a result of frowning. "It has been going well so far, it is just that the Jia family has been causing us a lot of trouble for a while now, I am afraid that if he doesn''t wake up--" "Didn''t you hear the news?" Xiaomeng interrupted, it seemed to her that he has been relaxed about Yu Yan because Han Chen is out of the way. "What news?" they all turned to her. "Han Chen woke up two days ago," she disclosed, their faces were filled with shock immediately they heard the news, Mrs Chen breathed a sigh of relief while Mr Chen nodded in satisfaction but then he frowned as he turned to Chen Kai. "What have you been doing, how can you not be aware of something as important as that?!" he queried with his voice raised, his body became tense immediately as he batted his lashes in nervousness. "I haven''t been at the hospital for the past two days because of the errand you sent me," he quickly defended, gulping down his non-existent saliva with his head lowered as he has always feared his father. "Hmmm!" he exhaled deeply and continued cutting his steak while the others glanced at each other as they were still feeling tense because of the chairman. Immediately after dinner, she returned to her room, leaving the servant to take care of the dishes but as she was about to enter her room, he grabbed her and pinned her to the wall. "What do you think you are doing?" he hissed, gritting his teeth. She winced in pain because of his tight grip on her hand but he still didn''t release her hand, she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply then she opened it with confidence to answer him. "Why? are you that unhappy that he is awake, oh...you must think you still have a chance at getting her back," she retorted in an almost inaudible pitch, he narrowed his eyes to feign ignorance as to what she is referring to. "What do you mean?" "Don''t play dumb in front of me, do you think I am a fool? you have been smiling in front of me all these while and pretending to have me in your heart but if it was that easy for you---you would have broken up with her long ago, do you dare to say you don''t have plans to get back with her?" she widened her eyes and curled up her lips. She could see that has already angered him and she has nothing to fear, after all--- Thwack! She held her cheek with her mouth agape! He exhaled deeply, even that slap is not enough to relieve the anger and frustration that has piled up in his chest over these months because of her. "Did you just slap me?" His frown ceased as a broad smile formed on his lips, she raised her brows in confusion as to why he is smiling until he placed his hands on her shoulder then he slowly tightened his grip on her shoulder and pressed her back against the wall. "Xiaomeng, we have known each other for so many years so it is only natural that you know me more than anyone does--including my dreams and ambition, If I can let go of Yu Yan once, I can get her back again but you---you have gotten what you want..." he released his grip on her shoulder then he raised his fingers to her face. He caressed her face from her forehead to her lips, she flinched out of fear causing him to smirk. "This is what you have always wanted, to feel my touch and have me totally and that you have gotten, I will satisfy you as best as I can but you had better not interfere with me and Yu Yan then we can continue being the perfect couple we have been during these five months," he lowered his eyes to her lips and raised her chin then he swiftly tilted his lips, he placed his lips on her and sucked her lips right into his, kissing passionately without her reciprocation. He pulled away from her and smirked then he walked away. She scoffed in disbelief and brought her finger to her bruised lips. "Chen Kai, if you are going to be like this then don''t blame me for fighting back..." she clenched her fist tightly and bit her lower lips as she turned towards the direction where he disappeared. - - - - - In the hospital. The surgeon widened his eye and pointed the pen torch into it, he nodded satisfactorily and did the same for the other eye. "Your condition is better now, all the test that have been carried out have turned out positive, your fractured bones have also healed and I presume you can also move your hand and move around now?" the surgeon inquired while he nodded in affirmation. "That''s good, although it is quite rare for a patient to be fully alright after being in a coma for that long, I am still glad you are alright, I will help you remove the cast now--" he moved closer to remove the cast but Han Chen moved his arm away, leaving the surgeon in confusion which he expressed through the quizzical look on his face. "Ah...you see, I still have little trouble with moving around, I still think I should leave it for a while," he awkwardly explained. "I don''t think so, from how you moved your arm away just now you seem completely fine unless you are trying to---" "It is not what you think! I just want to leave it for a while," he quickly refuted before the surgeon completes his guess. "Alright, if it is really now what I think then I had better inform surgeon Yu Yan about the progress of your recovery," the surgeon teased then he turned around to leave. "Please--" he couldn''t plead with the surgeon because of Yu Yan''s sudden appearance. "Surgeon Yu Yan," the surgeon greeted while Yu Yan bowed to greet him then she gave him a snobbish side glance. "Is there anything I am not supposed to know?" she questioned, casting him an accusing look. "Mr Han Chen wanted to take off his cast even though his injury is not healed yet so I decided to ask you to persuade him to leave it so he can recover faster," he lied, Han Chen, who was already tense thinking the surgeon plans to foil his plans relaxed his body and heaved a sigh of relief. "You don''t have to worry about that," she responded then glared at him, he smiled at their childish relationship then he nodded at Han Chen and walked out of the ward. She cleared her throat and walked out of the ward then she returned with a wheelchair to his surprise, she brought the wheelchair close to the bed and sat on the stool. Chapter 268 - Our Past! 2 She cleared her throat and walked out of the ward then she returned with a wheelchair to his surprise, she brought the wheelchair close to the bed and sat on the stool. "As I said before, you have a lot of explaining to do so I figured you might want to do so while enjoying the fresh air outside....." she smirked as she watched his face go sour, he could tell he had no plans of telling her anything yet not to talk of explaining their past but she was still determined to make him spill all he knows. A few minutes later, she is already out in the hospital park while pushing the wheelchair with him seated on it. "Yu Yan, why don''t we do this later, I don''t think I can do much explaining with my condition," he pleaded in a pitiful tone with his face scrunched to pretend he is still in pain but she smirked at his foolish effort. "I don''t know if I am the sick one but I don''t see a cast over your mouth, so don''t think of giving any silly excuse otherwise, I will flip this wheelchair over and leave you to crawl back in," she threatened, he sucked on a breath of cold air at how cruel her threat is. "Are you sure you still have your heart in your chest?" he teased in retaliation. "Enough nonsense, start spilling," "I guess I have no choice...." he exhaled deeply in preparation to explain their past. He was still in high school then when he entered a bus and sat next to the window but then he noticed a man running towards the bus, he widened his eyes as he was noticed the man was about to crash into a girl who had a earpiece plugged into her ears. "Watch out!" he screamed, but the girl couldn''t hear him and the man ended up crashing into her, she spun around with her long silky hair fluttering in the air but she swiftly did a flip to regain her stamina. The moment when she swept her feet off the ground with her hair scattering over her face made his heart skip a beat. She landed on the ground then she raised her head and looked around to find the man who just crashed into her but he was already inside the bus and the bus had already started moving. He kept his eyes fixed on her with deep regret in his heart for entering the bus. "That was how I first met you," "Why would a rich kid like you be taking the bus ?" she queried in doubt. "I just liked taking the bus back then, it helped me live like a normal teenager who is just from an average family, after then...." He was walking with his high school friends one day when they got to an alleyway but they stopped when they noticed a high school kid being bullied by some older-looking kids but their school uniform didn''t seem like students from his school. He was about to get involved when his friends pulled him back but he ignored them and was about to enter the alleyway when a girl suddenly appeared at the other end. "Feng Shan, are you not ashamed of yourself!" she chided with her arms folded on her chest with her back bag loosely hung on her back, the boys turned to her then rolled their eyes, it was clear that they recognised her and he also noticed that their school uniform looks the same. "Yu Yan..." the boy that was being bullied muttered with a frightened and cowardly look on his face. She shook her head, clicking her teeth. "How can you get bullied by these riffraff''s?" she gave the boys a demeaning that look that infuriated them while the bullied boy kept cueing her to leave before they start targeting her. One of the boys walked closer to her. "If you are going home then you should just continue on your way, why do you keep being butting into other people''s business," he extended his index finger to poke her chest but she held his finger and bent his backward. The other three boys moved towards her with hostility. "You b***h let me go now!" he screamed in pain, he tried to kick her but she twisted his body around on kicked the back of his knee, causing him to drop on one of his knees. The other three came at her, one tried to punch her while another tried to kick her but she held both by their hand and legs while they struggled to free themselves, the remaining one tried to kick her from behind but she ducked her head, causing him to kick one of the boys while the other fell on him. Then she turned to the one who tried to sneak attack her with a smirk. "Dimwit," He gulped down his saliva but he still tried to feign ''hard guy'' to intimidate her, he swung a punch across her face which she swiftly dodged then she swept her feet off the ground and spun her body, giving him a roundhouse kick across his face. His vision slowly blurred before he dropped to the ground--unconscious. "Wow!!" his friend exclaimed seeing her finish off four boys herself but he quickly turned his face away before she looks at them, she ignored them and helped her friend up then she walked away with him. Ever since then, she became etched in his mind. "I do remember that incident, so you are one of the cowards who stood there while you watched me handle those boys alone, tch!" "I was about to get involved but you had already started beating them up, what was I supposed to do?" he defended, feeling his ego hurt by her. She brought his wheelchair to a stop when they got to one of the benches in the park then she took her seat there and inserted her hand into her pocket to bring out a canned drink, she opened it and gulped down a mouthful under his watch. "Where is mine?" "Do you think you are healthy enough to have carbonated drinks? continue," she harshly responded. "I waited for you at the same spot every day until one day when I finally saw you walking towards the bus station with your schoolmates but I didn''t want to approach you in front of your friends so I continued waiting at the same spot and time every day, I abandoned my friends to follow you but you always leave school with your friends except Jia Yu until one day when I finally had my chance... She was walking back home from school alone that day because Jia Yu and her other friends had to redo their assessment after school but when she got to the alleyway, she was obstructed by the same guys she fought off the other day. "What do you think you are doing?" she questioned with one of her brows raised. "You b***h! who do you think you are, we are going to teach you a lesson today!" one of the guys replied as they moved closer to her, she scoffed and brushed her finger against her nose mockingly then she raised her gaze threateningly. "Why, do you want to get your ass kicked again,?" "Enough talking, let''s start..." they started attacking her while she did what she has always done best as the ace of the school''s karate''s club, just as she dropped the last one to the ground. She dusted her skirt and was about to leave when one of them grabbed her neck and held a butterfly knife against her neck. "You think you can get away with it just because you are a girl," he remarked, bringing the knife closer to her neck while she hanged her hand in the air, the other guys also stood up from the ground. The leader grinned then sent a slap across her face, she rubbed her inner cheeks with her tongue then she looked daggers at him, that slap just totally triggered her. She grinned with her lips curled up while they wondered how she can still grin in that situation but before they could get their answer, she kicked the one who slapped her in his manhood then swiftly jabbed the one holding the knife against her neck then she hurriedly made her way to the end of the alleyway, leaving them to groan in pain. Just as she was about to get away one of them grabbed her hand and pulled her back but someone suddenly pulled her hand and wrapped his arms around her back in a hug, then the guy who intended to cut her with the knife ended up making a cut on the stranger''s neck. He winced in pain while Yu Yan widened her eyes seeing the blood-stained knife on the student''s hand, he quickly dropped the knife then they ran away from the alleyway, leaving her with the stranger. She pulled away from him then cupped his face as he slipped to the ground Chapter 269 - Our Past! 3 He winced in pain while Yu Yan widened her eyes seeing the blood-stained knife on the student''s hand, he quickly dropped the knife then they ran away from the alleyway, leaving her with the stranger. She pulled away from him then cupped his face as he slipped to the ground. "Are you alright? do you need me to take you to the hospital?" she questioned frantically with her hand next to the cut and her eyes fixed on it, he smiled inwardly and turned to glance at her just as she turned to glance at him. They stared at each other for some seconds with their lashes fluttering in silence before he broke the silence. "It is just a slight cut," he wiped the blood on the cut, exposing the thin cut on his neck, she heaved a sigh of relief seeing that it is not too serious then she turned to his face again with their faces just an inch away from each other. "Why did you save me?" she questioned softly with her eyes fixed on his wound. "I guess I just wanted to be the hero who saves the damsel," he cooly answered, she smiled at his answer then licked her lips, both started chuckling at his answer. Then she unzipped her bag and brought out her bandana, she used it to wipe his wound, she leaned forward to blow on the cut. He held his breath immediately her hot breath came in contact with his skin, his eyes remained fixed on her face but he couldn''t handle the close proximity so he looked away from her. She tied the bandana around his neck then stood up while he followed suit. "Since you saved me today then let''s become friends," she said with her extended for a handshake, he glanced at her fair hands then smiled. "I don''t want to be friends with you," "Huh..." she blurted with her face almost red in embarrassment. "I want you to be my girlfriend," he added, once again cooly. "Huh..." she froze for a second hearing his absurd request, she knows many boys want to date her but she has never heard such a direct yet interesting confession before, she strangely felt a tingle in her heart---the more she stared into his face the more she felt his request less absurd. "We are just meeting for the first time, aren''t you...?" "You are the one meeting me for the first time, I am actually your stalker," he interrupted with a charming smile on that luscious lips of his. "So you have been following me for some time, I guess that makes you a stalker but---I will accept your request," she responded, with a smile almost reaching her eyes. His heart skipped a beat hearing her response, he didn''t think she will accept him just like that even though she is just meeting him for the first time. "But you are just seeing me for the first time?" "Who said so, I am also your stalker, I know you have been following me every day so I always leave school early," he was surprised, he didn''t think that she also knows he exists, both started giggling then they linked hands and walked home together. "So basically, we were dating in high school and Jia Yu didn''t even know that?" "Jia Yu never liked taking the bus so her driver always picks her from school but I was going to introduce you to her," he answered. "Then how did I forget everything about you? I used to think I lost part of my memory cos there were blanks but it makes no sense that I only forgot you, did you perhaps do anything to hurt me?" she queried with an accusing look In her eyes. She couldn''t figure out how she feels hearing that they were a thing in the past but it explains why she can''t help feeling comfortable around him. "Of course not, I know you don''t remember this but we really loved each other back then---to the point that you would even sacrifice yourself for me but thankfully I didn''t let you take the hit," his face turned downcast just remembering the incident that made them separate, till this day, that incident still haunts him. "What incident?" "After my father died, he handed the company to m--I mean he passed all his inheritance to my aunt to give to me until I am eighteen but some people wanted to get rid of me in order to take it so they sent some assassins to kidnap me from school but it also happened that you were with me, they took the both of us and locked us in an abandoned building, they initially intended to kill me and let you go since your blindfold was not removed but just when they pointed a gun at me, you had already cut the ropes binding you then you removed the blindfold----" he hesitated, closing his eyes to picture the entire thing in his mind. "You ran towards me and tried to take the bullet for me but thankfully, I pushed you away before you could, you must have injured your head because of the impact on your head when I pushed you," he opened his eyes and swallowed his saliva. She scoffed at how stupid she was, no---how stupid they both were. She felt her heart ache while he was telling the story, it assured her that he is telling the truth. "This sounds like it is coming from a movie but I believe you, if we loved each other that much then why didn''t you try to find me after you woke up?" somewhere in her voice, he could sense resentment. "I did, I was in a coma for three years after the injury because of the position of the bullet, by the time I woke up I had to undergo rehabilitation which took almost a year when I recovered, I tried to find you but by the time I found out you are Jia Yu''s best friend, it was already too late cos I had to leave the country for something important. He didn''t want to tell her he had to leave for the military otherwise he would have lost his chance of achieving his dreams. "Something important..." she didn''t like that he would rather leave than find her. "I am really sorry..." he could see the disappointment on her face but unknown to both of them, he has successfully made her fall for him for the second time that even she doesn''t know why she feels so disappointed in him. "The girl in your room wall wearing a hoodie with the inscription ''HanYu'' is me right...?" "Yes, we got that couple hoodie in high school," She suddenly remembered the question Li Na asked her about her first kiss, she has always thought Chen Kai was the first person she ever kissed but now she is not sure her answer still remains the same and maybe they even went further. "W-We didn''t go too far with it, right?" she felt embarrassed to ask but she felt the need to know, after all, if they loved each other as he says then they might have done something they are not supposed to. He grinned, understanding what she means by her question, then he straightened his look. "We did kiss...a lot but..." he couldn''t help grinning again, she could tell that whatever he wants to say is something she will find embarrassing. "But you wanted to go further," he disclosed, still grinning. "Further....you mean---" she repeated, she buried her face in her palm in embarrassment, she found herself believing everything he says though he is really saying the truth. But then she felt relieved knowing that Chen Kai is not the one who had her first kiss but another question still bothered her. "Then---do you still have feelings for me?" he turned to her with a blank expression, they stared into each other''s eyes for a while. Chen Kai who had just arrived at the park to wait for someone turned only to find them looking into each other''s eyes, his eyes narrowed with his lips firmly pursed together as he balled his fist. He wondered if it will be right to tell her the truth. "I-I do," he answered, making her heart skip a beat, she didn''t think he would say that even though it is quite obvious that he still cares about her even if he doesn''t love her. She stood up abruptly from the bench and cleared her throat then she grabbed the handle of the wheelchair and pulled him forward. "Don''t expect anything from me, the story you just told is of the past and it has nothing to do with the present me, I have no intention to date or fall in love with anyone," she clarified bluntly, although, her heart ramming against her chest kept telling her she is lying. He smiled with his lips downturned, he knew she was going to say that but he wanted to take the chance to tell her how he feels, the Yu Yan he knows is definitely not someone who would get back with him just because of an old flame, if he wants to get her back then he has to rekindle that flame and make it burn so she won''t be able to deny it''s existence. Chapter 270 - Stretching Patner! He smiled with his lips downturned, he knew she was going to say that but he wanted to take the chance to tell her how he feels, the Yu Yan he knows is definitely not someone who would get back with him just because of an old flame, if he wants to get her back then he has to rekindle that flame and make it burn so she won''t be able to deny it''s existence. "There is no hurt in trying," he responded but she pretended not to hear it, she smiled inwardly and started pulling the wheelchair towards the revolving doors of the hospital entrance. He gritted his teeth hard until the veins in his neck and temples were clearly visible, that''s right, he has allowed her to have her space and get angry at him through these five months because he believes that Yu Yan will never love anyone as long as he is not the one. But seeing them both, he couldn''t ascertain if his thought is still correct, he smirked with the decision to get his woman back, after all, she belongs to him right from time. - - - - - In LIS. Since Li Na has been in the school for quite a while and she has fulfilled all the conditions required to join any club, she decided to join the karate club despite Min Young''s advice against it, her brother didn''t care about it anyway, he just wanted a club where he can have his own quiet time so he chose the reading club. She changed into her karate uniform which she had prepared beforehand then Min Young dropped her at the karate club before she went to her own club which is the same as Li Jing''s club. She held her belt firmly and inhaled deeply then she opened the door to the club, they all turned towards the door only to see a girl enter the karate club for the first time in a karate uniform, they raised their brows in confusion including the male coach. "Hello," she awkwardly greeted, noticing their stares on her. "What is a girl doing here?" one of the boys blurted out. "Are you kidding me, is she actually joining this club?" "Of course, can''t you see she is in the uniform," murmurs filled the place until the coach silenced them then he walked up to her. "Are you here to join the club?" he inquired with a doubtful look, throughout all his years in teaching in LIS, all the female students have always avoided the club like a plague so he can''t bring himself to believe that she wants to join the club. "Yes," she confidently answered "Hey, are you kidding, you had better go to the press club or baking club, this club is not for girls!" one of them mocked while the others laughed but she only stood there with a confident look on her face. "This club is not a joke, if you want to join the club then you should already have a base," the coach cautioned. "I have been learning karate since I was little, this is no big deal," she responded with confidence resounding in her voice, the coach doesn''t intend to be biassed but he is worried that she might not be able to survive in a club filled with only boys and they don''t seem like they are ready to accept her. "Coach," a deep but serene voice called, she frowned upon seeing her seatmate emerge from behind the other students with two handsome boys beside him, ever since the day he acted rudely towards her, he never said a word to her. "Han Li, do you have something to say?" the coach inquired, from his tone it is clear that the coach accords him respect than the other kids but she wondered why everyone seems to worship him considering how many girls have tried to buy her seat and the teachers never complain when he sleeps in class despite all the kids in the school being from wealthy homes. "Since the other students don''t want her to join then it can only mean that they are looking down on her ability, so it is only right that she proves herself," he suggested to their surprise, not only does his suggestion thrill them but they wondered why he got involved in the matter when he never gets involved in such things. {Is he helping me or is trying to make matters worse?} She pondered but she couldn''t understand the expression on his face. "Are you willing to accept his suggestion?" the coach questioned. "Yes," she confidently answered once again. "Who wants to compete with her?" They all raised their hands with their bad intentions clearly expressed by the smirks on their lips, although she doesn''t have a tall figure, compared to the boys in the club she has an average build. {I was trained by my aunt for years before I joined a professional karate team, do you all think I am easy to defeat} She mocked with an elevated chin. "You will compete with Mu Bai," the coach decided then the two went up to the sparring ring, he glanced at her belt and then smirked then she traced his gaze, she realized he must be thinking she is a white belt just because she is wearing a white belt. "Coach, how can you ask me to compete with her, she is a white belt and I am a green belt?" he complained mockingly, the coach then realized that he really made a mistake, he didn''t notice the colour of her belt since all he was concerned about is her getting admitted into the club. "I am not a white belt, I borrowed this from the club office since I forgot my belt at home," She quickly clarified but she made up her mind to defeat him as quickly as possible for undermining her, when she first started training, her aunt told her that undermining your opponent is the biggest mistake you can make. At first, her father was against her joining the professional club in her old school after he learnt Yu Yan has been teaching her karate during her stay with but she joined without his permission, making him helpless in stopping her. "Then what belt?" "You will know when we are done," she answered then she took her sparring stance while he did the same, then came in between them and signalled them to start. They bowed then took a step back to start sparring. Without wasting much time, she dashed towards her opponent with a side snap kick aiming at his waist which he skillfully dodged, she continued attacking with the same technique without giving him a breathing space while the student kept defending against her attack without the chance to make his own move. {It seems like she has a good advantage when it comes to aerobic fitness and strength} Han Li remarked inwardly. Both continued attacking and defending for a while until she decided to do what she is best at, she positioned her foot in a thrust kick stance which he quickly noticed and prepared himself to strike her down in the process, as soon as she lifted her leg, he levitated into the air and brought down his leg but she had already spun her body swiftly and swept around horse kick across his face. He dropped to the ground instantly. They widened their eyes in disbelief, he might just be a green belt but he has lots of experience in terms of competing and his build is bigger than hers. He already knew she was going to win the competition right from the start but he wanted to entertain himself. "What belt do you have, Li Na? the coach questioned. "Brown belt," she answered to their surprise, many of them in the club have a brown belt but they were still stupefied to know that they really looked down on her. "Since she has proven herself then she is now part of the club, we will start with stretching exercises in pairs," he clapped his hands, telling them to start their flexibility training. The students chose their partners then started stretching in pairs while she just stood in the middle, not knowing what do to or who to chose until Han Li walked up to her. "I will be your partner," she flinched as she didn''t expect him to suddenly appear behind her, she turned to him with a doubtful look on her face. "Why?do you think I have ill intentions?" "Why should I, since you want me to be your partner then fine," they moved to a spacious corner then they sat on the ground and held each other''s hands to pull themselves forward, the other students watched them in surprise, first, he intervened and now he is stretching with her, the school prince who never interacts with anyone except for his two friends. His friends wanted to tease him about it but they decided to leave it for later. Chapter 271 - Is He Just A Substitute! 1 "The lady that came by the school the other day, who is she to you?" he asked, taking the opportunity as their faces came close to each other. "She is my aunt, why do you ask?" since he is being a gentleman, she decided to do the same. "Nothing, I just think she is quite attractive, what of the person who came with her, who is he to your aunt?" he narrowed his eyes in anticipation of her answer but she cast him a suspicious glare. "Why are you so interested in my aunt all of a sudden?" He smiled to dispel her suspicion, he also couldn''t understand why he is being soft with her and not using the hard way when the entire school will make her suffer as long as he is dissatisfied with her. "I am just curious," "If you are talking about the handsome uncle then he might be my aunt''s pursuer," she answered. {Pursuer, interesting...he has time for her but he wouldn''t even see me,} - - - - - - - - - - - - She finally had the time to return home after having a busy schedule throughout the week with the responsibility of taking care of Han Chen, whether out of guilt or something else. She was about to enter her apartment when she saw some men with work clothes leaving the apartment opposite hers, she stopped and waited for them to fully leave before walking up to them out of curiosity since she has never seen anyone leave that apartment since she moved in. "Excuse me," The men stopped and turned to her. "How can we help you?" one of the men questioned with a broad smile at the beautiful woman. "I just want to ask if someone is living here?" she questioned, pointing at the apartment opposite hers with a quizzical look on her face, they were disappointed thinking she wanted something else that would interest them but it turned out that she just wanted to ask a question. She noticed the look of disappointment on their faces but she didn''t care to ask why. "Someone would be moving in soon so we came to prepare the place and move the furniture in," the one who seems to be their head answered. "Moving in..." she repeated to which they nodded in affirmation. "Thanks," she responded, bowing her head to apologise for stopping them, the men did the same then they left the hallway, she returned to the front of her apartment but she stopped and glanced at the door of the apartment opposite hers. For a reason she doesn''t know, she suddenly feels curious as to who the new occupant is. She opened her apartment and entered. She entered her bedroom as soon as she entered then she slumped on the bed with her shoes on and her hands'' widespread on the bed, she shut her eyes then inhaled deeply and exhaled strongly. She could feel the soreness all over her body now that she is finally lying on a soft and cosy bed. Ever since he had the accident, she has only returned home a few times to get some necessities. She has treated many patients and performed many surgeries including the lady who was in a trauma accident and she has had so many people point fingers at her but the ones supporting her gave her the strength to continue working. But the feeling of loneliness suddenly overwhelmed her, it occurred to her that if she was at her parent''s house then her mother would have made her something to eat and her father would feed her and even give her massages sometimes. Even though her mother always nags her and the twins only ever try to pry into her life, she still misses them, she started wondering how they were doing at school and if the headmistress is still giving them problems. Many things she forgot during this period suddenly came into her mind, although she managed to keep her parents from finding out about the accident and Han Chen getting injured because of her, she is still concerned that they may find out about it from someone she knows. "I finally got the chance to return home, I shouldn''t spend time thinking about these things," she sprung up from the bed with the intention of taking a nice and warm soak bath. She has always loved drinking wine, especially red wine while taking a soaking bath so she didn''t forget to take that with her, she prepared her scented aromatic bath to relieve her stress then she got into the bath with her phone and the glass of wine on the bathtub tray. She placed her head on the cushion at the edge of the bathtub then closed her eyes as the felt the warm bath soothe her aching muscles, she dipped her hand into the bath and dragged the soapy foams on her body, her hand caressed her shoulder as she lowered her body into the bath them came up again. "This is it..." she remarked as the bath did what she wanted. She placed her head on the cushion and sipped the wine gently before placing the glass on the tray then she picked up her phone to call her mother, she dialled the number. Hello "Mom," she called as soon as she heard the weary voice. Yu Yan...you are finally calling home, I thought you decided to forget your father and me since you have moved. She sighed, now that she called, she wondered what prompted her to do so. "Mom, I was really busy so I didn''t have time to call, please don''t be angry," she pleaded You have always been busy but never to this extent, is there perhaps something going on that I don''t know of? That nagging but concerned tone she always uses when she is really worried and anxious...she recognised it. "Everything is fine, you don''t have to worry mom, I will come to visit you as soon as I have another day off" she coerced to stop her mother from probing further and to avoid spilling anything that would make her mom take her inquisitiveness to another level. You don''t have to, send me your address right now, I will visit with your dad "Mom, I..." Don''t you give any excuse, unless you are keeping something from me or living with a man then you had better send me your address. She saw no point in arguing with her mother since she always wins so she decided to just give in. "Alright, extend my greeting to dad and tell him I am sorry for not calling for so long," she quickly disconnected the call before her mother could say anything else then she sent the address to her as she requested. She knew her mother would invade her personal space if she knows where she is living so she lied that she was going to send them her address when she was moving but now....she is not sure she will be able to call her own apartment her personal space anymore. She placed the phone back on the tray and raised the wine glass to her lips again then sipped gently, she shut her eyes and inhaled deeply. "You ran towards me and tried to take the bullet for me but thankfully, I pushed you away before you could, you must have injured your head because of the impact on your head when I pushed you," The thought invaded her head, she wanted to forget everything he told her and pretend it is just a small part of her life that she has lived without since the accident but everything he said to her keeps replaying in her head. It bothered her that even though she remembered nothing about their past, she still feels stirred by him, something no one but Chen Kai has ever been able to do and every time she reminisces the kiss....her hands trailed on her lips. The feeling she felt that night is still clear in her mind, something indescribable that she has never felt...maybe she has in the past but not even with Chen Kai whom she thought she deeply loved to have wasted her years on him. Ever since Chen Kai''s incident, she has always lied to herself that she has forgotten him...no, she doesn''t know if she has forgotten him or not but there is someone who makes her feel like she is missing a piece of her and the fact that she doesn''t know if it is Chen Kai or Han Chen frustrates her. One is someone she had a measly teenage relationship with but she doesn''t know how she feels about him now and the other is a jerk whom she loved with all her heart but ended up leaving her hurt. She was worried that she is only using Han Chen as an excuse to fill in the missing piece so she can completely forget about Chen Kai, the fact that Chen Kai wasn''t with her when she met Han Chen made her unable to confirm if he is really just a substitute for her. Chapter 272 - Is He Just A Substitute! 2 She was worried that she is only using Han Chen as an excuse to fill the missing piece so she can completely forget about Chen Kai, the fact that Chen Kai wasn''t with her when she met Han Chen made her unable to confirm if he is really just a substitute for her. Even when she kissed him, the feeling still lingers on her lips but why does it feel like she did it just to find solace and lie to herself that she can move on from Chen Kai, at this moment, she wonders what really hurt her, is it her pride....everyone compliments her beauty and most men can''t take their eyes off her so she must have expected Chen Kai to be incapable of leaving her or is it the feeling of betrayal after giving hundred per cent of her trust to him...oh wait...it was never hundred per cent. {Chen Kai....I always knew that side of him exists, his dreams and ambitions...I knew it from the moment he hid me behind him instead of introducing me to his mother back in uni...} With her eyes shut, she raised the glass to her lips and scorned herself as she placed the wine glass back on the tray. She attended their engagement but she couldn''t bring herself to stay especially with the many eyes watching her to find a hint of jealousy and misery on her face, she had to smile the entire time but she couldn''t do that anymore so she left the place and returned to the hospital...taking advantage of him once again. Every time she tries to think about the possibility of her and Han Chen being together, Chen Kai always finds his way into her thought. [Enough!} She cautioned herself, all these thoughts invading her head only makes her feel miserable and that she has never tasted so she brushed the thoughts off. My love is calling you! My love is calling you! My love is calling you! She shot her eyes open, it has been a while since she heard that ringing tone, she used to use it for his calls only but after he left for his training, she removed it but when he returned, she used it again. "I must have forgotten to remove it," she picked up her phone and stared at the screen with ''my love'' and love emoji''s on the screen. {He is already engaged but why is he calling me especially after so long,} she hissed inwardly and placed her finger on the red symbol on the screen but she couldn''t lift her finger to cut the call, why....the sudden urge to know why he called her filled her mind. "Why is he making things so complicated for me?" she cursed herself in her mind for being so stupid but she couldn''t bring herself to cut the call so she gently lifted her hand off the screen and picked up the call. She waited for him to speak. "H-Hello..." the drawly voice spoke "Why are you calling me?" she questioned in a voice as cold as possible while tensing her facial muscles. "Y-Yu Yan...is that you--" a retching sound followed his drunk voice. She moved the phone away from her ear and placed it back, with her face filled with worry. "Where are you?" "You don''t have to worry about me---I just had a few drinks, you know how much of a drinker I am---" the retching sound came again, the bartender at the bar snatched his phone. "H-Hello," a strange voice spoke, she furrowed her brows. "Who is this?" she questioned "Your boyfriend is drunk and he seems like he is about to vomit, please come pick him up," the bartender pleaded out of fear that he will soon vomit and ruin the whole atmosphere in a high-class bar. "Address?" "Swiss bar at...." she cut the call and quickly hurried out of the bath, she wore her bathrobe as quick as she could then left the bathroom. She wore the simplest and nearest cloth she could find then grabbed her coat and car keys, as she got to the entrance, she inserted her feet in whatever footwear she saw at the entrance but she didn''t care to know what it is. She got into her car and drove as fast as she could, even slamming her brake at a short distance when the traffic light turns red and speeding up again when it turns green. {I was right....in my heart, Han Chen is just a substitute piece to fill the hole Chen Kai left} The truth hit her harder than she thought it would. She felt angry at herself and sorry for Han Chen, she blamed herself for even picking the call in the first place and she feared what would happen when she sees him. She got to the bar in no time, she hurried out of her car and entered the bar with her eyes scanning everywhere for him but she soon found him seated in front of the bar with his hands still fiddling with a glass of beer. She appeared in his front and snatched the cup from his hand then she took his arm and placed his around her neck and tried to lift him up but he turned to her with his face showing that he is clearly wasted. "Oh...Yu Yan, what are you doing here?" he drunkenly questioned with his index finger pointing at her, she sighed and looked away from him. "Do you need me to help you?" the bartender asked. "No, thank you," She held his hands firmly and carried him out of the bar, she dropped him in the shotgun seat and entered the driver''s seat, she searched his pocket for his phone, when she found it she checked his GPS for his house address. She knows he has his own personal house but he never goes there unless he needs to get away from his parents and she never asked him where it is. After finding the address, she started driving, they got to his apartment in no time, she carried him into the elevator but she didn''t know what number to press. "What floor is your apartment on?" she questioned, hoping he can still answer her in his wasted state. "Huh---eleventh oh no---the twelfth floor, wait...is it the thirteenth floor?" he itched his head to remember with an idiotic smile on his face, she sighed in frustration then glared at him. "Oh-I remember now, the twenty-fifth floor," She annoyingly pressed the button then she folded her arms but he almost dropped to the floor so she had no choice but to hold him up, they got to his apartment but she found that she needed to open the apartment with a password. "Your password..." she turned around to wait for him to put it in. He pressed the buttons then the door opened but he turned to her. "The password is your birthday," She slowly turned to face him, she never knew he used her birthday as the password to his apartment but knowing that somehow makes her feel... "Change it," She turned around to leave but he held her hand, she turned to him with an irritated look in her eyes, it really annoys her that even after all he did, he is still leaving traces of her in his life while she also has traces of him in her life- Ridiculous. "I need a cup of water," he drunkenly said. "Are you drunk, I almost forget you are wasted, this is your house so get the water yourself," she wanted to leave but he still held her hand tightly. "I am drunk, how do I know where the water is?" She was speechless hearing him admit he is drunk but she decided to just do as he wants and leave as soon as possible, he led her to his room where he slumped on the bed then she brushed her hair back in frustration and left the room to get him a cup of water. She poured the water into a glass cup and returned to the room, after he finished drinking the water, she took the glass from him and glanced at him for the last time before she leaves but as soon as she turned, he held her wrist. She felt her entire body freeze, she should push his hands away and storm out of his apartment but strangely she can''t bring herself to do that. "Don''t go...." he muttered, gripping her hand tightly. She lifted her chin and shut her eyes tightly to resist the temptation to be coerced by him. With resolution, she took a step forward but he pulled her wrist, causing her to fall on the bed then he placed his hands at both sides, pinning her to the bed. She started pushing him away but he wouldn''t budge, instead he kept his eyes fixed on hers while she averted his gaze. "Stop...." he hissed with a hint of warning residing in his voice, she is not a weak person but she found herself doing as he says with her eyes still averting his gaze. Chapter 273 - Listen! 1 She started pushing him away but he wouldn''t budge, instead, he kept his eyes fixed on hers while she averted his gaze. "Stop...." he hissed with a hint of warning residing in his voice, she is not a weak person but she found herself doing as he says with her eyes still averting his gaze. "You still love me," he stated with overwhelming self-confidence, she crinkled her brows, not knowing what to say in response but before she could say anything, he tilted his head as he lowered it, taking her lips into his and kissing her roughly. She held his sleeves at his arm to push him away while scrunching her lips but he wouldn''t let her go, even though she is almost out of breath he just continues on until she gathered enough strength and pulled him away with his body still on hers. She glared at him then sent a hard slap across his face while she inhaled deeply and exhaled strongly to catch her breath. "You are mine, Yu Yan," he declared to her face but she scoffed and sent another slap across his face. "You don''t own me and you have never owned me so you had better snap out of your delusion," she responded with deep resentment in her voice. He lowered his head then whispered into her ears... "No...you can never love anyone apart from me and you know it," She balled her fist and gritted her teeth hearing him speak so arrogantly. "Even if you are pretending to have something on with Han Chen, you don''t love him," he added with a curled up smile on his lips and then he moved away from her ear and fixed his eyes on her face. She closes her eyes and inhaled deeply then opened them. "You are right about me loving you but I can assure you that all I need is time to stop loving you and as for Han Chen, you do not have the qualifications to mention his name," she retorted in a drawling voice and fierce gaze in her eyes. His face muscles became tensed hearing her speak of Han Chen. "Yu Yan, I love you and you know I only got engaged to Xiaomeng because of my father, once he leaves the company to me we can be back together, why don''t you just understand me," his eyes were filled with longing emotions that she could clearly see, she could see in his eyes that he really still loves her but she just can''t bring herself to understand sacrificing her for his ambition instead of working hard to be better than his father. "You are already engaged so I don''t care about anything that happens to you from now on, move away from me," she demanded with her eyes on his arms pinning her down on the bed. "Then why did you come to pick me up, you were worried about me, five-month is already enough time for you to end your feelings for me but you still haven''t...don''t keep on lying to yourself," His words of truth pierced her heart deeply, making tears stroll down her cheeks, it annoys her that he is so confident and she is so vulnerable to his words of coercion. She is definitely not the type to want to get back with him after what he did but she finds her heart yielding to him at this moment. He wiped her tears gently with his thumb then paused as they stared into each other''s eyes, he then cupped her face as he lowered his lips to hers, he kissed her once again but at a slow and steady pace. She balled her fist knowing that she is yielding to him when she is not supposed to. She has always enjoyed it when they kiss but this time, she couldn''t feel anything in their kiss. It felt too empty like he was taking advantage of her but she let him continue kissing her passionately. She wanted to know if he is really right or what she is feeling is right but she still couldn''t feel it, at that moment, the only thing coming into her mind is the night of the welcome party...the kiss she had with Han Chen. (He is wrong, he is the substitute and Han Chen is the one in my heart, the missing piece,) She pushed him away with all her strength then took in a deep breath, he glanced at her with a confused expression on his face. She stood him from the bed to leave but he held her back as quickly as he could. "Why did you push me away?" He questioned in an interrogating tone and a deep frown on his face. "I don''t feel anything..." she answered with coldness in her eyes. "What?" She snapped her hand out of his grip. "Whenever we kissed before, I always loved the feeling but now I don''t feel anything from your kiss, all I kept thinking of is the moment I kissed him," she confessed with a defiant gaze in her eyes. His head spun hearing her insultive confession, he could feel his anger rising as he moved closer to her. "You really kissed him...." "Why, are you still in the delusion that I belong to you, ever since the day you insulted me in front of so many people you lost the right to get angry at this, we kissed the night you dumped me and I can assure you..." she moved closer to him and tilted her head behind his ear. "He made me feel something I have never felt before," she moved away from him, she gave him a mocking gaze and scoffed then she stormed out of the apartment. He rubbed his forehead in disbelief then he rammed his fist into the wall. She hurriedly got into her car and started driving at a faster speed than she drove when she was on her way to pick him from the bar. She is relieved she picked the call and experienced what she experienced today else she wouldn''t have known what he is really like, she has tagged him as an unfaithful jerk but now hearing him talk like she is just an object he paid a price for, she realised just how stupid she was. But she gained another thing from this, she realised just how different Han Chen is and the difference between her feelings for them, what she feels for Chen Kai is just regret and unwillingness to admit that he gave her up but what she feels for Han Chen is just like she found something she lost for a long time, something she doesn''t want to let go of and she is willing to reminisce every moment of it. She soon arrived at the hospital without even registering it in her brain that she is driving to the hospital but her heart is controlling her instead of her head, as she got down from the car and walked towards the hospital, her heart kept beating fast. As she got to his ward, she wanted to stop for a second and compose herself but once again her heart made her push the door open without thinking, Han Chen who was staring out of the window as he stood beside his bed was surprised when he saw her. She started walking towards him. "What are you..." before he could complete his question, she had already wrapped her arms around his back with her head resting on his broad and well-toned chest, he spread his arms not knowing what to do. "D-Did something happen to you?" he managed to ask but she tightened her grip on him, as she snuggled on his chest. "Mmm," she responded. He wrapped his arm around her back with one of his hand stroking her hair, she closed her eyes as she could feel the soothing warmth of his body but she inhaled his scent. {He smells nice,} she remarked in her mind with an inward smile. He liked how she came to find solace with him but he was also worried about her, if she drove all the way to the hospital just to find comfort with him then something very bothersome must have happened to her and the thought of it makes his heart ache. "Do you want to talk about it?" "If you want to listen then I will tell you," she raised her head from his chest to meet his doting and endearing gaze, he brushed the hair on her face behind her ear then he nodded in affirmation. He held her hand then sat her down on the bed then he went around to the other side and lied down, he patted the bed, telling her to also lie down but to her surprise, she didn''t hesitate. She placed her arm under her pillow and curled up her legs while he drew up the duvet to cover them. "You can talk now," Chapter 274 - Listen!2 He held her hand then sat her down on the bed then he went around to the other side and lied down, he patted the bed, telling her to also lie down but to her surprise, she didn''t hesitate. She placed her arm under her pillow and curled up her legs while he drew up the duvet to cover them. "You can talk now," he whispered "I did something wrong tonight, I wavered for a moment but I made things right but it still doesn''t change the fact that I did something wrong," she confessed with a guilt-filled expression on her face, he smiled warmly then brushed her wayward strands back with his hands stroking her hair. "If you came to me straight after then it can only mean you did something wrong to me, there is only one thing you can do wrong but I doubt it is what I am thinking because right now I am not someone you can wrong in your heart," his voice was filled with sentiments and longing which she understood. "No---Han Chen, I think I---I love you," she confessed with her eyes looking straight into his, the smile on his face faded and it became replaced with doubt. She fluttered her lashes in anxiety but she couldn''t help pouring out her feelings to him, he could see she was feeling anxious because of the look on his face so he smiled faintly to ease her mind. "Why do you think so?" "I used to think the reason why I always felt comfortable around you and even went as far as kissing you that night is that I wanted to use you as a substitute for Chen Kai but today I realised that is not true, when I am with you everything feels different," she confessed with her brows crinkled, it shows him just how troubled she must have been by this. "If you did something wrong to me then it must mean you went to Chen Kai, didn''t you?" he didn''t sound angry but she knows he doesn''t like the idea of that not to talk about knowing what they did. "Yes but I..." she stopped when she felt the gentle trail on her lips as he brushed his hands on her lips. "He kissed you, was it consensual?" he questioned with his eyes fixed on her luscious lips that had swollen a little from the kiss and a small bruise on it. "Huh...how did you know?" "Your lips are a bit swollen and bruised, you don''t have to feel guilty about this since we are not in that kind of relationship where I should be angry but it still hurts," a look of sadness infiltrated his eyes and she could clearly perceive it. "Han Chen, I...." he wrapped his arm around her arm and her back, drawing her closer to with her head resting on his chest. He closed his eyes and exhaled. "You must be exhausted, it is best you rest," he softly whispered above her head, she positioned her hands between them. "But..." "Hussssh...sleep," She closed her eyes but her mind is still restless, she couldn''t understand what his reaction means. The way he spoke to her is gentle but she could see he wasn''t happy to hear it but she didn''t know what they are after today. {You should at least give me an answer to my confession...this is my first time confessing to someone,} She wanted to keep sulking about this but the warmth of his embrace and his soothing scent made her slowly fall asleep. The next morning. The rays of sunlight coming from the window with opened curtains reflected on his face, his face was blocking the sunlight from affecting her so the rays woke him up even though he tried to resist but though he is awake, he remained still in order not to disturb her sleep. He smiled as he stared at her face, at a close distance, all of her facial features were highlighted and he could see the changes between the teenage Yu Yan and the adult Yu Yan until his eyes landed on her lips. It reminded him of the fact that the woman he loves was kissed by another man but he would rather believe he forced it on her, he remembered how she confessed to him last night but he didn''t want her to lie to herself since she might just be feeling that way for the moment because of Chen Kai. He raised his hands to caress her cheeks but he noticed her eyelids slowly being lifted, he quickly dropped his hand and closed his eyes to feign sleep. She felt her entire body soothed just from this sleep in his cuddle, even in her soft and cosy bed, she still can''t get rid of all the lag. She became conscious of his arm around her back, she smiled then lifted her gaze to meet his face, she noticed his face is blocking the rays of sunlight from her so she raised her palm over his face to block the sunlight. She raised her index finger on her other hand then she slowly brushed it against his lashes, with their face close to each other his handsome and charming look struck her than ever, she has always thought he is really handsome, everyone thinks that but up close, his features were more defined. "I never knew his lashes were this long," she remarked softly in an almost inaudible voice. Her finger traced his face from his nose to his lips where she stopped for a moment, she wondered what their first kiss was like and what type of scenario they had, she wondered what it would have been like if the incident that brought them apart didn''t happen. She sighed and looked opposite him when she noticed the drip stand and the surrounding. "Wait...did we sleep on the same bed in the hospital!" she exclaimed in a low voice then she hurriedly sprung up from the bed but he held her wrist and pulled her back to his embrace, her eyes went round, fixed on his closed eyes. "Where do you think you are going?" he questioned softly with his eyes still closed. "I need to leave now, what if someone sees..." He opened his eyes, lowering his gaze on her. "Have you been awake?" she questioned, hoping he doesn''t know about her touching his faces and her remark on his lashes. "I did hear your comment, I know I am more handsome when I am asleep but you don''t have to touch me when I am asleep, you can just do it when I am awake..." he held her hand and placed it on his face, she bit her lower lips in embarrassment with her eyes averting his gaze until they heard a knock on the door. She turned to him with an alarmed look on her face. "Mr Han, I am here for your checkup," a female doctor who is in charge of VIP patients announced as she knocked on the door again. She quickly sprung up from the bed then she brushed her hair in order with her fingers, she hurriedly took her seat on the sofa in the VIP room then Han Chen gave the doctor the permission to enter. As she entered, she was surprised to see Yu Yan on the sofa. "Surgeon Yu Yan," she called in surprise, Yu Yan stood up from the sofa then smiled awkwardly before deciding what to reply. "I just came early to check up on him, you can do your work, I will leave now," she quickly scurried out of the room before the doctor could ask anything else while Han Chen watched her scurry out with a broad smile on his face. The doctor turned to Han Chen only to see the delighted look on his face, she concluded that they definitely have something going on between them but she didn''t probe, she just did her work then left the VIP ward. Yu Yan brushed her hair back as she took the elevator to her friends'' office, subconsciously. They were surprised upon seeing her.....and her appearance, they scanned her from head to toe, she was wearing a long black puffy coat over a plain white top and black joggers but then their eyes landed on her foot. They were stunned to see her wearing two different legs of sandals despite the cold weather, she followed her gaze and she ended up being stunned herself. If she tells them she is like this because she was worried about Chen Kai then they definitely won''t take it. She grinned awkwardly then hurriedly ran out of the office back to her office. She pulled out the drawer where she keeps spares to see if she has anything appropriate to wear and fortunately she found a proper flat shoe, white silk shirt and black trousers. She hurriedly went to the changing room where she changed then entered the washroom to wash her face and brush. She dipped her face into the water in her hands then she wiped her face with her hand and placed her hands at the edge of the basin. Chapter 275 - The Other Side Of Me! She hurriedly went to the changing room where she changed then entered the washroom to wash her face and brush. She dipped her face into the water in her hands then she wiped her face with her hand and placed her hands at the edge of the basin. She sighed and frowned when she remembered how he hushed her and pretended like she didn''t just confess to him, she wondered how she is still going to face him when she doesn''t even what kind of relationship they are in and if he even cares about her confession. "Even if he is not happy with me kissing Chen Kai, he should have at least said something, this is so frustrating," she scrunched her lips and lowered her head in frustration but she raised it again with a confident smile on her lips. {He said he still loves me then there is no way he won''t give me a reply, I just have to wait...} She widened her smile then took off her hands from the edge of the basin to leave the washroom when Xiaomeng entered the washroom, they both frowned upon seeing each other. Although they have met each other many times since she got engaged to Chen Kai, they have aways ignored each other but Xiaomeng always uses every opportunity she has to flaunt Chen Kai in front of her. She ignored her and walked towards the door. "How far have you gotten with Han Chen?" Xiaomeng questioned just before she exited the door. "Excuse me?" she turned around with a quizzical yet irritated look on her face. "Why do you seem so surprised, everyone in the hospital knows there is something going on between you and surgeon Han Chen but do you know what else they think..." she folded her arms on her chest and walked towards her with a sly look on her face. "They say now that you don''t have Chen Kai to help you climb the social ladder anymore, you have decided to jump ship..oops!" she placed her hand over her mouth with a feigned apologetic look while Yu Yan fixed a narrow gaze on her. "I shouldn''t have said it so bluntly but they have every reason to think so...I mean, isn''t it so interesting how you manage to get so close to every handsome and wealthy man around you, come to think of it, Han Chen might not be as great a catch as Chen Kai but he still has his aunt behind him and the chairman of Han Corporate group, if one day you manage to make connections with the Chairman of Han Corporate group who should be his cousin then you will hit the jackpot but I don''t think that will ever happen," she smiled broadly and patted her shoulder with an encouraging look in her eyes. Yu Yan glared at her for a moment then her glare slowly faded to become replaced by a faint but evil smile on her lips, she grabbed her hand on her shoulder then she squeezed it tightly as she moved it away from her shoulder. "Let me go!" she yelled, feeling the immense pain from her tight squeeze but Yu Yan maintained the smile on her lips as she pushed her to the wall then she glanced at her hand. "You are a surgeon so I am sure this hand is really important to you, even if everyone says I used Chen Kai and I am also using Han Chen, you should know what the real truth is and who is using who, I used to treat you kindly and ignore everything you do because I pitied you---" "What! who do you think you are to pity me, Chen Kai is mine now do you hear me, he is mine you b***ch!" she yelled, she just couldn''t bear to hear that someone of lower status such as Yu Yan actually has the nerve to pity her. Her smile faded with a dark and emotionless gaze taking over as she tightened the grip on her hand and bent it backwards. "You can''t compare yourself to me, the only thing that gives you your self-worth is your family status while everything I have in my name has been acquired by my own hard work and effort, if I can jump ship then you should know I no longer give a damn about Chen Kai, since you were so obsessed with him because you so wanted to beat me then you can have him totally but you should tell him to never call me when he gets drunk again..." She let out a gasp in disbelief...or not. Yu Yan raised her finger to her lips then she pressed it gently following a wince. "My lips still hurt from last night," she released her hand and smirked then she turned to leave but Xiaomeng who was still fuming inside pulled her arm then she raised her hand to slap her but Yu Yan swiftly held her hand and sent a resounding slap across her cheeks, causing her hair to scatter all over her face. Thud! She turned around only to see two terrified nurses at the entrance looking startled with a phone on the floor. Xiaomeng raised her head with her hand still on her cheek then she tried to return the slap but Yu Yan held her hand again and sent two simultaneous slaps across her face when she grabbed her neck and pushed her to the wall again while Xiaomeng winced in pain. "One thing I hate the most is embarrassment but you are the first person to deal me such huge embarrassment, I have kept quiet all these months but that doesn''t mean I won''t do anything if you keep provoking me. She moved her face closer to hers. "You don''t want to see the other side of me," she whispered then she exhaled and released her neck, she turned around and gingerly walked out of the washroom while the two nurses quickly moved away for her to pass. Xiaomeng dropped to the ground with her hands still around her neck. She could still feel her grip on her neck, causing her to cough as she raised her gaze towards the door. "Y-Yu Yan...." The stinging pain on her cheeks and the pain on her neck kept her conscious of all that transpired and it ignited the fear of Yu Yan in her, since Yu Yan always turned a blind eye to all the insults and snobbish attitude she has been giving her, she assumed that those who fear her are just scared of the fake front she is putting on but now she realised what they were truly scared off. The rumours spread around the hospital like wildfire and it was even confirmed when everyone saw the red mark on her neck and her constant coughing. Yu Yan spent a while in her office to examine her patients'' chart then she went into the ward where she is supposed to be doing her morning rounds, unknown to her, the rumour had already gotten there and everyone looked at her strangely, they wondered if they will end up like Xiaomeng if they dare insult her to her face again. She placed her stethoscope on a patient''s chest in his late twenties when two nurses entered the same ward not knowing she was also in there. "Did you hear about what surgeon Yu Yan did to Surgeon Xiaomeng?" one of them asked the other in an audible whisper. "Of course I did, I heard nurse Ma and nurse Li were the ones who witnessed it, but how could she choke and slap someone in the hospital, what if she gets sued?" the other responded. "What are you talking about, I heard she slapped her three times, in her state do you think she will care about that, she must want to kill surgeon Xiaomeng out of jealousy because she is engaged to the chairman''s son, but she is also quite pitiful," the nurses remarked. Yu Yan smiled faintly as she listened to the patient''s heartbeat but the patient who heard who they were saying noticed the smile on her lips so he glanced at the card dangling on her neck. "Surgeon Yu...Yan..." the man pronounced, realizing that the beautiful surgeon with who he has been passing flirtatious glances to and trying to touch since she became in charge of him is actually the one who choked someone, he gulped down his saliva as Yu Yan removed the stethoscope from his chest. The nurses froze with their eyes widened. Yu Yan leaned closer to the patient then smiled with her lips curled up. "Mr patient, I have noticed you have been trying to play funny games with me for a while but as you heard, you might end up getting choked before you leave this hospital if you keep sending me those lustful and flirtatious glances, am I understood?" she maintained the smile on her face, the patient nodded frantically, he didn''t think that a beautiful lady such as her would look so evil if she smiled like that with a threat. Chapter 276 - Protective Sisters! She moved away from him then walked towards the two nurses, she dipped her hands in her pocket. "This is why I just can''t have it easy with you nurses, you always have something to gossip about," She shook her head then clicked her teeth as she turned around to leave the ward, the nurses finally forced out the air they had been holding in their lungs. She visited more patients before returning to her office then slumped on her seat, she bent her head backwards but... "Yu Yan!" An Ke and Jia Yu screamed in unison as they barged into her office, causing her to almost fall from her chair. She shut her eyes and balled her fist with her lips pursed in annoyance, she was just about to place her head on the headboard in order to rest for a while when their sudden entrance almost startled her to death. She stood up from the ground and took her seat again then glared at the two standing in front of her with a guilty look on their faces. "What!" She yelled "Did you really choke and slap Xiaomeng? she is in the office making a fuse and yelling at ever slight thing," An Ke the gossip queen questioned in exhilaration, she partially hopes the rumours are true even though there are different versions going around so they just picked the most rational one of the rumours to believe. She sighed and brushed her hair back then she rolled her eyes as she laid her head on the headboard giving them the ''look'' "From that look I can already tell you did, Yu Yan..." Jia Yu stressed with a concerned look which shows that she is about to start nagging. Both girls walked towards her desk and sat on the seats opposite hers. "I get that you are still angry at her for what she did to you but if you intended to teach her a lesson for that then you would have don''t that long ago, why now?" normally both ladies would have been pleased to hear what she did but they were worried about something else. "You don''t think I..." "We do!" both girls choruses in unison, the only reason they can think of is that she still hadn''t gotten over Chen Kai and Xiaomeng must have taunted her with their engagement. "It is really not what you think, I was originally going to leave the washroom peacefully but she just had to insult me by saying I am using Han Chen now that Chen Kai has dumped me, how am I supposed to have that," the thought of it still infuriates her, she has tolerated all sort of insulting accusation from her but hearing her speak about Han Chen like that pissed her off. Both girls exchanged glanced before turning to her, they weren''t sure if they heard the right thing but there is no way she just said that. "Yu Yan, are you sure you are alright, she has always said worse things to you but you never retort not to talk of slapping her, the only thing new about this is Han Chen, could it be that...?" An Ke hinted wile Jia Yu fixed her eyes on her in anticipation of her answer. She cleared her throat and avoided their piercing gazes but she knows she has to tell them sooner or later so she decided to spill it. "Yes, I have feelings for Han Chen and I already confessed to him," she disclosed with a straight face, the girls were at loss for words. They needed to scream but because of where they are, it made it really hard for them to scream their lungs out. "You confessed to my brother, are you kidding...wait when did you two start...I mean why would you have feelings for my brother, I admit he is handsome but apart from that he has nothing else..." "Don''t say that. I will give anything to date your brother, he is handsome, tall, fit and even sexy when he is working, sometimes I wonder what it looks like underneath his shirt..." An Ke distractingly kept ranting after interrupting Jia Yu, she made every word out of her mouth sound so perverted that the other two almost puked hearing her rant. "Is that enough reasons," she concluded after ranting all the reasons why she would give anything for her brother. "I know this is sudden and I was also having second thoughts about it but last night, Chen Kai made me realise what I truly feel," she shut her eyes with her hands making the gestures as she reminisced just how sure she felt of her feelings for Han Chen. "Chen Kai...last night!!!" Both girls screamed then they quickly covered their mouth after they realised what they had just done. She paused her lips with her hands still hung in the air knowing that she has said too much. she opened her eyes and grinned awkwardly. "It is really not what you think, trust me we didn''t do what you are kissing...I mean thinking," she hit her lips for blurting out the secret again. "Kissed...Yu Yan!" they screamed in a low tone but their disappointment was clear in their voice. "I didn''t mean for it to happen, I was just taking a bath when he drunkenly called me to pick him up at a bar, so...so I just reluctantly helped him but when I dropped him, he..." she couldn''t bring herself to say it for fear that they might make it an issue. "You didn''t sleep with him, did you?" Jia Yu questioned. "She sure didn''t, despite how we kept tainting her pure heart to do it with him, she didn''t so do you think she will do it now," An Ke defended but there was still doubt written on her face. She was at loss seeing them thinking about the worst that could possibly happen. "What are you both talking about, we just kissed...I mean he forcefully kissed me but I slapped him so you guys can just relax---" "Relax...that bastard did that and you think we can relax,". both girls stood up at the same time then they rushed towards the door but Yu Yan quickly sprung up from her seat and spread her arms as she got to the door to stop them. "You guys are not planning on confronting him are you...come on, do you plan on letting everyone know I kissed my ex and someone who publicly embarrassed me," "Okay then but I still have to ask you two things, firstly was it a french kiss?" Jia Yu interrogated while An Ke was still fuming. "Yes but it doesn''t matter, I already slapped him and warned him," she made sure to stress she slapped him to assure them that she has sought justice for herself but it sounded really stupid in their ears. How can a slap be enough? "What are you talking about, how is that not important!" An Ke scolded, raising her voice but Yu Yan quickly covered her mouth. "Did you tell Han Chen about this, Yu Yan you and my brother are equally important to me so I cannot watch one hurt the other so if you still have even the tiniest doubt of your feelings for Chen Kai then...." she just didn''t want it to reach the point where she will have to leave one for the other. Yu Yan felt guilty hearing her, the reaction and protectiveness made her wonder just how hurt Han Chen must have been by this but he still didn''t say anything instead he cuddled her to sleep. She held both their hands. "I know you don''t trust me in this but I also felt the same way until last night, I realised that Han Chen is the one I always missed and Jia Yu, I know what you are worried about but I promise I will never hurt him and he will also not hurt me---that is if we end up together," she smiled broadly to persuade them. Her coercive speech totally melted their heart and calmed their anger but Jia Yu was still disappointed in Han Chen. "If you say so then we trust you but Yu Yan, you have to treat Han Chen well, I have always known he likes you but I didn''t want to push you into it, considering how he risked his life for you, he really shouldn''t get hurt," An Ke advised, for the first time in a very long time they are seeing her speak seriously and sentimentally. "I love you girls," she pulled them in and wrapped her arms around their necks. ----- She stormed into his ward with an angry look that told the nurse in his VIP ward that she needs to get out, leaving him wondering what he must have done to make her look so angry even though he has been in this room all along. "What is--" "Brother!" she yelled as she moved closer to him, he was almost startled. "How can you still be relaxed after hearing that, are you not supposed to punch him or something, what if---" Chapter 277 - Has He Really Forgotten Me! "You are talking about Chen Kai right?" he interrupted, he didn''t think Yu Yan would tell her but it made him feel better about it. "Brother," she took her seat beside him and held his hand in between hers. "You can''t let that scumbag get away with this. First, he dumped Yu Yan in the most embarrassing way, secondly, his parents destroyed the evidence of Alan Chen pushing Yu Yan because of his father who is a board member and now he forcefully kissed her. They only managed to do this because dad and mom were not in the country and they know my parents never get use their power on other families but you are not like them..." she squeezed his hand and moved closer to him. "You surely wouldn''t let them go right, you don''t know how frustrated I have been all these months knowing that those two are still smiling happily while I couldn''t do anything because I was too focused on your recovery but now that you are awake, it is time for us to take revenge on her behalf..." Her eyes had a dark glint to them that he recognises very well, she only had it once because of him but now she also has it because of Yu Yan, he didn''t think she cares for Yu Yan as much as this. He flicked her forehead and smiled faintly. "You will make a good sister-in-law," he teased but her frown only deepened. "Brother, I am not joking, don''t you think it is time you use your real identity, everyone thinks I have another cousin because my cousin should be the CEO of the wealthiest and influential corporate group in the country and I also don''t like keeping anything from Ji Chen and Yu Yan but you are making me a liar, don''t you think it is time you use this identity to take revenge on them," she implored with a pleading smile on her lips. She waited for his answer but he just kept staring at her like an idiot, she just couldn''t understand why he is not saying anything and it just infuriates her. She scoffed then glared at him. "What did I expect from someone who is willing to leave his dead parent''s hard work and even his adopted brother whom he adopted to replace his brother just to leave a stupid free life," she stood up in annoyance after tugging at his wound but just as she was about to leave the room, his phone rang. Dring! Dring! Dring! He picked up the call. {Chairman I have done as you said, two subsidiaries of Chen group has been taken over, very soon they will soon suffer losses, by then I will do as you have said and approach them with a partnership offer,} "You have done well managing director," he ended the call then looked up at her. Her shoulders fell at the realization of what she had just done, she rubbed her hands over each other in guilt and bit her lips as she returned to his side. "Leave," he hissed with his face turned away from her. She knew she shouldn''t have gone that far, even though she spilt what she truly feels in her heart, she didn''t mean it to be that harsh. "I am sorry, I just didn''t want you to keep living away from us, especially him---" He remembered his guilt, how can he blame her when everything she said is the truth, if only he didn''t use him as a replacement then the poor child won''t have to feel like the substitute of someone who is dead. "It is not your fault, have you seen him these days?" he questioned. "He actually called me yesterday, brother, I know you feel guilty but you really should see him and assure him that he is not what he thinks he is, he has always looked up to you but when he heard you say that---you can''t imagine how hurt he was," "I should but I can''t, how do I look him in the eye and say I didn''t make aunt adopt him because I wanted a replacement of my brother even if that has changed now, I---" the words felt too heavy and his throat tightened, when he remembers how he hurt the one who considered him to be his hero, he still feels guilty. Jia Yu sighed then wrapped her arms around his neck. "When he called me, I could hear the sadness in his voice, he told me he met someone he hates deeply but he can''t help feeling sad and lonely when that person pretended he didn''t exist, that person must have been you," He wrapped his arms around her back and exhaled deeply. Yu Yan who had just arrived when they started talking about the adopted brother turned back so as not to disturb them when she saw them hugging. {This person must be very important to them both but how come I don''t know him,} She wondered. Ever since Han Chen appearance, she just can''t help feeling she doesn''t know Jia Yu and her godparents as much as she thought. - - - - - - - - He sat on the bar stool in the minibar of her apartment, his heartfelt too heavy and the drinks don''t seem to be helping with the loneliness and misery he feels, he has people around him and some swooning over him all day but no one can replace the one person who he will always miss. The memories of when they first met and how he saved him kept replaying in his head but it only made his loneliness worse, he wished he never met him. The sound of the door to the apartment opening couldn''t even bring him out of his sad state. "Is someone here? Ji Chen!!" she called, thinking Ji Chen is the one in her apartment. "It can''t be, he told me he has a night shi---" her words hung at her throat when she saw him seating in the minibar with a large glass and bottle of alcohol in his front. She quickly rushed towards him, just as he was about to gulp down another glass, she grabbed it from him and placed it far away then she turned to him with worry-filled eyes. "Han Li!" she yelled. "Why exactly are you doing this again, do you want to end up in the hospital again?" she questioned with mixed emotions, she didn''t know if she should be pitying him or getting angry at him. "Sister Jia Yu, you are here," he grinned senselessly. She pursed her lips and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Han Li, how many times do I have to tell you that you are a minor and drinking to drown yourself in sadness will not help you, do you really want to go back to a half-dead state?" she dreads the thought of it just thinking of the time when he hurt himself. "You know, I used to hate him and I still hate him but I thought he will at least come to see me once if I am almost dead but he didn''t, you say he is feeling guilty but why do I think otherwise..." he raised his eyes to meet hers. "What if he just doesn''t want me anymore, why did he have to give me hope of having someone to love and care for me if he didn''t care about me, am I really that hateful!" he yelled on top of his voice then threw down the bottle of wine. She widened her eyes in shock. She didn''t think he has gotten this worse...once again. "How many times do I have to tell you that he didn''t come to see you then because he was on a mission and---" "Lies! that is a lie if that was his excuse then but what of now, he came to the school to see someone else with a woman but he couldn''t meet me..." his voice turned melancholic, he felt too tired, he has done all he could to keep himself from thinking about this by boxing, playing tennis endlessly, only then did he decide to drink. She sighed not knowing what to say, unless Han Chen meets him himself, she knows he will never believe anything she says. She stepped forward and placed his head on her shoulder then she patted his head gently to console him. She just couldn''t understand both of them but her brother is the most senseless person to her, he makes his feelings and emotions towards others too complicated and unbearing except for Yu Yan. "Do you think he has really forgotten me?" he drawly asked with his head on her shoulder. "You are surnamed Han, the younger brother of the chairman of Han Corporate group so you can never be forgotten, not by him or anyone else," "Really," "You know I would never lie to you," she sighed and stroked his hair. - - - - - - - - - - In the Chen mansion. "Chen Kai!" the coarse yet weary voice resounded in the mansion as the chairman walked around the mansion with a golf stick in his hands and his wife following after him with cries of pleas which he turned deaf ears to. "Dad," Chapter 278 - Bastard Son! In the Chen mansion. "Chen Kai!" the coarse yet weary voice resounded in the mansion as the chairman walked around the mansion with a golf stick in his hands and his wife following after him with cries of pleas which he turned deaf ears to. "Dad," his fear-filled voice answered, the chairman who had been breathing heavily like an animal who is exhilarated to catch its prey stood straight then slowly turned to him with a deadly glint in his eyes. His shoulder fell and his knee almost gave way, he could feel his hands going out of control just like they always do but he didn''t want the man he fears the most in the world to see it, he balled his fist and pressed his trembling lips tightly together. Over three years, he has lived away from his terror of a father but now he wished he never came back. He balled his fist tighter as the old man''s gaze fell on his trembling fist. "You useless fool, you still tremble---" he hissed then bent his head backwards with a sigh, his wife just stood there not knowing what else to do, either way, she knows she just wouldn''t be able to watch what is about to happen so she quickly turned her back. He lost all hope of a change in his father seeing his mother turn her back on him, he was just thankful that Xiaomeng is not in the mansion to witness this miserable side of him, he might not love her but her obsession with him makes him feel powerful. His lips curled up and his wrinkles supporting the crazy father look, he then turned his head to his side only to see a small bottom rounded flower vase next to him, he stood there like a log of wood but he didn''t miss the object his father fixed his eyes on, he already braced himself to take the hit. In an instant, the chairman grabbed the flower vase and threw it towards him causing the vase to shatter on his head, his wife covered her mouth as tears strolled down her cheeks to stop herself from screaming before she makes matters worse. Blood seeped out of the corner of his head but he still stood there, enduring the pain. The chairman rushed towards him like a mad man and started hitting him continuously with the large golf stick, even when he heard the cracking of his bone he still didn''t stop, instead, he continued his rampage to let out his rage. "How dare you! how dare you lose my hard work to someone else!" he yelled as he continued hitting all part of his body with the golf stick, he clenched his fist tighter to endure it but it still didn''t work, he thought after all these years, he will be immune to the pain and fear this monster of a father inflicts on him but---he realized he was wrong. He winced and gritted his teeth but it didn''t last long when the golf stick hit his face, blood filled the gaps between his teeth and painted them red. His mother couldn''t take it anymore, she knows the chairman never has a full stop to his rampage and the only way to save him his to put herself in between them even if it might cause her to be injured. She opened her eyes then rushed towards them, she covered him with her body but the man who is blinded by anger didn''t realize it until he made a heavy hit on her back, only when she screamed and cried in pain did he realize he just hit his precious wife. He quickly dropped his golf stick and kneeled beside her with a guilt-filled look in his eyes, he cupped her face with his eyes teary and mouth slightly parted. "Why did you---?" "P-Please stop..." she muttered before going into an unconscious state. This doesn''t come as a surprise to him that his mother will use this method to stop him, in fact, he has already gotten used to it but he just couldn''t understand why a man who loves his wife so much will treat her son worse than his bastard son from a woman he doesn''t love. "Butler!" he yelled The butler and the servants had already evacuated the place when they heard him screaming his name cause they already know what is about to happen, the butler followed by some servants quickly rushed in. Their eyes fell on the unconscious woman but they didn''t have any reaction to it, after all, this is not the first time. They didn''t have to ask what they need to do before the butler followed by two servants carried her back to her room while some remained behind to clean the mess. The chairman shut his eyes to calm his mind then opened them again as he kneeled on one knee beside his son. "You know what is supposed to happen after this, I should have taken you into the torture room and torture you until you beg," he recounted in a soft but threatening voice, the servants couldn''t bear to look at the duo so they looked away from them. "This time, I will leave it here but if you don''t restore the loss caused by the loss of my subsidiaries then you will beg to live," he curled up his lips then stood up to go to his wife but he held his fathers feet. "W-Why..." he muttered. "What?" "Why do you treat me so differently from my step-brother?" he managed to question with the last bit of boldness in him, but the chairman suddenly burst into a peal of hysterical laughter. He slowly raised his head to look at his father''s face but seeing him laugh to the point where he had to hold his stomach shattered his hope. "You don''t deserve to mention your brother''s name but it is time you know just what you are...a parasite" he kneeled beside him again and leaned towards his ear. "You are just the bastard son of a dead man whom I killed with my own hand while your brother is of my blood, the only reason you are still using the surname Chen is because of my love for your mother," he whispered into his ears. He gasped! His chest suddenly felt tight....too tight that he clutched it tightly, the misery in his eyes became very evident as tears formed in his eyes. "So all my hard work to become your heir, a son you can proudly boast of is nothing in your eyes?" he desperately hoped he won''t confirm his thought otherwise, it would mean he lost something very important to him and many other things which he gave up just for his father in vain. But his father clicked his teeth and smiled then he adjusted the collar of his shirt and pulled him closer. "Of course not, although you are not my blood, as long as you prove yourself to be more capable than your brother who has accomplished more than you then everything I own is yours but I entrusted you with five subsidiaries and you have already lost two, do you still think you are capable?" he looked into his eyes to see if he still has the greedy and ambition filled look in his eyes which he lost a moment again but strangely it came back again. "I will get it back--no matter what," He released his collar and smirked then he walked away. Without dwelling on his misery, he stood up from the ground and wiped the blood on the corners of his mouth, he limped towards his room under the servant''s pitiful eyes. As soon as he entered, he removed his shirt and stood in front of the large standing mirror in his room, the tear-filled eyes became replaced with a determined and emotionless gaze. "You are just the bastard son of a dead man whom I killed with my own hand while you brother is of my blood, the only reason you are still using the surname Chen is because of my love for your mother," The words replayed in his head. He threw his fist into the mirror, staining the cracks with his blood. "Whether or not I am not your son, everything you have is mine, I have endured everything for years so there is no way I am giving up," Suddenly he felt someone''s arms around his waist, his heart skipped a bit as the touch soothed the anger in his heart. "Yu Yan," he pronounced thinking and hoping she is the one even though that is just impossible. "You are still calling her name even in this situation," a sad melancholic voice complained, disappointment overcame him as he realized it is not the woman he wants holding him but he wondered if she witnessed everything that happened. The hotness of his body warmed hers but her heart ached for him, she wondered if he had to endure such cruel treatment all along but little did she know that is only the tip of the iceberg, she released him from the back hug and traced the wounds on his back with tears forming in her eyes. Chapter 279 - What Do You Think You Are?! The hotness of his body warmed hers but her heart ached for him, she wondered if he had to endure such cruel treatment all along but little did she know that is only the tip of the iceberg, she released him from the back hug and traced the wounds on his back with tears forming in her eyes. "I didn''t think he still does this to you," she remarked with a silent sob in her voice, his brows crinkled hearing her words, he turned back and held her hand up. "Still...you knew about this before now?" She used her other hand to wipe the tears on her cheeks then raised her gaze to meet his, she smiled faintly. "I have always known since we were in high school, I know everything about you and I see every part of you unlike the woman you love, does she understand your difficulty, your ambitions, what you truly want?...all of this I know the answer to," she sentimentally responded with the faint smile on her lips, he scoffed in disbelief. He has always thought Xiaomeng only wanted him because of her jealousy and the good part of him he shows, he couldn''t understand why she would still love him even in this situation. "Why--" she placed her finger on his lips to stop another word from escaping his lips then she took a step forward while he took a step backwards until he slumped on the bed then she removed her finger from his lips. "I will attend to your wound," she remarked just as a maid entered with a first aid box which she had instructed the maid to bring before she entered his room, the servant then bowed and left. She dabbed the wound with cotton wool soaked in methylated spirit then she applied the necessary creams to stop the wound from forming a scar, she exhaled after treating the wound, she turned around to return the small cream to the box on the table but he grabbed her hand and pulled her to his laps. She widened her eyes in shock, her lashes fluttered nervously as she gulped down her saliva wondering what is about to happen next but she feared it will be a soulless kiss---like last time. "I am sorry, you have always been by my side all these years despite seeing this poor side of me," he said as though in a whisper then he cupped her face with one of his hands and caressed her cheek with his thumb. Her heart thumped loudly, even this little action of his makes her get excited, she felt as though a surge of current flowed through her body at his touch, but a part of her felt insecure that he might be doing this because of his sad emotion, nonetheless, she didn''t want to waste the chance. She placed her hands on his cheeks then she drew her face closer to his but stopped halfway with her eyes looking nervously into his, as though she needs his permission, he ran his hand through her hair and pulled her head towards his. He took her lips in his and ran his tongue over hers, with his hands running through her hair, her eyes were still open as she didn''t think he would make a move but this kiss feels...real and filled with emotions. She felt on top of the world feeling his soft lips over hers, she wrapped her hand around his neck as he slowly turned her over to the bed and laid on top of her, he pulled his lips from hers and looked into her eyes. She understood what is about to happen, although she wasn''t prepared, she definitely didn''t think of giving up this chance. He unbuttoned the upper button of her blouse and pulled it over her neck, he pulled off the white singlet underneath her top leaving only her bra on, he hesitated for a while but she wrapped her hand around his neck and pulled him down on her following a passionate kiss. - - - - - - - Beep! Beep! Beep! The disturbing sound of the alarm kept resounding in her ear and forcing her to wake him but the soft feeling of her hand wrapped around someone made her refuse to wake up, however, she couldn''t persist against the loudness of the alarm. She groggily opened her lids, expecting to see the man she made love to next to her but she realized she was cuddling a pillow, she shot her eyes open with her brows furrowed. She pulled the duvet over her naked body and brushed her hair back as she looked around the room, she wrapped her body with the duvet and stood up from the bed to check the toilet and closet for him but she still couldn''t find him. She opened the door slightly and called for the butler who quickly came running towards the room, she opened the door enough for him to see her face. "Where is Chen Kai?" she questioned with a frown on her face. "He left about an hour ago but he ordered us not to disturb your sleep and also to serve you breakfast in bed," the butler responded, she looked away from him and sighed not knowing if she should be happy that the man she just lost her virginity to left without her knowing or to be happy that he cares about her sleep and breakfast. {What if---} She snapped the thought from her mind. "I won''t be having breakfast," she shut the door on him and returned to the bed. She cupped her face in her palm and scrunched her face, she wondered if she made the right decision despite not knowing if his heart now belongs to her, the thought of Yu Yan warning her to make sure he never calls her and the way she winced with her finger on her lips... She couldn''t help thinking things went far between them or perhaps it already did while they were still together, she meant to confront Chen Kai about it when she returns to the mansion but just as she entered, she met the servants standing in a corner, she questioned them then hid behind the door as she watched the chairman beat him up. She initially didn''t plan to use that method to make him treat her nicely but....she shook her head to shake the thoughts away. "We are engaged and he already slept with me, there is no way he will still go back to her, he is mine now," she exhaled deeply in confidence then she took her bath and dressed up to leave for work. As soon as he got to the hospital, he stormed towards Jia Yu''s department, he barged into her office and pulled the blinds before she could even query him. "What are you doing---" her words hung at her throat when he gripped her hand and pulled her out of her seat with force, she winced as the grip on her wrist was too tight. "What do you think you are doing right now?" she yelled with her eyes widened at his guts. "I should be asking you that question, what game are you playing?" he retorted with his lips curled up and the veins on his temple evident. "If you have a question to ask then ask like a normal being, what do you think you are to grip my hand," she tried to snap her hand out of his grip but failed, instead, he pulled her closer to him. "Why would Han Corporate group suddenly take over two subsidiaries of Chen group when your parents have never done anything like this before, I don''t know what game you are playing but you had better quit," he warned with a hint of threat evident in his voice, she glared into his eyes for some seconds with her lips paused before bursting into laughter. His frown deepened. "What are you laughi---" he didn''t complete his sentence before she sent a slap across his face with a smirk on her face, he held his cheek with his other hand then glared at her with anger blazing in his eyes. "What, do you perhaps intend to return the slap?" He raised his hand against her face but stopped halfway with his teeth gritted, she smirked and stepped closer to him. "If you have the guts then lay even one finger of yours on me," she threatened. He became confused, he has never seen this side of Jia Yu since their years of friendship through Yu Yan, he initially thought she would be the spoiled and authoritative only child of the family controlling the wealthiest company in the country but she turned out to be the opposite. "You must have forgotten your place..." she poked his chest with her index finger as she moved forward while he moved backwards with his hand still holding hers up. "I only pretended to be on the same level with you because of Yu Yan but now that the connection is lost, you have no right to speak to me in this manner, your subsidiaries are but the beginning..... Chapter 280 - New The hotness of his body warmed hers but her heart ached for him, she wondered if he had to endure such cruel treatment all along but little did she know that is only the tip of the iceberg, she released him from the back hug and traced the wounds on his back with tears forming in her eyes. "I didn''t think he still does this to you," she remarked with a silent sob in her voice, his brows crinkled hearing her words, he turned back and held her hand up. "Still...you knew about this before now?" She used her other hand to wipe the tears on her cheeks then raised her gaze to meet his, she smiled faintly. "I have always known since we were in high school, I know everything about you and I see every part of you unlike the woman you love, does she understand your difficulty, your ambitions, what you truly want?...all of this I know the answer to," she sentimentally responded with the faint smile on her lips, he scoffed in disbelief. He has always thought Xiaomeng only wanted him because of her jealousy and the good part of him he shows, he couldn''t understand why she would still love him even in this situation. "Why--" she placed her finger on his lips to stop another word from escaping his lips then she took a step forward while he took a step backwards until he slumped on the bed then she removed her finger from his lips. "I will attend to your wound," she remarked just as a maid entered with a first aid box which she had instructed the maid to bring before she entered his room, the servant then bowed and left. She dabbed the wound with cotton wool soaked in methylated spirit then she applied the necessary creams to stop the wound from forming a scar, she exhaled after treating the wound, she turned around to return the small cream to the box on the table but he grabbed her hand and pulled her to his laps. She widened her eyes in shock, her lashes fluttered nervously as she gulped down her saliva wondering what is about to happen next but she feared it will be a soulless kiss---like last time. "I am sorry, you have always been by my side all these years despite seeing this poor side of me," he said as though in a whisper then he cupped her face with one of his hands and caressed her cheek with his thumb. Her heart thumped loudly, even this little action of his makes her get excited, she felt as though a surge of current flowed through her body at his touch, but a part of her felt insecure that he might be doing this because of his sad emotion, nonetheless, she didn''t want to waste the chance. She placed her hands on his cheeks then she drew her face closer to his but stopped halfway with her eyes looking nervously into his, as though she needs his permission, he ran his hand through her hair and pulled her head towards his. He took her lips in his and ran his tongue over hers, with his hands running through her hair, her eyes were still open as she didn''t think he would make a move but this kiss feels...real and filled with emotions. She felt on top of the world feeling his soft lips over hers, she wrapped her hand around his neck as he slowly turned her over to the bed and laid on top of her, he pulled his lips from hers and looked into her eyes. She understood what is about to happen, although she wasn''t prepared, she definitely didn''t think of giving up this chance. He unbuttoned the upper button of her blouse and pulled it over her neck, he pulled off the white singlet underneath her top leaving only her bra on, he hesitated for a while but she wrapped her hand around his neck and pulled him down on her following a passionate kiss. - - - - - - - Beep! Beep! Beep! The disturbing sound of the alarm kept resounding in her ear and forcing her to wake him but the soft feeling of her hand wrapped around someone made her refuse to wake up, however, she couldn''t persist against the loudness of the alarm. She groggily opened her lids, expecting to see the man she made love to next to her but she realized she was cuddling a pillow, she shot her eyes open with her brows furrowed. She pulled the duvet over her naked body and brushed her hair back as she looked around the room, she wrapped her body with the duvet and stood up from the bed to check the toilet and closet for him but she still couldn''t find him. She opened the door slightly and called for the butler who quickly came running towards the room, she opened the door enough for him to see her face. "Where is Chen Kai?" she questioned with a frown on her face. "He left about an hour ago but he ordered us not to disturb your sleep and also to serve you breakfast in bed," the butler responded, she looked away from him and sighed not knowing if she should be happy that the man she just lost her virginity to left without her knowing or to be happy that he cares about her sleep and breakfast. {What if---} She snapped the thought from her mind. "I won''t be having breakfast," she shut the door on him and returned to the bed. She cupped her face in her palm and scrunched her face, she wondered if she made the right decision despite not knowing if his heart now belongs to her, the thought of Yu Yan warning her to make sure he never calls her and the way she winced with her finger on her lips... She couldn''t help thinking things went far between them or perhaps it already did while they were still together, she meant to confront Chen Kai about it when she returns to the mansion but just as she entered, she met the servants standing in a corner, she questioned them then hid behind the door as she watched the chairman beat him up. She initially didn''t plan to use that method to make him treat her nicely but....she shook her head to shake the thoughts away. "We are engaged and he already slept with me, there is no way he will still go back to her, he is mine now," she exhaled deeply in confidence then she took her bath and dressed up to leave for work. As soon as he got to the hospital, he stormed towards Jia Yu''s department, he barged into her office and pulled the blinds before she could even query him. "What are you doing---" her words hung at her throat when he gripped her hand and pulled her out of her seat with force, she winced as the grip on her wrist was too tight. "What do you think you are doing right now?" she yelled with her eyes widened at his guts. "I should be asking you that question, what game are you playing?" he retorted with his lips curled up and the veins on his temple evident. "If you have a question to ask then ask like a normal being, what do you think you are to grip my hand," she tried to snap her hand out of his grip but failed, instead, he pulled her closer to him. "Why would Han Corporate group suddenly take over two subsidiaries of Chen group when your parents have never done anything like this before, I don''t know what game you are playing but you had better quit," he warned with a hint of threat evident in his voice, she glared into his eyes for some seconds with her lips paused before bursting into laughter. His frown deepened. "What are you laughi---" he didn''t complete his sentence before she sent a slap across his face with a smirk on her face, he held his cheek with his other hand then glared at her with anger blazing in his eyes. "What, do you perhaps intend to return the slap?" He raised his hand against her face but stopped halfway with his teeth gritted, she smirked and stepped closer to him. "If you have the guts then lay even one finger of yours on me," she threatened. He became confused, he has never seen this side of Jia Yu since their years of friendship through Yu Yan, he initially thought she would be the spoiled and authoritative only child of the family controlling the wealthiest company in the country but she turned out to be the opposite. "You must have forgotten your place..." she poked his chest with her index finger as she moved forward while he moved backwards with his hand still holding hers up. "I only pretended to be on the same level with you because of Yu Yan but now that the connection is lost, you have no right to speak to me in this manner, your subsidiaries are but the beginning..... Chapter 281 - Partnership Deal! "I only pretended to be on the same level with you because of Yu Yan but now that the connection is lost, you have no right to speak to me in this manner, your subsidiaries are but the beginning, the next time you call Yu Yan or try the nonsense you did then..." she closed the space between them. "This time, I won''t ask my dear cousin to take only your subsidiaries but the entire group, it might not be easy for him to do but you know he will win in the end, so you better know your place," she felt his grip loosen on her wrist so she snapped her wrist out of his grip then rubbed it. "Yu Yu," Ji Chen coquettishly called as he entered the office only to meet the tense situation in the office. He furrowed his brows as soon as he saw Chen Kai but then his gaze fell on his woman rubbing her wrist, he quickly rushed towards her and placed the bag he is holding on her table then held her wrist gently while Chen Kai used the chance to take his leave knowing Ji Chen''s temperament especially when it comes to Jia Yu. His eyes widened at the redness of her wrist then he raised his eyes to meet eyes with worry. "Why is your wrist this red, did that bastard do this to you?" Without waiting for her answer, he turned around to go after him but Jia Yu held him back. "Don''t, he is not worth it, by the way why are you here and I told you not to call me that at work?" she pouted her lips but he knows she likes it when he calls her that but she always feigns professional at work. "Alright, my Yu Yu, you never eat breakfast whenever you spend the night at your apartment and not mine so I brought you breakfast," he smiled broadly then opened the bag to bring out the lunchbox. She swallowed her saliva in anticipation to taste her boyfriend''s excellent culinary skills but as soon as he opened it, the delicious aroma found its way into her nostrils. "Dumplings and sausage casserole with braised pork!" She exclaimed with a faint smile with she quickly hid. "Don''t you think I will get too fat if you keep feeding me so much for breakfast?" she complained even though she doesn''t mean it and she will never get tries of her doting boyfriend feeding her. He smiled inwardly knowing she is just pretending, he dropped the box and picked the braised pork with the chopstick then he brought it to her front. She opened her mouth then chews the pork with her eyes shut and her taste buds relishing the tantalising taste of the pork. He wrapped his hands around her waist and pulled her close to him. "You are too thin, you have to gain a little weight so our children don''t turn out to be so thin," she chuckled with her hands over her mouth. "Hey, why do you keep talking about children, we are not even married yet," she shyly scolded with her eyes averting his but he drew her closer. "Who said she wants to get married on the same day as Yu Yan and also have her baby on the same day as Yu Yan," he liked the idea of it but the fact that Yu Yan keeps dragging their marriage and even their kids down annoyed him. "If you don''t like it then we can break up now," She threatens with a straight face and her hands folded on her chest, although she used to be the one to pursue him, after they started dating he became the one running after her and doting on her. "I like it, why won''t I like it?" He hurriedly responded then the look on his face turned mischievous as he brought her to the edge of the desk. "Since this doting boyfriend of yours brought you breakfast, don''t you think I need a reward?" He asked, pouting his lips with his eyes closed. She just can''t get enough of his cutesy acts. She wrapped her hands around his neck then raised her toe. He was expecting to feel her lips on his but it didn''t come so he opened his eyes only to see staring at his face up close. "You have gotten more handsome my cute boyfriend," she smiled then she leaned in to plant several kisses all of his face and lips which he took in with satisfaction. He returned to his office in rage then folded his hands with his forehead resting on it In thoughts. {I have never heard she has any cousin other than Han Chen, could it be that Han Chen is the chairman of Han Corporate group} He quickly dismissed the thought. if Han Chen is really the chairman then his inferiority complex will hit him hard, not only will he lose his woman to him but it will also mean that Han Chen is someone he has to look up to. He sprung up from his seat to probe Han Chen when he heard his phone ringing, he stopped to pick the call but he realised it is from an unknown number. "Hello, am I speaking to Mr Chen ?" "Yes, who is this?" "I am calling from the head quarter of Han Corporate group, the managing director would like to have a meeting with you to discuss a partnership offer," "Why all of a sudden?" He questioned as he couldn''t help but suspect there is something fishy about this sudden partnership. "This is not something I know, I am just replaying the message to you as I was ordered to," He decided to try it out. "Alright, where do we meet?" "I will send you address but it would be best if you can meet today, the managing director has a lot on his tab," the tone the caller spoke in sounded rude and demanding as though he wasn''t giving him and options but ordering him to meet today. He clenched his fist and gritted his fist, not only did this person mess with the subsidiaries under his control but he is even ordering them around now. "Alright," He disconnected the call but in less than one minute the address and time was texted to him. Allthough they have to meet in just one hour, the location is still far away so he handed his surgeries to another surgeon then drove to the meeting location. He arrived at the cafe where they are supposed to be meeting then scanned the cafe then he saw someone waving his hand so he walked towards the person and took his seat. "Managing director?" "Mr Chen?" Both men smiled faintly then shook hands, unlike his charisma in front of Han Chen he seemed like a different person now, someone who is worthy of leading the company. He dipped his hand into his office bag then placed a file on the table with his hand gesturing him to read it. He took the file from the table while the managing director kicked up his coffee to sip with his eyes fixed on him. He went through the pages of the file with his eyes like that of an eagle scrutinising every single word on the paper. The terms of partnership seemed to favour Chen group rather than Han Corporate group, this made him more suspicious. He might be in a dire situation but he is definitely not foolish to get drawn into a tea under the facade of partnership. "Mr Chen, what do you think of it, your company will take charge of the process and publications while we invest, I am sure you can already see that the profit sharing is favourable to you," the managing director remarked as he was t comfortable with how much time he is spending just to take a look at the file. "That is the problem, your corporation has investments in the group already but why are you suddenly interested in partnering with us for this project after taking over two of my subsidiaries," he aggressively dropped the file on the table and frowned deeply. "Taking over your subsidiaries is simply business and offering you this partnership is also business," the managing director responded without a hitch. "If so then I will like to meet your Chairman, this partnership is a big deal for Chen group as you have already caused us loses and more loses will cause severe problems," he demanded authoritatively despite knowing the managing director has an even higher status than him when it comes to business. "I can''t say I understand your worries, If you are insecure about this deal then I can assure you that no partnership with our company has ever caused loss and this I am sure you are aware of so it is impossible to meet the chairman," he decisively answered making it clear to him that there is no point for negotiation. He smiled faintly with his head lowered then he stood up from his seat and buttoned his suit jacket. "If I can''t meet your chairman then there is no need to say more," Chapter 282 - Embarassing Late Visit! 1 "If I can''t meet your chairman then there is no need to say more," The managing director was taken aback by his decisiveness, he stood up after him. "This partnership is a good chance to restore the losses and also help you gain profit, you need this more than we do so are you sure you want to miss this chance," He smiled then stepped closer to him with a smirk. "You don''t have to be concerned about my company, without the partnership deal I already have a solution," he lied with confidence hoping he won''t have to accept this deal at the end whilst knowing there is a motive that he probably doesn''t like behind it. He straightened his suit jacket then exhaled gently. "I will take my leave now...oh...tell your chairman that he might be someone of a higher status but he shouldn''t mess with me or I wouldn''t stay down," he narrowed his gaze threateningly then turned to leave. The managing director stood still in belief, he has never encountered such a situation before and even though he knows the chairman''s action is personal and not just business, he still finds it ridiculously interesting. He dialled a number and raised the phone to his ear. "Hello," Han Chen said at the other end, he already has his expectations for the meeting but he still wanted to hear the result from the managing director in case he is wrong. "Chairman, I don''t know why you insisted on this but I must say that this is the most interesting business opponent I have ever met though I am not sure if he is really an opponent or your plaything," the managing director remarked with his excitement of taking down this person evident in his voice. "I guess he rejected the deal just like I thought, I can assure you that you will have the opportunity to play with him," "So what next?" His tone turned serious and professional "I want to have total control over Chen group, to be more specific....I want Chen hospital as soon as possible and secretly, I am sure you know what I mean by this," his tone turned authoritative and determined, the managing director could tell that this is perhaps the most important task he has on ground and failure to successfully execute it will result in dire consequences. "I will start taking actions immediately," he reassuringly responded, then Han Chen disconnected the call. Meanwhile, Yu Yan who had just arrived outside the room was still deciding on whether or not to enter as she doesn''t know how to face him after all that but she finally decided to enter. She opened the door silently but the creaking sound made him drop his phone instantly as he is still pretending his arm and legs are not healed yet. "You are here," he grinned awkwardly upon seeing her but he wondered if she saw him holding the phone to his ear. She hummed in response then proceeded to seat beside him, she placed the flask she is carrying on the side table then faced him but she averted his gaze. "I went out for dinner last night so I decided to bring this for you," he used his left arm to bring down the flask then he opened it only for the delicious aroma to fill the room. He grinned widely and gulped down his saliva but then he decided to tease her. "This is very hot for something you bought yesterday and it also looks home-cooked, that restaurant must be really good," She flinched at his words but she didn''t want to admit she made it herself this morning so she decided to cover it up. "Yeah...I reheated it this morning," she responded, he nodded his head in response as though he believes her but he doesn''t. "You will have to feed me then...." Her brows furrowed as she was startled hearing him say she needs to feed him, he raised his hand to remind her that his right arm is not yet healed, she opened her mouth to refuse but he cut her out. "I can''t eat with my left hand so don''t ask me too," she rolled her eyes in regret of bringing him the soup cos now she has to feed him. She took the flask from him then took out the spoon from the side of the flask, she scooped a spoonful then raise it to his mouth. He smiled inwardly then opened his mouth wide to take it in, she fed him a few times more like a mother who is careful with overstuffing his mouth until someone entered. They froze with the spoon hanging in her hand almost into his mouth. The doctor smiled teasingly then walked towards them with a chart in her hand. "I can see your relationship has improved," the older doctor remarked as she came closer to them, Yu Yan quickly dropped the spoon and stood up to refute her remark. "This is a misunderstanding, he can''t eat because his right arm is still not healed so..." "What are you talking about, his chart says both his arms and legs are healed, I was just about to tell him he has to remove the cast," she disclosed without restraint despite the signs Han Chen kept giving her. She scoffed then turned to him with an angry flare in her eyes. "It must have been quite fun deceiving me," he opened his mouth to speak but she already made towards the door, the doctor stood in the middle of the ward not knowing what to do or what mistake she just made. He sighed and cupped his face in his palm knowing she must be quite vexed but he resented the doctor. Meanwhile, Xiaomeng who had already gone to check up on him in his office but failed to see him when she arrived at work decided to check up on him again. She was happy to see through the glass that he is in the office so she knocked gently before receiving permission to enter. She pushed her hair behind her ear as she entered and smiled warmly. "Why did you leave so early, I thought..." "I am sorry, I had to take care of the problem in the company as soon as possible," he answered with a deep frown which she interpreted as an unsuccessful attempt. "How did it go?" "I got a partnership deal from Han Corporate group but I refused it, the content of the deal is too favourable to us for a company that just took over our subsidiaries," he complained with his anger evident in his voice, she stood up from her seat and went around the table to his side. She pressed the remote to pull down the blind then she took her seat on the table. "You don''t have to worry about this, I already contacted my dad on the way here and he already agreed to help you, although he can''t help you get back the subsidiaries he can help you get the monetary loss," she placed her hand on his shoulder and smiled warmly as she stared into his eyes. He didn''t know what to say about this but he knows for one that once she starts rendering him help in situations like this then it will only make him more bound to her. He reciprocated the smile while she suddenly pulled him by his tie and kissed him deeply, he just went along with her even though his kiss is empty. Other than the company''s problem, his mind has also been filled with guilt for making love to her cos now he cannot just abandon her like he intended to. ... A month later During these months, Yu Yan has been bothered with the dreams but thankfully she doesn''t have to see herself in a terrifying position but somehow the girl in her dream keeps getting anxious and that anxiousness is always deep-rooted in her mind every time she wakes up. She has seen the girl conjure fire from her hand but she always blamed her imagination for adding such effect to her dreams. "Ah!!" She screamed as she jerked up from her bed with beads of precipitation trolling down her forehead and neck. She just decided to take a late evening nap hoping she won''t have that dream again but to her dismay, the dream still infiltrated her sleep. "This stupid dream!" She yelled as she aggressively pulled the duvet away from her body then retired to the bathroom. She turned on the shower, as the water drizzled down her body she ran her hand through her hair as she let out a whimper of satisfaction as the cold water relieved her tension and made her body feel cool again. "Should I really believe what that psychologist said?" she questioned rhetorically, the frequent dreams is making her shake her stand on his hypothesis but the fact that her dreams seem too realistic as though she is watching someone''s daily life is something she just can''t understand. She got out of the shower minutes later then she changed into her short black night charmeuse robe and was about to return to her room when she heard the doorbell. Chapter 283 - ER Patient! 1 "It is about time the package arrived," She remarked as she has been waiting for a package, she dabbed her hair with a hand towel but the water still dripped onto her bathrobe, she decided to get the package before getting into bed again. She looked through the monitor but the person has his face covered with a paper bag so she just decided to open the door first. She opened the door only to see someone with a familiar figure standing in front of her but when the person removed the bag from his face, her jaw dropped. His lashes fluttered seeing the sexy side of her, her hair still dripped water making her slender neck wet, her fit black robe accentuated her curves and the V neck exposed her cleave, he knew he needed to take his eyes off her but he just couldn''t and she also found herself staring at him in shock. "When did you get discharged?" She questioned to break the silence. "Today but I didn''t think you..." his eyes were still fixed on her curvy body which she traced, she realised she is actually wearing a short and loosely tied robe and even her hair is still dripping. She gasped then hurriedly tried to shut the door but he placed his foot in between, not knowing what else to do, she turned around to run from this embarrassment, he extended his hand to hold her wrist but his hands ended up pulling the rope holding her robe. Her eyes went round as the rope went loose causing her robe to open so she turned around but her robe slipped off her body. He quickly removed his coat and covered her body, before they both fell to the floor he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her on top of him. She opened her eyes only to find herself lying on him with her half-naked body in only her underwear covered with his coat, the level of embarrassment she felt reached the peak but when she noticed his scrunched face she realise the impact to the ground must have hurt him. "Are you okay?" She questioned with her face filled with concern, he brushed her hair off his face then he smiled faintly but his eyes met her naked slender shoulder. "You should c-cover u-up," he voice held a hint of warning as though he might do something wrong. She traced his gaze to her shoulder but she doesn''t know how to stand up without him seeing what his underneath his coat. "I will close my eyes" he closed his eyes and removed his hand from her waist, even though she shouldn''t trust a man to not look somehow she believed him. She stood up with his coat on her then she wore her robe and tied it firmly around her waist. The temptation to open his eyes regardless of his promise overwhelmed him but he clenched his fist to control his desire. "Done," she notified He opened his eyes and stood up from the floor then he cleared his throat and took back his coat from her. "Why are you here anyway and how do you know where I live?" She didn''t know if she should be angry or...but she just needed to brush away the embarrassment of what just happened. "I didn''t know you live here I am just here to greet my neighbour," he lied. "What do you mean, I don''t have a neighb---What! You are my new neighbour, why would you live here when you have your mansion," she exclaimed, remembering when she saw those workers prepping apartment opposite hers. "Well, you said before that my mansion is too big and lonely so I decided to make a change," "You know what....just leave, for now," she pulled his hand and pushed him out the door then she leaned her back against the door and heaved her sigh of relief. "Why did he have to come when I..." she looked down at her body then cupped her face in embarrassment. The next day, she hurriedly left for work so she doesn''t have to encounter him on the way and thankfully she succeeded. Instead of the dreams the only thing that made her unable too have a peaceful sleep is the thought of him grinning at her in a mocking manner and also her imaginations of him pinning her against the wall and pulling the rope keeping her robe fitted at her waist, she grabs his hand to stop but then he smirks and leans in to whisper in her ear. "Why, I have seen everything anyway," Each time she jerks up and screams to chase it away from her head. With her cup of coffee in her hands, she walked towards her office until she heard someone shouting her name in the empty hallway. "Surgeon Yu Yan!" The nurse called aloud as she ran towards her. She sighed then stopped and walked towards the nurse with a quizzical look on her face. {Why do I keep getting hijacked on way to my office every---} "Why are you in such a hurry?" she smiled even though she is frowning in her mind, she has always been hijacked for emergency patients these days. "There is a patient....an emergency patient in the ER," she responded then she stood at akimbo to catch her breath. With the nurse behind her, she hurried to her office then dropped her bag and coffee, she was about to leave the office when she turned back to glance at Han Chen''s desk, she wondered if he will still be coming to work. Then she followed the nurse down to the ER department. She arrived at the ER only to find a male patient vomiting blood with his body at unrest, she quickly rushed towards them and pinned his body down to the bed then she signalled the nurses around to hold him down. She removed her pen torch from her pocket then opened his mouth wide and pointed it into his throat, she noticed there seems to be blood building up in his throat but she can''t see it clearly and he keeps spurting out blood on her face. She placed the pen torch back in her pocket then she took scissors from one of the nurses to cut open his shirt, she pressed his abdomen to find there is abdominal swelling. "Where is the patient''s guardian?" she questioned with a hint of urgency in her voice. "Here," a haggard-looking woman rushed up to her, she had been there all long. "Does the patient have a previous medical condition I should know about?" she questioned, the patient''s wife turned pale which she noticed, she guessed it must be something serious they don''t want to address. "H-He was diagnosed with liver cirrhosis three months ago b-but he didn''t want to go to the hospital because of money," she disclosed with tears strolling down her face, rubbing her hands against each other nervously, Yu Yan sighed then turned to one of the nurses. "I need a MELD, CT scan and ultrasound test of the patient, we need to know just how bad it is by now," she ordered, then the nurses rushed out of the ER to follow her order. "Get his blood sample for immediate blood transfusion," she instructed another nurse who quickly followed her orders while the others held the patient down. She sighed and rubbed her forehead as she stood at Akimbo with her head lowered. She has always hated it when she is giving patients who need transplant especially when it is obvious that they do not possess connections, money or any power because she knows they won''t be able to get the organ they need on time and then she will have to hand them over to the hepatology department hoping they will treat the patient''s fairly and not just bypass them for a VIP patient like they always do. But even without the selectivity, getting an organ donor is always hard and it takes a long time because there is always a long queue. The patient guardian was already getting anxious seeing the look on her face, she quickly went up to Yu Yan and held her hands, making her startled. "Maam..." "Miss, please you have to save my husband, we are not well off with him but if he is gone, I really won''t be able to survive with five children, please...." she lowered her head as she sobbed then raised her gaze with a desperate look in her eyes. "Save him....please," She parted her mouth to speak but she didn''t know what to say, should she console her and tell her it is alright or just tell her the facts that if her husband''s condition is already worse to the point where he needs a liver transplant, not just treatment to keep him alive then things will get complicated. Just then, the second nurse arrived followed by the first, the second went on to start the blood transfusion while the other gave the results to Yu Yan. Chapter 284 - Revenge For Humiliation! "It seems like it has affected his kidney, he has a MELD score of 15 and he is in the last stage of liver cirrhosis, I don''t think...." "Prepare him for surgery, we need to stop the bleeding and every other complication then every other thing can be said later," she handed the result to the nurse, she understood the nurse concerns but all she can think of now is to save him first before thinking of any other thing. In no time, the patient was prepped for surgery and Yu Yan gathered the surgical crew necessary including a hepatologist in case of any complication she cannot handle since this is a special case of liver cirrhosis. Not long, the surgery was concluded and she came out of the operating room with the hepatologist who is a close friend of hers and also has the same mindset as hers when it comes to discrimination. They soon found the patient guardian waiting for them outside the room, she quickly rushed up to them with a quizzical look on her face. "The surgery was successful but as you know, your husband condition has worsened since it wasn''t given early treatment, according to my colleague here there is no other treatment that can be given except for a liver transplant," She explained with pity for the patient''s wife written on her face, she turned to the other surgeon hoping she would refute what Yu Yan had just said but she nodded in affirmation. Her shoulder dropped as she slumped to the ground but the other surgeon quickly held her up. "We don''t even have enough money to feed ourselves, how can I...." she buried her face in her palm as she sobbed aloud. The surgeons exchanged glances before Yu Yan placed her hand on her shoulder. "I will definitely try my best to help your husband find a donor but what you have to do now is be by his side," she patted her shoulder then proceeded out of the threatre leaving the woman with high hopes but as soon as they were out, her friend pulled her aside. "You shouldn''t have given her high hopes, you know how this hospital is, in the next one year she still won''t be able to get the transplant for her husband," she scolded, apart from her friends among all the surgeons from wealthy families she knows, this surgeon is the only one who has such strict principles. "I know but..." she lowered her head not knowing what to say, as a surgeon she shouldn''t be too emotional in cases like this but the woman seemed really poor and she also said she has five children, she just can''t help getting emotional. "If you gave her hope then you are responsible, I will try to get information on the organ availability the rest is up to you," she sighed and walked away leaving Yu Yan with her head hanging. She was just on her way back to her office when she met Surgeon Ding Hua who she assigned the last patient who needed a liver transplant to. "Good morning," she greeted o stop her, she turned around and smiled broadly as she walked towards Yu Yan. "Good morning, you seem like you just had a surgery, how did it go?" she questioned with a friendly smile on her face which Yu Yan finds herself unable to return. "It went well but the case is similar to the case I handed to you just that this time the urgency is more serious," she complained but then she noticed the look on her face as soon as she mentioned the patient, it made her wonder what happened to the other patient. "You know the patient I referred to you last time, what happened to him?" she questioned with a searching gaze in her eyes, she hoped she won''t hear something devastating but the expression on the other face told her she is not about to hear good news. "He passed away two weeks ago but Yu Yan..." "Are you going to say there was no organ for him to have a transplant cos I already checked with the office last month and they confirmed that he already has an organ for his transplant so why...?" she queried, raising her voice then she rubbed her forehead as she blamed herself for not following up when she confirmed he already has an organ for transplant, as long as the patient is hers in the first place, she always ensures she sees to it that the patient is given good treatment but this time too many things happened. "You can''t blame me, I did my best but at the last minute we had a VIP patient who needs an immediate transplant, I tried to reason with the higher-ups but they were adamant, there was really nothing I could do," she tried to defend herself knowing how much Yu Yan cared for the patient but she really doesn''t have a say, no matter what family you come from as long as you work under the management you have to follow their decision and this is something Yu Yan knows very well. She sighed and licked her lips. "I know, I shouldn''t have spoken to you like that, I just feel really bad for that family but this is not in accordance with the rules, they can''t just jump the queue because of VIP patients," "You shouldn''t speak like this in the open, you are already on their bad side so you should watch yourself," she sincerely cautioned, although she doesn''t have a stand in the rumours concerning Yu Yan, she still sees her as a friend. She slumped on her swivelling chair as soon as she arrived at her office, she originally intended to hand the patient over to the appropriate department since this is a complex case and then take her hands off it but she realized she can''t bring herself to take her hands off it after hearing what happened to the last patient. She made up her mind to make sure this patient gets an organ transplant as long as it is available for him and she will never let anyone jump him for any so-called VIP patients who think their lives are worth more than others. She performed more surgeries before leaving for her apartment late in the night, as soon as she arrived, she took a shower and changed into her pink mickey mouse top and pants pyjamas but just as she was about to lie on her bed she heard a knock on the door again. She murmured in the complaint as she dragged her feet to the door but when she looked through the monitor, she could only see a person in all black with an envelope that looks like a package in his hands, she assumed it must be either Han Chen playing a trick or a delivery. She sighed with her lips pouted in preparation to query him for his late-night visit, she opened the door but the person still stood still. "What are you doing here again, I am really---" her words hung in her throat when she saw the person''s face, someone she has forgotten she ever met or humiliated. "From the look on your face you still remember me, nice...." he raised the corner of his lips, forming a sinister smile, something inside her told her she is in danger. She quickly tried to close the door but he hindered the door from closing with his foot with a sinister grin on his lips, she still struggled to close the door but he took the chance to inject her. She clutched her neck as soon as he pulled the syringe out, this time she knows it is no use holding the door as whatever he just injected into her must be something to make her vulnerable. She quickly ran towards her room while he followed after her but she was too slow, he grabbed her by her elbow and pushed her to the ground with a resounding slap across her face. She wanted to retaliate, after all, he was no match for her previously but her body is too weak, the moment she stood up to punch him, he held her hand and pushed her to the wall with his hands gripping her neck tightly but not tight enough to choke her to death, just to make her suffocate. He dipped his hands in his pocket and brought out his phone then he turned it to her. "Look at this, all this news about me just because of how you humiliated me at the karate club!" he yelled with his eyes bulged in anger, she could tell he must have really fallen hard considering how pyscho he looks. "H-How is that my f-fault?" she managed to retort even with his hands around her neck but it only made him tighten his grip. "What, do you think I am joking with you, how is this not your fault---originally I wanted to torture you and then finish you off but now..." his lustful gaze fell on her chest, her eyes widened understanding what he means. Chapter 285 - Revenge For Humiliation! 2 Note: this chapter contains abusive content and insinuation of rape, it is not explicit but for those who do not like reading such content you can skip the chapter. His other hand slowly moved towards the hem of her shirt but she held his hand before it could touch her skin, with determination in her eyes. "Don''t you think of it, I had rather die than let you touch me," she hissed threateningly but not enough to scare him especially when the drug he injected into her is already kicking in. He loosened the grip on her neck realising the worst he could to her is rape her in her weak state. He became excited at the thought of it, he had taken a liking to her at the club but now he didn''t think he will have to chance to devour her and completely ruin her. He didn''t struggle to pull his hand away from her grip because he could tell she won''t be able to hold onto it for even a seconds longer then that will break her. Her heart rammed against her chest, she could feel her hand weaken....too weak to even hold his hand but in an instant, her hand subconsciously dropped giving him easy access. He released his grip from her neck with her back still against the wall, He held both sides of her collar and pulled it apart to tear the shirt, instead of being gentle with her he decided to go rough, rough enough to shatter her into pieces in seconds. He pulled apart the shirt making all the buttons up to the middle of her chest go off, his eyes shone with lust staring at her from the delicate line of her collarbone to her well-rounded bosom in her bra, his hands itches to tear the remaining buttons off and rip her bra off, once again he tried to rip off her shirt but she just couldn''t let him go any further not even in her death. She gathered her strength and kicked him in his crotch, even in her weak state she can still make such a painful hit, he groaned as he fell to the ground with his hand between his thighs. Taking the opportunity, with the support of the wall she made towards her bedroom, her head felt too heavy and her eyes dizzy with her vision blurry. He quickly recovered from the pain and followed after her but just as she was about to climb the short stairs to her bedroom, he pulled her arm and threw her to the ground. She groaned in pain as her back hit the ground but her head became dizzier, he climbed on top of her and tried to pull apart her cloth again but she kept hindering him with her hands. "You are really a feisty one, even with the drug you can still resist but it is still useless, after I have enough fun with you then I will finish you off just like how you finished my career," Her half-opened eyes looked into his devious eyes, she could tell he really means what he says and struggling is really of no use. She dropped her hands in resignation while he smirked triumphantly, he tore her shirt apart in one go, exposing her bra alongside her flat tummy. He was salivating as he ran his eyes over her body then his hands reached towards her ample bosom but she raised her hands slowly to stop him however it failed her and he ended up sending another slap across her face, bruising her cheeks and making her face redder. Tears slowly trolled down her cheeks from the corner of her eyes, she has never felt this weak in her entire life so she never foresaw that a day like this will ever come. He leaned in towards her neck and aggressively sucked on her neck right on the cold ground despite the bedroom is just a few steps away. She closed her eyes in disgust as she felt his disgusting saliva on her neck as he devoured every part of her neck, perhaps he is taking his time. While she felt weak only one person came into her mind. {Han Chen...} She called in desperation inside her mind, she wished he could save her at this minute and she needed motivation. The moment when her half-naked body fell on him and how he protected her innocence instead of taking the chance entered her mind, now she wished they actually went far when they were together the at least her first time won''t be with the disgusting man on top of her. {No, I can''t let this happen, Han Chen...} She gathers her strength and managed to lift her head up to his neck then she bit his neck as hard as she could causing him to scream in agonising pain. She used the chance to push him away from her then she dragged her feet to her room which is just a few steps away. She pushed the door then quickly ran to the side of her bed to get her phone when she heard the sound of his foot on the stairs, she realised that she didn''t lock the door so she quickly ran towards the door to close it with her phone in her hand but as soon as she got to the door he had already gotten there, with fear in her mind she quickly leaned on the door to stop him from opening it but he started banging on the door and pushing it as hard as he could. She used the chance to turn the lock but she didn''t realize she didn''t fully turn it then she dropped to the ground and quickly opened her contact but everything in her sight turned blurry except for the name ''liar, annoying jerk'' on the screen. She quickly dialled the number. "Hello," a masculine voice responded with excitement in his voice, he waited for a while for her to speak but all he could hear is the sound of sobbing. "Yu Yan, are you there?" he questioned with tension in his voice, his mind became unsettled immediately. "Han Chen, please save me, he is trying to---" she didn''t complete her sentence when he blasted the door open making her body slam against the wall before she dropped to the ground. Her phone immediately fell to the ground while she crawled back in fear, the look in his eyes became more threatening and she could tell at this point he is really going to make her suffer in the most humiliating way. He slowly walked towards her with his eyes blazing in anger, she started sobbing louder as her vision became more blurred, she is not supposed to even move because of the drug but now that she is resisting the drug is doing more damage to her body. He hastily walked towards her then he pulled her by her hair and pushed her against the wall, she groaned in pain while struggling to free her hair from his grip. "Hello, Yu Yan, what is going on?!" Han Chen shouted from the other end as loud as he could, somehow the connection seemed to be unstable and he could only hear noises in the background. Zhang Wei turned in the direction of the phone, he sent another slap across her face for calling for help then he pulled her hair and moved towards the phone, he stomped his foot on the phone until they can''t hear what he is saying. Then he pushed her against the wall and held her chin tightly. On her body, there are already bruises and abusive marks on her body but she didn''t care about all that, all she knows is that she absolutely can''t let this person have his way but deep down in her she knows she is waiting for Han Chen to save her. "Do you think anyone can save you, since you like the bedroom then so be it," he pulled her hair and dragged her to the bed, he threw her to the bed then he started removing his belt as he climbed on top of her then pulled off his top. Her sobbing became louder, this time she really wants to kneel on the ground and plead with him. "P-Please don''t, please..." she muttered but he merely smirked then he leaned in and tried to kiss her on the lips but she moved her face away, he held her chin and forced his lips on hers, sucking on her lips aggressively. She wriggles her leg to struggle but she still found herself unable to overpower the man she easily defeated before. Tears welled down her face as she still continued to struggle but it only made him kiss her rougher, and grab her body roughly, bruising her lips and body badly. Just then, her eyes darted to the flower vase at the side of the bed, she slowly stretched her hands to reach the flower vase but with much effort, she finally got hold of it, she grabbed it and crashed it on his head. Chapter 286 - Revenge For Humiliation! 2 He groaned in pain as blood seeped out of the corner of his head, she then pushed him off her and tried to escape the room she desperately tried to run into thinking it will be her shelter, she had already reached the end of the stairs but she didn''t expect that he will grab one of the shards of the glass and follow after her. He pulled her back then he stabbed the shard into her abdomen. "Aah...." she winced in pain after which he pulled her back to the bedroom. Meanwhile, Han Chen who was already close to the apartment raced to the apartment but seeing that the door to her apartment is locked, he quickly phoned the managing director to get someone to bring the master card to the apartment. He ran his hands through his hair in frustration, he could feel his heart about to explode not knowing what happened to her but he could tell she is really in danger because the Yu Yan he knows will never sound so weak and helpless. He bit his finger anxiously before giving another threatening call to the managing director who quickly phoned those in charge to deliver it before the chairman loses his mind. His head was filled with all sort of imaginations of what is happening inside there, he wondered what state he is going to meet her in or what happened to her to cause her to sound so scared. Knowing their lives are on the line, one of the staffs arrived with the master card to the apartment then stupidly left, he quickly opened the apartment then rushed inside, the condition of the apartment looked normal except for few misplaced items in the living room. "Yu Yan!" he shouted but he didn''t hear any response, he ran towards her bedroom but gasped when he reached the stairs. His heart skipped a beat glancing at the dark red liquid on the ground in pints, he fluttered his lashed nervously as he kneeled to touch the liquid but then he realized it is indeed blood but whose blood? even with the answer very obvious, he wished he is wrong. Following the traces of blood, he got to her room. He pushed the unlocked door open only to see pints of blood on the ground and two figures on the bed. "Yu Yan..." he called softly. Zhang Wei immediately turned with his eyes widened, he quickly climbed from her body then he held one of the shards threateningly at Han Chen. His breath hung at his throat seeing her bloodied body on the bed then he glanced at the beast standing away from him, he just couldn''t believe that he still tried to rape her even after putting her in the condition. "Very good, you are that guy that was with her," they rushed towards each other, he waved the shards to cut him but Han Chen bent his hand then punched him on his face, he sat on top of him and rained punches on his face, giving the other no chance to recover before landing him another. His face became bloodied but it still couldn''t satisfy his rage, he needed to do something more, something that will amount to what he did to Yu Yan but he just can''t think of it except for killing him. He stood up from him and grabbed the shard of glass which he dropped then he stabbed it into his palm making Zhang Wei scream in pain. He removed the shard and stabbed his hands continuously making the other continually scream as his blood stained the ground, not knowing what else to do to save himself from this raging cold-hearted person, he held his hand up with the other hand but Han Chen sent another punch across his bloodied face. "Stop!" Zhang Wei screamed but Han Chen didn''t bother stopping, all he can think of is torturing him now then killing him in the most agonising way possible. "You had better go to her, she will soon die!" he shouted, knowing that will surely distract Han Chen and as expected it did, he used the chance to push him away then he ran out of the room, Han Chen was about to chase after him when he realized that Yu Yan is indeed slowly losing her consciousness. He rushed towards the bed and held her in his arms with her half-closed eyes still producing tears. "Yu Yan, stay with me...please," he brought out his phone from his pocket then he quickly dialled an ambulance but she held his hand, with her lips moving inaudibly. He leaned in to hear what she is saying. "I-I don''t w-want anyone to k-know about t-this..." she muttered. His heart wrenched looking at her, if not exactly the exact same pain she feels, the pain he feels seeing the woman he loves is more than the person she herself feels. He pulled her closer to his chest then he wiped away the blood at the side of her lips, she smiled faintly while making an attempt to hold his hand. "I knew you were going to save me..." everything in her sight turned dark. - - - - - - - "No no no no, please..." she shook her head frantically in an attempt to shake away the nightmare she hopes will forever remain a nightmare. Her body wriggled on the bed as though she is trying to free herself from someone, he entered the room only to see her forehead creased in the precipitate and her face scrunched, he immediately rushed to her side then hugged her while patting her hair gently. "It''s alright, I''m here," he repeated as he drew her closer to his chest. She slowly opened her eyes then raised her gaze to glance at the man whose embrace soothed her mind. As soon as their eyes met, the tears started falling uncontrollably, he didn''t know what to do since he has never had such an experience but his heart aches for her. She suddenly started crying aloud then she wrapped her arms around his waist with her head buried in his chest, wetting his sweatshirt with her salty tears, he patted her back reassuringly hoping it will reassure her that she is safe with him. "It was all a nightmare right, that disgusting bastard didn''t..." she couldn''t bring herself to say it, the level of shame and disgust she feels is nothing like she has ever felt. He raised her head gently to look into her eyes but she averted his gaze, she doesn''t want to see the look in his eyes for fear that he might really be appalled by her. He sighed then raised her chin to force her to look at him. "I am sorry for coming late and you don''t have to feel ashamed in front of me, my feelings for you will never change because of this and you can be reassured cos he didn''t go too far..." he didn''t want to use the word. She lowered her lids causing the tears to troll down her cheeks. He raised his thumb and wiped her tears with a gentle and affectionate feel. She wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him again, that was when she became aware of her surrounding. The room they are in looks luxuriously decorated in cool hues and too extravagant, the medical equipment and everything she should have to get the right treatment is all there in the room, then she realised she also has a drip connected to her. She concluded that he must have brought her to his mansion, she has so many questions to ask him but she suppressed them, to her it is already good enough that he is not appalled by her even if he is just feigning it. "Don''t worry, I made sure no one knows if it including Jia Yu and as for Zhang Wei you can tell me how you want to punish him but if you trust me then leave him to me," the end tone sounded so evil and dangerous that she wondered what he would do to him if she really leaves his punishment in his hand, it brought her mind back to when she heard Zhang Wei screaming but she couldn''t see what Han Chen did to him. "I will leave it to you," she muttered then tightened her grip on his waist. His eyes turned dark, he just can''t wait to get his hands on the bastard who dared to traumatise his woman. - - - - - - - - - In Jia Yu''s apartment. She is watching television with Ji Chen holding her in his embrace and a large bowl of popcorn between them. As they were watching the movie she was recounting what happened with Han Li but she didn''t tell him about Han Chen two identities he doesn''t know about even though she really hates lying to him. "Seems like your brother really likes to complicate things when he could just solve the problem with a simple conversation," he remarked as he fed her the popcorn. Chapter 287 - Secret Relationship! With the corn in her mouth, she changed her position to lie on his laps. "I told him the same thing but he is just too...sigh! thankfully he is not the same with Yu Yan," She added while he filled her mouth with more corn. "I did think it was strange at first when your brother seemed to be getting close with Yu Yan, I am really glad he likes her but hopefully Yu Yan will accept his feelings," Ji Chen who is still oblivious of Yu Yan confessing to him remarked. "She already confessed to him," she disclosed indifferently. "What!" he exclaimed with his hand flipping the bowl of popcorn over her face, her hands hung in the air with her lips pursed. "I wish I could react like this when she told me," "What did your brother say then?" He asked in excitement, forgetting the spilt corn on her face. "My dumb brother hasn''t replied her, now can you get the popcorn off my face," she hissed, which finally drew his attention to the caramel corns on her face. A naughty suggestion entered his head. He leaned into her then ate the popcorn from her face until there was no more, she was taken aback by his method but she liked it even though she sat up with a frown on her face. "Nasty," she murmured, turning her face to the other side to hide the smile on her lips but she couldn''t hide it from him. She cleared her throat then crossed her leg on the sofa with her body upright on the sofa. "We should pay attention to the movie," but the moment she turned to look at the television, she regretted saying that...maybe not, the main leads in the movie were just having a bed scene and kissing, she cleared her throat and scratched her neck. "Oh...why is it at this moment that you decided to pay attention to the movie or have you been waiting for this moment..." he teased but she hit his chest to caution him before she gets red with embarrassment. All of a sudden, he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her to his lap then he stared at her in a seductive manner which she finds herself unable to resist, he pulled her waist closer. "You don''t have to use this method, you can just tell me if you want it like that," he whispered, with his breath brushing against her face, her eyes subconsciously fell on his lips, she found herself gulping down her non-existent saliva with her lashes fluttering uncontrollably. "Hey...what are you....when did I, you really----" he pressed his lips against her, shutting her up while she held her breath with her words hung at her throat, he pulled away then slowly brought his thumb to her lips. He caressed her lips before gazing into her eyes then in a swift movement, he placed her on the sofa then stood in front of her with his body arched in front of her and the sofa acting as his support. She bit her lips with a broad smile forming on her lips. "I really like it when you are like this," she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer to her then she took the initiative, taking his lips into her with his tongue slipping into her mouth, with smiles on their faces, both continued kissing passionately while the leads in the movie continued. He pulled away after a while to give her time to catch her breath but she didn''t wait, she ran her hand through his hair and pulled him in for another round of passionate kiss with their eyes closed. He smiled inwardly as he is amused at how he is always the one initiating it but she always ends up being the one in control. They were lost in their own world that they didn''t hear the sound of the door opening, only when the footsteps approaching the living room became clearer did she realise that someone is in, she opened her eyes only to see two people standing in front of them with their eyes widened in shock. She quickly unwrapped her hands from his neck and tapped his shoulder frantically, he pulled away with a quizzical look on his face but she just kept staring straight, he thought she is just playing around so he tried to continue but she pushed him away with force, making him fall to the ground. He winced as he stood from the ground then he noticed two pairs of shoes, he raised his gaze slowly until he saw their faces--- "Aarrgh!!!" he screamed aloud in shock. Seconds later, both were seated on the sofa with their laps together and their hands on their laps, they couldn''t bear to look at the duo because of the embarrassment so they kept their eyes lowered. The silence filling the living room was too nerve-wracking that both figured that if they don''t do something about it, it will end up suffocating them. "Mom, Dad," both chorused in unison, they glanced at each other then sighed, they exchanged glances with one telling the other to speak first through signs until Jia Yu summoned the courage to speak. "Mom..." "Who is your mother and father?" Her father queried with a tone of hostility and a furious look on his face directed at Ji Chen. "Father...oh sir, I am sorry I didn''t properly introduce myself before, I...." "Introduce yourself, who do you think you are?" her father retorted before he could even finish, he lowered his head and pursed his lips, he has never lost his confidence so much in his life but her father really makes the atmosphere icy. "Dad, stop being so harsh, he is my boyfriend," Jia Yu said then she linked her arm with his with her lips pouted. "Jia Yu..." her mother scolded. "What is wrong with me having a boyfriend, you don''t know how much I pursued him and now you want to ruin it," she complained with her voice raised and her face scrunched as though she is about to burst into tears. He rubbed her hand to stop her from crying knowing she might start crying at any moment but he knew she already made things worse, what parent will like to hear that their daughter was the one who pursued the guy. "It is not what you think, Sir, she did pursue me but now I am the one clinging onto her," he quickly explained seeing the look of dissatisfaction on their faces and her father looked like he is going to explode soon. He dropped to his knees with both hands on his lap and his head lowered. "I am really sorry for not telling you about us even after dating for so long, I promise I will be good to your daughter and dote on her forever, she will be the one to bully me and I will be under her rule, even her brother has accepted me, so please...." he raised his head then licked his lips nervously. Her mother and father exchanged glances before turning to Jia Yu. "So Han Chen knew about this? it is no wonder why you didn''t tell us he was back, it turns out he was keeping this as a secret in exchange," "But...wait, why are you making a fuss out of this, I am old enough to have a boyfriend," "Shut up," her mother yelled making everyone freeze in an instant, she held his shirt and averted her mother''s gaze. "Do you think we are like this because you have a boyfriend, you probably went abroad because of him so you have been dating him for so many years but you didn''t tell us and we even had to find you two kissing, God knows how far you would have gone if we didn''t see you two..." she pinched her glabella and sighed while her husband patted her back to calm her down. "I know you are upset but it is my fault for not urging her to tell you about us but I can assure you that I am not playing around with her, my parents already know about her," he chimed in hoping the matter will be settled if he appears sincere enough, he originally told Jia Yu to tell her parents about them but she kept procrastinating it and it even almost made them break up once but he couldn''t bear to leave her so he just put up with it. "You can stand up now, I think I have seen you in one of our gatherings and you must be the only son of the Huang family, I heard you are well behaved unlike most heirs but I must warn you if you hurt my daughter once you will regret it for the rest of you life," "I promise Sir, I will never treat her badly," Chapter 288 - Drunken State! "He said you can stand up," she nudged out of worry that his knees might be hurting, he stood up then took his seat beside her. Her mother stood up then picked up her purse while her father followed suit. "I didn''t think the day I will see my daughter do such things will come and now our eyes have been dirtied, we will take our leave," she glanced at them both then exhaled strongly before leaving the apartment while her father followed behind her. It seemed very obvious that her mother is the one in control now he understands why Jia Yu is the way she is. They both heaved a sigh of relief. "They just had to interrupt us at that moment," she remarked with her lips pouted, he didn''t think that is all she cares about at that moment but he wasn''t surprised, instead he is quite angry knowing that she doesn''t care about the fact that she insisted on hiding their relationship from her parents for so long. He suddenly felt a ticklish feeling at his sides so he looked down only to see her fingers moving up and lifting his shirt seductively, her raised his brows with a quizzical look. "Why don''t we continue from where we stopped...?" he held her finger when his shirt has already been lifted to his belly halfway. "N.O W.A.Y," She scrunched her face then glanced down at his well polished abs, she lifted her other hand to touch it but he held it before she could feel his abs. "Don''t even think of it, this is your punishment for procrastinating this matter for so long until your parents caught us," "But..." He stood up then walked towards the bedroom angrily with a deep frown on his face. "Hey!" She yelled but he still didn''t stop, she threw the throw-pillows to the ground in annoyance and folded her arms on her chest then turned on the television again. .... Few days passed after Yu Yan''s incident yet no one knows what happened to her since Han Chen did a good job at keeping it secret, he texted her parents and friends that she had to leave to the countryside for an urgent matter and she will soon be back. He knows no one will think of coming to his mansion to look for her or for other reasons and as for Zhang Wei... The darkness on him finally came out, he has always been full of smiles and few words so no one except Roy and Shi Fen knows how dangerous and evil he can be. He made Roy use every means to find Zhang Wei without involving the police then as soon as he was found, he locked him in an underground storage room in a deserted area without any chance of ventilation and light blocked, to crown it all, he placed loudspeakers in the room and continually played different fast and slow paced classical musics, deriving him of sleep to the point of driving him to the edge of madness. He has always obeyed the law when he himself can be the law but this time, knowing that his disgusting lips touched her body and his hands crept on her skin....the hickeys and bruises on her body...he just can''t bring himself to trust the law with this. She stayed in bed all this while except for when she needs to use the bathroom, even after she was healed. The images of her weak self kept interfering with her attempt to recover mentally and every night she would have a nightmare Han Chen will always be there to put her to sleep then he will leave as soon as she falls asleep. All this she knows but she still feels sad. She was seated on the bed with her head leaning on the head board and AirPods plugged into her ear. She was listening to slow musics but her mind is not on the music. {Why hasn''t he given me an answer yet, am I even supposed to be here? perhaps I am expecting too much} She stopped thinking about that and tried to focus her mind on the music but once again she slipped off. {Does he even want me here, he said he still feels the same way for me but why?....} Even before the incident, she has been waiting for him to say something in frustration but now that he has seen her in such state, she has become more desperate. He used to smile at her and bicker with her but now all she gets from him is his blank expression with only pity in his eyes. She didn''t realise just how much she liked his funny yet jerky behaviour towards her, how much she missed his playful presence and how dependent she was on it. She cupped her face in her palm then stood up from the bed but her legs failed her, making her slip backwards, she was just about to hit her head on the edge of the bed when she felt a sturdy grip on her waist. She remained still for a while before standing straight and moving away from him, he noticed how she seems to distance herself from him but he didn''t want to point it out. "Are you going somewhere?" he questioned but made sure his tone doesn''t sound authoritative. She tucked her hair behind her hair before looking at him to answer his question. "I want to go out for a drink," she answered "But I already told them you travelled, will you be fine with anyone seeing you especially does from work?" His worry was fully expressed in his voice. "I am okay now so it is time I return to work so it doesn''t matter if anyone see me, I can just say I returned today," she picked up her phone from the side of the bed then picked her shoulder bag. "I will be leaving," she took a step towards the exit but he stood in her way. "I know you don''t feel comfortable but if you are really not okay then I can leave for you," in his eyes are mixed feelings that she can''t describe but she could feel his worry and care for her. She smiled faintly. "Han Chen, I know you care about me but I am really okay," she widened her smile and walked past him, he stood still for a while then went after her just when she reached the stairs. He held her wrist and spun her around, she looked down at his hand holding her wrist with a quizzical look on her face. "Let''s go together," he released her hand then walked in front of her as they descended the stairs. Instead of a high-class bar befitting of his status, he drove to a small stall but parked the car far away at her request so they can walk down to the stall, he then ordered grilled meat and five bottles of beer. The waiter placed the order in front of them then she bowed and took her to leave. He opened the bottle then filled her glass before pushing it to her side, she smiled faintly then picked up the shot glass and chugged it down her throat in one shot. He poured himself a glass but drank it rather slowly, he watched her pour herself another glass of beer then our it down her throat in one shot, he grilled the meat and placed them on her plate, leaving her to eat it herself. He continued doing the grilling while she did the drinking, in no time, all five bottles of beer were gone when he only drank one. "Please give us three more bottles," he ordered, he knows he really shouldn''t be letting her drink so much but if her wish is to get drunk then he will help her fulfil her wish and get rid of any complication after it. Just when she finished the other two bottles while he finished one, she opened her mouth wide with her eyes closed, he raised his brows wondering what she meant by that but she opened her eyes and scrunched her lips in the complaint. "The meat!" she shouted attracting the attention of everyone in the stall, he bowed his head to apologise to them then he quickly fed her the meat she wants. She chewed the meat heartily compared to how she chewed it when she will still sober then she gave him a hearty thumbs-up, she pushed her seat closer to the table then she placed her elbow on the table and supported her chin with her hand with her eyes drunkenly open. "Why are so you so good at grilling? it must be one of the perks of being handsome," she remarked with a drunken wide grin, he scoffed at how fast she changes when she is drunk, a while ago she was distancing herself from him but now he is...so good at grilling because he is handsome. He supported his chin with his palm and placed his elbow on the table just like her. "Why? don''t you like handsome guys who are good at grilling?" Chapter 289 - Drunken State!2 He supported his chin with his palm and placed his elbow on the table just like her "Why? don''t you like handsome guys who are good at grilling?" he questioned, the wide grin on her lips slowly decreased until it turned into a frown, she exhaled then straightened her hand to look straight into his eyes. "No, handsome guys who are good at grilling are jerks," she answered with resentment clearly evident in her tone, the smile on his face immediately faded, although he knows she is drunk he also knows whatever she says now is what she really feels. "L-Like who..." "Li....ke Chen Kai..." she paused for a moment, making him smile again, thinking Chen Kai is the only jerk in her heart until she mentioned someone else. "and..." she pointed her finger at him with an accusing look in her eyes, her accusing gaze pierced his heart, she placed him in the same category as Chen Kai and that alone tells him just how she feels about him. His elbow on the table dropped, his poise straightened as he stared straight into her eyes, seconds ago they looked drunken but now, her eyes look sober, even if he wants to take it for drunken talk, he can''t. {I guess I was right to not take your confession serious, your feelings for me were momentary} "Why?" the question slipped out of his mouth subconsciously, she also dropped her elbow just like he did and looked him straight in the eye silently. "Because---" she exhaled strongly then she stood up and leaned towards him with both of her hands on the table. "Because," her lashes fluttered then her lips widened to form a cute smile on her luscious lips while his eyes followed every change. Then she chuckled to which he raised his brow in confusion. "Just because..." she completed with a drunken grin then her support on the table weakened, her hands drop causing her face to almost fall on the table but he quickly held her head up before she slams it against the table. He paid for the drinks and meat then he carried her on his back as he walked towards the area where he parked the car, on the walk, she murmured and breathed heavily into his ear while spouting all sort of drunken nonsense. "Hey! you jerk!!" she screamed out of nowhere in a crowded street, he smiles with his teeth out to convince the passerby''s that she is just drunk, she kept swaying her body off his back but he made sure to hold her tightly. Suddenly she started hitting him and cussing him out on the street, attracting the attention of many passerby''s. "He must have broken her heart," "What a pity, she totally fell for his face," "What do you expect, any woman will endure heartbreak for a face like that," "I had better make sure my daughter is not dating someone like this," "He is really a jerk, how could he hurt her to this extent," All sort of remarks kept entering his ears as she kept displaying her drunkenness, he gritted his teeth in regret for letting her go out to drink and even ordering so many drinks for her. "I thought she could hold her drinks, how come she is so drunk today," he muttered as he made his way past the accusing fingers pointed at him, especially when she started crying out of nowhere, this time, he regretted parking his car faraway. {Did she know she was going to get this drunk so she told me to park far away in order to punish me) Up until they reached the deserted street where he parked his car, her loud cries filled the entire street, he was grateful there are no officers patrolling or he will have to show his identification then that will make his situation in the military worse. He placed his hand on the bonnet and heaved a sigh of relief as soon as they got to the car, he placed her in the shotgun seat as gentle as he could then he stretched his arm and went over to the driver''s seat. He glanced at her before turning on the engine. In no time, they arrived at the mansion, he parked the car in the compound then he opened the door for her to come out but he noticed she is fast asleep, having no choice, he carried her on his back again. He placed her on the couch in the living room gently then he removed his arm from her back to get her a glass of water, he returned with the water then he held her up to feed her the water, she drank the water asleep then he laid her back on the couch to return the glass cup and take a shower but she held his hand and pulled him close to her face. With her eyes still close, she leaned forward towards him while he held his breath until she sniffed his hair then she smiled and pulled away from him. "It smells nice...your hair," she grinned widely but she suddenly made a gawking sound, he raised his brow hoping she is not about to do what he thinks she is about to do, she made the sound again and this time he was about to move away but she pulled his collar then she dipped her face into his shirt and puked into his shirt. "No no no no..." but it was already too late, the reek of her puke filled his nose and her face is still in his shirt, he released his breath then held her shoulder to pull her back, she still had the grin on her face even after vomiting on herself and vomiting inside his shirt. He closed his eyes and inhaled. "For the sake of love, there is nothing I can''t endure...yes love," He carried her upstairs with their body reeking of puke, he carried her to the bedroom he previously decorated for her so she can freshen up in the bathroom then he instructed her to wash up since he can''t take off her cloth for her and his nanny is not in the mansion. He returned to his room to wash up, he took a quick shower then wore his satin robe and long pants then he stood in front of the mirror and ruffled his hair. "It smells nice...your hair," Her words popped into his mind. "At least she doesn''t hate everything about me," he styled his hair with his hand then he returned to his room. He was about to lie on his bed when he remembered that he left her alone in the bedroom, he became troubled as to whether she is still in the bathroom or she is done with cleaning up. "Should I have stayed there with her, what if something happens to her?" his anxiousness could never let him lie down in the peace, he rushed towards her room as though he has confirmed she is danger, he flung open the door to the bathroom then he looked around for her in the large bathroom until he saw a figure in the bathtub. He slowly walked towards the bathtub until the figure became more visible, he was now standing next to the bathtub when he saw her bare chest up to her cleave, he quickly turned his back to her then gulped down his saliva. "Huh...what are you doing here," she questioned, from the tone of her voice, he could tell she is still not sober, he turned back to scold her but his eyes met her bare shoulder, he quickly turned back again. "Why are you still here, I thought you will have changed by now," his voice shook, he waited for an answer but she became quiet then she suddenly started laughing. "What is so funny?" he questioned. "Squat, I want to tell you a secret, "Just say it like this," She pouted her lips then beat the water in annoyance. "Secrets are meant to be whispered, if you don''t squat then I won''t leave the bathtub," He folded her arms in resolution, he bent his head back then sighed, he wondered how she is going to feel if she remembers all her drunken act the next day. Having no other choice, he did as he said but he made sure to avoid looking at her. "Come closer..." he moved closer to her but he still avoided looking at her until she held his chin with both of her hands then turned his head to face her, he widened his eyes in shock but he made sure to fix his eyes on her face and not look down even though the soapy foam is covering her body, her cleave is still clearly visible. She smiled widely then brought his face closer to hers. "I love spending hours in a scented bath and I love drinking red wine when taking a bath, isn''t that awesome," she whispered in his face, her soft breath brushed against his face, he maintained an amused expression as his eyes drifted to her slicked edges and her wet hair draped on her shoulder. His eyes scrutinised her face closely from her edges to her chin. "Awesome...everything you do is awesome," he responded in a soft voice Chapter 290 - Drunken State! 3 She pulled him by the collar of his long robe with their nose almost touching, he could feel his body heating up. "Han Chen...I am sleepy," she muttered with her lips pouted, her eye lids slowly started shutting. He smiled broadly, if it was possible to get her drunk everyday so he can see her acting so cute then he certainly will do it, as long as there is no health complication. He removed her hand from his collar then he moved to the hanger where a thick white robe is hung, he removed it then returned to the bathtub. He inhaled then placed his hand under her armpit to pull her up, he closed his eyes hoping he won''t make the mistake of opening his eyes. he pulled her out of the water making the water splash all over the ground, he then draped the robe over her body then he opened his eyes and tied the belt around her waist. He carried her in his arms with her wet hair over his chest, she wrapped her arms around his neck instinctively then placed her head on his chest. His heart raced faster with every step he took towards the bedroom, despite the warm temperature of the room, he still felt really hot. He placed her on the bed gently then he opened one of the drawer to get a towel then he returned to the side of her bed, he sat her up even though she resisted then he ruffled her hair with the towel to dry her hair. "You can''t even take care of yourself when you are drunk..." he complained despite loving it and wishing she could be like this everyday. He hung the towel around his neck then he sat beside her and turned her body to face him. He brushed her hair back with his hands then caressed her face with his thumb with a sentimental look on his eyes, now that she is drunk he wanted to make use of the chance. "Yu Yan..." he called softly, she opened her lids then raised her gaze to look him in the eyes. "Hmm..." "Do you really think I am a jerk?" He questioned hoping she won''t say yes but then she nodded her head in affirmation. "Why?" "Because you are a liar...and you frustrated me for so long..." "What..." She suddenly started crying aloud, he didn''t know what to do, he tried to hug her by she pushed him away and then started hitting his chest continuously. "You jerk!" She screamed as she hit his chest with much force, he held it in but seeing her cry he wanted her to tell him what he did to hurt her instead of venting. "Can you not call me anything other than jerk, is that the only word in your dictionary for bad guys?" "And now you are even criticising my choice of word!" She sulked. He held her hand to stop her but she kept struggling to free herself from his grip. "Tell me, what did I do to you?" She stopped then she sniffed her nose to calm herself. "Why aren''t you replying me, you said you love me but when I...I confessed to you, you didn''t reply me, you should at least tell me yes or no because of this do you know how much I thought about your reason for ignoring my confession, I thought you don''t like me anymore because of what that bastard did or you just...hmm" He captured her lips with his before she could finish ranting, her eyes widened...a tingly aroused in her heart and it slowly engulfed her. He just held her lips still with his lips and his eyes closed. Her racing heart brought her back to her senses, her lashes fluttered nervously as she tried to process why his lips is on hers, on an impulse she placed her hands on his bare chest and pushed him away lightly. Her eyes fell on his broad sculptured chest that should have been covered but opened when she pulled the collars of his robe. "What are you doing...?" She questioned in a fluttered manner, he smiled faintly then leaned closer to her. "I didn''t know my kiss can make you sober, if I did I would have kissed you a while ago," he remarked in a teasing tone. "I...I..." the ranting she just did a moment ago came into her mind, she actually told him all the feelings and frustration she stuffed in her mind all this while. "I am sorry," "For what?" "For saying such nonsense and inconveniencing you," she replied with her gaze lowered, she could feel inside her that she will soon start crying at any moment. {Why have I gotten so weak?} He placed his hand and the side of her cheek then looked at her with a sorry look on his face. "Why didn''t you tell me this before, you didn''t have to keep it in?" He questioned in a scolding yet gentle manner. She fiddled with her fingers as tears glistened her eyes, she didn''t want to cry in front of him again but she really can''t hold it in. The first tear dropped. "How was I supposed to tell you, I did kiss Chen Kai before coming to you so I thought. You might be angry because of that but after I..." the words hung in her throat as another tear fell this time, the tear strolled down his hand. "After what happened at my apartment, I felt too ashamed, at first I was thankful that you found me but later on, I...I realised how ashamed I felt that you had to see me in that condition, the thought of you being appalled by me constantly made my heart ache, after Chen Kai I really thought I won''t be able to love anyone but I realised that I already loved you even before he returned...it felt really frustrating to not know what you are thinking despite the fact that you kept smiling to my face but your eyes were filled with pity, what was I supposed to do, I really..." he placed his finger over her lips to stop her from saying anymore. She raised her gaze to meet his, he hated it...that sad look in her eyes and the tears, it made his heart ache now that he knows just how much he hurt her by taking her confession for granted. "I didn''t know I would hurt you like this, you suddenly confessed to me so I thought it was just for the moment just like the kiss was after the welcome party, if I knew you really meant it...I...I never would have ignored you," The tears streaming down her face increased, she wondered if she tormented herself as this whole for nothing. He wiped her tears gently with his eyes fixed in hers. Her hands held both sides of her face then he lowered her head and plastered a soft kiss on her forehead, her body felt tense feeling his soft lips on her forehead, he pulled away then brought his lips to the tip of her nose softly, she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. Steadily, he held her chin and turned it to the side as he titled his head to her neck, he plastered a soft sensual kiss which she didn''t expect, a light gasp escaped her mouth as the tension filled her body, his lips then travelled to her collarbone. He pulled away then held the side of her face as they stared into each other''s eyes for a few seconds before he tilted his face to meet her lips, he took her lips into his, holding her face tighter. She suddenly felt a twinge between her legs. He wrapped his arms around her waist then steadily lowered her body to the bed with his body on top hers. Every movement of his lips on hers made her body freeze and her toes curled up, his hands travelled to her hair as he ran his hands through. She placed her hands on his shoulder then relaxed her tensed up body. She could feel the heat of his body. His kiss soft yet sensual and passionate, she realised what it feels like to be madly in love, she has kissed Chen Kai before but it didn''t feel like this, it didn''t make her body feel like she is drowning in passion. His hand returned to the side of her face then he slowly let go of her lips and opened his eyes. She lowered her gaze not knowing if she can really look him in the eyes despite the kiss they just had as she opened her eyes but she decided to look him in the eye. He smiled then caressed her lips with his arm arched above her head. "I have always wanted..." She suddenly leaned forward to kiss his forehead then the tip of his nose then kissed his adam''s apple before she pulled away. "Now we are even..." she said shyly with her lips scrunched cutely. He brushed her hair off her face then both giggled. Chapter 291 - Will You Marry Me! "Now we are even..." she said shyly with her lips scrunched cutely. He brushed her hair off her face then both giggled. She wrapped her arms around his neck then pulled him closer. "Fun fact...it took me one and the half years before I kissed Chen Kai," His eyes shone with happiness knowing she only let her guard down with him even though they have not even confirmed if they are dating now. "Did you ever kiss him like this?" He asked with a bit of jealousy visible on his face, she chuckled seeing the jealous side of him. "Hmm," she answered with a positive nod to which he raised his brows then she quickly nodded to refute his question. "I was just kidding," The smile returned to his lips. "Hum...when did we first kiss, you said you were my first kiss," she has always been itching to ask him this ever since she knew, she wanted to know when, how and why. "You might not believe it but we first kissed in this room and in this same spot," "Huh...I have been here before," she couldn''t believe what he said is actually true, how can there be such coincidence. "After my parents died, my aunt wanted me to live with them but I wanted to remain in the mansion, the second day after we started dating...you..." he felt too awkward to say it. "What...?" "You had your first period..." "Period....what do you mean...wait, What!" She exclaimed, pushing him off her body then she sat straight. She looked away and scrunched her face in embarrassment, if she knew then she will never have asked. She has always wondered why she never remembered what the first day was but she knows she started late at sixteen. "Why do you always have to be the one in my most embarrassing moments..." He smiled then turned her face to him. "You don''t have to feel embarrassed, you are a surgeon after all," "But..." "Speaking of embarrassment, I am the one who should be complaining, that day my nanny and the servants were not expecting me to be in the mansion so they left, I initially wanted to get something from the mansion then escort you to your house but when we got to the front of the mansion, I discovered it..." "How is that supposed to make you embarrassed?" "Who do you think ran to the store to get you sanitary pads and I even had everyone in the store staring at me and pointing fingers at me," She smiled awkwardly realising she actually put him in that position. "So you mean we kissed in such a sensitive situation?" Her mind imagined just how dangerous it was for teenagers like them. "Let''s be clear, you were the one who kissed me, I thought I was going to be the one in control but you always end up being the one to initiate it, I felt like the female in the relationship then," "Hey! do you really have to narrate it to that extent," she tucked her hair behind her ear in embarrassment. He pulled her hand then wrapped his arms around her back in a hug. "You never felt embarrassed even in that situation so you don''t have to feel embarrassed now, I love you," he whispered into her ear. Her face turned red hearing his last three words, the one phrase that she has always wanted to hear again, she couldn''t help thanking her drunken state and her sudden desire to drink. Even if he has not said what she wants to hear the most, she is willing to say it. "Han Chen...So, am I your girlfriend now?" she asked, indirectly asking him out with her eyes shut tightly, considering how intimate they were a while ago even if they didn''t sleep together, she thought he should be responding to her confession in that way. "No," he sharply answered instantly, she shot her eyes open with her brows furrowed, she pushed him away from her then she glared at him for a second then scoffed. "So did you just take advantage of me? and here I was thinking you indirectly gave me the answer I wanted, I have never been so direct with someone I love but for you, I let go of my pride but all you have to say is---no" the wronged expression on her face made him almost burst into laughter but he managed to hold his expression straight. She glared at him in anticipation of his answer but he kept silent. "Hey! are you not going to say anything?" she yelled but he still kept quiet, out of frustration, she scoffed then stood up from the bed. "Leave, I need to get changed," she demanded, this time, he is almost on the verge of bursting into laughter, in just one night he has seen different parts of her and her attitude to rejection is the cutest for him. "So you are not going to leave---oh, I forgot this room belongs to you, I will go downstairs then," she hesitated for a while, expecting him to try to stop her but he still stared at her with an indifferent look on his face. "You are really unbelievable," she glared at him then turned around to leave the room, a wide smile formed on his lips as he watched her storm out of the room, he chuckled silently then followed after her. She was just descending the stairs when he rushed up to her and picked her up in his arm, she was so startled that she quickly wrapped her arm around his neck and place her other hand on his chest. "I see you like that spot since you have taken every opportunity to touch it in just one night," he teased with his lips curled up, she raised one of her brows at his audacity to still tease her even after rejecting her after taking advantage of her. "None of your business!" She retorted but he leaned in to her face. "My dear woman, how is it not my buisness?" "You just have to have the last say don''t you and here I was thinking you have changed, let me down n.o.w!" She growled but his teasing smile only widened as he returned upstairs and carried her towards another stairs, he ran up the stairs with her in his arms. "Hey, are you crazy, let me down!" She screamed with her eyes shut, then she opened them with she noticed they are still, she opened her eyes only to find herself in his bedroom which she visited before. "What are we doing here?" She questioned, looking up at him. "You will know very soon," he carried her towards the secret compartment behind his closet, he pressed the button to make it open then he carried her inside. Even though this is not her first time in, she is still dazed by the beauty of the room, gold, diamond, jade and other precious stones were in the room but in the form of artifacts and jewels. "Let me down!" He smiled then let her down her. He walked towards the wall in the part of the room where he stopped her from opening the time she was there, she followed after him with a surprised look on her face when she saw him about to press the button he warned her not to press. "Are you sure you want to press it whilst I am s here?" He turned around and smiled at her then he pressed the button, the wall suddenly slid open , she moved forward to see what is in that compartment. She was stunned to see everything inside, pictures of them, and her portraits everywhere, most of the things she remembered having when she was in high school but she forgot how she lost them were all there. She moved closer and examined the shelf, the diary she remembered she used to keep, an hoodie she still has at home but not the same one as she is very sure she still has it at home, slideshows all over the room, showing images and videos of them. She even has a painting of her, golden sculpture of her and jewelries with their initials on it. Her mouth was opened agape at the extent he went to. "What is all this, are you sure you were not obsessed with me?" She questioned with her eyes still fixed on the items, he walked up to her then wrapped his arms around her waist from behind. She flinched as soon as she felt his touch. "You are right, I was obsessed with you," she removed his hands from her waist then she turned around to face him. "Even if, you didn''t have to go to this length, it makes my heart ache seeing this things," "I didn''t want you to see this room before because you haven''t recovered your memory, back then, I told you I wanted to make a room like this filled with memories of us but you were scolding me saying it is a waste of money even if I am a billionaire," Chapter 292 - Will You Marry Me! 2 "Then why did you still make it?" "Because I knew you wanted it so I made it for your birthday but when I showed it you, you were really happy to see it, back then you also asked me if I was obsessed with you," "I really don''t understand you, if you claim to love me so much then why did you reject me, you are really too complicated for me to understand," her eyes fully expressed her frustration, he held her hand then pulled her with him out of the compartment. "Where are we going now?" "Back to the bedroom," he answers precisely but his tone sounded way to wrong in her ears, she pulled him back. "Why the bedroom?" She questioned with a stuttering voice. He realised what she is thinking so he decided to play along with her dirty thought. "What do you think people do in the bedroom?" Her eyes widened at the thought of what he means, he curled up his lips then continued. He placed her gently on the bed to seat her down then he walked away, once he disappeared, she took the chance to escape but just as she got to the door, he scooped her in his arms then carried her towards the bed. "Hey, you had better not go too far, I may have kissed you but I am definitely not going to sleep with you," she crossed her arms over her chest with a frightened look in her eyes. He smiled warmly to her surprise then suddenly dropped on one of his knee. "W...Why are you suddenly kneeling?" she questioned with her brow raised. He brought out his hand from behind his back then he opened his palm, a small red box with exquisite shape appeared in his hand. She fixed her eyes on the box in confusion but in her mind she already has a speculation of what he is about to do. {He is not about to propose, is he...?} He opened the box, revealing a dazzling ring with simple yet sophisticated design and a medium diamond on it (Author: if only you know the price,). "Huo Yu Yan, will you marry me?" He proposed in a mellow tone, her heart dropped hearing his proposal. "Huh!" "Will you marry me?" He repeated, his heart raced waiting to hear her answer as she looked at him with a flabbergasted expression. Her mouth was slightly agape in disbelief. {Did he reject me to propose to me?} "Don''t you think it is too sudden, we haven''t even dated yet...?" She itched to have that ring on her finger but she was worried that he might regret this later on. "Yu Yan, you are the only woman I have ever loved in my heart and even during your absence, I never forgot you for even a second and I think we have already wasted enough time...I really can''t wait to make you my woman forever," his soft voice touched her soul and her heart rammed against her chest, she has never thought of this day with him because she thought she will be satisfied with being with him for even a day. "Yes, as much as you want me to be your woman forever, I also want you to be mine forever and ever," she extended her finger with a broad smile on her lips and her eyes teary. His smile widened almost to his eyes, he held her finger then looked into her eyes before sliding the ring into her finger. He stood up then sat next to her on the bed and hugged her tightly. "Isn''t it amusing?" "What is?" She questioned with her arms around his neck. "Everything, you telling me how you feel, kissing, showing you the compartment and our teenage memory and the proposal, most of all...you are now my woman...my fianc¨¦e," his voice carried deep sentiments that she felt deep in her heart, she wondered just how long he prepared for this day and how much he wanted it to have already had a ring ready to propose to her. She pulled away gently then she cupped his face on her hands. "Everything is happening so fast but I can tell I want it more than ever, I really love you," she smiled warmly which he reciprocated, he lowered her head to press a kiss on her forehead. - - - -- - They drove to work the next day together then they entered the hospital together unlike when she used to create a distance between them. As they walked past the patients and staffs from the reception, everyone could feel a different aura around them, the expression on their faces just made the progress in their relationship just too obvious, leaving everyone to wonder just how far they have gotten. Now that they have a office to themselves, it just made it more interesting for them. As soon as they entered the office and settled down, she picked up some of her patients chart and proceeded to do her rounds but as she got to the door, she noticed the blinds dropped. She turned around only to see him walking towards her. In the instant, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to the glass wall then he placed his other hand on the wall. "I need to do my rounds..." she whispered "Why the rush..." he lifted her chin then kissed her lips softly, then he pulled back. "You can go now," She smiled shyly then quickly rushed out of the office. He dipped his hands in his pocket and licked his lips with his eyes fixed on her until she disappeared from his sight. She entered the elevator to go to the patient ward but she was about to press the button when she saw Jia Yu running towards the elevator. She halted and waited for her to enter while preparing herself for the interrogation, as soon as she got in, she pressed the button but then a foot appeared to block the elevator from closing. "Excuse me," Chen Kai appeared then he entered the elevator with them. Both ignored him then Yu Yan closed the elevator but she really hoped Jia Yu won''t interrogate her while Chen Kai is in the elevator with them. "Why did you suddenly travel to the countryside?" Jia Yu questioned with her hands in her pocket, Yu Yan tried to give her a sign to wait until Chen Kai is out but she ignored it. "Something just came up, I will explain later," she answered. "If you say so," she had just looked away from Yu Yan when her eyes fell on the simple yet intricate ring her on her finger...the fourth finger. Her eyes widened at the sight of the ring, she definitely recognise that ring to be her late aunt engagement ring. "Yu Yan...when did Han Chen propose to you?" she queries with her finger pointing at the ring, Chen Kai immediately took a look, his eyes widened at the sight but Yu Yan quickly covered her hand. "I will explain it to you later," she responded knowing that Chen Kai is staring at her, she really doesn''t want to spend a minute with him here. Whilst she is still in shock, the elevator opened. "Aren''t you getting off?" She asked, noticing that Jia Yu is still fixed on the ring on her finger but the latter still didn''t budge, Yu Yan had no choice but to push her out gently. "Hey wait..." The elevator door closed. The atmosphere became tense, she really hope he won''t ask anything or say anything because she really doesn''t want him to ruin her happy mood. "Did he really propose to you?" She shut her eyes tightly in irritation but she decided to ignore him after all, the elevator will soon open. "Yu Yan..." Just then, the elevator opened, she rushed out of the elevator then he followed behind her but because of the crowd, he can''t follow after her so he went his way. She turned back after a while to confirm he is gone, seeing that he is out of sight, she heaved a sigh of relief. She finished her rounds soon after but it really lifted her mood to know that most of her patients are doing well, before that used to be her greatest source of joy but now that Han Chen is in her life, it has become her second. She finished taking note of the last patient''s condition so she left the ward but she remembered the patient with a late stage liver cirrhosis. She decided to head there to see how the patient is doing. She met the patient''s wife seating beside him with his hand in hers and a teenage girl seating beside her, she smiled then walked up to them. "Ma''am," she called as soon as she got to their side, she lifted her head only to see the surgeon who gave her hope but disappeared a while after. The smile on her face faded seeing the haggard look on the woman''s face. "Are you okay, you look so worn out?" She asked with a concerned look on her face, the woman stood up with an expression that looked like she is about to tear up. "Please let''s speak somewhere else," she walked out of the ward even before Yu Yan could answer, she deduced that something must have happened in her absence, she gave the teenage girl a reassuring nod then followed after her mother. Chapter 293 - Damned Dream! 1 When they got to a fairly secluded hallway, the woman stopped then dropped on her knees, her sudden action took her by surprise. "Please stand up," Yu Yan pleaded, gesturing the woman to take her seat on the bench instead of kneeling. "Please save my husband, I know we are not people of high status but that doesn''t mean his life is irrelevant compared to a wealthy person," the woman pleaded with her hands together, she couldn''t understand what she is saying but she just wanted the poor woman to stand for the meantime. "Ma''am, whatever it is you have to say, I will listen to it but you have to take your sat, if someone sees you kneeling like this, they might have the wrong idea, please..." she pleaded, after much persistence, the woman finally took her seat next to Yu Yan on the bench. She took her hand into hers. "Now you can tell me, what happened?" her eyes narrowed to listen to the woman keenly. "The second week after my husband got admitted, the surgeon you performed his operation with informed us that there is a liver donor who has the same blood type as my husband but because this person''s blood type is rare just like my husband''s, there is no patient who is compatible, I had already started making preparations but long after, we were informed that the liver has been given to someone else and it turns out that this person is a VIP patient," the woman narrated with tears flowing down her eyes. She could feel the woman''s misery which is clearly expressed through her voice, her haggard look and her eyes. She sighed and bit her lips, she just couldn''t believe that they are going to do the same thing they did to the previous patient but she is already determined to do all she can to save this patient no matter what. She held her hand tighter. "Please return to your husband''s side, I want you to trust me to do everything in my power to make sure that your husband gets the liver rightfully even if it means we have to use the law," she patted her hand then she stood up decisively and made her way towards the hepatology department to see her transplant hepatologist friend. She stormed her way into her office then shut the door with a loud bang, everyone around the office wondered what must have gone wrong. "What is it?" her friend questioned seeing how she rudely entered her office. "Why is he not getting the liver?" she queried in an angry tone with her chest moving up and down, seeing how heated she is, her friend pulled the blinds of the office then she walked towards Yu Yan. "If he qualifies for it and he got it first, what right does any VIP patient have to take that liver instead of the patient, does status really matter that much to you people!" she yelled with her eyes bulged and her hands making the angry gestures. She just can''t take it when they cheat other patients and give them less attention just because they are not so wealthy. "Yu Yan, mind your words, what do you mean by you people, are you saying I am playing injustice just like them, what exactly do you think of me, if anyone is to blame then it is you for giving them hope in the first place," she retorted, her scolding made Yu Yan calm down. She walked past her to sit on the chair then her friend returned to her seat. "Then tell me, what exactly happened?" she questioned in a more composed manner. "You need to calm down, the patient guardian has the wrong idea and it is all my fault, I got a tip from the department that there is a donor whose blood type is compatible with the patient but I didn''t think to ask any more detail before I rushed to inform the patient''s guardian but it turns out that one the VIP patient who has already been registered before the patients had already gotten the liver so the patient just has the wrong idea, I have tried to convince her that it is not what she thinks but she just wouldn''t believe anything I say," she explained, considering the type of person she is, Yu Yan knew she is not lying but it really pained he to know that someone else got the liver but considering that all lives are equal, she didn''t dwell on it too much. "I am sorry for acting rudely earlier, I will try explaining to her but please continue checking up on the department, I am sure you know the patient won''t be able to last for long," "You know I will," She thanked her friend then exited the office but in truth, she doesn''t know how to explain to the patient guardian who thinks her husband has been cheated since no one in her position would want to believe she has not been cheated for a wealthy person. She returned to the ward to explain to the patient''s wife but she couldn''t bring herself to tell her because she definitely won''t believe it. She attended to more patients in need of urgent surgery and treatment, for the entire day, she couldn''t visit Han Chen who had little on his tab to do, he paid a visit to the team leader of the general surgery department and had a little chat with her about his current condition and his proposal to Yu Yan. When they decided to wear the ring in the open, they were prepared to let everyone know but they wanted to find a special opportunity to tell his aunt and uncle and also inform her parents, she knows it might be quite hard for her parents to accept a fianc¨¦e who appeared out of nowhere. By the time they were done with work, it was already late in the night, they returned to the mansion together, they retired to their rooms to shower and change into something comfortable. She couldn''t help feeling down and powerless since she can''t exactly find a liver donor using her own power for the patient, after all, he has to follow the queue no matter how pitiful and as a surgeon, she is supposed to be cold hearted- -at times. She lied on her bed to sleep in her mickey mouse pyjamas, however, no matter how much she changes positions on the bed, she still can''t seem to sleep but after about one hour of trying to sleep, she finally fell asleep. - - - - - - - - - "I have to master it no matter what..." the young lady in red hanfu gritted her teeth, she removed the gloves in her hands, she waved her hands around then pushed it forward towards the lake, she aimed to control her power in order to minimise the explosion for the nth times. But as soon as she pushed her hands forward, the water blasted beyond control and the boomerang of her power sent her flying back, her back was about to hit a large rock when another young lady quickly held her back. "Young mistress, you have to stop this now!" the latter yelled but the young lady freed herself from her grip but before she could conjure flames again, the other lady stood in front of her with her arms widespread. "I won''t let you keep doing this to yourself, I know you need to practice to perfection but this is not how to do it, you need to study your power and know your limit, you keep vomiting blood every day, if you continue this way, not only will you harm yourself but you won''t be able to pass the test," the young lady persuaded with tears streaming down her cheeks and a pained expression on her face as she watched her young mistress continue to torment herself with blood at both corners of her lips. "Move!" she yelled then raised her hand to threaten her but she still didn''t budge. "Go ahead, causing a disturbance in the lake won''t help you, if you insist on continuing then you can just use me to train, as you already know, I am the second person in the world who can withstand your flames but there is a limit, I will rather die than watch you harm yourself," she shut her eyes tightly and gritted her teeth, waiting for the hit but when she didn''t sense any movement, she opened her eyes. "Young mistress!" she screamed seeing the petite body on the ground, she quickly rushed towards her and held her in her arms, she felt he pulse but it was too faint. "Guardian, I need you..." she muttered in her unconscious state. - - - - - - - - "Guardian, I need you..." she shot her eyes open in an instant with her breath hung in her throat, she exhaled deeply to expel the air in her lungs then she wiped her forehead. "This damned dream...nightmare again," she could feel her body weak and devoid of strength, she concluded that she won''t be able to sleep peacefully without company so she decided to go to Han Chen. Chapter 294 - Damned Dream! 2 "This damned dream...nightmare again," she could feel her body weak and devoid of strength, she concluded that she won''t be able to sleep peacefully without company so she decided to go to Han Chen. She sneakily entered his room then she walked slowly to his large bed, she smiled looking at his large figure under the red duvet in his red robe. She climbed into the bed then spooned him from behind, she snuggled on his back and inhaled his cologne then she exhaled as his manly scent soothed her mind. She closed her eyes to sleep when he suddenly turned around and wrapped his hand around her back then pressed his lips on her forehead. "You weren''t asleep?" "I was thinking about you so I couldn''t sleep, what of you?" He questioned as he tucked the strands of hair on her face behind her ear. His hand stroked her face warmly. "I had a nightmare so I couldn''t go back to sleep," she answered with her lips pouted, he smiled then cupped her face. "I will ask you what it was about in the morning, for now, you can sleep in my arms," his sweet tone tickled her that she couldn''t help smiling. He drew her closer to his body then he placed his head above hers in a cuddle and just like that, she fell asleep. - - - - - - - Something told him he is supposed to be awake but surprisingly, he couldn''t bring himself to open his lids, in fact, he felt extremely satisfied with last night''s sleep, something he has never been able to get for a long time...a comfortable and long-lasting sleep. He has never had a need for alarms since the ray of light squeezing its way through the small space of the curtains always wake him up without fail. He smiled subconsciously remembering the body in his embrace from last night, the feeling he felt when he wrapped his hands around her back and pulled her closer to his body and the sweet scent of her hair, he wanted to go to her bedroom last night but he controlled himself in fear, that it might create boundaries between them but he didn''t think she has no little to no boundary for him. When he heard the light tiptoes in the room, his alertness level rose but he quickly let his guard down knowing from the sound of the tiptoes that it certainly belongs to the woman he loves and wanted to embrace so badly, he let her climb on to his bed and even spoon him. "My handsome sleeping beauty..." her light breath brushed against the tip of his nose, just like a feather tickling him, now he didn''t need any alarm but her soft whisper to wake him up, he smiled broadly. Judging from the closeness of her breath, he determined her position then pulled her hand, making her fall on his chest, he opened his lids. "Sleeping beauty...is the role reversed?" "Who says the sleeping beauty has to be the female?" she responded with the softness he used in asking her. He leaned closer to sniff her body. "Were you cooking?" he questioned, identifying the smell on her body to be curry. "Hmm... let''s brush so we can have your breakfast together," she stood up from his body then pulled his arm to pull him up, he groggily stood up from the bed and followed behind her but he had this idiotic smile on his lips as he stared at the side of her face by her sidelocks. {You are so damn beautiful...} He remarked inwardly. After they finished brushing, they went into the dining room where she had already served the foods, he opened the lids to see the simple breakfast of curry tofu scramble and toast bread with a cup of tea each. "I didn''t know you knew how to cook, you used to say if we ever get married I will be the one to do the cooking," "I still don''t like cooking but I made this from a recipe online, you see I am a fast learner," she smiled then started taking bites off the toast, he let her finish her food before he starts asking the questions on his mind. "...your nightmare, what was it about?" he questioned just as she took the last bite, he liked that she wanted to find comfort in his arms but he didn''t like that she has nightmares that make her unable to sleep. She took a sip of her tea then placed the cup gently on the table before turning to him with a troubled look on her face, she didn''t know if he would believe her if she tells him how she has been struggling with a nightmare that seems like someone''s life and what the psychologist said. "My nightmares are not exactly nightmares...they are like, a documentary of someone''s life in another world," "What do you mean?" he narrowed his eyes. "Actually, there is a girl who looks like the teenage me but she has a strange appearance....crimson hair and eyeballs but the weirdest thing is that she has the ability to conjure fire, I have been having these dreams for a long time now and at first I thought it is because of my imaginations but every time she is angry, sad, confused, despaired and desperate...I always feel it, I once visited a psychologist but he said I...nevermind, he made a stupid hypothesis," she picked the cup to sip the tea again thinking he might discard the issue but little did she know how troubled he is hearing that she has such a problem. "What did he say?" he probed, she placed the cup on the table and turned to him with a somewhat surprised look that reads ''aren''t you supposed to let it go''. {If it was Chen Kai he will definitely not mind it, that is the difference between them} "What are you staring at? answer me," "Oh, he said something about a parallel world and another me existing in another world, he also said that he was involved in a research that involves proving the existence of another world, isn''t that funny," she sipped the tea again with a scoff but he furrowed his brows with his eyes fixed on her, he held her hand with a worried look. "Yu Yan, I don''t think you should discard his words, from what you just said now, it seems like this is a serious problem," "Hey, do you actually believe that nonsense, how can there be another world?" "I am not saying I believe it, I am just saying you shouldn''t eliminate that possibility, I will make sure I get the best psychologists around the world, to help you with this," he held her hand tighter, she felt the need to laugh at him at that moment, the way he exaggerates the issue makes it funnier than it actually is. "I am really alright, moreover, it is just a once in a while thing," she patted his hands reassuringly. "But..." "It is really alright, even if it is that serious, I was able to sleep well yesterday thanks to you so I don''t need any psychologist," Seeing that he still looks at her with worry in his eyes, she stroked his face with a reassuring smile on her face to cheer him up, he touched her hands on his face then sighed. "Since we don''t have work today, let''s just have a home date," she suggested with a tone of excitement, he chuckled seeing how excited she looks for a home date. "Why not go out?" "I don''t really feel like going out," - - - - - An Ke had just finished assisting a major surgery when she went into the bathroom to scrub, she changed back into her white coat then she released her hair and brushed it with her hands, she retouched her make up then she exited the changing room but just as she left she met the one person she has been missing lately. "Li Wei!" she called almost in an exclamation, she quickly covered her mouth when she realised the mistake she made. "Miss An Ke," the other called with a charming smile on his lips but more like a teasing smile, she removed her hands from over her mouth then she tucked her hair behind her hair shyly then walked over to him with a faint smile. "I didn''t think I will meet you here," she remarked, indirectly asking what he is here for. "I just finished a minor surgery, I guess you also just finished a surgery," "Yeah, I assisted my team leader but it went well, I must say, it has been long since we met like this," she went on. "After our first meeting at the caf¨¦ we have met at least five times, why do you make it sound like we have never met since then," he said straightforwardly, she almost cussed him out in her mind, every time they meet, he always puts her in an awkward position but she still can''t help her fluttering heart. She grinned awkwardly while averting his gaze. Chapter 295 - Unrequited Love! 1 "Why don''t we grab coffee?" He suggested, her eyes lit up at the suggestion, she immediately nodded her head in agreement. They walked together to the cafe on the top floor of the building instead of the last floor but she kept walking behind him to admire his back view even though he kept trying to match her footsteps but she is ignorant of it. They ordered a cup of latte macchiato each then they sat at the exact same seat they sat on their first meeting, she sipped the drink gently while looking out of the glass wall out of awkwardness but he kept his eyes fixed on her with a curled up smile on his lips. Something about her keeps attracting him to her, there are very few people he has tagged as interesting in this world but from the moment his eyes landed on her, he could only mutter one word ''interesting...'' The awkwardness and his fixed eyes on her kept pressuring her, she was expecting him to look away from her or try to ease the situation but he just keeps making the atmosphere around them worse. She cleared her throat. "I was expecting you to clear the air but you keep staring at me, do you enjoy making people awkward?" She questioned in a sarcastic yet serious tone while her finger circled the edges of the cup. He stared at her for a while more before chuckling aloud, making her raise her brow as to what must have been so funny. "D-Do you think I am making a joke?" she queried with an offended smile on her lips but he can''t seem to take her seriously. {This is why I don''t want to fall in love with a bad boy} "Miss An Ke, I have seen you many times in the hospital but I always watch you from afar and because of this, I have noticed the difference when you are with other people and when you are with me..." "Huh...w-what do you mean?" her lashes fluttered. He leaned towards the table to bring their faces closer. "You are always the player when you are with others, I have seen patients and doctors flirt with you and your reaction is always so...how do I say this, always quite a spectacle to watch but whenever you are with me, you look flustered...nervous..." "Stop!" She could feel her cheeks getting hot and her lashes fluttering uncontrollably but he kept leaning closer...almost too close since she is seating just beside him, not opposite him. "...excited---just like now---" his lips curled up into a smirk, her eyes widened at that smirk of his, his bad-boy attitude just makes things worse, normally, she is the one dating and dumping the guys and also having one night stands with whoever she desires but ever since she met him, every other guy she hooks up with always has his face plastered on theirs so she has not been able to return to her normal heartbreaker self. She sprung up from the chair abruptly, causing her drink to spill, her chest moved up and down as she could hear the thumping sound of her heart. "Excuse me, I have something urgent to do," she rushed out of the cafe with her hands on both sides of her cheek while he watched her scurry out. "You little cutie cat..." he remarked then he stood up from his seat and followed after her, leaving his drink in the cafe, just as she entered the elevator and was about to press the button, he entered after her. She was still startled when he held her hand and pulled her out of the elevator to the rooftop of the building. "What are we doing here?" she questioned as soon as they got there but he pinned her body against the wall with his hand above her head. {Oh no...} If she had a stethoscope, her ears will certainly not be able to withstand the thumping sound of her heartbeat. "How does it feel?" "Huh!" "I heard from some of the surgeons you dated...no, I don''t think I should call it dating since the longest was three days, they said you like this position," {I am the queen of heartbreaking, I can''t let him win this,} She forced a smile on her lips. "So---are you taking revenge for them?" "Why should I, I was just wondering how long I will last if I were to seduce you but I really don''t understand, you are indeed beautiful but not stunning and your body..." he eyes scanned her body but she quickly covered her chest. "Hey!" "You have a great body but not stunning either so how exactly do you manage to toy with their heart..." In a swift movement, she pulled his hand from above her head then spun his body around and ended up pinning him to the wall with her hand above his head. "Like this," she responded with a smirk. She is indeed not the most stunning amongst her friends but she has long discovered the secret to toying with men''s heart since she was in high school, for her, men are creatures who always go after the one woman they cannot get so the more you play hard to get and also continually taunt them, the more they want you. "Hmm..." She noticed his lips turn up but before she could deduce his intention, he wrapped his hand around her waist then pushed her to the wall gently with his hands on her waist pulling her body to his. "I understand now so why don''t you tell me, how long do you think I will last," "You don''t stand a chance," she lied through her teeth. {I really don''t know} She answered in her mind. "I don''t think so, the way you shouted my name earlier...it seemed like you missed me for a long time, your lashes always flutter and your voice quavers whenever you see me..." he leaned his head towards her chest but she pushed his head away. "What do you think you are doing?" "I am sure your heart is probably racing right now, it is quite interesting...seeing a lady who enjoys toying with men''s heart fall for a guy who is exactly the same as her," he teased, he wants to see her flustered to the point where she is unable to hide it. At first, he wanted to toy with her heart as his trophy since she is the most interesting girl he has ever met but later on, he realized he is also getting attracted to her, just that she is too busy trying to hide her emotions to notice his flaws when he is with her. "Says who? I am afraid you have the wrong idea," she quickly retorted, trying to hide all the signs he just mentioned. "Really," he stared into her eyes for a moment then he slowly lowered his gaze to her lips before staring into her eyes again, she quivered at the thought of what she is about to do, the pride she has earned over the years of toying with their heart all these years wants her to avoid his kiss but she found her body frozen. Until their nose brushed against each other and the gaps between their lips almost closing as she shut her eyes. She waited...for his lips to clash against hers but it didn''t. {Did he perhaps...?} She opened her eyes to find him smirking with a mocking gaze. "I guess I am right after all," He moved away from her then he dipped his hands in his pocket and straightened his poise, he smiled one last time before walking away, leaving her dumbfounded but he stopped at the door. "I will meet you at Sunset by 7''o clock tonight," he said then he exited the rooftop, leaving her to think about what he just said. "Sunset...oh, the restaurant, is he asking me out on a date?" she asked rhetorically, she bit her lips and turned to face the wall, she hit the wall in excitement then giggled uncontrollably, not knowing he is still at the door, listening to her screams of excitement. She returned to the office with a look of excitement on her face, everyone who passed by her could feel that girly and lost in love aura around her, most were astounded as they know how much of a player she is herself. "An Ke, are you alright?" a male colleague couldn''t help asking as she passed by him. "Huh...Yeah, I am alright," she answered with a flustered expression and her hand itching her nape. "Are you available for dinner tonight, I have been asking you out for a date for two months now, are you still busy?" the colleague asked, hoping she won''t give him an excuse just like she has for a long time now. "I forgot about that, I already have an appointment tonight," she responded then smiled broadly before walking away when in fact she doesn''t even remember him asking her out on a date, she only recognises him as someone she has seen around the hospital. Chapter 296 - Unrequited Love! 2 "I forgot about that, I already have an appointment tonight," she responded then smiled broadly before walking away when in fact she doesn''t even remember him asking her out on a date, she only recognises him as someone she has seen around the hospital. The young man hung his head after being rejected for the nth time. She returned to her office with a bubbly aura surrounding her which Li Chen noticed as soon as he entered, he looked at her with curiosity in his eyes while expecting her to notice that he is staring at her but surprisingly she didn''t notice, he took the effort to stand up from his seat and go behind her. After waiting for a while without any reaction from her, he finally gave up and decided to just call her attention. "An Ke..." he whispered behind her ear which made her jump out of fright. "Hey!" she snapped then balanced herself back on the seat with a frown on her face, he turned around then pulled his seat beside hers with a disheartened look in his eyes which he tried to cover up with a fake smile. "Why are you so happy, did you meet any handsome guy again?" he teased but in his mind, he hoped she won''t say yes, he has seen her go crazy for men and being indifferent to them later on but he noticed a few times when she came back to the office looking the same way she does now. No restraint for her joy...he fears that she is like this for the same person. "Why do you care, all you ever do is nag anyways, go go go..." she pushed his seat away, causing the tyres to roll back to his desk, he smiled through it but he felt his heart-wrenching. The words she keeps spilling as a joke and her indifference has caused his heart to be hurt times without number, leaving him to get drunk a few times when he is not on duty though her can''t get drunk to a wasted state and other times when he doesn''t get drunk, Yu Yan is always the one who notice the changes in his expression and does her best to comfort him. {I just can''t understand, if others can see it clearly then why can''t you?} He queried in his mind with a sentimental gaze fixed on her then he looked away and left the office angrily. He returned to the office a few minutes to seven so he can get off work with her even though he is still pissed with her but the scene he saw as soon as he opened the door made his face downcast. She styled her hair into a neat and slick ponytail and she is redoing her makeup, even her outfit look too fancy than usual. {An Ke never dolls up for just any date, who exactly is this person?} Just as she finished packing up her mini makeup bag into her bag and stood up from her seat to leave, he quickly walked up to her then held her hand. "Let''s go out for dinner tonight..." "No way, I have a date already...can''t you tell from how I am dressed and you claim to be my bestie," she snapped her hand from his grip then kissed her teeth before walking towards the door but he rushed to the door to stop her. "Who is it---your date?" he questioned with a deep sentimental look in his eyes, at that moment, he doesn''t even want to cover how he feels for her. "Li Wei, the prince charming I told you guys I met...well it''s been a while so you might not remember," she smiled at him then opened the door leaving him heartbroken. Li Wei...how can he forget that name, he remembers all the names of the guys she has had a crush on or even admires, now that he remembers, he realized she changed ever since she met the guy in the canteen. Hia heart dropped! He has always felt relaxed all this while knowing that she won''t fall in love with anyone even though he hates that she hooks with too many guys but now it seems like she has really fallen in love. He snapped back to his senses. He grabbed his coat and car keys then he quickly went after her as fast as he could and thankfully, he met her in the parking lot about to enter her car. "An Ke!" he shouted with his chest heaving up and down then he rushed up to her, she turned back with a surprised and quizzical look on her face. "What are you doing her-" "I love you!" he shouted aloud, taking her by surprise, her face remained blank for a while before she turned unserious, leaving him to wonder why she just never takes him seriously for once, if Yu Yan is her best female friend then he is her best male friend but he just doesn''t want to remain that way. He was worried that their friendship might end if she ends up rejecting him but now that she has fallen in love, he really can''t hold back. "Hey, I have no time for your jokes again," she turned to open the door then enter her car but he pulled her hand back with a serious look on his face. "I am not joking!" he scolded with his voice raised and his anger evident, her heart jumped when he raised his voice at her, she has never heard him raise his voice to her, she stared at him with her brows knitted together and her mouth slightly agape before snapping her wrist out of his grip with a frown. "I don''t care if you are joking or not, we are best friends and we will never be more than that," she responded in an awfully straightforward tone with a deep frown on her face which showed just how much it irritates her to hear his confession. She turned around and lowered her head to enter the car but he held her hand and spun her around then he placed both of his hands at her cheeks as he locked her lips with his in an attempt to kiss her passionately but before his tongue could slip into hers, she struggled to push him away but he held her face tighter, trying to force his kiss on her. She struggled to push him away then with all her strength, she managed to push him away. "Li Chen!" she rebuked, following a tight slap on his cheeks, making his face red with her finger marks and his face still turned to the side with his mouth slightly agape and a look of disbelief. "Don''t ever try this again, from today on, our friendship no longer exists so from today onwards, unless necessary, never appear in front of me," she warned with her index finger pointing at him and her chest heaving up and down with her eyes bulged. Then she entered her car and drove away. His face still remained in the same position as a drop of tear escaped his eyes then dropped to the ground. She totally shattered his heart, leaving him no piece of hope to hold onto. He slowly straightened his face, letting the trail of tears stroll down his face. He lowered his head then licked his lips before entering his car to follow after her, her words struck him hard but he really can''t do without her at this point, he couldn''t bear that she wants to cut all the relationships with him. By the time he got to the main road, her car disappeared just at a corner but he increased his speed to catch up with her, when he got to the corner where she disappeared from, he couldn''t find her but he kept driving straight ahead. Just as he was scanning his surrounding for her car, his eyes caught two people seating at the edge of the see-through wall in a restaurant. "Sunset..." he muttered the name of the restaurant. The tears he has manned himself up to restrict freely trickled down his face as he fixed his eyes on her with a look of despair and yet there she is smiling without restraint as she clinked glass with Li Wei, following a girly pout to hide her shyness. All of her gestures, he understands every meaning of them. "I never thought the day I see you smile so heartily in front of another man will come, I---" his voice hung at his throat, his lips slowly widening to hide his sob. "I should be happy that you are finally finding true ha-happiness but w-why am I so despaired?" he questioned rhetorically then he looked away from her as he turned the car around, resigning to the fate he always knew he can''t escape the moment he confessed his feelings to her. Chapter 297 - Unrequited Love! 3 He ordered the five strongest types of drinks just to waste himself even though he knows he becomes weak and always catches a fever every time he has too many drinks. When he became totally wasted and started making trouble with the other customers, the bartender had no choice but to take his phone to call anyone on his contact list and he ended up dialling Yu Yan''s number since she is the last person he contacted to complain about An Ke earlier in the afternoon when he left the office in a fit. "Hello," Yu Yan answered "Hi, your friend is drunk in XXX bar, we will really appreciate it if you can come to pick him up as he is causing disruption and he has incurred some damages to us--" "Hey! who do you think you are!" he shouted in a display of his drunkenness which Yu Yan could hear from the other side. "I will be there," she responded then she cut the call. Meanwhile, she was still in Han Chen''s arms with a covering over their legs as their lie in the large home cinema with a bowl of popcorn in their middle, they have been in the same position with one feeding the other the popcorn for about two hours now. "Han Chen,I need to go, I think something is wrong with Li Chen cos I just got a call that he is drunk at a bar which is not like him...at all," she shifted from his embrace with an apologetic look on her face. "No worries, I will drive you there," he was going to stand up from the seat when she pulled his back to the reclining seat. "Don''t bother, I will drive myself," she stood up from the seat with his eyes fixed on her to insist on driving her but as he was going to open his mouth to insist, she pressed her lips against his then she pulled away with a smile. "Don''t bother saying anything," she broadened her smile then walked past him, he hung his head dissatisfied that she doesn''t want him to come with her but he suddenly felt the softness of her lips against his cheek. "Bye," she muttered then she rushed out of the large room. It took her a while to get to the bar since it is closer to the hospital, she ran inside the bar only to see him still drinking as the bartender has given up on trying to persuade him, she raised her brows unwilling to believe that the one seating there is Li Chen. Li Chen is someone that cannot stand more than two cans of beer because of a condition that make him sick with fever if he drinks too much but he has never tried drinking to such an extent so it frightened her to see him in that condition knowing that the sickness that might follow will be very serious....far more then any he has ever had for getting drunk. "An Ke...you fool," she cursed under her breath, she doesn''t need anyone to tell her she is the cause of his plight. She walked up to him then snatched the glass from his hand, he reached for the bottle as an alternative but she dropped it to the ground using a loud shattering noise. "Get a grip of yourself!" she scolded aloud, drawing the attention of others in the bar. "Yu Yan....you are here, come sit with me," he gestured towards the seat beside him but she sighed, looking into his eyes she realized that even his drunken state cannot erase the shattered look in his eyes. She didn''t bother to convince him, she took his hand and placed it over her shoulder then she forcefully carried him out of the bar after paying the bar manager for the damages he has caused. She placed him gently in the back seat then she drove to his apartment, she got to the entrance when she had to input his passcode, she first tried An Ke''s birthday but that didnt work, he tried to last four and the first four digits of her number but they also didn''t work. She rubbed her forehead when it suddenly came to her mind that there is another special day that involved An Ke. She used the date when he first met An Ke and the door opened. She sighed for the nth time then glanced at his pitiful self. "Everything about him involved her and yet she pretends not to know," she remarked before carrying him into his apartment then to his bedroom, she went to the kitchen to get him a glass of water but when she returned, she saw him running to the bathroom so she placed the glass by his bedside then followed after him and there she saw him burying his face in the toilet to puke. She rushed up to him then she knelt beside him and started patting his back, she helped him back to his bed. Like the good friend she is, she helped him take off his shoes then she unbuttoned his shirt. She returned to the bathroom to get a bowl of water and a towel then she returned to his bedside. She wiped his face then she looked around his room, trying to remember where he used to keep his medical kit since the last time she visited his house, she finally found it in a drawer. She took his temperature and as expected, he has already started having a fever but his body temperature is dangerously high, she freaked out as soon as she saw then she tried to help him up to take him to the hospital. "What are you doing?" he muttered, he is now a little sober but not enough to understand himself. "I need to take you to the hospital, your tempera-" "No...don''t," Despite his refusal, she tried to lift him up but it just seems too impossible, she gave up at last then she covered him up with the duvet before leaving the bedroom. "An Ke, this is all her fault...." she took out her phone to call her but just then, she sent her a message, she opened the message only for her frown to deepen. She just sent her a picture of her and Li Wei in the restaurant and also a pic of him walking in front of her. She scoffed! Then dialled her number in a fit of rage knowing there is no way Li Chen will be like that just because she had dinner with a guy. "Hel-" "An Ke!" she screamed at the top of her voice, making the other startled. She was still walking beside Li Wei when Yu Yan called her, she stopped immediately hearing her tone, she would have thought she just shouted her name in excitement for her but....not in this case, she sounds very angry. "What is it?" "You can still ask me that question, what did you do to Li Chen?" she queried fiercely. "...I...I didn''t do anything to him, he just suddenly confessed that he has feelings or me so I-" "So you spoke harshly to him, do you even have any idea of how long he has been secretly loving you, even before we met! he has loved you for so long and yet you hurt him so much, if anything happens to him then you should know you are responsible, if you still have any hint of guilt in you then you had better hurry to his apartment....the passcode is the first day you both met," "But-" She ended the call without giving her any chance to say anything then she returned to his bedroom to check up on him. To her, he has always been different from the rest in their group, he always keeps what he feels inside of him until he can''t take it anymore, he is more like an old man who prefer reading to watching a movie, prefers chess to video games, prefers tea to coffee and he has the habit of giving up what he wants as long as someone he cares about wants it. He is also the first person he spoke to when she first met them in university and she is the only person he ever pours out his true feelings to. She held his hand and stroked his hair with a worried look on her face. "I should have told you to give up instead of persisting, I just can''t imagine how much she must have hurt you for you to resort to getting yourself wasted despite knowing the implication," she can''t feel all his pain but she could feel a part of it and it makes her tear up for him. She tucked his hand in the duvet then she stood up to leave before An Ke arrives so she can take responsibility. Meanwhile, An Ke who had just gotten to the front of her car with Li Wei beside her felt a tremendous amount of guilt in her heart. From how Yu Yan spoke, she was sure he must have done something drastic and it pained her to even imagine what he must have done.... Chapter 298 - Unrequited Love! 4 From how Yu Yan spoke, she was sure he must have done something drastic and it pained her to even imagine what he must have done, she lowered her head with tears gathering in her eyes and her grip on her phone tightened when she remembers the words she said to him. "Are you alright?" Li Wei who is standing beside her couldn''t help using seeing how shaken she seems. She lifted her head then sniffed her nose to send back the tears gathering in her eyes. "I have to go," she hurried into her car then drove off at a dangerously high speed before he could ask anything else, he just watched her drive off in confusion. - - - --- - His lashes fluttered as his lids slowly raised, not only was he having a nightmare but he suddenly felt a splitting headache, threatening to split his head into two followed by a pounding pain in his head. He shot his eyes open with his hand at both sides of his head as he screamed and winced in pain, he pulled the duvet over his body then dragged himself down his bed. He struggled as he walked out of the room as he felt his legs weak and his hand muscles failing him, he slowly climbed down the stairs with the railing supporting him, his chest heaved up and down and exhaling and inhaling deeply. He could feel the tightness of his chest but all that mattered to him is to get a cup of water to quench his thirst, taking his steps little by little, he finally arrived at the kitchen but the moment he raised his half-opened eyes to look forward, he saw a figure in an apron but the figure looks familiar....awfully familiar. "Why-Why are you..." he muttered weakly She turned around when she heard a faint sound behind her, her eyes lightened up immediately. "You are awake, I thought you were never going to-" she took a step towards him but stopped when he held out his hand then moved a step back. He opened his eyes wider but his chest tightened more, seeing her face makes him feel unable to breathe, he clutched his chest tight then raised his gaze to meet her eyes that are filled with guilt and pain looking at his ghastly pallid face. His face had turned awfully pale and thin overnight, the fear she felt as she took care of him overnight and even cuddled him to sleep is something she has never felt since he has never been in such a state before not to talk of his face looking like that of a ghost. "Li Chen, I-" "What what are y-you doing here?" "Yu Yan called me to take care of you, you shouldn''t be standing up, I will soon be done with cooking the porridge so you should lie down in bed," she answered with her concern and sincerity evident in her voice but he just stared at her blankly before chuckling then coughing. She stepped forward to help him but- "Stop!" he screamed despite his weak condition. Her heart almost jumped out of her chest and her mouth agape as she froze on the spot. "What are you doing right now...is this some sort of joke?" the accusing smile on his lips and the excruciatingly pained look in his eyes made her heart wrench. Tears started gathering in her eyes. "Li Chen, I am sorry," that was all she could say as she lowered her gaze. "Leave..." he ordered with his hand pointing towards the door, she raised her head instantly. "But I can''t leave you alone, if you want me to leave then you should go to the hospital," she insisted but he only scoffed at her concern then his frown deepened. "I don''t want to see you right now, just leave---" his voice turned into a wheezing sound as he clutched his chest tighter then he turned back to go upstairs but she quickly followed behind him. "Are you alright?" she questioned as she followed after him but he just ignored her and started climbing the stairs, suddenly, his eyes spun around and his head turned dizzy as the headache increased. "Aarrgh!" he screamed as his hold on the railing became weak, causing him to fall to the stairs, she quickly held him up before he rolled down. "L-let me be-" he resisted as he tried to push her away but she held him tighter then started crying aloud. "Please, let me help you, this is all my fault," He couldn''t stand the tears on her face and the sound of her crying so he just let her help him back to his room, she laid him back on the bed gently then she poured him a glass of water from the jug she placed by his bedside in the morning which he failed to see when he woke up. She raised his head then helped him drink the water then she helped him rest his back against the headboard, she was afraid that his asthma might be triggered if she continues wheezing any longer so she quickly handed him his inhaler. She took it from him after he was done. "Now leave-" he ordered with his face turned to the other side. She started sobbing aloud. Then she suddenly wrapped her hand around his neck with her body leaning over his, he was taken aback but his body froze. "What do you think you are doing?" "I am sorry, I am really sorry for saying those things to you, it is all my fault that you are this sick, I have always known you have feelings for me but I also thought you are too good for me and I can only be with someone like me," she confessed with a slight sob. "What are you saying..?" he pulled her away from him roughly with his eyes bulged. "Are you saying that you knew all this while that I was in love with you and yet-you tell me about your dates and every guy you hook up with despite knowing how hurt I will be even though I always hid it?" he just couldn''t believe that the woman he loves did all those things whilst knowing that he is hurting inside. She realized she just made things worse so she held his hand tightly. "...I am sorry, I have always been like this to revenge against my mom but you Li Chen, you were always with me, you know when I am sad, angry, hurt and frustrated, you have fought with numerous guys because of me, I didn''t realise it at first but I found out in uni. You were just too good and you deserved someone better than me so I said and did all those things to make you give up and when you suddenly confessed to me, I---I really didn''t want you to keep your hopes high so I said those things-" "You are really heartless..." he scoffed in disbelief, the pain in his heart became worse, all this while he has been thinking he is suffering because of his inability to man up and tell her how he feels with seriousness instead of telling her jokingly. "I really didn''t mean to hurt you," "Just get out!" he ordered with his voice raised as much as he could. "Li Chen..." He suddenly grabbed the glass cup on his bedside then threw it to the ground causing it to shatter with a shrilling sound. Her eyes widened looking at the glass pieces on the ground. "Do you know how much I restrained myself from getting drunk to forget the pain you cause me, how many times I told myself to stop loving you because you are too good for me, everyone in our friend group knew but only you seemed to be ignorant of my feelings that have existed ever since the first day I met you in high school twelve years ago but you---just leave now!" More tears trickled down her cheeks as she tried to hold his hand but he pushed her hands away, determined to make him forgive her, she wrapped her hands around his neck before he could push her away. "Let go!" he shouted as he tried to push her away but his weak state didn''t let him. "I am sorry, I wanted to love you but I couldn''t, I really really tried to love you, I didn''t want to reject your feelings so I did those things to make you end your feelings for me, but with Li Wei, it is different, you could already tell that I have fallen for him so I am sure you must know just how I feel," she tried hard to explain while crying aloud. He doesn''t want to forgive her, he really doesn''t want to forgive her but how can he not when every drop of tears she sheds tugs at his heart. Chapter 299 - We Were Not Kissing! When he heard she tried to love him, his heart couldn''t help softening. He thought for a while if he should forgive her or not, if he didn''t forgive her then he knows best that her sadness will only torment him to death. Even if he can''t have her as his woman at least... {...at least I have you by my side forever-- as my best friend} He slowly raised his hands to her back but hesitated for a while but he couldn''t help it, his hand wrapped around her back at last. She was surprised to feel his touch. Fool...I clearly know you love him for real, I really wanted to bring the one to bring you that happiness but the smile you had on your face with him was the best I have ever seen on your face, I am happy when you are happy...so you had better make sure you are happy--with him," Her tears ceased immediately, she didn''t expect him to forgive her that easily but then and again, this is not the first time. "I love you, my best friend," she tightened her grip on his neck then sobbed slightly while he also tightened his wrap on her back. The tightness of his chest ceased and his face became bright once again just like magic. - - - - - - - - The next day at the hospital, the hospital became even busier than it always is because of two trauma cases in the city, although everyone in Yu Yan''s team was not involved in helping to ease the situation, they had to take care of the work of those in other teams. Last night, after leaving Chen Kai''s place, she didn''t bother with returning to the mansion since she has an early shirt by one in the morning, she just drove to the hospital then she slept for the remaining few hours she has before her shift starts. The operation rooms were already filled as early as that time so she either has to wait or perform the minor operations she has scheduled for the start of her shift in the empty wards. As early as ten in the morning, she already felt all the energy in her body spent but it wasn''t only her that felt that way, the rest of her friend group were also on a shift from last night to this morning without rest except for An Ke, Li Chen and Han Chen. After helping with the discharge papers of one of the patients, she finally returned to her office with her fist massaging her neck, as soon as she opened the door, she felt a strong hand pull her inside to a blind spot while swiftly shutting the door. "Wh-" Her lips clashed with his lips before she could shout when he startled her, her widened eyes kept looking into his eyes as his lips formed into a smile with her lips on his. She hit his chest with her other hand then pulled away. "What are you doing this early in the morning, you almost made my heart jump out of my chest!" she scolded in a loud whisper not wanting others outside the office to hear them. "What do you think---I am punishing my fiancee who left me hanging through the entire night-" he responded in a sulking tone, it then occurred to her that she didn''t call him to tell her that she is staying at the hospital and she even switched off her phone when it kept making beeping noises. Her eyes turned doe-like. "I forgot, sorry," she apologised then she pouted her lips cutely, he looked the other way to avoid looking at that cute face of hers in fear that he might give in to her apology too early, she smiled knowing what his intentions are. "Are you really not going to look at me?" "No," She raised her toes then plastered a kiss on his cheeks to tempt him, he balled his fist to control his urge to do something they shouldn''t be doing in a place of work. "Really...?" In another attempt, she kissed the tip of his nose causing him to tighten his fist but he soon loosened it as he couldn''t withhold himself any longer, he turned to her with a smirk, judging from the look on his face, she knew he is definitely up to no good but before she could react, he suddenly gripped her waist then pushed her gently...maybe roughly, towards the wall. She gasped in shock until he started kissing her, giving her no chance to speak or catch her breath, her widened eyes remained open not knowing whether to push him away or to...whatever, she wrapped her hand around his neck then went along with his flow. They both kissed passionately despite being in the office as she moved from the wall towards the desks, they were about to expose themselves through the see-through glass window when she tapped his shoulder, he pulled back for a sec. "The blinds," she cautioned, with his hands still around her waist, they moved towards the window where she pulled the blinds then instantly, they continued. They kept moving around until they got to the corner of the desk where he carries her on the table then they paused and smiled before they tilted their heads to continue but as soon as their lips met, the door opened. "Yu Yan..." She instantly pushed him away with much force causing him to land painfully on the ground but he immediately stood up then started pretending to look for something under the table while she arranged her hair that had been scattered by the constant movement of his hand then she pulled down her lycra skirt that had gathered up. Jia Yu stood still looking at them with amusement, especially Han Chen who is still pretending to have lost something. "Were both of you-" "No, we were not kissing!" they both chorused with flustered expressions on their faces, when they realize what they have done, they turned to each other with accusing glances. "You guys were making out in the office, a hospital?" she queries with an act of discipline when she herself does worst things with Ji Chen in the office. "Are you going to say what you came here for or not?" she responded in an attempt to change the topic which she succeeded in because Jia Yu didn''t want to make her poor cousin embarrassed, she merely glanced at him with a threatening look that says ''now I have something against you''. He lowered his head then sighed before leaving the office to attend to anything that might need his attention since his first surgery for the day is still two hours away. Jia Yu took her seat in front of Yu Yan with her expression turning serious which makes Yu Yan curious to know what she is about to say. "What is it that makes you look so serious?" she questioned with curiosity written on her face with a broad smile. "I was just at the hepatology department when I heard something absurd so I decided to tell you about it," she responded then she licked her lips and leaned forward on the table. Yu Yan chuckled seeing her brace herself to gossip. "And here I was thinking you had something serious to say but it turns out that you just wanted to gossip, since when did you become An Ke?" Yu Yan responded jokingly. "This is really serious---at least for someone like you," hearing her say that makes the smile on her face faint in anticipation. "I was going to discuss something about a patient of mine when I overhead surgeon Yan and surgeon Ding discussing with her team leader-" "Surgeon Yan...the one I am close with?" "Who else, don''t interrupt me, they seemed to be arguing about a V.I.P patient receiving a liver transplant but Surgeon Yan was seriously against it because the patient secretly had alcohol despite the strict warning, can you imagine such nonsense?" she narrated with a clearly offended frown on her face, being a person of morals when it comes to saving patients like Yu Yan, she couldn''t bring herself to overlook such outrageousness. {Could it be the V.I.P patient who-} Without further ado, she immediately sprung up from her seat then she rushed towards the exit. "Where are you going?" Jia Yu questioned but it fell on deaf ears as she exited the office then walked towards the hepatology department. She might be able to let it go if it isn''t the same liver that the patient has been denied because a V.I.P patient got it first. Taking alcohol before the surgery changes the case, now the patient no longer has the right to the liver until the alcohol in his body clears up, this way, the patient she transferred should be the one to have the liver. Chapter 300 - Making Trouble! This time, she made sure to restrain herself so she knocked on the door to Surgeon Yan''s office, then entered after she received permission. "You are here, I was just about to go to you," Surgeon Yan said as soon as she saw her then she stood up from her seat but she could see Yu Yan is not composed just like last time so it made her wonder if she has heard. "Is it the V.I.P patient I think it is, if it is then we must not let that operation happen, if it fails then we lose an opportunity to save a life," Yu Yan started without even explaining why she is here, if it were someone else, they would have gotten confused by what she is spouting. "You have heard, how come? only very few in the department knows it yet," she questioned with confusion written on her face, she wondered if the entire hospital now knows of this since the management will do all they can to make sure the operation happens without the news getting out. "Don''t bother about that, just tell me, do you plan to perform the operation?" She sighed then signalled her to take her seat as she also did the same, Yu Yan took her seat just like she asked. "I am just coming from my team leader''s office after a heated argument, he wants me to perform the surgery but I strongly refused and also advised him to reconsider but he said this is the management''s decision and it is ordered by the Chairman as the V.I.P is an important shareholder of Chen''s Corporation," "So are you going to do it or not?" she maintained her question, not caring about the context but in her heart, she knows if the Chairman himself got involved then it must mean her power alone is not enough to stop it but when she thinks of the guilt she felt in her heart after hearing of the death of the patient she handed over to the department...she really cannot let this patient die unjustly too. "I really tried my best but I have no other choice now," she responded, averting Yu Yan''s gaze out of guilt knowing if she doesn''t do it then someone else will do it so not doing it will not do her any good but harm. "So you are doing it," she stood up then walked towards the door but she stopped for a sec then turned back. "I know you don''t want to, you must be in a difficult situation but at least, try to hold out," with that, she loosened the frown on her face when she left the office. She returned to her office with different thoughts running through her mind, even though she just made a fuss, she herself knows neither she nor surgeon Yan has the power to stop it but she still wants to try even if trying might hurt. She got to the front of her office when it suddenly occurred to her that if she doesn''t have the power then there is someone else who might be able to have a say in this matter. She made her way to her team leader office but when she got to her team leader''s office, she noticed someone else inside the office but the person seems to be the surgeon Yan''s team leader. She waited as they seem to be in a serious conversation, perhaps a low-key heated conversation. Ten minutes passed and they were finally done with the conversation as the visitor left the office with a deep frown on her face. Yu Yan quickly looked away as though she wasn''t watching them. She wondered if she came to tell her team leader about the surgery. "Surgeon Yan said only a few people in their department know so her team leader shouldn''t want my team leader to know," She muttered as she entered the office with a serious look on her face after she knocked. "It''s you, Yu Yan," she remarked as she saw her enter with a feigned smile on her lips. Yu Yan nodded in response then she took her seat. "Are you here to finally tell me about Han Chen''s proposal?" She questioned teasingly, Yu Yan raised her gaze with a surprised expression, she didn''t think that Han Chen has already rattled. "He told you already?" She asked, almost forgetting her original purpose for coming. "Why wouldn''t he, you have been with me for so long but you didn''t think to tell me about it, I am really disappointed in you," "Team leader..." "Don''t bother apologising, you should instead think of how to make it up to me, anyway, why are you here? you looked troubled when you entered," she asked. "I almost forgot, I don''t know if you have heard of the patient in the hepatology department, to be precise, he is a V.I.P patient who is already scheduled for a liver transplant surgery but he recently had alcohol," "How did you know about it?" she questioned, she wasn''t expecting Yu Yan to know of something so confidential. "Just some gossip between friends," "That is in fact what that woman came to tell me, more precisely to boast about getting credit soon, I understand that you must want me to do something about it but this time I really can''t do anything about this," she said with resignation obvious in her tone, hearing her team leader speak in such manner, she wondered just how influential this patient must be. "Why?" "The patient is the chairman of Myriad, as you know, Myriad is a very important partner for Chen''s corporation, it is said that without Myriad, many subsidiaries of the company might not survive," she explained. "How does this concern the transplant?" She couldn''t connect the dots. "There is a power struggle in myriad and the one who would take his position if he dies doesn''t like Chen''s corporation very much so it is understandable that they want to save him at all cost," Yu Yan finally understood. {He must have known that they will do anything to save him, this must be why he still drank alcohol despite the rules, he definitely doesn''t deserve the organ,} She concluded in her mind. On her way back to her office, she decided to make a petition to the appropriate department and make sure it is publicised, even if this might not be able to stop them, it might do something to prolong the operation but the patient she wants to treat doesn''t have much time left too. She just returned from the department in charge of handling such issues then she posted an official notice on the notice board anonymously even though she knows it won''t take long for them to know she is the one causing trouble. "Yu Yan," Ji Chen called, she turned around to see everyone except for Li Chen and An Ke including Han Chen, he winked at her causing her to flinch without the others knowing why she suddenly---they all turned to Han Chen to see him smiling at her like an idiot in love. She walked towards them with her hands in her pocket. "What are you doing here, this is not your usual turf?" Meng Yao questioned with her arm around Yu Yan''s shoulder. "Nothing much, just causing trouble," she responded with an evil smile on her lips. "Now that you say it like that, you do seem suspicious," Meng Yao remarked then nodded her head. "Let''s go grab something to eat," They soon ordered their food at the canteen then they settled on a round table with both couples seating close to each other, leaving the only one who is not working at the same place with her fiance to seat alone. "Meng Yao, when is your fiancee returning to the country?" Jia Yu questioned, taking a bite of her bun. "I don''t know, we haven''t spoken for a month now," she answered indifferently while taking a bite off her bun, they stared at her in speechlessness including Han Chen who doesn''t know who her fiance is but hearing that she has not spoken to him for a month while she maintains that indifference is truly surprising. "Why did I just act surprised, at least you guys survived six months without communication," Jia Yu remarked remembering that is the shortest period of no communication they have had. "Right," Ji Chen added then he sighed and continued eating but hearing Jia Yu say six months made Han Chen even more amused that he held his buns in the air with his chopstick until Yu Yan nudged him to eat. Meng Yao is the classy and sophisticated type of girl and her fiance is exactly the same as her, they are madly in love but unlike other couples, they would rather have their dates at musicals and classical music concert than go to the cinema or the amusement park, matching classy dress and suit colour than wearing couples T-shirts or hoodies. Chapter 301 - Obsessed! 1 Rather than sending texts like ''I miss you'', ''I love you'', they send poems and sophisticated sayings to each other. They are just like two peas in a pod, perfectly matched for each other. The longest time they have spent without communication is one year until they met the next Christmas when they reunited like the lovely but boring couple they are. "I really wonder what your marriage products will be like," Jia Yu remarked "Certainly not like you," Meng Yao responded with her eyes fixed on her food and maintaining her signature indifference whenever she throws back words like that, they all wanted to burst into laughter but to prevent Jia Yu from wanting to win this conversation or garnering attention, they held it in. "Good one," she remarked with a nod saying ''I will definitely remember this one''. After getting the reaction she wanted, she then smiled and placed her palms together to beg for mercy from Jia Yu who certainly holds grudges. "Did Li Chen and An Ke change their shifts, how come they are not here together?" Ji Chen asked after looking around the canteen for them in case they had an early lunch. "They...they are sorting out what they should be sorting out," Yu Yan answered in a downcast tone after remembering what Li Chen looked like last night, she now asked herself if she made the right decision in letting the source of the problem take care of the problem. She sighed! "That''s right, they do have many things to sort out," They intentionally didn''t say much about it so they just let the topic drop, meanwhile, Jia Yu found it as an opportunity to speak about Han Chen''s proposal. "Brother, when were you going to tell us that you proposed to Yu Yan?" Jia Yu questioned, grabbing Yu Yan''s hand then raising it up for them to see the ring on her finger, their eyes widened looking at the ring. Although the ring looks simple, being high classed people, they understood the worth of that ring which was popular several years ago when it was announced to the world that the Han Couple were engaged. The ring definitely costs several million dollars. "Yu Yan, when did this happen?!" Meng Yao exclaimed as Yu Yan pulled her hand out of Jia Yu''s grip then gave her a scolding glance. "Not long ago," she answered as she shyly brushed the locks of her on her face behind her ear while Han Chen lowered his gaze with a smile. "Brother-in-law, you are really amazing, you guys haven''t dated for even a month yet you are already engaged, does mother-in-law knows about this?" Ji Chen questioned hoping they don''t end up getting caught like he and Jia Yu got caught. Han Chen awkwardly itched his hair with an awkward smile as he nodded his head. "They don''t know! I can assure you, you don''t want to get caught as we did," "Wait, Aunt knows you two are dating now?" Han Chen questioned, he wanted to tell her or warn Jia Yu to tell her before she finds out herself but he didn''t think that she already found out now she must know he also kept it from her. "Yes, it didn''t go well," Ji Chen responded, remembering how embarrassed he was when her parent caught them making out right in front of them, he quickly shook his head to dispel the memory. "Yu Yan, you have never been this quick-witted when it comes to love, why are you suddenly---it must be Han Chen''s influence on you," Meng Yao remarked, after all, they all know how slow-witted she was with Chen Kai, how long it took to hug him, kiss him, as soon as she reached that stage, she gave it a full stop. "Can you guys stop speaking like I am a total love noob, you can ask him if I am really slow-witted," they all turned to Han Chen to answer the question, he glanced at them first then glanced at her then glanced at them, she raised her brow. "Well...I won''t say she is actually that smart...you know when it comes to things like this, the duty of maintaining our relationship seems to lie on me," He responded teasingly with a serious expression on his face that one would think he actually means what he said. They all burst into a crack of laughter leaving her to bite her lips then shake her head at his betrayal. She hit his chest hard then pointed her finger at him. "Fine, since I am not that smart then why don''t I learn by having a side relationship, that way, I will be able to serve you better," she retorted with the same level of seriousness he had when he did his own. Hearing her say it like that, their eyes went round, they just couldn''t imagine Yu Yan two-timing but the tone she said it in sounded too serious. He smiled then slowly curled up his lips, she raised her brow once again, he grabbed her finger then pulled her closer to him. "I don''t think you want to do that when you have the perfect fiance to learn from, if you want I can level up our game-" he tilted his head then slowly moved his face closer to hers, her eyes went round just like theirs did as many in the canteen turned to them. Just as his lips were about to meet hers, she quickly placed her palm in between. "They are looking... she whispered with her face scrunched out of embarrassment, his eyes darted to the side then he smiled again. "Pretend they are invisible," he tried to remove her palm but she resisted then pushed him away then she lowered her head in embarrassment, automatically, the canteen became filled with whispers loud enough for them to hear. "Brother, I didn''t you were so romantic," Jia Yu freaked out after watching such a wonderful scene. The rest cupped their hands together then bowed their head in respect. "Seems like there is a lot I still have to learn from brother-in-law," Ji Chen remarked, Yu Yan couldn''t bear their teases and the many eyes fixated on them so she quickly stood up then ran out of the canteen while they chuckled as they watched her run. She stopped when she got inside the elevator then cupped her cheeks that had already turned red, she fanned herself using her hands, the image of his curled lips kept popping into her head. She quickly composed herself seeing the red number indicating that the elevator will soon stop at her destination but as the door opened, she saw Chen Kai right in front of her. Unlike before, she doesn''t feel anything towards him, not even hate or discomfort, she stood still with their eyes staring into each other''s eyes all to see if she really doesn''t feel anything and soon as she got the confirmation, she smiled inwardly. {Seems like I am truly in love,} The fact that every hard feeling she felt for the jerk no longer resurfaces made her heart feel light...very light. She smiled faintly at him without intending to then walked past him, he squinted his eyes as soon as she passed by. {Did she just smile at me?} He questioned rhetorically, he has already got used to her coldness and indifference whenever they pass by each other at least it shows that she still cares about him even if it is not in a good way but now...{I have to find out, what in the world she is thinking,} He quickly rushed after her, he followed her until they got to his secluded hallway not knowing that she has already realized that he was following her and she doesn''t want him to make a fuss in public now that people already know about her and Han Chen, the last thing she wants in their relationship is misunderstanding and scandals. She sighed then folded her arms on her chest before turning around to face him. "Why are you following me?" she asked with a serene look in her eyes like she doesn''t care, he scoffed looking into those eyes of hers as he drew closer to her. "You...why are you suddenly this way?" "What do you mean?" He moved a step closer to her with his eyes narrowed at her. "Why-in-the-world-would-you-smile-at-me?" he queried, stressing each word to show just how much it infuriates him to see her smile at him, he knows Yu Yan like the back of his hand...or he thinks he knows her, she would never smile at him after what he did, she might not seem like someone who holds grudges but he knows she is very good at it. She stood still for a second in speechlessness before scoffing! "It seems like you are still the egoistic and self-obsessed man you have always been, I am very sorry for smiling at you, please forgive this peasant for smiling at you," she responded in a sarcastic tone then she rolled her eyes and turned around to leave. Chapter 302 - Screening! She stood still for a second in speechlessness before scoffing! "It seems like you are still the egoistic and self-obsessed man you have always been, I am very sorry for smiling at you, please forgive this peasant for smiling at you," she responded in a sarcastic tone then she rolled her eyes and turned around to leave. He clenched his fist tight. Until the veins on his temples became clear. He followed after her, he gripped her hand tight then pushed her to the wall roughly, causing her to wince aloud. She scrunched her brows in shock then tried to pull out of his grip but failed. "You can hate, detest and even feel disgusted at the sight of me, I don''t care but! you must never stop caring..." he whispered at the end of his sentence, she widened her scrunched eyes with her eyes looking into his eyes. She realised that the look in his eyes has changed, this part of him....is scary! "Chen Kai, let me go," she growled, pretending not to be scared of him but her quivering eyes couldn''t hide her fear, she certainly has the skills and ability to break free from his hold even if she might get injured but his entire mannerism keeps her under control. "Let you go---in your dreams, I don''t care if you get engaged with Han Chen or even get married to him but the fact that you are mine will never change," "You are crazy!" she shouted with her eyes bulged, looking into his eyes, what she sees is not love or hate but an obsession. "Yes, I am crazy but whose fault is it, if you didn''t continually challenge me with Han Chen then I won''t be like this, aren''t you just doing all that for me to see?" "You are really delirious, who do you think you are and when did I ever challenge you, I am in love with Han Chen and I belong to him only," "Shut up! why would you love him over me, he is just a fool who feeds off his aunt''s influence," "You don''t deserve to speak of him..." she hissed, with her hands itching to send a slap across his face until the image of his raised hand reflected in her eyeball. She raised her gaze to his raised hand but another pair of hands were holding his hand in the air, she turned to the person but couldn''t see his face because he wearing a mask. "Loser," the stranger suddenly punched his face twice with much force causing him to fall to the ground then he held Yu Yan''s hand and pulled her out of the hallway. Only until they got far away did he bring down his mask but she still doesn''t recognise him. The young man let go of her hand almost instantly then he smiled at her with his lips slightly curled up, she could tell that he is not one of the many who has other intention in helping her. "You are..." "Li Wei, An Ke''s boyfriend," he responded with his hand held out for a handshake but Yu Yan kept her eyes fixed on his face, she realized that he is indeed the one in the picture An Ke sent to her last night even though she didn''t care to take a good look at it last time. "You must be the one she met at the caf¨¦," she remarked, ignoring his hand held out for a handshake, he took the cue to withdraw his hand then he pursed his lips in a smile to pretend it wasn''t awkward. She just guessed from Li Chen''s rambling after he got drunk. "Indeed, why does it sound like you don''t like that?" in fact he was waiting for her to say ''thank you''. "Why don''t we talk over a cup of coffee, I don''t have any patient to attend to in the next forty minutes," she said, glancing at her digital watch. He scoffed in amusement, first, she didn''t thank him for saving her and secondly, she didn''t even care to ask if he was free to have a cup of coffee but he decided to go with her flow, meanwhile, he has already tagged her as ''interesting''. Letting her lead, he followed her to the cafe, she was at least courteous enough to get him a cup of coffee...he thought. They sat in the middle of the cafe then she folded her hand over her chest with a stern look on her face but he maintained the smile she finds annoying on his lips. "What is your intention with An Ke?" she questioned straightforwardly. "To be her boyfriend which I already am," he answered in the same tone she spoke to him in. "I don''t think that would remain the same after today," He sighed then he leaned on the table with his eyes fixed on hers. "I was just about to ask why she ran off last night but it seems like you want to break us up," he sounded offended, strangely....he himself found it strange. It seemed like he was nervous- "She probably ran off to see the one who really cares about her and is meant for her," "You mean Li Chen?" She squinted her eyes at him, she found it annoying that he seems to know a lot and now that she thinks about it, how did he know she is close with An Ke unless An Ke told her about them. "It seems like you are very observant," "Indeed but I can assure you, An Ke will never break up with me for him," his confident tone somehow pleased her, he has been observing An Ke secretly so he sort of knows everyone in their friend group but among them, Li Chen drew his attention...the look in his eyes when he looks at An Ke just screams his feeling for her. "Do you really think she doesn''t know the dude has feelings for her, you might not know this but I and An Ke are the same so I can say confidently that I know her more than you think you do," Now his confidence is starting to get on her nerves, she smirked then unfolded her arms as she leaned closer on the table. "You know your confidence is really annoying, don''t you?" His lips curved into a proud smile. "She likes that about me," She scoffed! Even though she doesn''t want to admit, she can''t help but agree that they are awfully similar in terms of personality. "Well, you pass," "Pass...were you just screening me?" "Maybe, why did you save me...at the risk of your job?" everyone knows Chen Kai is the son of the Chairman and he is the one managing the hospital as a subsidiary, even if he wants to save her, he wouldn''t have punched him...twice. "Maybe because I just couldn''t stand losers," he folded his arms loosely with a proud smirk, she narrowed her eyes as it seemed to her that there is something she is missing about him. "I was expecting you to say ''thanks'' but it seems like you don''t have any intention to, if you don''t have any more screening to do then I will take my leave," he smiled broadly then he stood up from the seat to leave but as he took a few steps- "Thanks," she felt guilty for not thanking him. He raised her hand then gave her a back wave before leaving. She sighed then sipped her coffee that has already turned cold from all the talking. "He is totally An Ke''s type but why do I feel like I have seen him before...before seeing the picture," she tilted her head in an attempt to think deep but no matter how much she tried to remember, she just can''t remember it so she decided to forget it. Chapter 303 - Lovebirds! Throughout the rest of her shift which is not ending until the next day, she spent her entire time in the operating rooms and the wards. She took time to visit the liver cirrhosis patient but she didn''t tell him what happened. She later returned to the office knowing that Han Chen shift has already ended, she was expecting him to have already left, she opened the door to the office then she peeked inside, wishing to find him in there but disappointment filled her face when she found the office empty. "He could have said bye at least," she pouted her lips then closed the door as she made her way to the rooms where the surgeons rest. She put on the light in the room then she made sure to check the bunk to make sure no one is in the room, after assuring herself, she put off her coat then she unbuttoned her shirt then pulled it off and flung it on the lower bunk bed leaving only her cropped white sport top on, she plans to sleep with only that on since no one ever comes into the room apart from her and her friends so as long as she wakes up really early then it will be fine since she doesn''t sleep easily anyway. The door creaked open causing her to flinch, she hurriedly looked for her shirt but before she could get it, the person had already entered. She turned to look at the person in embarrassment but she was surprised to see who it was. "Han Chen!" She exclaimed, he fixed his eyes on her for a moment, taking his time admire and fall for her all over again, her wavy hair was resting on her shoulder, giving way to her slender neck on the other side. The sport top defined her bosom very rounded and also highlighted her flat belly, his lips subconsciously spread into a curled up smile finding himself unable to take his eyes off her. She pulled her shirt over her body then buttoned it up to to her chest then she pulled him in and closed the door. " I thought you had gone back," she whispered with a hint of relieve in her voice, he brushed her wayward strands off her face then he cupped her face with both hands. "I didn''t want to leave you alone all night," she smiled at his satisfactory answer then she wrapped her hands around his back. "You talk like I haven''t been doing this before I met you again," he lowered his face into hers. "That''s true but now that we are together again, I won''t leave you alone," They looked into each other''s eyes for some seconds as her smile widened almost to her eyes. She felt butterflies in her stomach just hearing his affectionate words. He wrapped his hand around her shoulder then he gently placed her head on his broad chest. "You must be very tired, I will let you recharge," he muttered as she snuggled against his chest for a tighter hug then she nodded her head. He stroked her hair gently then he pressed a kiss on her hair. "You should sleep now that you are recharged," he said after some time as he placed his hand on her shoulder but she maintained her tight wrap around his back. "Are you leaving?" She asked with a sulking face. He kissed her forehead reassuringly. "I am sleeping here," A wild thought ran across her mind for a second until she remembered that the bunk has two beds. "Huh..." she pulled away then she laid down on the lower bed. "Do you want to..." "No," She interjected without waiting for him to completely ask. "....sleep together," he completed despite the rejection. Although he was disappointed. he didn''t want to insist, he climbed into the upper bunk then he turned to the wall, closing his eyes to sleep as he didn''t think there is any chance of sleeping on the same bed with her. {Stupid} She blamed herself for answering so abruptly, she was flustered thinking he was gonna ask something dirty as her mind was already thinking in that direction ever since he entered the room. She couldn''t bring herself to sleep as she now yearned to sleep in his embrace without any dirty thought, she closed her eyes to sleep but the sleep still didn''t creep in, she was really tired earlier before she saw him so she thought she was gonna sleep easily. She kept turning around but to no avail so she made up her mind. She stood up from the lower bed then she climbed onto the upper bed, she waved her hands over his face to make sure he is asleep, she didn''t get any reaction from him so she concluded that he is asleep. She laid behind him then she wrapped her arms around his belly as she snuggled against his back with a wide smile on her lips, just staying next to him makes her bubble with joy and his nice scent just soothes her mind. "I thought you didn''t want to sleep together?" his soft mutter clearly showed that he was offended and sulking but she shut her eyes in embarrassment, if she knew he was still awake then she wouldn''t have climbed up to his bed. "I changed my mind," He turned to her then placed one of his hands on her face and the other around her shoulder. "You are so damn pretty that I can''t even get angry with you," he said as though it was a complaint then he stroked the side of her face while her smile reached her eyes, she tightened her arms around his back then she snuggled on his chest while he placed his hand on her back and the other on her hair. Then they fell asleep. - - - - - - The next morning. "Love birds, are you not going to wake up," They both pretended to not hear anything but when it struck them that someone else is in the room, they sprung up from the bed then turned to see who it is. "Li Chen," she exclaimed, unlike his ghastly look the last time she saw him, he looked really vibrant. "I didn''t think you two have gotten this far," he smiled teasingly then he left the room, she covered her face in shyly, he removed her hands over her face then he patted her on her shoulder to suck it up. They both brushed together before changing into another set of clothing to begin another busy day with no rest. - - - - - - - Parallel world. For the past months, every sect has been preparing itself for the martial heroes contest, the last competition was won by the wind sect before the flame sect went into seclusion, although the wind sect now leads the alliance, every sect still wants to surpass them. In the blossom pavilion. "Fourth prince, can I come in?" Mexiang asked as she stood in front of the fourth prince''s meditation chamber. "Come in," She entered the chamber then stood behind him as she watched him sit in a lotus position with a blue aura surrounding him, as soon as she entered, she felt a force pressuring her entire body and it made her unwilling to remain there any longer. "What is it?" "Replying master, I have just received news from my master that everything has already been set up in the capital and all that is remaining is to give your order to resume the business," she answered with her hands folded on her navel and her head slightly bowed. "Hmm...you didn''t have to deliver this news yourself, you should have sent Feng Shui," the fourth prince responded with his eyes still closed in meditation. "Just like them, I believe it is my duty to serve you thus it is inevitable that I deliver the news myself, is fourth prince not happy with this?" her tone sounded downcast. Chapter 304 - Maze! "Just like them, I believe it is my duty to serve you thus it is inevitable that I deliver the news myself, is fourth prince not happy with this?" her tone sounded downcast. "You think too much Miss Meixiang, I just hope you don''t think of yourself as a servant in the blossom pavilion, as for your master, tell her I will see her when I return and she can resume the business, if there is nothing else then you can take your leave," "I will take my leave," she bowed her head then exited the chamber, after closing the door, she turned around then sighed deeply, she could tell that the fourth prince doesn''t intend to fully give her his trust as he is still being courteous with her. {I hope one day, you will be able to fully give me your trust} She walked away downheartedly. During her stay in the blossom pavilion, she found herself wanting to become closer and get his acceptance, although he has given commands to treat her as an esteemed guest and also give her freedom, she could still feel that he is putting a boundary between them. Meanwhile, after she left, the wall in the chamber separated, revealing Xiaodi cultivating in her fox form with her fluffy long nine tails out and her fox form bigger than it was months ago. She calmed down her internal energy then she stood up from her lotus position. As she entered his chamber, the wall closed again. "Master," she called as she squatted beside him, clearly wanting his attention. "Ssssh..." "Master..." "If you are done with your meditation, does it mean you can disturb mine?" he questioned as he calmed down his internal energy then he opened his eyes as a blue glint flashed before turning into his black orbs. "You have spent more of your time this past few months in this chamber and you even forced me to do the same, does master really think I have that much patience," she sulked with her arms folded on her chest. He flicked her forehead causing her to wince in pain and pout her lips. "Master...I thought you have long forgotten I am your master, if someone else were to see, they will think you are my master," She straightened her scrunched face then she linked her arms with his. "I don''t care what others think, you are my master, my father and my brother," she proclaimed as she snuggled against his arm, he couldn''t help chuckling then stroking her hair. To him, she is his friend, his sister and his daughter, someone who will spend this immortal lifetime with him as the saint of the ice clan unless he has a child, even though she is not immortal, spiritual beasts have a long lifetime compared to humans. She lifted her head from his arm then she made a serious face. "I thought you were going to fully trust Meixiang but why does it seem like you are trying to push her away," she asked out of curiosity, knowing what her master is like, she knows he will never do that unless he has good reason. "My ability to read people might not be very good but I can tell that Miss Meixiang desires power, as of now, I still don''t know if her intentions are good or bad but if the power I have to offer her is not enough then she is not to be trusted," A deep frown formed on her face at the thought of someone betraying her master. "If you think so then I can just kill her now to avoid future trouble," she tried to stand up but he pulled her back down. "I thought your patience would have improved from months of meditation and cultivation but you are still the same," he chided. "If anyone tries to betray you then I certainly won''t let that person off no matter who it is," she responded, not caring about his scolding. "I really don''t know what to do with you, we will be returning to the capital very soon, by then, I will make sure to marry you off to any eligible bachelor," "Master! If you dare do that to me then I will expose my fox identity then I will see who dares to marry a nine-tailed fox," "Are you threatening me?" "I am just giving my master a friendly reminder...hmmph," she stormed out of the chamber at the threat. He can joke with any other thing but not abandoning her or making them get separated, even the thought of it makes her angry. He sighed as he closed his eyes to continue his meditation, after the overuse of his power to help Huo Lan his mind has been in disarray. After leaving the chamber, she decided to take a walk in the blossom garden with the servant assigned to her by the fourth prince. Her pink dress and the scarf around her shoulder made her blend among the blossoms in the blossom maze. With many thought in her mind, every step she took were heavy, she couldn''t help feeling that there is a lot she doesn''t know about the fourth prince and everyone in the pavilion. In her eyes, the pavilion seems like a normal place but she still felt something amiss. Having no other choice, she decided to try getting answers from the young lady following behind her. "What is your name?" She asked to build a sense of closeness with the lady as she needs answers from her. "A''Li," the servant replied "How did you enter the blossom pavilion and how old were you then?" "I am not sure of that but I just know master saved my mother who is a runaway slave from being killed, my mother died in the pavilion when I was three years old," "You seem to be almost the same age as me, this means you have spent your entire life in the pavilion, tell me, what is it like to live here all your life?" A wide smile formed on the girl''s face as she asked the question. "Most of us never leave the pavilion but it is not because we can''t leave, it is because we will rather spend the rest of our lives in the pavilion than go into the harsh world, Mater has been very kind to us and we have never been treated as servants but free-willed people who have the right to make their choices, everyone living in the pavilion has been trained in martial art to protect ourselves and also protect the pavilion, even though we are all willing to lay down our lives for him, master always says that the only payment we can give for his kindness is our loyalty and safety," the girl responded still maintaining that smile on her face, she was so engrossed in answering her that she didn''t realise she is now walking ahead of the person she is supposed to be attending to. When she finally raised her head to see the person she is talking to, she realised that is walking ahead, she quickly stopped them turned around. "Safety and loyalty...I have never heard of such a master but earning his trust seems to be very challenging," "Master never trust anyone easily, even though we have all been here for a long time, there are very few things we know about him, the elders in the pavilion says he has another identity but none of us knows of it but if master let you live in the pavilion then it must mean he is willing to give you a chance to earn his trust," the girl blabbered on. She could hear the excitement in her voice as she spoke of her master. {If only he bought me instead of Ruyi pavilion, I might not live a luxurious life but living a life surrounded by lakes, waterfall and flowers that bloom all year round is enough for me,} "Ah..." the girl exclaimed Meixiang turned to her with a quizzical look on her face, she could tell that the girl seemed to have forgotten something. Seeing that Meixiang seems to be expecting an answer from her, she turned to answer her. "Miss Meixiang, I forgot about the maze," "Maze, what do you mean?" . Chapter 305 - Maze! 2 "This garden is a maze, since none of us leaves the pavilion and outsiders are not allowed in, master has activated the maze so we can only enter but we can''t get out," With a confused expression, she looked around her. Her current surrounding doesn''t seem like somewhere she has walked by before, normally when in a maze, the everywhere looks identical. "Are you sure he has activated the maze, it doesn''t seem like I am circling the same place over and over again," "That is how this garden is designed, anyone who enters this maze will see different things so they won''t be able to know they are in a maze," the young girl seemed frustrated as when began to rack her brain to figure out how to get out. "Normally, as long as you are above the field then it is possible to get out of the maze, you said earlier that you are well trained in martial art," "It doesn''t work on this maze, the only ones who are able to leave the maze is master, young master Feng Shui and Miss Xiaodi," She now blamed herself for thoughtless taking a walk but this made her confirm that the blossom pavilion is indeed not an ordinary place. Whilst they were still thinking of what to do, they suddenly heard a faint breezy sound, they looked towards the direction of the sound then they followed the sound and as they neared the place it is coming from, the louder the sound became. Not long, they soon arrived at the place the breezy sound was coming from but their faces were filled with a delightful surprise seeing the whirling blossoms surrounding the garden as a young man sprung into the air with a shiny sword that reflected the rays of the sunlight on his face. "Wow...this is really a magnificent sight," she couldn''t help remarking, ever since she started residing at the pavilion, she has never seen him training but now she realised this is where he has been training. Both were relieved that they have found their helper. He soon sensed their presence behind him so he grabbed his sword in the sky then descended. "Miss Meixiang," he pronounced as he wasn''t expecting to see her there, he glanced at the girl beside her with a scolding glance. He could already tell that they couldn''t leave the maze which means that she now knows one of the secrets behind why no one can come into the blossom pavilion. "A''Li why did you bring Miss Meixiang to the garden?" His voice didn''t sound like he was pleased seeing her where she is not supposed to be since Meixiang is still an outsider. "I forgot the maze has already been activated," She answered with an apologetic tone. "You shouldn''t blame her, I was the one who insisted on taking a walk," Meixiang interceded. He simply nodded at her then he cleanly placed his sword in the sheath before walking ahead of them, without any questions asked they simply followed after him. Before long, they made their way out into the main building of the pavilion. He stood in front of her then he cupped his hands together before turning to leave. She sighed as she watched him disappear from her sight. In Ruyi pavilion, she is the most desired entertainer who is very well respected but in here, she is just an esteemed guest. It struck her really hard that she doesn''t belong here yet and it will take her much effort to fully gain his trust but he was determined to become like her master to him. She returned to her room with the young lady behind her. Meanwhile, Feng Shui went to the meditation room, he has something to report but he was worried that he will disturb the fourth prince and Xiaodi meditation so he waited until this time. He entered without knocking. "Fourth prince," he cupped his hands together then bowed his head to greet him. "It seems like I am bound to not meditate properly today seeing as you all have something to report," "Sorry for disturbing your meditation, I completed the task you gave to me, all preparations to return to the capital has been completed, I am just worried that we might not be able to meet Madam Ju," "How so?" "Although the emperor has allowed her to leave the palace, she is still somewhat the emperor''s woman," The fourth prince opened his eyes then calmed his internal energy as he stood up then adjusted his black robe. "My father just thinks of her as a replacement of my mother, there is no way the queen and the imperial noble consort will allow a woman who is famous for being an entertainer to become the emperor''s concubine especially since they have seen how he cares about her, we just have to make sure we don''t make our relation with her too obvious and it will be fine," He smiled then tapped his shoulder before leaving the meditation room while Feng Shui glanced at the wall separating the chamber before following him out. "It is rare that you finish meditating before Xiaodi, she must have finally learnt to be patient," The fourth prince couldn''t help but chuckle, he really wishes that was the case. "I wish that was that case but she has already left long ago," He could only shake his head at how pampered the spirit beast is by her master, he wonders how the fourth prince still entrusts her with serious tasks. "The emperor''s birthday is in one week and the martial hero contest is in two weeks, so we should return to the capital in two days," Feng shui suggested. "No rush, my imperial father has sent many people to look for me, he has always expected me to attend his birthdays but I never come, still he hasn''t given up on finding me so to be careful, we will arrive in the capital on the day of the celebration to avoid being found out," "Master, you have invested a lot of time in improving your cultivation and healing but I am worried you might have to go through more when you meet her in the capital," "It doesn''t matter, even if it is my life, I am willing to give her but I just need her to be safe," {The martial hero contest...} Feng Shui could only sigh in resignation, if there is something or someone his master wants to protect then he must make it his duty. Meanwhile, in the cave, Huo Lan is still trying to hone her power with the assistance of Su Ci who managed to convince her to stop training recklessly. Su Ci has always been special from birth, she might not have very special skills or very good cultivation but she has the ability to absorb the flame of the flame sect. Although she has been using herself as a test subject for Huo Lan, she has also sustained several internal injuries which she has kept hidden from Huo Lan who only cares about passing the test so she can be with her family again otherwise, she will be subjected to this cave forever. "Su Ci, are you alright? you look really pale," she extended her hand to touch her forehead but Su Ci grabbed her hand aggressively but she smiled after she realised it. "I am alright, as long as you can pass the test then I will be even better," she smiled warmly then she sighed, Huo Lan then continued trying to control her power after each mind cultivation. She could feel a metallic taste in her mouth and the urge to cough overwhelmed her, she silently stood up from the lotus position then she walked quickly to a blind spot. She started coughing really hard and it made her chest wrench in pain. Dark coagulated blood dripped from the corner of her mouth, she leaned her back against the wall then sighed deeply with her eyes closed. She placed her hands on her chest then squeezed it tight. Chapter 306 - Desperate! Dark coagulated blood dripped from the corner of her mouth, she leaned her back against the wall then sighed deeply with her eyes closed. She placed her hands on her chest then squeezed it tight. With the support of the wall, she walked towards where Huo Lan is seated but she just watched her from afar as a motherly smile formed on her lips. "Huo Lan, as long as you can gain your freedom, I will give my life for it," she wiped the blood at the corner of her lips. - - - - - "Huo Ying!" Huo Lian called as she looked around all the training spots in the sect to find Huo Ying who seems to be secluding herself from the rest of the sect, she finally found herself in the least expected place. "What are you doing here?" she questioned as she walked towards Huo Ying who is on the grassland where they normally train in archery and also horse riding. "I should be asking you that question," Huo Ying responded with her hand still fixated on the target as she pulled the large bow in her hand with the feather of the metal arrow causing her blisters, Huo Lian widened her eyes at the sight of the bow and arrow. She stormed closer to her then grabbed the bow just as Huo Lan was about to fire. "Are you crazy?! this is the misty rage" she screamed. "Let go," she hissed with her eyes still fixed on the target and determination evident in her eyes. "Even the sect leader struggles to pull this bow, let me tell you, Huo Ying you are overestimating yourself," she continued with her hand holding the bow tighter, a part of her wants to let go of the bow because she knows the moment someone who doesn''t have the power to pull the bow lets go of the string then that person''s arm will be broken with a serious internal injury that might even lead to death, even though she has a bit of envy in her heart, she still can''t let her do that to herself. "I know, that is why I have trained so much to increase my arm strength," "Stil..." "Let go," she hissed again with a hint of threat in her voice. She didn''t want to make Huo Ying flare up again and the little seed of hate in her heart made her let go of the bow. She tried to stretch the bow further but she couldn''t, still, she decided to fire it, she is indeed overestimating herself even if she doesn''t know it. She closed her eyes then sighed deeply before opening it again, she loosened her finger to let go of the bow but before the string could leave her hand, a stone suddenly knocked the bow off her hand causing the arrow to hit the ground just a few meters away from her. She winced then turned to the spot where the arrow landed, a deep frown and a look of anger enveloped her face as she turned towards the direction where the arrow came from. "Huo Bingchen..." she hissed silently as he walked towards her with his hands at his back and a mocking smirk on his face. "Huo Bingchen," she pronounced louder. The smirk on his face widened. "You really overestimate yourself, just because your cultivation suddenly increased doesn''t mean you are now stronger than your father, who do you think you are to pull the misty rage?" He just wanted to rile her up, after all, it has been a long while since he has been a jerk to her. "Huo Bingchen, don''t cross me," He narrowed his eyes as he looked into her eyes, he could see her desperation, her desperate effort to become stronger in order to help her sister gain her freedom, in fact, they all know Huo Ying doesn''t believe Huo Lan can hone her power. To her, Huo Lan is a little sister who needs her protection from the harsh world that has taken away her family and happiness and to give her back what she lost, she is willing to do anything. "Cross you..." he scoffed then moved closer to her. "Even if you want to become more powerful, this is not the way, if something happens to you because of your stubbornness, do you think you can still help your sister, you should believe in her...after all, she is your beloved sister," he really doesn''t want to speak like this to her but he can''t help himself, he wondered what he would do if he was Huo Ying. "Huo Ying, listen to Bingchen, you are already powerful enough, you are almost on par with Huo Li and as you know, there is hardly anyone in our generation that is capable of defeating Huo Li," Huo Ying sighed then rubbed her forehead, she tilted her head backwards to resist the tears that threaten to fall. She has been troubled by the consequences of Huo Lan being unable to hone her power, the people already think of her as a threat and if that is truly confirmed on that day, she might even get killed not to talk of being imprisoned forever. She couldn''t hold it anymore, she threw her hands around Huo Lian who wrapped her arm around her back as she wept aloud on her shoulder. "I just came here to tell you that the sect madam has called us, when you are done you should come," he sighed then walked away. {I wonder just how much pain you hold in your heart, you never cried in front of me but...} He thought as he walked away. Huo Lian was also in thought as she patted her back, if Huo Mei was in the same situation as Huo Lan then she might not even be this strong. After consoling her, they made their way towards the sect hall where they met the elders and the other guardians already there including Huo Li and the main disciples of the advanced disciples. "Mother," "Sect madam," They greeted in unison then they stood at the side of the hall where the others were standing. "Since we are all here then I will not beat around the bush, in the upcoming Martial hero contest, Li Bing, Wu Que, Mo Tian, you will all fight in the martial heroes contest, no one else is to participate" she announced, the elders and everyone else looked at her in confusion. "Mother, you have always taught us never to underestimate out enemy, they might be advanced disciples but what if-" "There is not what if, even if the situation arises then only the guardians are allowed to fight, you and Huo Li are to sit back," she ordered with a firm authoritative tone. In saying that, the elders already understood her intention. "Mother, I have been training very hard for that day, how can you suddenly say that I can''t fight in the contest," "Master, I have also been preparing myself, there is hardly any chance to have a real contest, please I can''t miss this opportunity," Huo Li pleaded. "Sect madam''s intention is already clear, if our advanced disciples can defeat the young masters of the other sect then it means that the strengths of the guardians and the young mistress are great and it will also help us hide our strength," the third elder explained but they were still not satisfied. "Nothing you say will change my mind and if the situation doesn''t call for it, the guardians are not allowed to participate," "Sect madam, Lin Bohai is not to be underestimated. I heard he is regarded as the genius cultivator of our generation," Huo Qiang added being the cautious person he is, he has already gathered some information that they didn''t know whilst they were in seclusion. "We don''t have to worry about this, as long as none of you guardians can win him then it is best we forget about winning," she firmly responded. "There is something else that we are all forgetting, now that the flame sect has come out of seclusion, it is only right that you attend the emperor''s birthday," the first elder reminded. "Why is that? We belong to the jianghu world," Huo Mei questioned while they all looked confused. You all don''t know this but since the four major sect originated from the royal family then we are still somehow tied to the royal family," he explained. "That''s right, I almost forgot about this issue, in that case then Huo Qiang and Huo Ying will accompany me to the palace, that is all," She glanced at them all before standing up from her seat to leave the hall while Huo Li followed behind her. They all looked dissatisfied, the guardians knew that even if she let them fight it will only be in a desperate situation, as for Huo Ying, after her experience in the court, she really wants to visit the palace again. But then she remembered what the first elder just said...{Does that mean I and my sister are princesses?} Chapter 307 - Rightful Heir! But then she remembered what the first elder just said...{Does that mean I and my sister are princesses?} "It is such a pity that the sect leader is in seclusion," the third elder remarked as he stood up from his seat then he walked out of the hall while the other two followed. "Now that you all know what you have to do, you should do your best to train hard so as not to bring disgrace upon the sect," Huo Qiang warned with a strict expression on his face, the four of them cupped their hands together then bowed as they chorused ''Understood''. The four of them then left the hall leaving only the guardians and Huo Ying in the hall, they all took their seat then faced each other for a serious discussion. "I have fought with Lin Bohai before, his strength is definitely not to be underestimated, you all might not-" "Are you going to say we might not be able to beat him, if you can win over him then what makes you think we can''t," Huo Lian interjected as her envious side triggered once again, the others turned to her with a cautioning look in their eyes. "You must have forgotten your respect because she asked us to treat her the same as others," Huo Qiang scolded with a stern look in his eyes, she glanced at her sister to see whose side she is on and as expected, she is also on Huo Ying side just like she has always been. She clenched her fist tightly as she bowed her head to apologise. "I am not trying to say you don''t have the ability to beat him, back then, I was only able to beat him easily because of my rage but I am not sure if I would be able to beat him in my normal state," she explained "From what I could see, you certainly have a higher cultivation compared to him but in a fight, what matters the most is not the cultivation but the mind and strategy," Huo Qiang added but Huo Mei''s mind was occupied with thoughts of tthe change in her sister''s behaviour towards Huo Ying, in fact, the envy in her eyes worries her. "More than anything, we should be worried about the second young mistress, sect madam must not have mentioned it but she is deeply worried, if by any chance she doesn''t pass the test..." Bingchen had to stop as he didn''t want to state their fear. "If it comes to that then I will certainly get my sister out even if it means revolting," Huo Ying declared, this time, they could see that she really means it and for the first time, they all agree with her recklessness. "As long as you want to revolt then we will also join in," Huo Mei added with a warm smile which Huo Ying reciprocated. But in her heart, she just can''t help feeling uneasy. - -- - - - In the palace The queen and the first prince, Li Changying were taking a walk in the imperial garden. She had a Phoenix coronet on her head and a long red robe with a red scarf around her shoulder as she placed her hand on his for support. "Mother, you seem to be in deep thought, is there anything bothering you?" the first prince asked but the empress smiled warmly as she turned to his side. "Why do you think so? I am fine," she responded but the head attendant behind her couldn''t bear to see her keeping her worries hidden on her heart so she decided to butt in. "First prince, her majesty has been losing sleep lately and her appetite has greatly decreased," she tattled. "Head attendant..." the empress scolded. "Seems like I am really a useless son, father wouldn''t share his worries and responsibilities with me and my mother also doesn''t trust me with her worries, what then is my worth," a look of sadness of enveloped his face, she stopped then she held his hand tighter. "My son, you shouldn''t think that way, you are most certainly not useless, it is just that I am worried about the emperor''s birthday," she confessed then continued walking. "Father''s birthday is a joyful occasion, what is the cause of your worries?" "I am sure you have also noticed this but every year, your father sends out guards to look for the fourth prince in the capital, even though the fourth prince left the palace years ago, he is still yearning for him in his heart," the sadness and envy in her voice was clearly obvious. He sighed as a knot formed in his heart but he didn''t want her to know he also feels the same as her. "It is normal that father misses fourth brother," "If it were you or Chengguan, do you think he will do the same, you are clearly his firstborn and yet he refuses to let you get involved in politics, this just shows that he is stalling time," She responded with her voice raised, she really hates his indifference towards her children while he pours out his love for the son of a harlot who doesn''t even care about him. "Stalling time...everyone knows that father has always been wary of all the princes for fear that we might use our power wrongly but why does mother say he is stalling time?" He has always avoided interfering in politics because he tries to understand the concern of his father but if his mother really thinks there is a reason behind it then... "That is true but he surely plans to make Li Ruansong the crown prince, his purpose of making all the prince not get involved with the court is to prevent you all from having any achievement, that way, he can easily make the fourth prince the crown prince," "I never thought that far but now that you say it, it does sound plausible" He gritted his teeth at the thought of his mother''s deduction, all these years, he has tried to justify his father''s actions and his coldness towards them but as time goes by, he finds himself unable to understand his father. She stopped once again then held his hands tightly. "I have convinced your grandfather to support you and your brother, I will certainly give you what belongs to you but you have to be careful, I am worried that Li Ruansong might return and if he does return, it would not go well for is," "Mother, don''t worry, even if he does return, I am confident that I will be able to take my place as the rightful heir to the throne," he forced a smile on his lips to give her hope. She sighed then smiled. Meanwhile the Noble consort is with the third and fifth and sixth princes in her palace, discussing over snacks and tea. "Have you prepared your father''s birthday gift?" She asked as she placed the tea cup on the table. "Yes mother, we have all taken special care to choose the gift" the third prince answered to which she nodded satisfactorily. "The first and second prince will surely take special care so the three of you should make sure your gifts are not inferior to theirs," "Mother needn''t worry about that," "Strangely, I don''t have a good feeling about this," she remarked as she lifted the teacup to her lips, the princes glanced at each other before turning back to her. "Why so?" the fifth prince asked "I am not sure but I have a bad feeling about this, I hope one of you can become the crown prince but the custom requires the first born of the emperor to become the king, I am hoping the ministers can bring up the issue of appointing a crown prince," "If there is anyone father despises amongst his children then it should be the first and second prince because of their grandfather, father will surely not pass his throne to them," the third prince assured. "Even without the first and second prince, there is still the fourth prince," "Li Ruansong?" Chapter 308 - Love To Hatred! "He has already left the palace years ago, how is he a threat?" The sixth prince asked with a confused look on his face. When he was young, he used to try to get close to the fourth prince but the fourth prince always remains indifferent to him, to everyone else. The fourth prince has been the brother he always wanted and he wished he had been close to him, at least before he left the palace. "Are you really stupid, your father favours the fourth prince amongst all his children, he must surely plan to make him the crown prince, why else do you think he is trying to find him," "Fourth prince has left the palace for so many years, it is only right that father searches for him and even if he makes him the crown prince then it can only mean he deserves it," The sixth prince remarked in support of the fourth prince. "Shut up, what do you know," the third prince yelled in irritation, the imperial noble consort slammed the teacup on the table in annoyance. "Why are you so stupid, all you care about is playing chess and reading stupid books, when you are supposed to be supporting your brothers," she scolded with her voice raised even though all her words were entering one of his ears and leaving through the other. "He is just too naive, I am sure he will change soon," the fifth prince interceded on his behalf. "Concerning the fourth prince, I don''t think we have to worry, even when father took in more concubines and celebrated his birthday these last years, he has never returned to the capital so we don''t have to worry," he assured with a reassuring smile. She sipped her tea as she thought about his words, it indeed reassured her. Meanwhile, the emperor was discussing the same topic with the regional commander after the minister of rite discussed the people and other countries that were being invited to the celebration, it pained him to know that the fourth prince might not attend his birthday this year again. "Your majesty, I have stationed soldiers at the city gate so you can be rest assured that if the fourth prince comes into the city then we will surely find out," "I am glad you know my thoughts even though it might be futile this time too, as a father, I am saddened by my son''s indifference that he wouldn''t even visit his father and as the emperor, I can not continue to let a prince break free from his royal status," Back when the fourth prince left the palace using the excuse that he wants to see what the outside world is like, the emperor sent many soldiers to protect him in secret but the fourth prince slipped away from their sight and that was how they lost him. The emperor thinking something bad has happened to his son, detained the soldiers and sentenced them to behead but as soon as the fourth prince heard this in blossom valley, he decided to return to the palace so the innocent men will not die because of him but that was when he saved Feng Shui, he shared his burden with him and received his advice which made him make up his mind not to return but to focus on his goals. He sent Feng Shui to the palace with his letters for the imperial consort and the emperor, he pretended to be a soldier then he gave the letter under the pretence of an emergency military letter and just like a ghost, he disappeared from the palace even after combing the whole palace to search for him only for him to sneak into the palace at night to deliver the letter to the imperial noble consort which implored her not to tell the emperor of his whereabouts. Since then, a void has been created in the emperor''s heart out of a yearning for his most beloved son. Just then, the empress entered the palace after hearing from the attendants that the emperor is with the regional commander so she ordered them not to announce her presence. "Your majesty," the regional commander greeted as she approached them. "What is the empress doing here?" The emperor questioned with his usual coldness but nonetheless, she still put on a smile on her face. "I heard from the imperial doctor that your majesty has been having headaches so I decided to visit you," she answered with her voice filled with concern that even the regional commander could tell that she is deeply worried. He actually pities the empress, she betrayed her own father to help him and she deeply loves him but he discards her after using her, every woman in her position will sooner or later turn into his enemy or worse. He once told the emperor his sincere thought in this but he was rebuked. He took a few steps back then cupped his hands with a bow. "Since her majesty is here then I will take my leave," after the emperor waved his hand, he turned around to leave while the empress climbed the short stairs to his seat. "I have asked the imperial kitchen to brew you tonic and chicken soup to nourish your health," She informed as she took her seat beside him while he made sure to look away from her. "It seems like the empress has a lot of time on her hand," "As long as my time is spent on your majesty, it is worth it," she cleverly answered from experience. The maids bringing in the tonic and soup entered the room with the head eunuch following behind them. A taster took a spoon of each then it was carried up to the empress. She took the bowl from the attendant then scooped the tonic in the spoon to feed him but he merely glared at her with irritation, she immediately understood what he meant so she handed the bowl over to him and signalled the servant to place the bowl of chicken soup on the table. He drank the entire tonic then half of the chicken soup before dismissing the attendants. She decided it is the best time to bring up a discussion. "Your majesty, there is something I want to discuss with you but I don''t know if you would like to listen," "If you brought it up then it must mean you plan to speak whether or not I permit you," "When do you plan to appoint a crown prince?" She bluntly questioned knowing the impact of her question, the emperor slowly turned his head to her with his eyes squinted, anger clearly evident in his eyes. She knew immediately to stand up. "The princes are already old enough for you to make a decision as this concerns the stability of the nation and the royal family," She boldly continued. "I must have been too lenient with you seeing as you no longer know your boundary," "It is within my boundary to discuss this issue with you as the empress, is your majesty really waiting for the fourth prince to return so you can crown him the crown prince," He slammed the table furiously then stood up to face her with his eyes bulged and his chest heaving up and down. "Empress!" He yelled but she wasn''t intimidated. "What! I am the empress of this nation and yet you treat me like a lowly consort, the princes are already old enough to participate in politics and assist in the governance but you have made them lazy and pompous in the eyes of your people, they are too ashamed to show their faces to the princes of other nations," she retorted angrily, she has been holding it in and now she must ensure this gets settled on his birthday. "It is not your place to tell me who and when to chose the crown prince," he warned as he moved steps closer to her while she raised her chin to show him that he cannot intimidate her. She merely smirked then moved closer to him. "Your majesty, I have loved and yearned for you all these years despite your coldness but if you keep disregarding me and the princes then...I will have no choice but to turn my love into hatred and gather my supporters in the court," she threatened. "Right now, are you threatening to turn my courtiers against me?" He clenched his fist in anger at her audacity but he knew that the only reason why she now has the guts to confront him is that she now has the backing of her father. "You may interpret it however you want but from now on, I will no longer sit still," with that, she smiled widely then bowed her head before turning to leave while he watched her until she passed through the door. He clenched his fist tighter before screaming his lungs out and throwing the things on the table to the ground. "That impudent woman, how dare she," he yelled, throwing a fit once again. Chapter 309 - Stand Her Ground! "Surgeon Yu Yan," she heard a voice call behind her, she removed her stethoscope from the patient''s chest then she turned around to see who the person is, it turned out to be one of the nurses she is not familiar with. "What is it?" she questioned. "The board wants you in the hall," the nurse answered, everyone present in the ward turned to her with their brows raised, they wondered why the board will suddenly summon her, although she was confused, she took care of the patient then hung her stethoscope on her neck and followed the nurse out. They soon got to the hall, she entered after a knock on the door, she was surprised to see almost all the board consisting mainly of the doctors and very few shareholders, she slowly took a step forward to the front of the hall under their seemingly accusing and scrutinizing gaze. The two people she wasn''t expecting to see there, were unexpectedly seated in the hall too, Chen Kai and his mother, a bad feeling brooded inside her. "Surgeon Yu Yan," one of the senior surgeons called to which she responded. "Were you the one who spread rumours and posted on the board about the liver surgery involving one of the VIP patients?" the surgeon asked, her heart dropped, she already knew they were going to find out soon and she will have to do this sooner or later but somehow facing all these people, she just can''t help feeling nervous. "Yes," she answered after much effort to appear confident. The hall became filled with murmurs immediately but was silenced when the madam slammed her hand on the table. "How dare you?!" she yelled, with her fist tightly clenched on the table, it irked her to see the lowly surgeon who once seduced her son to try to find trouble for the hospital in this critical moment. "I only did it out of a sense of responsibility as a surgeon, giving a liver transplant to a patient who has had alcohol within six months of the transplant is against the law, just because he is a VIP patient doesn''t mean he deserves to get the liver which could have been used to save someone else," she boldly responded, her eyes showing just how determined she is to take her stand. Fury bubbled inside her watching the impudent lady in front of her speak without fear or hesitation. "Insolent!" She yelled, slamming her hand on the table again. "Who do you think you are to interfere with the management, you are just lowly resident surgeon," Chen Kai kept his eyes fixed on hers as though he was begging her to look at him so his eyes can persuade her. "It is exactly because I am a surgeon that I cannot sit and watch you take away the chance to live from a patient just because he is not an important shareholder of your company," They were even more surprised that she knows something so important but they are clearly not happy with it, the more she knows then the more trouble she is likely to find. "Surgeon Yu Yan," one of the senior surgeons present cautioned her, they all know the importance of the patient and how much damage it will cause the hospital if they can''t save him so they are willing to discard their morals in order to save him. "I won''t bother talking much with you, as long as you offer an official apology in front of all the staffs and stop spreading such ridiculous rumours then I will let you go or else-" "I cannot do that," she interrupted Angry stares filled their eyes as they murmured aloud, each scolding her for her boldness but she noticed someone different. "Chen Kai," she muttered with her gaze directed at him, seeing them all accuse her made her wish for support, she suddenly wished Han Chen was in here with her. "For the sake of your talent and hard work, I will give you another chance to rectify yourself, apologise to both patients and the staffs for the confusion caused and stop spreading such rumours then your only punishment will be a suspension," Mrs Chen continued, Yu Yan was starting to get riled up, her situation right now reminded her of how her mother lost the job she loved. She was in a similar situation but she couldn''t protect the less privileged patient so she quit out of guilt. "How can you disregard the life of one for your benefit, if you let the patient have the liver transplant there is a high risk of complication which might cause the patient life, why can''t you just use it for someone who is in dire need of it," she spoke in an agitated manner with her voice raised. "You-" "Yu Yan, mind your manners," Chen Kai warned, she turns to him then scoffed. "You looked quite reluctant to be here so I thought you had a different ideology from them but you are just the same," He balled his fist in anger, he just hates this side of her, she has always made him feel inferior to her whenever she starts speaking of her morals and justice. "Don''t think too much of yourself, if you are fired by the hospital before your residency ends, which hospital will dare to accept you," He threatened even though he didn''t mean to sound so harsh to her. "Chen Kai!" She yelled in anger, hearing him speak of terminating her dreams. Tears started welling in her eyes, she looked around the hall to see all of them so indifferent to injustice yet a less important person like her is being targeted for wanting to set the wrong right. "I will say this for the last time, apologise and cease to end the rumours then you will only get a suspension otherwise..." She made a threatening and intimidating look expecting the young lady to be terrified at the thought of ending her career even before she gets the chance to really start it but when her lips suddenly curled up into a smirk and she leaned closer to the mic in front of the hall, she knew this girl is more obstinate than she thought. "I will stand my ground on this issue, I may be just an ordinary resident surgeon in your eyes unlike others who are from prominent families but my morals make me a better being than you are, if you still want to threaten me with my career then I advise you against it because the moment it goes down, I will waste no effort to let the media know what is going on in this hospital," she threatened with a firm gaze, though she is pretending to look bold, inside her, the thought of losing her dream terrifies her. "You insolent bitch," Mrs Chen cursed to their surprise as she sprung up from her seat then walked towards her with a fiery look in her eyes, Yu Yan clenched her fist waiting for her to stand before her, somehow, she already knew the woman intends to assault her. "How dare you?" she yelled as she raised her hand against her face and brought it down until- "Don''t you dare lay a finger on her!" an angry and agitated voice yelled from the entrance of the hall, she froze her hand in the air as she turned around to see who it is that dared interrupt their meeting. "Han Chen," Yu Yan muttered, her weakened knees almost gave way but she managed to hold herself up. Chen Kai who was just about to save her from his mother balled his fist seeing the man who took away the woman he loves defending her in front of them all. The fury in his eyes is so evident that everyone could see it in his eyes, he inhaled deeply then walked swiftly to the front of the hall, he grabbed her hand then threw it down aggressively. "Just because you are from the Jia family doesn''t mean you can be impudent," she warned, threateningly. He scoffed then moved a step closer to her as he held Yu Yan''s hand. Chapter 310 - In-Law! 1 "I just want to be impudent, what are you going to do about it?" he responded, he could feel the touching gaze of his woman behind him, how relieved she is that he is here to defend her, he could feel it. "Han Chen, you had better know your place," Chen Kai warned as he left his seat and walked up to them, the entire board became spectators as they prepared themselves to watch a drama unfold. According to the rumors they heard before, Chen Kai was seduced by her but she also seduced Han Chen so seeing two love rivals against each other is definitely a good drama to watch as long as it won''t cost them their shares or the reputation of the hospital. "My place- you are the one who should know your place, what do you think is going to happen if this matter goes to court?" he threatened them, narrowing his gaze at Chen Kai, murmurs of discontent and anger filled the room again because of the threat. "If anyone dares to touch her then I will make sure you watch this hospital- no, Chen Corporation will fall right before your eyes," he exhaled deeply, not minding the murmurs that had filled the hall and the murderous gaze of Mrs Chen who is almost hyperventilating out of anger. He stroked her face with a doting and pained look on his face. "Let''s go," he said as he held her hand tighter and pulled her out of the hall. As soon as they left the hall, everyone gathered around to watch as he pulled her behind him, the noises coming from the meeting room already told them half the story of what must have happened in the hall. If they weren''t in a hospital where they are required to pay attention to the patients then they will all probably leave whatever they are doing to get the gist of the situation, after all, the two male idols of the hospital are involved with the belle. Under their curious gaze, he pulled her hand until they got to the rooftop when he let go of her hand. "Han Chen," she muttered again, her eyes getting teary. "I was so-" He pulled her into his embrace tightly, not letting her say a word more. Feeling his racing heart, made her know just how worried and agitated he must have been seeing her in that situation, her tears finally made their way out of her eyes, wetting his shirt. "I was so anxious," "I know, I am sorry for letting you go through that," he apologized, wrapping his arms around her shoulder tighter, when he heard that she has been called to the board meeting, he felt anxious and knowing that Chen Kai is also in that meeting made him decide to make sure she is alright. No one could eavesdrop on the meeting but he boldly did, he lost it when he heard Mrs Chen call her an insolent bitch, he just didn''t care to know the context behind it when he barged in. "I just realized how weak I am mentally," she said amidst her sobbing, she has experienced similar things to this but somehow, the situation made her weaker than she thought she was. He slowly unwrapped his hand then he placed his hands on her shoulder, raising his thumb to wipe her tears. "You can be weak, that way, I will have more reasons to protect you and fight for you, your cause is my cause," His words totally reminded her that she has a man who can act as her support and his shoulders are hers to lean on. "Did you know?" "I just suspected it but when I heard you were called, I guessed you are the one," his voice didn''t sound like he is pleased with her. "You should have asked-" "No, you should have told me," he sounded really disappointed, she pursed her lips then nodded her head in submission. "Don''t tell Jia Yu about this, once she knows about it, then my aunt and uncle will surely know about it," "You will soon be their daughter-in-law, don''t you think it is wrong for you to keep this from them," Her face flushed red. "What are you talking about...suddenly," His lips broke into a smile, clearly teasing her. He raised her hand then took her ring finger in his hand. "What do you think comes next after getting engaged," he teased but it suddenly reminded her of something they had missed, something that might bring them trouble if they don''t solve it quickly. "We still haven''t told my parents, if they find out that I am already engaged to someone they have never even met, they might not accept it," Her worry is clearly expressed by the look on her face, he held both of her hands then lowered his face into hers. "Why don''t we go see them during the weekend then we can tell Aunt about us," he suggested with a smile. "I have to move back into my apartment, they won''t be pleased to find out that I have been living with you," He frowned at the mention of it, he really wished she has less doting and strict parents then she won''t have to move out, he sulked, pouting his lips. She pulled his cheeks then chuckled. "Don''t bother telling me not to move out," she could already guess what he is going to say. "But..." "Even if my mom doesn''t do anything, I am my dad''s precious daughter, if he finds out that I have been living with you, you will certainly get on his bad side," she explained, now cupping his face. He sighed in resignation then he held her face with both hands and plastered a kiss on her forehead which she reciprocated with a kiss on his lips. "We should go now," "Since you still have a shift tonight then I will help you pack up and sent your luggage to your apartment," She was quite surprised, he was just sulking a while ago and now he is already sending her luggage back, all this while of living with him she didn''t even think of getting her apartment cleaned up after what happened but now she understood that he must have taken care of it. "Alright," He left for the mansion after his shift ended then he packed her luggage for her and was about to carry them to the car when the nanny saw him pulling two big boxes. "Is young madam moving?" She asked, recognizing the black boxes to belong to Yu Yan. "She is moving back to her apartment," he answered as he turned to face her but he sighed seeing how disheveled she looks, he dropped the boxes then walked up to her. He brushed her hair with his hands then placed his hands on her shoulders. "I have already told you to stop doing these menial works, let the younger ones do it, why else do you think I let them stay in the quarters," he complained but she smiled. He has always nagged her about this but it is already her habit, after all, she has been taking care of him since he was born and she became his parent after his parent''s death. "You don''t have you worry about me, I am already used to this rather you should be worried about meeting your in-laws, she looks like she is from a strict family so you had better prepare yourself," she advised "I am meeting her parents this weekend," he assured then he flashed her a smile before picking the boxes up then taking them into the car. While in the car, he spoke with the managing director concerning some crucial affairs of the company. Although he doesn''t go to the company, the managing director still speaks to him about major decisions. He got to her apartment in no time since there is no traffic. He got into the elevator then pressed the floor number but the elevator door stopped when he saw a couple rush towards the elevator so he held it from closing. They got into the elevator with a piece of luggage in the woman''s hand, he bowed his head slightly to greet the middle-aged couple. "Thank you," the man thanked, he looked old enough to be his father so he replied with a faint smile. "Seems like we are going to the same floor," the woman remarked seeing that he had already pressed the floor number but her husband could see that she has a strange smile on her face like she admires the young dude. Chapter 311 - In-Law! 2 He simply nodded with a faint smile, if they were of the same age or close then he would have ignored her. They got out of the elevator together but he got her call as soon as he came out of the elevator. "Are you there yet?" She asked over the phone "Yes, I just got out of the elevator," his voice sounded like he was talking to someone he is very close to. Mrs Huo frowned upon hearing him as she leaned closer to whisper into her husband''s ears. "Seems like he already has a girlfriend, I was hoping to get his contact for Yu Yan," she whispered, he scrunched his face in annoyance. "You want to introduce my daughter to a stranger?" She pouted her lips hearing his tone of disapproval. "But why do you always say ''your daughter'', did you have her with another woman," "What do you think?" With that, he walked faster to get ahead of her, she sighed in annoyance then walked faster to catch up with him. They soon got to the apartment leaving the young man behind. By the time he got to her unit, he looked around but couldn''t find them so he guessed they must have entered theirs. He entered the passcode then entered. He was surprised to see the lights on, he entered into the parlours with careful steps but stopped when he heard the sound of footsteps. "It''s not just one person," he remarked in a whisper, he gently let the boxes to the ground then he walked closer towards the kitchen where he heard the footsteps from and the clinking of metals. He picked up a kitchen towel hanging on the rack before rushing into the kitchen catching then unawares, he wrapped the towel around the neck of the nearest person then pulled him in for a choke. "Aargh!" He heard a woman scream, he raised his brow recognising the woman to be the woman in the elevator then who is the person he is choking... He gasped as he quickly unwrapped the towel around his neck. He almost collapsed but his wife quickly helped him stand straight. "How did you get in?" He questioned with his guard still up, he looked around the kitchen that had already been filled with kimchi boxes and other side dishes yet to be placed in the refrigerator. Mrs Huo was still busy trying to get her husband to catch his breath when she turned to him with a deep glare in her eyes. "This is my daughter''s apartment and you are asking us how we got in, I should call the police," she dipped her hand in her bag to bring out her phone, she dialled the line with her wary eyes fixed on him. "Her parents, what are you-" his eyes widened realising what she just said. "Her parents!" he exclaimed. "You are my in-l...I mean surgeon Yu Yan''s parents?" he questioned again, if only he could drop to the ground and wail while tumbling on the floor, he just planned to visit her parent yet he has already ended himself. From the tone of his voice, they could tell that they know each other so she cut the call for the meantime, Mr Huo had already recovered from the choke, he is just waiting for the young man to identify himself before he pounces on him. "And who are you?" "Ah---I am her fi- I mean her junior colleague," he lied, he certainly doesn''t have the boldness to tell them he is their soon to be son-in-law. They didn''t quite believe him yet but they remembered he was pulling some boxes with him so it piqued their curiosity and suspicion. "Why would her junior colleague visit her apartment with his luggage?" her mother queried as she folded her arms on her chest, he kept his head lowered and his hands folded together to appear as a responsible young man. "Don''t tell me you are living with my daughter-" "Of course...not!" he quickly interrupted her father, remembering what Yu Yan said about her dad, he smiled realizing that he just raised his voice at them. He quickly racked his brain for a good lie despite knowing the cat will be out of the bag soon enough. "She had a problem with the water system which ended up flooding her house so she moved her things to the hospital, now that the apartment is fine, she asked me to help her bring it here," he explained, trying his best to make it sound like the truth. Mr Huo just couldn''t help feeling that the young man is suspicious, after all, he has disapproved of him the moment his wife mentioned introducing him to Yu Yan, after what Chen Kai did to his precious daughter, he just can''t let her be with any random man or he will rather have her living in his house forever. Both of them kept quiet each with their own thoughts in their mind as they thought over his answer but it was really making him anxious, he could feel his knees almost giving way, he realised he has to get out of there otherwise, there is no knowing how much damage he will cost. "Hmmn...I will take my leave now, he turned around and quickly scurried away before they had the chance to call him back. As he shut the door behind him, he ran his hands through his hair in a frenzy then dropped on his knees, if only tears could come then he will really be crying right now. "I-I choked my father-in-law..." even the thought of it makes him want to faint and wake up realising it was all a dream, now he realised what it means to be nervous in front of your in-laws. Her father might not have said much but he could see the murderous look in his eyes, waiting for him to say anything displeasing, the fact that he just got choked did not seem to bother him but the thought of him getting involved with his daughter... "I am doomed," that was all he could say, he stood up from the ground with both hands still raking his hair, he walked towards the elevator, anyone who sees him will definitely think his soul has left his body. He shut the door to the car then he places both hands on the steering wheel, he sighed again thinking of the lies he told then, frustrated, he slammed his hands on the steering wheel. He has already damaged his image before even meeting them formally. He drove back to the mansion hoping Yu Yan has already ended her shift and there is no emergency case that would require her to stay at the hospital this night. If there is anyone who knows her parents well then it is Yu Yan and Jia Yu. As he steered the wheel around, he dialled Jia Yu''s number on the car system, surprisingly she picked the call in no time. "Hello, brother," "Jia Yu- -well, how well do you know Yu Yan''s parents?" He asked cutting to the chase, hoping she says things that are in his favour. "Are you finally going to visit them with Yu Yan?" Her voice was filled with excitement not knowing the big mess he got himself into, he has faced all sorts of challenges as a soldier but the one before him seems too hard to solve. He pinched his forehead knowing she is going to start blabbering. "Just tell me what you know, what is their prospect son-in-law?" "Well...as for her mom, she wants someone who is handsome, tall, has a good job and is capable of caring and providing her needs for her but her dad...no one is good enough for her, too handsome, too tall, too rich, too ugly, too poor, too ordinary, everything is not good enough for his daughter, you might not know this but Yu Yan is the pampered last born of the family, she just didn''t turn out rotten," He looked into the mirror, realising that the first three has already disqualified him. "What of her brothers?" he didn''t think she might have much to say but if only he knows. "Her brothers! they are even worst than her dad, they beat up any guy that gets close to Yu Yan, even Chen Kai got beaten up by them so Yu Yan had to lie to them that she broke up with him years ago, if only they know what he did then he certainly wouldn''t get away with it and neither would she, even her Dad never accepted Chen Kai, he just let her remain as her boyfriend but he made her know that he will never accept Chen Kai as his son-in-law but her mom was totally against it," He didn''t think that the woman he loves has such a protective family, now he doesn''t know if it is a good thing or not, he can take the beating as long as they let him marry her. "But brother, none of that matters, there is one thing they all hate in the family..." she put him in suspense for a while, he raised his brows, wondering what that thing might be that makes it seem so forbidden. "That is..." Chapter 312 - Lies! "But brother, none of that matters, there is one thing they all hate in the family..." she put him in suspense for a while, he raised his brows, wondering what that thing might be that makes it seem so forbidden. "That is L.I.E.S, the moment you tell the slightest lie, you are already disqualified before you even have a chance," her voice totally stressed how serious the situation is but she stopped when she heard his brake screech. His eyes went round and his heart sank...LIES, he just did the forbidden back there. "Brother, are you okay? I am sorry I didn''t tell you this before but you should probably tell Yu Yan about your identity as the chairman of Han Chen Corporation and as a soldier, she once said she doesn''t want to get married to someone she will have to worry about because she wouldn''t be able to be at peace so the earlier you solve that issue, the better, brother...are you there?" His words hung at his throat, the situation is just too unfavourable, he has already disqualified himself in many ways before meeting them. "I will think about it-" he ended the call straightaway then drove back at the highest speed he could drive at. He soon got to the mansion in no time, he immediately ran inside, he really wants to just coop himself somewhere to cry but he wants to be in her embrace more, he really regretted volunteering to drop her luggage. He couldn''t see her in sight when he entered so he started looking for her starting from her bedroom to the kitchen not knowing that he put her in a dilemma by packing everything including her underwears. She freaked out seeing her drawers emptied out of embarrassment, she was in her bathrobe and she really needed something comfy to wear, the thought of him seeing everything made it even more awkward so having no other choice, she decided to find something to wear in his closet. {Does he really want me to leave that bad?} she couldn''t help thinking that way. He burst into his room in search of her then went straight to his walk-in closet not knowing she is there she turned around to leave while buttoning up the large white shirt reaching up to her thigh when both of them collided head-on, she moved her head back in pain but he just stood still, staring into her eyes. Her wet dripping hair slicked on her shoulder and her bare face made him so captivated that he couldn''t take his eyes off her, just when he was about to lower his eyes, she removed her hand from the button then held his face with both hands. "Don''t look down!" she yelled, squeezing his cheeks. She let go of his face then she swiftly turned around to button up quickly, his heart raced really fast looking at her figure from behind, the short shirt might not be body tight but it still accentuated her figure, he really wished to wrap his arms around her thin waist so he waited, just until she buttons up to her chest. The moment her hand touched the third to last button, he rushed towards her then wrapped his hand around her waist tightly, her breath hitched feeling his arms around her waist. The tension he makes her feel made her heart violently ram against her chest, her lashes fluttered to get her composure, she could tell that something probably happened, she left the button then touched his hand as she unwrapped it from her waist then she turned to face him. She placed one hand on the side of his face. "Did something happen?" she asked with a concerned look in her eyes. "Hmm," he hummed, she smiled faintly then held his hands tightly as she pulled him back to the bedroom, his sulky face that looked like he is about to tear up made her want to hug him more but she is already feeling sleepy. She let go of his hand to lie on his bed, he seemed confused even when she tapped the bed, signalling him to lie next to her, he gulped down his non-existent saliva as his eyes fell on her flawless smooth legs. If he doesn''t know better then he would have thought she is trying to seduce him. It didn''t matter, as long as she wants him next to her then he will gladly oblige. She could tell that he is thinking something different from what she has in mind so the moment he lied on the bed, she moved up to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck then laid her head on his. "This way, we can hug longer," she remarked, at that moment, he exhaled deeply, he didn''t know if he should be happy she wasn''t planning on doing what he was thinking or he should be sad but anyways, he is getting what he wanted "Tell me what happened," she asked in a soft yet warm voice, he tightened his arms around her waist. "I met your mom and dad," he disclosed with his eyes shut tight but she jolted up, seating on the bed so he also sat up on the bed. "When, how, why?" "I met them in the elevator but I didn''t know they were your parents so when I entered your apartment, I thought they had broken into your house so I..." the words hung in his throat. "You..." "I choked your dad," he completed in a rush with his eyes shut, she gasped, placing her hands over her mouth. "Are you crazy, how could you choke my dad," she scolded with a hit to his chest, the hit was quite strong but he took it in without wincing. "I didn''t they were the one not to talk of being your parents so I lied to them that your house was flooded so you had me bring the luggage back to your apartment after it was repaired," He continued, out of reflex, she hit him harder on the chest. "You already ruined everything," she complained but when she noticed him clutching the spot she hit, she immediately placed her hand on his chest. "Sorry, I didn''t mean to hit you hard," He held her hand in between his. "I know I ruined it but I really didn''t intend to, I was just too nervous," he looked really guilty so much that he couldn''t even look her in the eyes, she feels pity for him but knowing her parents, they won''t like that he lied to them. She kneeled on the bed then she leaned her body forward and wrapped her arms around his neck. "It''s alright, as long as I want to be with you then my dad will surely concede and once he does, my brothers will surely follow suit, as for my mother...we will find a way," she consoled but she didn''t expect him to be this sorry, he looks like he is almost crying. He remembered what Jia Yu said about Yu Yan not wanting to marry someone she has to worry about, he really needs to tell her the truth. He pulled her back gently then he pulled her back to sit. "I have also been hiding something from you," She squinted her eyes, telling him to spill it fast. "I am actually the chairman of Han Corporation," he confessed. Her face remained blank, he waited to see her reaction but she didn''t show any so he raised his brows. "Why aren''t you saying anything?" "I waited so long thinking you were never going to tell me the truth," she responded with her lips turned up, he narrowed his gaze trying to understand what she means then it struck his mind that she already knew about it. "You...." "Do you think we are dumb, first I saw you at the company owned by Jia Yu''s cousin but you said you were there to seek a job, why would you seek a job at your cousin''s company," she had a smug smile on her face that totally wrecked his mind, so she knew about it all along and she pretended like she didn''t know. "You said first, is there another reason," "After I confessed to you, I heard rumors of Chen corporation losing its subsidiaries, could that have been a coincidence?" She really restrained herself from laughing looking at his expression. "I am more impressed that Jia Yu kept this a secret for so long, she is normally a blabbermouth but now everyone in the friend group knows except Jia Yu," He couldn''t help but wonder if she already knows about his position in the military but he wanted to sound her out first. "So you are not angry?" "I am but I don''t want to dwell on it, as long as I don''t have to worry about you then whatever you do is fine," "Why?" *Please support this novel but giving your vote, writing reviews, and interacting, if you have gotten to this point then you must have your own view* Chapter 313 - Scared Of Rides! "If you were working as a pilot or in the military then I won''t be able to sleep every night knowing that you are out there risking your life," At that moment, he already made up his mind, everyone around him tried to convince him when he first joined the military but he refused but now that he has met her again, he is willing to leave even if it is just for her sake. Since he has decided to leave, he decided not to tell her anyways. "I am sleepy, let''s go to sleep," they returned back to their original position then slept like babies in each other''s arms. Yu Yan felt happier and more loved now that he told her himself. The next day, which is a Saturday, he was woken up by the rays of sunlight infiltrating the slightly parted curtains. He slowly raised his eyelids with his hand obstructing the rays from his face, he winced slightly as he turned to the woman next to him. His lips widened looking at the hot mess on his bed under his black duvet. He brushed her scattered hair from her face then tucked them behind her ear, he placed his elbow on the pillow then rested his head on his arm. "Such a beautiful and cute mess," he remarked, he just couldn''t stop smiling at her. Her naturally pale cherry-colored lips were pouted so cutely that he couldn''t resist plastering a kiss on her lips, he leaned toward then kissed the beauty in her sleep. As he moved his eyes off her face, it landed on her legs, his throat bobbed seeing the shirt just slightly covering her thigh, he quickly covered her legs with the duvet then got off the bed to make breakfast. Whilst he was still making breakfast, she silently came down the stairs, she smiled naughtily when she got to the kitchen as she silently made her way towards him, just when he heard a light tiptoe she wrapped her arms around his waist. "Hubby," she called with her smile almost reaching her eyes, his hands stopped with his brows raised. "What did you just call me?" He asked, wanting to make sure he heard the right thing. "Huh...did I say anything?" She asked, feigning ignorance, he unwrapped her hand from his waist then turned around to face her, he surely caught hold of her naughty expression. "I didn''t know you were so eager to marry me, I don''t mind going to the marriage registration office right now," he teased. "In your dreams," she hit his chest then snapped her hand from his wrist to walk away but he pulled her hand causing her other hand to lie on his chest and his hands around her waist, he pressed his lips against hers then whispered to her face. "I will drive you to your apartment," he already knows she is planning on leaving today considering that her parents were at her house yesterday. She smiled with a nod then he released her hand so she scurried upstairs with her hands at both sides of her cheeks. He smiled watching her back disappear from his sight then he turned back to kept saut¨¦ing the food but alas- everything has gotten burnt. He quickly turned off the gas then flicked his head, he was busy romancing that he didn''t even remember he is still saut¨¦ing their breakfast. He is too lazy to make another breakfast so he decided to have breakfast with her at a restaurant before going to her apartment. She came down all dressed in a wool trouser, a wide-necked wool top, and a knitted winter cardigan with white sneakers and a cream handbag. His eyes hovered around her body till she arrived in front of him, he smiled widely then held her hand, she was quite confused as to why there is no breakfast on the table so she peeped into the kitchen. "It is burnt so we are eating at a restaurant," he informed knowing that she is looking for the meal he cooked, she clicked her tongue then nodded her head. He abruptly kissed her again. She raised her brows after the kiss. "Why do I feel like you are living on kisses, not oxygen these days," He pulled her closer then cupped her face. "It''s not the kisses but you, you look so strikingly beautiful," he responded, giving her another kiss lasting for a few seconds before they left for the restaurant. They spent a while at the restaurant then they decided to go on a date before returning to her apartment. "Amusement park...why are we here?" She asked with a nervous look on her face that he couldn''t decipher. "We are on a date remember," "I know but..." "Stop whining and come down," She came down then they held hands as they walked through the park, he took her into the costume shop where they both got Mickey Mouse headband, then they bought ice cream. "Let''s get the carousel ride," she suggested "I thought you were going to suggest we go for something more thrilling like the gyro drop," he responded, since they entered the park, she seems nervous for a reason he doesn''t know. "Let''s just get on the ride," she didn''t bother giving him a proper response before pulling his arm, they got the tickets then got on the ride, she wrapped her arms around his waist as they are on the same Camelot. After the ride, he bought tickets for them to take the gyro swing. She was hesitating but she didn''t want him to know she is scared to go on these rides so she got on the ride with him. "Are you alright, you look tense?" He asked, noticing how stiff and nervous she has been since they got off the carousel. She shook her head to assure him that she is alright but he wasn''t reassured. "If you don''t feel good then we can just leave," "I am really fine," she insisted He smiled hearing that she is fine but just then, the swing started moving. She clutched his arm tightly with her eyes shut as it started accelerating. He screamed in excitement not realizing that she is scared until she started screaming his name. When he turned to her, he couldn''t believe she is crying. "Didn''t you say you are okay with the ride?" He questioned with his voice raised because of the wind. She sniffed her nose. "Don''t you know that when a woman says yes then she means no," she responded, amidst her sobs. He sighed but he couldn''t do anything to stop the ride so he hugged her tightly so she can cry on him as the others were staring at them. The ride finally ended, she quickly rushed out with her hand over her mouth while he followed after her. She ran to a corner where she puked, he kept rubbing her back as she let out everything. "I will get you water," By the time he returned, she was already done puking, he handed her the bottle of water to rinse her mouth and drink. "You should have told me, I wouldn''t have made you take the ride knowing you don''t feel comfortable with it," he complained with a deep frown on his face and his arms crossed on his chest. "I am sorry, I just didn''t want you to know I am scared of rides," she apologized with her hand on his crossed arms. "You shouldn''t ha-" Mwah! She pulled back after giving him a kiss on the lips then she fluttered her lashes cutely. "You really...what am I going to do with you," He found himself being unable to say anything more, instead, he cupped her face then kissed her too. "Since I ruined the ride then why don''t we go for a drive instead, you brought your sports car anyways," "Good idea," They drove to a deserted road by the ocean for the whole day until it was already dark and they were now tired from the excitement, screaming and singing out aloud. *Please vote and support this novel by giving reviews, I am sure you have something to say about it at this point* Thanks for reading. Chapter 314 - Oh No! Holding each other''s hand, they entered the elevator with a cone of ice cream in their hands, she has a vanilla chocolate mix and he has mint chocolate, that is perhaps their fourth round of ice cream today. She took a lick from the cone as they entered the elevator, he had just pressed the button when he noticed the cream on her lips, a naughty smile formed on his lips as he grabbed her hand taking her by surprise. "What are you doing?" she questioned with her eyes fixed on his hand holding her hand. "it is smeared on your lips," he whispered softly, she scrunched her face, unable to understand what he is talking about so she took a moment to think, when she finally understood, she raised her hands to her lips but he suddenly grabbed her other wrist, startling her. "Let me," he smiled as he lowered his lips to her lips, his tongue slide over her upper lips then he drew back as he ran his tongue over his lips. "Maybe I should have gotten yours," "W-" He wrapped one of his hand around her head with the other holding his melting ice cream as he took her lips into his, taking her by surprise again, causing her to drop her cone on the ground, she was just getting into it when the elevator opened. "Oh Gosh!" they heard someone exclaim, they quickly turned only to see a pregnant woman covering her son''s eyes to stop him from looking, in embarrassment, they quickly got off the elevator then scurried out of their sight. He opened the door to the apartment then entered as he walked in front of her when she suddenly pulled his arm then pushed him to the wall with both her hands on the wall and her toes raised. "How about we continue?" she whispered as her breath brushed against his face. He raised his brows in amusement then bit his lower lips. "Bold huh-" "mmhmm," her lips widened as she gazed at him seductively, in an instant, he spun her around, pinning her to the wall with one of his hand lifting her chin and the other on the wall. He dipped his head forward to kiss her while she closed his eyes but he stopped when he remembered something. She opened her eyes. "What is it?" "Your parents," "You said they came with side dishes, they must have gone if they didn''t call to tell me they are here," His smile returned, he wrapped one hand around her waist then dipped his head forward as he kissed her passionately while she returned with the same energy, their hands moved around each others body, she slid her arms around his waist while he pulled her tightly to his body. They moved away from the wall, then continued as they moved towards the parlour with the lights still off, their hands raked through each other''s hair, dismantling it. Both giving each other no chance to breathe, when she felt her legs hit the edge of the sofa, they fell on the sofa with his body on top of hers, they continued the passionate kiss when she suddenly tapped his shoulder. "Hmm," "Are we going to...do that?" she asked shyly, for him, she can give anything but not this yet because of her special circumstance which has always guided her life. His lips widened into a teasing smile that she couldn''t understand. "I am a Christian so I can''t-" He shut her mouth, pressing his lips against hers then he drew back. "I know, not until we get married," he softly assured her, she really felt relieved, the smile on her face was almost reaching her eyes. She pulled him by his shirt then wrapped her arm around his neck as they continued for a few seconds more until the lights suddenly turned on. They froze. "Who is it..." she whispered with her hands still wrapped around his neck, none dared to raise their head. "I don''t know," he whispered back. "Just look," she whispered, pinching his arm, he groaned aloud then raised his head a bit to take a look at the person who turned on the lights but it turned out to be people. "Mother, father," he muttered in a state of panic. Yu Yan was confused so she also raised her head to take a peek, her eyes widened at the sight of her parents staring at them with their eyes wide opened, she quickly pushed him off her then stood up from the sofa. "M-mum...D-dad, it is not what you think," she quickly defended but it made her mom scoff at her blatant lie. Her father balled his fist tightly then marched towards them, he picked Han Chen from the ground then sent a punch across his face, Yu Yan gasped with her hands over her mouth seeing Han Chen on the ground. This is the first time she has seen her father punch someone. She quickly rushed up to Han Chen and helped him up but she saw her mother who had disappeared earlier return with a bowl. "You bast**d," her mother yelled as she splashed the bowl of water on his face, consequently wetting her clothes too "Mom!" Yu Yan yelled at her mother then used her sleeves to wipe the water off his face, he clearly could have avoided it but he still stood there like an idiot. Her father was already fuming in anger seeing her cater to him. "Did you just yell at your mother because of this jerk?!" her mother yelled back, in anger, her father grabbed Han Chen''s collar while Yu Yan tried to stop him but he sent another punch across his face. She gasped then tried to help him up but he refused her help then stood up himself. "Father, please give me a chance to explain," he pleaded, looking at the fuming man with determination and boldness in his eyes. "Father, who is your father!" Mr Huo yelled with his fingers pointing at him aggressively while Yu Yan held his hand tightly with her eyes fixed on the bruise at the corner of his lips and his cheek. "I am sorry I lied to you but Yu Yan and I have been dating for a while now, we have already promised to marry each other-" "Shut up!" both mother and father yelled. Although she thought of him as a candidate, seeing a young lad making out with her daughter when she has never even met him not to talk of the fact that he lied to them makes her furious even at the thought of it. "Mom," Yu Yan called "Stay out of this," her mom warned. "Yu Yan, I am very disappointed in you, I can''t believe you didn''t learn from your mistake with Chen Kai, how can you already be with another man who is just going to dump you just like Chen Kai did, I have just met him once and yet he already lied, he is surely up to no good," the tone of anger mixed with disappointment broke Yu Yan''s heart. For the first time in her life, she is hearing her father say he is disappointed in her, tear almost broke out of her eyes. "Dad..." she wanted to talk but Han Chen patted her hand to tell her he will take care of the situation, he dropped on his knees with his hands on his laps. "I am sorry I lied to you, I was just too nervous when I saw you for the first time, moreover, I thought it would be better if Yu Yan introduced me to you, I know you are very angry at us but I can assure you that I am nothing like Chen Kai and I have loved Yu Yan for the more than eleven years and now we finally have the chance to be together, so please accept me as your son-in-law," he pleaded, Yu Yan smiled faintly with her eyes fixed on him thinking his speech is enough to convince them. Now that he mentioned it, she again wonders what it would have been like if she didn''t forget about him. "What is he saying...eleven years, am I the only one confused?" her father questioned, turning to her mother who also looks confused but what followed is Yu Yan also kneeling next to him with her hand holding his hand. "Mom, Dad, we were together when I was in high school but after the accident, I forgot about him, he had a situation in his family that made him unable to find me, I really love Han Chen and I can assure you that he also loves me," Her dad scoffed at her tale. "I remember this is the same thing you said about Chen Kai but what came out of it? you are my precious daughter and I don''t want your heart to be broken again, why can''t you just understand that," "But Dad-" "I don''t care what you do if you won''t break up with this brat right this instant then don''t call me your father again," he glared at both of them as he made for the door, her heart sank as she watched him leave. "Father," Han Chen called to no avail "I agree with him, you can get married or do whatever you like, after all, you are already grown up but don''t expect our blessing in this," she stormed out after her husband. "Mom-" her voice hitched as she slumped on the ground. *Please give reviews for this novel and support by commenting, voting and gifting, thanks in advance.* Chapter 315 - The Emperors Birthday! 1 Sounds of strings resounded across the palace as drums were being beaten, the entire nation were in a happy mood as songs and dances filled the nation both inside the palace and outside the palace, an outsider would wonder if this is the daily life of the people not knowing that today is the emperor''s birthday, a special day where they can enjoy his benevolence more than ever. Notable visitors from other nations and across the country trooped into the palace with lots of entourage carrying their gifts while the soldiers at the city gate and the palace were carefully scrutinizing the visitors for anyone that might pose as a danger in the palace. In the palace. Kings, queens, princes, and ministers were greeting each other, in front, they were putting on a smile but in their mind, they all have enmity against each other, they toasted to each other in the absence of the emperor while trying to curry favor with one another and create connections but none dared to overdo it for fear that they might be accused of allying with the wrong person. "The emperor is here!" the head eunuch announced then everyone sprung to their feet with their head bowed and their hands cupped, the emperor entered in a black dragon robe with a red underlayer, a gold ring bounds his hair and held together with a gold pin that stood out among the crowd. "Long live your majesty!" the crowd chorused in unison then the emperor waved his hand to signal them to take their seat. The dance troupes then entered the stage in their long red and white apparel and long white and red scarfs in their hands, their flexible moves amused the crowd just like it was intended to, they all drank and whispered to each other as they pointed as the dancers. Many from other nations wish to have the women in bed if they didn''t belong to the emperor himself. After scanning the surrounding in search of the fourth prince but in vain, he turned to the regional commander who is standing beside him with the queen, the imperial noble consort and the imperial consort seated beside him while the lower ranking concubines are seated below him. One person he noted while scanning around is Madam Ju and three of her girls, he felt his mood lifted just like when his late imperial consort used to attend his birthdays and give him gifts after, her gifts were the most precious to him but now, no one''s gift matters as much as hers. "The fourth prince is not here again?" he whispered to the regional commander despite knowing the answer, the man merely nodded his head in affirmation as he watched the emperor''s dejected look, the empress who understood what they were whispering about smirked in relief just like she does in the fourth prince absence. The birthday celebration is her stage today and she doesn''t want anyone to spoil it so she decided to place people at the city gate to watch out for the fourth prince despite knowing it is futile. The imperial consort glanced at Li Changlin to make sure he is behaving himself but she was glad to see him seating in a composed manner while watching the dance just like every other prince. The dance soon ended with applauses being rained over them, they exited the stage while another troupe of female sword dancers dressed in all black with a black veil over their faces came into the stage, everyone focused on them with deep anticipation for their performance. They started beating the drums while they danced with their legs and swords in sync with each other, some visitors were clearly admiring the dance and envious of the palace dancers while some were sneering as they compared the dancers to their own dancers. The dance soon ended following another rain of applause as they left the stage. "Your Majesty," the imperial consort called causing everyone to turn to her. "Yes, my consort," "I heard from the consort of virtue that princess Li Xiu especially practiced the flower dance to perform for your birthday, I wonder if your majesty will give her the honor to perform the dance," she requested with a compelling smile on her face. Both women before her frowned at her boldness to ask the emperor for a favor in front of them, his approving smile aggravated them more and they resented the consort of virtue for currying favor with the imperial consort. They are all aware that she must have asked the imperial consort to speak on behalf of her daughter. "Alright," "Thanks, your majesty!" the consort of virtue and princess Li Xiu thanked then she left the place to get dressed and returned a few minutes later. The beating of the drum started slowly while everyone held their breath to behold the maiden in a flowing white robe with large peony flowers embroidered on it, two large gold hairpins with tints of red dangled at both sides of her bun with the rest of her hair let down. She slowly kicked her legs into the hair to begin the dance then nimbly spun around slowly, then the rhythm of the drum became faster, too fast that everyone wondered if she can keep up but to their amusement, she was totally in sync with the drum the red scarf on her arms fluttered into the hair as she spun around really fast and bent her body backward. After some minutes of the vigorous dance, the rhythm of the drum became faster than she started spinning until the drumming ended abruptly then she dropped to the ground with her gown spread like flower petals. Everyone applauded the dance including the emperor who has never noticed the princess before this day, beads of sweat ran down her face to her neck and chest as she tried to regulate her breathing, she stood up and bowed. The sound of the emperor''s laughter resonated across the ground, they have watched all sorts of performances but they have never seen him so satisfied, what they didn''t know is that the late imperial consort performed the same dance for him when they first met. "My princess, come," he beckoned, those of the palace were in disbelief when they heard him, she over excited princess made her way to the top when the emperor held her hand with a hearty smile, she almost couldn''t believe it, for the first time she has felt her father''s touch. "Imperial father..." she muttered with tears gathering in her eyes. "I have only watched a dance this beautiful once, the princess will be rewarded with anything she wants in the treasury and I will give her a lifesaving grace," the emperor announced, causing them to gasp. "Your majesty is magnanimous!" everyone chorused including the princess. The empress and the imperial noble consort clenched their jaw with their nose flared in anger, had they known that all it took is a dance to win his heart then they would have done it long ago, but what should the sons do. "Your majesty, the princes have also prepared gifts for you," the empress informed with a feigned smile, the smile on the emperor''s face quickly faded to their dismay. "If so then they should present it," he responded soullessly. The princes came out at once then bowed their heads. "Happy birthday, imperial father!" they chorused while their attendants handed their gifts to the eunuch, everyone below started comparing whose gift is better than whose but everyone could see that the first prince has the best gift followed by the third prince and the one with the least is the seventh prince. The emperor faintly smiled then dismissed them. "Since the princes have presented their gifts then they envoys should present their gifts," the head eunuch announced, the eunuchs rushed down then lined up each to one envoy, they collected the trays where the gifts were placed then carried them away, one would think they are competing for who presents the best gift. "Seems like the Mongolians still want to keep their heads," the regional commander whispered to the emperor seeing one of their princes amongst the envoys. "They know better than to give me a reason for war," the emperor whispered back but clearly the ministers who have been trying to make the emperor go to war with the Mongolians were not pleased to see them here cause their presence shows that have no plans to bring war. "Your majesty, I will like to make a toast to you," the empress said as she raised her cup to him with a threatening smile that he could clearly read. {if you don''t want to do it then I will do it for you,} The emperor squinted his eyes knowing her bad intentions but he has no choice but to go along, after all, he has already prepared for this, the eunuch poured him wine then he raised the glass and turned to the empress. "May your majesty live long and may your reign continue to be prosperous," she widened her smile then both sipped the wine gently with their eyes fixed on each other, then they placed the cup on the table, still maintaining her smile. *Please give reviews and vote* Chapter 316 - The Emperors Birthday! 2 "Your majesty, it seems like you have forgotten something," the empress started, earning his deep glare, she had already discussed with the prime minister her plan to force the emperor to name the crown prince on his birthday, if he gets all the ministers behind him to chorus her point then the emperor won''t be able to refuse in front of so many guests so as not to destroy his reputation. "My empress, today is my birthday so I hope we won''t have to discuss anything formal, lets just drink to our heart content and merry together," he responded then raised his glass to the guest while everyone raised their glass with him but as they were about to sip from the glass, she interrupted them again. "It seems like your majesty has indeed forgotten your plan to ask the minister''s opinion regarding the naming of the crown prince," she continued despite his warning glare, his hands froze then squeezed the cup tightly, murmurs soon filled the entire place, the princes were even more shocked at the empress statement. On the surface, it might not seem like they are competing for the position of the crown prince but they are actually preparing themselves in every aspect. "Empress..." the emperor growled silently. "I am just doing my duty," she responded with a smile then patted his hand, he glanced at her hand on top of his with disgust then lightly brushed it away, he already has a plan for this but if things go south then he will really be forced to crown the eldest prince as the crown prince. "Your majesty, according to the customs, the eldest prince Li Changying is most fit to become the crown prince, he is well versed in books, military strategies and martial art, he will surely make a good successor," the minister of finance quickly spoke up to win the first prince favour. The empress and the first prince exchanged glances with smirks on their lips, the imperial noble consort watched them with spite on her face but she smiled faintly. {Thankfully, I have already prepared for this otherwise this sly woman would have the upper hand,} "Your majesty, the third prince Li Daiyu is not inferior to the first prince, he should also be considered," one of the high-ranking ministers behind the imperial noble consort added, she gave the third prince a reassuring smile. They started speaking in turns with each minister vying for the first, second, and third prince while the emperor clenched his fist and jaw tightly, he can''t believe that his ministers are making a show of themselves in the presence of the guests from other countries. "Enough!" he bellowed, following a smile. "But-" the empress was just about to speak when a soldier quickly ran up to the emperor after getting a report from one of his underlings. "Your majesty," he called as he dropped on his knees. "Speak," "T-the fourth prince is here," he announced in an elated tone, sharing the joy of the emperor, gasps filled the place while the outsiders wondered who the fourth prince is. The emperor widened his eyes in disbelief while the royal family were taken aback, they started murmuring again. "Is that true?" he could feel tears gathering in his eyes. "Yes, your majesty," "The fourth prince is entering!" the eunuchs at the entrance announced, everyone immediately turned to the large gate to the ground, a young man in a midnight blue robe appeared with a young girl and young man behind him. They took long strides as they walked forward, the emperor almost couldn''t recognize his own son, he has grown far bigger than he was when he left the palace even the princes were shocked. The guests glanced at him in admiration of his build, mannerism, poise and looks, everything about him exudes an aura of royalty and power, they were all pointing their fingers at him while the females were already drooling over him, that is the ones that are close enough to see him, it almost seemed like he has a bright halo behind him. "Imperial father," he greeted as he fell on his knees then the trio cupped their hands and bowed their heads. "Your majesty," Xiaodi and Feng Shui chorused. "Ruansong, is that you?" the emperor questioned in doubts, his son hasn''t come to see for a long time and now he finds it difficult to believe that he is actually in front of him, the regional commander was also in disbelief. The empress glanced at her father with bitterness and the imperial consort almost exploded out of anger, just when things were going too smoothly, he just had to appear now. His appearance is definitely going to spoil their plans, this they all know. "Yes, I am sorry for coming so late," he responded with his head raised." "Fourth prince you have left the place for so long and have never returned, how are we to be sure that you are really the fourth prince," the empress remarked in a clearly discontent tone. Another round of murmuring followed. "Empress, do you think I am incapable of recognising my own son," the emperor queried with a deep frown on his face, the imperial consort was really relieved to see him back but she made sure not to make it too noticeable in case she is suspected of hiding his whereabouts. "I am very much willing to prove my identity to you but in front of many guests, I don''t think it will be proper," he responded with a serene look on his face, she glared at him deeply with her hands squeezing her dress. - - - - - - - "Come let me see how well you have grown," the emperor beckoned unto the fourth prince with a huge smile on his face in the presence of the regional commander, the fourth prince walked up the short stairs to his seat then laid his hands on his father''s open hand. "My dear son, you don''t know how much my heart ached not having you around all these years," he complained with tears pooling in his eyes. "Fourth Prince, the emperor has been searching for you all these years, you left the palace at a young age and he couldn''t answer many that were questioning your whereabouts," the regional commander added, all these years, he has shared the emperor''s pain. "I am deeply sorry father, I was busy travelling the world that I got too immersed, I wanted to return as a son whom you are proud of but I have neglected your feelings," his sincerity is deeply expressed on his face, the years he spent out of the palace has been filled with guilt, he knows how much his father loves his mother and the fact that he transferred all the love he had for his mother to him, even though he is not an ordinary human, he still has filial piety. "It is alright, I won''t dwell on this rather I am happy you are back safe and sound, if you had arrived a bit later then I would have been cornered," He understood what the emperor is talking about but he doesn''t want him to speak about making him the crown prince. If he becomes the crown prince then he will have the bear the guilt of betraying his country when the time comes to revive the ice clan and also find the successor of the flame demon but if someone else becomes the crown prince then he can easily detach himself, if not for Huo Lan then he wouldn''t have disturbed his plan and returned. Meanwhile, both the empress and the imperial noble consort are busy throwing tantrums in the presence of their sons, if he had come just a bit later then they could have forced the emperor to make a decision but now their plan is ruined. Their nightmare has now come to pass, everyone knows Li Ruansong holds a special place in the emperor''s heart and now he is surely going to pass his throne to him but both women are determined to fight with their full power and the princes are even more determined except for the sixth prince who is more than excited to have his fourth brother back but he made sure to keep it hidden before his brothers and mother pour out their anger on him. While the ministers were busy having their own discussion on the fourth prince''s return and their plan to make sure the emperor doesn''t succeed in crowning him, the imperial harem is in chaos, they were all making plans on whether to fawn upon him or side with the empress and imperial noble consort. The seventh prince and the imperial consort are still patiently waiting in the imperial consort''s palace for the fourth prince to visit them after greeting the emperor properly, she is glad the seventh prince no longer has to sneak out of the palace but the seventh prince is still pissed that his brother didn''t let him know of his plans to return, knowing the kind of person he is, he is sure he must have planned it long ago. *Don''t forget to vote, give reviews and gift this novel, your support motivates me* Chapter 317 - Crowning A Prince! "The fourth prince is here," the imperial consort''s attendant announced as the fourth prince entered the room, she and Changlin quickly stood up but the prince couldn''t wait, he ran up to his brother and threw his arms around him in a tight hug. "Brother, you are finally back," the resentment he felt towards him a while ago disappeared like smoke. "You are going to suffocate me to death," the fourth prince complained with a broad smile on his face, Changlin quickly unwrapped his hands around his neck. "You should have told me you were going to return to the palace and mind you, I still hold a grudge against you for sending me back to the palace," he huffed then returned to his mother''s side, the fourth prince bowed before the imperial consort with his hands cupped. "How have you been, mother?" he asked with an emotional tone in his voice, if there is anyone he missed the most in the palace then it is the imperial consort who has always taken care of him since he was young. She held his hands with teary eyes, the young boy she used to tend to has now grown into a fine young man, he has always been like her first son and with him away from her side all these years, it always felt like there is a part of her missing. "As long as you are back safe and sound it is fine, have you been doing well, eating well, how is the weather in Shannanxi, are you feeling sick....?" she kept going on and on, asking questions that she couldn''t ask all these years. He held her hand then patted it gently. "I am fine," he assured her as he brought her to her seat, her attendant returned with maids who served them snacks and tea, the attendant dismissed the maids but remained to pour them tea which Ruansong tasted first, he hummed in appreciation. "Changlin told me you have taken a liking to tea," she remarked as she took a sip from her cup while Changlin went straight for the snacks. "The blossom valley is blessed with grounds for growing tea leaves and the flowers appear to be even more intriguing when it comes to making tea so it can''t be helped that I have gotten used to it," he responded, taking another sip from the cup. "You have grown into a handsome young man, it is a shame that you left the palace or you would already be married like your first and second brother," the imperial consort remarked again gauging his expression to see how he embraces the idea but his face remained blank. "Mother, first and second brother only have concubines at the moment, do you perhaps want the fourth brother to take concubines?" Changlin who was still munching the snacks chimed in earning a glare from his mother. "Let''s not discuss marriage now, there is still plenty of time for that, why don''t you tell me how your stay in Shannanxi has been?" she continued, not willing to go without listening to his story. She might know about Xiaodi being a spirit beast and the ring but she definitely doesn''t know his identity as the saint of the ice clan and the purpose of the ring which she just assumed to be an ordinary spatial ring which is rare to acquire, when his mother handed the ring to her, she made sure to place a barrier that only he can open and decipher. "It has bee...." They kept talking for a while, leaving the others worried about what the inner palace is going to be like from now on, if the fourth prince mother was still alive then she would have been the one to fawn upon but everyone knows the imperial consort is just like his mother but she lacks the support of the court so they are all torn in between. By the next day, everyone in the country and beyond already knows of the return to the rumored fourth prince whom they thought to be just some palace stories but now he has turned real, the ministers started trooping into the court while discussing in groups, they could have had their way easily if the fourth prince didn''t show up but now it is them against the king and the regional commander. "His majesty is here!" the head eunuch announced as the emperor entered the hall to take his seat with both hands on his lap, now that his son has returned, he can only place high hopes on him, he has roamed the world so he must have learned some skills, unlike before. "Your majesty!" they chorused in unison with a bow after which the emperor eased them. "Congratulations on the fourth prince''s return!" they all chorused again, he scoffed internally knowing just how aggrieved they are by his return. "I am glad to know my subjects share my joy, I was worried that his return might cause discontent but it seemed like even my subjects are happy," the emperor responded with a broad smile on his face, the ministers know better than to drag the issue so the prime minister decided to delve right into the crowning of the crown prince. "Your majesty, though we couldn''t finish the topic concerning the crowning of the crown prince, I hope you make your decision today," the prime minister said with his head slightly bowed yet holding a smirk on his lips. "Your majesty, please make your decision!" they chorused in unison except for the regional commander. "Your majesty, Li Changying is the first prince and the son of the empress so it is only right that he is crowned as the crown prince," one of the ministers started while the others followed with each candidate in mind, if he wasn''t overjoyed by the return of the fourth prince, he would have exploded in anger. "Seeing as all my ministers are urging me to select a crown prince, one might think the emperor is no longer in good health and might pass away anytime soon," he remarked in a bellowed tone, the ministers quickly fell to their knees. "We dare not!" they chorused. "Your majesty, we are only thinking for the country, the future of our country will be ensured and the country will be further established if we crown a prince, the other countries are started to look down on us because we do not have a crown prince, please consider this," the prime minister reasoned to which he regional commander agreed to for the first time. Although he understands the emperor''s intentions, not having a crown prince will destabilize the country as time goes on. "No need to say any further, I have made my decision," the emperor announced earning their shocked gazes as they couldn''t believe he easily gave in like that, their heart started thudding as to who he is going to crown as the crown prince. "The fourth prince will be crowned as the crowned prince,!" he announced, earning their gasps and a look of shock from the ministers who quickly bowed their heads to the ground. "Your majesty, you must not!" the minister yelled their lungs out. The regional commander couldn''t understand what game the emperor is playing, crowning the fourth prince just like that will do him no good but bad. "Why can''t I crown the fourth prince, he has experienced the world outside the palace so he should know the people''s pain more than the princes who have lived all their lives sheltered in the palace," he debated. "You majesty, the fourth prince has been known to be weak in health and he has never excelled in literary abilities, we don''t know what life he has lived outside the palace or what he has done so it is wrong to crown him based on just that," The prime minister clenched his jaw at the look the emperor has on his face now, the look of victory when he hasn''t even won over them...just yet. "The first prince has always excelled both in martial art and literature, the princess teachers have affirmed that he is unrivaled in military strategies," another remarked, the emperor might have tried to suppress them but there are still competitions and opportunities to show their talent to the ministers. "The princes would have had the chance to show their abilities and know more about the people if you didn''t suppress them so I beseech you to take back your decision," the prime minister added, earning a deep frown from the emperor. "Are you saying I have been suppressing my own sons so they don''t outshine me, prime minister, you are so bold that you have gone as far as painting me a petty father and emperor in front of my subject," the emperor accused with his voice raised, the prime minister bowed his head deeply. "I dare not, I am only saying that the princes have not had the opportunity to show their true abilities," he quickly refuted, he has just gotten out of one problem with the emperor and it won''t be good if he has another hold over him but unknown to him, he has fallen into the emperor''s trap. "That is indeed true, I am indeed guilty of failing to see their true abilities and since you all argue that I have not allowed them to show themselves then I will elect the crown prince through a competition," he declared, the hall immediately became filled with murmurs. But the prime minister furrowed his brows, the emperor would never accept his fault so easily unless...he tricked and used him. If the emperor brought up the idea of selecting the crown prince through a competition at the beginning then they would have argued the same but it is a different matter if the prime minister insinuates it. *Please vote with your power stone and take a moment to give reviews* Chapter 318 - Drive To Win Her words warmed her heart so much that she couldn''t help turning to hug the girl but she could feel the hotness of her body despite the cold water they are soaking in. "Su Ci," "Hm," "Your body, why is it hot...too hot?" she asked, Su Ci quickly pulled her arms from her neck then faked a smile. "That is because I have been using my power too much these days, it is nothing much, you probably don''t know it since I don''t tell you but your body has also been hot these past few days," she lied through her teeth, Huo Lan scrunched her brows as she placed her hand on her forehead to feel her temperature, although she is burning up a little, it is not as bad as Su Ci''s body. "But-" "No buts, let me wash your hair, it''s been a while since we have had a good soak," she excused the discussion, turning her back forcefully then raking her fingers through her hair, although she feels unsettles in her heart, Su Ci has always been right about everything so she decided to take her word for it. Just a few meters away from the cave, Bohai and Meng Hui are practising by the waterfall where they have always practised since young. Ever since her last fight with Huo Ying, she has made it her goal to surpass the girl though she doesn''t know what level the girl is at, she still blindly plans to surpass her and Lin Bohai holds the same intention in his heart. Every stroke of his sword expresses his desperation to win the girl especially since their last fight keeps replaying in his head, he really used all his power if not almost but he couldn''t beat the girl, this has never happened before not for the past few years since he last won the martial hero''s contest. Whilst he is thinking of one, the other keeps popping into his head, the formidable power that destroyed the restaurant along with other sturdy buildings keeps bothering him, he has never thought of her as a competition, in fact, he has never thought of anyone as competition before the flame sect came out into the world. If the destructive power is really hers, then it only makes her powers more terrific, not only does she possess the strongest flame power but also the extinct power of the ice clan which remains a mystery till this day along with the extinct flame clan. The flame power has remained a myth that is why no one ever connected her powers to the flame clan. {Huo Lan, Huo Ying....} He kept calling in his head as he swung his sword around until- "Brother Bohai!" Meng Hui exclaimed with her eyes widened at the sword on her neck. He quickly regained his senses then dropped his sword to the ground, they were originally training far away from each other but he suddenly started coming for her, she tried to fend off his attacks thinking it is part of the practice but it turned serious until he aimed his sword for her neck. "I am sorry," he apologised frantically then picked up his sword and returned it to its sheath. "What were you thinking about, you were lost in thought?" she asked, wanting to intrude on even his inner mind. "Nothing, I am probably tired from all the practising, I need to rest," he excused himself then walked away while she watched him with discontent on her face. "Is he still thinking about that flame sect witch?" she muttered as she watched him disappear from her view with her grip on her sword tightening and her nose flaring. She is practising really hard only to help him win again but he has his mind filled with someone else, that, she can''t bring herself to reconcile with. He got called into his father''s study where the sect leader of the thunder sect and talisman sect were seated to his surprise as he wasn''t expecting them to be at the wind sect. He took his seat opposite his father as different thoughts of what they might want to discuss through his mind. "Martial uncle, martial Aunt," he greeted with his head bowed and hands cupped together, he was sure his uncle wouldn''t have come without his cousin but he decided not to ask. "Bohai, are you prepared for the contest?" Sect leader Meng asked, he clouded his curiosity with a smile then nodded as he answered. "Yes martial aunt," His father nodded his head satisfactorily at the confidence in his answer but it doesn''t mean his trust for his son has been regained. "We are relying on you do defeat the young mistress of the flame sect," sect leader Zhou added with a sneer underlying his facade. Why should he rely on Bohai to win the competition and let all the glory go to the wind sect when he can just put his son in the limelight or Yun Biyu who is in fact more talented than Tang Fan. "I will not disappoint you," Though he appears to be confident, in his mind he is still thinking of the fight he had with her, knowing exactly how important this competition is for his father, he understands the danger in losing his glory and position in the heart of the martial world and the wind sect . "You may leave," his father said then he stood up and bowed slightly before leaving the room. He originally thought they were going to have him there while they discuss but if his father sent him out then it must mean they are plotting something....maybe concerning Huo Lan''s test. "Seems like is it up to you to win against the flame sect," he heard a voice remark then turned to the direction of the voice where he saw Tang Fan and Yun Biyu standing afar with a stoic look on her face. He walked towards him with a smug look on his face earning an eye roll from Bohai. "If you were competent then it would have been up to you," Bohai replied, the smile on Tang Fan''s face faded but he didn''t want to look defeated so he decided to put the smile back on. "I heard you had a fight with her after the alliance meeting but from what I heard, you couldn''t defeat her," he taunted again as he watched Bohai ball his fist, by his reaction he could tell that the rumour his father heard is true. "Do you think I am like you who jumps at every opportunity to fight," he moved closer to him. "You have to learn to be coolheaded at times," he completed then walked past him as Tang Fan watched him disappear with his eyes burning in anger just like he does at every slightest taunt. He suddenly felt her gaze on him so he turned to Yun Biyu who has been standing still without joining in, she looked disappointed in him and embarrassed at the fact that she is even associated with him. "Are you looking down on me too?" He questioned but she merely stared at him demeaningly. "I wonder how sect leader is going to pass his seat to you in the future," she responded then shook her head before walking away with her sword in her hand. If there is anyone he hates aside from Bohai then that person is surely Biyu who has always proved herself to be more competent than him and his father always compares him to her or Bohai even though she is just an orphan that was raised by him. If she wasn''t a female then his position in the future will surely be at risk. Not only did Bohai take away his glory but also the woman he loves, he has always harboured feelings for Meng Hui since they were young but she has never given him a chance or even spared him a glance if not a look of ridicule. She was his first drive to defeat Bohai but now the glory and favour of the martial world is his drive, he has learned to think that with the power and glory comes the woman he loves. He has always seen her try to get his attention to no avail when he can give her all she wants and even more as long as she asks for it. He was just about to leave the place when he saw Meng Hui walking towards him but as soon as she saw him, she quickly turned away. He quickly ran up to her then pulled her arm. "Meng Hui," he pronounced She rolled her eyes then turned to face him, the look in her eyes showing just how irritated she is to see him. "What do you want?" She questioned "I came here with my father so I thought I would see you but what a coincidence that you are here even before I could find you," Chapter 320 - Idol Brother! 1 She sniffled her nose to stop the tears, fixing her doe-eyes on him, he ran his thumb over the side of her face to wipe her tears again then he cupped her face and kissed her forehead, calming her nerves which have been wrecked ever since that night. "Now let''s sleep, you have work tomorrow, how are you going to treat your patients if you end up getting a migraine or looking sick," She nodded her head like a gentle, cute puppy as she ran her tongue over her dried lips, he smiled then gave her a peck before she lied down in his arms again with her face buried in his chest. "Sleep tight," The next morning, she went to work while he went to the company for a shareholder''s meeting, some of the directors are confused as to whether he is in charge of the company now or his aunt, he has discussed with his aunt and she has refused to continue taking care of his company so she called a board meeting to give him back his full authority. When the meeting was over and most of the directors has accepted his return, he and his aunt went to a restaurant to discuss over a meal. "How have you been doing?" she asked as she placed the piece of steak in her mouth. "Good, I have a fiance to take care of me so I am doing alright," She dropped her cutlery on her plate, causing a clinking sound that drew the attention of the others in the restaurant, he apologised to them then turned to her, she looked extremely shocked and confused to hear him say the word ''fiance''. "What did you just say?" she asked "Fiance, I have a fiance," he replied nonchalantly. "Fiance, when did you even have a girlfriend not to talk of a fiance, don''t tell me you brought back one of your colleagues in the military," "Aunt, what is wrong with marrying my colleague in the military, the girl I am getting married to is stronger than any woman in the military and she is more beautiful than any woman I have ever seen," he responded with a wide smile on his face as though he is imagining the face of the woman he is describing. She was dumbfounded looking at him in that state but the moment gives her a feeling of Deja Vu. "Why do I feel like I have heard this description before or something similar to it....isn''t that the same thing you said when you were going to introduce your girlfriend in high school to us?" she could remember how head over heels he was for the girl to the point that there is no discussion where he doesn''t mention her name, unlike other teenagers, he couldn''t hide his relationship from them. "You probably heard it when I was describing Yu Yan," he responded nonchalantly again, she dropped her cutlery in shock so he had a waiter change the cutlery for her. "I just said Yu Yan, she was my girlfriend in high school," She gasped with her hands over her mouth and her eyes widened before hitting him on his forehead. Ouch! "How could you keep this from me, first it was Jia Yu and now you,?" "I didnt mean to, we still hadn''t gotten together when you came to the hospital, it was just after then and I already proposed to her," he explained himself then went back to cutting his steak, she scoffed in disbelief, he even proposed to her without even making their relationship known to them. "Her parents, are they aware of this?" certainly they would have told her and her husband the news. "Just recently, in fact, they caught us in the middle of something so now they disapprove of our relationship," his smile faded into a disheartened look, she understood what must have happened, if there is anyone who knows how protective her family is of her then it is surely the Jia family. "I understand them, do you want me to speak to them on your behalf, if they know you are related to me then they will surely accept you," "No, I have to gain their approval myself, only then will I truly be worth her," he flashed her a smile then inserted a piece into his mouth and chewed gently while she watched him with a pride-filled smile on her lips. Others would ask for her assistance but he didn''t. Before he came back from the military this time, she has always wanted to introduce Yu Yan to him but it is either he is not staying around or she doesn''t have the time to visit so they always missed each other and she only talked to Yu Yan about him once or twice but she didn''t think that everything would go how she wanted even without making an effort. After they finished their lunch, he offered to drop her at her mansion since he brought her here in his car but she refused saying she already called her driver since she has some work to attend to in her company so he bid her goodbye and drove away in his black Mercedes Benz G-Class to the hospital. Meanwhile, in the hospital, Yu Yan was discussing a patient''s condition with three other surgeons when a young man in a black oversized leather jacket and chained baggy trousers with a large silver chain suddenly walked towards her and threw his arms around her. Everyone around gasped in shock while Yu Yan spread her arms out. "Who is he?" they started murmuring amongst themselves. "I have missed you so much Yu Yan," he tightened his arms around her. "Let me go first," she requested, she could already tell who he is from his voice and his outfit, she pushed him away from her with all her strength. They once again gasped at his ghastly good looks, not only is he extremely tall but his side-parted hair enhances his facial features, well-chiselled jaw, dimpled cheeks and sharp eyes. "Is he another one of her boyfriends?" "He must be an idol, he is so damn handsome," They started taking pictures of them from the time he hugged her, she covered her face then pulled him by his hands away from the crowd gathering around like they don''t have patients to attend to even though the hospital is not crowded today. She pulled him to the rooftop where she is sure no one would follow them, but he quickly pulled her into another tight hug but once again, she pushed him away. "Brother, behave yourself!" she yelled then brushed her hair away from her face. While they were gone, Jia Yu and the others had just returned from the canteen when they saw everyone looking at their phones and gossiping. "What is going on?" An Ke asked one of the nurses. "Yu Yan''s boyfriend came over, I know she is pretty but how can she have three handsome men wrapped around her fingers," the nurse answered, with excitement in her voice despite the fact that she is speaking against Yu Yan. They turned confused. Another boyfriend? "When did Yu Yan have another boyfriend?" Meng Yao asked the others. "Is that his picture?" Ji Chen asked seeing as they are all focused on their phones, the nurse nodded them extended the phone for them to take a look at the person. "Yu Han!" they exclaimed at the sight of the picture. "You know him?" "My idol!" An Ke, Jia Yu and Meng Yao chorused, gaining the attention of those around. "Why is he still your idol, you have me," Ji Chen retorted out of jealousy but she didn''t even give him attention, they quickly walked away in search of Yu Yan and her brother. "I can''t believe he is here, if I had known he would be back so soon, I wouldn''t have started dating Li Wei," "I don''t even stand a chance since I am already engaged," Meng Yao lamented. "Had I known, I wouldn''t have allowed mom and dad to find out about me and Ji Chen then I would still stand a chance to become his second wife," Both guys scoffed in disbelief at how quick they are to regret their decision upon seeing him. Huo Yu Han is the second son of the Huo family with looks that cannot be compared to anyone''s look, his towering height, sharp eyes, dimpled face and cool personality steals the heart of any woman that comes across him. He studied medicine just like Yu Yan but he ended up becoming a gamer then he got married to his wife who is the first person to beat him in an E-sport competition, the three girls have known him for a long time yet he treats them like sisters but they always had a crush on him...is there anyone who has never had a crush on him? even Yu Yan has admires on her own brother. That is how serious it is. Back to the rooftop. "How could you not call me even once?" he questioned with a disheartened look on his face. "You are the one who said you were going on a two years honeymoon with your wife, how am I supposed to disturb you then?" "But still..." Chapter 321 - Idol Brother! 2 "Why are you even here, do you want my sister-in-law to hate me?" she asked, pretending she is not overjoyed by his presence. "Why, do you want me to return?" Han Chen had just arrived at the hospital since the restaurant is not far away from the hospital, he was also confused to see them discussing in groups so he inquired about it but his eyes went wide at the sight of some dude hugging his woman. "Where did they go?" he questioned with danger laced in his voice and his eyes exuding such fiery anger that the doctor who told him about it quickly pointed to the direction she disappeared into while Chen Kai who got a glimpse of the picture without seeing the man''s face followed after him, together they ran to the rooftop. "Brother," Jia Yu called when Han Chen passed them by but he didn''t stop, they followed after them after Chen Kai also ran past them, they understood that they must have seen the picture. Han Chen flung the door to the rooftop open but his eyes widened at the sight in front of him, Yu Yan wanted to free herself from her brother''s hug but he kept holding on to her, she could feel a sense of danger seeing both men standing behind them, Chen Kai immediately recognised the person so he sighed in relief but Han Chen rushed over to them. "Hey!" he yelled, Yu Han turned to look at who is there but Han Chen immediately landed a punch on his face, causing him to stumble to the ground. They gasped. "Brother!" the ladies who had just gotten there exclaimed with Yu Yan. He scoffed then stood up from the ground, he wiped the corner of his lips with his thumb only to see blood. They gasped again but Han Chen still has his chest heaving up and down in anger. He could swear no one has ever hit them that bad before, never in his life, he turned to Han Chen with a glare in his eyes, no less than how Han Chen looks. Both guys started moving towards each other. "Han Chen!" Yu Yan screamed as she held his arms but he couldn''t bring himself to relax. "It is not what you think," she tried explaining but he freed himself from her grip them rushed toward Yu Han who already landed a punch on his face before he could reach him but his punch is nothing to Han Chen who has withstood all sort of military training. He pulled him by his collar and shoved another punch on his face. The girls kept screaming and trying to separate them while the guys kept watching but both men were already immersed in the fight, each causing injury to their handsome faces. He doesn''t even know what his motive is, whether it is to destroy the handsome looks of this dude that appeared out of nowhere to hug his woman or maybe it is because the dude is more handsome than he is. Huo Yu Han is one stubborn mule that would never back down before he wins. "Han Chen," Yu Yan kept calling "Brother," Jia Yu called to snap him to his senses but his current state is like that of a rabid dog. "Brother stop it!" Yu Yan yelled on top of her lungs, Yu Han stopped for a moment but Han Chen took the chance to grab his collar and punch him, he was just about to punch him again when he realised she just called him brother...and she has been calling him that since they started fighting. He stopped his fist in the air then both guys turned to Yu Yan with confusion written on their faces. "Who is he?" both chorused. "He is her second brother," "He is her boyfriend," The ladies chorused excluding Yu Yan who stood at akimbo, tired. They turned to face each other with shock written on their faces. "Boyfriend," "Brother," He quickly let go of his collar with his hands over his mouth, her parents have just disapproved of them, he choked her father and now he beat up her brother! It can''t get any worse than it already is! Chen Kai smirked looking at Han Chen''s helpless look, he intentionally didn''t tell him Yu Han is her brother just so he can get discredited by Huo Yu Han, knowing how much he was against their relationship, Han Chen would surely not have it easy especially after beating him up. He slipped away from their sight before Ho Yu Han notices his presence. - - - - - Jia Yu, Han Chen, Yu Yan and Yu Han are now seated in a caf¨¦ not too far away from the hospital so as to avoid unnecessary rumours. "So you are telling me that this guy here is your boyfriend?" he questioned with his scrutinizing gaze fixed on Han Chen, Yu Yan meekly nodded with her hand in Han Chen''s hand underneath the table. "Brother-in-law, I am really sorry for earlier, I didn''t mean to-" "Wait, before we get to that, can someone please explain why you suddenly have a new boyfriend when you were crying for the freedom to date that twit you were so much in love with," "Twit..." Jia Yu and Han Chen repeated with their lips folded to stop themselves from laughing but Yu Han glared at the both of them, they bowed their head slightly in apology. "Brother Yu Han, what happened was-" "I am asking Yu Yan, all you ever do is make up lies for her," he interrupted Jia Yu with his eyes fixed on Yu Yan. His demeanour suddenly changed into a serious one with his interrogative gaze almost piercing through Yu Yan''s body, Jia Yu knows better than to continue speaking after being scolded by him, he might be cool and bubbly sometimes but when it comes to Yu Yan and sometimes Jia Yu since he treats her like a sister too, there is no room for a joke. Han Chen raised his brow at him, if there is anyone with a terrifying seriousness similar to his then it is surely this brother-in-law of his. Yu Yan raised her gaze to meet his, she knows better than to speak to him with her gaze lowered cos he might flip the entire caf¨¦ upside down. "Brother, that is...I...I," "I will speak on her behalf," "I am pretty sure I just said I am asking Yu Yan," he retorted with his voice raised and his eyes bulged in anger, he could tell that whatever happened it not something he wants to hear. "I am her current boyfriend so I believe I have the right to speak on her behalf, especially since I am directly involved in this," Han Chen without even batting an eyelid, Jia Yu wasn''t surprised at his response but Yu Yan was. Her brother served as a military surgeon before leaving the military so his countenance can be really overbearing and terrifying but Han Chen is not even dazed by this. Yu Han squinted his eyes at the boldness of the young man, he has never seen someone so bold when he changes at least the twit of a boyfriend she was so adamant on dating wasn''t as bold as this but now he reminds him of someone he has seen before. He smiled. "Since you are so eager to speak on her behalf then I should give you a chance," "Thank you, Yu Yan was my girlfriend in high school but we ended up separating due to an accident that happened in high school, I met her again while she was still dating Chen Kai but-" "So you dumped Chen Kai for him, Good riddance my sweet sis," His frown immediately change into a hearty and proud smile as he leaned over the table to hug her again. "Actually..." He stopped upon hearing the hesitation in her voice he sat back then turned to Jia Yu and Han Chen but the look on their faces returned the frown to his face. "But?" "But while I was still chasing her, he denied their relationship in front of many others and choose Xiaomeng over her so I took the chance to make her mine," the pride and anger in his voice know no bound. But the look on Yu Han'' face turned dark as his eyes narrowed. "He dumped my sister?" he asked in a deep voice that screams ''danger''. Han Chen now wonders if he said too much considering how petrified Yu Yan looks and the murderous look on her brother''s face, she definitely looks like she is about to cry. "Brother..." she muttered when Yu Han stood up then stormed out of the caf¨¦, they quickly rushed after him but he mounted his black Yamaha bike and sped off. "Han Chen, stop him," Yu Yan yelled and he quickly got to work, rushing into his car to chase after his rabid brother-in-law, others might not be able to catch up with a gamer in a motorbike but he surely can. *Please vote, review and comment* Chapter 322 - Accident! After some turns, he finally blocked his motorcycle with his car then he got off the car. "Get out of my way!" Yu Han yelled, taking off his black helmet, Han Chen held his arm to stop him. "Please calm down, Yu Yan wouldn''t want you causing a scene at the hospital," "You are exactly the same, if not, why would you stay still knowing he did such a thing to her, If I don''t kill him today, I am not Huo Yu Han," he tried to resist but surprisingly Han Chen''s grip is too strong. "Hitting him is not enough, I will make him crumble completely so please trust me on this," Anyone might be deluded thinking he is going to forget that night and move on happily with Yu Yan, he can forgive anything but not hurting Yu Yan, his plan has been going on for a while now and it will soon be finalised. Only after then will he beat up Chen Kai while he is at his lowest. "How?" "Why don''t I make it a surprise, for now, let''s go back," he persuaded, from the look in his eyes, Yu Han could tell that the surprise must be a grand one but he still needs to vent the anger inside of him. He smirked when an idea suddenly popped into his head. Han Chen might not be as handsome and tall as he is but there is very little difference between them, his strength, boldness and confidence surpasses that of any guy he has ever seen around Yu Yan, he can''t help approving of him. "Alright but on one condition," "Name it," "Let''s box, from your fighting skills, I can tell you are not lacking, if you perform well then I will let you date my sister in peace," Han Chen smirked proudly at the suggestion, it seems to him that fighting is all it takes to win him over and that is something he is not lacking. He messaged Yu Yan, lying to her that she can return to the hospital and go home alone later since he would be having drinks with her brother. After work, she returned to her apartment with all her muscles sore, after she returned to the hospital, everyone kept looking at her strangely and even murmuring so she had to prove to them that it is not what they think by showing them a family picture. The last thing she wants now is to have another scandal going around the hospital. She also had to deal with Mrs Chen who invited her to her office over a peaceful cup of tea to once again warn her to take her hands off the liver transplant case but she refused again, because of her, the issue has now already spread around the hospital. If any legal outlet hears of it then it will cause a serious problem for the hospital so they have no choice but to push it back. She called Li Jing before going to bed. "Hello, Aunt," he answered with his voice coated with excitement and worry. "Hello, is mum and dad there?" "No, I heard they are angry at you for dating someone, is it the handsome guy we met in front of the apartment?" he couldn''t contain his curiosity especially since their grandparents forbade them from mentioning her name. "Hm, I am coming over tomorrow so you should prepare to open the door for me once I call you, okay?" "Ha...I don''t think that is a good idea, they even told the security guard not to let you in, what if-" "Don''t worry about that, just make sure you wait for my call," she cut the call then sighed. Her parents might be mad at her but they are probably waiting for her to come to them first and not doing so would be unfilial, especially since hurting them is the same as hurting her so she decided to not drag the issue any longer but see them tomorrow. With that in mind, she fell asleep. Meanwhile, Han Chen and Yu Han boxed for a while, although none won, he could tell that Han Chen was taking a step back for him, they had a few drinks after that then they parted ways, he returned to his mansion with a plan to visit her parent tomorrow in order to gain their approval to put Yu Yan at ease. -- - - - - The next afternoon, she wore baggy cream wool turtled necked top and a long silk skirt of the same colour with white sneakers and a black channel handbag, she let her hair down into a wavy style, she has never actually cared about her looks in front of her parents but today, she really wants to look good. She was about to leave in her car when she got a message from her godmother. ''Your parents and Han Chen already told me what happened, I invited them out for lunch so you and Han Chen should go instead of me, try to persuade them'' She couldn''t understand why her godmother is not going to speak for her as she would normally do but she knows it must have something to do with Han Chen. She was about to enter her car when she received another text from Han Chen saying he is not coming to the hospital because he has work at the company so she shouldn''t worry about him. She sighed in relief since she wanted to do this herself, she entered her car then drove out of the parking lot. She followed the address she got from her godmother along with the text and in no time, she arrived at the restaurant. She parked her car across the road cos the restaurant is located in a luxurious complex so there are many roads connected to it, she could see her parents seated through the glass wall, she saw her dad checking his wristwatch. She sighed again, she really missed his affectionate attitude towards her. She had just taken a step forward to cross the road when she saw Han Chen alighting his car opposite the road, she raised her brows realising he lied so he could see her parents alone but he also saw her, her parents who were seated beside the glass wall looked down only to find both of them across each other, they immediately frowned. She started taking slow steps to cross the road as her mind is filled with what might ensue once they meet her parents, not realising that a car is speeding towards her, Han Chen and her parents widened their eyes while they shouted her name as they sprung up from their seat. "Yu Yan!" he screamed as he ran towards her, she snapped back to her senses when he suddenly grabbed her arm then pushed her away from the road while the car ran him over, her breath hung at her throat when she saw his body somersaulting in the air then land on the ground after rolling on the car''s bonnet. People gathered around them, her parents were shocked at what they just witnessed. "Han Chen...." she muttered. "Han Chen!" she screamed as she ran towards him, she cupped his face as blood seeped out of the side of his head, she raised his body into her arms. "Yu Yan..." he muttered weakly before shutting his eyes, tears streamed out of her face as she pulled him closer while crying uncontrollably, her parents had just arrived at the scene when they saw her hands and clothed stained with blood. Both gasped. In no time, an ambulance arrived then carried him to the hospital where they work, the doctors immediately wheeled him into the operating room without further ado, considering that his condition is not one where they can wait. The news quickly travelled around the hospital in no time that Han Chen was in an accident, Jia Yu and the others quickly rushed to the operating theatre where they saw Yu Yan kneeling on the ground with her bloody hands quivering and tears strolling down her cheeks. Her parents were also standing beside her. "What happened?" Jia Yu asked with panic on her face. "I...I...I hurt him again, he is dying because of me," she answered before breaking down into another loud cry, Jia Yu pulled her into her embrace to comfort her while her guilt-filled parents watched her with tears in their eyes. Just then, one of the surgeons came out of the operation room, they quickly rushed up to him. "How is he?" The surgeon shook his head. "The patient had a surgical operation on his brain not too long ago and now he has already sustained another head injury causing tissue fluid to build up in his brain, he has lost too much blood but his blood type is a rare one so if we can''t find a blood donor with a compatible blood type, I am afraid...." "Rh-negative," she muttered. "What are we going do?" Yu Yan questioned, sobbing aloud. They all racked their brains for a while in an attempt to think of someone, Yu Yan finally remembered the boy he gave blood to during an emergency. "Han Li," "The patient," *Support this novel with your votes, gifts and reviews, really goes a long way in encouraging me* Thanks in advance. Chapter 323 - Three Times Sacrifice! Jia Yu and Yu Yan chorused at the same time. "What patient?" "The sixteen years old patient he gave his blood to," she explained but then realised it will take a long while before they can even contact him. "I will bring Han Li, they have the same blood type," she said then she ran out of the place, she doesn''t know who Han Li is but as long as the person can donate his blood then she doesn''t care about who he is for now. She held the surgeon''s hands between hers. "Please...please, you have to save him, it is because of me he is in there," she pleaded. "Surgeon Yu Yan, you know how this works but don''t worry we will do our best," He walked back into the operating room. Her mother couldn''t hold herself any longer, she stepped forward then pulled Yu Yan into her embrace, with tears dropping from her eyes. "How is it your fault, it is clearly our fault," she refused then patted her back gently, her friends could only watch the sadness in helplessness while they waited for Jia Yu to return with the surgeons doing what they can to save his life but they all know that considering that he just underwent surgery not too long ago, he has less chance of surviving this surgery. If only they know this is the third time then they would understand what Yu Yan and Jia Yu feel inside of them. The three times he got injured in his head are all because of her, first, he took the shot instead of her, secondly to save her from taking the impact when they fell down the stairs and now because of her carelessness. At this very moment, she regrets the day they met again, if they didn''t then he wouldn''t have gotten injured. Some of the crew started leaving with their bloodied hands then returning inside the operation unit, she could feel her heart sinking each time. She prayed in her mind for God to please save the man she loves. "He is here," Jia Yu shouted as she and Han Li who is still in his school uniform ran towards them, just then the surgeon who previously informed them of the need for a blood donor came out of the theatre. "Is he the one?" He asked "Yes, I have the same blood type as my brother," he answered frantically as h had already been briefed about the situation by Jia Yu, the nurse signalled the nurse behind him to get his blood tested. The nurse left with Han Li while the surgeon returned inside, Jia Yu rushed to Yu Yan who has a ghastly pale look on her face, she held her hands tightly to console her. "What happened to Han Chen?" His aunt questioned as she rushed towards them, they quickly stood up to meet her. "He just had an accident, the doctor said he needs a blood transfusion but Han Li is already here to donate his blood," Jia Yu narrated, she almost slumped but Ji Chen quickly supported her arm. "Do you know him?" Mrs Huo asked, she told her about Han Chen but she didn''t tell her his name, she sighed then turned to her. "He is my niece, I was going to intercede on his behalf but he told me he wanted to earn your approval but who would have known that this would happen, this is all my fault," She lamented as she slumped on the seat, Yu Yan knelt in front of her and held her hand in tears. "No, it is my fault, if I wasn''t absentminded then he wouldn''t have had to save me," She sighed in helplessness. One is her goddaughter and the other is her niece, should she blame Yu Yan for being the reason why Han Chen is in such a state for the second time or be thankful that Yu Yan is not harmed. She couldn''t bring herself to say anything to she just patted the back of her hand. A few minutes later, the nurse returned with the blood from Han Li after confirming he is a match but he fainted which something they didn''t expect, the surgery went on for about thirteen more hours more when the doors slid open and the surgeons exited the theatre with the sign reading ''operation ended''. They crowded them immediately. "How did it go," Mr Huo asked "Thanks to the blood transfusion, we managed to save his life for now but we need to observe his condition for the next twenty-four hours, if he doesn''t regain consciousness then..." They understood what he meant, after all, they are experienced in this field. "Thank you very much, Surgeon Chang," Ji Chen thanked the lead surgeon on their behalf then the surgeons walked away. Just then, the door opened again when the nurses wheeled him out of the theatre, they gathered around him as they wheeled him forwards to the intensive care unit. "Han Chen..." Yu Yan called repeatedly as she squeezed his hands tightly, they were stopped at the door to the ward while they connected him to the tubes and machines in the wards, Yu Yan glued herself to the door as she watched them. She has always consoled patients who would have to watch their loved ones like this but she never thought she would be in the same situation twice, just that this time is much worse than the other time. 24 hours...that is all that decides whether he dies or live. After some hours, Yu Yan, Jia Yu and her mother were allowed into the ward with a mask and gown to protect the patient, she knelt beside the bed then held his hand in her hands, she really wants him to hold her, embrace her and smile at her like he always does, or even go back to the time when they still used to bicker. "Han Chen, please wake up, please, you said you wanted me to be your woman forever, please...." she started sobbing again, if he really dies from this then she will never know what joy is, ever since they got together, she has made him her only source of happiness. "Yu Yan," Jia Yu called softly with her hands on Yu Yan''s shoulder. She wiped her tears then stood up from the ground, she knows her godmother has been keeping quiet all along but she must have something to say to him too, maybe something she can''t say in her presence even if she wants to. "I will leave you with him," together with Jia Yu, they left the room. She broke down into tears immediately they got out, she sat on the seat next to the bed then held his hand tightly with her eyes fixed on his face which is nearly blocked with all the tubes, braces on him. "My dear niece, why are you so stupid?" she asked with sadness in her voice, she already lost her brother, sister-in-law and one niece but losing another is something she won''t be able to handle, he has been like a son to her. "Why? back in high school you took the shot for her, not long ago, you saved her and now you saved her again, once again at the expense of your own life, I can''t even blame her or hate her because I also care about her," she wiped her tears with the hanky in her hand. "What am I supposed to say to my brother and sister-in-law when I die, Hm?" Meanwhile, the news of his accident had already reached every corner of the hospital, everyone is praying for his recovery in one way or the other and of course, there are very few who are pleased with his condition because of jealousy, someone like Chen Kai. He was still having red wine in his office with his lips spread into a wide smile, one he hasn''t had in weeks ever since he started seeing Yu Yan and Han Chen be all lovey-dovey around the hospital while he has to fake a happy relationship with Xiaomeng. His mood broke when he heard a knock on the door, he placed his glass on the table then dropped his legs from the table before giving the person permission to come in but he was appalled to see Xiaomeng enter the office with arms folded on her chest. "What are you doing here?" he asked "Do I need a reason to see my fianc¨¦?" she responded as she walked around the desk to his side, then she leaned her butt against the edge of the desk with her body in close proximity to his. "You are right but surely you did not just come here to glance at me," She smiled with her lips pulled to a corner, she can already tell from the look on his face and the glass of wine on the table that he is probably happy that the thorn in his side is almost gone and it makes her heart hurt. "You seem to be in a celebrative mood, would you mind sharing what the good news is," she asked as she moved over to where the glass and bottle of wine, she chugged down the little remaining in the glass then poured herself another glass. "You are not supposed to drink on duty!" Chapter 324 - I Want To Leave! "Don''t worry, my shift has ended, you should answer my question now, what has got you in a celebrative mood cos everyone in the hospital seems to be mourning," she sipped the wine gently, she might not be very fond of Han Chen but she also doesn''t hate him so she is one of those who wish for his recovery. She might have lost her good nature because of her love for Chen Kai but not completely. She returned to his side then spun his chair to face her while she placed both hands on the armrests with her sad eyes looking into his eyes. "Do I need to be in a celebrative mood to drink?" he responded with his brow raised. "Of course not, I am just hoping you are not drinking over Han Chen''s condition cos that would just be pure evil," she said, leaning closer to him, he turned up his lips in a smirk then he pulled her arms towards him bringing their faces just a breath away from each other. "Since when did you start caring about him, based on my understanding of you, he should be your enemy." He asked with his eyes squinted, her asking that question bothers him for a reason he is not clear about. "Not everyone wishes death upon their enemy like you," she answered back "And why don''t I like the sound of that?" "I don''t care what you wish for Han Chen but I just hope you are not getting strange ideas now that he is on his deathbed?" His smirk broadened, he lifted her chin with one finger then gazed intensely into her eyes. "My strange ideas are none of your business my dear..." he wrapped his arm around her neck with force. "Your only business is to be a good fianc¨¦e to me so I can inherit the company as fast as possible." He completed but she scoffed at him "So you can use me then return to Yu Yan, isn''t that why you denied her in front of everyone in the first place," she might have looked smug to them on that night but she knew in her heart that she is only his stairway to getting the company. He stared deeply into her eyes before he removed his hand from her chin to reach towards the table when he pressed a button, she raised her brows as she watched the blinds close. "What are you-" Before she could finish, he forced her head down to his lips with his hands tightly wrapped around her neck...way too tight. He kissed her violently yet passionately not caring how she feels or if she wants it, she stood still at first then she started struggling to free herself from his grip as he is still seated, she forcefully pushed him away then she sent a resounding slap across his face with her eyes blaring with anger. He pushed his cheeks out with his tongue then smirked with his face still turned away. "A**h*le," her chest felt heavy and she could feel she is about to cry, she turned away to leave but he stood up and pulled her to his seat. Her eyes widened with her brows scrunched as she stared into his fury filled eyes. He lifted his hand to touch her face but she moved her face away, his eyes darkened, he held her jaw tightly then turned her face to face him. Her eyes started tearing up. "Why are you also treating me like dirt? you wanted me before so why are you treating me like crap!," he queries with his voice raised causing her to tremble. "You have changed...too much," she answered in a shaky voice. He chuckled lightly before his face darkened again. "Change, I have always been like this and you know it so why pretend you didn''t know the real me?" He questioned, he always wondered after she saw what his father did to him, why she still loves him despite knowing who he is behind the facade he puts on for others to see, especially Yu Yan. "I want to leave, let me go," she said in a tired voice with her eyes fixed on him towering above her. But he smiled instead and caressed her face as his face drew closer to hers, he just doesn''t believe that she can fall out of love with him or resist his kiss. She held her breath until he started kissing her again, the tears she has been holding trickled down her cheeks, she thought she could fix him. She couldn''t take it anymore, what she wanted is a kiss filled with love and care not an empty kiss he is only giving to satisfy his ego. She raised her hands to his chest then pushed him really hard, causing him to hit his head against the desk, she quickly took the chance to dash out of the office. As soon as she got out, she bumped her head against someone''s chest, she looked up to seeLi Chen standing in of her with brows raised which became relaxed as soon as he saw the tears on her face. "Sorry, excuse me," she said as she walked away with her hand wiping her tears but he rushed after her after contemplating for a moment, she had just gotten into the elevator when he put his hands between the doors to stop them from closing then he entered to her surprise, she quickly turned her face away from him when he entered with his hands in his coat pocket.The elevator started going up. "Why were you crying?" He asked in a mellow tone, she cleared her throat. "Who said I was crying?" He turned to face her. "Then why do you have tears on your face and looking away," She turned to face him in hopes that she still doesn''t have tears on her face. "We have been in the same office for months yet you all never speak to me, I wonder why you are suddenly speaking to me cos I am sure your group wouldn''t like that," she said with an unbothered look on her face to mask her current emotions. Ding! The elevator door opened and she quickly exited the elevator, he came out after she then watched her until her back disappeared from his sight then he sighed and turned to leave but he met Meng Yao standing behind him. "How is she doing?" he asked her seeing the long look on her face, he had just gone upstairs to speak to one of the professors concerning one of his patients so he can return to Yu Yan after but seeing Xiaomeng, he got distracted. Meng Yao nodded her head, following a sigh. They both returned to the intensive care unit where Han Chen was admitted into one of the VIP rooms, they hadn''t entered the door when they met everyone waiting outside with Yu Yan and Jia Yu inside the ward. She still has her bloodstained clothes on but covered by the scrub, it is almost twelve yet they are all still there except for his Aunt who left to connect with specialist surgeons abroad who are well known and might be able to help him in case he really doesn''t wake up tomorrow. "Aunt, Uncle, you should go home now so you can return early tomorrow morning," Li Chen persuaded, her guilt-filled parents have been waiting outside the ward with their heart sunken. "How can we leave when he is still lying there, it is all our fault, we didn''t even know something terrible happened to her months ago, am I still qualified to be her mother," her mother responded in a remorseful tone while her husband wrapped his arm around his shoulder. They already found out about Yu Yan falling down the stairs and Han Chen taking the impact for her. "You must be very tired, what if you end up fainting or fatigued, you will give Yu Yan another reason to worry, why don''t you stay in the hospital then," An Ke suggested, she felt stupid for letting them stay there all this while. After much persuasion, they finally agreed to rest in the hospital knowing that they won''t be able to sleep but they don''t want to be a bother to Yu Yan. He offered to take them to the resting room for their team but after dropping them in the room and arranging for their comfort, he decided to go to the parking lot where his car is so he can get a proper duvet and resting pillows from his boot where he normally keeps them for his own comfort but he was still trying to take them out of the boot when he caught sight of Xiaomeng entering her car in an extremely short sequin dress and really heavy makeup with large silver earrings. He couldn''t believe she is the one at first glance since she is not one to dress like that or look like that, he was about to go to her when she started her car and drove past him, he became really concerned, she was once one of them but because of Yu Yan they drew apart and this few days when he really hasn''t been talking to her, he really didn''t feel good about it. Chapter 325 - Listen! He is the type of person that would want to make peace with everyone and bring the friend group together even though he was merely tagging after An Ke in the past so he did her bidding. He was torn between taking the stuff to Yu Yan parents or following after her when he saw one of the nurses, he quickly called her and asked her politely to take the things to Yu Yan''s parents then he followed after Xiaomeng in his car even though he is a bit late but the traffic made him catch up with her. After some minutes they arrived at a club, he silently followed her until she entered the club, he sat far away from her as he watched her drink before going to the dance floor but he couldn''t stay still anymore when he noticed many guys surrounding her and trying to harass her. He forcibly tried to pull her out but she didn''t want to leave especially after she recognised him, he almost got into a fight with them if not that she obediently left with him later. She pulled her hand out of his grip after they got out of the dance floor then she brushed her hair back. "Why did you follow me here?" she asked with her voice raised amidst the loud music. "You are not the type to club and especially not looking like this, did something happen?" She broke into a burst of laughter then she ignored him and walked to the counter where she sat and requested a drink, he sat beside her with pity clearly written on his face. She sipped her drink before turning to him. "Li Chen, do you pity me?" she asked, seeing the look in his eyes. He nodded in affirmation. Normally, she would have flipped out hearing him acknowledge that he pities her but now she knows she is really pitiful. "I don''t blame you, I also know I am pitiful, loving someone who I know doesn''t love me and doing everything I can to tear him away from the person he loves but yet not gaining the happiness and love I wanted...if that is not pitiful then what is?" she downed the entire content of the bottle down her throat and he let her. He doesn''t know what she is feeling but he knows if he was in her situation, he would want to drink to his heart content, he just wants to listen to her as he used to when they were still close. She had already gotten wasted when he decided it is time to take her out, he called a driver to bring her car to his house then he carried her in his own car to his house. He carried her into the guest room then laid her on the bed but she just wouldn''t stay still since she is still awake, the only person he has tended to in a drunken state is An Ke and she is the type to fall asleep as soon as she gets wasted. He decided to leave her there till the next morning then take care of whatever mess she makes in the morning but he was about to leave when she held his pinky finger loosely. He turned but he froze when he saw tears trickling down her face, it made his heart really heavy cos he has never actually seen her tear up, she has a sober expression on her face. She balled her fist then raised it to her chest before hitting her chest a few times with more tears. "Xiaomeng..." "I...I have too much in here that I need to let out, can you just listen before you go...please," Please...another word he hasn''t heard from her in a while, has she really become that miserable, if she got what she wanted then she should be happy, why did she let herself get this hurt but then...does he really have the right to think all these when he kept his own feelings bottled for so long before speaking them out. "Hm," he nodded then he sat beside her at the edge of the bed. "Speak and I will just listen quietly," She smiled in appreciation. "I know you all think I am a bad person for wanting to take Chen Kai from Yu Yan and always competing with her, yes, that is the truth and I won''t deny it but it doesn''t make me a bad person entirely," She sniffed her nose to send back her tears. "Even before we all became friends, I have been with Chen Kai since we were little, I knew he was broken and hiding things but then I decided I would be the one to fix him, Yu Yan, she is nice and strong but she doesn''t know him, and I knew that sooner or later, she will find out what he is really like and she will leave him which will break him further, loving someone is wanting them to be happy even if it means you are not happy, I know that but I know at the end, Chen Kai won''t be happy so I decided to be the villain but after making effort to separate them to no avail, I must have gotten jealous and angry at Yu Yan for making me someone to inferior to her before Chen Kai, thus I developed my own selfish ideas," She stopped then cleared her throat, she knows in her heart that she would wake up tomorrow and wish she forgot all she is telling him in her drunken state. He watched her with empathy in his eyes, he also couldn''t understand why she suddenly changed so much but this... "But now I realise that even I can''t fix him, I thought him being the one to leave the relationship will soothe his ego but seeing Yu Yan move on only made him worse, even the happiness and love I got greedy for has now turned into heartache for me, I am not trying to justify all my actions but I just want one person to know that I didn''t intend to be like this from the start, I...." She started sobbing aloud, letting it all out really makes her want to cry no matter who is sitting in front of her at the moment or if she will regret her decision. He sighed then hesitantly hugged her with his hands patting her back gently. "You weren''t selfish, you just loved him and sometimes we find ourselves being selfish or stupid in love, just like I was," he remarked in a soothing voice that really helped calm her down, her team leader, and her friends who are now Yu Yan''s friends look at her as though she is some sort of villainess and evil person, even the person she became bad for treats her disrespectfully and cruelly like she doesn''t have emotions but all she ever wanted is to break a wrong combination and bring herself happiness. "Thank You..." she muttered then slowly closed her eyes as she fell asleep. Realising she is asleep, he tucked her in then turned off the light. In his mind, he just can''t wait for her to wake up tomorrow morning and realise that she actually spilt everything despite her pride but for now, he still has to find out about the situation with Han Chen. He called Meng Yao. "Hello, has he woken up yet?" he asked with his eyes glancing at his wristwatch which says 1 am. "No, she refuses to leave the ward but she looks really pale and we are all worried she might collapse, where did you go?" "Xiaomeng, she is in quite a sorry state so I brought her home," he is not one to lie especially not to Meng Yao who is just like him excluding the fact that she never dates one guy for over a week until she met her current fiance. She is a very reasonable person and a listener just like him. "Is she alright?" "Nothing to worry about, I will be there by 8 am, text me his condition each hour," "Hm, as for Xiaomeng, you probably shouldn''t let the rest know you were with her, bye," As expected, others would have been curious about what happened to her and how he came to be with her but not Meng Yao, she can tell when someone doesn''t want to speak and she never drags the conversation. Instead of going into his bedroom, he laid on the large sofa in his sitting room with his phone by his side so he can get her message. {Han Chen...I really hope you wake up, if you go, what is Yu Yan supposed to do,} They all know, his death will totally break her especially since he saved her. He was so tired that he didn''t even realise when he fell asleep and missed her message that came in each hour just like he asked. Chapter 326 - I Am Not Crying! The next morning came really fast, he took his bath then entered the kitchen to make a hangover soup for her. She felt her head splitting as she opened her eyes, her vision blurred for a moment before it became clear. With her hand massaging the side of her head, she scanned the room, luxurious and homely, ash and white with golden tints around the room. She could already tell that wherever she is, it is surely not a hotel and the house she is in is not lacking compared to her own house. She looked under the duvet but she couldn''t tell what happened the last night, she itched her head in an attempt to remember but she still couldn''t so she decided to find out for herself. She walked down the stairs in hesitant steps when she heard sounds, she finally got downstairs but she couldn''t see anyone in the living room or home bar, she walked towards the kitchen where she heard the sounds coming from but her eyes widened at the sight of Li Chen in an apron. "Why is it you?" she asked almost in an exclamation, he smiled then placed the bowl of congee in a tray then walked out of the kitchen. "You are awake," he remarked as he placed the bowl on the dining table with a spoon in it then he returned to the kitchen with the tray leaving her confused before he returned then drew out a seat for her in the dining. "What am I doing here and with you?" She queries in a rude tone which is just like the sober Xiaomeng he knows. "Since you had a lot to drink then you might want to drink the congee before leaving," He said instead of giving an answer to her question. She reluctantly sat opposite him so he passed the bowl to her with a hand gesture, imploring her to eat. She glared at him for a while before taking a spoon from the congee. "I will ask you just four questions so answer honestly," she said in a commanding tone to which he hummed with an agreeing nod. "Firstly, we didn''t sleep together, did we?" she asked straightforwardly, he almost choked at how direct she is but then he remembered, this is Xiaomeng in front of him. "No," "Why am I here?" she asked "Hm...I followed you to a club where you were getting harassed so I saved you and accompanied you for few drinks, you were drunk so I brought you to my house, happy?" he smiled "I didn''t do anything inappropriate, right?" she raised her brows in anticipation of his answer but his hesitant look and seemingly suggestive smile worries her, he chuckled lightly then raised his eyes to meet her gaze. "It depends on how you define inappropriate but in my opinion, you didn''t," {Seems like she doesn''t remember all she said, it is for the best or she might bite her tongue to death if she remembers,} "Why are you here with me instead of staying with Yu Yan and the rest?" "Yu Yan needs me but at that moment, you also needed me, I will leave now, when you are done with the congee, you can leave," he stood up from his seat, only then did she notice him in a deep blue shirt and black pants, he picked up his car keys then left. The situation is quite confusing to her, he left her in his house and even spent time with her instead of Yu Yan whom they all adore, it wouldn''t be so strange if he wasn''t one of those who ignored her for the past few months since she got together with Chen Kai. That reminds her...Chen Kai, there is something she has to do. Back at the hospital, the others left her last night when it was time for their duty but they kept checking on her, however, she didn''t even blink her eyes all morning even though she didn''t get a sleep last night. She is still holding his hands with her face buried in their hands, they were all worried if he still doesn''t wake up by evening then...she might really be left alone. Han Li who fainted after they drew blood from him sprinted to Han Chen''s ward immediately he woke up, he pushed the door open then rushed to Han Chen, pulling his hand out of Yu Yan''s grip, she was quite startled but she doesn''t even have the energy to argue. "Brother Chen," he murmured as he knelt beside the bed, he started tearing up. "Why are you lying there like this when you haven''t gotten my forgiveness yet, you didn''t even apologise to me so why are you lying here?" he queried amidst his sob as though he will open his mouth to answer him. She looked at him in confusion, she did hear from Han Chen that he has an adopted brother but he didn''t really tell her much but now she noticed that this person looks very much like his real brother that she saw in the family portrait. "You are...?" He turned to her with a fiery glare in his eyes. "You must be the reason why he is in this state, I heard he got the hit for you," he accused, taking a step towards her, she could sense anger in his voice which made her take a step back. "My brother was fine until he met you, I heard he also got into another accident for you before this, why did you let him get hurt, why?!" he yelled, she shook at his accusation, the guilt....he is triggering it once again. She covered her ears with both hands as streaks of tears flowed down her face. "You should listen!" he yelled again, she dropped to the ground this time as Jia Yu suddenly appeared at the door. "Han Li, it is enough," she cautioned then she walked up to Yu Yan and held her up with her hands on her shoulders. "Why are you also supporting her, she is the reason why he is in that state!" "Enough, leave!" she yelled back, his eyes widened at her order. "You are asking me to leave my brother because of this irrelevant woman?" "She is the woman he loves," she informed, stressing the words for it to sink into his head, he glanced at Han Chen then back at Yu Yan, he scoffed then stormed out of the ward, she helped Yu Yan to a seat then patted her back. "It will be fine, my brother is stronger than you think," she consoled. Just then, they heard someone dash in, they were shocked to see her brother standing in front of the door with his forehead crinkled out of worry, he dashed towards them as Jia Yu stood up from beside Yu Yan, he sat beside her then wrapped his arms around her neck. "Brother," she called, she forgot he ever returned. "My little sister, I am sorry you have to go through this," he said, rubbing her back, she tightened her arms around his back, after some sec, he pulled away then cupped her face. "You have become almost as pale as a ghost and your eyes are so red, you certainly don''t want him to see you this way when he wakes up or he might not want you anymore," he joked in a serious tone to brighten her mood but it didn''t help. "I don''t care if he leaves me, I just want him to wake up, I really don''t think I can do without him anymore, he..." her voice hitched as sobs escaped her mouth, he wiped the tears off her cheeks then hugged her again, Jia Yu stood there watching her with a lonely thought in her mind. She has been the one consoling her and her aunt but no one is acting like she might also be feeling the same way as Yu Yan but putting on a strong front, her eyes drifted back to Han Chen, she really can''t hold it anymore, she ran out of the room into the nearest female restroom. She locked herself in one of the cubicles then squatted with her hands over her mouth, causing a stifled cry in tears. "Brother..." she softly called, just then, she heard a knock on the door, she covered her mouth to stop her sob from escaping her mouth since she doesn''t want to be found crying but she wonders why someone has to knock on the door when there are other cubicles to use. "Yu Yu," Ji Chen called. She removed her hand from her mouth in surprise. "What are you doing in the females'' restroom?" she asked behind the closed door. "I saw you run into the restroom, open the door," He was just about to check on Han Chen when he saw her running around a corner with her hand over her mouth and her face scrunched as though she is about to cry so he followed her in, not caring that he is entering a females restroom. "I can''t, wait outside for a while," she needed to wash her face so he doesn''t see her like that. "I already know you are crying so just come out," "Crying...why would I cry, I didn''t even cry yesterday cos I know my brother is strong, this is nothing for him to survive," she retorted in a croaky voice, betraying her lie. Chapter 327 - Martial Heroes Contest: Entrance "Then you should come out now," his voice softened, he has been watching her all along but he wasn''t surprised to see that she is not crying, from their years of dating, he already knows her completely, when something bad happens to those around her which also concerns her, she starts tending to others to put on a strong front but when the pain and sadness fill her chest, she excludes herself to release it quietly then she returns like nothing ever happened. This is how she has always been. She opened the door then lifted her face to look him in the eyes, her reddened eyes couldn''t hide the fact that she cried, his heart hurts for her, he embraced her tightly then patted her back while she held the sides of his coat tightly then released the pent up sadness in her chest as tears. - - - - - Parallel world. The day they had all been waiting for finally came, the martial heroes contest they were all looking forward to is now here, the people were excited knowing they are going to watch an even better show this year. The sect leaders and elders from each sect including the wind sect except very few were already seated when the emperor entered. "The emperor is here!" the head eunuch announced, they all stood up from their seats to bow with their hands cupped while the commoners who were already standing bowed to the ground. "Your majesty!" they chorused in unison, the emperor took his seat at the highest seat with the sect leaders of the four main sects seated at both of his sides except for the flame sect whose seat has been excluded for many years but has now been added, the regional commander who mostly accompanies him everywhere took his seat at his right side. He beckoned them to take their seat with a benevolent smile befitting of an emperor who cares about his people, although the emperor and the court are not allowed to get involved with the martial world, it doesn''t stop the emperor from attending the contest every year just so he has his eyes on every one of them and he has since held Bohai in high regards. He nods his head with a faint smile at Bohai who cupped his hands and bowed his head in acknowledgement of the emperor''s high hopes placed on him, now he remembers he has a daughter, he is now considering getting her married to Bohai so as to tie him and the entire martial world to the court so they can''t escape his grip but then, he noticed something amiss. The seat besides the regional commander is empty. "Sect leader Ling, is the flame sect not participating in this contest?" he whispered to the wind sect leader, he smiled faintly. "They must be running late," he whispered back. Just then, Mo Yuhan arrived at the tournament drawing all the attention to his presence as he walked in with his three guards behind him, he and his guards are all dressed in red and black robes with his having gold lapels on the shoulder. The spectators and people from the sects present started murmuring especially since they are just seeing his face for the first time, in all the previous meetings, he has always worn his bird shaped mask. "He is very good looking," "We all thought he is ugly or he has a scar, why did he hide his face until now?" They all started commenting, the females eyes were filled with admiration. "Greetings, your majesty," he and his guards greeted upon getting to the front, Sect leader Lin and the emperor narrowed their eyes at him, as for Mo Yuhan, this is the first time he is attending the martial heroes contest since his sect always send disciples to just participate. "Alliance leader Lin," he greeted with his hands still cupped and his head slightly bowed then he raised his head with an upturned smile on his lips. They were all certain that if not for his regalia, they wouldn''t have been able to recognise him. "Sect leader Mo, it seems like you have finally decided to show your face to the world but I wonder what made you attend today''s contest since you have always missed the rest?" Sect leader Lin questioned with a displeased look on his face. One thing he has always disliked Mo Yuhan for is his high profiled regalia, as the leader of the alliance, he is supposed to be the one with the best mannerism and regalia but Mo Yuhan always has a way of outshining him, if the azure demon sect was one of the four main sect then it will definitely be a serious problem. He chuckled lightly before flapping his large sleeves as he brought one of his arm behind him. "I was merely thrilled by the chance to watch the flame sect compete so I decided to see it for myself," he broke into laughter after his answer, making both the emperor and the three main sect leaders furrow their brows while the murmurs filled the entire place. It was very clear from his answer that he is only here for the flame sect but sect leader Lin still managed to fake a smile. "Then you might be disappointed cos it doesn''t seem like the flame sect plans to attend the contest," he responded. "I am afraid you are mistaken, Sect leader Lin," a familiar resounding voice responded, they all turned to the entrance. They were thrilled to see the people from the flame sect arrive at the tournament with sect madam Huo walking in front of them with a smile on her luscious red lips, she walked with perfect elegance with her whip in her hand, her long red cape swept the ground with every step she took. The flame mask they all respected has appeared again, noise filled the tournament once more while everyone watched them make their entrance, Mo Yuhan then took his seat. "Greetings, your majesty," they all greeted then they turned to sect leader Lin. "Alliance leader Lin," they greeted then they raised their heads, although everyone except the elders and the sect madam is wearing the flame mask, the emperor could still recognise Huo Ying since he has already seen her in the palace without the mask. "Sect madam Huo, it seems like I won''t be able to see your daughter''s face now that the flame sect has officially returned to the martial world," the emperor remarked, causing everyone to wonder if he has seen her face. "Your majesty has seen my daughter''s face back in the palace, I am sure it is enough," she replied, then she made her way to the right-hand side of the emperor where she took her seat beside the regional commander who nodded at her while the rest of them took their seat where the others from the four main sects were seated. "Now that everyone is here-" "The first and fourth princes are here!" the eunuch announced as everyone turned to the entrance again, the people felt as though they had just won a lottery, first Mo Yuhan appearing and revealing his handsome face, second, the arrival of the flame sect and now for the first time, they are going to see the first and fourth princes. They all started stretching to catch a glimpse. The first prince in a blue robe and the fourth prince in a black robe with his hair neatly resting on his back and some held up by a gold ring, entered the tournament together. every one of their steps screaming royalty with Xiaodi and the first prince attendant behind them. They were shocked at the visuals of both princes, especially the fourth prince who has been the talk of the nation after the emperor''s birthday. "Greetings, Imperial father," both chorused as they stood in front of the emperor who is the most confused person as to why both of his sons are present at the tournament without telling him or receiving his permission but he is more outraged at the fact that the first prince he tried so hard to hide from the public is now appearing before everyone but he still faked a smile. "You are here," he concisely answered, then the disciples arranged seats for them on the high stand. "Now that everyone is here, we will bring in the second young mistress of the flame sect!" Sect leader Lin announced, the people gasped in shock, they were surely not expecting the monster to be present at the contest. They became terrified, it was going well until they announced that they are bringing in a monster who is very well capable of blowing all of them up. Noises filled the place. The first prince noticed the fourth prince ball his fist tightly with his vein almost popping out, he glanced at his face only to find his eyes misty and filled with mixed emotions that he can''t describe. *please, please, please support by voting, reviewing, commenting* ???? Chapter 328 - Martial Heroes Contest: Begins She entered with her a long red cloak over her body, covering her face, five wind sect disciples stood behind her with Su Ci by her side, they all started pointing fingers at her and calling her names but she kept her eyes lowered. Her hands were held in chains that everyone could tell is not ordinary as she walked towards the front. "Greetings your majesty," they chorused with their heads bowed. Huo Ying immediately sprung up from her seat with her misty eyes and her fist tightly clenched. "Huo Lan," she called aloud, causing them to turn to her. She raised her head to look in the direction of her sister when the hood of her cloak came off, her red eyes became fixed on her sister''s. "Huo Ying!" she called back. Their mother could barely hold herself in her seat, her eyes held a feeling of longing, she clutched the edge of her seat tightly. They had never seen her eyes but they could tell that the tale is true, her eyes are crimson red and her red hair fluttered as the breeze blew past her. Huo Ying was about to take a step towards her when Huo Qiang held her hand to stop her, she glared at him then glanced at Huo Lan again who has a faint smile on her lips, not minding the people around who are taken aback by her strange appearance. She nodded her head to tell Huo Ying not to come to her which Huo Ying obeyed then took her seat again. They had never seen someone like her, even the first prince couldn''t take his eyes off her, he looked at her as though she is an intriguing object but the fourth prince was mesmerized, he has seen those eyes and red hair before but they are even more beautiful now in his eyes. A smile dangled on his lips. Sect leader Lin didn''t like the attention she draws but he hopes her test today will keep her forever in the cave or lead her to her death. "Is she really dangerous?" the emperor asked as Huo Lan is taken to sit far away from the crowd. "Your majesty has nothing to worry about, the chains will keep her in place," he answered with a sneer in his mind, no treasure of the wind sect can withstand her power, the chain can only restrict her for a while but it will shatter if she becomes unstable and that is exactly what he wishes for. "We will now announce the rules of the contest," Master Li Jie, one of the masters from the wind sect announced as he stood in the middle of the tournament situated in a very large perimeter, four large pillars representing the four main sects with the different colours of the sects are rooted around the four corners of the ring where he is currently standing. The large spectators are seated in the open arena while the sects are seated under large canopy-like covering while the emperor, princes and the sect leaders of the four main sects are seated on the high stand where they can easily see everything around and below them. "The magic wheels will determine the arrangement of the contest if a representative from one sect wins a fight then the wheels will spin to determine what sect competes with the winner next, each sect has one chance to compete after losing each fight but losing three fights consecutively, you will drop out of the contest, each representative should be reasonable in deciding when it is time to stop fighting, no one is allowed to kill anyone on the ring or that person will face serious punishment, falling off the ring will mean you have lost," he scanned everyone for a moment then he inhaled deeply. "And lastly, I ask that everyone refrains from disrupting the contest, the four pillars will be activated to protect everyone from an outburst that might occur but we cannot guarantee that it will totally be able to completely protect everyone, the contest will now begin," as soon as he walked down from the short stairs, gold light immediately shot out from the four pillars, the lights soon connected then formed a shield around the ring. They are used to protect others outside the ring, they might feel some of the effects but not all. The magic wheels soon started spinning really fast then it finally stopped. "The first contest is between the Wudang sect and the talisman sect," Master Li Jie announced, the spectators and members from both sects cheered aloud. A main sect fighting one of the inferior sects, the winner is already clear to them but considering that the disciples in the talisman sects are all females, they still hope to watch a good fight. A young female in the yellow uniform of the talisman sect, Chu Yi who is known to be one of the three best disciples of the talisman sect and a young disciple from the Wudang sect in a brown uniform walked into the ring. They stood in the middle then bowed at each other with their hands cupped together. "A disciple of the talisman sect, Chu Yi," "A disciple of Wudang sect, Gao Zhong," They introduced. "You may begin," master Li Jie announced then both moved away from each other while the cheering quieted down. Gao Zhong pulled out his large sword then he assumed his position while she unsheathed her soft sword which is mainly used for drawing talismans. He came at her first with his large sword swinging at her swiftly but she nimbly dodged his sword, she drew a pattern in the air with her sword then a yellow talisman appeared, she sent it towards him which he also dodged but she kept drawing it swiftly. Both kept attacking and defending but he could hardly keep up with the speed of her talisman forming arrow-like patterns after being drawn until she decided to end the game. She lunged into the air then used her sword to draw a pattern which later appeared to be a large octagonal pattern. "I am afraid it has to end here," she smirked smugly then made a slash in the air with her sword which sent rains of arrows down on him. He started breaking them off with his sword but the speed and force were too much for him, in an instant, he dropped his sword. "I surrender!" He screamed before the arrows hit him to death, she quickly retracted the arrows then landed on the ground with a smile on her lips. "The winner of this round is Chu Yi from the talisman sect," master Li Jie announced, earning a round of applause from the crowd, then Gao Zhong came down from the ring, leaving Chu Yi. "She sure is fast," Huo Li remarked "Speed is the main element of the talisman sect, drawing talismans in a fight is impossible without speed," Huo Qiang responded with his arms crossed and his eyes keenly observing everything going on around him but Huo Ying is still distracted by her sister and her mind is far away from the contest just like the fourth prince. The magic wheels spun again. "Next round is between the vitality sect and the talisman sect," he announced This time, a female disciple from the vitality sect entered the ring. "Wen Ning," she introduced "Chu Yi," With the introductions done, both assumed their position, it didn''t come as a surprise to the spectators that she is not holding a sword since the vitality sect are known for fighting with their unique ability to conjure plants. This time, Wen Ning started the battle, she twirled her hand, sending long and thick vines dashing towards Chu Yi who quickly lunged into the air then twisted her body to land on the other side, but the whip-like vine kept swinging at her under the manipulation of Wen Ning. Everyone started commenting, they all underestimate the vitality sect so it is the first time seeing a disciple of the vitality sect with such fast speed, leaving Chu Yi no time to draw her talisman so she can only defend using her sword. The more she cut down, the more the vines keep sprouting from below her feet and her sides until Wen Ning wrapped the vines around her waist then she pulled her forward and pressed her sword against her neck. A round of applause filled the place but the loudest belonged to sect leader Yang of the vitality sect while sect leader Meng scrunched her face in disbelief, Chu Yi might not be the best but she is one of the aces in the sect. "Sect leader Meng, it seems like your disciples have not been training, even a measly disciple from the vitality sect who has never been seen managed to defeat your disciple," Sect leader Zhou remarked with a hint of mockery in his voice, loud enough for the others seated around them to hear. "I will await a good show from your sect then," she concisely answered to preserve her image in front of the emperor and others. "The winner of this round is Wen Ning from the vitality sect, the next round is between the vitality sect and the...." *Please vote, gift, comment but most importantly review, if you have gotten this far then you must have something to tell, just spare two minutes of your time* Chapter 329 - Martial Heroes Contest: Dont Underestimate Me "The winner of this round is Wen Ning from the vitality sect, the next round is between the vitality sect and the Ancient sword sect," The announcement earned a round of applause as the people were ecstatic to watch this round, the ancient sword sect was the first sect to exist even before the four main sects but because they held themselves so high that they don''t associate with the other sects, they are not regarded as one of the main sects. They always send their lowest disciples to compete so everyone assumes that is the reason why the wind sect always comes on top. To their surprise, a female disciple in a loose white robe with a silver long ring holding her hair in a neat ponytail entered the ring. "Bai Liyuan!" They exclaimed She is the winner of the previous contests before they stopped sending their best disciples and she always won consecutively in a short time. "Sect leader Lin, it seems like the Ancient sword sect is suddenly taking the contest seriously, could it be because of the flame sect," the emperor remarked audibly, although they didn''t turn to them, they all wanted to hear sect leader Lin''s reply. "Perhaps," he coated his frown with a faint smile, from what the emperor said, it means that the ancient sword sect do not consider the wind sect a worthy opponent. Both sect leader Zhou and sect leader Meng sneered inwardly but sect madam Huo held a blank look on her face knowing Lin Yuanlang will surely glare at her. Both did their introductions then the fight began. As soon as Wen Ning conjured the vines, Bai Liyuan skilfully dodged them all, she twirled her body around as she flexibly avoided the vines, by the time she landed on her feet, the vines were all gone and her shiny sword on Wen Ning''s neck. Their applause resounded even louder. "Woah, she is so fast, it didn''t even take her a minute," Huo Ying remarked, she has heard of the ancient sword sect skilled disciples so she brought back her attention to the fight. "She won the contest several times before, it is no surprise that she is so skilled, Wu Qian, you had better prepare yourself, she is your opponent," Huo Li said in a commanding tone with her hands crossed on her chest. Li Bing who was already cracking her fingers with her narrowed eyes fixed on Bai Liyuan was disappointed to hear that this worthy opponent is not hers, sect madam Huo glanced at the sect leader of the ancient sword sect who is an old man in his late seventies. She scoffed silently at the old man, to her, he is the worst coward she has ever known, the excuse of the ancient sword sect not interfering in the worldly affairs is just stupid as far as she is concerned, he knows clearly that the flame sect has nothing to do with the blood moon sect back then especially since her husband went to see the old man during the time the killings happened but he refused to testify. She signalled Huo Qiang to come over, he sneakily walked behind the high seat up to where she is seated. She whispered in his ear. "Li Bing should be the one to handle the fight with Bai Li Yuan, tell her to defeat her mercilessly," she commanded knowing she might not be able to defeat Bai Liyuan but with the skill Huo Li taught her, she should be able to win, he didn''t bother asking her intention cos he could sense a deep feeling of hatred in her tone, he quietly left to his seat while the others wondered what she told him. As soon as he got back, he relayed the message to Li Bing who was more than happy to fulfill her wish. The next few announcements made her fume, Bai Liyuan defeated every disciple who were selected to fight with her, she has other fought four other sect disciples and won when the wheel spun again. "The next round is between the ancient sword sect and the flame sect," Her eyes shone in excitement as the crowd cheered loudly, they found the previous fights boring because it is already expected that Bai Liyuan wins. They nodded at Li Bing then she nodded at them reassuringly before walking to the ring, they started murmuring again, compared to Bai Liyuan, Li Bing has a petite figure that makes it look like Bai Liyuan will crush her without any effort. "I wonder what show the flame sect has to offer," sect leader Zhou remarked, fiddling with his fan. "What do you think the result of this contest will be?" The first prince asked the fourth prince who was taken aback by the sudden question while the sect leaders and the emperor wanted to hear his response. He glanced at the emperor then at sect madam Huo with a softened look in his eyes, he faced his eldest brother then smiled faintly. "Bai Liyuan is indeed a skilled disciple of the ancient sword sect just like I heard but the flame sect is also not to be underestimated, I believe this fight will be a good one," he answered then turned to the ring, the first prince smirked at his success. The sect leaders were surely not pleased with his answer but sect madam Huo was confused as to what the look earlier meant and why he indirectly sided with the flame sect, the emperor was fuming inside hearing his favourite son''s answer, everyone knows the emperor is not on good terms with the flame sect but he still spoke like that. "Li Bing, an advanced disciple of the flame sect," she introduced with her brow raised and a smug smile on her lips even before it starts, Bai Liyuan stared her down then scoffed at her confidence despite her petite figure. She might be the youngest among the elite disciple of the ancient sword sect but she is at least much older than the little girl the flame sect sent to fight her. "I originally thought I will be competing with one of the guardians but it turns out that I will be competing with a child," she commented much to Li Bing''s disapproval. If there is anything she and Huo Li hates the most, it is people underestimating them because of their stature, it just riles them up. Her comment made another round of murmur start but everyone from the flame sect still kept their cool, like master like disciple, their anger only makes them stronger. "Sect madam Huo, are your guardians just for show, you actually sent an advanced disciple to compete with Bai Liyuan?" Sect leader Meng remarked, she just can''t wait for Bai Liyan to defeat Li Jing. "Seems like I have disappointed your expectations but you must have forgotten what the advanced disciples of the flame sect are like....back then, you couldn''t even win against our youngest," she mocked, turning up her red lips. Sect leader Meng slammed her hand against the handle of her seat with her eyes glaring at sect madam Huo who rolled her eyes back to the ring to ensure she doesn''t miss the expression on the old fart''s face when his disciple is crushed. "We will see about that," Li Bing responded then got into her stance with her sword drawn out while Bai Liyuan held out her sword. {You just dug your grave by underestimating me, you will be the first person I test my master''s skill on,} She made the first move, dashing towards Bai Liyuan at a very fast speed which Bai Liyuan quickly reacted to as she nimbly slipped under her sword then spun around with her sword aiming at her back but Li Bing was not lacking speed herself. She bent backwards then grabbed Bai Liyuan''s hand, she pulled her down but Bai Liyuan tried to hit her chest, Li Bing widened her eyes as she speedily twisted her body having to let go of her hand. They kept clashing swords at a really fast speed that the onlookers almost couldn''t keep up. "Seems like we all underestimated this little disciple of yours," sect leader Zhou remarked, sect madam Huo merely glanced at him then turned away as she turned to the old fart, squinting his eyes maybe to see clearly. Bai Liyuan leapt into the air then waved her sword in the sky then she dropped it between her palms, making it spin really fast, Li Bing couldn''t wait for her (Bai Liyaun) to finish her fancy move so she also leapt into the air, Bai Liyuan grabbed her sword to react but Li Bing disappeared from her front, she swiftly turned back only to see that she(Li Bing) is about to aim her sword at her(Bai Liyuan''s) neck so she blocked the sword with her sword. Li Bing gathered her Qi then slammed her hand against her other hand holding the sword, the force caused Bai Liyuan to almost fall back but she quickly did the same as Li Bing. Both were forced to the ground by the forces, just then, she decided to end the fight. While both were still locking swords with their Qi, Li Bing turned up her lips causing Bai Liyuan to raise her brow in confusion. She spent so much time fighting with a little kid and now she even dares to smirk at her. "What are you..." "I am done playing," Li Bing remarked then she suddenly... *To all my ghost readers, please review and comment, it will be much appreciated* Chapter 330 - Martial Heroes Contest: Lost To The Little Miss "What are you..." "It is time to end it," Li Bing remarked then she suddenly disappeared with her shadow swiftly passing her eyes, Bai Liyuan quickly turned to her back but could only see her shadow again, she turned to the front but the same thing. It seemed like she has split herself, she was still confused when she suddenly felt a sting on her arm, her eyes widened at the sight of her cloth torn at the arm, she felt it again but this time on her waist, she balled her fist in anger. She was about to use one of her sword skills when she felt a kick behind her, on her waist, she was sent into the air. Li Bing dropped her sword into the ground, sending a shocking wave around the ring which was captured by the four pillars, Bai Liyuan body was just returning to the ground when she landed a huge blow on her back. They gasped at the sight of Bai Liyuan flying into the air again. "Eighteen thunderbolt kicks!" she yelled as she spread both arms to levitate her body, the next thing Bai Liyuan saw is Li Bing when she turned to her side but another kick soon landed on her waist and just like that, she was sent flying in different directions seventeen times while everyone held their breath at the sight. Then another huge blow sent her dropping swiftly to the ground. They all sucked in a breath of cold air when her body suddenly landed with a loud thud, Li Bing also landed on the ring as she dusted oher hands, she noticed Bai Liyuan struggling to stand up so she swiftly picked up her sword then aimed it at her neck. "Senior sister," her fellow disciples from the ancient sword sect exclaimed "You have just lost to this little miss," she declared with the widest smug smile she ever had, Bai Liyuan clenched her fist in anger but she couldn''t do anything about it. They all began cheering the flame sect on after witnessing the gruesomeness of this little tiger they thought was a little lamb. "The winner of this round is Li Bing!" Master Li Jie announced. For the first time, Huo Ying and the others clapped with smiles on their faces including sect madam Huo, they could really see that the girl has fulfilled her long time wish to compete with someone not from the sect, the smile on her face is almost reaching her eyes. Sect madam Huo glanced at the old man who also glanced at her, she gave him a smug smile and demeaning look as she watched the disciples from the ancient sword sect help Bai Liyuan to her seat. Meanwhile, whilst others were cheering, the people from the vitality sect were having goosebumps from the memory of that night...that night when the thieves came, the one who got beaten up was about to say something when his sect leader hushed him. The wheels spun again. "The next round is between the flame sect and the Taijiao sect," master Li Jie announced A male disciple with a tall build entered the ring, his face showed extreme confidence in winning against her. "That skill she just used must have consumed her internal energy and it doesn''t seem like she has perfected it, she might not win this round," Xiaodi who is standing behind the fourth prince whispered into his ear, their close proximity caught the first prince eyes, making him raise his brow. The fourth prince smiled then turned to face her with their faces really close. "I thought you weren''t paying attention," he responded then tapped the tip of her nose fondly, she smiled broadly. "She must have used the skill even though she hasn''t perfected it because she was belittled, it seems like everyone from the flame sect hates being belittled," the fourth prince whispered to her with his eyes fixed on Huo Lan who is keeping her eyes fixed on the ring, he could see her fiddling with her fingers in nervousness. {Who exactly is this guard of his and why does it seem like he has a relationship with the flame sect...interesting,} The fight soon began with both fighting at the same pace, it was clearly evident that she was maintaining the same speed as the previous fight, the guardians were glad this one didn''t belittle her like the first or she might end up using the skill again. She found herself unable to keep up with just her sword so she decided to use her flames, she held her sword in one hand then pressed two fingers against the sword, conjuring flames as she brought it up the sword. The sword turned into flames in the shape of a sword then she lunged at him, with every slash she makes at him, the sword kept multiplying in his sight, it reached the point that he couldn''t tell keep up with the numerous swords in his sight so her real sword ended up at his neck. They cheered again. Master Li Jie announced the winner then the wheels spun again. "The next round is between the flame sect and the thunder sect," he announced, another cheering resonated knowing two main sects are fighting. Everyone from different sects sat their ass up to watch this spectacular competition, a competition between the four main sects is a competition to find out who is stronger and it is the beginning of the test to find out the real strength of the flame sect. They all turned to the thunder sect to see who is coming up but they were surprised to see Tang Fan walk up to the ring with the thunder chainring on his finger and his sword in his hand, the ring is something that is passed down the thunder sects to the young masters. They didn''t expect that Tang Fan would be the one to fight a mere advanced disciple from the flame sect instead of sending another advanced disciple, murmuring began. "Sect leader Zhou, is this a joke?" Sect leader Meng mocked, he was just taunting her for her sect defeats yet his son is going to compete with an advanced disciple. He balled his fist tight as he watched his son walk up the ring, they had originally planned to send some top-notched disciple but he figured that blockhead son of his must have decided to take up the silly fight. Li Bing smirked at the sight of him. "Let the competition beg-" "Is the flame sect not going to change their representative, after all, she has already had a tough fight," Tang Fan interrupted with his eyes fixed on the young mistress of the flame sect, his question triggered another round of remarks from the sects and spectators. "If the young master of the thunder sect is competing then the young mistress of the flame sect should be the one to compete with him," Chapter 331 - Martial Heroes Contest: Beat Me First! His single remark caused everyone to urge the flame sect to send Huo Ying to compete with Tang Fan, after understanding his intention, sect leader Meng had to swallow her words of mockery and sect leader Zhou praised his son for the smart move he made. "Sect madam Huo, are you really going to have an advanced disciple compete with the young master of the thunder sect," sect leader Meng asked, everyone in the high seats was eager to know what her answer would be and what move she would make in response to this. The fourth prince could already tell that Tang Fan''s move is not going to work, if the story the seventh prince told him when he visited the blossom valley is true then his judgement must be right. "Master, what do you think is going to happen?" Xiaodi whispered behind him but he kept silent, she tsked then folded her arms on her chest. "My daughter knows who is a worth opponent for her, if she doesn''t compete with your son then she must have made her judgment," sect madam Huo responded, they all understood what she is implying by her words and sect leader Zhou was pissed by it but he decided to maintain his cool knowing flipping out is no use against her. The guardians and disciples glanced at Huo Ying to know what her decision would be but she turned to Huo Qiang with a look telling him to make the decision. "Sect madam''s plan is to ensure no one knows your real strength yet, we cannot send any of the advanced disciples to compete from now on or they would think the flame sect is looking down on the other sect, so I suggest one of us guardians compete with him," he suggested, Wu Qian was clearly dissatisfied by what he said but he knows Huo Qiang makes sense thus he has to accept that all the effort he put towards this day would be in vain. "I should go then," Huo Li volunteered, she has been praying a situation like this arises so she also has the chance to compete but she was soon disappointed by Huo Qiang''s next statement. "No, you can''t, you are her personal disciple," he cancelled "Let me," Bingchen suggested, they weren''t expecting it so they turned to him with surprise written on their faces. "Are you sure about this?" Huo Ying asked but he nodded in affirmation. "Alright, he dared to try to force me out then you should show him that he is not capable to competing with me or the guardians of the flame sect," Huo Ying said in a commanding tone. He nodded reassuringly then stood up from his seat. "If the young master of the thunder sect wants to compete with our young mistress then you should beat me first," he spread his arms out as he flew into the ring while Li Bing exited the ring in disappointment. "You are..." "The fourth guardian of the flame sect, Huo Bingchen," he boldly stated, from his uniform, it is already clear that he is the guardian but the fool just had to ask. "A fourth guardian?" Murmurs filled the place again. "The flame sect has always had three guardians, how come there are four this time around?" the first prince remarked. "Your highness seems to know a lot about the flame sect then you should also know that the guardians are chosen based on their talents, if he can become the fourth guardian then you should know he has what it takes," sect madam Huo unexpectedly responded. "If so then I assume this fight will be an interesting one," he added, taking the chance to build rapport with her in case he has the need to gain the support of the flame sect one day, after all, the enemy of an enemy is a friend that is if one day the need arises. Back in the ring, Tang Fan was angered by how confident this fourth guardian sounds, he asked to fight the young mistress but they sent a guardian, if he loses the competition then it is clear that he will lose face. "Alright, let me see what you have got," he got into his fighting stance and Bingchen did the same, the moment he entered the ring, he already underestimated Tang Fan''s ability, Tang Fan released the chain of the thunder ring, it immediately transformed into a long whip with streaks of thunder around it. Bingchen who prefers using sword over whips, relieved his sword of its sheath, he held it in front of his face, he raised two of his finger on the other hand then struck the end of the sword then he slowly brought it up, flames soon enveloped his sword. Tang Fan made the first move when he lunged the whip at him which Bingchen swiftly dodged, he kept lunging it towards him over and over again at a very fast speed, it continued until Bingchen wrapped the whip around his sword then he used it to pull Tang Fan towards him but before he could get hold of him, Tang Fan bent backwards then used the whip to pull Bingchen over him, he did a somersault to escape the trap. Everyone watched with tense expressions on their faces, currently, no one can tell who has the upper hand but one thing they can tell is that the skill of the guardian from the flame sect is up to par with the young master of the thunder sect, it makes them wonder just how strong Huo Ying really is. "He is taking so long to defeat a mere guardian, how can he think of competing with that witch," Meng Hui remarked but her words entered BiYu''s ears. "You talk as if you can defeat him with your mediocre capability," Biyu slammed, Meng Hui was about to retaliate but she was held back by Bohai''s glare but she soon noticed after that he keeps stealing glances at both Huo Ying and Huo Lan. {You..} She balled her fist tightly. After a series of powerful moves, they both decided to level up their moves. "Sky cracking bolt!" Tang Fan yelled as he pulled out the sword anchored on his waist then he raised it to the sky, immediately, lightning appeared in the sky then the sword began absorbing the lightning. "If not for the our pillars, we might all meet our death," They were scared at the strange phenomenon in the sky. "Lets see how long you can last now," Tang Fan remarked, rather than get riled up, Bingchen merely smiled then he threw his sword into the sky then he clasped his index and middle finger from both hands together. "Flame meteor sword!" he summoned, flames from his sword shot up, forming flaming sword auras in the sky, he smirked hauntingly at Tang Fan. WOAH! They were thrilled to see both using their sect skills rather than their personal skills. Tang Fan grabbed the handle of his sword then directed it at Bingchen who yelled ''combine'' just in time for the sword auras to combine to form a large sword which swiftly descended against Tang Fan''s sword, before his sword could touch Bingchen, he was sent flying backward but Bingchen used the opportunity to use his real sword to control the large sword, he dashed towards Tang Fan who was still trying to recover from the hit but quickly rolled away before Bingchen could aim at his neck with the sword. His sword kept asborbing the lightning from the sky as he jumped into the air while Bingchen followed suit, both kept clanging swords while the sword aura above then and the aura created by Tang Fan sword were battling. Sect leader Zhou was extremely agitated watching his son, he could tell that his son is on the losing side, he now wished it was Biyu who went into the ring instead of his son. Soon, Bingchen kept Tang Fan trapped by holding onto the handle of his sword while Tang Fan struggled to release his sword, seeing how distracted he is, he used that opportunity to land a kick on his abdomen just as Tang Fan was about to retaliate the kick, he pulled his hand then spun him around, taking the opportunity to aim his sword at his neck then he punched his face twice and pushed him down. And just like that, he lost. The people sprung up from their seats with thundering claps resonating in the arena. Chapter 332 - Martial Heroes Contest: Knees On The Ground! The people sprung up from their seats with thundering claps resonating in the arena. Huo Ying and co immediately sprung up from their seats with their claps resounding and cheering for Bingchen who was quite surprised to see them cheer for him. "Way to go!" Huo Li yelled over their voices, drawing their attention to her tiny voice, they soon took their seats back when Huo Qiang realised they were being too dramatic and all eyes are on them so he signalled them to take their seats back. "Your people are quite energetic," Sect leader Zhou remarked in an attempt to cover the immense shame he is feeling at the moment and the urge to hurl his folding fan at his son who he deems as a good for nothing son. "You can''t blame them, this is their first time in such contest," she responded but when she faced her front, the corner of her eyes caught the fourth prince staring at Huo Lan, she arched her brow in confusion as this is not the first time she has seen him stealing glances at her, on the other hand, Huo Lan is not reciprocating his stares which means she doesn''t know him. {Why does he seem so interested in her and the flame sect?} She thought to herself. "The winner of this round is the flame sect, the next round is between the flame sect and the wind sect," Master Li Jie announced, this time the people become over-excited, the real competition is now beginning to the four main sects and the emperor. The emperor glanced at the sect leader of the wind sect, warning him that his sect had better win this round cos he can''t afford to allow the flame sect to become heroes in the heart of the people again. In turn, he nodded at Meng Hui who caught his signal so she walked up to the ring, in the hearts of the people, Meng Hui is the perfect match for Bohai, an elegant and skilful female martial artist just like she always painted herself in their face. But as soon as she entered the ring, Bingchen turned to leave the ring, she frowned at his action. "Are you scared?" she yelled loud enough for those outside the ring to hear, Bingchen turned to face her with a smirk at the corner of his lips. "Scared? you are just not my match," he responded then climbed down the ring, she clenched her fist tightly at the insult in embarrassment since others outside the ring hears his remark, he soon got to where his peers are seated. "What are you doing?" Huo Ying queried as he took his seat. "I don''t want to fight a boring contest," he responded, she rolled her eyes at him then turned to Huo Qiang who glared disapprovingly at Bingchen, one thing he always keeps in mind is to respect his opponent and never underestimate unless he is being underestimated and needs to put them in their place. Huo Ying got an idea. "Huo Lian, why don''t you go up?" she suggested to Huo Lian who was taken aback by her sudden inclusion, Huo Ying wanted to use this chance to show Huo Lian that she is not being excluded or undermined. "Yes Huo Lian, you should go up," Huo Mei chimed in, she was going to refuse but since Huo Mei also wants it, she decided to accept it. "Hm," she hummed then made her way to the ring. "The third guardian of the flame sect, Huo Lian," she introduced. "Meng Hui," she merely introduced. Then they both prepared to fight. Both started fighting using the martial art from their sects, Huo Lian was attacking fiercely and erratically but Meng Hui was composed and swift in dodging and delivering her attacks, everyone watched with deep concentration while holding their breath. Bohai, on the other hand, watched the battle with a serene expression unlike the others from his sect, he and Meng Hui are training partners so he knows her ability deeply and he can already tell the outcome of the battle. They have been fighting for minutes when Huo Lian was finally exhausted and her attacks became slower and Meng Hui who had been looking for an opening to land her final strike finally found her chance. Just as Huo Lian used her ghost movement which allows her to move speedily without being seen clearly, Meng Hui calmly stood in the middle while Huo Lian went around her. She shut her eyes then inhaled deeply, she blocked every other sound from her ear and focused on the wind. "Got you," she smirked then she suddenly kicked into the air just as Huo Lian got to her front, the kick sent Huo Lian flying but she quickly balanced herself however Meng Hui was faster, she somersaulted before she could stand straight, they exchanged few moves, this time Huo Lian was slow and weak in defending thus, Meng Hui aimed her sword at her neck in no time. "You lost," she declared with a smug smile on her lip. Sect leader Lin raised his chin in pride then glanced at sect madam Huo hoping to see a bitter expression on her face but it was the opposite. Huo Lian returned to her seat with her body almost exploding out of anger from the shame of losing, as soon as she took her seat, Huo Mei held her hand to console her but she pushed her hand away then glared at Huo Ying with her eyes teary. "Huo Lian, you don''t have to feel bad, one lost fight won''t cause the sect to lose," Huo Ying tried to console not knowing she made it worse as Huo Lian faintly smiled in response then turned away. Apologetic, Huo Ying lowered her head but felt a touch on her hand, she looked up to see Huo Qiang smiling, he leaned towards her then whispered. "It is not your fault she lost, don''t let her make you feel guilty," then he pulled away, widening his smile. She smiled faintly then nodded in response. After Meng Hui and Huo Lian''s fight, few sects competed with her including the talisman sect and she managed to defeat them all, she had just won against one of the minor sects when the result was announced. "The next round is between the wind sect and the thunder sect," master Li Jie announced. They cheered aloud as Biyu walked into the ring, with a stoic expression and stiff mannerism, everyone knows her for her stiffness as someone who never smiles or socialises. "Yun Biyu," she introduced for formality then they began fighting, just like Huo Lian, her attacks were fierce but composed, she made Meng Hui start defending from the start. Meng Hui already swore to defeat her in the worst way if they end up competing especially because of the remark she made a while ago. Both swords kept clashing as they leapt into the air and landed on the ground, thunder streaks kept coming out of her sword every time she activated new skills that no one has ever seen but Meng Hui wasn''t lagging behind either. However, she soon started getting fatigued and her attacks became slower, unlike Huo Lian, Biyu keeps attacking fiercely but she doesn''t seem to get tired and her attacks weren''t getting slower so Meng Hui was finding it hard to keep up. She had just defended an attack when Biyu leapt into the air then she twisted her body as she landed upside down with her palm reaching for Meng Hui who quickly blocked her attack with her sword but Biyu kept pressing down hard and her knees were almost giving way but she was determined to never lose to Biyu thus she gathered her blue Qi then hit the hand holding her sword to resist. Biyu then did the same, channelling her purple Qi into her other palm, this time, Meng Hui could no longer hold on, her knees were almost touching the ground and she could see it when she lowered her eyes, she knows how much it would kill her if Biyu succeeds in bringing her to her knees. Whilst everyone from the wind sect was watching with concern on their faces, Tang Fan clenched his fist as his heart couldn''t take seeing her struggle so much and he knows just how prideful she is. "Will you surrender or do I need to bring your knees to the ground?" Biyu questioned in an attempt to give her a choice, not that she has a personal grudge against Meng Hui but she has always hated her guts. "Never," she hissed back then gathered all her strength to push Biyu back as much as she could then she somersaulted backwards but Biyu dashed towards her, they exchanged few hand strikes before Biyu landed a hit on her chest which made her vomit blood because of how much energy she just used to fend her off, she then pointed her sword at her neck while she was still in pain. The crowd sprung up from their seat then cheered for Biyu whose face is still stoic despite her win. Meng Hui with the corner of her mouth bloodied glared at Biyu as she dug her nails into her palm. Chapter 333 - Martial Heroes Contest: Tornado And Raging Flames! The crowd sprung up from their seat then cheered for Biyu whose face is still stoic despite her win. Meng Hui with the corner of her mouth bloodied glared at Biyu as she dug her nails into her palm. "The winner is Yun Biyu from the thunder sect," master Li Jie announced, sect leader Lin gritted his teeth in anger, during the last competition, Biyu was defeated by Meng Hui but this time she defeated Meng Hui worse than she was defeated. Everything is not going according to his plan, the plan to ensure the wind sect becomes the spotlight of the contest and wins all the contests so that they can be solidly recognised as the ultimate sect but now... He glared at sect leader Zhou whose chin is held high because of the victory, now despite his son''s defeat, his sect is in the spotlight. "This disciple of yours is really capable, I like her," sect madam Huo genuinely remarked, she truly liked the mannerism of Yun Biyu and it reminds her of Huo Li''s mother who was once her closest friend. "Is that so? it is a pity I can''t send her to your sect," he replied, following a hearty chuckle, the emperor, on the other hand, has no problem with how the competition has been going so far, the wind sect losing recognition will do him good in balancing the power each sect owns. But this last round is what determines everything since the Ancient sword sect has pulled out of the contest, Huo Lan on the other hand, is unable to keep still as her eyes keep darting everywhere out of nervousness and the chain around her limbs is making it difficult for her to concentrate, it is almost as though it is stirring something inside her. "The next round which is the last round is between the flame sect and the wind sect," Master Li Jie announced without the magic wheel spinning again. "What...?" they were all confused, if Biyu won the competition then the next round should be between one of the sects and the thunder sect. "Sect leader Lin, what is happening?" angry sect leader Zhou questioned with his brows raised at sect leader who merely smirked. "Just watch," he responded. They all understood the situation instantly, knowing the people will not complain of the rigging because the competition they want to watch is the ultimate competition between Bohai and the young mistress of the flame sect so minusing other sects will excite them rather than cause trouble. The last round! They all know this surely means Lin Bohai is coming into the ring but who is coming from the flame sect, they all turned to where they are seated with big expectations, meanwhile Bohai fans started cheering for him the moment he spread his arms and flew into the ring. Sect madam Huo was in deep thought as to who the appropriate person to send is, she knew they would have to make the decision amongst themselves but definitely not Huo Ying, Li Bohai is a strong opponent and she doesn''t want her fighting anyone from the wind sect so she doesn''t lose it and turn into something else...she must keep it a secret. "Huo Ying..." Huo Mei muttered, they were all focused on her, she sighed deeply. If anything, she is the one who wants to be in the ring most but she is also scared that her rage might get the best of her and she has made a promise to Huo Qiang and her mother to not be reckless before they left so she has to think of what her mother would want. She glanced at her mother who gave her a slight nod then she turned to Huo Qiang. "I will go," Huo Li volunteered. "No, you can''t, you can''t fight against him when you haven''t completely healed," Huo Ying refused. "But-" "I will go," Huo Qiang interrupted. "Huo Qiang, you were also injured recently," Huo Mei said out of concern. "That was long ago, I am fully healed now," he responded, understanding she is referring to the time he got injured by the golden eagle and also competed with Bingchen with the injury, he smiled reassuringly at them then he stood up to enter the ring but Huo Ying held his pinky finger with her eyes full of concern. "Be careful," she muttered to which he nodded reassuringly then patted her hand gently before flying into the ring, everyone watching their little interaction were already getting ideas but Bohai was feeling a bit piqued, he held his sword tighter to remind himself that the one he wants is not her but Huo Lan so he took a glance at her before turning to Huo Qiang who has arrived at his front. "Huo Qiang, the first guardian of the flame sect," he said. But his unfettered look threw his memories back to the moment when he and Huo Ying were fighting and he saved her from Meng Hui''s sneak attack, he remembered the hit he gave him there, his ability is definitely not to be undermined. "Lin Bohai," he replied. Both unsheathed her sword and dashed towards each other without further ado, their swords clashed against each other as both went to the opposite sides, soon they dashed towards each other again, unleashing their sword skills. The metals clanged against each other again, causing a burst of power which was trapped by the four pillars but the vibration still passed out, the people were stunned by how fierce it is from the start. They kept moving back and forth as both went full force at the beginning, Bohai skills is something they already know of but Huo Qiang... seems to be matching Bohai''s pace and energy too much at the moment. Everyone knows Bohai''s technique at the beginning of every contest, he makes you lose your rhythm and pace so when you start trying to match his, you become disorientated. Regardless, everyone watched with deep silence leaving only the noise from the ring. They had just changed few hand strikes when their swords were trapped by each other but the moment Bohai released his sword and swiped it towards Huo Qiang, he bent backwards then slid under him with his hand spread wide but he soon rebounded swiftly as he spun his body towards Bohai who quickly blocked his legs with his sword as he slid back, gritting his teeth. He then used a huge force to push him back, Huo Qiang quickly did a somersault to land on the ground. Bohai swung his sword around as blue Qi engulfed the sword, arousing a gust of strong wind which quickly turned into a mini-tornado around him, they held their breath for what is about to happen, normally, this is the skill that always brings him victory. Taking advantage of the fact that he is now invisible in between the tornado, he swooshed towards Huo Qiang who soon got enveloped by the mini tornado. "Huo Qiang!" Huo Ying yelled in reflex but was cautioned by Huo Mei, she then looked around to see everyone staring at her but they soon turned their focus back to the ring. They started hearing swords clanging with blue sparks escaping the swords, it happened so fast that Huo Qiang didn''t have the time to use a skill but he can only defend for now and find an opening...which is now. "Raging flames!" they heard him yell taking advantage of Biha''s distraction when he heard Huo Ying''s voice, soon, flames emerged out of the tornado making it half flames and half tornado. "What is this?" They were all confused, Bohai''s tornado should make him unable to use a flame skill but he actually managed to do so. "Sect leader Lin, do you mind explaining how this is possible?" asked the emperor who was stunned by this but before sect leader Lin could speak, sect madam Huo already spoke. "Your majesty should have seen this before, this is the same skill we both used when I won this contest back in our days," "Is that so," "Yes, your majesty, the raging flames and the tornado are almost the same if not that they are made of a different element, the strength of both skills depends on how powerful the person using it is, back then, sect leader Lin could put out the raging flames but now the raging flame cannot be put out by the tornado because it is a skill I personally modified," she explained then smiled tauntingly at sect leader Lin who felt enraged by her confidence when the winner hasn''t been decided. Though they can''t see what is going on, they can clearly see two figures and swords moving around until they suddenly heard a loud burst with one of them flying out of the faze but quickly rebounding to land on the ground with one hand on the ground. "Huo Qiang!" they exclaimed seeing him spit out blood with his hands clutching his chest tightly. Chapter 334 - Martial Heroes Contest: Draw! "Huo Qiang!" they exclaimed seeing him spit out blood with his hands clutching his chest tightly. She almost ran to the ring if not for Huo Mei pulling her back, Bohai watched with a faint smirk at the corner of his lips but he still isn''t satisfied with his performance, it may seem to others that he got severely injured but in truth, he only got a heavy hit from Bohai once. He gritted his teeth as he stood on his feet. "Not bad," he remarked with a faint smile that really soothed their worry as he wiped the blood at the corner of his lips, Bohai raised his brow at how quickly he changed. "I definitely wasn''t expecting less from the young master of the flame sect," he added then quickly dashed towards him again, this time, the flames in his sword became bigger, every move he made became too fierce putting Bohai on a defensive mode but Bohai quickly regained his pace as he started retaliating fiercely. Huo Qiang ran to one of the pillars then he swiftly climbed it in footwork then he propelled himself forward, giving Bohai a strong hit to his chest which Bohai returned with a cut to his arm, he landed on the ground with his hand around the wound on his arm but they didn''t waste time before getting into action. He summoned a flame sword meteor shower then he swung his sword around to direct the swords towards Bohai at full speed, Bohai in turn easily manoeuvred the swords past him, Bohai also used many of his skills and now both are still fighting. Since the competition started, this fight is the longest, fiercest and of course more thrilling to watch. They kept exchanging fists with their sword clanging against each other but it is clear to everyone that Bohai clearly has the upper hand in the fight, sect leader Lin on the other hand looked away from the fight to glance at Huo Lan who seems disturbed. He smiled internally. {It is about time,} She was sweating profusely and her eyes kept flashing from a bright red colour to a deeper red colour, it seems as though her blood is boiling inside her, Su Ci noticed this so she started dabbing her forehead with her sleeves but it still wasn''t stopping. "Huo Lan, are you alright?" she asked out of concern, Huo Lan nodded in answer indicating she is alright but Su Ci can clearly see it is otherwise. The fourth prince was also getting worried about her, with his heightened vision, he could see how she is fluctuating clearly but he can''t tell what the reason for the fluctuation is, he could tell the competition between Bohai and Huo Qiang is also triggering her. She has been worried about Bohai and Huo Qiang who is her sister''s lover, she loves her sister so much so of course, she doesn''t want any harm to come to the person she loves. Both had just cut themselves on the arm when Huo Qiang somersaulted to dodge Bohai''s next attack but Bohai moved too swiftly with his sword pointed at Huo Qiang, Huo Qiang had just turned to face him when his eyes widened at the sword almost piercing his chest. "Huo Qiang!" both Huo Ying and Huo Lan screamed, Bohai turned to Huo Lan in a momentary distraction, giving Huo Qiang the chance to book the tip of the sword with his sword then he slid backwards, by the time Bohai returned his focus, they both each other''s swords aimed at the tip of their neck. "A draw..." everyone started murmuring, never before has there been a draw, only a winner and loser. Everyone started making comments on the moment Huo Ying and Huo Lan screamed which obviously distracted Bohai and caused the draw. "This is clearly a farce, both your daughters disrupted the contest," sect madam Huo claimed in an accusing tone with her eyes fixed on sect madam Huo, her statement started trouble for the flame sect as many of the sects and the crowd started speaking against the flame sect. Though they didn''t plan to scream at the same time, both sisters stared at each other in guilt, Huo Ying knows that her sister must have been worried about Huo Qiang because of her. Huo Qiang wasn''t surprised by Huo Ying but both he and Bohai were surprised at Huo Lan screaming because she was afraid he would get hurt. Bohai was not only surprised but he was also jealous, both brought down the sword from their necks while they waited to the sect leaders to decide on how it should end. "Sect leader Meng, my daughters are indeed wrong to have disrupted the fight but in a real fight I am afraid Lin Bohai would have lost his life if he was distracted like today," she responded at ease, everyone immediately agreed with her statement. Sect leader Lin didn''t know what to say in regards to this, his aim is too show everyone that the flame sect is still behind the wind sect but now his foolish son as he would deem him to be has ruined one of his plan. "Sect madam Huo, you should know it is against the rule of the contest for anyone to disturb the contest unless it is a life threatening situation," sect leader Lin said, hoping people would be incited by him. She sneered then turned to him. "Are you saying that wasn''t a life threatening situation when your son was clearly going to stab my guardian?" she queried with her voice slightly raised. "Do you think my son doesn''t know when to stop, they both dealt injuries to each other but none was life threatening, it seems like sect madam Huo has been cooped up in the flame sect for too long to remember the rules of the contest, perharps you would like master Li Jie to help you remember?" he retorted, raising his voice too. The emperor couldn''t be more happy with this result, if the martial world is in disarray then it would only benefit the court. "Since it is a draw then let it be, after all, both sides have sustained enough injuries," the emperor suggested but the wise ones know it is not just a suggestion, an indirect command that they have an option to disobey but disobeying it would mean the matial world has no regard for the emperor. Sect leader Lin clenched his fist underneath his sleeves in anger but he soon calmed himself remembering he stil has another plan in place and if it goes well, the flame sect will go down this very day. "Now that the winners of the contest has been decided then it is time to test the second young mistress of the flame sect," Sect leader Lin announced, murmurs arose again from all corners. Only the sects were aware of the fact that she will be tested today instead of two years later, they were all scared for their lives, why in the world would they test her in a public place where commoners are also present. Bohai and Huo Qiang had already left the ring and were now seated with their respective sects, everyone in the flame sect became tense the moment Huo Lan was taken into the ring. She is already anxious without even starting the test, no one knows what the test is but even without knowing what it is, from the strange feeling in her body, she doesn''t need anyone to tell her there is a high chance of her failing the test. She glanced at her mother who is also looking at her with an affectionate and encouraging look, she then glanced at Huo Ying and the others from the flame sect, everyone seems to be telling her she can do it with just their gaze. But she knows...she really can''t. Sect leader Lin then stood up from his seat and raised his hand to stop the noise so everyone can hear what he is about to say. "The second young mistress will have to compete with a sinner of the martial world, if he dies then she will have failed the test, thus, she will be executed without fail!" he declared earning loud gasps from everyone. "What are you talking about, wasn''t life isolation the punishment for failing the test!" sect madam Huo retorted as she sprung up from her seat with her eyes widened. The three sect leaders have already discussed it and forwarded their suggestion to the emperor who was more than happy to hear what they have decided on. "If your daughter cannot control her power then she is to be considered a monster, do you think keeping a monster in isolation will change anything?" Sect leader Meng added. "I will never allow my daughter to be executed, regardless of whether she fails the test or not!" she retorted with the determination clearly passed on. Chapter 335 - You Can Only Fight! "The punishment was decreed by me, the people are worried everyday that she will suddenly lose control and I have given your sect a chance years ago thus you should accept this, otherwise, not only your daughter will be executed but everyone from the flame sect," the emperor cautioned in an unfettered tone, he has cornered her and she knows it, the moment everyone witnesses her losing control and how much of a danger she is to them then naturally everyone would turn against the flame sect and want her dead. Her nails formed crescent marks on her palm as she glared at the four of them then she slumped on her seat, deciding in her mind that she will definitely save her daughter no matter what it takes. Huo Ying was still in shock from the sentence that she glanced at her sister then glanced at her mother and the three sect leaders smiling smugly as though they expect her sister to fail the test, her mother slumping back on her seat with an helpless look on her face was even more shocking for her, if her mother can''t do anything about it then what can she do. Then it came to her mind that they have forgotten what happens if her sister fails to pass the test. "Seems like you have all forgotten that if my sister fails this test then she won''t be the only one to die but you will all be burried with her," she said in a threatening tone, the people were thrown into another frenzy by her statement, they had all forgotten what happens if she becomes unstable which is exactly sect leader Lin''s plan, if she kills so many people in public that that would enrage the entire nation, by then, the flame sect will not be able to get out of this trap. Meanwhile, Huo Lan was nervous in the ring, she was worried that not only will she be executed should she fail but her family might try to save her which will implicate them, she and Huo Ying kept their eyes fixed on each other and she nodded to tell her not to worry about her. The fourth prince on the other hand was very calm, he already has a plan in place but he is still a bit concerned about who she is to compete with...the sinner of the martial world. "The test will begin!" Master Li Jie announced after sect leader Lin signalled him to ingore the fear of the people and continue, they all turned to the entrance of the arena. Gasps! Huo Yi Lang!!! "What..." "Sect leader Lin, are you serious about this, it is already dangerous enough that the second young mistress of the flame sect is here but you are bringing in this monster?" the sect leader of the ancient sword sect lashed out as soon as he caught sight of him. The people were beyond afraid this time, they were petrified, it seems as though they are trying to kill everyone present. "Sect leader Ming, do you think anyone else is a match for the spiritual power of the second young mistress of the flame sect, Huo Yi Lang was captured by you then, I am sure you will be able to present any accident from happening," he responded. "You-" the old man was speechless at the temerity of the four of them. Huo Ying and the others gasped at the name of the monster, though they were not yet born when he was still a terror, they have heard stories about him. "Mother, are you going to let this happen?!" Huo Ying yelled at her mother who sat still with her eyes widened at everything going on before her, if she had known they will release this monster to fight against her daughter then she would have already revolted to save her daughter at all cost. A hysterical laughter broke out as soon as the monster entered the ring. {Huo Yi Lang! this people are really trecheous, I have been looking for him for so long but it appears that the wind sect kept him hidden...no, it must be father who kept him hidden but I will not let their plan suceed} The fourth prince said in his mind. "Are you saying that my daughter is not allowed to kill him, how is she supposed to survive if she doesn''t kill him?" she calmly questioned. "You don''t have to worry, once the time is over, he will be restrained," Sect leader Lin responded with a reassuring smile on his face, she scoffed in response. She doesn''t need to say anymore, Huo Yi Lang was the one who killed the former sect leader and many of the disciples of the flame sect after the battle of evernight. He is known as a old monster because he was once known as a prodigy who was once a disciple of the flame sect but he got too greedy and started a demonic cultivation which needed him to learn the skills of the four main sect and the azure demon sect which he successfully mastered. He killed so many people in the name of the flame sect after after they were accussed of kidnapping children for blood sacrifices and used them for his demonic cultivation which caused his entire hair to turn white, everyone thought the flame sect were responsible for his actions which led them to starting the campaign against the flame sect regardless of whether or not there is evidence to prove they were responsible for the kidnapping. {Even if she doesn''t kill you Huo Yi Lang, I will kill you today} She determined within herself. He still continued laughing until he was now face to face with Huo Lan who is shaking out of fear, his bloodlust became heightened looking at her special features. "So you are the little monster I have been wanting to meet," he tried to get closer to her but the chain around her limbs made him fly back with huge force, causing him to hit one of the pillars. He gritted his teeth as he stood up. "Sect leader Lin, how am I supposed to fight against the little monster if you don''t let me get close to her?" he questioned with an evil smile on his upturned face, with just a flick of his finger, the chains around her limbs came off, after all, they have already done the job. No matter how much she has trained, she will not be able to remain stable the moment she uses her powers. Before master Li Jie could announce the commencement of the test, the old monster dashed towards her with his claw like finger nails aiming for her neck, her eyes widened as his fingers reflected in her eyes, just as his finger was about to slit her neck, Su Ci yelled "Dodge!". She quickly bent backwards then staggered back in shock. She didn''t know she was actually going to have to fight someone if not she wouldn''t have focused only on controling her power but the few times she sparred with Su Ci who is just as inexpereinced as she is just saved her. "What a loser, she can''t even dodge the first attack," Meng Hui snickered, earning a look of dissaproval from Bohai who couldn''t be bothered to rebuke her, his entire being was praying that nothing happens to her. She bit her lips in anger, seeing his concern for her clearly written on his face. Like a beast, the old monster lunged towards her again with both hands clawing at her speedily, she sloppily dodged his attacks by a hair''s breath, if it was a normal fight, the spectators would have been thrilled but this is a fight that determines their life or death. Her broke into another peal of manical laughter, wrecking her nerves as he kept clawing at her. "Little monster, I finally got the chance to fight after so many years ut if you don''t retaliate then it won''t be fun anymore," he taunted as he continued attack and cornering her like a rat. "Please...I don''t want to fight," she pleaded as tears trickled down her cheeks, she could feel it inside of her, her powers being stirred up and at the verge of an outburst, she doesn''t have total control over it so she fears her powers might just come on even if it is not her will. "There is no chance to beg, you can only fight," He decided to force her to use her powers, ever since he heard of how strong and special she is, he has always desired this chance, he did all those evil just to become the most powerful cultivator in the world but when he heard of how a newborn made his fame dissapear, he became enraged and swore to restore his glory the moment he leaves the underground prison where he was kept. Chapter 336 - Your Will! He decided to force her to use her powers, ever since he heard of how strong and special she is, he has always desired this chance, he did all those evil just to become the most powerful cultivator in the world but when he heard of how a newborn made his fame dissapear, he became enraged and swore to restore his glory the moment he leaves the underground prison where he was kept. "Please..." she pleaded as she blocked his hands that were crossed on top of hers as he was about to claw at her face, she gritted her teeth, finding herself unable to last longer without using her spiritual strength. "Fine, if you don''t want to use your power then I will have to force you to," he pressed his hands down on her, forcing her to fly back following a fall which caused her to slide backwards on the ground. Everyone worried about her were on the verge of flying into the ring to save her but they restrained themselves, they couldn''t decide on whether or not they want her to use her powers. The fourth prince kept praying in his mind that she takes the courage to use her powers because that is the only way he can help her. The old monster raised his hands heavenward and suddenly the sky turned dark, the sky rumbled as lightning descended into his palms, he waved both hands around then pushed them upwards again, the sound of the thunder was so loud that they feared they would all be hit by lightening. The lightning streaks in the sky suddenly seperated and joined to form chains of lightning in the sky, the chains were so many that they feared it might strike them all especially the common people if the four pillars are unable to restrict the old monster''s power to only the ring. {She will be in danger if she still doesn''t use her power} Huo Lan stood still with the lightning chains reflecting in her eyes, she has never seen something as terrific as this, never would she think she has the ability to survive this attack if he really uses it on her. "Little monster, if you don''t use your powers now, you will die," the old monster cautioned with a grin, tears gathered and dropped from her eyes as she stood frozen. All her life, everything she does has been decided by others, where she lives, what she eats, what she can do and what she can''t, even the basic right of being with her family, she has been denied of it and now this old evil is also forcing her to use her power. Anger rose within her, she clenched her fist tightly then glanced at her loved ones for what she regards as the last time. {Mother, sister, I have always been an hindering block to you all because of my power, if I die...I presume everything will end, I only regret not being able to see father before I die} she glanced at Bohai. {I really want to go to the bustling street with you once more,} He could read her gaze, she doesn''t want to live anymore. {Huo Lan, I won''t ever allow you to die,} "Are you going to fight or not?" he asked her for the last time. Determined to die, she glared at him boldly. "I-" Gasp. She felt something enter her forehead, her eyes immediately shut itself and she found her consciousness sap into another realm, her eyes suddenly shot open and she found herself in...the realm inside the necklace. "Huo Lan," she heard an endearing voice call her, she turned around to see if it is really who she thinks it is but the second she turned around, he hit glabella with two of his fingers. Her eyes went wide, he is indeed the one and he still has the mask on his face but why is he- Her eyes jolted open as her consciousness returned into the outer world but she was shocked at the situation. Her hands were upwards and there is red Qi coming out of her palms, the red colour of her eyes had darkened and her hair was flowing all over the place, those witnessing her powers for the first time where shocked. She made all swords hang in the sky whilst the old monster was trying to bring it down on her, she was confused, this is definitely not her doing. "Why is he doing this?" she is distressed, a part of her wants to live and get the chance to be with her family and the one she loves but the other part of her wants to die so that the conflict and problems her existence brings to loved ones will dissapear. Though she can''t understand why he dissapeared for so long but suddenly appeared and how he is controlling her powers from inside her mind, she just prays he gets it right. "You are finally using your powers," he grinned. He waved his arms around then pushed them upwards before pulling it down to increase the pressure on her, she followed his actions and also intensified her spiritual strength as she tried her best to keep the swords hanging but he can''t hold on for long on her behalf. Her real strength comes when the inner power in her is provoked or when she is scared but if she wants to die and doesn''t want to fight at this point then he really can''t utilize her powers fully. He hasn''t perfectly mastered how to merge his powers with hers without exposing his identity as the saint of the ice clan so he can''t infuse his spiritual strength for fear that there might be accident, the only way left is to make her willing to fight or provoke her. {Huo Lan, you need to fight,} he whispered into her ears. "No, my existence will only put my loved once in danger, why should I hold on to this life?" He was starting to lose control of her power and body. {They have persisted until this day because they believe in you but if you die without putting up a fight, do you know how much dispair you will cause them} "I have always been absent from their life, if I die, they won''t feel any pain" she responded. The old monster was getting irritated seeing her talk nonsense and only defending herself from the lightning chains, he is not even using half his power yet. "How long do you think you can last for!" he yelled, he clasped his palm together, merging the chains into one then he brought his palm down causing the large lightning chain to dash towards her. It was just about to whip her when a protective shield formed from flames quickly surrounded her but the lightning sword dispersed into many swords again, she crossed her arms on her chest with her eyes closed. {Huo Lan! do you know how much I planned and suffered in order to help you regain your freedom even though my plan was ruined by your sister, do you want all of it to be in vain,} "You say you are my guardian but you suddenly dissapeared, what type of guardian acts so irresponsible?" she retorted, everything is really frustrating, how she is powerful and yet weak at the same time, how he appeared one day and dissapeared for so long. {As long as you survive this, I promise to never leave you and I will help you reunite with the ones you love, if only you will trust me} No! she warned herself not to believe him. "I can''t trust you," Blood seeped out of the edge of his mouth, the pressure was getting too much for him to handle and it is not only affecting half of his consciousness inside her but it is also affecting his physical body. "Master," Xiaodi called softly seeing the blood at the corner of his mouth and his sweaty forehead but it drew the attention of the first prince who also noticed this. She was going to clean it for him but he raised his hand to stop her then did it himself, if not for the need to avoid his suspicion, he wouldn''t do something as stupid as leaving half of his consciousness behind. "You..." worry stirred inside her heart at the sight of the blood. {If you can''t trust me then I will just have to die with you, my consciousness is linked to you so if you die, I will die too} "What are you talking about?" She could feel the pressure from the old monster squeezing her tight, she can see he is suffering to help her but if she doesn''t fight with her will and he ends up dying because of her...she really doesn''t want that. "Alright, but remember your promise," He smiled at her reassuringly and she smiled back, he extended his hand towards her, she held his hand with full trust and squeezed tightly then she shut her eyes with him. Blast! Chapter 337 - Exchange Your Life For Hers. The sword were sent flying towards the old monster who quickly manouevered them to his side, her eyes were now flaming red which made him thrilled knowing that the real fight will finally begin, he found it weird and annoying that she keeps talking to herself but if it brought her back to her senses, he appreciates it. With a flick of his fingers, he sent the swords flying towards her but she skillfully dodged the swords as she made her way towards him, he was making more swords out of the lightning in the sky making it almost impossible to get to him so she decided to destroy them. She clawed her fingers then pushed her hands downward, freezing them then she squeezed her hand, causing the swords to disperse. She conjured flames in her hands and dashed towards him, exchanging hand strikes with him swiftly. Those who knew her were speechless, the young timind girl suddenly turned gusty and skillful but they assumed she must have trained very hard and finally mastered her powers but Su Ci couldn''t believe it, even whilst they were training, she managed to defeat Huo Lan as long as she wasn''t using her flame power but now not only is she perfectly controlling her flame power but her martial skills are... "How is it possible?" She didn''t seem herself, the speed, pace and nimble movement was unexpected. The old monster decided to step up the game, he nimbly dodged the ball of flames she threw at him then he somersaulted behind her. He waved his hand together then clasped his hands together before opening his plams, a mixture of blue and red Qi emerged from his hands, forming a twin headed spear, he waved the spear around them made a stance before dashing towards her. He swung both side of the spear at her with each sides releasing flames and strong wind. "He actually combined both skills," sect leader Zhou remarked in awe, no one has ever managed to combine the skills of both sect, the other specialty of the wind sect is the ability to control water so the elements oppose each other. Sect leader Lin couldn''t help feeling troubled by the situation, she should have exploded the entire place the moment he conjured her flames but she is actually able to fight, he also wasn''t aware of the existence of Huo Yi Lang until he planned today''s event with the emperor. He was captured by the sect leader of the ancient sword sect and was supposedly executed in front of the four main sect leaders but he was actually alive and in the hands of the emperor, he glanced at the emperor. {Why would his majesty keep Huo Yi Lang alive?} She fought him head on instead of escaping as she kept dodging his attacks and also dishing out hers, he then found the need for a weapon in order to help her fight against the old monster. He stretched his hands out then Huo Ying suddenly flew out of her anchor into Huo Lan''s hand, Huo Ying wasn''t expecting it but she was happy her sister was using her sword, no one noticed her sword before but now they recognise it to be Phoenix nirvana. "Isn''t that Phoenix Nirvana?" Sect leader Meng remarked in shock. "Phoenix Nirvana always chooses its master, how come your daughters can use it?" sect leader Lin followed. Phoenix Nirvana is a sword that was formed from the core of the last purple flame phoenix which is said to be the one of the spirit beast guarding the flame demon but everyone considers it a rumour, the only person that has ever managed to wield Phoenix Nirvana is the first sect leader of the flame sect and Rong Li, Huo Li''s mother. Huo Ying has never used the Phoenix Nirvana ever since she obtained it, she only brought it to show off but she didn''t expect her sister to use it. Huo Lan chanelled her Qi into the sword, conjuring purple flames on the sword then she swept towards the old monster who kept on attacking fiercely. Both gave each other a palm hit which only injured the old monster a little but sent her flying towards one of the pillars, she hit her back then fell to the ground and spat out blood. {Master...} Xiaodi was deeply worried, from the fight, it is already clear that Huo Lan is no match for the old monster even with the help of the Phoenix Nirvana and her master, he has just recovered from one injury but if he keeps taking hits then he might really fall into a long sleep. She used the support of the the Phoenix Nirvana to stand to her feet but before she could stand, he already gave her another hit to the chest, she flew back again and fell to the ground. "Sect leader Lin!" sect madam Huo yelled at him, he said he would stop the test when the time comes. "Sect madam Huo, be patient, it is not time yet," he smirked. "When exactly will it be time then, she has already shown that she can control her power or are you waiting for her to die first?" she queried with her voice raised, she really can''t stand it, the daughter she met before wasn''t as skilled as this, she can''t even fanthom just how much training she must have put herself to but she is still being injured. Which mother can stand such? "When the time comes, you will know," She balled her fist tightly as tears gathered in her eyes, she not only let her daughter go at such a young age to be isolated from the world but she now has to watch her get killed. "If my daughter dies, Li Yuanlang...your entire sect will be burried with her," she threatened with a burning gaze in her eyes, he stared right into her eyes and he knew she means what she says, the emperor and two sect leaders were amused watching the duo. She kept standing up and fighting but the old monster kept defeating her over and over again, she held the handle of the sword tightly with her gaze lowered on the ground, she thought the pain from the pins was the worst pain in the world but after getting hit so many times and cut with the twin headed spear, her views had changed. Her hair slicked down on her face because of the sweat and blood on her face, her eyes glistened with tears but having come this far, she doesn''t want to give up anymore, her urge and will to live was heightened. Once again, she stood to her feet, firmly gripping her sword then she raised her gaze. "If you surrender to me and acknowledge that I am the most powerful cultivator then I will let you leave your body complete when you die," he offered, grining evilly. A metallic taste infiltrated her buds, she clutched her chest only for her to splurt blood all over the ground then she dropped to the ground with her eyes slowy shutting itself. "Huo Lan!" Huo Ying screamed in horror. She has lived everyday with one goal in mind, to save her sister, she really can''t watch this, she gripped her whip really tight and tried to stand but Huo Qiang held her still. "Let me go!" she yelled at him but to no avail. The old monster pulled her up then binded her with the twin spear, he then turned to sect madam Huo. "Huo Jingyu, will you exchange your life for you daughter''s life?" he asked, murmurs took over the whole place immediately. The ordinary people were quite confused as to what is going on. "Huo Yi Lang!" sect madam Huo yelled as she stood up, gripping her whip. "Why? is your life more important than your daughter''s life?" he continued. "Your majesty, are you going to let him continue, my daughter has already proved she is not a monster," he could hear her pleading in her tone, for the first time, the great Huo Jingyu sounds helpless. He ignored her. Huo Lan wriggled as she tried to break free from the strong metal binding her, the fourth prince tried to hold on but he couldn''t, not when she is trying to break free from his control which is preventing her from using her power to the max, his consciousness was forced out of the realm so he returned to his physical body. "Master..." Xiaodi whispered both he signalled her to not say anymore. "Mother, don''t..." she pleaded, she regretted listening to him, she wouldn''t be in this situation if not for him. {She is going to lose control!} She broke into a peal of laughter "You all are despicable, you colluded with the emperor taking my daughter''s test as a chance to force me to commit sucide, alright, if that is what you want then I will grant your wish," Huo Ying didn''t believe that her mother will really do it but seeing her wrap her own whip around her neck, she quickly sprung up from her seat then released the nine section whip which swept speedily towards her mother, she wrapped the whip around her mother''s hand then pulled it. But before anyone could say anymore... Blast! Chapter 338 - Miracle! But before anyone could say anymore... Blast! They were flabbergasted by the sudden outburst of flames surrounding Huo Lan and her eyes flaming red, the twin-headed spear was shattered to pieces by her immense power. "You peasant..." she growled. Then he knew she was no longer herself, everything she did before was because he allowed her to control her power from within her but now he knows there must be something else controlling her, he could only hope it is not something that would harm her. "What?" Before he could say anymore, she swiftly descended from the sky then grabbed his neck and threw him to the ground with her hands tightly wrapped around his neck to strangle him, they were beyond shocked. "No one, no one is allowed to touch those who belong to me," she said as she tightened her grip around his neck but the old monster still had a sly smile on his face, she is indeed powerful, he acknowledged. He slammed both hands on the ground, forcing himself up and pushing her back but she grabbed his neck again and threw him from the middle of the ring to one of the pillars, he spat out blood upon impact but she swooshed towards him and threw him towards another over and over again until he had lost his stamina and spat out a significant amount of blood. Yet, she gripped his neck tightly and squeezed tightly with her eyes devoid of any emotion but anger, everyone watching in awe-struck. He wriggled at her mercy while she slowly snuffed life out of him and his life is just hanging by a hair''s breadth. "Don''t kill him Huo Lan!" her mother cautioned but her grip became even tighter. "No one is qualified to tell me what to do," she declared in an authoritative tone that threw them into confusion. That was when her mother realised what is going on. "Huo Lan, don''t," Huo Ying said in a pleading tone {Huo Ying?} She held the side of her head with one hand, she was muddled, one time she could recognise the voice and the next moment she can''t recognise the voice. Meanwhile, in the other world, 24 hours had already passed since the surgery started yet he still wasn''t awake, they were all convinced that he wasn''t going to make it yet she sat beside him with her hands holding his. She was crying, she just kept smiling while stroking his hand and hair, her face looked ghastly pale that they all wondered if she is really the radiant Yu Yan they have always known. Her current condition scares them more than anything. "Yu Yan, he is gone already, you should give up now," An Ke pleaded, they were already going into the next morning even though it has been hours since the twenty-four hours passed, she refused to let them pronounce him dead. "No, he is not dead, I don''t believe he can leave me," she refuted. Han Li scoffed at her words, if he could, he would have already killed her himself for letting his brother get hurt and die because of her. "In the end, it is all about you, hope you remember for the rest of your life that you are the reason he died," "He is not dead!" She yelled back at him, she keeps telling them he is not dead yet they refuse to believe her and they are treating her like a mentally disabled patient. "He is dead," she heard someone persist, they all turned to see Chen Kai standing in front of the world with two doctors beside him. He couldn''t tell whether or not he wishes for Han Chen to die or live but ever since the news reached the entire hospital that he is still now awake yet Yu Yan refuses to let go of him, he couldn''t accept that she is not willing to let go of him even while he is dead. "Take her away," he ordered the male doctors who stepped forward but Jia Yu quickly stepped in front of them. "What do you think you are doing?" She questioned, everyone including her parents, friend, his aunt and uncle were all present. "Right now, she is not a surgeon, she is just a grieving patient who is obstructing us from completing our duties and as a surgeon what you should be doing is following protocols," he answered coldly. They couldn''t believe that he is saying that nonchalantly but none of them has the mental strength to banter with him, the two doctors walked past her and held Yu Yan by her arm to pull them up. "Let me go," she tried to free herself from their grip and she succeeded, she hugged his body tightly before they could get hold of her again but they still tried to tear her away from him. All of a sudden, everything became quiet, no one was pulling her away from him anymore, she turned only to see them frozen. "Jia Yu, An Ke," she called but none answered her, she stood up from beside him and walked up to them, she touched them but they still didn''t move. "What is going on?" She turned back to Han Chen. * * * * "Huo Lan, please..." Huo Ying pleaded, as much as she wants the old monster dead, the moment he dies, their plan will succeed. She shot her eyes open upon gaining control of herself then she looked up at the old monster in her hand, the colour of her eyes returned to normal as the flames surrounding her dissipated, she unconsciously dropped him with her eyes widened at her hands. She couldn''t believe she was just about to strangle someone to death. "I...I...." "Huo Lan, watch out!" Huo Ying screamed, she turned only to see that Huo Yi Lang had forcefully wielded phoenix nirvana and is sliding towards her, she froze as her mind went completely blank. Huo Ying swiftly swept her whip towards him while the fourth prince unexpectedly flew into the ring, her whip took away Phoenix nirvana from him and swept him off his feet but he quickly rebounded with a chain of lightning in his hand as he dashed towards her. Huo Ying whips were bound by Phoenix Nirvana so she couldn''t stop him but the fourth prince placed both hands on Huo Li shoulder then spun her around, taking the hit instead of her. She was bewildered. Blood seeped out of his mouth yet he was smiling at her and she doesn''t even know who he is. "I won''t let you die," he muttered. "What just happened?" Chaos took over the place. "Master!" Xiaodi quickly flew into the ring just as he was about to collapse, he fell right into her arm. "Fourth prince," the emperor pronounced in horror seeing his beloved son collapse right in front of him. Soldiers quickly entered the place and carried him out of the ring and arena. Everyone was confused as to why the fourth prince would take the hit for her, someone who is regarded as a monster and the fact that he stood still with his hands on her shoulder and a smile on his face but no one was more confused than Huo Lan. She recognised the smile but not the person. "Guardian?" "Sect leader Lin, you must be happy with this result, no one died but a prince has been severely injured, in the presence of everyone my daughter passed the test so from now on, Huo Lan belongs to the flame sect," Sect madam Huo declared, she flashed a smug smile at them then she walked down from the stairs while the elders and everyone else from the flame sect followed behind her. Huo Ying had just entered the ring to take Huo Lan with her but she fainted in her arms, she carried her on her back but before she left, she flashed Bohai an accusing gaze. One which he would understand since she was the only one who saw his actions. Back in the modern world. Gasp! He opened his eyes but gasped to inhale a deep breath then he relaxed his body, Huo Ying was flabbergasted at the sight. "Han Chen," she called as she hurried to his side, she held his face and looked into his eyes to confirm he is really awake. "You...you are awake," she couldn''t believe she was given a second chance with him, he smiled faintly at her. "Brother!" Han Li exclaimed, immediately time started again. "What is going on?" Jia Yu couldn''t believe her eyes just like the rest, Chen Kai was just forcibly dragging Yu Yan out of the ward but not only are both doctors away from her, Han Chen is also awake. His surgeon couldn''t express his shock in words. "Everyone please leave, I need to check him," the surgeon said but Yu Yan wasn''t willing to leave so the others left her alone with the surgeon and Han Chen. After a series of tests and checks, it was confirmed that he is indeed alive, the news travelled across the hospital, no one could believe it until they saw him with their own eyes, his family and friends had stayed with him for a while before they all left to get a good rest except for Yu Yan, she kept sobbing in happiness even after everyone was gone. Chapter 339 - Lets Get Married! Two months later. They cuddled each other in bed with her head buried in his chest, ever since that day, the fear of losing him still hasn''t left her heart, at random times, she just breaks down in tears thinking of how she almost lost him, though he has been trying his very best after he fully recovered to help her forget it, it is to no avail. Her sobs in the middle of the night and sniffles pricks his heart. He had just returned from the company and she from the hospital but she already got changed in her pyjama while he setted for cuddled in bed before anything. "Han Chen, how about we go see your aunt this weekend?" "We can but why all of a sudden?" "Jia Yu told me she is feeling weak these days, I think it must have been because of the stress especially after your accident," he could hear a tone of guilt in her voice, he sighed then sat up and pulled her up with him. "Yu Yan, you are still feeling guilty about it," She could tell he wasn''t happy with it but she really can''t help it. "I am really sorry but even though I try to forget it, it feels just like yesterday," she lowered her gaze, the moment when he was thrown into the air and rolled off the car still haunts her dreams, every time she woke up from her sleep in her apartment, she runs out to look for him late in the night so he decided to move in with her. "If the same thing happened to you, I would also be like you are now but please...let''s get it behind us, everyone has also forgotten about it, your parents have also accepted us and your brothers have also given us their blessing so it all worked out well," he smiled to ease her worries then stroked her cheeks, she smiled back at him. Her elder brother came to the hospital with the twins after they told him what happened, right there and then, he gave them his blessing. "But there is still one person let, your brother still hates me to this day, while you were in a coma-" "Han Li is not angry at you, the one he hates and is angry at is me, I should have told him that he is not a substitute but a real brother to me instead of leaving him be but don''t worry, I will rectify things once we go to aunt''s place," he held her hand and raised it to his lips, kissing it gently. "You should get changed now, you must be tired from the long day at work," she patted his hands on top of hers, he hummed then stood up to change. He removed his tie, suit jacket then unbuttoned his shirt, he was just about to take it off when she figured she had better look away, she giggled softly then turned to face the other side with her cheeks flushed red. {Why can''t I look, he is my fianc¨¦,} She turned back, his broad shoulder, firm back, her flushed cheeks became redder until she glanced at the web-like scar in the middle of his back, her smile faded, ever since he got discharged, this is the first time he is changing in front of her. She slowly got off the bed then stood behind him, he raised her hands to trace the scar on his back but she couldn''t bring herself to do it, she was sure he didn''t have that before the accident, even after the surgery or the surgeon would have said something about it. She was just about to put her finger on it when he turned around, she froze at his questioning gaze. "The scar...how did you get it?" she looked like she is about to tear up. His eyes went round, realising he forget about hiding the scar from her. "I don''t know but the doctor said it is not from the accident, it must have appeared after I woke up, perhaps this is what I got in return for my life," he placed his hands on her shoulder, she should be excited seeing him stand before her with his broad chest and chiselled abs before her but how can she when she just saw something so horrible on his back. After you woke up? She had almost forgotten about everyone freezing except for the both of them that day. "Han Chen, there is something I didn''t tell you, you might not believe me but I think time froze for some seconds before you woke up," "What are you talking about?" "You remember I told you about the strange dreams I have been having, well before you woke up, I was sure time froze so I went to see the psychologist again and this time, I really think I am seeing a real person and another world in my dreams," she narrated, even at the moment where time froze, her ear suddenly rang then she heard someone say ''Huo Lan, please...''. She stared into his face to read his reaction but she couldn''t tell if he believes her or not. "You don''t believe me, do you?" "Of course, I do, if you say you say time froze then it definitely did, perhaps the scar on my back is also related to that, I will try to find out more about it so don''t let it bother you," She grinned widely then wrapped her arms around his waist with her body leaning on his bare body. "I love you soooooo much," she confessed He smiled broadly then wrapped his hands around her too, he has heard her say it many times but he can''t get over the ticklish feeling every single time she says that. "I love you too," he relished her rosy scent. An idea suddenly popped into her mind...well not suddenly but she decided it is the perfect moment to be proactive about their future. "Let''s get married next month," His eyes went wide, a wedding in just a month! He pulled away. "What are you talking about?" Her shoulder slumped, she thought he was going to be excited but now he looks unwilling. "Do you not want to marry me anymore?" "Of course I do, marrying you has been my everyday wish but I thought you weren''t ready yet so I didn''t bring it up but planning a wedding in one month... I don''t think that is okay," "Why is it not okay, it doesn''t have to be a big wedding, we can just have a simple wedding with our friends and families, you also said before that you don''t like socialising with people in your circle so there is no need to make many preparations," He sighed then held her hand and raised it to his cheeks. "Yu Yan, do you know I have always dreamed of what marrying you would be like, I really want to give you the wedding you deserve so there must be extreme and careful preparation but if you say you want to get married in one month then it feels like you don''t care much about the wedding," now he is the one sulking, everyone woman wants her wedding to be the most beautiful moment of her life but she doesn''t even care about that. "I do care, I just want to get married to you quickly, I know we are already living together but I want to be your wife and you my husband then we can have kids that look like you," she retorted as fast as she could but stopped when she realised what she just said. He chuckled, she looks like a child who is really desperate to get candy and would do anything for it. He leaned towards her. "I didn''t know you want kids this much," he softly whispered in her face, her eyes went round. She grinned awkwardly as he kept leaning forward and she leaning backwards plus he isn''t wearing any shirt, she took another step back when her back hit the wardrobe, she quickly placed her hands in between them. Denying won''t help, she should make good use of it instead. She thought. "I do want children but don''t get the order wrong, there is still marriage before children so we should get to work as fast as possible," she smirked then slipped out of his reach, smiling smugly as she tucked herself into bed then looked the other way. "You should take a shower, you are sweaty," she teased in satisfaction. He slightly opened his mouth in surprise, he didn''t think she will try to urge him to get married in one month using their future kids, he will definitely tell them this. He chuckled before entering the bathroom. * * * * * "What! you told him you want to get married in one month?" Jia Yu and An Ke screamed in shock over lunch in their office, since Han Chen has been giving a leave from work which he has been using in his company, she has been staying in their office unless her patients need her consultation. "Why are you guys acting surprised, a wedding can be planned in one month," she said "Yu Yan, are you sure you are not down with a fever, how can you plan a wedding in a month, you need to get a stunning wedding dress, tuxedo, venue, invitation and many other preparation, how can you that in just ONE MONTH," An Ke rebuked, she couldn''t believe her ears especially since Yu Yan used to dream of a big extravagant wedding with Chen Kai which she knows she shouldn''t bring up now. Chapter 340 - Anything For My Love! "Yu Yan, are you sure you are not down with a fever, how can you plan a wedding in a month, you need to get a stunning wedding dress, tuxedo, venue, invitation and much other preparation, how can you do that in just ONE MONTH," An Ke rebuked, she couldn''t believe her ears especially since Yu Yan used to dream of a big extravagant wedding with Chen Kai which she knows she shouldn''t bring up now. "Also you haven''t even had an engagement party yet, he was telling me about having one and using the opportunity to announce his real identity," Li Chen added but they stared at him with a look of disbelief except for An Ke. "Since when did the both of you get so close, he even tells you things like that. "Well he didn''t say it to only me, he told all of us except for you and Yu Yan," he responded. "We have been engaged for a long time, why do we need an engagement party now when we can just have a wedding and seal the deal," she protested, she just feels that they are making it too much of a deal, when she can''t even wait a month to get married to him. "Even without the engagement party, he already plans to announce his identity on Han Corporation''s golden anniversary, which is just in one week so you can''t expect him to have a simple wedding cos by then he will have to invite many people to the wedding and it will make headlines," Jia Yu explained to help her get a hint of reality. "That''s right, Yu Yan, the man you are getting married to is not the CEO of an ordinary company but the leading corporation, he can''t get it done in just a month," Jia Yu added. "Who said I can''t get it done?" they heard someone ask, they all turned in the direction of the familiar voice and they were surprised to see Han Chen standing at the entrance of their office with a faint smile on his face, Yu Yan immediately sprung up from her seat then she ran up to him and hugged him. "Love is in the air," "Why are you here, brother?" Jia Yu asked, Yu Yan held his hand then led him in to take his seat. "I just missed my wife-to-be a lot so I decided to clock out of work for an early break," "Dog food," An Ke commented. "It really sucks to be the only single one in this friend group," Li Chen mumbled then sighed. "You should put in more effort, I already started arranging the wedding, I set up a whole department at the company to take care of that," "Are you for real?" she was too excited to hear that after all the negativities and impossibilities they have been feeding her. He nodded in affirmation, she threw her arms around his neck then pecked his cheeks. "So you don''t have to worry about anything, in less than a month everything will be set and I will be announcing our wedding and my identity at the company''s golden anniversary," he continued, flexing his super ability in making her wish come true, after that motivation using their future children last night, he has decided to do it as fast as he can so he can get carbon copies of them real soon. "I didn''t know love can make two people so dumb, your staffs are already busy with many carryovers and acquisitions after my parents handed the work completely to you but you still made a department for your wedding," this is not the brother she has always known, she concluded in her mind. "Anything for my love," both of them kept grinning at each other that the others couldn''t stand being fed dog food right in their office so they all stood up to evacuate the office for them. After they left, he moved his chair closer to her then held her hand. "I didn''t think it will be so hard to see each other after I completely took over the company, except on days like last night and today, we hardly ever see each other," he grumbled. "I wish I could also take a leave but I am about to complete my residency so I have to work even harder," "It is alright, we can just use our wedding as an excuse to spend time together," he stroked her face, she placed her hand on top of his. "I didn''t think you were really going to take me seriously, I was already thinking of how to convince you when you come home during the weekend," she was really touched to the bones, she was feeling a bit guilty for thinking only about herself when they told her his situation but now she is glad he can manage, after all, it is not just her wedding but their wedding. "Let''s invite your parents over to aunt''s place so we can tell them about our decision and discuss," She nodded in agreement. Beep Beep! He glanced at his wristwatch. "I have to return to the office now," he pouted his lips as he stood up from his seat, she stood up after him then they cuddled for a while before she let him go, he had almost left the office when she called his name then rushed up to him. She raised her toes to plaster a kiss on his lips. "You can leave now," He also pecked her forehead before leaving, she watched him from the door until he disappeared from the hallway, she sighed then returned to her seat. Perhaps if they get married, they will have more time for each other but the nature of their job keeps them busy, now she can''t help thinking if it is okay to have kids in the meantime so they don''t end up getting neglected. Meanwhile, Han Chen was leaving the hospital when he got held up by some of the doctors and surgeons who kept asking about his health, after all, he has been nicknamed the miracle patient ever since his miraculous awakening. He just only managed to brush them off when he heard someone call his name, he turned back to see the one face he wants to see and doesn''t want to see at the same time, a smirk broke out on his lips as he dipped his hands in his pocket while waiting for him to get to where he is standing. "Mr Han, what a surprise to see you here, I don''t think your leave has ended," Chen Kai remarked, setting the collar of his white coat. "I don''t think it is a surprise, after all, I have people to visit here," he responded. "That''s true but for someone who has just been discharged not long ago, you should be resting at home, not wandering around the hospital," "Wandering? I don''t suppose taking my leave after paying my fianc¨¦ is considered wandering," "If you had died, we would have gotten back together," he said, expressing his discontent with his existence, his smirk broadened as he stepped closer to him. "Unfortunately for you but even if I had died, Yu Yan would never have gotten together with you, she is not a dog to go back to her vomit," he retorted with full confidence, he narrowed his eyes at him but couldn''t find a hint of insecurity. "What makes you think she won''t come back to me, she was mine before and I can make her mine again," he also moved a step closer staring right into his eyes but the height difference between them makes him feel inferior, weirdly. "Because she had a taste of someone better than you, if at all, her standards will only be higher, that being said, I heard what you did to my woman while I was unconscious, that added to everything you did to Yu Yan, I promise you a nice payback," he smiled smugly then dusted his collars before turning to leave. He gritted his teeth as she watched him leave. He was already in the middle of investigating who the CEO of Han Corporation is but according to his information, the CEO is in the military currently so it is confirmed that Jia Yu''s distant cousin is the one he is looking for, ever since he heard the news, he was glad the day Han Chen becomes superior to him will never come. "He wasn''t wrong at all," Xiaomeng remarked as she walked towards him, he furrowed his brows at her presence, unlike before, he noticed that she seems more bright and carefree these days. "Xiaomeng," "I was just about to go to your office but I ended up overhearing the last bit of your conversation but I must say he is not wrong if I had met him before you perhaps I would have fallen in love with him instead, after all, there is nothing you have that he doesn''t and he is even better," she nonchalantly stated with her arms folded on her chest. *Please review, vote, comment to support this humble author''s work * Chapter 341 - Weekend! Ding Dong! The maid opened the door to receive the couple with a bright smile on her face. "Aunt Jing," both of them greeted the maid with hugs, she has been working in their mansion for years so they are acquainted with her. "Your families have been waiting for you, you should come in," she said "My parents are already here?" "Yes, they came about an hour ago," she answered then ushered them into the house, immediately the twins saw her, they ran toward her and threw their arms around her. "Aunt," their longing was visible in their voices, with all the commotion, they haven''t been able to see her since they have to go to school. The adults laughed at the teenagers who are acting like little kids. "You are going to suffocate her if you keep hugging," Han Chen said jokingly, they pulled away from her with bright smiles. "We have been waiting for a while now," His aunt said, raising her tea cup to her lips in an elegant manner, unlike what Jia Yu described her to be, she was looking very radiant in her black bodycon long sleeved gown, layered pearl necklace, french updo and heels. Even with her light makeup, she still looks in her prime. His uncle and Yu Yan''s parents were also seated together with welcoming smiles at them, both walked towards them then greeted each of them before taking their seat on the sofa while the maid returned with tea for them. "Aunt, did Jia Yu lie about you being sick?" Yu Yan asked understanding what must have happened. "We are here!" Jia Yu announced as she came out of the kitchen in apron with Ji Chen behind her, her face was covered in flour. "Here are the cupcakes," she placed the tray of cupcakes on the table while Ji Chen helped her take off the apron. "You liar." Yu Yan accused with a playful glare. "What, don''t accuse me," she retorted then took her seat next to her mom. "Don''t blame her, the both of you are too busy to come visit me so I decided to trick the both of you into coming," her mom defended. "You guys must be bored sitting with the adults, why don''t I show you guys something fun," Jia Yu said, taking the kids away with her but just as they left, Han Li entered the lounge. "Han Li," Han Chen called, he froze but soon turned around to leave, if he had known Han Chen was coming then he would have gone to Jia Yu''s. They all turned solemn but Yu Yan nudged him to go after Han Li, he nodded then stood up. "I will go after him," he said before leaving. He had just gotten to the passage where he disappeared from but Han Li had already banged the door to his room. Han Chen followed him into his room but he saw him covered with his duvet in his king-sized bed. "Han Li," he called but earned no response. He repeated his name again. "I don''t want to see you please leave," he said in a hostile tone, instead of leaving, Han Chen forcefully pulled the duvet off him but Han Li sprung up from his bed with his fist balled to hit Han Chen who stood still to receive the punch. "Brother," Han Li exclaimed, he was expecting Han Chen to dodge it. "I deserve it so please let me talk now," he pleaded, he balled his fist tightly hosting a sharp look in his eyes, he really doesn''t want to give in but in front of Han Chen, he always ends up faltering, in truth he really wants to hear what he has to say, he wants to hear that he is not a substitute but the younger brother of someone he really admires. "Alright, cut it short," he looked away from him. "Han Li, I am really sorry for leaving you with the misconception that you are a substitute for my late older brother all these years, it is indeed true that I noticed you because you looked so much like him but I really considered you a brother before making aunt add you to my family register," he explained but Han Li wasn''t convinced. "Then why didn''t you tell me before you left, you had so many chances or was it just that you couldn''t bother explaining that to a poor orphan you adopted out of pity!" he yelled, his hands were pointed at him aggressively and his voice could be heard by everyone outside the room. His chest heaved up and down in anger and pain, he really really admired Han Chen and he wanted to be close to him from the moment they met, if he was a female then he would have called it love at first sight, how he felt is just like being used by a guy who thinks you look like his ex-girlfriend when all he needed was an explanation. "I know, but at that time the whole thing threw me back into grief so I wanted to lie to myself that I wasn''t happy because of you but because I was seeing my brother in you, so Han Li, you are really a true younger brother to me and you should always remember that you are the younger son of the Han family, everything that belongs to me also belongs to you," he exhaled deeply as he waited for Han Li to say something, he could see tears gathering in his eyes and the effort he is making to not let him drop. It reminded him of how happy he was when he entered the family, they used to practice martial art together and play sports together, back then, he was really happy. "Come here," he said, opening his arms. He gave in. "Brother," he muttered, burying his head in his chest and his hands tightened around his back while Han Chen stroked his hair, he realised just how long it was since they have hugged. "I really hate you brother," he muttered as his tears dropped on his chest. Finally, the burden on their shoulders has been eased. A few minutes later, Han Chen returned to the lounge where they were all seated with tenses look on their faces, they were relieved when he told them their relationship is now mended, their joyful mood returned. Meanwhile, Han Li was still feeling awkward with Yu Yan so he decided to take a walk in the garden with his dog, Bruno, a golden retriever when he saw Li Na walking in the large garden, he stood still for a while as he watched her enjoy the scenery until his dog leash suddenly went loose and his dog started running towards her and barking aloud. Instead of running, she squatted and opened her arms wide to receive the dog, she rubbed his fur with a bright smile on her face then raised her head to see him standing afar, she held the dog leash and walked towards him. "Your dog?" He hummed. "What is his name?" "Bruno, what are you doing here?" he thought she would be with the others. Over time, they have gotten close enough to acknowledge each other presence. "Just taking a walk, Li Jing keeps pissing me off so I left him," Both went silent for a while until she decided to satisfy her curiosity, she didn''t have the guts to ask him anything in school because she was scared he would be hostile to her like he was to Yu Yan. "Are you really an orphan?" she asked, he raised his brow at his question, not knowing how to interpret it. "I don''t mean to be rude but I just wanted to know," she quickly clarified before he flips out, he hummed in affirmation but raised his brow again at the expression on her face as though she is about to tear up when she suddenly pulled him in a hug. "If I knew you had such a story, I would have treated you better," she said as she patted his back, he couldn''t believe she is actually hugging him, he pulled her away then straightened his shirt. "What do you think you are doing?!" he yelled "Giving you a bear hug," "Bear hug? I never said I needed a hug from you or anyone and don''t you dare pity me, I was an orphan but I am no longer an orphan, alright!" he scoffed at her then jacked away the dog''s leash and scurried away as fast as he could before she notices his red cheeks. Tsk. "Why is he so irritable, I was just trying to be nice," The maid now served them dinner at the large dining room with the assistance of Jia Yu and Yu Yan then the three of them sat at the dining with the rest of the family, they already started eating when Yu Yan and Han Chen exchanged glances. "We are getting married next month," they chorused in unison. Crash! Red wine spilled on the floor. Chapter 342 - Controlled By Love! "I was just about to go to your office but I ended up overhearing the last bit of your conversation but I must say he is not wrong if I had met him before you perhaps I would have fallen in love with him instead, after all, there is nothing you have that her doesn''t and he is even better," she nonchalantly stated with her arms folded on her chest. He chuckled lightly thinking she is really forcing herself. "You don''t need to say words that you don''t mean, it is really obvious you are forcing it," "I won''t do what you want, you want me to deny it then you keep repeating it and in the end, it will seem like I am really desperate, this same old game," she scoffed, she rarely sees him except for when both families have dinners and socialite gatherings and go on and on about their wedding plans which she never gets involved in though they all found it strange. "Xiaomeng-" She raised her hand to shut him up. "I only came here to tell you something then I will leave cos I am busy unlike you, this weekend, let''s have dinner together without families, I am breaking off the wedding," she declared resolutely. He almost couldn''t believe his ears. "What did you just say?" "You heard right, I am breaking the wedding off, you see I just realised how stupid I was to destroy my friendships and many other relationships because of you, I even abandoned my dreams just to be on the same path as you but now I have woken up, I might not be able to gain back the friendship but I will walk my own path," He angrily gripped her arm tightly with his eyes bulged out. First, it was Yu Yan and now someone who has always worshipped him and was obsessed with getting married to him wants to dump him, if this isn''t going to drive him crazy then he doesn''t know what else can. "You will do no such thing, our wedding is in a month and the invitations have already been given out, you know this will not only affect Chen Corporation but also your parent''s company," he indirectly threatened. "Don''t think you can make me change my decision, once we break off the marriage, I am going to make my Dad sell his shares in Chen Corporation to Han Corporation, what do you think is going to happen then, not only will our company survive but your company will be in serious danger and your dad...I can''t even imagine what he will do to you," she smiled with her lips turned up, she definitely looks like she has been cooking the whole thing up for quite some time and she just waited for the perfect time to destroy him but he doesn''t believe she can do what she says, at least not to him. He was about to say something but two nurses just passed them so he dragged her off to a quieter hallway then pinned her against the wall with his hands on her shoulder. "You waited until everyone knows about the wedding and the stock prices of both companies went up so you can call off the wedding at the peak of success, you had this all well planned out," if he says he isn''t surprised then it would be a lie. "You must think I am easy and I will forever tag behind you no matter how bad you treat me but let me tell you, I am the heir to a conglomerate, someone who got a double degree in medicine and business administration, all this is just to punish you for how badly you treated me ever since we got together, now you know I am not easy to kick around," she confidently proclaimed. He really can''t hold in his anger anymore, her obsession and Yu Yan''s love were things he used to boost his pride and self-esteem but now even she is slipping out of his grip. Hitting her to the ground wouldn''t be enough to appease his anger especially since they are in the hospital, he tightened his grip on her shoulder while she winced in pain and struggled to free herself. "Let her go," Li Chen yelled as he pushed him away then stood in front of her. "Li Chen," she pronounced. He quickly regained his balance. "As far as I know, you are for Yu Yan and against Xiaomeng so why are you suddenly standing up for her?" he asked, narrowing his eyes at Li Chen who is standing like a wall to protect a city. "We were friends before we even met Yu Yan so we will always be friends, shunning her was only because of her wrong choices but if you try to hurt her then I won''t stand still," he responded firmly. She glanced at the side of his face with her eyes widened, his words really touched her heart but she didn''t think he still cares about her, after all, he used to be protective of all the girls in their friend group. She was already tearing up cos in a long while, no one has ever shown her the slightest bit of kindness. He really couldn''t be bothered to argue with Li Chen so he glared at Xiaomeng before taking his leave, Li Chen sighed then turned to face her. "Are you alright?" She shook her head and gulped to control her surging emotions. "I was just on my way to get coffee, we can go together if you are not busy," he offered, he has been watching her for a while and he is sure she really doesn''t want to be used anymore even if she still has lingering feelings for him. Per his soft-hearted nature, he pities her but he knows better than to say that to her. She hummed in agreement. Rather than talk about what happened in the hallway, he made their conversation about their work, symposiums and many other work-related things to distract her, at least the discussion led to him teasing her with her look when she went clubbing, he even threatened her with a picture he took. The staff in the caf¨¦ were taken aback because she is smiling, not the usual pretentious or forced one but she is smiling wholeheartedly and with Li Chen, many savoured the historic moment and took pictures to prove to others that history has been made. * * * After getting off work, both Jia Yu and Ji Chen went to his house where they sat on the balcony with delivered spicy chicken feet and beer between them. "Are they really serious, a wedding in one month!" Ji Chen exclaimed after she told him what happened in the office, he was mad at her for a while after they found out that Han Chen is actually the CEO of Han Corporation, not another cousin. He also found it suspicious but she once cleared his doubt by using a very distant cousin who is also in the military to cover up. "I also reacted the same way but my dear brother has been controlled by love, I pity his staffs," she chugged down a glass of beer then poured herself more, after all, she doesn''t have to go to work until late in the night tomorrow. "I am really glad to hear that though, you always wanted to get married on the same day as Yu Yan so does that mean our wedding is also in one month," The beer in her mouth seeped out of her mouth. "That''s right! I almost forgot about this, Ji Chen, our wedding is also in one month!" she screamed. "Are you serious, now that it has come to this you still want to have a wedding on the same day," he was taken aback. "Of course, no matter what, I must get married on the same day as Seo Yeon, if Han Chen can do it then you can also do it so I am going to call Yu Yan right now, we must make the plans together," she sprung up from her seat then ran inside. He opened his mouth wide agape. "Woah!" he shook his head in disbelief, if he had known she would still go with the plan then he wouldn''t have said anything, they would have gotten married long ago if she wasn''t so bent on getting married on the same day as Yu Yan because of a promise they made in high school but if she can hold off their marriage for so long then nothing is going to stop her from doing what she wants this time. "How am I supposed to tell my parents, that she wants to get married in one month, does this even make any sense," he turned around only to see her gesturing aggressively on the phone with Yu Yan, he raked his hands into his hair then buried his face in his palm, resigning to fate. {Your brother is not the only one controlled by love,} Chapter 343 - Calling Off The Wedding! "What did you just say?" his aunt asked while the other stared at them in shock except for Ji Chen and Jia Yu. "I said we are getting married next month, I already started the preparation this week," Han Chen answered but earned a round of silence from them as they exchanged glances in disbelief before they turned to Yu Yan, even if that his intention there is no way Yu Yan should support it. "I was the one who decided it," she said "Do you two know what you are saying at all, you are officially announcing your position during the anniversary and you Yu Yan, you have many preparations to make on your side," his uncle said in hopes of changing their mind. "You know how long we prepared your brothers wedding so why are you suddenly...?" her mother was speechless, as a child, they had in their late age, they already had big expectations for her big day. "You guys don''t have to worry about this, we are going to make it, after his announcement I am going to take a leave from work to join the preparation so this is all going to work out," she assured. "We are also getting married next month, on the same day as Yu Yan," Jia Yu announced out of nowhere, Ji Chen was taken aback though not completely not knowing she is really going with the plan. Her mother rubbed her forehead in stress. "The both of you are not pregnant or something right?" Mrs Huo asked just to make sure "Of course not!" the four of them chorused. "I really can''t be bothered with you guys, no matter what we say you will still go ahead with it so just tell us if you need any help," her aunt said, knowing what Yu Yan and Jia Yu are like, they will never change and since they have the guys wrapped around their little finger, it is already a sealed deal. After lunch, they all started leaving, the twins were just about to leave with their grandparents but they wanted to bid her goodbye first. "Aunt, you are really cool, I can''t believe you are getting married in one month," Li Jing remarked with clear admiration for her, she chuckled lightly at how they both consider everything she does cool. "It is all good but I was going to marry him, handsome uncle, are you really not going to leave my aunt for me," she fluttered her lashes to tempt him, Han Chen glanced at Yu Yan then at Li Na not knowing what to say. "Are you really going to snatch your aunt''s fianc¨¦, if Yu Yan allows it then-" She hit his back before he could complete his sentence, the three of them giggled, he placed his hand on Li Na''s shoulder then dragged her away from them while Yu Yan and Li Jing watched them in curiosity. "What do you think of my little brother?" he whispered to her. "Who?" "Han Li, don''t you think he is just as handsome as I am?" She thought about it for a while before she understood what he is trying to say, she pushed him away and glared at him with her eyes widened. "Handsome uncle!" she yelled then quickly ran out, everyone wondered what he told her that made her react in such a way but he was grinning ear to ear in satisfaction after teasing her. ******* "I have taken care of the media covering the wedding, all that is left is for you both to tie the knot," Mrs Chen said in delight then held the stem of the champagne flute to raise a toast. "Toast," They raised their glasses except for Xiaomeng so they glanced at her expecting her to follow but she sat still in her white A-line dress and a blazer on her shoulder, her makeup was totally different from her normal style, vermillion lipstick and bold brows. She stood up from her seat then smiled faintly with her eyes fixed on Chen Kai who has a desperate pleading gaze in his eyes. "Xiaomeng, you should take your seat," he pressured with an underlying threat in his voice then pulled her back to her seat while he gripped her wrist tight to threaten her further despite knowing he is inflicting pain on her. "I have decided to call off the wedding," she declared. "What!" Mrs Chen and Mrs Song exclaimed. She raised her hand for them to see him tightly gripping her wrist, he quickly let go of it but the red mark around her wrist was still present, her mother gasped. She didn''t want to tear up but tears still pooled in her eyes. "There is no use in marrying a man who only sees me as a tool for his own success yet doesn''t treat me well," she glared at him then stood up from her seat and grabbed her purse before storming out of the dining room, he quickly followed after her. "Stop right there!" he yelled not minding if their parents hear, after all, she has already let the cat out of the bag. She stopped. "Why? did you think I wouldn''t dare to do as I have said, you didn''t call the dinner but when I did you made no effort to stop me because you already concluded that I would never do anything to hurt you, now how is that for a proof?" she broke into a peal of hysterical laughter, strangely she feels so lighthearted the moment she left the dining. "You will go back in there and take back everything you just said and I promise to treat you better, I will erase every trace of Yu Yan from my life and it will be just us two," Her laughter ceased. Smack! She sent a slap across his face. "You-" Smack! She slapped his other cheek. "What exactly do you take me for, I admit I was jealous of her at one point but the main reason I separated you was that I knew you are an animal unlike what she thinks you are and you will end up hurting her one day and when she leaves you, you will begin to obsess over her so I decided we are a better match since I know you better and I foolishly thought I could fix you," He raised his hand against her face but she slammed his hand down with her purse then hit his face hard with her diamond embedded purse, making a cut on his face. "Jerk," she scoffed then walked off. He was going to yell in anger but he covered his mouth with his balled fist in an attempt to calm himself down and think clearly, her parents are still in there and he has to pacify them before his father kills him. He scurried back to them. "Aunt, uncle, I promise it is not as she said, I don''t know why she is suddenly making up lies, we-" "Shut your mouth," her mother yelled as she emptied a whole decanter of red wine on him and threw it to the ground. "You had the nerve to abuse her right in our presence, I will make sure you and your family pay for it," she placed her hand over her mouth in a burst of emotions, her husband held her shoulders. "Mr Chen, you raised a very good son," he remarked threateningly before leading his wife out. His mother held the stem of the flute tightly in fear of what is to come, she has adored Xiaomeng ever since they were little and she wanted him to get married to her not just because of her status but because she is like a daughter to her. She was aware that he doesn''t love her but considering their sibling-like relationship, she didn''t expect him to treat her that way. "Honey, please spare him," she dropped on her knees with her hands clasped, she couldn''t imagine what he is going to do to her son since he is not his biological son anyways. His lips quivered in anger, he grabbed the bottle of wine then threw it at Chen Kai. "Butler, my golf stick!" he ordered. "How dare you," he repeated as he stepped towards him, his hands were already shaky and his forehead sweaty, he dropped to his knees with his head bowed to the ground. "Dad, please give me one last chance, I will fix this, please..." The butler arrived with the golf stick and handed it to the chairman who immediately started fustigating him torrentially, Chen Kai screamed as he pleaded with his father to stop while his mother begged but to no avail. Blood seeped out of the side of his head onto his white shirt but the chairman still didn''t stop, she crawled over to him and held his leg. "Please, please spare him, I really can''t live without him," she pleaded in tears bit he pushed her away heartlessly. "Then die, if you hadn''t brought this filthy bast**d into my home, I wouldn''t have such a day," He landed the last hit on his head which made him drop unconscious. His mother tapped his face to wake him up. "Butler," she screamed. The butler arrived again and was petrified to see Chen Kai lying unconscious on the ground with his blood-stained face and shirt. "Ambulance, call the ambulance," "You will do no such thing, this filthy human does not deserve to live and these two must not leave this house without my permission unless you want to face my wrath," he dropped the golf stick on the ground then exited the dining, leaving her to call his name incessantly. The butler pities them but his hands are tied. Chapter 344 - The First Princes Feast! In the fourth prince manor. The fourth prince watered the plants in the garden with the help of one of the servants who held the pail of water, he placed a fist over his mouth to cough, the servant was about to drop the pail but he held up his hand. "Don''t bother," he continued watering the plants. "Master," Feng Shui called, he hurried over to the fourth prince then draped a furred coat over his shoulder, he dismissed the servant with a wave of his hand. "You still haven''t healed completely, what if you catch a cold out here," his concern was written all over his face, the fourth prince laid in bed for one month in the palace under the orders of the emperor and he only managed to convince the emperor to let him return to his manor one month after. "It is fine, have you gotten any information on what I asked you to find?" he followed Feng Shui out of the garden into his study where Feng Shui served him tea and tightened the coat around his neck. "The man was indeed sent by the blood moon sect, the silver box contained a spirit beast called Blood Phantom," He paused his hand then placed the teacup back on the table. "Blood Phantom?" "Yes, after interrogating him I found that the left and right demons handed the beast in a silver box which can suppress the beast to bring it to the blood moon sect but their leader ordered him to take it into the contest, fortunately, I was waiting outside the arena or their plan would have worked," "According to the ie clan records, the blood phantom is one of the beasts that are loyal to the flame demon alongside the golden eagle and phoenix nirvana so it will only obey the flame demon, the flame sect got their powers from half the core of the golden eagle and Huoyun Shuo thus it will do more good than harm, what exactly was her plan?" he placed two fingers on his forehead in deep thought. "I will try to find out more from him," "No need, he is just a pawn so he couldn''t have seen the leader of the blood moon sect and her disciple just tell Xiaodi to refine him for her cultivation, have you found out about Huo Yi Lang?" "I sneaked into the palace and found that the emperor tried to heal him using the palace medicine but Xiaodi''s sneak attack was precise and swift that the cut on his neck couldn''t be seen so he already passed away," He hummed in satisfaction then dismissed Feng Shui with a wave of his hand. In the prime minister manor. A man in black clothing flew over the walls, he sneakily walked past some guard before entering a chamber then gently closed the door. "Who are you?" The cold sensation of the sword assured him of the threat. "It is me," he turned around then pulled down his mask. Wei Xianlu dropped the sword then exchanged glances with his father before glancing back at the young man, from his braided hair, they could already tell who he is. "Please take your seat," the prime minister said, Wei Xianlu and the young man took their seat opposite each other. "I will not beat around the bush, where is the fire element grass?" a young man named Nergui questioned, he anchored in arm on his knee in an imposing manner, the father and son exchanged glances again. "My son went to Nanxiang according to intel you gave to us but he was not able to obtain it," he hesitantly responded, knowing the temperament of this person, he doubts he will give them more time. "Prime minister, that wasn''t what you promised me in exchange for our support and I am sure you know what is at stake if you can''t provide the fire element grass," he threatened. "Just give us a little more time, the emperor already found out I left the border to Nanxiang, if we make any rash move now it will be to our detriment," Bam! He slammed his hand on the table with his eyes closed then he slowly opened it. "I am afraid there is not much time to waste, the fire element grass or there will be no cooperation between us," "I already have a lead, there were three suspicious people in the forest before us so I suspect they might have taken it before I got there but these people are associated with Ruyi pavilion," Wei Xianlu said, the person is someone who knows much information so he is hoping he knows something critical about Ruyi Pavilion. "Ruyi Pavilion?" "You just need to know that they have moved to the capital and the madam is highly favoured by the emperor, if we can find those three people through her then we will get the grass," He tapped his finger on the arm of the seat in thought, they could tell he is hesitating about something but what is it, they don''t know. "Ruyi Pavilion is not simple to deal with, even I know that," "Isn''t it just an entertainment pavilion?" The prime minister asked. "It is and it is not, that is all I can tell you the rest is up to you but just keep in mind that if you don''t provide the fire element grass in time then forget about our cooperation," He stood up from his seat then flew out of the window. Wei Xianlu got up and moved closer to his father. "I have sent Ke Yang to investigate Ruyi Pavilion in Nanxiang but he didn''t find anything," "He is involved with all sort of people so if he says they are not ordinary then they are not, find out more about it but in the meantime, I should pay Madam Ju a visit," "Father, you mean..." "Not what you are thinking, if anything happens to her then we will only be giving the emperor a sword to stab us, I just want to thank her for the favour," he raised his lips in a smirk then downed the wine in his cup and slammed the cup on the table. Wei Xianlu watched his father in confusion, he can''t understand why his father insists they shouldn''t touch anyone from Ruyi Pavilion when he hasn''t forgotten the humiliation they brought upon him not to talk of those three who escaped from him and ruined his image in front of Ruo Rufei. He swore to take revenge against them but unless his father permits him, it is impossible. "Xian''A, when last did you visit your sister in the palace?" He raised his brows as he was unsure of what he just heard, his father has never mentioned the empress for years. "It has been years, I am unable to remember exactly but why is father suddenly asking this?" "You should pay her a visit soon and take the opportunity to familiarise yourself with the first and second prince," "Did father...?" "That''s right, previously the empress has pledged her alliance to me but the sudden arrival of the fourth prince on the emperor''s birthday was unexpected thus our plans were foiled but I doubt it is a coincidence if the emperor summoned him back at this time then...." "He intends to make him the crown prince," Wei Xianlu concluded. "So...we must support the first prince in becoming the crown prince at all cost otherwise, the emperor will seize total control of the court the moment the fourth prince is crowned as the heir to the throne," He cupped his hands together then bowed. "I will do as father says," In the first prince manor. The princes were gathered in the company of women, music, wine and food. "First prince, to what do we owe this feast," Li Daiyu, the third prince asked, chugging down a cup of wine poured by the woman serving him. "What, do I need a reason to wine and dine with my brothers?" he responded in a low yet deep tone, his eyes were closed as two women massaged his arms and leg while he is laying on a reclining wooden seat. "Of course not, I have spoken wrongly, I will drink this cup to apologise," "First brother has a lot of time on your hand but I have to see my mentor for an important issue, please allow me to take my leave," the second prince requested then he stood up from his seat. "I also have to pay the fourth prince a visit, please allow me to take my leave," the seventh prince followed. "I have to practice my chess skills with the mentor," the sixth prince followed. "Seems like my feast is insignificant in the fact of your trivialities, this brother really apologises for wasting your time," the first prince responded, he opened his eyes and waved his hands for the women to take their leave. They all stood up and left. "Brother, please don''t say that, it is just that the regional commander summoned me to his manor earlier but I decided to pay you a visit first," the second prince quickly clarified. Clang! His eyes darkened in anger. Their gaze shifted from the jade cup on the floor to the first prince. #Doesn''t affect coin value# *If you have read this chapter but can you at least leave a ''Hi'' in the comment, please it is really motivates me* Chapter 345 - My Loyal Companions! "We share the same mother yet you are the first to disrespect me, it seems like I have been too lax!" he yelled in anger, the three of them quickly dropped to their knees and bowed slightly. "Your highness, please do not be angry," they chorused. The other princes sighed, they know the first prince has a bad temper especially since the arrival of the fourth prince yet they just had to infuriate him, he might not have any real power but he still has the empress, prime minister and the hierarchy of the royal family behind him. "Seventh Prince, since you are close with the fourth prince then can you tell me why the fourth prince is not here despite my invitation," the first prince queried. Li Changlin rolled his eyes as his head is lowered, the others might fear the first prince but he has never paid him any regard, if not for his mother''s warning then he wouldn''t bother kneeling to apologise. "Li Changlin, the first prince just asked you a question," the third prince urged, he might not be on the same side as the first prince but Li Ruansong, the fourth prince is a common enemy. "I have not even paid him a visit yet, how am I supposed to know," he retorted rudely. "How dare you!" the third prince rebuked yet the seventh prince remained unfazed. "Third Prince, please ease your anger," they heard someone say, they all turned only to see the fourth prince in the hall, the first prince smirked at his sight, he is happy and yet displeased seeing the fourth prince. "I am late," he cupped his hands and bowed slightly. "Brother," Changlin called as he sprung up to his feet with a bright smile on his face. The princes were dazed as they stared at him from his head to his toe, on the emperor''s birthday, they didn''t get a good look at him but now they can''t help but wonder if he is really the fourth prince they use to gang up against when they were little. His looks, mannerism, aura...everything has changed. His usual plain back robe, gold hair ring and pin make him look serene yet imposing, and the other two beside him, one seems like a stoic bodyguard and the other small in stature but the threatening glare in her eyes... "Then take your seat, fourth prince," the first prince said, gesturing towards a seat next to the seventh prince while the others on their kneels returned to their seat. The sixth prince was ecstatic at the sight of the fourth prince, he really wanted to hug him as soon as he saw him but he feared the fourth prince might reject him like he always did when they were little, he downheartedly took his seat at the left side of the fourth prince. "Brother, here," the seventh prince said as he poured the fourth prince wine. Everyone might not have seen it but the fourth prince knew the sixth prince was going to do the same. {You haven''t changed after all these years} The fourth prince raised the wine to the first prince with a faint smile on his lips. "First prince, I will drink this cup to apologise for my lateness," he bowed lightly then chugged down the wine. Xiaodi leaned towards his ear after he drank the wine. "Master, you haven''t fully recovered yet, you shouldn''t be drinking," she whispered while they all stared at them with their eyes narrowed to hear what they are saying but they couldn''t. "Fourth prince, you just returned to the palace not long ago yet you got injured for the flame sect witch, making father worried so are you alright now?" the first prince asked, squinting his eyes at him, the fact that the fourth prince was inactive for a while then suddenly flew into the ring didn''t escape his suspicion, even the princes were shocked after the incident. "First prince, do you know what I learnt all these years outside the palace?" "What?" "All humans are equal both royals, cultivators and the common people," he responded still smiling faintly and fixing his eyes on the first prince whose lips twitched at his response, the princes were appalled by such saying but they waited for the first prince to speak first. "Does the fourth prince mean that even imperial father is equal to a lowly commoner?" the first prince asked, anticipating a slip of tongue from the fourth prince then it will naturally reach the emperor''s ears, this coupled with the incident at the martial heroes contest, he can tell the emperor will be angry. "Father is also a human but he is responsible for the wellbeing of the people, the lives of millions of people depend on the imperial father so what does the first prince think the answer is?" he poured himself a cup of wine and sipped it gently. {He is saying the imperial father is equal and greater at the same time, what a wise answer to avoid a trap,} The second prince remarked in his mind. "Even the second young mistress of the flame sect couldn''t withstand a hit from Huo Yi Lang, it is really surprising how the fourth prince is all healthy already," the second prince commented, indeed the court already thought the fourth prince was surely going to die from the hit but after they heard the news that he is awake, they were astounded. "I heard father prayed for my health on empty stomach every day while I was unconscious, I have imperial father to thank for this," "Brother, I look forward to playing chess with you someday," the sixth prince said after much hesitation for fear of being rejected, the third and fifth prince glared at him but he didn''t even spare their warning a glance. The fourth prince turned to him with a receiving smile on his face, he has never ever seen his fourth brother smile at him thus his heart skipped a beat. "If the sixth prince wants to play chess with me then you are welcome to my manor every day," he glanced at Xiaodi and Feng Shui by the corner of his eyes. "You two listen, not only the seventh prince but as long as the sixth prince visits my manor, he must be welcomed hospitably at all times," he ordered. "Yes, your highness," both chorused Li Qingzhao was stunned by the fourth prince warmness towards him especially when the fourth prince placed his hands on his head and patted his head gently. "Seems like we need to ask your maid and guard for permission before we are allowed to visit your manor," the third prince said seeing as Xiaodi is not holding a sword but Feng Shui is. "Who are you calling a maid!" Xiaodi retorted. "How dare you lowly maid speak rudely! is this how the fourth prince trained his people," the third prince rebuked "You-" "Xiaodi, won''t you quickly apologise to the third prince," "But Master, he called me a maid first," "Behave," She humped then reluctantly bowed her head to apologise. "I hope your highness doesn''t take it to heart, Xiaodi has been with me for many years outside the palace so she isn''t used to it yet but I will make sure I teach her proper manners," "You seem to be very close with your maid," "Third Prince is mistaken, Xiaodi is not my maid and Feng Shui is not my bodyguard, they are both my loyal companions, they eat the same thing I eat and drink the same thing I drink, they wear the same fabric I wear and live in the same place I live in, right now they are only standing behind me because this is a feast arranged by the first prince...this has always been how it is," he stressed the latter for it to sink into their skull, they passed each other confused glances at the words they would consider arrant nonsense but this only increased the admiration the seventh and sixth prince has for him. Feng Shui and Xiaodi were once again grateful for his kindness towards them. He stood up from his seat. "It is almost time for my medicine thus I must take my leave now, please excuse me," he bowed slightly, giving the first prince a last look then he started leaving with Xiaodi and Feng Shui following behind him but just as she passed by the third prince, she smirked at him then walked past. Chapter 346 - My Consort! He stood up from his seat. "It is almost time for my medicine thus I must take my leave now, please excuse me," he bowed slightly, giving the first prince a last look then he started leaving with Xiaodi and Feng Shui following behind him but just as she passed by the third prince, she smirked at him then walked past. "What..." They were speechless, in the past they would insult him and bully him but he would never say a word, back then he also used to wear black clothes or dark shades but now except for his clothing he has totally changed. "First brother, are you going to let this slide?" the third prince asked in hopes that he plans to do something about it. The first prince swirled the wine cup with a smirk on his face. "The fourth prince can get away with whatever he does because he has imperial father''s favour but he will destroy it with his words and actions very soon," {Imperial father, I hope you watch your dear son go against your principles, only then will you know which son is dangerous to your reign} He already has a plan to stop the emperor from crowning the fourth prince even if the fourth prince ends up winning the competition, the emperor is suspicious of everyone and will never allow someone who would oppose him to take the throne so as long as he makes the emperor know that the fourth prince is not on the same page as him then he won''t dare hand over the throne to the fourth prince. Meanwhile, the fourth prince and Xiaodi got into the carriage while Feng Shui sat in front to ride the carriage. "Master, why did you even bother attending the stupid feast, they are clearly targeting you?" Xiaodi asked. "There is no difference between going and not going, I have taken this opportunity to understand the stance of the princes, the sixth prince is still like he was before, the first and third princes know they both have the highest chance to become the crown prince if I am out of the picture so they are going against me," he analysed. "What of the second and fifth prince?" "Both of them are supporting their brothers, Li Chengguan is the student of the regional commander, this tells a lot about him and it is natural he dislikes me because of the emperor''s favour , he seems like an upright and brave man from the look in his eyes but...the first prince is not suitable to become an emperor so if he intends to support the first prince then he is still in our way," "Master is indeed wise, you can tell all of this from meeting them once," "I have known all this before I left the palace, I just wanted to confirm if they are still the same, Feng Shui, send a message to Madam Ju to tell her that Li Qingzhao remains my chess piece," {I will make him an emperor} "Your highness seems resolute but the sixth prince doesn''t look like someone who is fit to be emperor," Xiaodi remarked after a deep thought. "Indeed, he has the heart of an emperor and he is not hungry for power but since I will be playing the game of chess with him, he will become an emperor in no time," She couldn''t understand what he is saying but she just nodded her head. - - - - - - - "Your majesty, the imperial consort is here," the head eunuch announced, the imperial consort entered in a plain blue robe with a smile on her face and a tray in her hand, the emperor sat up as soon as he saw her but she hurried to him. "Come," he gestured towards his seat at the throne, she hesitated for a while then walked up the stairs and stood beside him. "I heard your majesty hasn''t been eating well so I brought you this chicken soup to nourish your health," she said as she placed the soup bowl on the table and helped him move the memorials out of the way. He held her hand between his. "What would I do without my imperial consort," he remarked, she patted his hands then sat beside him to feed him, after taking a few spoons he stopped her. "You offered me a brilliant plan but someone ruined it, if I had succeeded in pinning the assassination of the flame sect witch on the prime minister then I would have managed to kill two birds with one stone," he sighed deeply. She stood up from her seat to massage his shoulders, the massage was satisfying that he could feel the tension in his body disappear. "Not only did your plan fail but the flame sect managed to get the second young mistress back, your majesty must be really vexed," "This is all the fault of the wind sect leader, he assured me that the chains around her limbs will put her spiritual power in disarray but she still managed to win in the end, what a persistent witch she is," he scoffed just thinking of how everything except for balancing the power between the wind and flame sect went awry. "But how did your majesty manage to keep Huo Yi Lang alive?" "He-" he paused for a moment. "Why is imperial consort suddenly curious about this, I remember you used to abstain from these matters?" She quickly knelt and bowed her head. "I have asked too much, please punish me your majesty," she pleaded her guilt, immediately removing the suspicion in his heart so he helped her up to the seat beside him. "You are my beloved consort, how can I punish you? as for Huo Yi Lang, you shouldn''t know too much or it might put you in danger, now that the fourth prince is back and healthy he should pay you a visit," She smiled softly at him with a look of gratitude and innocence in her eyes, just like the late imperial consort used to have. "I should be the one paying him a visit, he suffered outside the palace yet he got himself injured at the martial heroes contest," worry overwhelmed her eyes. "I painstakingly searched for him all these years yet he almost threw away his life for a mere cultivator, that child never considers my feeling," "I am sure he knows his mistake now, your majesty should retire to your bed now or you will be too tired to attend the morning assembly tomorrow," "As long as my consort stays by my side tonight, I will surely have a good sleep," They left the study to his palace, she helped him undress then they slept together but the news didn''t fail to travel into the empress''s ears. "That wench, she is already using the fourth prince to get his majesty''s favour!" the empress yelled then threw the flower vase she was tending to the ground, the head court lady dropped to her knees immediately. "Your majesty, please don''t be angry," She threw the cleaning cloth to the ground then returned to her bed for the head court lady to remove her shoes. "That damned fourth prince, he just had to arrive at that time but why would he return to the palace now?" she wished she could just send someone to eliminate him but she is wise enough to know that it is better to observe for now then take actions when everything is clear, moreover, she still doesn''t know if the father and son planned this though the emperor looked genuinely surprised to see the fourth prince on his birthday. Considering how much he hates the flame sect, it still infuriates her that he didn''t punish the fourth prince for what he did but brought him into the palace for special treatment instead. "That woman and the fourth prince, they are a thorn in my flesh and an obstacle to the throne and unless they are out of this world I will never have peace and neither will my son''s get their rightful place," "Your majesty shouldn''t worry about this, the first and second princes have been taught by the imperial mentors so how can the fourth prince compare to them," the head court lady encouraged, putting a smile on her face just by remembering the difference between them. Even when the emperor tried to make the princes uneducated, the old teachers in the palace protested against making the princes educated without her or anyone else getting involved so if there is one thing she is sure of, it is the superiority of her sons to the lowly prince born of a woman of unknown origin. "I must still put some plans in place just in case or my mind won''t be at rest," she sighed deeply. Chapter 347 - Blackmail! The news of the Chen''s and Song''s calling off their marriage travelled around the country like wildfire, both companies starting losing business cooperations and deals but thanks to Xiaomeng convincing her father to sell the shares he bought in order to help Chen Kai after he lost a subsidiary, their company was able to survive. Every business news kept displaying the plunging stock of Chen Corporation, instead of cooping herself somewhere, she started doing as she pleased and ignoring the gossips going on around her, even after some people spread the pictures of her smiling with Li Chen they couldn''t believe it but after seeing her smiling brightly every day, they realised just how toxic her relationship with Chen Kai was and the fact that he is not the dreamboat they thought he was. It was really ironic to the friends, how one wedding was being called off and two taking place. Yu Yan was walking down the passage while making a phone call with Han Chen after completing her rounds, everyone she passed by could see the power of love in her. "Han Chen, I will call you back," she said then ended the call as soon as she saw Xiaomeng walking towards her, after they heard what happened to her everyone was saying she deserved it even though they felt bad for her but she noticed Li Chen didn''t say anything and he looked a bit angry so she asked him the reason and he reluctantly told her everything Xiaomeng said that night because he thought even if everyone thinks she deserves it, Yu Yan shouldn''t but made her promise not to mention it to anyone else or Xiaomeng, only then did she remember that there was once a time when she was nice to her. "Xiaomeng," she called, she didn''t notice her until she called her name, she stopped to let Yu Yan meet her. "Are you free at the moment?" she asked. She squinted her eyes at Yu Yan. "Are you finally ready to gloat?" she said that even though she knows Yu Yan would rather ignore her than gloat about her misfortune. "No, I just want to have a talk with you if that is fine," A few minutes later, they were now seated in Yu Yan''s office since she is the only one using the office, Yu Yan got coffee from the vending machine for the both of them. "So what do you want to talk about?" "Firstly, I want you to know I don''t pity you," "What?" "I thank you for breaking up me and Chen Kai but you let your obsession get in the way of not only your happiness but my happiness," she responded in a chastising tone, at the moment she couldn''t tell whether she is trying to pour salt on her wound or preach to her. "What are you even talking about," "I hate peoples who think it is okay to do things for people behind their back and expect to be thanked after, you made the wrong decision when you could have just solved everything by an explanation right from the beginning and you were stupid to think you could ever change a person," She was confused, her words are so vague that she can''t tell if she overheard her and Chen Kai''s conversation or it is just some random guesses cos she has never told anyone the reason behind all she did. At least that is what she thinks. "I don''t have time for your nonsense," she binned the coffee cup and stood up to leave. "You can come back," she said before she could leave. Xiaomeng stopped at the door. "They are still your friends, I mean we are all your friends," "I don''t care about something trivial as friendship," she responded then left. Yu Yan sighed after she left. "Liar..." Later that night. She was just returning home after a long stressful shift of making rounds and assisting professors in their surgeries, she massaged her neck as she walked towards a contemporary house where only she lives while on a call with Li Chen. She just realised after many conversations with him that he is still the same person he was back in those days, he didn''t once mention any of the things happening to her including what he saw but he still managed to make her feel better about herself. She was giggling because of a joke he made as she entered her lounge and dropped her bag on the couch, she switched to an earbud and continued talking with him as she took off her coat and shirt, leaving only her camisole and pants on. "Alright, I will see you tomorrow," she ended the call then took off her earbud. "You seem really happy though," she heard a familiar voice behind her, she quickly picked up her shirt and wore it back but he pushed her to the couch and pinned her to it. She gasped in fear, closing her eyes. "W-what are you doing here?" she asked, taking a peek at him. "What do you think? I see you haven''t gotten over me yet since your passcode is still my birthday date," Chen Kai responded with a seductive smile on his lips, staring right into her eyes, even if she claims to no longer love him he can never believe it. "I forgot about that, I will change it so please take your leave," her heart was beating so fast having him in close proximity, she can''t even tell if it is fear or something else but she really wished it is just fear. "I don''t think you want me to leave...your eyes are telling me to stay but don''t worry, this time I won''t hurt you," he lifted her chin and took her lips into his gently, she wasn''t really shocked cos she knew it was going to come to this and she was scared she won''t be able to resist him. She tried pushing him but he held her hand and stroked her hair while kissing her, to her, this is the gentlest he has ever been so she gave in, kissing him back passionately... {I am going to regret this,} * * * * * She woke up in her bed, undressed, she glanced at her side to find that he is no longer there. She sighed deeply and buried her face in her palm in total regret. The reflection in the mirror in front of her made her feel even more disgusted by what she has done, by herself, if only she didn''t give in then she wouldn''t be feeling so guilty. She sprung up from her bed and changed into her bathrobe to wash the filthiness off her body, she took her bath then descended the stairs minutes later to see if he is still there so she can set things straight if he thinks she is going to change her mind about the wedding. "You are here," he said with a wide smile on his lips, she furrowed her brows seeing the English breakfast in the dining. "Let me make one thing clear to you, I am not changing my mind and never repeat what you did last night, we are off," she clarified as soon as she got downstairs with a resolute gaze in her eyes but what followed was a light chuckle from him. "I didn''t do anything last night, we did something and I am not expecting you to change your mind, I just need you to convince your father to reinvest in our company so I can solve this crisis," he said, folding his arms leisurely. "What..?" "You made trouble for me, my father almost killed me and I couldn''t get any company or bank to help me so I figured that you might want to help," She scoffed at his temerity, does he think she is a fool or what? "Do you think I will help just because we slept together? in your dreams," she responded. He clicked his tongue as he came closer to her. "I beg to differ," he remarked then brought his phone out of his pocket and played a video for her, her eyes went round at what she is seeing and her knees became weak, she couldn''t believe he would succumb to such a low method. "Y-you recorded us?" she couldn''t believe her eyes. "Yes, so you had better find a nice way to convince your dad, I made you breakfast by the way," he flashed her an evil smile then turned around to leave. "Jerk! Bast**d!" she yelled at the top of her lungs but he kept on leaving, as soon as the door closed, she dropped to the ground with a look of despair on her face, she doesn''t need to ask what he is going to use the video of them sleeping together to do, he can just remove his face and release it as a s*x tape to blackmail her. "No, no..." she felt disgusted by him and herself, she hated herself for what she did or he wouldn''t have succeeded. Chapter 348 - He Did What?! The next day at work, she kept making mistakes and being absent-minded, people will think she left Chen Kai because of her waywardness and just can''t imagine just how much impact it will have on her family. She doesn''t want him to win yet she can''t go against him. She returned to their office and seeing as no one is in the office, she decided to call him, she called him several times before he finally picked the call. "Have you settled it?" he asked straight. "You animal, how dare you ask me to help you after doing such a horrible thing?" she couldn''t bear the smugness and confidence in his voice, if only she could storm into his office and slap him hard but she can''t even see him face to face because of shame. "Have you or have you not settled it, you already know I don''t have much patience?" "I was to stupid to have slept with you and you are disgusting to have recorded it in order to blackmail me, I promise you things will never go your way," she hung the call as tears gathered in her eyes, she was going to give but she can''t bear to let him succeed. If she goes down then she will make sure he goes down with her. "He did what?" Li Chen asked, he was just entering the office when he heard her reply, he almost couldn''t believe his ears. Xiaomeng turned back in shock only to see him standing behind her, she fluttered her lashes. He walked towards her then held her shoulders. "What did you just say he did? repeat it," he demanded, she pushed his hands off her shoulders then looked away from him. "It is none of your business," she replied, wiping the tears on her face. "You just said he recorded the both of you sleeping together to blackmail you, how is that not my business?!" he yelled back in annoyance with his chest heaving up and down, her eyes widened for fear that others outside the office might have heard, she looked away from him to glance outside but she froze at the sight of Yu Yan standing by the entrance. "Did...Did he really do that?" she asked, opening her mouth slightly agape. Li Chen realised he just made a mistake when he heard her voice, Xiaomeng knees weakened so she leaned against the desk for support, she could feel her head spiralling. The fact that she let herself into this whole mess is bringing her too much shame. Yu Yan walked into the office. "Did he really do that?!" she yelled at Xiaomeng who has her head lowered. "I am going to confront him about this," she said then turned to leave but Li Chen held her back knowing that is the last thing Xiaomeng wants at the moment, if she needed someone to confront him then she would have gone into his office to speak instead of making a phone call. "Why would you confront him, it is none of your business!" Xiaomeng yelled at her, the fact that it is Yu Yan makes it even worse for her but Yu Yan held the side of her arm tight with her eyes staring right into hers. "It is my business, I told you before that you are still my friend no matter what and I know you hate this very much but please tell me everything so I can help you, please...." she was almost tearing up and Xiaomeng could see it, she just couldn''t understand why Yu Yan doesn''t hate her after everything she did to her. Li Chen took his leave understanding this is something she might not want him to hear, she might not like Yu Yan but they are both women after all. * * * * As soon as she got back home, she hurried into his study since she already knows he would be back home, on sight, he immediately took off his glasses and stood up from his seat to meet her. "Why are you back so late?" he asked, spreading his arms out to hug her but she stopped him before he could and held his hands tightly as she pulled him back to his seat, he could tell she was a bit tense. After he sat in his black pyjama, he pulled her to his laps. "What is it?" "I need your help," she answered, she looked really desperate and the pleading gaze in her eyes was something he has never seen before, he placed his hands on top of hers reassuringly but his heart was beating at the thought of something bad happening to her. "I will do anything for you, just say it," "I need you to help Xiaomeng, that jerk Chen Kai recorded a...recorded-" she couldn''t bring herself to even say it, even if he did it to her she wouldn''t be so astounded but Xiaomeng is someone he was raised with like a sister and he still did such a thing to her even after abusing her. "Xiaomeng? recorded what? you are scaring me," "He went into her house yesterday and they slept together but he recorded the video of them sleeping together to blackmail her so she can convince her father to reinvest in Chen Corporation but as you know, that will be the fall of her family''s company but if she doesn''t-" she placed a fist over her mouth as tears gathered in her eyes, when Xiaomeng was telling her what happened she tried her very best not to tear up but when Xiaomeng started crying, she couldn''t hold it in anymore. "This is not real," he couldn''t believe his ears, he would never have thought he would exploit her remnant feelings for him to do such a despicable thing. "I wish it wasn''t, she did her best to separate us because she knew what type of person he was and she was in love with him ever since they were little so she thought she could fix him but...she is really not the bad person we think she is, at least, she is not as bad as we thought," "Yu Yan, whether or not she is what we thought she was, she doesn''t deserve what happened so I give you my word, I will make sure that recording disappears and make him pay for all he has done, trust me..." he raised his thumb to her cheeks to wipe the tears at the corner of her eyes. After he was briefed about the completion of the gift he plans to give to Chen Kai, he really thought everything was in place but if Yu Yan didn''t tell him this then his entire plan would have been ruined. "Thank you," she wrapped her arms around his neck in relief. Meanwhile, An Ke and Li Wei were having a stargazing date in his apartment, she was excited looking at the stars in turns while he filled her with their names and facts about the stars, after that, they sat on the balcony while discussing over tea. She placed her elbow on the glass tea table and anchored her chin on her palm as she gazed at him, completely immersed in his handsome looks. "At the rate, you will tear my face off," Li Wei remarked with a faint smile on his lips as he took a sip of the tea. "It doesn''t matter, I can just stick it back on," she responded, following a giggle. "An Ke, what do you think about marriage?" he blurted out then widened his eyes upon the realization that he just said his thoughts out, he glanced at her only to see a flabbergasted look on her face. "You said?" "Oh, it''s nothing," he bit his lips in embarrassment but she found it really cute. "It''s something, repeat what you just said," "I know you are the type that likes freedom so I didn''t want to say it out, I am really sorry," "What are you talking about, you are the one that used to say marriage is like a prison so I thought you preferred to date freely without marriage in mind and we haven''t been dating for that long, do you want us to get married so soon?" one part of her wants to and another part doesn''t. "No, I was just worried that you might not want to get married in the future so I wanted to prepare myself," he bit his lips, lowering his head. "Aww," she found him too cute that she leaned forward and grabbed his cheeks, he was startled. "My Weiwei is so cute," she simped then she kissed his forehead. He was once the badboy she feel in love with in a cafe but now he is just a cutie who is head over heels for her, she really didn''t expect that he even has marriage in his dictionary just like she never thought she would think of marriage. {I guess love does make one change,} Both sipped their tea while grinning at each other sweetly. #Doesn''t affect coin value# *I created a discord account for this novel before but since there weren''t many people I ended up deleting it so please do tell me if you would like one now where I can upload references and other fun games, please buy the privilege to support* Chapter 349 - Colluded Against Me! Her heels clicked the ground as she strode confidently towards his office holding a designer black purse, unlike the usual white coat and formal outfit underneath she was wearing a loose black belted blazer dress reaching her thigh and ankle strap heels. Her hair is packed into a neat ponytail and her matte themed makeup gives her a bold look. Everyone was staring at her as she walked past but she gave no regard to them, she finally stood outside his office. She smirked before pulling the knob and entering without his permission. He raised his head to see who it was but was relieved to see it was her, he has been calling her for the past two days and even visited her house but she wasn''t there. He stood up from his seat to pull the blinds seeing as those outside kept trying to peek inside the office but she pushed him back into his seat and leaned forward with her hand on both sides of the armrest. She smirked at the confused look on his face while those outside the office were busy imagining what could be going on especially after the breakup. He glanced outside the glass and twitched at those watching them then he turned to her. "What are you doing right now?" "What I am doing is telling you that I have done as you wanted so you had better delete that video right now in front of me," she responded, staring right into his eyes. He took his phone from the table and checked the message his secretary sent him and indeed she has done what he told her to. He smiled in victory then he opened the video for her to see again yet instead of looking away from it, she watched it without any complaint until it started glitching. He watched her smile widen so he turned back to the video only to see that the file has now disappeared even though he didn''t delete it yet. He realised something must have gone wrong. "What is going on?" She chuckled lightly at his stupid question, she pulled away from him then crossed her arms on her chest. "You should be asking yourself that question," she responded He clenched his jaw tightly knowing she must have played a trick on him these last two days. "Now that the video is gone, I will take my leave and you can just enjoy the gift I will be sending you soon," she patted his shoulder then left the office, those who were peeking at them quickly dispersed while Chen Kai pulled down the blinds. He opened his computer to find the backup he left there in a secret file but that was also gone, he checked his safe for the USB he saved it on but it was nowhere to be found. He punched the table in frustration as he stood up and started parading the office in an attempt to understand what must have happened. His phone, safe and computer are passworded with the same password in different format so he couldn''t understand how she managed to get rid of them and why she still helped him despite getting rid of the video. Then he remembered yesterday when a nurse came to inform him that someone wanted to see him and that person turned out to be the managing director of Han Corporation who came for another business deal but he got rejected and when he returned, he saw Yu Yan coming out of his office. "Yu Yan?" It then came to his mind that all his passwords are her birthday and she must have known because he was so obsessed with her. "Those two colluded against me together," he deduced. He immediately stormed out of his office to find her but he found her laughing heartily with two nurses at the reception. Just as the nurses greeted him, he pulled her hand even before she could turn back to see that it was him then he forced her to enter the elevator taking them to the rooftop but she refused to climb the stairs any further after the first set, she is not stupid to go up the roof when he can just push her off. "Chen Kai," she yelled, she knew he must have found out what she did or he won''t be acting like an angry bull. "What did you do in my office yesterday?" he asked, giving up on taking her to the rooftop. She snapped her wrist from his grip then rubbed it to ease the pain. "Why are you asking when you already know the answer?" He placed his hands on her shoulder gently and exhaled to calm himself down because at the moment he is on the verge of hurting her. "Yu Yan, tell me why you did it, you and Xiaomeng are enemies anyway so why would you help her?" The frustration of not knowing what they both planned is eating him up. She brushed his hands away from her shoulder. "Without you in the picture, we were never enemies," she answered without flinching despite the danger in his eyes. He turned around and shut his eyes, he could feel his anger level rising like never before. "If you helped her then you must know what she is planning by giving me what I wanted even without the video existence," he faced her again in a calm tone. "Do you think I will tell you? I am leaving," she climbed down the first step before he held her hand to pull her back but she locked his hands and pulled his neck forward in a choke. She scoffed. "It seems to be that you have forgotten my martial skills," she whispered in his ear, it has been so long since she used her skills that even she almost forgot she can just land him in the hospital with one kick , letting him pull her whenever he wants. "Let me go," he hissed trying to jack her but her arms didn''t bulge, all this while he thought he could overpower her. "As you wish," She pushed him forward, causing him to roll down the stairs and finally slamming his head against the ground. He groaned in pain but she just walked past him without sparing a glance, she came out of the emergency door when she met Li Chen running towards her, he stopped then breathed a sigh of relief when he saw her come out. He was already imagining the things that could go wrong if Chen Kai loses it on the rooftop after the trick they played on him. "Are you alright?" he asked, holding her hand to examine her but she smiled reassuringly. "Perfectly alright," the tone of her voice sounded like she has just done something nasty so he took a peek behind the door only to see Chen Kai holding his head and groaning, he clicked his tongue and returned to her front, chuckling lightly. "It has been a while since you did that," he remarked then they left. - - - - - - She was humming happily while preparing dinner and checking the time at regular intervals to know how long until he returns, she finished preparing the food then started setting the dishes on the table, she just arranged the last dish when he entered. Her face beamed with excitement as she ran up to him and threw her arms around him, he reciprocated the hug even with the office bag in his hand. "Are you cooking?" He could smell the food on her, she pulled away then nodded at him before taking him to the dining where she sat him down and returned to the kitchen to take off her apron, when she returned she met him staring at the food with a surprised look on his face. "D-did you cook all this?" he asked in doubt staring at the elaborate dinner on the table. She took her seat beside him, nodding in response. "You never used to cook, is today a special day?" he took off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves to start digging in. "Not really, I just feel good today after using my skills," He was just about to eat a piece of the pepper steak when he dropped the piece back in the plate. "Your skills?" "That scumbag almost pulled me to the rooftop today but I ended up choking up and pushing him down the stairs, I really can''t explain just how satisfying it was," she narrated, taking a spoonful of rice. "You should have done more," He shook his head in appreciation of the refined taste of the dishes after tasting them one by one, his reactions were already enough compliment for her since he just continued eating without stopping for once. "How are the wedding preparations coming along?" "The venue, catering, decorations and all other preparations have been taken care of except for your dress and my tuxedo though that is being taken care of by a famous wedding dress designer," he answered then cleaned his mouth. She realised for the nth time that he is really awesome, how can he arrange a grand wedding in such a short time when she was just thinking of a simple wedding because of the short preparation time. She gave him a thumbs up. "You are really awesome, husband to be," she remarked. "Then you should reward me with more dinners prepared by you," "That is not part of the package," she immediately defused his wishful thought if he thinks it is possible for her to cook every night despite her job when he is the one who mostly does the cooking. Chapter 350 - You Are Awake! Her brows twitched and her lips spread in a blissful smile, one they have been seeing on her face for months now even though she is in a coma. Huo Ying was cleaning her face with a wet towel and then she noticed her smiling again, she caressed her cheeks with a bright smile on her face. Somehow she wishes she would wake up to see that reality is just as blissful as her dream. "I hope you used to have these dreams when you were away from us unlike the nightmares I have," She dipped the towel on the bowl of water and held her hand to clean, she took it upon herself to do this for the past months since she has been in bed. The slender hand just like her that she could never hold before were now in her hand and even whilst it makes her happy, it brings back the memories of her sister strangling Huo Yi Lang. She knows just how kind-hearted Huo Lan is and that it would hurt her to remember that she almost killed a person when she wakes up. "Huo Lan, we are all waiting for you to wake up," she said as she placed the towel back in the bowl of water. "Han Chen," She heard a murmur but she couldn''t tell for sure that it came from Huo Lan, she leaned closer to listen then she heard her call the name again. "Huo Lan," she muttered in disbelief, placing her hand on her shoulder to awaken her. She slowly opened her eyes as she fluttered her lashes to behold the same face she sees in her dream, everything was the same. "Yu Yan?" She muttered unable to tell if she is still dreaming. "Huo Lan!" Huo Ying exclaimed She noticed Huo Lan was trying to sit up so she helped her up still unable to believe that someone who has been lying in bed for two months now is finally awake. "You are finally awake, I need to tell the others," she jumped up from her seat and was about to leave but Huo Lan held her hand back, she turned back in surprise. "I saw you in my dream, Huo Ying," she said, resting her back on the support Huo Ying placed for her and holding her hand in hers. "Your dream?" "Yes, you were there with many people and there is someone you are always smiling at," even if they were twins, the person doesn''t have her red eyes and red hair thus she assumed that she must have seen Huo Ying even if the world doesn''t seem like theirs. Huo Ying stroked the back of her hand. "Is that why you kept smiling, because I was smiling in your dream?" she asked and Huo Lan nodded in answer, she didn''t say anything for a while but stared into her sister''s eyes. She leaned towards her and held her face. "I haven''t been able to see your eyes because you were sleeping for so long, my dear sister," Looking closely now, she can see the scarlet orbs and the faint brown ring inside them. She has never been able to understand those who think her sister is a monster just because she is different when she has always coveted the eyes her sister has. "Huo Ying, I want to see mother," she requested then Huo Ying nodded and stood up to tell everyone she is awake since she has managed to spend time alone with her she should also make everyone happy when they know she is awake. She had just walked to the door when the door opened, her mother, the guardians, Huo Li and the elders were already there, she was surprised to see them but she bowed to greet her mother and the elders first. "How is she?" her mother asked not knowing her daughter is already awake, Huo Ying smiled and pointed towards Huo Li. Their eyes went round at the sight of Huo Lan sitting up on the bed. Madam Huo quickly rushed to Huo Lan''s side and held her hand tightly whilst stroking her cheeks to make sure she is not dreaming but the scarlet orbs were enough for her to believe. "My child," she muttered, suppressing the sob of happiness and sadness of having to wait for so long. They all went forward after her. "Mother," Huo Lan called as she wrapped her hands around her mother''s neck and sniffed her to take a whiff of that familiar scent she used to have on her, back then, she remembered her mother looked very young and she used to have this nice scent you get in a garden full of nice scented flowers. Even though her face has aged, the scent is still there. Madam Huo tightened her arms around her back and started shedding tears of joy, except for that one day she was allowed to visit the flame sect, she was never able to hold her to tightly like this, see her scarlet orbs and stroke her scarlet hair. "Mother really missed you," She unwrapped her arms with a bright smile on her face. Everyone else just stood back while they admired the emotional scene in front of them but they soon realised that have forgotten their manners. They dropped to their knees and cupped their palm and fist. "Greeting second young mistress," they chorused in unison, although she doesn''t want the formality, it reminds her of the day she returned to the sect for a day, how they treated her with so much respect despite her uselessness. "Second young mistress," the elders greeted, bowing slightly. She said nothing but smile at them in reply. "Mother, is father still in seclusion?" she asked and her mother nodded in answer with a sad look on her face which they all had immediately she asked the question. If her father could see her back with them then he will be able to absolve the guilt he has always held in his heart for sacrificing her to save the rest of the sect even if it is his responsibility as the sect leader of the Flame sect. "Su Ci? where is she?" she looked around but couldn''t find her. "Ever since you returned, she has been training with the disciples to strengthen herself as one of the guardians of the flame sect but I will tell her you are awake," Huo Ying answered and was about to leave but Huo Lian stopped her. "I will go," she opted then left to bring Su Ci. Huo Lan suddenly winced, making them concerned all of a sudden. "What is it?" her mother asked. "My head, it is pounding," she answered. "It must be because we are disturbing you as soon as you woke up, we will leave you to rest," she stood up from the side of the bed then stroked her face before leaving with the others except for Huo Ying who opted to stay behind in order to look after her but she knows her mother wouldn''t leave so soon if she wasn''t overwhelmed with the sudden happiness of having her second daughter awake and by her side again so she must have left to release the tears behind closed doors. She returned to Huo Lan''s side and helped her lie down. "You should sleep," Huo Lan tapped the side of the bed, asking her to sleep beside her as she has already forgotten that someone went to get Su Ci. Huo Ying slept beside her as she wanted with their arms around each other, a luxury they could never afford in the past even when they were kids because they were worried she would hurt Huo Ying since she can''t control her power but now that she has proven herself, everyone already assumes she is just powerful and no longer a danger. Huo Lian indeed met Su Ci training with the advanced disciples and she was taking on three of them even though she got beaten seriously since she is still very weak compared to them that is why Huo Ying suggested she trains with them. The advanced disciples of the flame sect are very skilful but the moment a superior becomes weaker than them, they stop obeying the orders and that is why Huo Li tries very hard to remain stronger so she doesn''t lose control of them. Even if Su Ci sacrificed her freedom for the sect and she is now a guardian who is respected by all the disciples, Huo Ying knows a time will come when they refuse to acknowledge her if she still remains weak and as Huo Li''s guardian, she wants to make sure Su Ci is capable of protecting her. She stopped the training then took Su Ci to Huo Li but they met the sisters fast asleep, Su Ci knelt beside the bed and watched both of them with a smile on her face while Huo Lian watched her from behind. "Aren''t you dissatisfied?" Huo Lian asked, Su Ci stood up and walked towards her. Chapter 351 - Revenge In Broad Daylight! "Aren''t you dissatisfied?" Huo Lian asked, Su Ci stood up and walked towards her. "What do you mean?" "You were once a child with huge martial potential but because of the special ability that allows you to withstand Huo Lan''s flame to a certain extent, your freedom was sacrificed and you even lost your potential," she said to check out her thoughts on this, ever since they returned Su Ci has been friendly towards everyone and receiving accolades but she has never seen contempt in her eyes. "I wasn''t sent with Huo Lan because of my special ability but because I wanted to even though sect madam was reluctant to send me with her," Su Ci responded, she couldn''t understand what Huo Lian is getting at. Huo Lian moved a step forward. "So you forgoed your position as the first guardian of the flame sect and the many skills you would have acquired to sacrifice yourself for the sect?" "Yes and if I have to do it again, I will do it gladly," she answered and flashed a smile then she left the room to continue her training, Huo Lian turned back after the door closed, biting her bottom lip. She has been regarding Su Ci''s presence as a threat to her position as the third guardian. Back then, three children were selected and trained from young to become guardians and they were Su Ci, Huo Qiang and Huo Mei. The flame sect has always had three guardians so she was only included because Su Ci became Huo Lan''s personal guardian but now that she is back and her martial skills are improving rapidly, she can''t be sure she will be able to keep her position. "I will never become a mere disciple," she said to herself resolutely. ******** In Ruyi pavillion. Just like it was in Nanxiang, the Ruyi pavilion became more popular than any brothel in the capital. They had customers from all over the capital and farthus it became more competitive to have the chance to drink and be entertained by the girls especially Hua Meixiang who remained the gem of Ruyi Pavilion. This time, Madam Ju left her to take charge of the pavilion while she takes care of the things pertaining to the fourth prince affairs. A carriage surrounded by bodyguards suddenly pulled up in front of the pavilion, a servant boy acted as a stool to help the minister alight the carriage. He flapped his sleeves and folded his hands behind him before entering the pavilion with his guards standing guard at all sides, the girls were alarmed by the entourage as soon as they saw him so one of them went to call Hua Meixiang. "Respected elder, please hold on," one of the ladies said to stop the minister from going in any further. "What is it, young lady," the minister asked with a lopsided smile on his crinkled lips. "Ruyi pavilion is not a place you can enter without permission and your bodyguards are not allowed in," the girl answered but the minister suddenly broke into a peal of hysterical laughter while they wondered what was so funny about what she just said. One of the guards suddenly unsheathed his sword and was about to slash her but a knife suddenly struck his arm, causing him to drop the sword. The lady was still in shock when the other guards unsheathed their swords, the prime minister looked up to see a lady in flowing green dress and a white veil on her face descending the stairs with a little boy behind her who he could guess is her bodyguard despite his young age. "There is no need for commotion, just state who you are and what is your motive for coming to Ruyi pavilion," the young lady said as she now stood in front of him, she glanced at the guard who has his arms pierced with her guard''s knife. "You are really bold, how dare you injure the prime minister''s bodyguard," another guard raised his sword against her but the prime minister held his hand up, signalling the bodyguard to halt. "Miss, what is your name," with her mannerism and boldness, one would think she is the said madam Ju. "I am Hua Meixiang, please forgive my rudeness," she said in a soft tone, bowing her head in apology. "Tell Madam Ju I would like to see her," Meixiang smiled. "There is no need for that, I will lead you to her immediately but please tell your guards to stay behind since we can''t possibly hurt the prime minister right in Ruyi Pavilion," she responded. He signalled his guards to stay behind then followed Meixiang up the stairs while her bodyguard stayed behind to keep an eye on the prime minister''s guards. They soon got to the room where madam Ju is but they could hear the strings of zither being plucked inside the room. "Madam Ju, the prime minister is here to see you," she announced from outside. "Let him in," She opened the door and gestured towards the room for him to enter then she took her leave after. The prime minister walked through red curtains before he finally saw her seating on a seat with a zither on the low table in front of her, her vermillion lip widened in a mesmerising smile as her fingers elegantly controlled the tune of the zither. The prime minister took his seat in front of her. "What does the prime minister think about this tune I am playing," He chuckled lightly. "Still as the night, desolate as death..." She halted the tune then placed her hands on the strings to calm the vibration then she raised her gaze to meet the prime minister''s. Her eyes were as sharp as a sword and her smile...he really can''t tell what kind of person she is. "Seems like you were already expecting me," he remarked, noticing the teapot and two cups on the table. "How could I have known that an important guest as yourself was going to visit my lowly Pavilion," she placed the zither aside. "Even after what, madam Ju did to my son?" he didn''t plan to speak indirectly. "So that is what prime minister is here for, I was indeed expecting someone but it was your son and not you," "Madam Ju, even if you have the backing of the emperor it is not wise to make me an enemy," he leaned forward with a threatening gaze on his eyes, rather than cowering her lips formed an arced smile. "Oh-oh, does the prime minister plan to take revenge in broad daylight?" no hint of fear could be seen in her eyes even though she is a mere entertainer. He flapped his sleeves and leaned back on his seat while she poured him tea then passed it to him. He took a sip of the tea and shook his head in appreciation. "I am not here for revenge but to ask you about the people my son was looking for in Nanxiang, resulting in him offending you," She gently placed the cup on the table after taking a sip. "This is the capital, not Nanxiang so even if I was the one who hid them do you think I will risk bringing them with me to the capital?" "You can just state where they are," "Your son was blinded by his arrogance that he failed to judge clearly whether or not he saw them enter Ruyi Pavilion, I suggest prime minister returns and ask him clearly again," she boldly responded, not caring whether or not she is offending him. He laughed once again. "If you change your mind then you should send a message to my manor, for now, I will take my leave," he stood up, aggressively slamming the teacup on the table then she stood up after him. "Please let me escort you," He raised his hands. "I will not trouble madam Ju," he refused then walked out of the room. Minutes later, Meixiang entered the room. "Madam Ju," she called as she took her seat opposite her. "I thought the foolish son was going to come but it turned out to be the father that came, interesting," Madam Ju remarked. "If he digs into Ruyi Pavilion in Nanxiang, he might find something," Meixiang said with worry written on her face. "There is no need for us to worry about that, even if he suspects something he won''t be able to get evidence since our associates know better than to open their mouth," she said. "We already found the person they are working with, his name is Nergui and I found that he is a subordinate of the first prince of the Manhu tribe," Meixiang informed. Madam Ju stood up to walk around the room while pondering on the information. "Why would the first prince of the Manhu tribe want the fire element grass, this issue is not so simple, send the message to the fourth prince," she ordered. "I will do so immediately," she said then she left while madam Ju pondered more on the issue but she already knows the fourth prince won''t pursue the it because he doesn''t want to concentrate on things that might distract him from his plan unless he knows it is connected. Note: the Manchu tribe refers to the Mongolians as used early in the story, I didn''t have much knowledge when I started writing but I don''t want to disrespect the Chinese history so please think of the places mentioned in the period world and Tang country as fictions. Chapter 352 - Golden Anniversary! The classical music piece filled the entire hall as the guests at the event were busy socialising and awaiting the entrance of important figures in the business industry and entertainment industry while the cameras are shuttering without stopping. Expensive cars were pulling up one after the other while the occupants walk on the red carpet before they enter the main hall. With the lavishness and exquisite arrangement of the anniversary, Han Corporation indeed precedes its reputation in the heart of the guests, after maintaining a low profile for years while being on top everyone are happy they got this chance today. After almost all the guests had arrived, the press were now awaiting the entrance of the main guests they need to make the headlines, immediately a luxurious black jeep pulled up, they took their position. The five friends arrived excluding Yu Yan in their tuxedos and dresses, An Ke walked with their arms around Li Chen''s arms while Ji Chen and Jia Yu did the same leaving only Meng Yao single, they allowed the press to take pictures for a while before they entered the main hall. Everyone turned to admire them as they made their entrance, the guys looked very dashing in their identical black tuxedo and bow tie while the girls were stunning in their dresses. Jia Yu is in a long high neck cap sleeved sparkle dress with earrings hooked on her ear and a silver purse in her hand, her silver heels completely matched the theme while An Ke is wearing a pink knee-length V necked tulle gown with box-shaped silver earrings and heels. Meng Yao is in a halter neck black tulle gown with gold hoop earrings and necklace. Each grabbed a glass of white wine from one of the waiters going around then they stood next to a table stand where they cheered while Jia Yu peeped outside as she was already expecting her parents to have arrived. Just as she was still having the thought, she heard loud shutters from outside then realised that they are already there. Both entered with their arms linked, her father in a cream coloured tuxedo and her mother is wearing a formal black long pencil skirt and a belted black blazer, their presence in the hall had everyone clamouring and fawning over them. Jia Yu shook her head. "I made the right decision to not get involved with the company or I would be in the same situation," she remarked. The rest nodded in agreement. Another presence made it become noisy outside. Chen Kai arrived alone without his family in a wine tuxedo and black overcoat, he wanted to use this chance to get his face in the media again especially after the problem with his company got solved even if he doesn''t know why Xiaomeng still helped him. Instead of letting him enter directly like the others, they began crowding him with questions. "How do you feel now that your family company''s crisis has been solved?" "Do you think Chen Corporation will be able to remain stable for long?" "Is your ex-fiance coming here today?" "Are you here alone?" They kept bombarding him with questions but he decided to answer the easiest one. "I am no longer in contact with my ex-fiance but I will be attending the anniversary alone," he made his way up the stairs leading to the main hall but stopped when the reporters rushed behind him, he turned back only to see his father and mother alight the car and just when he thought they were the only ones, someone else alighted the car. "Li Wei," he muttered with his eyes widened and his hands out of his pocket at the sight of the step-brother he loathes. The three of them walked forward with the image of a perfect family, excluding him. "Wasn''t he in America?" even when he saw a name that looked like his on a rota, he never suspected it was his step-brother. "Is this the rumoured illegitimate son of the Chen family?" a reporter asked. "He is my legitimate son, the illegitimate son is the one standing up there," Mr Chen answered with his hands pointing at Chen Kai, his shoulders dropped and his eyes narrowed at the situation he wanted to use to his advantage. Instead of answering more questions, the three of them walked past him but Li Wei flashed him a smirk before walking past. Even his mother? He could tell she was being forced but now he will make headlines as the illegitimate son of the Chen family, he hurried up the stairs to catch up with them but before he could get to them, they had already entered the hall and started introducing Li Wei to everyone in the circle including the Jia family. An Ke and the others couldn''t understand why her boyfriend is standing with Chen Kai''s parents and they are even introducing him to everyone. "Is he perhaps...?" "The illegitimate son of the Chen family, Chen Kai''s stepbrother," Jia Yu completed then they all turned to An Ke who has a betrayed expression on her face, she couldn''t believe they have been dating for so long yet she didn''t know he is the stepbrother of the animal who hurt her friend. She was going to confront him but Li Chen the peacemaker held her hand before she could go any further. "Don''t," he cautioned, she bit her lips in anger then stepped back. "He probably didn''t want to tell you because he knows how much we all hate Chen Kai," Jia Yu said to appease her anger, her conscience was triggered seeing how unhappy An Ke looks, it makes her wonder how Yu Yan will feel if she finds out that both she and Han Chen are hiding a secret from her. "He has a lot of explaining to do later," she said then gulped down the entire glass of wine. They were still discussing it when everyone suddenly turned to the entrance of the hall due to the uproar outside, they could hear the reporters throwing questions at whoever it is that had just arrived. "Why have you stayed hidden from the media all these years?" "Has your aunt really handed the full authority to you?" "Who is she?" They walked past them as they climbed the stairs with their arms linked while the press followed after them. They soon came into the view of those in the hall but with every step they took, they became more curious to see who it was. They finally arrived at the entrance where they glanced at each other with a smile on their face before turning to the guests. They were totally in couples mode in matching white and black, he is wearing a black turtle neck top in an off white blazer and trousers with a black overcoat, making his broad shoulders more noticeable while she is wearing a long white blazer dress buttoned all the way down with a round gold necklace and drop earrings, her hair is tied in a neat ponytail and her makeup bold. Their overall look is giving the business couple vibes. His Aunt and uncle watched them with pride written on their faces, they all couldn''t tell who he is and why the media is giving him such importance. Before they could crowd them, Yu Yan unlinked her arm from Han Chen and walked towards her godparents, giving them a hug. They spoke for a while under the curious gaze of those around them then she left to meet with her friends. She walked towards them with her face beaming in smiles. They were almost drooling at how classy she looks in that formal dress, the look they never thought they would want to see in her so badly. "You are stunning," Li Chen complimented as soon as she got to them while Ji Chen just kept staring at her without any words to express himself. She is his old crush and a friend for so many years yet he sees her as a person he will always admire not romantically and this is something Jia Yu understood before they got together. Their stare on her was starting to make her feel uncomfortable even though she chose the look herself. "Why are you guys still staring?" "I will I could steal that face of yours," Jia Yu remarked but Ji Chen cleared his throat. "I don''t think I can handle my brother in law if you do that," he joked, implying that if Han Chen decides to retaliate then he won''t be strong enough to defend her. They all laughed at his joke. Her eyes caught Li Wei shaking Han Chen''s hand but she has never seen them together, not to talk of the fact that Chen Kai''s parents are right beside him. Seeing Mrs Chen made her mind flashback to when she was embarrassed during Chen Kai''s welcome party, she balled her fist as she glared at them. They soon noticed her line of sight so they guessed she must have remembered that night. "If you don''t want them here you can have them removed," Jia Yu said, she wasn''t expecting her brother to have invited the Chen family but she knows once Yu Yan says the word they will be sent out immediately. Chapter 353 - Golden Anniversary! 2 "If you don''t want them here you can have them removed," Jia Yu said, she wasn''t expecting her brother to have invited the Chen family but she knows once Yu Yan says the word they will be sent out immediately. "There is no need, I have nothing to gain from sending them out but why is Li Wei with them yet Chen Kai is away from them?" not that she didn''t notice him when she entered but she purposefully ignored him. "He is the illegitimate son of the Chen family," Jia Yu answered and sighed. Yu Yan turned to An Ke with a quizzical look on her face. "I didn''t know until now," she said in her defence but Li Wei suddenly looked in her direction causing their eyes to meet. She quickly looked away. Chen Kai kept darting his gaze from Yu Yan to Han Chen, he couldn''t understand why so many notable people were crowding him yet Jia Yu isn''t there. The media also gave so much attention though he is just a neice to the Jia couple. "The CEO should be here by now,", the main reason why he is here is to meet with him especially now that his father might be giving his brother his position in the company. Clink! Clink! Clink! Their attention was drawn to the pulpit by the managing director who raised a toast to them. "Today is the Golden anniversary of Han Corporation and we are pleased to announce that our CEO has graced us with his presence along with his fianc¨¦," he announced, everyone started clapping their hands while they waited for both to go up the pulpit. Chen Kai''s eyes went round when Han Chen walked towards Yu Yan and linked arms with her as they walked towards the pulpit. {No way...} The applauding became louder once Han Chen and Yu Yan stood on the pulpit beside each other. He waited for them to stop clapping before he starts speaking. "I am sure most people here are familiar with my parents more than they are with me, they worked very hard to build up this company but due to personal reasons and my inexperience, I left the company in the hands of my Aunt who has helped the company grow," he pointed at his aunt who is smiling at him with pride written all over her face, the guest turned to her to applaud her then the applause ended when he clinked his glass. "So today I would like to announce that I will be formally taking over the company and also use this opportunity to introduce my fiance'', Huo Yu Yan," he turned to her with brightness on his face, even the guest could see that he is more like a man in love rather than the CEO of Han Corporation at the moment. Another round of applause went off. She held his hand tightly in nervousness, standing in front of all the guests and the cameras flashing at her endlessly. He already told her she doesn''t have to go up with him if she can''t handle the attention but she insisted on it. "That being said, I will also like to announce that I and my cousin, Jia Yu, will be getting married in two weeks to our loved ones," The hall became noisy, they have never seen Yu Yan before in any gathering or media so they couldn''t tell what family the lady who is lucky to be getting married to him is from though all that matters is that they get close to her. He held the stem of the flute tightly in shock, he couldn''t believe everything is being ruined right in front of him, his woman and even his pride. Even if he has to bow to him, he was already determined to seek help to completely resurrect the company or his father will fulfil his threat of removing him from the family register and taking all he has from him once the company falls. But if he has to bow to Han Chen...never. "Also, let me take this opportunity to announce that I am now the biggest shareholder of Chen Corporation with 53% of the company''s shares so from now on, I will be taking over Chen Corporation," he declared. Gasps filled the entire place. This is no anniversary but a shock party. Everyone turned to the Chen family but except for Li Wei, they all have a stupefied expression. Chen Kai dropped the flute in his hand causing it to shatter. He narrowed his eyes at Han Chen when he saw him and Yu Yan smirk at him then he understood, this is the plan they colluded together for and Xiaomeng played the biggest role in this. "Han Chen, you bast**d!" he yelled, disregarding the many eyes around them. His father glared daggers at him but he couldn''t care less, once the company is lost then his life will be destroyed. He stormed towards the pulpit but he was quickly held back and restrained by the security present at the event, he screamed in anger as they dragged him out of the party while the couple smiled at him smugly until he was out of sight. "I propose a toast to you all, thanks for your support all these years," the wine was brought to them on the pulpit, he and Yu Yan took a glass each then raised it to the audience. Meanwhile, the security guards dragged him down the stairs then threw him to the ground, he clenched his jaw and fist tightly after they left him before he started punching the ground angrily and yelling. "That-" he was just about to curse again when he saw white heels in front of him, he slowly raised his gaze but was surprised to see Xiaomeng standing before him with a smirk on her face. He immediately stood on his feet, he straightened his jacket and inserted his hands in his pocket. "How did you like my gift?" she asked, crossing her arms on her chest with her bag in her hand, just like the day he found out he lost the video, she has the same look on her face just that it screams KO this time. "You planned this?" She clicked her teeth and nodded her head. "Wrong, all I did was furnish it a little cos I figured you might be disappointed if it is not up to your standard," she responded. She is wearing a sleeveless white knee-length halter neck dress with lace ruffles as the way down and a slit from her thigh, on her ears are round white earrings and a silver bracelet on her wrist. "What makes you think I won''t kill you right this instant?" his eyes darkened, filled with murderous intent. Yet instead of taking him seriously, she broke into a peal of laughter with her hands on her belly. "Don''t humour me, losing the company means degrading you to a lowly commoner with no license or family behind him and if you do murder me, I guess that means jail for you," she spread her arms, telling him to go on with killing her if he desires. He gritted his teeth in anger. She stepped forward then placed her hands on his shoulder, he suddenly felt a sting on his foot so he looked down only to see her digging her heels into his feet, he groaned it pain then raised his gaze to meet hers. She leaned towards his ear, slowly wrapping her hands around his neck. "You don''t deserve me and you never did," She pulled away then stomped his foot before leaving. He held his knee as he screamed in pain and helplessness, he would never have imagined that Xioameng would be the one to ruin him at last neither does he need anyone to tell him that she made her father buy the shares in Han Chen''s name but he was so careless to overlook. Added with the shares she sold to him and the subsidiary he took over and perhaps the minor shares of some shareholders who suddenly left the board, he has total control now. Now he knows better than to wait till his father gets home before he packs his belonging and leaves to a faraway place his father will never be able to find him, knowing his cards will be frozen he stole some cash instead then ran away. After the announcement, Yu Yan returned with Han Chen to their friends who were flabbergasted at the announcements. "Brother...what," she was speechless. "The both of you planned this?" Meng Yao asked. "To be exact, the four of us," Yu Yan answered, turning to Li Chen who looked away from them. "Li Chen and Xiaomeng were with us," The three of them glared at Li Chen who could feel the lasers being shot from their eyes, he could only leave their midst before they attack him. "Did you just say Xiaomeng?" An Ke asked, realising Yu Yan just mentioned Xiaomeng. "Yes, I can''t tell you guys much but you all should know she is actually better than we thought she is," The three of them exchanged glanced at each other in confusion as to why Xiaomeng would go to such lengths to hurt Chen Kai, someone she has been obsessed with even if she called off her marriage to him. Chapter 354 - On One Condition! In a dark underground entrapment with no light, he could hear the creaking sound of the gate moving. His heart became filled with hope, one he has lost ever since he was thrown into the entrapment knowing how cruel his father can be once he sets his heart on someone. He heard footsteps in the direction of the cell where he is held in shackles, he waited for whoever it is to open the door to the cell so he can at least see a ray of light. Just as he wished, the door to his cell was opened exposing his eyes to the light making him squint his eyes. "Bohai," He heard someone call, he opened his eyes to look at who it is clearly, only then did he realise it is actually Meng Hui. She stood away from him while tears pooled in her eyes as she watched him in such a miserable condition, he has turned very skinny and frail. His hair is left down, his lips chapped and his face as pale as a sheet. She rushed towards him, holding his face in her hand. "You have really suffered," she remarked as tears strolled down her face. He knew it...she was going to come for him, even if his father abandons him here, Meng Hui will never let him be here forever like his father threatened. "Xiaomeng," he muttered as his strength is not able to support his voice. "Why did you have to help her? you wouldn''t be locked up in here if you didn''t help her," she asked in hopes that he now regrets his decision and loathes the one who made him land in this awful place while she is enjoying her life with her family. "S-she she d...didn''t do anything wrong," his words were more like a whisper, she removed the bottle she was hiding in her chest then helped him drink from the bottle. If the sect leader knew she was going to bring the bottle with her after begging him for so long to let her see him then he wouldn''t have let her in. He gasped for breath after tasting his first drop of water ever since he was locked in here, even water now feels like a privilege he could never get. "I have pleaded with the sect leader to let you out," His eyes bulged immediately, as the days passed by he had almost lost hope in leaving or Xiaomeng saving him. "Did he say I can leave now?" his voice was filled with desperation. She looked away from him then returned the bottle to her chest before looking at him again with a downcast expression, she was hesitant but her hesitation was making him feel frustrated, he wished he could yell at her to speak quickly but he doesn''t even have the strength. "He accepted but on one condition...." she was sure he would never accept it immediately but she is determined to make it happen no matter what because that is the only way she can save him and help him retain his position. "Please tell me," "Your father wants you to kill Huo Lan," she disclosed, making her gaze firm on him in order to coerce him. His eyes widened and his heart dropped immediately he heard her, he couldn''t believe his ears. After his father found out about him informing Huo Lan about the competition, he also found out that he is in love with Huo Lan including the fact that he even brought her out of the sect once but he wants him to kill the woman he loves with his own hands. "Never...father wouldn''t ask me to do such a thing," he shook his head profusely but she held his shoulder tightly and looked straight into his eyes. "The emperor sent a letter to the sect leader, offering to make you a prince while you maintain your position in the martial world. Do you not know what that means?" She tightened her grip on his shoulder. "You will attain the power you always wanted. Huo Lan defeated Huo Yi Lang who is the strongest cultivator and the moment the entire world finds out you killed her you will be deemed the strongest, do you still not want to kill her?" she can''t believe he won''t accept it. No one knows Bohai more than her and his hunger for power, everyone knows the four sects were stripped of the royal titles to cut down their power but if he becomes a prince then...he will be a thousand steps forward to attaining the real power he wants. She could see it in his eyes, he is giving in. He shook his head to dismiss the thought from his head, he couldn''t even believe he considered it for a moment. "Huo Lan is no longer a monster to the world, I will be deemed a sinner if anyone finds out about this," She smirked then inserted her hand into her chest, bringing out a dagger with intricate designs on it. "The glory is useless but what about her power?" she unsheathed the dagger, causing a bright blue glow to spread around the entire cell. He couldn''t understand what she means but he remembers seeing his father holding that dagger before he hid it in his secret compartment. "This is the spirit siphon dagger, guess who used this dagger?" her smirk widened. The name does ring a bell but he couldn''t pinpoint where exactly he has heard the name of the dagger. "Everyone thinks the flame power cannot be tampered with but Huo Yi Lang made this dagger from the body of many flame sect disciples and he used it to draw power from the former sect leader of the flame sect to increase his strength," His eyes widened. "Are you telling me to absorb Huo Lan''s power using this dagger, you have gone mad!" he yelled using his last bit of energy. Losing her spiritual energy will make her mind crumble and her soul will shatter, it is even worse than death. "Why can''t you?!" "Huo Yi Lang was a monster at heart so he did something so despicable, she will be worse than a dead person. Moreover, I have the wind and water element in me so it is impossible," he retorted. She initially thought he wouldn''t agree to the second idea but his last sentence gave her hope, if he is already considering the effect on him then it means he will bend sooner or later. She held his shoulders again. "It doesn''t matter, Huo Yi Lang managed to acquire the spiritual power of the four main sects so why can''t you, Huo Lan might be weak in martial art but she has a great amount of spiritual strength so as long as you absorb it you will become unrivalled," "No, no...I will rather stay here for life than do such a despicable thing," he looked away from her coercive gaze, she removed her hands from his shoulder. "I will come back in three days, if you don''t make up your mind then you will not only lose the power and glory but you will have to spend the rest of your life here until you die," she turned back coldly and left, once again subjecting him to the darkness of the entrapment. He had already gotten used to the light in just a few minutes that he started screaming in desperation after she left even though his voice is not loud enough to even go past the cell. He could feel his head spiralling and his mind entering total disarray with her words replaying in his head, he has been hearing whispers and having hallucinations for a while because of the dehydration but her words are triggering it once again. ''Kill her'' he heard a whisper in his head ''Kill her'' It kept repeating itself, he shook his head profusely to get rid of the thought. The images of Huo Lan holding Huo Yi Lang in the air with her hands strangling his neck were also flashing in his head, his clenched fist and the envy he felt in his heart while he watched was too evident for him to deny. He shook his head again, if only his hands weren''t held up by the shackled then he would have hit his head several times already. Suddenly the image of Huo Ying glaring at him before she carried Huo Lan out of the ring flashed again for the nth time since he has been locked up. He has never for once forgotten that demeaning look she gave him and he knows just what he did to warrant it. She definitely saw him jerk up from his seat even before she noticed Huo Yi Lang''s sneak attack on Huo Lan but she saw him hesitate then slump back to his seat, only then did she return her focus to the ring only to see Huo Yi Lang about to land her sister a sneak attack. He could have saved her in time without anyone getting hurt but for that split second, the thought of the incident at the market entered his mind, What if she is really that formidable to possess the lost power of the extinct ice clan and flame power? That was what he thought for the split second. "No, no, no!" he yelled repeatedly. Chapter 355 - He Is Not My Enemy! "I am already full," Huo Lan complained. It has been a week since she woke up and fully recovered yet everyone keeps treating her like a sick and fragile person, she is not even allowed to feed herself yet she is being stuffed with the same food everyday. "You have to eat more so you don''t fall sick again," Huo Ying persuaded "You promised you were going to feed me lots of delicious food yet you keep feeding me congee and chicken soup all day," she pouted her lips and turned her cheeks the other way, refusing to take another spoon of congee. Huo Ying sighed then placed the bowl on her bedside. "I will let you eat what you want after today as long as you finish the entire bowl," She glanced at the content of the bowl but seeing that she hasn''t even eaten half the bowl yet, she nodded her head in refusal. "I don''t want to," she sulked. "Alright," she gave in at last, she indeed acknowledges that she has done nothing but stuff her with congee and soups despite her spending so many years in suffering. She smiled once again since she has giving up, she found the chance to bring up the issue she always wanted to speak about for a while, she held Huo Ying hands in hers. "Huo Ying," she called. She could tell she wants to say something important. "I want to see Bohai," she said. Huo Ying immediately drew out her hands from her sister''s hand at the mention of Bohai, she even almost forgot to tell Huo Lan what happened that day. Huo Lan furrowed her brows in confusion at her sister''s reaction. "Huo Lan, listen to me, from now on you must never meet Bohai again," she said in a commanding and resolute tone, one Huo Lan has never heard before. She couldn''t understand what caused the sudden change since Huo Ying wasn''t like this when she first told her about Bohai and she even trusted Bohai to tell her about the competition. She held her hand again and smiled. "What are you saying all of a sudden, you know I like Bohai?" she was scared. Huo Ying removed her hands and placed them on her hand instead. "Bohai cannot be trusted, during the heroes contest he could have saved you but he sat back instead. Huo Lan you really have to listen to me this time," she is desperate to make Huo Lan obey her cos she knows she would also be torn if someone told her to never see Huo Qiang but she must do this so Huo Lan doesn''t end up getting hurt one day. "I am sure he didn''t mean to, you also couldn''t do anything that day," "This is different, he clearly saw that Huo Yi Lang was about to sneak attack you and he could have saved you before the fourth prince," she doesn''t know how to describe to Huo Lan what she saw on that day, the moment of betrayal she was thankful Huo Lan never saw. "No!" "Huo Lan..." "Huo Ying, I know you think I don''t know anything and I agree with you but I really love Bohai. I don''t know why the fourth prince saved me but if Bohai could, he would have done the same," "Huo Lan!" They both turned to the entrance at the sound of the shaky voice but they were shocked to see their mother pushed the door open. She stood there with an electrifying and angry look in her eyes. "What did you just say?" she was going to check on her but she stood outside when she heard Huo Lan raise her voice, the moment she heard Huo Lan say she loves Bohai, she lost it. "Mother..." Huo Ying muttered in fear, she quickly dropped to her knees, understanding the gravity of her mother finding out about Huo Lan''s feelings for Bohai. She nudged Huo Lan to do the same but the innocent girl couldn''t understand why her mother looks so angry and why Huo Ying is kneeling, she doesn''t even understand why Huo Ying is suddenly against Bohai. "Repeat what you said!" she yelled, pressing her lips together with her nose flared. Her body shook in fear, seeing her mother like that for the first time. Huo Ying quickly cupped her palm and fist then lowered her head. "Huo Lan is still immature please don''t take her seriously," Huo Ying pleaded on behalf of her sister, putting herself in her mother''s shoes she can understand why her mother is so angry. She lost many of her close ones all because of a set-up that was orchestrated by the wind sect even if many others contributed to it, he and the emperor plotted together to hold her daughter hostage. Even her father who was one of the elders back then died in the hands of Li Yuanlang under the pretext of the battle of the overnight. "Why can''t I love him, Huo Ying, I told you he said he loves me and he even took the risk to bring me out of the sect and you even trusted him to tell me about the test," her eyes kept darting around in disarray, Huo Ying''s change of attitude is even more baffling to her. They don''t even understand how excited she was to tell them about her relationship with Bohai yet they are crushing it. "Shut your mouth!" her mother roared, her nails dug into her fist but she soon felt a relapse of an old injury in her chest so she clutched it tight. "Mother, are you alright?" Huo Lan asked seeing her mother wince in pain. "I spent so many years agonising over the loss of my loved ones and my daughter who has been taken away from me, everyone who belongs to the flame sect lost someone important in the battle of overnight so tell me, how are you going to explain to them that are you in love with their enemy?!" This was exactly what Huo Ying was worried about, no one will ever support Huo Lan in this and if not for the love she has for Huo Lan, she wouldn''t have let her continue with this fantasy when she told her about it. "You knew about this and you didn''t tell me," she accused with her eyes fixed on Huo Ying. "I thought he could be trusted so I let him tell her about the test, I admit my mistake," she apologised immediately, if she didn''t see what Bohai did during the contest then she might have spoken on Huo Lan''s behalf. She exhaled deeply, closing her eyes then she opened them again. "I will only tell you this once, from this moment onwards, you will forget whatever you had between each other. He is now your enemy," "No, Bohai is not my enemy," she retorted in defiance, those few moments she spent with him are already etched in her heart and she will never be able to see him as her enemy, not even in a hundred years. "Huo Lan..." Huo Ying cautioned. "Since you refuse to do as I say then I will remind you of what the wind sect cost this sect," "Who is there?" Two female disciples entered the room immediately. "Lock Huo Lan in the memorial hall, she should stay there and reflect on her actions in front of the ones who died in the hands of the wind sect," she ordered with her resolution resounding in her voice. They couldn''t believe their ears. She has been confined for so many years yet she plans to subject her to confinement again. "Mother, please forgive her," Huo Ying pleaded while Huo Lan stared at her mother in bewilderment, she still hasn''t recovered from the fear of being confined yet she is going to put her back in the same position. "If she refuses to do as I say then she should reflect on herself properly," she stormed out of the room, the two disciples were hesitant but they had to follow her orders, Huo Lan got dressed in thin clothing as proposed by her mother, the memorial hall is the coldest place in the flame sect so freezing is another punishment added. The news of Huo Lan being locked up in the memorial hall soon travelled around the sect but no one knows the reason why the sect madam would order such a thing to be done to her daughter whom she hasn''t seen for so many years. Huo Ying knelt in front of her mother''s chambers in hopes that she will change her mind, she already knows her mother is probably agonizing in her heart since she did such a harsh thing to her own daughter. "Huo Ying," Huo Qiang called as he walked towards her with his sword in his hand, he knelt on one knee beside her. "What is going on?" "She found out about Huo Lan and Bohai''s relationship," she answered. "Didn''t you say you were going to talk to Huo Lan about it, how did she find out?" "It is my fault for underestimating her feelings for Bohai, I was just trying to make her believe that he is not to be trusted when mother walked in on us yet she refuses to renounce him," "I will kneel with you," She shook her head in disagreement, placing her hand on his shoulder. "She must already be enraged that I am pleading for Huo Lan, if you also join me then it will only worsen the situation," He knows persuading her won''t change her mind and he can''t tell anyone else about this issue so he decided to speak to Huo Lan from outside since he can''t enter without the sect madam''s permission. Chapter 356 - I Will Never Lie To You Again! "An Ke," he called her name even before he got to where she is seated in the caf¨¦, she picked up her coffee from the table then stood up to leave but he rushed up to her and held her hand to stop her, she tried to push his hand away but to no avail and she doesn''t want to embarrass herself in the caf¨¦ so she just sat back. She looked away from him yet held her cup tightly to stop herself from doing anything dramatic, he noticed how tight she is holding the cup and he could tell just what is running through her mind. "You can pour it on me if you want," he said. She turned to him, raising her brow. "Do you think I won''t dare to pour it?" Instead of answering, he placed his hand on her hand holding the cup. He was going to raise the cup but she removed her hand before he downs it on himself. "You introduced yourself as Wang Li Wei yet you are surnamed Chen, how stupid of me," she scoffed at her stupidity. He has thought of everything he is going to say when he finally gets to meet her since she wasn''t answering his phone calls or letting him into her house, she even evades him whenever they jam at the hospital but now all the practice has gone to waste the moment he set his eyes on her. "Wang is my mother''s surname," "You even had the nerve to speak of marriage, I was going to marry a man who lied to me about his identity even after we started dating," she has been lied to by many men but those weren''t serious relationships so she doesn''t care but after she found out he lied to her, she felt stupid for the first time. "I was going to tell you before then," "It didn''t cross your mind that I would see you at the party being introduced at one of the Chen''s, did it?" He really can''t explain himself, even when Han Chen found out that he is the illegitimate son of the Chen''s family and he secretly returned to the country, it didn''t occur to him that he has yet to tell her about his identity. To him, his family name is nothing but a mere burden, one he doesn''t plan to shoulder. "I am not proud of my family name, for me it is more like a stigma and being with you made me forget who I really am...an illegitimate son," he muttered the last words. Her expression changed quickly, the moment he mentioned he is an illegitimate son. As someone who has been born and bred in this society, she understands what he means but she still can''t help feeling worse because it shows what kind of person he thinks she is. "Did you think of me as someone who only cares about societal status? you saying that makes it even worse," she said in a shaky voice, unable to withstood her tears from dropping she quickly stood up and scurried out of the Caf¨¦. He kept calling her name as he followed behind her even after she left the building and walked into the park outside the building. Except for the rooftop which is far away, that is the nearest place she can let it out. She supported herself by resting her hand on the tree bark as she covered her mouth to sob quietly. Never for once has she cried for any man. He looked around the park for a while before he found her in a deserted spot so he hurriedly walked towards her. He stood behind her for a sec then hugged her from behind. She gasped lightly at his touch but soon pushed him away. "An Ke, it is not what you think," "Why, did you think I would have distanced myself from you because you are an illegitimate son?" "An Ke-" "You are right, had I known you were an illegitimate child I would never have stopped so low to date you," His heart sank at her words even though he knows she is just saying it out of anger. Low...the word that rings in his head when he remembers how he used to get treated by Chen Kai and everyone else around him before he left for America. She didn''t think her words were so harsh that he is tearing up. "Weiwei..." she switched back to caring girlfriend mode in just a sec. He sniffed his nose to send back the tears and his face looked like he is about to cry. She moved closer to him, she held his face in her hand as she examined him closely. "You are not about to cry, are you?" He shook his head to deny it even though the tears were already dropping. She wiped the tears of his face then pulled him in for a hug while she patted his back gently. "I didn''t mean what I said, please don''t cry or I will cry too," "But you are already crying," He couldn''t believe his tears had the power to soften her heart so easily, he was really tearing up at first but he started faking it when she moved closer to him. He smiled to himself, if he had known that is all it took to melt her heart then he would have wailed in front of her house on the first day. She was still patting his back when she suddenly stopped, squinting her eyes. "You are not pretending, are you?" She pushed him away, realising that she has been fooled. He tried really hard to get rid of the smile but it was too funny that she fell so easily. "Liar...so embarrassing," She was just serious about getting angry yet she changed so quickly. She wanted to leave quickly before he teases her but he pulled her back and hugged her tightly. "I promise never to lie to you again," "Never," "Hm," She reciprocated the hug, only then did she realise just how much she wanted to reconcile with him but her pride wouldn''t let her. {I had better learn to be immune to his tears so he doesn''t trick me again} She reminded herself. ***** The entire mansion of the Chen''s was under fire under the fury of Mr Chen. He came home after the party in rage with him the determination to kill Chen Kai on sight but everything went awry once he found out he ran away with his cash. He immediately suspended both his accounts and his mother''s account, he even went as far as confining his wife to her the mansion and taking away all her means of communication so she doesn''t get the chance to help him. He clearly knows Han Chen and Xiaomeng who he presumes to be an accomplice must have done this because Chen Kai got on their wrong side and the investment Chen Kai got to solve the crisis was just a farce. Only after the party did he find out that Li Wei got on the right side of Han Chen and he managed to get him to hand over Chen hospital to him or else the family will be left with nothing except a few business here and there in other companies. "I spent years trying to build up this company with my sweat and blood but that bastard son of yours ruined everything," he yelled, parading around the room as he threw things to the ground. He turned to the secretary while his wife cowered in fear of what is to happen to her son. "I don''t care what you do but you must use every means to find him, declare him wanted if possible but I want him found," "Yes sir," he answered then left to carry out the order. She wants to beg on his behalf but she knows better than to say a word at this time or her husband will take out his anger on her. This is the worst he has ever treated since they got married even after she cheated on him and brought a bastard son into his house yet she couldn''t bear another child for him. His chest heaved up and down in anger, he just needs something to hit, someone to pour out all his feelings of frustration on but he can''t bear to do that to his wife. So he stormed out of the living room instead. Unlike before where she carries herself high and dresses in flashy clothing and jewellery even when she is at home, she wears a simple black gown all day and doesn''t make up anymore, no mother will be able to watch her child suffer. As soon as he left, she began scrambling the entire house for a means to call Chen Kai so she can confirm he is okay and at least tell him to leave the country before his father finds him, she was still looking around when she heard footsteps in the room. She turned around only to see Xiaomeng standing behind her. She stood straight in shame before the girl but she doesn''t know how to feel about her, after all she is the one who brought her son to this point. "godmother," she called with guilt written almost over her face. Chapter 357 - Beautiful Brides-to-be! "godmother," she called with guilt written almost over her face. The woman before her looks so haggard and worn out that she almost couldn''t recognise her, the high and lofty mannerism is nowhere to be found, even with the same, she rushed towards Xiaomeng and held her hand with a pleading gaze in her eyes. "I know Chen Kai has hurt you but please for old times sake, help him," she pleaded. "godmother..." she has never seen her like this before. "It is all my fault for forcing him into the relationship because I adored you and I am not asking you to forgive him but if my husband finds him first then he will certainly die, so please..." She might be anything but she has always been caring towards her since she was little and treated her like her own child but she can''t do anything to help her, if Chen Kai knows the gravity of the situation then he would have fled to a place no one can find him. "Even if I find him I won''t help him but I will let you know," she gently brushed her hands away from hers then walked away while she followed behind her, calling her name to bring her back. Mr Chen let her in to check on his wife even though she assisted in bringing about the fall of his company but she left quickly because she knows she won''t be able to resist if Mrs Chen keeps pleading. She is ready determined to live the life she always wanted as her father''s helper in his company, she cast aside her dream of leading her father''s company one day just to stick with him so he can see just how compatible they are. ******* Han Chen and Ji Chen walked about the waiting room frantically, they both couldn''t wait to see their brides appear in their wedding dresses. The staff were laughing at them seeing as they are acting like husbands waiting for their wives in labour. "Sirs, please be at ease, you will be seeing your beautiful brides soon," one of the staff said while the others chuckled, both glanced at each other at the realisation they are overreacting but just at that moment the curtains to both showrooms slowly parted. They froze as they gulped their non-existent saliva to behold their brides to be...first their face then their entire body became visible. Their eyes went round as they gasped in awe of the sight before them, even the staff were amazed by how beautiful the both of them look. Both men found themselves smiling broadly without even realising it. Yu Yan and Jia Yu were so obsessed with twinning everything on their wedding day so they decided to get the same dress and here they are standing in the same dress. They are in a white sparkly off shoulder lace ball gown wedding dress, decorated with fluffs on the chest, silver sparkles all over the gown and see-through long sleeves. Their hair is styled in a bun and adorned with a tiara anchoring the veil reaching up to their waist. They were grinning ear to ear as they waited for one of the men to say something but both were still staring at him. The staff who helped them change cleared her throat to bring both back to reality. "Ah...y-you," Han Chen couldn''t find the words for this moment, he used to imagine this moment from the minute they started dating but he never thought that his imaginations would lose in such a wide contrast to the woman in front of him, even his cousin his looking extremely pretty that he feels like a father leading his daughter up the aisle. He placed his mouth over his mouth then turned around. They glanced at each other before turning to him. "You are not crying...right?" They couldn''t believe he is crying because they are in a wedding dress, Ji Chen could feel what he is feeling but all he wants to do is just carry Jia Yu in his arms and twirl her around but he held himself back knowing the heavy dress will probably break his back before he can even carry her on the wedding day. He threw her a kiss and mouthed ''You are so beautiful''. She threw him a kiss and giggled in response, Yu Yan felt jealous watching the duo, she wished Han Chen would stop acting like an old man and compliment her in words or actions, not sobbing with his back turned at her. Frowning her face, she turned to the staff. "Please help me get changed," she said, they were surprised that she wants to change so early and her mood seems to have changed, Han Chen swiftly turned back but she had already entered the changing room before he could say anything. A few minutes later, they are now inside the car driving back home but she keeps looking out the window and frowning. "Don''t you like the dress? I can get someone to make another one if you want," he couldn''t think of another reason for her frown. "It is just a few days to the wedding, how is that possible?" She still wasn''t looking at him. "Anything is possible as long as it is for you," "I am fine with the dress," she just can''t understand why he can''t point out the real why she is angry. He kept taking his eyes off the road to glance at her, he was already getting frustrated so he suddenly brought the car to a stop at the side of the road. "Please don''t punish me like this, just tell me what I did wrong," "I am fine, lets get going," "When a woman says she is fine, she always means the opposite," She too is getting frustrated with the malice so she turned to him. "Why didn''t you anything about my dress, you could have at least said ''You look beautiful or praise the dress'' but you just kept your back turned at me," she rapped her thoughts out immediately, fuming. He stared at her for a while before he burst into laughter, he couldn''t believe that was the reason for her anger. He suddenly kissed her forehead then smiled. "I did that because you were so beautiful compared to how I imagined you in a wedding dress and I was even moved to tears by your ethereal beauty," "Liar-" He kissed her lips. She doesn''t know what he plans to achieve by doing that but if melting her was what he wanted then he has succeeded. Her cheeks became flushed quickly so she looked out the window and giggled while he started the car again, she started talking about how she wants the wedding to go on the way and he agreed with everything she said. Both him and Ji Chen were against them wearing the wedding dress but they even forced the two to wear the same tuxedo, he really can''t understand what is going through their mind. Then it struck his mind, what if she refuses to have a baby until Jia Yu decided to have one? He definitely wouldn''t let that happen so he had better speak to that cousin of his quickly, he thought to himself. They soon got to her apartment in no time, she just opened the door when she noticed big boxes in the living room, she entered carefully in case they have been burgled. "Did you order something?" she asked as she examined the boxes then turned to him, the expression on his face assured her that the boxes belong to him. He sat her down then opened the boxes using his key. She was surprised to see what is inside the box. "Why did you bring these, is someone having a baby?" Inside the box are baby clothing, crib, toys and many other necessities. "These are for our future baby," he answered with sheer excitement on his face but he noticed she didn''t seem pleased, he wondered if he has done something he shouldn''t have done again. Looking at him now, she realised she shouldn''t have used kids to motivate him into marriage, not that she doesn''t want to have kids but she wants to become stable first so she can have time to spend with her child when she has one but he current condition won''t allow her that as she can only take some time off for her wedding and honeymoon, even if she gets maternity leave it won''t be enough for her. He sat beside her and held her hand. "What is it?" She sighed and turned to him. "Do you really want to have a baby as soon as we get married, why don''t we shift a year back not two or three?" she seemed really worried. He didn''t know she wasn''t ready yet but since she was the one who brought it up first, he thought that is what she wanted so he took it upon himself to be prepared beforehand. He still wasn''t saying anything. "It''s not that I don''t want a baby after marriage but I am not sure I will be a good mom if I don''t have enough time to spend with my child because of my job," she explained. Chapter 358 - Cruel Father! He still wasn''t saying anything. "It''s not that I don''t want a baby after marriage but I am not sure I will be a good mom if I don''t have enough time to spend with my child because of my job," she explained. "I would never force you if you feel you are not ready yet but if it is because of your job then you should know that even in ten years you will still be as busy as you are or even more and I don''t mind it," She pondered on his words for a while then she realised he is right. "I guess you are right," she muttered with a smile. He pulled her to where the boxes are. "Why don''t you take a look at them and tell me if you like them?" He couldn''t help smiling, she doesn''t know if every groom is like this before the wedding but these past few days he has been very hyper-active even more than she the bride, she even compared him with Ji Chen who seems to be led by whatever Jia Yu wants and giving him only little decision making power. **** The Other world. The three days she gave him has already passed but she didn''t go to meet him because she wanted to give him more time to ponder on it, she spent so much effort to make the sect leader give him this chance and she doesn''t plan on letting him throw it away. The emperor only said he was going to reward Bohai if he succeeds but she suggested the sect leader request he is made a prince and still be allowed to keep his position in the martial circle. She made her way through the rows of cells until she got to the cell where he is being kept, she opened the door only to find he has gotten worse than he was before, his hair was looking even more dishevelled than before and his body more sickly. "Bohai," she called. He slowly raised his head to see who it is and the moment he saw her and the rays of light in the cell his eyes shone with hope again. He already lost track of time while in the cell so he couldn''t tell if three days had just passed or she didn''t come. "Water, did you come with water?" She shook her head. She figured it is better she let him suffer so he can make up his mind sooner. "Have you made up your mind?" she asked. "About what?" ever since he left, his mind has been muddled because of the whispers, hallucinations and images flashing in his head. "You know very well what I am talking about," "If it is about hurting Huo Lan then my answer remains the same, I will never absorb the power of the woman I love no matter how greedy I am," the volume of his voice is very low but she could still make out what he is saying. She bit her lips and sent a slap across his face. "Do you really plan to die here because of that lowly witch?!" she yelled at him. "She is not a witch but a young girl who just lost her freedom unjustly," he retorted. "No," she took a step closer to him. "The moment she was born she lost every right to her freedom just like you don''t have a choice but to kill her," "If that is what you came to say then you should leave," he turned his head away from her but she suddenly held his chin and empties a pill bottle into his mouth then she forced him to swallow, after she let go of his chin he tried to spit it out but it has gone down his throat. "What did you feed me?" He yelled "Something to motivate you, if the starvation and lack of light won''t work on you then this should," He was still trying to understand what she means when he felt a twisting pain in his stomach. "W-what is this?" He felt like his intestines were being intertwined. "Very soon you will feel as though bugs are crawling around your body into your head but don''t worry, you won''t die," she lifted his chin and whispered into his ear. "It will only help you realise your deepest desires and discover your greed," she moved away then smiled evilly before leaving the cell and subjecting him to total darkness again. She knows he is just trying to fool himself, he is just like his father and the both of them can do anything for power just like the sect leader killed his own wife and framed the flame sect for his wife''s death. She only found out recently when she heard him talking to her father in secret. She has seen the look of envy on his face during the competition so she doesn''t believe he won''t come around. Aargh!!! He screamed in pain as a strong sensation travelled around his body forcing the whispers to return again. He couldn''t imagine enduring this for another day. "Come back here, Xiaomeng, I said come back here!" He screamed even though he knows his voice won''t even travel past the cell door. Her heart wrenches at her cruelty towards him but she knows this is the only way she can save him and also help him realise his ambition at the same time, by the time she exited the entrapment the sect leader and her father were already waiting for her. She slowly walked towards them then bowed her head to greet them. "Has he accepted?" the sect leader questioned with his back turned to her. "N-not yet but I am very sure he will come around soon as long as the pill works effectively," she was scared he will take back his word, she already finds it suspicious he is letting Bohai absorb Huo Lan''s spiritual power when he can just take it for himself and become unrivalled. "It will," "You can leave now," She bowed then took her leave. They watched her until she was out of sight then her father cleared his throat to speak. "Is sect leader really going to let young master absorb her power?" He couldn''t understand why he would want his son to be greater than him and this is also unexpected of someone like him. "Bohai has an emotional connection to her so it will be better for him to absorb it then..." He moved to stand in front of him. "He won''t be able to survive with such huge conflicting power inside him so I will absorb it from his body," He eyes widened. "Sect leader, young master Bohai might not be able to survive before he returns to the sect," "If he can''t even do something so simple then he is better dead," He responded then he turned to leave, the first elder watched him as he walked away with mixed feelings. On one hand, the plan is a smart one but considering that he is putting his own son in danger just to get power... His heart is entirely loyal to the sect leader but he doesn''t want Meng Hui to be hurt by what is going on. She covered her mouth in shock of what she just heard, she pretended to leave then hid behind the rock to listen to their conversation but she couldn''t believe the sect leader is so cruel, if something goes wrong while Bohai is absorbing the power or when his father takes it out of him then he might die. She couldn''t believe her father not only helped him kill his wife but also knows about this yet he didn''t tell her. She decided she won''t tell Bohai about this but she will never let the sect leader put him in succeed in his plan. ********* She is seated in front of the mirror while the lady helping her with her veil stood behind her to give her time to see if she is happy with the result. Her eyes shone with brightness at the image in the mirror, she has always thought all brides look beautiful but she never knew she could look this beautiful, her lashes fluttered for a moment before she opened her mouth to speak. "It is very beautiful," she said in a sentimental tone, the lady smiled satisfactorily then she left the dressing room to check on Jia Yu who is seated in another dressing room. Her wedding dress spreads across the seat and her veil is almost touching the ground since she is seated but she can''t take her eyes off the mirror, she could feel tears pooling in her eyes and she now understands why Han Chen was so emotional when he saw her in the wedding dress. She was still admiring herself when the guests started trooping in to see her with greetings and good wishes for her marriage, they kept coming one after the other and she was now finding it tiring especially since she has to keep smiling. Chapter 359 - Forever And Ever! She was still admiring herself when guests started trooping in to see her with greetings and good wishes for her marriage, they kept coming after the other and she was now finding it tiring especially since she has to keep smiling. She lowered her head and sighed in relief after they all left, the celebration hasn''t even started yet she has to meet so many people and even act as if she knows then when in fact she doesn''t even recognise them a bit since most of them are not from her hospital. But just when she thought it was over, her colleagues at the hospital started trooping in, they kept praising her beauty and the wedding dress while the married ones started going on and on about how they wished they could marry someone as rich as Han Chen then they could have worn a dress as beautiful as hers. {There is only one Han Chen in this world and he is mine} She said inwardly while maintaining an outward smile. They stood behind her to take a group picture then they started asking for individual pictures with her, she then realised that a wedding is not just flowery but it is also stressful especially a big one like this but what can she do about it when her husband to be is too awesome to be ordinary. She smiled and waved them goodbye while they left for the main hall. "You have always been pretty but you look extra pretty today," she heard someone remark. "Mrs Nanxiang!" she exclaimed. She is the one person she was hoping to see instead of all the people that just trooped in, she walked towards her with a broad smile on her face then hugged her instead of letting Yu Yan stand up from her seat. She cupped her face in her hands. "I am really happy for you," The look in her eyes almost brought tears to Yu Yan''s eyes, she is the one who motivated her to keep on going despite the discrimination she got when she first started working at the hospital and now she is looking at her as though she is her mother. "Thank you," she muttered. "Such an emotional scene," An Ke who is standing at the entrance of the room with the rest remarked, both of them quickly wiped their tears then Mrs Nanxiang climbed down from the short stairs leading to where Yu Yan is seated. She smiled at them then left while they rushed up to Yu Yan. "What if you mess up your makeup?" Meng Yao dabbed her face gently with her hanky while the rest chuckled, seeing Yu Yan now, An Ke is seriously considering marriage. Who wouldn''t be when they have the perfect bride before them. Li Chen placed his hand over his mouth in speechlessness, he can''t think of any words he could use to describe the beauty before him and it makes him wonder if Han Chen will be able to remain sane when he is standing beside her on the altar. "You are drooling," An Ke teased causing them to laugh. "I don''t think your parents will be coming in any soon cos your entire family are trying to stop your father from bawling his eyes out," She already expected it from her father even if Li Chen doesn''t tell her, whenever he speaks of her wedding he ends up in tears so she wasn''t surprised. "Aunt!" Li Jing and Li Na shouted as they ran into the room. They widened their eyes in disbelief that the one in the wedding gown and holding a bouquet is actually their aunt. The friends admired the cute reaction of her niece and nephew so they decided to leave the twins with their aunt. After they left, Yu Yan stretched out her hand to urge them to come to her, they both look like they are about to cry but they are trying their best to hold it in. "You had better not cry," she cautioned whilst tearing up herself, they shook their heads and sniffed their nose in denial then smiled broadly. "We can still come and see you, right?" Li Na asked She held their hands. "Anytime," "It is time," her father said as he stood at the entrance, even from afar she could see his red eyes. "Dad," she called The twins left the room to the hall while her father walked towards her then they linked their arms with her bouquet in her hand as they walked out of the room. "Dad, you might tear my dress at this rate," she cautioned jokingly because her dad keeps missing his steps. "Don''t worry, I won''t spoil your special day," his voice sounded so mellow that she really feels his sadness in her heart but it is not like she is moving to somewhere far away. "Are you sure you want to get married?" "Dad..." "I am sorry it''s just..." Before he could finish they met Jia Yu and Mr Jia at the entrance of the aisle, both brides smiled at each other before their fathers led them into the hall. Everyone turned towards them and they were amazed at the magnificence of their dress, all they could do is stare until the brides'' arrival at the altar. Han Chen and Ji Chen looked nervous, they could hear each other''s hearts thudding aloud in anxiousness. Their fathers handed their hands to the guys then they turned to the reverend holding the wedding. The couples glanced at each other while the reverend started his speech. His hands fist wet and it makes her wonder just how nervous he is. "You are really nervous," she muttered and he hummed in response. After his speech, he faced the couples then made Jia Yu and Ji Chen say their marriage vows then he turned to Yu Yan and Han Chen. "Yu Yan, do you take Han Chen to be your wedded husband, for better or worse?" the reverend asked the question she has been waiting for. Her lips widened into the brightest smile anyone has ever seen on her. "I, Yu Yan takes Han Chen to be my husband till death do us apart," she held his hand tightly as they stared into each other''s eyes and she could see his eyes glistening with tears. "Han Chen, do you take Yu- "Yes, I promise to love her forever and ever till death do us apart," he answered even before the reverend could finish his sentence, most people in the hall burst out laughing at his enthusiasm. The ring bearers walked to the altar, the couples exchanged glances before wearing the ring on each other''s fingers with the brides going first then the groom but Yu Yan noticed his hand shaking as he tried to put the ring on her. Clang! He dropped the ring. "I am sorry," he quickly apologised then started looking for the ring with the help of Jia Yu and Ji Chen while Yu Yan giggled, she is also nervous but she didn''t think he would be this nervous to even drop the ring. "Found it," Jia Yu exclaimed then hurried to hand over the ring to Han Chen who took a second attempt at wearing the ring on her finger and succeeded. "You may kiss the bride," Both couples faced each other then raised the veils of their brides, the guys admired the beauty of their brides before they started kissing while the guests cheered them on but two people were trying to hide their laughter as the scene before them brings back memories. "Don''t you think we have seen this before?" Mrs Jia and Mrs Huo whispered to their husbands as both have encountered their daughters kissing the ones marrying them, the Huo couple remembered the horrible incident they caused all because they were too possessive of their daughter and they almost made her lose the one she loves. They ended the kiss then turned to the screen displaying pictures of Jia Yu and Ji Chen from their childhood to their couple pictures since abroad, from most of the pictures, it is already clear who pursues who even after a video played. Jia Yu was chasing after Ji Chen on a field with a ring in her hand while the ones taking the video were laughing. "Please be my boyfriend," she kept shouting until he was now tired of running then he accepted to date her but he rejected the ring, the video made her feel really embarrassed especially since everyone is laughing at her including Ji Chen. She doesn''t need anyone to tell her Meng Yao is the one who included the video in the presentation, she bit her lips then glared daggers at her but Meng Yao looked away before she kills her with a look. Everyone suddenly turned quiet with their attention focused on Yu Yan and Han Chen pictures being displayed on the screen, his pictures brought more melancholy to the hall than happiness as the family pictures of his family were being displayed then it changed into Yu Yan pictures. Everyone was astounded to see their teenage pictures together, the cute filters, hugs and childish chasing. No one could have imagined that they had such a long history behind them, her parent and brothers were even more surprised as they had no idea that she was dating someone in high school. Chapter 360 - Forever And Ever! 2 Everyone was astounded to see their teenage pictures together, the cute filters, hugs and childish chasing. No one could have imagined that they had such a long history behind them, her parent and brothers were even more surprised as they had no idea that she was dating someone in high school. One short video played. "Why are you taking a video of me again?" teenage Yu Yan asked shyly as she obstructed the camera lens with her hands but she ended up removing it after much coercion from him. "What do you want to be in the future?" he asked following a chuckle. "Didn''t I tell you this before?" They were walking down an alley while he was taking a video of her using his camera. "Just repeat it so I can keep this as a memo," "I want to be the best general surgeon in the world," she answered with much enthusiasm, she walked forward a bit then turned back only to see he was still taking the video. "What of you, what do you want to be in the future?" she stood in front of him with her hands folded behind her while she waited for his answer as he was still thinking about it. "I want to be your husband, the best husband in the world," he answered, as he watched her expression from the camera. Her cheeks were flushed red. "Huh...your cheeks," he teased, she hit his arm then started scurrying away while he followed behind her while yelling that he wants to be her husband. Everyone laughed then continued watching the videos with deep sentiments including the video of the room where he displayed all their memos but she had tears in her eyes while smiling, watching the video makes her want to remember every moment they shared together. "Yu Yan," he called, gaining her attention and the attention of everyone in the hall. He held her hand. "I am really happy I got the chance to meet you again after so many years, thank you so much for helping me realise my dream of becoming your husband and I promise to be the best husband in the world," "Han Chen-" He pulled her in for a deep passionate kiss while everyone cheered them on, she wrapped her arms around his neck with her bouquet still in her hands as a tear went down her cheeks. Jia Yu couldn''t be happier that she decided to do their wedding together. She wished she got to know about them while they were teenagers then she would have made sure they were never separated, seeing the expression on her face, Ji Chen also held her face to kiss. Imitating Yu Yan, she also wrapped her arms around his neck with the bouquet in her hand. Meanwhile, Xiaomeng stood at the entrance of the hall in a short blue dress as she watched both couples on the altar. She could only smile at how happy they seem, for a moment she imagined her and Chen Kai on the altar, she quickly looked away then she hurriedly left the place but Li Chen caught a glimpse of her leaving though he didn''t go after her. She had an emotional chat with her family before leaving with Han Chen, now she understands why brides are always so teary on their wedding day when it''s not like they are not going to see their family again. ******* They arrived at the hotel that night after all the stress and overload after the wedding ended, she was expecting Roy and Shi Fen to attend the wedding since he told her they were going to when she asked because she hasn''t seen them for a long while but they didn''t turn up. He carried their suitcase into the suite while she followed into the suite in a short flowered dress, she slumped on the bed with rose scattered on it then sighed in fatigue while he watched her dismantle the love shaped rose decorations, he bet she doesn''t even realise what she is doing. He pulled the zip of the suitcase but she quickly sprung up from the bed just as he was about to open the bag then she held his hand tight. "Don''t!" she yelled remembering the things An Ke and Meng Yao stuffed into both her and Jia Yu''s suitcase before they left, Jia Yu was very fine with it but despite her adamant refusal to take it with her they refused to let her go without it and it just happened that Han Chen was already approaching them so she has to accept it in a hurry. "What is it? I need to take something from the bag," he couldn''t understand why she reacted that way. "Whatever you want to take, I will bring it out for you so why don''t you have a shower first," she prays he doesn''t insist. "It is fine, you can shower first," "No!" she yelled again and started pulling the suitcase from him though he doesn''t get why she is being so dramatic over a suitcase, he let go of it but the zip snapped causing the content of the suitcase to scatter over the entire place. Her eyes went round at the sexy red lingerie with intricate designs, the red and black nightwear set on the floor, he raised his brow but pursed his lips to restrain his laughter cos he knows she must be dying of embarrassment inside her but he still couldn''t resist the urge to tease her. "I know this is our first night but still....isn''t this a bit too...I mean there is no doubt it will look good on you," he teased then turned his face to restrain himself, she bit her lips in embarrassment while she cooked up something in her defence. "It isn''t mine, those two forced me to bring it along, I really didn-" Before she could complete her sentence, he pulled her into his embrace with a bright smile on his face, she held him tightly. "Yu Yan, thank you for making me rush this wedding," he whispered into her ear, his breath brushing against her ear tickled her. "I am the one who should be thankful you didn''t forget me," looking back, she was annoyed at the sight of him, they bickered, she wanted to get rid of excuses for them to meet each again and she even kept denying seeing him as a friend or anything more but now she wondered what her life after she broke up with Chen Kai or even if she was still with him would have been like without him. At the moment she considers the day Chen Kai broke up with her to be the day real happiness came into her life, she would like to think of it as a second chance from God to be with the one she truly loves and who truly loves her. She leaned her jaw against his firm chest to see his face while he stroked her hair, if not for the many memories he saved of them, he wouldn''t have been able to recognise her. He calculated how much her face would have changed as each day passes but the woman in front of him is much better than any of his imaginations. "Those..." he glanced at the lingerie on the floor while she followed his gaze. "I don''t think you will be needing them," he said with a twinkle in his eyes, before she could understand what he means, he snaked his hands around the back of her head to pull her in for a kiss, she wasn''t expecting it but she went along with it with butterflies in her stomach. Along the way, she was worried about how the night is going to go, who is going to take the initiative? is she really going to wear what the girls gave her? how is she going to leave the shower knowing they have to be intimate? But all her worries went away quickly as they moved towards the bed, he pulled away then smiled once more as he caressed her face then they continued kissing again until her legs touched the bed then they both fell onto the bed. Chapter 361 - We Will Have To Work Hard! "Yay! she screamed in excitement, clutching his shirt tight as he peddled the bicycle as fast as he could. She doesn''t realise it but she is holding his shirt too tight. After their first intimate night, she came out this morning only to find herself in a village surrounded by water bodies and exotic trees. She looked out the window when she woke up and all she could see was chirping birds hovering around tall trees and old women discussing in pairs outside. She returned to bed thinking she is in a dream but she soon snapped out of it when he came into the room with a towel tied around his waist and his body still wet. Once she spotted him she quickly pretended to be asleep but her little act didn''t escape his eyes, he pretended not to notice then he went around the bed. He placed both hands over her as he waited for her to open her eyes which she did. She held her breath at the sight of the sculpted body, long dripping wet hair and broad shoulders...she has seen it all but she still can''t help being shy when he is over her. She smiled. "Good morning..." she muttered He pinched her cheeks and plastered a kiss on her forehead. "Good morning, Mrs Han," he smiled as the title left his mouth smoothly. Then it struck her even though they had already gotten their marriage certificate before the wedding that she is no longer Huo Yu Yan but Han Yu Yan. She giggled at the thought of it. Then she jerked up from the bed, knelt on the bed then held his face to kiss him out of excitement. "Where are we?" She asked after the kiss, remembering they were in a luxurious five-star hotel last night yet it looks like they are currently in a village. "My Dad used to bring me here for holidays instead of holidays abroad," he answered in a sentimental tone, the smile on her face faded at the mention of his late father. She realised that she has been concentrating on them so much that she forgot to pay her respect to his parents. "Han Chen, I still haven''t paid my respect to my in-laws and you didn''t bring it up," she said. He stroked her hair with a smile on his face. "My family are buried here," "Really!" She exclaimed as she scurried out of the bed, she couldn''t wait to meet them now that she knows. "Wait...he pulled her back to his chest causing her hands to land on his fire chest. "What is it?" "Do you even know where the bathroom is?" She shook her head, he flicked her head gently then held her hand as he led her to the bathroom in the village house where only them live. "Your toiletries are already there," He kissed her cheeks then he let go of her hand, she grinned at his doozy self then she hurriedly entered the bathroom. "I don''t mind coming in if you need my help," "There will be no need for that!" she yelled from inside understanding his trick. They visited his parents and brother''s burial ground in black after they travelled a long distance on a bicycle. She went on and on to his parent and brother about how they met, their high school moments he told her about and their future plans. After spending a while with them, they went on another bike ride on a wide long road where they saw other couples riding too. He was peddling so fast that she held him tightly and screamed in excitement. "If you keep holding me so tight, I might end up dying before we get back to the house," he said jokingly. "You have me to treat you so you won''t die," she responded then wrapped her arms around his waist with her head resting on his back while she closed her eyes. She could feel the breeze brushing against her face, she might have been this happy when they were dating in high school but she doesn''t remember being this happy. "Han Chen," she called "Hm," "I have made up my mind," He slowed down the bike to hear what she is saying clearly. "What?" "Let''s have babies, I want to have four," she said with determination ringing in her voice, he kept on riding the bike but at a much slower pace, he was happy to hear she has finally decided. Not that it changes anything about their relationship but the thought of being the father of their children makes me happy. "Four it is then...guess we will have to work hard," She pinched his side at the tease then he quickened his pace. Meanwhile, Ji Chen and Jia Yu are enjoying their honeymoon in a luxurious resort. She brushed her hair to the back as she came out of the swimming pool in her red two-piece bikini. Ji Chen smiled as she gasped for breath gently then she held on to the rail of the pool to come out, he stood up from the sunbed to bring her the towel but he realised he forgot it so he went to get another one not far away. "Hello," a random guy approached her, she raised her head to look at who it is as she doesn''t recognise the voice but she was surprised to see someone else in front of her. "Hello," she replied out of courtesy but the guy stretched his hands forward to help her out, she glanced at the spot where Ji Chen is supposed to be seated but she couldn''t see him there so she accepted his help. "Thanks," "I am Aaron," he introduced even without her asking, she turned back then nodded at him with no intention to give her his name then she turned to leave. "You won''t give me your name?" He was just a few steps away from them but he stopped when he saw the guy smiling at Jia Yu, he raised his brow at the smile she also reciprocated. "Hm...I don''t think there is any need for that," "There is, I have been watching you swimming for a while now and I think you are quite attractive so if you don''t mind I will like to have your number," He dipped his hands in his short pocket to get the phone then he extended it towards her but she didn''t take it. The expression on her face tells him she is taken aback by his forwardness so he figured a little identity reveal will do the trick. He smirked. "You might not know me because I like to keep a low profile but I am the heir to CK Hotel and Resorts, this resort belongs to me," he stressed the last phrase for her to understand what he is trying to say. "Thanks for the information but I will like to get going," she has no intention to play this game with him, after all, he might be good looking with a nice structure but he is not half as good as Ji Chen is, not in mannerism or facials. He held her elbow to hold her back as he couldn''t understand why she would still not take the hint. "My husband is nearby," she shot straight to the point so he knows he is toying with a married woman before she does anything else. "Husband? Why don''t you say you have three kids already-" He winced in pain as Ji Chen''s suddenly gripped his hand. He lifted his face to see who dared to hurt him but he immediately recognised the handsome dude with a darkened expression on his face. "Honey," she called, they had already agreed to address each other this way, mainly to tease their friends when they get back but it just smoothly left her lips. "Honey?" he glanced back at him. "She might not have three kids right now but we plan to in the future and yes, I am her husband," he remarked then he let go of his hand. "Do you know who I am?" "I should be the one asking you the same question, Aaron?" he scoffed then took a step closer to him. "More like Shi Datuo," he mocked, Jia Yu was about to burst into laughter but she quickly contained herself by covering her mouth, she did hear of someone with that name when they were in high school but because he was bullied for his name which also means ''Big pile of shit'', he left the school and travelled abroad. "You are that fat guy who used to fart every time in high school?" she asked with her voice raised which attracted many people attention to them, he balled his fist at the mention of the memory he never wants to remember. If Ji Chen called out his name like that then it must be he is the same person. "Don''t you remember me, I am Jia Yu. The girl who helped you when you were bullied because you were rejected by a girl in high school," he was so cute then that she couldn''t help herself after he was stoned with eggs and flour because he dared to ask out one of the popular girls in the school. Chapter 362 - Love Over Family! 1 "Don''t you remember me, I am Jia Yu, the girl who helped you when you were shared because you were rejected by a girl in high school," he was so cute then that she couldn''t help herself after he was stoned with eggs and flour because he dared to ask out one of the popular girls in the school and ever since then, he had a crush on her until she rejected him. "We would have invited you to our wedding if we knew you were back," he placed his hand on her shoulder while she held his waist. "We will head off now to enjoy the rest of our honeymoon," both of them waved him a sassy goodbye then he tied the towel around her waist but as they were about to go past him, Ji Chen intentionally nudged his shoulder, causing him to fall into the pool but they still left as if nothing happened. He wriggled his arms and legs as he struggled to float on the pool due to his aquaphobia but his assistant quickly came to his rescue, he looked around to find everyone laughing at him. Had he known it was Jia Yu whom he used to stalk and send creepy messages under hidden identity, he would never have approached her. The only reason he went abroad is that he gave her a teddy bear with a hidden camera with it and it was discovered by Yu Yan so they called the police on him but they told Ji Chen the story in university and his identity. She hit his chest lightly for the stunt he pulled when they were almost leaving. "How could you not recognise him immediately?" "Do you think I have enough space in my brain for someone irrelevant? but how did you know it was him, I only remember telling you about it but I never showed you his picture. He held her hand as they strolled on the sandy area of the resort. "Yu Yan showed me the group picture you took and she specifically showed me his picture," "He was fat when we took the pictures so how did you..?" "Let''s just say I am a genius," She clicked her teeth. "Narcissist," ********* Sect leader Lin and the first elder entered the entrapment then they made their way to his cell, unlike before when he has his heart filled with hope as soon as he hears the gate creak, he doesn''t even feel anything anymore except for pain, frustration and anger. "Bohai," his father called, standing at the entrance of the cell with the first elder beside him. He recognised the voice, he was already expecting his father to see him in person instead of sending his messages through Xiaomeng. After all, it has been so long since he has been resisting the pill.. His eyes had already turned red and he had bruises on his lips from the biting, his face even looks scarier than a ghost. "Father, you are finally here," he responded. Sect leader Lin walked closer to him then he stopped when he got to his front, he raised his eyes to see the shackles already about to be broken off, from just that he can tell just how much Bohai struggled to not give in to his desires. "Why are you still resisting?" he asked, feigning pity in his eyes. "Father wants me to kill the woman I love for power so how can I not resist with everything I have?" he smiled with much effort. He lowered his head but sent a slap across his face as soon as he raised his gaze, even the first elder shuddered at the sound of his slap. "Useless fool!" He gripped his jaw tightly. "If I can imprison you here then I can kill you on a whim or do you think this father doesn''t dare to kill his own son?" he threatened, if his son already knows his true nature then there is no need to hide anymore, all he needs to do is have the power in his hands. "Go ahead...kill me," he hissed back. He scoffed. "Mr desires, my desires, my desires! how do you know what I truly want?" he screamed as though he has been saving his strength just for this moment, Meng Hui keeps trying to use his desires as a facade to tempt him into doing something so despicable but he doesn''t believe he has such desires to the point where he will sacrifice his humanity for power. "Because you are just like me," sect leader Lin retorted, gripping his jaw tighter. "You can and you will do anything you can to succeed in ruling over the whole world as long as it is within your reach," He cackled at the absurdity of what his father is saying to him, if he is just the same as him then why hasn''t he gotten the power for himself? He doesn''t believe that his father really intends to leave the chance to him. "Then why haven''t you taken that power that you want so much for yourself? with your cultivation, the moment you get her power you will surely become the most powerful cultivator in the world," "Because you are my blood and my legacy, if you can get the power then I will have no reason to worry about the future of the wind sect," "Please leave, until you smell my corpse don''t come back unless you plan to let me go," he will never forgive his father for this not even after he dies, he knows his father plans to be the sole owner of the martial world and the court and he has never thought anything less of his father''s ambition yet he wants to use his own son to get the power he needs. Even if he really wants him to take the power, he is sure there is something else involved. Sighing, he turned to leave with the first elder but he stopped at the entrance of the cell then glanced at him from the corner of his eyes. "Your fate and the fate of the entire sect is in your hands, I am just doing this to protect us," he remarked then closed the door to the cell, subjecting him to the darkness he has already gotten to. As though the pill was waiting for the sect leader to leave before it starts its fiasco again, the pain started crawling up his body again and his eyes went bloodshot. He spread his shackled hands and screamed his throat out because of the unbearable pain that feels worse than death but not worse than not being able to see her again. He might have very little time with her and he might have envied her but none of this means he doesn''t love her...at least that is what he believes. "I love Huo Lan, I will never hurt her!" he screamed to strengthen his determination as that is the sentence he has been screaming whenever the pain strikes. ****** Huo Ying has been kneeling for days so her mother can release Huo Lan from the confinement but she still hasn''t shown her face and she hasn''t heard anything from her, Huo Qiang has been coming every day to make her leave since it is no use but she refused. "Huo Ying," he called in a pleading tone as he knelt in front of her. "If you want to beg me to leave then don''t bother wasting your time," "If you won''t leave and you won''t let me kneel with you then there is only one way," he stood up then walked towards the chamber. "Huo Qiang, don''t!" Huo Ying yelled but he had already knocked on the door to her chambers. "Sect madam, please release Huo Lan from her confinement," he pleaded with his voice raised so she can hear him, he repeated himself for a while but he didn''t get any response so he rushed back to Huo Ying. "When last did anyone enter her chamber?" he asked "Ever since she confined Huo Lan, she ordered that no one disturbs her, what is it?" He gave it a thought, the sect madam might be very decisive but she won''t confine one child and leave the other kneeling in front of her chamber for days despite the cold, he turned towards the door with an alarmed look on his face. "Oh no," he ran back to the door then pushed it open while Huo Ying followed him with her feeble body, he stood at the entrance with his eyes widened. "Sect madam!" he screamed then dashed towards her, Huo Ying also followed him in fear that something bad must have happened to her mother but she was shocked to see her body lying on the floor with her face sweaty and blood at the corner of her lips. He held her body in his arms, it appears that she must have collapsed during her meditation. "I will call the elders," Huo Ying said "No...." she muttered weakly as she regained consciousness. "Mother," "No one should know of this," Chapter 363 - Love Over Family! 2 She signalled him to hold her up, he helped her up then led her to her bed then he knelt beside her bedside. "Sect madam, has your injury relapsed?" Huo Qiang asked. She shook her head. "How can it not when my daughter is in love with the son of the one who caused me the injury?" she glared at Huo Ying who lowered her head in guilt. "You had better not kneel in front of my chambers again, instead you should be kneeling to your sister so she gives up Bohai early. Otherwise, I will do everything I can to make sure she forgets him...even if she is my daughter," {She can love anyone but not the son of that scum} "Mother, please don''t fall sick because of this matter, Huo Lan is just immature," "Immature? no one in love is immature, both of you should leave now," she looked away from her. "But..." Huo Qiang wanted to protest but he could tell she means what she says so he held Huo Ying''s hand then they left together, she watched them leave knowing there is something going on between them which is more than a guardian and young mistress relationship. She quickly went with Huo Qiang to the memorial hall where Huo Lan is locked. If her mother asked her to persuade Huo Lan then it must mean she is allowed to enter. She was about to enter but two female disciples flew down from the roof then obstructed her with their swords. "I am afraid young mistress cannot enter without the sect madam permission," one of them said. "Mother asked me to speak to her," she said in a respectful tone. They glanced at each other then removed their swords from her way, she was about to go in but she turned back realising that they stopped him too. "It is alright, wait outside," she conceded considering the seniority of both disciples not because of their position in the sect but because they are disciples who were training under her mother when she was still a guardian and they are one of the few ones alive after the evernight. In other terms, they are Huo Li''s senior sisters since they are indirectly her mother''s students. She closed the door after she entered, even from the entrance she can already feel the cold. She rushed forward at the thought of Huo Lan freezing to death but she soon saw her sitting in a lotus position in front of the memorial tablets. "Huo Lan," she called She stood up and turned to see her sister whose voice she recognised. "Huo Ying!" She shouted then ran up to her, she hugged her tightly with a bright smile on her face. Huo Ying didn''t reciprocate the hug as she was surprised that isn''t blaming her but she is happy to see her instead. Even with her flame element, her body still feels cold. "Why didn''t you use your spiritual power to alleviate the cold?" Huo Ying asked, Huo Lan pulled back with a solemn expression on her face. "The flame sect ancestors wanted the memorial hall to be a cold place so it has been maintained this way for years. If I use my spiritual power to heat then it will be a disrespect to them," Huo Ying smiled, she placed her hand on her hair then stroked it gently. "My sister has indeed grown up, you even know how to consider this things, unlike me who does things without thinking," Huo Lan held her hand. "Why do you say that?" Huo Lan asked Huo Ying brought her forward to sit in front of the memorial tablets but she lit incense and bowed first before taking her seat. "I have done things I shouldn''t do in a moment of recklessness but thankfully I have the guardians or I would have endangered the sect many times," "I am sure whatever sister did must have been for the good of the sect," Huo Ying smiled. "Since you are here then let me tell you some stories," She immediately turned excited. "Quick, tell me," She sighed then cleared her throat to begin speaking. "When we were little...no, even after we grew up, I and Bingchen used to bicker a lot. He was always jealous of me so the other guardians took him as an enemy," Huo Lan could tell that Huo Ying wasn''t serious about him being an enemy from the faint smile on her face that makes it seem like she is reminiscing the past. Instead, she looks like she wants those times to be interesting. "Huo Mei has been the mother among us since we were little, don''t tell her I said this but she nags a lot, she puts food on our plate when we eat...and Huo Lian her twin sister-" "She is a twin?" Huo Lan asked in surprise. "Her twin sister is Huo Lian, Huo Lian used to compete with her sister then but she always got beaten so Huo Mei decided to lose to her everytime until they became guardians," "What of Huo Qiang," "If Huo Mei is the mother then Huo Qiang is the father, he doesn''t nag frequently but he corrects our mistakes without us realising it," "There was a time when Huo Mei broke the first elders flute which he was going to pass to Bingchen but he helped her clean the scene and took the blame for it so he was punished to kneel for two days," Huo Lan gasped at the harsh punishment for a little child. "I even stole father''s martial book to practice it but it ended up backfiring on me, he secretly helped me calm my spiritual strength so father doesn''t find out then he stole pills from the alchemist to help me recover," Huo Lan shook her head in acknowledgement of her secret brother-in-law. "I-I once killed someone because he cursed you using the most torturous skill in learnt from the sect..." she confessed. Her face turned sour, she never thought her sister would kill someone. "Huo Lan, sometimes I become like you. I have red eyes and hair when I am enraged but I promised father to never be like that again," "Really?" She hummed in answer. "I was punished by the elders for it but the guardians took my punishment with me," She has been given the voice she heard during the alliance meeting and her strange power that only comes when she is enraged a deep thought. But she could only conclude that she and Huo Lan were born the same, just that Huo Lan is more powerful than she is but she can''t help thinking there is something more to it. "Because I fell sick, they had to infiltrate the vitality sect to steal medicine for me and Huo Qiang ended up getting injured by the golden eagle," she paused, thinking of how scared she was that something might have happened to them while they were trapped. "Su Ci told me about the golden eagle once, he is one of the beasts that gave the flame sect the flame power," she wishes she was there during these times then she might have been able to help, she has never gotten sick but she has felt pain so she doesn''t know how much pain Huo Ying might have been in when she was sick. "Hm, I recklessly made the golden eagle leave the sect with me to rescue them which caused the flame sect to be accused of murdering a general. When we attended the alliance meeting at the wind sect, I got into a fight causing Huo Mei to be injured," Thinking back, she realise how unbridled and impulsive she was. "If you got into a fight then it must have been for a just reason," she smiled encouragingly but Huo Ying who watched her smile realised she is almost carried away by the past that she forgot to speak to Huo Lan about Bohai. "Huo Lan," the expression on her face turned serious that Huo Lan could already tell what it is she wants to say. She quickly stood up. "Don''t bother trying to convince me about Bohai, nothing will change," she turned her back at her, Huo Ying wasn''t expecting her to react like that but she stood up after her. "Huo Lan, Bohai will never be loyal to you. I trusted him because you love him but if only you saw the look in his eyes then..." she was too slow in getting rid of the Phoenix Nirvana before it held her whip down because she was stunned by the look he had in his eyes...he clearly wanted her to die in the hands of Huo Yi Lang. "I won''t let you talk about Bohai like that, you all think I am too immature and foolish so I don''t know what I am doing but I am very well aware of it-" "no one thinks you are-" Chapter 364 - Love Over Family! 3 "But that is what Huo Qiang said, you made him try to convince me. I might be dumb because I have been in confinement for so many years but you made me know what love is and I love Bohai, he also loves me so please stop trying to make me leave him..." she held Huo Ying''s hand but she watched the pleading expression on her face fade into a deep frown. Huo Ying brushed her hands off the aggressively and gripped her shoulders as she turned her body around to face the tablet. "Sister..." "Don''t call me your sister, look at them very clearly!" she shouted, Huo Lan shivered at her voice. "The reason there is a barrier around the tablets is that father was afraid the restless spirits from the battle will wreak havoc so he cast a barrier to protect the tablets, there are over one thousand tablets here but these are not all the people who died during the battle," She aggressively turned her body to face her. "Mother lost her father to sect leader Lin and many of her sworn brothers and sister, all the guardian''s parents died during the battle so tell me, do you think they will be able to accept your feeling to Bohai?" she was staring right into her scarlet orbs. Huo Lan shook her head, she is not willing to listen to anyone who wants to make her leave Bohai. "No, the wind sect must have done all this but Bohai is not the same, he protected me," she sounded really desperate. Now she blames herself, if she hadn''t accommodated her willfulness when she told her about Bohai and even helped her realise she loves him then Huo Lan wouldn''t be this obstinate. She let go of her shoulder. "If you don''t renounce him then you will stay here forever, away from your family and friends," "I will accept it," "Even if you are hurting everyone including our mother?" She pondered on it then met her gaze to give her a firm answer thinking Huo Ying is just trying to threaten her using their mother. "Yes," she firmly answered. Her heart sank, she couldn''t believe her sister would say something like that. "How could you say that?" She landed a slap across her face with her chest heaving up and down. Huo Lan held her face in shock. She doesn''t feel even a tinge of guilt for slapping her sister, she deserves it...no, she deserves hundreds of it. No matter how much she loves someone, she would never risk her family getting hurt because of her but Huo Lan just casually said it without giving it much thought as she would. "Sister..." she muttered with tears pooling in her eyes. She released her pent up breath then moved a step closer to her. "If you won''t renounce him then I will just kill him," she threatened then turned around to leave but she soon felt a magnetic force pull her back, she was shocked when she came face to face with Huo Lan who has her hand around her neck. "I will never let you hurt him," she hissed Her scarlet orbs turned very bright and her hair started fluttering. Huo Ying scrunched her eyes in disbelief that her sister would strangle her because of Bohai, now she realises that it is not just love but an obsession that might have been mistaken for love. Except for her family, the first person to smile at her, care for her, give her a taste of freedom, not afraid of her....Bohai. That is why she is scared of losing him, she should have known. "Huo Lan..." she struggled to speak because of her grip tightening around her neck and her body being lifted up the ground. "You are hurting me" A drop of tear streamed down from Huo Ying''s cheeks then landed on her hand, then she regained her senses. She quickly removed her hand from her neck causing her to fall to the ground. She gasped for breath then she started coughing while rubbing her neck to ease the pain. She took a step back. "I am sorry...I didn''t mean to-" Instead of listening to her, she stood up from the ground then left the hall, she could see the worried expression on Huo Qiang''s face as soon as he saw Huo Ying before the door closed. "Are you alright?" Huo Qiang asked when he noticed she is holding her neck but she doesn''t want the disciples guarding the memorial hall to find out so she just nodded at them then they left. He could hear her ragged breathing as they walked towards her chambers where he hurriedly closed the door before anyone sees him entering alone with her. He sat her down on her bed but she still has her hand around her neck. "Let me see," he touched her hand but she flinched. She didn''t want anyone to see it for fear that Huo Lan might be feared again. "Huo Ying..." If there is anyone she trusts not to escalates the matter then it has to be him, she slowly removed her hand from her neck. The red line around her neck is clearly visible because of the strength she used in strangling her, the type you would get from a burn. He frowned deeply, taking his seat beside her. "She did this to you?" She nodded. "But she didn''t mean to, I think we are the same. We both hurt people when we are enraged," He gently tilted her neck to get a good look at it. "You are not the same because you never hurt those close to you. I need to tell the sect madam about this," he stood up from the bed but she quickly held his hand before he storms out. "No one must find out about this," What was he thinking? of course she will never let anyone know even if she is killed by her someday, someone who has been obsessing over having her sister back by her side will never let her go for the second time, he thought. He took his seat again and titled her neck, if she wraps something around it then it will attract suspicion but she also can''t leave it out. He removed his hand the stood up again but she suddenly started laughing so he turned back to see why she is laughing. "How coincidental, I was just telling Huo Lan about you stealing pills from the alchemist for me but you are about to do it again," His expression turned into that of a thief caught red-handed, he is a man of principles but everything disappears as long as it concerns her. She even knows when he is about to do something bad without him telling her. "My sister-in-law might think bad of me if you tell her things like that," "My sister is not the same as Huo Mei, she won''t care about this," she responded jokingly using Huo Mei who always nags when she finds out they did something wrong. "If you are bringing Huo Mei into this then you must have told her a lot," he shook his head playfully then he left to get her the medicine, a better term for stealing. He soon returned, faster than she thought he would and he sneaked in just like before. He sat beside her then he gently helped her apply the cream to her neck. "The Alchemist just made this and if he finds out it is missing then we might get in trouble so you had better use the excuse of being sick because you have been kneeling to stay in your room for some days," She hummed in agreement. He finished applying the cream then he placed the bottle on her bedside. "Why did she hurt you all of a sudden?" "I threatened to kill Bohai," the thought of it still angers her, that she would choose Bohai over her own family. She sighed. "That is where you went wrong and you are the cause of this problem, if you didn''t let her know she is in love with Bohai then she wouldn''t be so obstinate," he placed the hair resting on her back on her shoulder. "I was too excited to know my sister has fallen in love that I failed to think properly but if I still trusted Bohai to treat her sincerely then I would have supported her this time," "What if I was the one?" She turned to him. "If you betray me one day I might forgive you but if it affects my family and the sect then I will surely break off our relationship but I know you will never betray me or do anything to harm the sect," He smiled at her answer, others might sugarcoat it but she will never do that.. She is firm on making these decisions just like her mother. Chapter 365 - Mood Swings! "Mother is not an unreasonable person, she might reject Bohai but she won''t go as far as locking her up unless she has seen through him, she is doing all these for her good," "I am glad you understand her," he placed her hand on top of his then patted her hand. " But I won''t let her find out about us like she did with Huo Lan and Bohai, I will be the one to tell her," he said in a reassuring tone but she could hear a hint of worry in his voice other than his resolution. "Is there something you are worried about?" she asked He has been thinking about this since they got together but he doesn''t want her to think he is thinking too deep into the matter so he kept quiet all this while. "I have always suspected your parents want you to marry Mo Yihuan," "What!" She screamed. Sssh, he cautioned. She broke into a peal of laughter while he watched her as he tried to figure out what is funny about what he just said. "Brother Mo is a brother to me, I am sure even he would disagree to this if this is what they are thinking," "He..." he is not yet sure of what he is about to say. "I had better leave now to take care of my duties, remember not to leave your room until the scar heals or Huo Lan will be implicated," She hummed obediently, then he left the room. Even after he left, what he said still sounds funny to her. Mo Yihuan is the brother she never had and she always wanted Huo Lan to meet him. She can''t wait to tell him about it cos even he will find it hilarious, now that she thinks of it, Mo Yihuan has never met Huo Lan not even when they were little and she was isolated in the sect. ******* After spending one month in the village with the company of the old people who are very familiar with his family, they returned home. She returned to continue working at the hospital. Both couples visited their in-laws and Jia Yu also paid a visit to Yu Yan''s parents. Just as they thought, everyone already started urging them to have babies. When she returned she found out that the issue with the liver donor patient has been solved and the VIP priority system is no longer in place. She wasn''t surprised to find that An Ke is now on good terms with Li Wei. The nurses kept hovering around her to ask her questions about Han Han Chen and awkward ones like their first night. She was going to greet her team leader but she found out that she has already left the hospital and a new person is now occupying her position. She gave her a call and she apologised for not telling her sooner. After a long day at work, she returned home? his mansion. He was going to make them live in her apartment but she knows he would have left the mansion if it didn''t have memories of his family and she doesn''t want him to miss that so she insisted they alternate between living in the mansion and her apartment. "You are already the wife of the CEO of a conglomerate so why are you still working?" A doctor asked as she walked in on Yu Yan discussing with the nurse at the reception with her brows furrowed. Anyone in her position will just sit home and enjoy the rest of their lives. Yu Yan looked to her side with a disapproving look on her face, she recognise the doctor to be someone who is very close to Xiaomeng. "What is the connection?" She asked, facing the documents she is filling. "Your husband is rich enough so you don''t have to work," Yu Yan slammed the pen on the document then turned to the lady. "Not everything is about money," She picked the document from the desk then walked away while the nurse she was speaking to gave the doctor a nasty look. She retired from work that day feeling very tired despite not doing much today except a few rounds and consultations, she still kept in mind that most of her colleagues are treating her differently and it is having a big influence on her mood. He is sitting in the parlour while she keeps parading the house with deep sighs each time she passes him, he couldn''t focus his attention on the book he is reading so he decided to go to her so he can make her share her concerns as this has been going on for some days now. He walked in on her cleaning the already cleaned dishes so he hugged her from behind. "Haven''t you cleaned them before, why are you redoing it?" he asked softly. She sighed again. "I just feel like, are you done reading?" her voice sounded cold, making his smile fade. He hummed in response, she placed the plate she was cleaning on the pavement then she removed his arm from her waist and turned around to face him. "If you are done reading then you should sleep, I will come to bed soon," Normally, she would smile faintly and look or sound concerned but this time she looks really detached like she doesn''t even want him around. In fact, it seems like she doesn''t want anything around. She didn''t even eat much at dinner. "Are you alright?" "Yes, you should go now," She turned her back at him to continue cleaning the plate but he couldn''t leave like that so he held her hand to turn her around but the plate dropped to the ground, causing the pieces to scatter everywhere. "Sorry, I didn''t mean to," he apologised, seeing the deep frown on her face. She bent to pick it but he tried pulling her aside so the glass doesn''t hurt her, she snapped her hand out of his grip. "I will do it myself, I want to be alone," she yelled at him, he was stunned for a moment at the fact that she just raised her voice at him. He became convinced that there is indeed something wrong with her and he doesn''t want to upset her more so he decided to leave her be. He laid on his back in his pyjamas, staring into space while thinking of all the possible reasons she might be upset for but he couldn''t find any so he could only conclude that it must have something to do with her workplace. As soon as he heard the door open, he quickly turned to his side with his back facing the entrance of the bedroom. She rubbed her palms in guilt as she walked towards the bed slowly. After he left, she realised that she was being too harsh for no reason so she decided to apologise after she showers and changes into her pyjamas. "Are you sleeping?" she asked, after waiting for a while with no reply she got into the bed and laid on her back. She knows she wouldn''t be able to sleep if she doesn''t apologise now but since he is already asleep, she doesn''t want to disturb him so she shifted closer to him then laid her hand on his arm. "I am sorry," she whispered thinking he is not awake. "Did something happen at work today?" she heard him ask, she was surprised he is still awake so she removed her hand from his body and shifted back. He turned to her with a quizzical look on his face. "Nothing much, I just feel like I am being treated differently at work, some are being nicer to me but their intentions are unclear while some talk behind my back and make some stupid remarks," even she doesn''t know if that is the reason for her sudden mood change. He tucked the strands on her face behind her ear. "You shouldn''t mind them," he drew her closer to his embrace then stroked her hair to help her sleep. It didn''t take long for the both of them to fall asleep. She woke up the next day with a fever but she insisted on going to work so she can get herself tested and also do her work, he had no choice but to let her go after much coaxing cos he doesn''t want to ruin her mood again. "Yu Yan, are you going to see-" An Ke paused when she came face to face with her, she looks as pale as a sheet of paper that she became worried instantly. "Are you alright?" she asked as she placed her hand on her forehead. She hummed in response as she walked towards her office while An Ke followed behind her, she sat on her desk then sighed deeply. "You have a high temperature, have you seen the doctor?" "I am a doctor myself, I will just take the fever medicine and it will be alright.. Don''t worry about it," she opened her drawer to get the medicine then she opened a bottle of water to drink but An Ke stopped her. Chapter 366 - Are You-you Are...! "What is it?" she is still holding the pills in her hand. An Ke took them from her then placed them back in the bottle. "You two just came back from your honeymoon, what if..." she smiled broadly at the speculation she hopes to be true but Yu Yan scoffed at the realisation of what she is getting at. "You are thinking too much, the condition in the village was probably a bit cold for me so I came down with a fever," "You never can know, what if you are pregnant? You know fever medicine is bad for pregnancy," She became flustered at the thought of having a life inside of her, she laughed it off then she stood up from her seat and held An Ke''s shoulders. "Li Chen ordered takeout, we should go before those gluttons finish the food," "You are just trying to change the topic," But she still hurried with her to the siesta room where they met the others already eating, both quickly took off their white coat then they sat and opened their own portion of the takeout. "If you didn''t come on time, I am afraid Meng Yao would have eaten your portion too," Ji Chen remarked, pointing his chopstick at Meng Yao while the others laughed at her. "Ji Chen, I find that you have become more daring since you got married," Meng Yao responded. "If you keep eating so much and you get fat, our future brother-in-law might not want you anymore," Ji Chen teased again, she slammed her chopstick on the table to hit his chest. They didn''t notice Yu Yan scrunching her face because of the pungent smell of the meal. "Don''t you guys think the noodle has a strange smell?" she asked, as the smell became worse. "Of course, it is snail noodles," An Ke answered, they found the question ridiculous since Yu Yan orders the same noodles every time they have takeout. "I mean-" Her sentence was cut halfway by the retching, she placed her hand over her mouth. They became alarmed as they dropped their chopstick. "Are you alright, you look pale," Li Chen asked, she was going to reply but she made the retching sound again so she quickly ran out of the room leaving them bewildered by the strange occurrence, they turned to An Ke who came in with her. She shrugged her shoulders at their questioning gaze. "My brother said she has been having mood swings, she looks pale and now she is vomiting. Could she be...?" "Pregnant!" they chorused with a flabbergasted look on their faces as they glanced at each other. They were going to go after her when she returned only for them to rush up to her and sit her down. "What are you guys doing?" "Yu Yan, you are pregnant," An Ke declared. "I am going to become an Aunt," she shouted in excitement but Yu Yan stared at them with confusion written on her face, how did they suddenly come to the conclusion that she is pregnant, it could be... But she has indeed been feeling strange this past few days and she gets triggered by little things, is she really pregnant? A smile formed on her face as she placed her hands on her belly. - - - - - - - - - He was surprised to find her car parked in the garage since she told him she would be working overnight so he hurriedly made his way into the living room ut he didn''t see her there, rather the sweet smell of delicious food entered the nose. He made his way to the dining. She is seated in a long flower gown with light matte makeup but it looks more elaborate than she normally does it. Even her slightly curled hair is let down on her shoulder. He stood at the entrance as he tried to remember if there is something he has forgotten about today. "Why are you still standing there, come in," she stood up then helped him remove his jacket and place his bag on the seat next to him, she pulled out his seat then she went over to her seat. There are flowers and candles on the dining table with a serving of fillet mignon and red wine, the only odd thing is that she has juice in her glass, not wine. "Am I forgetting something or...?" "You are not, just eat up," she smiled as she picked her the knife and fork to dig into the fillet, he hesitantly took a bite of the fillet and nodded his head in appreciation. If he isn''t so bothered by the suddenness of the treat after her cranky week then he would have focused on relishing the meal. "Why are you drinking juice, you love drinking red wine?" he couldn''t withhold the urge to ask. She smiled. "I can''t drink wine in my condition," she answered. "Condition, are you feeling ill?" he quickly jerked up from his seat to go over to her but she signalled him to return sit back, she then stood up to go to the kitchen and she returned with a medium-sized strawberry cake. She placed it on the table, cut a portion of the cake and placed it on a saucer. He really can''t understand what is going on, he might understand the extra setting for dinner but what is with the cake? is he really forgetting something? "Enjoy," He glanced at the cake then at her. With the huge portion of the cake in front of him, he might end up being constipated. "I don''t think I can finish this much, instead of watching me eat let''s eat it together," he suggested in hopes that she won''t refuse but she shook her head in refusal with a wide smile urging him to start digging in. At this point, he is quite convinced that she is still having the mood swing and she is punishing him right now. He picked up the fork and took a piece of the cake. He found that the cake is indeed delicious. He continued eating while she kept watching him until his fork seemed to touch something not quite soft like the cake texture. He used the fork to bring out what looks like a very small card from the cake then he glanced at her but from her expression, he can tell the card is the whole point of the drama. He opened the card to read the words. "You are about to become a father," he read the words aloud. "What are you-" then it struck him. HE IS ABOUT TO BECOME A FATHER. His eyes went wide as the smile on her lips broadened. "Are you-you are...pregnant?" he can''t believe it. She nodded her head in affirmation, he immediately sprung up from his seat to where she is seated. He held her hands to pull her up then he placed his hands on her waist. "I am really becoming a father?" he asked with exhilaration in his voice. "Hm," He screamed in joy as he lifted her up her feet and spun her around while she tapped on his shoulder for fear that his overexcitement might put her unborn child in danger, he gently stopped then helped her stand again. "How long?" "One month," she answered. He placed a fist over his mouth to contain his excitement so he doesn''t end up reacting too much in a way that would make her uncomfortable. He started parading the place. "This won''t do, I have to make many preparations. The baby necessities, the one we have is not enough, the name...ah- I have to inform everyone, the hospital-" She held his face to face her. "Everyone knows already and you need to calm down or you might faint," she didn''t even react this way even though she was very happy to know about it. She kissed his lips to add the final dose of calming pills. She urged him into marriage using kids as his motivation and even though she knows he didn''t do all that just for the kids, she wasn''t expecting the baby to come so soon. She was just planning to discuss with Jia Yu so they can have babies at the same time but fate has another plan for her. Jia Yu already disclosed the news to her parents while An Ke told Yu Yan''s parents about it but they soon got the news across to her brothers, all of this happened in less than thirty minutes. As soon as she took the test and got a check with an obstetrician, the news travelled around the hospital like wildfire and that is how she was able to come home earlier. She can already imagine just how tomorrow is going to be for her with everyone hearing the news of her pregnancy. "Oh...now that you are formally the CEO of Han Corporation, are the media going to be aware of this?" she has already come to understand that she might be under the surveillance of the media as the wife of the CEO of the most influential company and also an independent emerging general surgeon. He made sure the media doesn''t paint her to be just a woman behind the influence of a man. "Whatever you want, if you don''t want it out then no one will get a whiff of it," he answered, his hands are gently holding her waist. She pondered on it for a while. "Let''s wait a while before you let it out," He hummed in response then he continued screaming in happiness. Chapter 367 - Your Brother! She sat in a lotus position to keep her mind from being affected by the cold. She has already lost count of the days she has been in here but she didn''t believe her mother and sister will let her stay in this dim and cold place for so long. She has been too lonely without Su Ci that she even finds this place worse compared to the wind sect. In the absence of Su Ci she kept going into the realm in the necklace to see the one who claims to be her guardian but he broke his promise to never disappear again. She entered the realm again. "Guardian!" she called as she looked around the place. "Where are you? you promised to never disappear again," she yelled as she approached the lake where she first found him, she knelt beside the lake with a downcast look in her eyes. She has been looking for him mainly to confirm something. Since Huo Ying told her the one who saved her is the fourth prince, she has been disturbed by his eyes. His eyes have a strong resemblance to the guardian''s eyes despite the difference in colour. "Are you looking for me?" She was startled that she fell into the lake but she soon swam to the surface, her face brightened immediately she saw him standing in front of her. The one she has been looking for even if he still has his mask on. He entered the lake after her. She excitedly hugged her arms around his neck with her laughter resounding in the realm. "I missed you," He hesitantly placed his hands on her back, he didn''t think she would miss him at all. "Really?" She pulled away then shook her head in affirmation. "You said you weren''t going to disappear anymore but you did," "Am I not here now," "Do you know the fourth prince, the one who saved me during the martial hero contest?" she couldn''t understand why the fourth prince will risk getting injured to save her, if he really has no connection with her then he must be the second person who has ever shown her kindness outside her family. He doesn''t know if he should tell her or just ignore her question, it wasn''t his plan to openly save her before everyone but if this is his chance to see her then he might as well take it. "The fourth prince is a kind person, that is why he saved you," he answered, he is still not willing to let her know who he really is. "I want to see you, can we meet outside the realm? I don''t believe you are not a real person," she demanded, he already knew it was going to come to that and she won''t give up if she doesn''t confirm what she needs to. "Alright," "Huh-" she didn''t think he was going to agree so easily. "I will arrive in Suzhou in six months, come to the flowing mountain," the flowing mountain is a mountain surrounded by clear waterfalls but there is hardly anyone who goes there so he knows that will be the safest place for them. "Hm, that is too long. I-" He suddenly disappeared and she was also jolted out of the realm, the thought of meeting the guardian who helped her see the world more beautiful than what the wind sect has to offer is thrilling. Then she remembered, she is still in confinement. What if she remains in confinement until then? she decided she will rather sneak out of the sect than openly renounce her love for Bohai, she doesn''t want them to think she is not someone resolute in her decisions. She heard the door creak. After what she did to Huo Ying, she wasn''t expecting her to come so she hesitantly turned to see if she is really the one but it turned out to be a stranger. On his face is an astonishing look, one an art admirer would give when he sees an unfathomable art. "Who are you?" she asked with a wary expression on her face like she is going to fight him at any time. Normally, he would play jokes on Huo Ying but he doesn''t dare do that to her before she roasts him. "I come in peace. I am a brother to Huo Ying so you can call me Brother Mo," His lips widened into a very bright welcoming smile. He almost had her put her guard down but she soon bounced back to her wary self. "I only have a sister," He moved a few steps closer to her with his hand behind his back then he leaned towards her. "We don''t need to have the same parents to be siblings. I heard you are just as stubborn as Huo Ying so I came to see for myself," his smile broadened again before he walked past her, he lit incense and bowed in front of the ancestral tablets then he returned to her. "How did you get past the barrier?" she knows all most of the barriers can only be breached by those who belong to the sect. "I told you I am family," he held her hand and brought her to her seat on the ground then he spread his robe and took his seat after her. "So tell me, why won''t you leave that brat?" he went straight to the point, he knows he can''t convince her but he at least wants to get to know her. If she is the same as Huo Ying then he knows she will be a hard nut to crack but he also knows Huo Ying treasures her sect and family too much to give them up for anything. She frowned at the word he used to refer to Bohai. "Why do you think I am going to tell you?" her speech has become very sharp since they confined her for the second time. "You will, because I am the only one who can convince your mother to let you out," he responded Her eyes shone immediately. "Really," He nodded. "Bohai is really not what they think he is, he is really kind. He smiles at me unlike others who look at me with disgust and fear in their eyes, he is the first person to help me get a taste of freedom," she answered with deep sentiments in her voice. "I smiled at you when I entered so all I have to do is to treat you kindly and take you out of here for you to fall in love with me," he gazed at her flirtatiously and smiled with his lips curled up as he leaned towards her. Her cheeks flushed red at the sudden flirt from the stranger, she pushed him back to his place then she looked away from him. "In your dreams," "As you wish. Why don''t you pretend you don''t love him anymore then your mother will let you out?" anyone in her position will do that unless she is too stubborn to admit defeat. "If I give in now, they will never take me seriously," he saw her clench her fist in determination. Then he realised, she is indeed like her sister or even worse. He stood up to leave but she stood up after him. "Have you seen my sister?" She couldn''t get the moment she strangled her sister out of her mind, first Huo Yi Lang and now her sister, she is now beginning to doubt if she is really not the monster they say she is. "You are indeed sisters," he remarked then he left, he had already seen Huo Ying even though she lied to everyone that she is sick and would like to be alone with Huo Qiang backing her lie up. One is worried and the other is trying to protect her sister. Such lovely sisterhood. As soon as he got sect leader Lin off his back, he hurriedly made his way to the flame sect to see her and formally introduce himself but he wasn''t expecting to meet this mess when he arrived, now he understands why Bohai kept defending the flame sect during the alliance meeting. She couldn''t understand what he meant but she still hoped that Huo Ying is okay, she was so angry that she couldn''t tell if she used too much force in strangling her. Chapter 368 - The Mission! He sat up on the bed with her head on his lap while he feeds her pomegranate seeds, her pregnancy cravings are durian and pomegranate seeds or she will go crazy without them. Even the slightest bit of mistake can cost him their peace. "Han Chen, why don''t I find these seeds nice anymore?" she asked, chewing on the seeds he just fed her, he panicked immediately. If she doesn''t like it any more then what does she like? "Your taste might be changing, old nanny just sent durians over, do you want me to get it for you?" he asked, she became uncomfortable moving from place to place in his mansion so they moved back into their apartment. She shook her head. "That doesn''t taste nice too, I want fried chicken," she demanded with a whiny voice, one he knows she will look back on when she delivers the baby and wonder if she is really the one whining and throwing tantrums over little things. "The doctor said you should avoid greasy food because they are not good for the baby," he persuaded even though he knows she won''t listen, the only one who can restrain her is her mother but she just left yesterday to give them space. She frowned as she sat up with the help of the cushion for support. "I have been eating fruits and drinking soups all day, why can''t I have fried chicken..." she started sobbing. "Alright, I will get it for you so please don''t cry," he can only give in as soon as her tears drops, she smiled in satisfaction then she nudged him to get going, he climbed down from the bed and quickly rushed out to get the chicken. He just greeted the security guard and went out of the gate when he heard someone call his name, he turned back only to see it is Roy and Shi Fen. His face brightened with joy, he immediately walked towards them and pulled both in for a hug. "How have you both been?" he asked "Very well, this dude got a promotion of one rank higher," Roy answered, Han Chen, punched Shi Fen''s shoulder, taking pride in his achievement as someone who was once his underling. The smiled on their faces slowly faded away when they noticed his footwear. "Boss, why are you wearing flip-flops out of the house?" not to talk that he is wearing thin clothes in the cold weather. He looked down then sighed, realising he made a mistake. "Only a soon to be father can understand," he responded, the trio laughed heartily at the answer then their faces turned serious. "You two are supposed to be on a mission, why are you back so soon?" their actions cannot get past his eyes, this is just like last time when they came to get him back to the barrack but since he has submitted his resignation before he got married to Yu Yan then it shouldn''t be the case. Roy glanced at Shi Fen then he turned to Han Chen. "We came to get you back, remember the spy we dealt with on our second mission. He is back again and the higher-ups have ordered that you be the one to lead the mission since you are more familiar with him," He chuckled lightly, hoping they are just kidding. "You are kidding, how can they send me a mission when I am no longer in the service," "Actually, it has already been sent off but it hasn''t been accepted yet because it was too sudden so the order has been issued for you to leave the service after this mission and failure to do so will be considered insubordination-" He pulled him closer by his collar then gazed right into his eyes, they both knew he was gonna react like this. "My wife is six months pregnant and you expect me to go on a mission even after I announced my identity as the CEO of Han Corporation?" he queried in a deep yet threatening voice. He already resigned so Yu Yan doesn''t find out but if they force him to then she will find out he lied to her before. "Boss, we also tried to speak on your behalf but they wouldn''t retract their order, if you don''t go on this mission then it might be hard for your resignation to be accepted, please think it twice," Shi Fen persuaded. Both he and Roy were punished for refusing to run the errand because they know just how much he wants to stay with Yu Yan. Another mission might cause a conflict between them. He released his collar then sighed. "I need to buy fried chicken, you can go in," he handed his security pass to Roy so the security guard doesn''t refuse their entry. They felt guilty watching him leave with a dejected poise. Knock Knock. "Did he suddenly forget the passcode?" She opened the door. "Are you getting old-" Her eyes went round at the sight of both guys smiling. "You two..." it has been so long since she saw them but she wasn''t expecting them to come all of a sudden, both placed their hands on her shoulder then they gently pushed her in so she doesn''t stand there for a long time wondering why they are here. "Sit sister-in-law," Shi Fen said as they sat her down in the living room, compared to the stunningly beautiful lady his boss was pursuing, she has gained more weight and her face looks pale but her beauty still remains despite the changes. "You have really grown compared to the last time I saw you," she said to Shi Fen who rubbed the back of his head shyly. She sighed lightly. "f I had known you were going to come then I would have prepared something in advance," "It is fine sister-in-law, we are the ones who should have brought you something but we came here in haste because we couldn''t attend your wedding but don''t worry, we haven''t forgotten your wedding gift," Roy responded. "He just went out to buy fried chicken, I am sure he will be surprised to see you guys," "We already met outside, our great boss has now turned into a tamed husband that he even forgot to change his footwear, it is indeed a rare sight to see," Shi Fen joked, they all laughed heartily. "Sister-in-law, I am sure you don''t know about when Boss used to pursue you. Back then, he used to lament his love struggles to us and-" "There is nothing you want to tell her that you don''t know you rascal," Han Chen interrupted as he entered with many fried chicken packs in his hands, Shi Fen really rushed up to him and took some from his hands. They placed them on the table then he returned to his wife''s side. She wasn''t surprised that he returned so quickly since the chicken shop is just three minutes away. "I am sure there are many things you didn''t tell her, like the time you drank yourself to waste while staring at her picture, that day, we both tried to make him stop drinking but he wouldn''t," they laughed at him while Han Chen looked away in embarrassment, he quickly handed a pack of fried chicken then he took one for himself and signalled the other two to pick theirs up. They sat around the table eating the fried chicken with beer except for Yu Yan while they joked about the past. They stayed for a while before they chose to take their leave, Yu Yan tried making them stay over for at least a night but they claimed they had urgent business to attend to so she had to let them go. She noticed Han Chen doesn''t look too good but she assumed he must be missing them already, she remembered she forgot to ask about their profession once again. She got into the bed when it turned dark and waited for him to come into the bed, she still didn''t see him even after a while but she was too sleepy so she fell asleep. He paraded about in his study trying to figure out a way to avoid this mission, he would have loved to go if he wasn''t already married to her, even if he had told her before they got married he wouldn''t want to leave her alone at this time. He suddenly remembered the senior colonel whose father had the complicated surgery. He picked up his phone on the desk then he phoned the senior colonel who picked up almost immediately. "I am sorry to disturb you this late, sir but I would like to ask you for a favour. The mission I was assigned to...I am afraid I can''t go," he apologised as soon as he heard his groggy voice. "With the favour you did me regarding my father''s surgery, I should help you with this mission but I can''t. I tried calling it off for you but because of your familiarity with the spy, the higher-ups decided to send you," He was going to protest but the call ended before he could say anything else. He slammed the phone on the desk in frustration. "Yu Yan..." Chapter 369 - Nagging Grandmother! "Yu Yan..." How is he supposed to leave his wife who is six months pregnant to go on a mission where his life is endangered. She stood still at the entrance of his study as she watched him bury his head and sigh deeply in frustration. She already sensed that he is tense even before the guys left but now she is sure it is something very serious. "Ah..." she winced at the abrupt pain that struck her back. He raised his head at the sound of her wincing, he wasn''t expecting her to be at the entrance of his study instead of laying down in bed. He rushed up to her and supported her waist with a worried expression on his face then he led her to their room from his study. He tucked her in and placed the support pillow behind her then he went around and laid on the bed, facing her. "Is something wrong at the company?" she asked in a concerned tone, he sighed in relief that she didn''t hear him call the senior colonel even if they didn''t say anything to reveal his secret. He stroked her hair and smiled faintly. "Just a little problem, I will take care of it soon," he kissed her forehead. "But you looked really worried back there, are you sure it is not a big deal. I might not be able to help but you know I am a good listener," she knows it is surely not something little or he wouldn''t have whispered her name and looked so stressed. He nodded his head to dispel her worried then he buried her head in his embrace. She placed her hand on his chest and she could feel it racing, she is now deeply concerned especially when he doesn''t want to tell her what is really happening. Instead of disturbing him, she chooses to wait until he is ready to tell her. "You should sleep, worrying is not good for you," he whispered, she moved a bit closer to him and nodded her head. He might seem like he is much concerned about their baby over her but she knows she is the one he is really worried about. The next morning, he left for the company earlier than he normally does but he called the old nanny to be with her instead of taking care of the mansion, he also made sure every fruit and snack she might want is provided and he told the old nanny to get more things for her. She sat with the nanny in the dining as they snacked on dried foods after lying in bed for the entire morning when she finished her routine workout, she kept sighing over and over again as her thoughts keep going back to when he placed his hands at the edge of the desk and lowered his head with his fist clenched last night. Even when she stresses him, he has never looked like that. She has thought of many things that could have made him seem so worried but she couldn''t think of anything plausible and now she is beginning to wonder if she is really stressing him that much with her demands and occasional mood swings. Sometimes she even bursts out crying for no reason. "If you keep sighing, you will disturb Little Han Yu," the old nanny remarked jokingly, since that is the name they decided to give the little boy when he is born, everyone has already started calling him that. She came back to her senses. "I am just worried that Han Chen might be having a problem he can''t deal with," The old nanny chuckled. She has never heard of any problem Han Chen has ever had that he couldn''t solve. "If that is what you are thinking about then you don''t have to worry, He has always been able to overcome every difficulty that comes his way," she assured and patted her hand reassuringly, Yu Yan smiled in appreciation. "That reminds me, he asked me to go to the groceries to get more food for you," she stood up. "But there is already enough in the house, at this rate, I will become fatter than I already am," she talks as if she is not the one with sudden cravings. The old nanny smiled at her teasingly seeing the guilty look on her face as though she already responded to herself. "I will be back soon, please don''t move around too much," "Let''s go together, I don''t have anything to do at home anyways," she stood up, placing the dried snacks back in the bowl, she hurried to the room to get her coat before the old nanny refuses to let her tag along. "But you are-" "I know, I will be careful," Instead of taking a car there, they walked to the grocery store where they shopped for a while. The old nanny was only going to get fruit but she ended up buying more things than necessary all because Yu Yan decided to buy them all on a whim. She held her laughter, remembering how Yu Yan was before she got pregnant. She would always manage everything and never waste food, even when she goes grocery shopping with her, she would make sure they don''t spend too much. "Old nanny, why don''t you have some ice cream before we go?" she suggested coyly. "Are you sure you are not the one who wants to have ice cream, I am already too old for that," she teased, she had already guessed that they won''t be going back home without her eating something on the way. "I will just get soft ice cream for myself, I heard that it is safe for pregnant women," she was going to head to the ice cream shop but the old nanny held her back. "Just sit here, I will get it for you. If your husband knows I brought you out, he will be angry not to talk of letting you walk around like this," she sat her down with all the groceries then she left to get her the ice cream. Just then, she heard her phone ring. Her lips spread out into a smile seeing that it is Han Chen calling. "Hello," she answered. "Have you eaten?" he asked like he always does when he is at work, she hummed in answer. "Where are you now?" Her eyes twitched at the question, she rummaged her brain for a lie to tell. "I am in bed right now, the morning exercise made tired so I am getting some rest like you said I should after exercising," "Is that so, but you are always up by this time, today must be very different," "Yes..." she froze when the music at the opposite shop got louder, she quickly covered the speaker of the phone so he doesn''t hear the music. "Is that music I hear?" "No no no, it is...Uhm..." "Don''t bother lying, I already know you went out with old nanny. I told her not to let you out of the complex but the both of you really don''t listen to me and you even went out without letting the driver take you," he sounds like a nagging grandmother. "How did you find out, are you perhaps watching me right now?" she looked around but couldn''t find him. "The kids dropped by today but they couldn''t meet you so they returned. I don''t mean to be a controlling husband but the doctor said you have already stressed yourself too much during the first semester and you need to restrict your activeness during this time so please listen to me," He sounds very worried and concerned that she can''t help feeling guilty, he was very scared when she got really gaunt during the first semester that they had to see the doctor. Her persistence almost caused her pregnancy to be in danger. "Alright, I won''t go out without telling you and if I really need to, I will take the car," "I will take your word for it then, do you want me to tell them they can see you tomorrow. Li Na was really sad that she couldn''t see you and Han Li even came with them," "Really, Han Li came with them?" he sends her things from time to time but it seems like he is still guilty because of how he treated her when Han Chen was still in the hospital so she hasn''t seen him face to face for a long time. "I heard they are in the middle of exams, let them be for now," "Alright, don''t stay out too long," "I won''t and you shouldn''t get angry at old nanny, I forced her to take me out" He hummed in acceptance then ended the call after mouthing a kiss, she was still smiling at the screen when her eyes caught a pair of shoes in front of her, she raised her gaze only to find a man standing in a military uniform. His uniform looks like one a fairly high ranking soldier would wear. He smiled at her but his smile creeped her out. "How may I help you?" she asked, considering that he doesn''t seem to want to speak first. He stretched out his hand. Chapter 370 - Please Dont Go! "I am Lieutenant Chang Wei," he introduced himself. He already got the information on her before coming here after watching a video of Han Corporation and their wedding. Publicizing himself like that after his feat in the military is like asking for death from the people he has offended during his missions. Since he always covers his face during the mission, he is safe but the moment word leaks out that he belongs to a special op in the military then his enemies will come at him and...his beautiful wife. She stared at him blankly for a while but she could feel her heart ramming against her chest for a reason she doesn''t know, something tells her this strange man that has approached her has something to do with why Han Chen was so stressed last night. - - - - - - He returned home but he found the old nanny just in front of the door with her bag in her hands he assumed she must be leaving. "I thought you were going to stay here for one more day," he said, the look she gave him told her there is trouble but she doesn''t seem to want to say anything about it. "I will come back tomorrow, you should go in now," she merely answered and walked past him. He panicked as he held his blazer tighter and gripped the handle of his office bag. He entered the apartment and called her name as he went from the living room to the kitchen, workout room then their bedroom. "Yu Yan-" he called but froze at the sight of their wedding portrait shattered on the ground while she seats soullessly at the edge of the bed with her face looking like she has been crying. He dropped his bag and overcoat on the ground then he knelt in front of her, disregarding the glass on the floor. "Yu Yan, are you alright?" he asked with concern all over his face, she shifted her hate-filled gaze to him and scoffed. Others would get angry or ask about what happened but all he cares about is if she is alright...still he shouldn''t have deceived her. "What a loving but deceitful husband you are," her gaze sharpened with hate, he raised his brow at it. She has never looked at him like that before, the look in her eyes shreds his heart into a thousand pieces. He placed his hands on her shoulder and glanced over her calmly. "Did I do something wrong?" She became so enraged by the question that she pushed his hands away and dashed a slap across his face. Her eyes fell on the bleeding hands that has just been stabbed by the shards of glass on the ground, she stepped forward to help him but she held herself. Despite his injury, he stood up after her and held her hand with a pleading look on his face. He already guessed what she had found out and how she found out. "Yu Yan, please listen to me, I didn''t mean that to lie to you. I had already resigned before leaving but they-" She snapped her hands away from his grip. "No! lying to me was your intention or you would have told me everything about you, what you did before we met and what you are currently doing...you would have told me everything," she has despair in her voice, she doesn''t even know if she is angry because his life is going to be endangered or because he deceived her for so long, maybe both. "I am really sorry..." he dropped to his knees and wrapped his arm around her swollen belly, resting his head gently on her belly. "How could you...were you planning to go without telling me, you will leave me and your child to go to some dangerous place," She started sobbing. "After he told me, the first thing I thought about was how much danger you were in...you could have died before I even have the chance to meet you again," "I am sorry..." he whispered against her belly as she threw her fist on his shoulder repeatedly. Her legs weakened because of the pain she felt in her heart and the stress she put herself under when he scattered the entire place in anger and cried until he came in. He helped her to the bed then he knelt in front of her again. "I really didn''t know they were going to make me do this last mission again and I have tried my best to avoid it but I don''t think I can this time...Yu Yan..." "You can''t go, You are not going, right?!" She yelled at him, she can''t even believe he is really thinking of going in her current condition. "Yu Yan..." "No! if anything happens to you, how will I be able to live without you," she held his hands tightly as tears welled down her cheeks. "You are the CEO of Han Corporation, you can stop it with your influence. Han Chen please..." He ran his tongue over his lips then raised his head to meet her eyes. "As the captain of the secret service, I can''t let my targets know who I am or see my face so if I oppose this mission I will not only be putting my life in danger but yours too," "I don''t care, just don''t go" she pleaded and started crying aloud as her chest heaved up and down, the anger in her is too little compared to the fear that he might never come back to her. He cupped her face in his palm. "Yu Yan, I have always survived without injuries, you have seen my entire body so you know best that I have no scar so I can assure you that this time will be the same too. I will finish this mission as early as I can and come back to you safely and unscathed," he stroked her cheeks reassuringly. She could see the confidence in his eyes, her heart trusts him but her head doesn''t and she doesn''t think the baby in her belly trusts him either. {What if he never returns?} That is the only question that plagued her mind when she heard about it and it is still plaguing her mind at this moment. She really can''t let him go...no matter what. She brushed his hands away from her face then she laid on the bed and turned her face away from him. She didn''t even use the support pillow and it worries him that her back might be aching but he knows any attempt he makes to care for her will make her go harder on herself. He changed into his nightwear without even taking a shower then he laid beside her, he tried to hug her from behind but she pushed his hands away again. {I am really going for you and our baby} He really wants her to know this but if he emphasizes it then she will blame herself and also the child inside her so he decided to be the villain. With his influence he can easily avoid this mission, he knows the major general and Lieutenant Chang Wei definitely has a hand in this and he will get back at them in due time. He waited until she fell asleep then he placed the support behind her and embraced her. The dim light fell on her face and the dried-up tears is still clearly visible. He is worried this stress she has put herself into might affect her and the baby adversely. She woke up the next morning feeling a throbbing pain in her forehead, perhaps because of the tears she shed last night. She turned to her side but she couldn''t see him so she immediately became alarmed thinking he must have already left her. She scurried out of the bed, calling his name. She checked their room first and she was about to go downstairs when she heard the sound of water from the bathroom so she hurried inside to confirm he is really there. "Han Chen!" she called in an alarmed tone. "Yu Yan," he answered just as she barged into the bathroom. He could hear her ragged breathing. She sighed in relief then walked towards him and hugged him tightly. He was still in the process of tying his bathrobe so his hair and body is still wet and his chest is left open, nonetheless, he reciprocated the hug. Chapter 371 - That One Thing- Her Powers! "I thought you left already," she whispered against his chest. "I will never leave without telling you," he stroked her hair. A few minutes later, they are now downstairs, eating breakfast silently with each contemplating if they should break the silence. "Why did you lie- no, why didn''t you tell me?" she still can''t get over it. He dropped his chopstick on the holder then folded his arms on the dining table. "You said you wouldn''t want to be with someone you will have to worry about and Jia Yu told me the same thing so I decided to resign then I wouldn''t have to tell you," After she found out, the first thing she did was get angry at the old nanny for not telling her then she called Jia Yu knowing she must also be together with them in this. Jia Yu pleaded with her that she didn''t mean to lie to her and she also told her about how much Han Chen loved his job that he refused to leave even after his aunt pleaded with him. He left behind his parent''s fortune that he cherishes so much because they are the fruits of his parent''s effort just to do what he loves but Yu Yan didn''t let her finish before she cut the call on her. "You resigned because of me?" "Not just because of you but because I didn''t think I will be able to focus on any mission if I have to leave you behind, especially now that we have a child coming into this world," he sounded so remorseful and guilty that she can''t help her heart-melting. The wall of anger has been crumbled to dust by the love and worry she feels for him. "You should have just told me, we could have figured something out then you wouldn''t have to leave the job you loved so much," she also sounded guilty. If she has to choose between him or her job as a surgeon then she will definitely choose him but a part of her will be lost and she might never be able to regain it even if she is happy with him. "You spoke to Jia Yu?" She nodded her head in affirmation. "You shouldn''t blame her, she kept asking me to tell you but I forced her to keep quiet about it," "I will take care of Jia Yu, for now, you need to tell me what you plan to do. Do you still have to go on that dangerous mission," He hesitated for a while before speaking. "Yes, we will also have to move. If that bastard could find you then you might not be safe here, we should live in the mansion and I will increase the security around the place or you can stay at Jia Yu''s while I am away," She lowered her head, gripping her chopstick tightly. She has given it a thorough thought and now she knows he really is doing it for their sake but she really doesn''t want him to go. "When do you have to leave and when will you be back?" "In one week, the mission should take at least one month with my level of expertise but I promise to be back in two weeks," He sensed she is trying to hold back something until she suddenly smiled. He became confused, especially when she raised her head with a delighted look on her face. "I am realising yet again just how much I love you, I should be angry at you for years to come but I can''t even look at you and not meltdown," she confessed. A smile broke out on his face hearing her words, he also didn''t expect her to be so calm already knowing her personality. He stood up from his seat and walked over to her where he took a seat beside her. "I love you too," He kissed the back of her hand. She placed her hand on his face. "I guess I should feel proud that I have such an awesome husband, you are even more of a skilled fighter than I am," "I don''t think that bastard would have said that to you so I suppose you spoke to Roy and Shi Fen yesterday," They chuckled. "They told me how you took down a hundred men alone when you saved a group of girls from armed traffickers and many other accomplishments, at first I was gushing over you but I realised I should be angry instead," "Then why don''t you punish me anyhow you want," "That''s right, then your punishment should be...take me out on dates until you leave for the mission," "Huh- but that is," "No haggling! I heard you are a man of your word so you should also uphold your word to your wife, if I wasn''t pregnant then I would have kicked your ass for deceiving me," He smirked as he leaned towards her ear. "Are you sure you can still defeat me?" his soft breath brushed against her ear, tickling her. He kissed her ear, then her cheeks, then her forehead and her nose while she laughed heartily. In her heart, she knows she would never be able to get angry at him for more than a day if she can forgive him easily for this. Well...there are people she would have to keep this a secret from- The Huo family. - - - - - Two weeks later. {I have to leave now, guardian already told me he will soon arrive at the flowing mountain} She bit her nails in hesitation, she already planned to escape by blowing up the ancestral memorial room. She cast a barrier on the memorial tablet in addition to the one her father placed on the memorial tablets which learnt from Mo Yuhan when he came to visit her the second time. She has been planning this for months now and she has prepared herself to face the consequence of destroying the ancestral memorial room but at least no harm will come to the tablets since she used her own power to cast the barrier. This will distract them for a while and will give her a chance to escape without having to fight or hurt anyone. Since the two disciples guarding her always leave at this time of the day as she has calculated, she decided to take action now. {I am really sorry but I have to go...} She closed her eyes and waved her hands then she directed her flames towards the door, blasting it open with the entire room. The blast shook the ground taking everyone by surprise that they soon started racing towards the memorial room. Meanwhile, Lin Bohai who has been staking outside the flame sect widened his eyes at the ball of flames that erupted in the sky before it went out. He can tell by the heat that it must have come from Huo Lan. {Huo Lan...} He was going to go in but he halted at the sight of someone running out of the forest, he hid behind a tree but he was shocked to see that the person is actually Huo Lan. {What is she doing here?} If she is here then that means he has to...do what he came here to do, the one thing he has been staking outside the flame sect in a cloak for, the one thing he took five months to decide to do, the one thing he broke his heart to pieces for. {You shouldn''t have left the sect} Balling his fist, he went after her while making sure she is not aware of his presence. He was tortured by the pills but it made his will to survive to grow stronger along with his envy for her powers. He has always been regarded as the strongest and most talented youth in his generation but he can''t live knowing she is superior to him especially since she could have been the one responsible for what happened in the restaurant on that day. The strongest flame power and the extinct ice power. The thought of possessing both powers plagued his thoughts every day despite how hard he tried to push it away using the excuse of his love for her. If only he can obtain both powers and her internal strength then he will become the strongest cultivator the world has ever seen including Huo Yi Lang who was a villain in the heart of the people. If I can''t have her then I will have her sister. He remembered the confusion he feels every time he sees Huo Ying, then he made up his mind. Instead of rotting in the dark cell under the torture of the pill, he had better do as his father wants then he will overthrow his father and take over the wind sect, he can also have Huo Ying if his plan succeeds. So he conceded to his father. Chapter 372 - Foolish Trust! Note- In this chapter, I am going to be alternating between both worlds so it may seem confusing but I will use asterisks to separate both worlds when I transition. She ran as fast as she could knowing they will soon find out everything was her doing the moment they find the ancestral tablets unharmed. She doesn''t have a horse so it will be easier for them to catch up with her and she doesn''t want to hurt them, thus she has to give it her all. He wondered what ruckus she caused in her sect and why she is running away from her family, the family she always wanted to be with. He changed his mind with every step she took but that show of strength- the ball of flames, keeps his heart fixed on obtaining what belongs to her even if he has to become a monster, as long as people will worship him. ****** "Yu Yan, you have been here for too long, what if you catch a cold?" Jia Yu nagged for the nth time, she looked back at Ji Chen who is relaxing on the beach chair while sipping his tropical cocktail. "Are you not going to say anything?" she glared daggers at him but he knowingly avoided her eyes and pretended not to hear her. She sighed then turned back to Yu Yan who still has her earpiece plugged in her ears as she stares at the waves in the water rising and falling. They came to the beach on their last date before he went on his mission and she has been coming here every day since then.. She removed one of the earpieces. "You should stop nagging, that jerk will soon return and he will stop me from coming out. Moreover, the wind is not even that strong or do you think I will endanger my child just for fun," she raised her brow at Jia Yu who immediately kept quiet. Ji Chen already knows she is just being overprotective just like her brotherso he didn''t say anything, it is clearly sunny and slightly windy yet Jia Yu keeps nagging her. ******* She soon got to the waterfall at the flowing mountain, she caught her breath then she started looking for him. "Guardian!" she kept screaming hoping he comes soon before they find her, Bohai hid behind a tree as he watched her call out the same word. He became confused. "Guardian?" he looked away then back at her, it seems like she is calling for a real person but she has been hidden in that cave for so long that she wouldn''t have been able to make any acquaintance unless it is someone she got to know after she left the wind sect. If she is calling that guardian then it could be one of the guardians from the flame sect but why would she be looking for a guardian from the flame sect in the flowing mountains. He waited around for a while to see if the person she is looking for will come out but she suddenly sat in a lotus position with her back turned to him. Meanwhile at the flame sect, sect madam Huo became enraged the moment she found out that Huo Lan left the sect, presumably to go to Bohai. She ordered that Huo Lan be dragged back to the sect, she even went as far as calling her a monster in a moment of anger. Huo Ying begged her to please be lenient on Huo Lan even though she is also angered by Huo Lan''s recklessness, she promised to lead the guardians to bring back Huo Lan. They rode around the city on horses with high speed that everyone in the city was alarmed especially after the ball of flames that went up in the sky. She once held the purple phoenix sword so she plans to use that to find her even though it will take some time as the purple phoenix sword only remembers the essence of those that touched it for a short period of time. Back at the flowing mountain, he couldn''t resist his curiosity so he walked to her front and squatted in front of her, her head kept moving frantically as if her mind is unsettled. If she can''t see her guardian before she is found then she would have done all that in vain and the fear of what might happen to her once she is dragged back to the sect makes her scared. She searched the realm for him but to no avail, she doesn''t know how to connect to his mind, only he knows how to connect to her mind, hence she is helpless in this situation. She shot her eyes open and let out a deep exhale but she was shocked to see Bohai in front of her, his eyes are widened as though he was also shocked by her sudden awakening. "Bohai..." she muttered find disbelief, the one she came out to meet is her guardian but why is he in front of her? She raised her scrunched brows in question. {There is no way out now, I have to finish what I came here to do} "I came to see you," he said to her in a reassuring tone. To see her? How did he know she was going to be here, is he by any chance the guardian, so it wasn''t a coincidence that he caught her trying to leave the sect, he gave her a taste of freedom at her worst moment and even told her about the test. "Are you the one?" "Who are you talking about?" he needs to know, if she came out because of this guardian then there must be something important behind it, perhaps this person is connected to the incident that happened at the restaurant. "Are you the guardian, the one in my subconscious mind, if not then why are you here?" the look on his face tells her he is not the one yet how can he not be the one. Only her and the guardian knows they were going to meet here today and no one else could have gotten into her subconscious mind. He still looks confused. "You are not the one, then how did you know I was going to be here?" she is suspicious of him, perhaps because of the nonsense her sister has been telling him about him and Mo Yuhan has also been forcing her to believe with his frequent visits. He figured if he doesn''t tell her now then she might really suspect him. "I came to see you because I missed you but it happened that I saw you coming out of the flame sect, who is this guardian you are looking for?" She heaved a sigh of relief, not only does she want to see her guardian but she also missed him throughout her confinement in the ancestral room. She missed his beautiful face, smile and the fearless look in his eyes when he looks at her. "I missed you too," she leaned towards him and wrapped her arms around his neck in a hug while he hesitantly placed his hands on her back. She innocently believed he came for her, she has so much trust in the son of her sect''s enemy that she wouldn''t even question him further. Why didn''t he stop her on the way but instead followed her all the way? she wouldn''t even ask that. "The blast at the flame sect, did you cause it?" he asked in a soft, caring tone. She hummed in answer. "My mother found out about our relationship so she confined me to the ancestral hall for months to make me change my mind about you," "And you didn''t renounce me all this time," She stopped hugging him and looked into his eyes. "No, I might have known you for a short time but I trust you. Huo Ying thinks you could have saved me during the test but you didn''t because you wanted me to die but I know that is not the case. You are the first person to treat me kindly other than my family so how can you harm me," she genuinely sounds like she trusts him to the core. Her innocence and trusts make his heart ache so much that he really doesn''t want to hurt her but he has come this far with only one thing in his mind, backing out now is impossible. He placed his hands on her cheeks. "Huo Lan, you shouldn''t trust people that easily," Instead of replying him, she hugged him again. "I know that but I shouldn''t distrust you either," she has momentarily forgotten about the guardian she came there to see, her entire mind has been usurped by the one in front of her. ****** The image of the same girl she has been seeing in her dreams, hugging someone flashed before her eyes. She gasped, regaining her senses. "What just happened?" she muttered to herself. "Are you alright?" Ji Chen and Jia Yu chorused. She nodded reassuringly at them but she could feel her heart palpitating. Chapter 373 - Did You Really Want Me To Die! That''s it. She has seen that person''s back so many times but only seen his face once and that was the time she dreamt of people chasing her to the end of a cliff while calling her a monster. His face was so vague that she forgot as soon as she woke up. {He looks like Chen Kai...} She thought to herself. She has almost forgotten he even exists so why is she seeing him now. She has always had dreams but never abrupt flashes of images. She clutched her chest tighter as her heart seems to be racing faster. More started flashing right before her eyes. A man in a mask, a peculiar one. Sitting in a lake with his head rested against the rocks and his chest see-through because of the white silk robe. He raised his hand to his face and slowly took off the mask... "Han Chen-" she couldn''t believe her eyes. It feels like she is being sucked into another world in that instant. "Yu Yan, what is wrong," she can hear that voice but she can''t move. {What happens next is what is happening in the other world and she is also seeing it} "Huo Lan, I am sorry," he whispered into her ear. "For what?" she asked He slowly unsheathed the spirit siphon sword by his waist then he brought the tip to her stomach. A tear flowed down from his cheek. "Even if everyone remembers you as a monster, I will forever remember you as the only woman I ever loved, an innocent and pure-hearted soul," "What are u say-" she gasped {Yu Yan also gasped} She slowly brought one of her hands to her belly then brought it behind him to see for herself. "Blood," she pronounced with a tone of betrayal and disbelief in her voice. She unwrapped her arm from his neck to come face to face with him. She watched tears trickle down his cheeks without saying anything then she placed her bloodied hand on his face. "Did you really want me to die at Huo Yi Lang''s hand?" she really needs to know that one thing. He nodded his head in affirmation but it brought smiles to her lips as tears pooled in her eyes. "Did you come because you missed me?" He shook his head. "I came to kill you and steal what belongs to you," he answered amidst his sobs. She lowered her eyes to glance at the wound on her abdomen but he still hold the knife firmly to the stab. Red Qi flowered out of her injury, into the knife. Then she realised what he meant, he came here to steal her power. "Is it really that great, is being powerful that great. Huo Yi Lang also became like that because he wanted to be powerful?" she is speaking to him like they are having a normal open-hearted conversation while they are both on their knees and her power is being siphoned. He shook his head. Her grip on his face tightened. "But you did love me right?" He nodded positively. "Huo Ying said you wouldn''t want someone you love to feel pain. Bohai, it is really painful-" She placed her hand on his hand holding the knife and her other hand on his chest, where his heart should be. "It''s fine, the pain will go away soon enough," he whispered soothingly. She shook her head. "I don''t think so, I feel like I am going to explode...right now-" She gasped with her head raised to the sky then she left out a pain-filled scream as a blaze of fire surrounded her body. His eyes widened, he tried to remove the knife and move away from her but she is gripping his hand too tight that he can''t let go. Tears welled down her cheeks. "I should have trusted Huo Ying but I don''t think it would have changed anything since I would be here anyway. I just wish I could see my guardian before I die, he promised to see me..." He screamed in pain as the Qi from her palm seeps into his chest, it feels as though he is being burned by the fiercest of flames. ***** "Yu Yan!" Jia Yu kept calling as they rushed her to the emergency ward, she collapsed at the beach all of a sudden and they are rushing her to the emergency ward on a stretcher. "She was fine just a while ago, Yu Yan, please wake up!" she kept crying as they pulled her in and had her and Ji Chen wait outside. ***** She started crying aloud as she watched him scream in pain, she didn''t think she will be on the brink of death or even be hurting the one she loves the most at this moment. All she imagined is the man in a mask removing his mask in front of her. "Huo Lan," she heard someone call in front of her. "Guardian," she answered. The man in front of her but afar is even more pretty than Bohai is and he is without his mask this time, just like she imagined. She let go of his hands, all she wanted was to leave him with a reminder but she fears he will lose his life now that her guardian is here. She looked away from the fourth prince and looked into his pained eyes. "Run but don''t ever forget me," He scrambled to his feet and started running without caring to look behind him to see who the guardian she was looking for his. Right before his eyes, she smiled at him before slumping to the ground. He ran towards her as fast as he could then held her in his arms. "Y-you are really the fourth prince," she muttered, she raised her hand to his face. "I am glad I got to see you...for the last time," she smiled broadly like he imagined she would when he meets her. He can''t believe it. He shouldn''t have allowed himself to be delayed by the people the emperor sent to follow him then he would have arrived on time. "No, no, no, Huo Lan-" "Please don''t cry, I want you to smile. Ever since you agreed to meet me, I imagined you smiling many times," she sniffed her nose to send back her tears. If she had known that the fourth prince who saved her is her guardian then she wouldn''t have let go of him during the test, she would have made him smile and stared at his pretty face for a long time but now it is too bad she can''t even do that for long. Her lips curved into the brightest of his smiles, tailored for her but it didn''t take long for it to break when he noticed her eyes slowly closing. "Thanks, for letting me see you before I die. Please tell my family I am sorry..." just like that, her arm slumped and her eyes completely closed. "Huo Lan, No!" he screamed at the top of his lungs, He did not plan every one of his steps meticulously just for her to die like this. He soon heard horse hooves, he looked ahead only to see some people wearing the flame sect uniform on the horse and they are riding at a very fast speed. From afar, Huo Ying could see Huo Lan lying in the arms of a man, one whose face she can''t see clearly, she whipped her horse to move faster. Her sister''s body is not moving, which means something bad has happened to her. He can''t live with letting everything end like this. She had already gotten close enough to see them clearly when they both disappeared, she quickly dismounted her horse and ran to where they were but they are nowhere to be found. "Huo Lan- she was just here," Huo Ying said, she ran into the woods, unable to believe that her sister who might be lifeless has just disappeared with a strange person whose face she couldn''t see clearly. The rest followed after her, they also saw her before she disappeared. Huo Qiang stopped for a moment, realising someone needs to inform this sect of this issue. First, Huo Lan did something as despicable as blowing up the ancestral memorial room and now she has disappeared with a stranger who might have caused her harm. "Huo Lian, return to the sect and inform the sect madam of the situation," he ordered. "I want to stay here to-" "Go now!" he yelled at her. She glanced at her sister who nodded at her to do as Huo Qiang said then she ran back to her horse and started riding at an incredibly fast speed. ******* "Who is the patient''s guardian?" the doctor who is in charge of Yu Yan asked Jia Yu and Ji Chen quickly rushed forward amidst other guardians waiting for their families. "Is this gentleman her husband?" the doctor asked. "No, I am her brother-in-law," he answered, hoping it would let the doctor divulge whatever he has to say to him in the absence of Han Chen. "Where is her husband?" Chapter 374 - Too Sudden To Let Go! "He is currently out of the country, is there anything wrong with her?" she really wishes he would just spill the bean and stop asking these questions. "The patient heart rate is too high and she has a cut on her abdomen but it has slightly missed the foetus, I am afraid we have to perform a cesarean section to remove the foetus or it will die along with the mother," he tried to sound as hopeful as possible in the hopeless situation. "What....no, wait...what are you saying? she was fine moments ago," she can''t believe her ears, neither can Ji Chen believe what they had just heard. Their friends and families swarmed in at exactly that moment. The doctor who wasn''t expecting the entourage became perplexed at the thought of going over the situation with the rest of them. After briefing them of the situation in full, her mother and Jia Yu''s mother immediately fainted. They all think Han Chen went on an important business trip so Jia Yu could only tell them she has informed him despite knowing he won''t be able to receive her call or messages. "I must add that there is a chance she won''t be able to survive the surgery so we have to choose between the mother and the child," the doctor added "The foetus is just 25 weeks old, how are you..." An Ke can''t even bring herself to say it. Despite the nature of their profession, nothing can prepare them for this moment when their best friend faces such a life-threatening situation where she has to pick between her or her child. "We will do everything we can to keep the foetus alive but there is an 85% chance the mother won''t be able to survive," They gasped in disbelief. How can they make such a decision for her and Han Chen? No one can make such a decision for anyone. While they are still drowning in the information, a nurse ran out of the ward. "The patient is awake," she announced. Just a moment ago, she was deeply unconscious without the cause of her state being found but now she has woken up. The doctor can''t help feeling this is some sort of ominous case. He rushed in after the nurse and shut the door on Jia Yu and the others who were about to follow him into the ward, after all, this is not Chen hospital where they are recognised. After hours of waiting until daybreak, the doctor finally came out of the operating room where they moved her after confirming she is fit to undergo surgery to stop her internal bleeding by a non-invasive surgery. They quickly rushed up to him including her parent and inlaws. "How is she?" her mother who has been bawling her eyes out since she woke up asked. "For now, the patient''s condition is stable but I am afraid she doesn''t have long to make her decision on if she is keeping the child or..." he couldn''t bring himself to say this easily, no doctor is ever used to asking a mother to choose between her child''s life or hers. Her mother slumped but Jia Yu quickly supported her, then the nurses wheeled her out of the ward into the intensive care unit under their eyes, they were flabbergasted at the sight of the bubbly yet cranky woman they have seen these past few days turn into an almost lifeless gaunt woman. "Jia Yu, didn''t you say you informed Han Chen, why isn''t he here yet?" her godmother asked, she at least wants him to see Yu Yan before discussing anything else. "I did but I don''t think he will be here any min-" "I am here," They turned back only to see him panting in his military uniform, they were shocked except for Jia Yu and Ji Chen. His aunt and uncle also thought he really went on a business trip. "Why are you in a military uniform?" his mother in law asked, it doesn''t look like just any camouflage clothing. "Mother, I will explain later. I want to see Yu Yan first," He walked towards them but the moment he passed her father, he was pulled back by the collar. He held his collar so tight that he is almost choking. "Did you leave my pregnant daughter to go on some sort of military stunt?" her father queries with his eyes blazing in anger. Jia Yu could only thank God that her brothers are not here or blood will be spilt in an instant. "Uncle, please let''s talk about this later, for now-" "Shut up!" he yelled at Jia Yu. "How could you keep this from us and even leave your wife, I will leave you for now but I will make sure you pay for this later," he threatened while his aunt and uncle could only watch, They can''t agree more with her father as they also find his action irresponsible and they would have done the same if Ji Chen did that to Jia Yu so they didn''t even bother stopping him. He bowed his head in gratitude then he followed the doctor inside the ward. He stood at the entrance in utter shock at how different the woman on life support and the one he left at home looks. He muttered her name as he slowly walked towards her, as soon as she heard his voice, she turned to look at him but her movement is restricted by the machines connected to her for support. He knelt beside her and placed his hands on her cheeks with soft sobs escaping his mouth. How is he to believe what is before him. "How can this be, How is this even possible," he kept gasping with every word that escaped his mouth but there she is forcing a smile at the sight of him. "I am glad you are here," she muttered He shook his head frantically in denial, if this is a dream then he wants to wake up from it quickly. He has so so many dreams of when he returns to her side but none....none can be compared to this awful situation and heart-wrenching pain in his heart. "It is all my fault, I shouldn''t have left your side, I shouldn''t-" She raised her hand to touch his hand that is on her cheeks. "I think something happened to the girl on the other side. Han Chen, it seems we have to choose between my child or my life," she broke the news to him. His face went blank as his eyes widened. His child or the woman he loves? No! He turned back to glance at the doctor who nodded his head to confirm what she just said. "No, No, this can''t be...I am choosing you, if I have to choose then it will be you," he said firmly without any hesitation. He is also a doctor and he knows delaying this will endanger her life. "You have to consider carefully sir, we can''t guarantee that she will survive even without the child and we can''t guarantee that the foetus will also survive as it is still very premature but we will do our best to save either one you chose," the doctor reminded him of the things he had already briefed her. She held his hand tightly, forcing him to look into her eyes. "I choose our child," she also said firmly. He shook his head, taking her words for nonsense. "Yu Yan, if you leave me then what am I supposed to do with my life, what am I going to do without you?!" he wailed so loud that even others outside could hear his anguished voice. "You still have our child, isn''t it better than losing the both of us," "Han Chen, if I lose my child then I won''t be able to live," He shook his head, unwilling to go with what she wants but he knows she is not bluffing. "I am really sorry but you have to make your choice now," the doctor reminded. Her smile broadened as her grip on his hand tightened while he lowered his head into her embrace...for the last time. A few minutes later, the nurses wheeled her out of the ward again then Han Chen followed. They stopped when they got to where her family and friends are standing. "Mom," Yu Yan called with a smile on her face, all this is happening too fast for her to process but she knows she has to be strong for her family and friends to let her go. "Yu Yan," her mom answered as they all came closer to her, she held her hand and covered her mouth with the other to prevent the loud outburst of wailing from escaping her mouth. "I am really sorry I have to leave you all like this," she glanced at each and every one of them, she closed her eyes and opened them again. Chapter 375 - At The Cost Of My Life! "Please tell Li Na, Li Jing and Han Li that I love them very much," she let go of their mother''s hand then she stretched her hand towards Han Chen who held her hand again. He knows what she wants from the look in her eyes so he leaned into her for a kiss, the last yet the most heartfelt kiss they will ever share. Then they wheeled her away. "What is going on?" it is still too hard for her mother to understand why she spoke like she is saying her last goodbye. "She choose to have the baby," Han Chen said then he dropped to his knees and started crying, the waiting area became filled with wailing and tears from everyone. This is too sudden for them. In just a day, all the happiness they have ever known is dissapearing. I love you, Han Chen. After an hour, the obstetrician and assisting surgeons came out of the operation room. "The baby survived and is under intensive care and life support but the mother..." she lowered her head in regrets. That was enough for them to understand what has happened. "No!" her mother screamed while Han Chen stood still in disbelief. He still thinks all of this is a dream he can never wake up from. "We only induced anaesthesia on the lower part of her body but she is in a coma as of now," the doctor added. The news brought hope back to them. "Are you saying there is a chance she might survive?" Han Chen asked. "We are not sure yet, there seems to be damage to her brain though we haven''t been able to find the source but we just have to wait," she answered. Wait...no matter how long it takes, Yu Yan, I will wait for you....we will wait for you. ******** He snuck back to the capital after riding for days only to find that the emperor has his manor surrounded after he found out from the people he sent to watch him that he visited the city where the flame sect is. He manoeuvred his way into his manor and hurriedly took her body into his secret chamber. "Master!" Both Feng Shui and Xiaodi exclaimed at the sight of him and the body laying on the bed, he cautioned them to keep quiet so they shut the secret entrance which they opened only after they heard suspicious movement coming from the room. "We were worried about you," Xiaodi whispered as she examined him to make sure he is alright. "I don''t have much time, where is the eight petaled flower that contains my mother''s soul?" he asked with desperation and anguish in his voice. They glanced at the body, only then did they notice she has been stabbed and she is probably already dead. Feng Shui placed two of his finger on the side of her neck to read her pulse, he realised she has already died so if he is asking for his flower containing his mother''s soul then that means he plans to... "Your highness, you can''t!" he warned, raising voice. "Master..." Xiaodi called looking at the body then back at her master, she doesn''t understand why the woman her master loves is suddenly dead but she knows if he does what she thinks he is about to do then it will cause problems for her master and the entire world. "I asked you a question, where is the flower?" he asked again in a commanding tone. Tears trickled down her cheeks knowing she has no choice but to tell him. He entrusted it to her so he doesn''t know where she kept it after they returned to the capital. "In the spatial ring," she answered reluctantly. He quickly took off the ring then he brought out the flower from the spatial space. He placed the flower above Huo Lan and infused his Qi into the flower. The internal strength from the flower started seeping into her chest. Xiaodi and Feng Shui quickly fell on their knees. "Master, please stop. If you continue then you will lose all of your power and die," Xiaodi persuaded, what he is doing is just too reckless without much consideration and thought to it. "Even if I give my life and the world disappears, I must save her," Feng Shui could already tell it is no use trying to persuade him, he has loved and protected her behind the screen for years and now that he finally decided to make himself known to her, she is dead. "Master, it is only a myth. Even your mother wasn''t sure this method works, moreover, you don''t have the flame demon soul so it won''t work no matter what you do," Xiaodi continued pleading but he didn''t relent his effort in saving her. "I still have to try!" he screamed as he transformed into his ice saint appearance and his Qi turned blue, he felt as though every pint of blood in his body is drying up and being transferred to her body. It is a myth that used to be rampant during the time the flame clan and the ice clan existed that if the soul of the flame demon and the ice saint is combined, it can be used to revive a dead person using the power of their successors but there is a repercussion- The world will change. This myth still exists but no one believes it and neither do they know what it means by the world-changing. "In that case then I will sacrifice my life with yours," "You can''t interfere Xiaodi, have you forgotten that it can only be done using the power of the successor of the ice saint or the flame demon," Feng Shui cautioned, holding her hand tight to prevent her from doing something stupid. "But he is going to die if we don''t help him," she protested as she struggled to free herself from his grip. "I am sorry," then he struck her neck to knock her out. He gently placed her body on the floor. "I will guard outside, Master," The fourth prince glanced at him, he could see that his eyes is teary and he is also reluctant to let him sacrifice his life for someone who has never known of his love for her but he is letting him do as he wish out of loyalty and also because he has experienced what it means to lose a lover. Feng Shui bowed then he left the secret chamber to ensure no one disturbs him. {Even if it costs my life, I must save you} "My son," he heard a voice call, his eyes become drowsy as spiritual power from the flower seeped into his forehead. He unconsciously closed his eyes. "My son," he heard the voice again. The voice sounded familiar, he turned around only to find a beautiful lady standing in front of him. "Mother," he muttered in disbelief, is this a dream? he asked himself. He looked around him, noticing that he is in a white space and the only ones there are himself and the woman who looks like his mother in front of him. He doesn''t remember what she looks like but the cascading ocean blue hair and eyes and shining blue gem on her forehead is enough for him to make his assumption. "Do not doubt, it is indeed your mother," she assured him, her sweet angelic voice reminded him of the voice that he used to hear whenever he stands outside the room his mother was isolated on her deathbed. Her soft voice used to enthral him whenever she sings lullabies knowing he is out there longing for her. "It is really you," he asked, staring at her with tear pooled eyes. The woman in front of him is very beautiful just like he imagined she would be, now it is no wonder to him that the emperor is still in love with her even after her death. "Come, let me hold you," she beckoned. He slowly walked towards her then stopped in front of her, his towering height above her makes her more emotional at the sight of him.. She placed her hand on his cheeks and smiled broadly. Chapter 376 - Love Me In Your Next Life! "It is really you," he remarked, staring at her with tear pooled eyes. The woman in front of him is very beautiful just like he imagined she would be, now it is no wonder to him that the emperor is still in love with her even after her death. "Come, let me hold you," she beckoned. He slowly walked towards her then stopped in front of her, his towering height above her makes her more emotional at the sight of him. She placed her hand on his cheeks and smiled broadly. "You have indeed grown into a fine man...the saint of the ice clan," He placed his hand above hers. "I am sorry for disappointing your expectations, that woman is my life," The ring she left for him contained a message asking him to build the ice clan again and find something else but he couldn''t understand the last part of the message which she must have left at the brink of death. "You have not disappointed me. Although it is the duty of my successor to rebuild the ice and find the soul of the flame emperor, it is more honourable for you to sacrifice everything for the woman you love," He became confused. "Flame Emperor, is mother referring to the flame demon?" he couldn''t find any information on the flame clan in the books left behind in the spatial ring but from his findings, he was called the flame demon. She chuckled. "He was an emperor, not a demon. Rather the demon should be the crown prince of Tang during those times," "I don''t understand," She brought her hand down from his face then tucked both hands in her large sleeves, she walked forward then stopped. "The crown prince of Tang, the flame emperor and his empress were best friends. The flame empress was also my best friend," she turned to face him. "Back then, all the kingdoms were at peace because of the Ice clan and the flame clan acting as sovereign leaders but the emperor of Tang didn''t want to share his power with both clans so he incited the crown prince of Tang using his love for the flame empress to betray the flame emperor. The crown prince of Tang poisoned the flame emperor which lead to his insanity and caused him to kill many innocent people, from that moment onwards he became a demon in the heart of the people," "How then did the ice clan get exterminated?" "The royal family and the common people began to seek help from the ice clan to destroy the flame emperor but because of my best friend, I hesitated until she came to me herself, asking me to kill the flame emperor for his sake. She found out that the crown prince of Tang poisoned her husband and the poison is causing him unbearable pain so I took it upon myself to kill him as she wants. But that evil crown prince of Tang planned to use our swords to kill each other. Before I could exact my plan, the flame emperor already matched to the ice clan with the intent of exterminating the ice clan, both clans were exterminated leaving only I, the flame emperor, the flame empress and the brother of the flame emperor," "He had a brother?" "Yes, his brother never stayed with the clan, he travelled the world and he was the first man I loved. The crown prince of Tang surrounded us with his army after our powers have been depleted, the flame emperor''s brother helped me escape so he can return to help his brother but I couldn''t go on after we escaped because I didn''t want to leave my best friend back there..." Tears strolled down her cheek, the hurt she felt on that day attacked her heart again. "I forced him to return with me but we witnessed the flame empress stab herself using the sword in the flame emperor''s hand to kill herself to free him from the mind-destroying pill. After he regained his senses, he killed every one of the imperial army presents and killed himself. His brother struggled to go to his side but I stopped him, the evil crown prince tried to dig out the source of the flame emperor''s power which is his heart but he doesn''t know the flame emperor''s heart disintegrates when he dies. Neither, did I know the brother''s lifelines are connected, they both died so I could only collect their souls," "Where are their souls now?" he asked "Back then, the war between both clans caused a war among the spirit beasts but they didn''t know the members of the royal family were the cause of the war. The strongest of the spirit beasts gave their cores to distant princes in the royal family on the condition that they will cease to be royals, those princes established the four main sects. In order to allow the rebirth of both brothers, I entrusted the souls of both brothers to Huoyun Shuo and the Golden eagle...the spirit beast of the flame clan and-" She groaned. "What is it, mother?" he asked as he supported her. She clutched his arm tightly as a result of the pain. "There is no time, I need to warn you. Saving that girl means taking another life, time will not allow me to explain this clearly but there is another world and that girl exists in the other world. If you save her, you will have to take the life of the other," "Another world?" this is news to him. "The world will reset itself and both souls will exist in one body but one must disappear. The moment one remembers how she died then that one will disappear, leaving the other behind," He has so many questions to ask but now that the space is crumbling, he needs to ask the most important question. "Can''t they coexist in the same body," "No, if one doesn''t disappear then they will both disappear and you have to gain the love of the one that remains. You will become sickly but her love will be your strength, everytime you hurt her or she hates you, you will feel a hundred folds of the pain in your heart and you will eventually die," Suddenly, the ground split, separating them until she faded away and he returned to his consciousness. At that moment, the flower disappeared into her chest but he collapsed to the ground. I hope you love me in your next life. Chapter 377 - The End I feel I am underwater, drowning in a sea and surrounded by marine creatures. My hands and legs hang upward while my eyes are fixed on the shining sun above the water. There is no more pain or the feeling of being betrayed. Somehow there is solace in death, I didn''t think there will be such peace while my soul is leaving my mortal body. I have loved and experienced what it feels like to be loved but that same love is an arrow that has pierced through my chest. In that last minutes, I got to see the face of the one who gave me hope, the hope of freedom. That is enough to give me all the peace I ever yearned for even in the afterlife. There is someone else with me, inside me. The one I have seen in my dreams was my solace in bondage. When she smiles in front of the one she loves, it brings me pain and happiness. Envy filled my heart with each moment of happiness she has but I am sorry she has to leave everything behind because of me. If only we weren''t connected, she would have been able to live the life she wanted with the man she loves unlike me. Our love was ill-fated from the beginning. Goodbye. Ten years later. "Han Yu," Jia Yu calls as she frustratingly runs around the garden, she later gives up and squats in total surrender. She should have known playing with the kids will be this stressful but she didn''t realise Han Yu and Rong Yu would go to this extent to frustrate her. "Alright, I give up. The both of you should come out now," she shouts in hope that they hear her from wherever they are hiding. The two mischievous kids tiptoe behind her only to grab her by the neck until she falls flat on the ground. "Han Yu, Rong Yu!" she yells in anger. Both laugh their ass out seeing the pissed out look on her face, they glance at each other before wriggling their tongues and bulging their eyes at her then they start running. She quickly stood up from the ground to chase them, she chases them around the large compound but to no avail until she heard both stop at the sight of their father and uncle. "Dad!" they screamed as they wrapped their arms around their fathers'' legs. Both men glanced at Jia Yu who is still struggling to catch her breath from afar before she starts walking towards them. "How is mom?" "How is aunt?" both asked at the same time with excitement on their face. Han Chen dipped his hand in his pocket and brought out his phone to show them a picture of Yu Yan, though she is still in a vegetative state all these years with no signs of improvement they have found solace in the hope that she will wake up one day. "Aunt is still so beautiful unlike my mom," Rong Yu remarks. Everyone except for Jia Yu burst into a peal of laughter, she grabs Rong Yu by the shoulder and squats in front of her. "Are you saying your mom is not beautiful?" she becomes jealous. Rong Yu shakes her head, "Of course not, I am only saying I want to be like aunt when I grow up,". "So you don''t want to look like your mom?" she insists knowing how silly she is to be jealous of someone who is in a vegetative state. "Mom, if I end up looking like you then no one will marry me," she sarcastically answers, throwing them into another round of laughter with Jia Yu joining in this time. "Don''t worry, I will marry you," they all stop at Han Yu''s response. "Han Yu, you can''t say things like that in front of everyone," Rong Yu shyly replied then she runs off and he follows after her. The adults watch them in amazement. "Since when?" Han Chen asked both Ji Chen and Jia Yu but they fold their arms on their chest and fixed their eyes on him. "Seems like it is your son proposing to our daughter, shouldn''t you know?" "I-" "Aarrgh!" at the sound of the scream, they all turn to the direction the kids disappeared with an alarmed look on their faces. "Rong Yu is at it again," they quickly run to see what injury Han Yu has sustained. Everyone thought Han Yu will be the one to inherit his mother''s feistiness but it turned out to be Rong Yu and her own son is the one suffering from it with the constant beating he receives from her. Just like the fool in love his father was, he is the same as he always lets her do whatever she wants without complaining to anyone. And indeed, she has beaten him again but since they are happy then it doesn''t matter. The end. Afterword. I was going to create another chapter for this but it wouldn''t let me upload less than one thousand words and I didn''t want to just ramble on so here we are. Firstly, I must say I am really grateful to God and all of you that stuck with this novel to the end. I can''t say it was the most interesting read but this is actually my first work and there were many reasons the novel didn''t do as I expected, my expectations for these novels and your support went down as soon as I began to realise these faults. 1. I didn''t update regularly and I feel this greatly affected my novel to the point that even the number of views was very poor for a novel that has been around for over a year. I have many excuses to give in terms of my education and so many things that I was juggling with but I feel like I should have had a stockpile and kept to schedule since I decided to get a contract for this. 2. The writing was very poor and there are a lot of grammatical mistakes, I must say this is something that irked me very much to the point where I started feeling sorry that my readers choose to read such a poorly written novel that even I wouldn''t have read. I felt the need to edit from the beginning so much but considering that I didn''t even have the time to update regularly, editing would be a dream. It really demotivated me and almost made me decide to just drop the novel because I just didn''t like that I am the writer of something that is so poorly written but as I said before, this is my first written work and I just felt like I shouldn''t despise my small beginning and I should just grit my teeth and finish especially since I got some nice comments that raised my motivation. 3. I didn''t plan before I started writing, I started writing this novel on a whim as soon as I got the idea because I was so excited and I was impressed that I could come up with such a good idea since I have never seen any novel here that talks about a parallel universe (personally). You might think it is not that impressive but if you read from my brain then you will understand just how much injustice my writing skills and my lack of planning did to such a good idea and plot. The lack of planning also resulted in a lot of plotholes that made me really frustrated because I forget things a lot and planning would have made things so much better. I can''t think of anything else but if you can then you should let me know so I can make improvements on my upcoming novels. Yes, I will be publishing two other novels soon...well not really soon since it will depend on when my kind editor finishes editing the first short one which I will hopefully be publishing before February (fingers crossed) and the second one will be published when the WSA contest starts. Please don''t think these novels are going to be like ROFAI, I am really passionate about writing and I can''t describe just how sorry, pathetic, angry and frustrated this novel made me feel but at the same time it helped in improving my writing. I have also sought out much advice and tried really hard to improve myself. I am currently stockpiling the first one (spoiler: it is a high school/mystery novel) so you don''t have to worry about not updating regularly. I know just how important updating a novel regularly is to the success of a novel. So please come back when I release my novels next year cos they really need you to be successful unlike this. To those of you who voted with your powerstones, commented, and spent even a dime on this novel. I am very grateful to you, your supports were a great contribution to the completion of this novel and though I can''t describe it to you in words, I just want you to know you are a great part of this success and you will also be to the success of my coming works. Those who just read, I want you to know you also contributed because looking at the number of reads daily and seeing that it went up mattered a lot. So A BIG THANK YOU to everyone. The rant is long and I am happy you made it through. I look forward to seeing you guys when I release the next ones and though you have no need for this novel in your library I ask that you please leave it so you can receive a notification when I start publishing the next one as there is a lot to expect from it. THANK YOU. THERE IS MOST CERTAINLY GOING TO BE A SEASON 2 THOUGH I CAN''T PROMISE WHEN BUT I WILL SOON START WORKING ON THE PLANNING